#at the christmas party at work we brought some food and most people brought a traditional dish from their culture

[liberty-spiked]

so the shitty week paid off because we not only got internet back on but our friendly florist gave us a big present! also that trumps everything - got to pet a cute little doggo. i'm happy :)

[actuallysaiyan]

Kiss you once and then some more And wish you a Merry Christmas baby(Boss!Kento Nanami x Fem!Secretary!Reader)

warnings: smut, mentions of drinking, lots of Christmas imagery, office party setting, unprotected sex, vaginal fingering, nipple play, power dynamics, boss x secretary, creampie finish word count: 2.6k pairings: Boss!Kento Nanami x Fem!Secretary!Reader summary: the holidays are coming up, and all you can wish for is to be able to steal a little kiss from your boss while under the mistletoe. when you volunteer to help out with the annual Christmas party, you realize your boss never got the chance to decorate his office. just a little mistletoe won't hurt, will it? a/n: This is an early Christmas gift for all of us simping so hard for Kento Nanami and wish we could find him under the tree on Christmas morning. Special thanks to @beneathstarryskies who has been fuelling my love for Kento even before I started watching JJK

It was always crazy to you how fast the office changed after Halloween. Down came the pumpkins and paper craft decorations of witches on broomsticks and sheet-wearing ghosts. And with them, people started decorating for Christmas fairly early on in November. People who were bored out of their minds would spend their time cutting up paper to resemble snowflakes, others would buy very fancy yet tacky decorations to dress up their desks. You weren’t above them, most certainly not. Your own desk was properly decorated for the season. You even laid out a bowl of candy canes and chocolate for those who stopped by your desk before going into work or just leaving for the day.

The one person you truly wished would grace your presence was your boss, Nanami Kento. He was a very busy man, so he often didn’t have the time to stop and chat. With him being so busy all the time, and especially more so around this time of year, you were always eager to help him out with anything he needed. Kento regularly looked to you for the help he needed, but your relationship never went anywhere further than a professional one. Nobody would ever find out how much you were pining for him. Not even he knew your true feelings for him, or so you thought.

And as the days ticked on and November became December, you found yourself giddy for the holidays. It was always a hustle and bustle and things were tense in the office days leading up to Christmas Eve, but it was exciting for you. You balanced your time between Christmas shopping and working hard to make sure the big project for the office was going off without a hitch. Despite everyone else wigging out with stress, you were the glue to keep everything together. You were the first person to bring someone a steaming mug of coffee or tea when they desperately needed it. You were the one who kept all the files neat and tidy, ready for whoever needed them. And you were always the one who brought a little extra food for those who were staying late most nights.

A Christmas staff party is announced, and you’re the first one to sign up to make sure the thing goes well. You’re in charge of bringing food and drinks. Your heart flutters with joy when you see your boss’ name written on the RSVP list. He was going to finally get a chance to relax and mingle with the rest of you. You wonder if maybe you could manage to get him to give you a little kiss under the mistletoe. With thoughts of a possible office romance blossoming, you spend the next few days plotting and planning.

The afternoon of the Christmas party, everyone gets to go home early. You managed to pack a bag of things for yourself considering you decided to get ready here since you were in charge of preparing and catering the food and drinks. With most of the appetizers and drinks premade the night before, all you had to do was find a table suitable to hold everything. With that taken care of, you made your way to the women’s locker room. The water pressure isn’t nearly as good as the one in your apartment, but you know you need to take a shower.

With yourself clean, you begin getting dressed and fussing over your hair and makeup. As you’re getting pampered and pretty for your boss, you call one of the local pizza places nearby and place a large delivery order. Everything was coming together perfectly. You hoped that Kento would see just how hard you’ve been working on not only this but everything else leading up to this day. 

It’s just past 7 pm when the first few people start arriving. Some of those who volunteered to set up games and other activities are the early ones. Then as the hour ticks by, you notice that the party is almost in full swing. Still, no sign of Kento anywhere. You figured he would probably be showing up anytime soon. Yet as everyone is full tilt into party mode, you find yourself longing to see your boss. 

You have a drink, mingling with your colleagues by the punchbowl. Your eyes keep darting all around the room, but to no avail. He’s not here, and as it gets a little later, you worry maybe he was just too tired to join the festivities. You decide to take a little walk around the office, hoping to spot him as he’s coming in.

After a quick trip to the bathroom to freshen yourself up and touch up your makeup, you pass by Kento’s office. It’s so dark and lonely in here. You realize he hasn’t even put up any decorations. It makes you a little sad to see this. So you go to your desk and fish out a mistletoe decoration. Once you’re back in Kento’s office, you begin trying to affix the cute little decoration to the ceiling.

“And just what are you doing?” a deep voice calls from the doorway. Your heart nearly stops.

“Oh! Nanami-san! I’m just trying to spread a little holiday cheer.”

He smirks at you, and his eyes follow your gaze to the ceiling. The little mistletoe hangs just above you, almost as an invitation for him to come press his lips against yours. You jump a little as the sound of the door closing startles you. Kento moves closer to you, a smile on his face.

“Please, just call me Kento. No need for formalities here.”

Your cheeks redden at his words. But you nod and smile, asking him how he’s enjoying the party. You notice a flute of champagne in his hand. So he is trying to mingle and enjoy himself. He takes a sip of the effervescent drink.

“This was exactly what I needed. I’ve been too focused on my work lately.”

You smile sweetly, “I’m glad you can take the chance to relax. You really deserve it, Kento.”

He loves the sound of your voice. Especially when you’re saying such sweet things to him. He downs the rest of the champagne, and then he approaches you. Without warning, he reaches up to help you pin the mistletoe to the ceiling. Your cheeks burn at being so close in proximity. He smirks at your reaction, then he cups your cheek softly.

“Does this mean I can steal a kiss?”

Your heart stops for a moment, only to begin racing. You can barely think of the right words. A soft “yes” falls from your lips before he presses his lips to yours. The entirety of his being is invading all your senses. He smells like fancy cologne, and his lips are so soft and plush and his broad frame feels so good against your smaller body.

When he pulls away, you’re breathless. He chuckles softly before he leans back in for a second kiss. This one is hungrier, and your brain finally catches up to what you’re doing. You press yourself against him even more, your lips moving in tandem with his. His large hands glide up and down your sides, admiring the velvet dress you decided to wear. 

“Did you get all dolled up just for me?” he asks, his lips now nipping and kissing the tender flesh of your neck.

You breathe out, “yes…just for you.”

He knows you’ve been pining for him for so long. If he said he hadn’t found you so fuckable the moment he met you, he would be lying. How often he had to hide himself in his office just to push back lewd thoughts almost every day. Kento was basically obsessed with you, but he didn’t want to ruin your professional career by pushing things further. Tonight was the exception. When he saw just how much work you put into this party and your appearance, he knew he had to make his move.

His hands slide up your sides to your breasts. He cups them, squeezing slightly. This earns him a soft mewl from you, and it makes his cock twitch in his expensive dress pants. Kento had also made quite the effort to make sure his appearance was perfect just for you.

“That’s my good girl,” he murmurs against your skin.

You gasp when he pulls the top of your dress down, revealing your bare breasts to him. He doesn’t even really give you time to react before he’s dipping his head down to capture one of your perky nipples into his mouth. You’re melting under his touches, and your knees are buckling from the ministrations.

You look down at him, your hands shaking as you reach out to cup his head. This keeps him affixed to your tits. Your fingers card through his beautiful blond hair, then your nails rake against his scalp. He shudders at the sensation before he turns his attention to your other nipple.

“I won’t lie.,” he says as he suckles on the bud. “I’ve been thinking about this moment for months.”

You feel your cheeks turning crimson, “Nanami-san! T-that’s so filthy.”

You feel him spanking your thigh, a lewd but dark look in his eyes as he looks up at you. You know you must have pushed some buttons just now. He looks even more determined than before.

“Didn’t I tell you to call me Kento?”

You stammer out a few excuses, but he just shuts you up with another searing kiss. As he kisses you hard, his hands begin to peel off that cute little dress you put on just to impress him. He tosses it behind him, then pulls you closer to him. Your soft skin smells of peppermint and vanilla; a decadent mixture to delight his senses. He groans as his fingers tease your clothed cunt, finding you so wet already.

“I think you’ve been fantasizing about this just as much as I have been.”

His words make you blush even more than before, but you can’t help but agree with what he’s saying. It was true, you both had been thinking about this moment for a long time. And now that it was finally happening, you could barely calm your little racing heart.

“So wet just for me…” he mentions as he lets his fingers push back your panties.

Your eyes screw shut in pleasure, and you let out a shaky breath as Kento expertly rubs your swollen clit. You knew he’d be good at this, but you never thought he’d know the perfect ways to get you off. Then his fingers slide down further, prodding your tight little hole. He smirks as he feels just how much you’re dripping for him. There’s hardly resistance as he slips two of his fingers into you, his thumb rubbing your nub.

“Such a dirty little secretary you are. I bet you want me to bend you over this desk and take my frustrations out on you, don’t you?” He asks as he presses his face into the crook of your neck. His breath is so hot against your skin, and his teeth graze your pulse point.

You can’t even answer him properly. Your mind is just buzzing from all the lustful heavy petting that’s going on. He loves the way he’s rendered you into a moaning mess already and he hasn’t even fucked you. Despite knowing he should be getting you ready for his cock, he knows you both don’t have all the time in the world. Eventually someone will come looking for either of you.

With both of his hands, he pushes you against the desk. You squeal as he rips your panties off and shoves them into your open mouth. The taste of your own arousal makes you clench around nothing.

“Just be a good girl and be quiet. I promise, I’ll make you cum.”

You don’t need any more convincing than that. He spreads your thighs with his knee, and you begin to hear the sounds of him unbuckling his belt and unzipping those fancy dress pants. You attempt to turn around to see how big his cock is, but Kento is quick to push your head down against his desk. 

There’s the unmistakable sound of him spitting onto your cunt as he spreads your asscheeks. Then you feel the tip of his cock prodding your tiny hole. You know already that this will be quite the stretch. Kento groans as he slides into you slowly, savoring the way your cunt is already trying to milk him for everything he’s got.

The moment he bottoms out, it’s like something snaps deep inside of him. He begins pumping into you at a breakneck speed, his hands tangling in your cute little updo. Animalistic grunts and growls rumble from his chest as he lets out his frustrations on you. Meanwhile you desperately white-knuckle the desk beneath you as the tip of his cock bullies that spongy spot deep inside you that makes you see stars. Already you’re so close to your own peak and he’s barely been fucking you for a few minutes.

He leans in to press a kiss to your shoulder, pushing his cock deeper into you. You’ve never had anyone quite this deep inside of you before and you can feel your legs about to give out.

“I wanna take my time with you, pretty baby. But we’ve gotta make this quick.”

You moan in response, your cunt gripping onto him even tighter. He grunts as he begins slamming into you faster and harder. The desk beneath you begins to creak and slide against the floor, making it obvious to anyone around what you two are up to. But anyone would be an idiot to even dare try to interrupt you two. You’re in heaven and you never want it to stop.

Your eyes snap shut as you feel his fingers rubbing your aching clit. Just a few more thrusts and you’re falling off the edge. Muffled whimpers and mewls fall from your panty-stuffed lips. Your thighs are shaking as you begin creaming all over that fat cock of his. He tugs on your hair, pulling you flush against his chest as he continues to fuck himself deep inside you.

He growls as his own orgasm hits him hard. Shot after shot of thick, sticky cum paints your insides. You whine as you feel his cock throbbing with every pump of cum he shoots inside of you. Eventually, he slows his pace to a stop and you’re both panting. You spit out the panties onto his desk, and Kento pulls out of you. He turns you around so you’re facing him, and he’s got the most smug look on his face you’ve ever seen.

“Guess this means you’re all mine, hm?” He asks, two of his fingers pushing his cum back into you.

You whimper, “O-of course, N– Kento…”

He smirks at your response. Kento reaches for the soiled panties and he helps you slide them back onto you. With a soft kiss, he helps you back into your dress as well. The moment you try to stand, you feel just how shaky you are. Kento chuckles softly, stuffing his softening cock into his dress pants.

“Don’t worry,” he murmurs as he presses a soft kiss to the top of your head. “You can lean on me for a bit.”

He takes your hand in his, and while you lean against him, he leads you back out into the party. Almost nobody seems to think anything weird about this, they are all just happy to see the both of you at the party. You two share a few drinks and mingle and as the party begins winding down, Kento leans in to whisper in your ear.

“Merry Christmas, pretty baby…”

[magicxc]

Holidays

Pairings: Survey Corps - their fave holidays

Word Count: 871

Warnings: none

A/N: I considered Japanese holidays for this bit but then laziness got the best of me. Like most pieces I create with these characters a lot of how I envision them will relate to western/modern culture in some way or another. Though they probably won't celebrate half of the holidays I'm about to list, I want to reiterate that this is my idea of the traits these characters possess and also they are not real. 

Headcannons Masterlist

Eren  - Christmas

Eren is big on family, especially the family he’s made with Armin and Mikasa. It’s clear that he stands ten toes down behind them and when he gets his own family, it’ll be much the same. I actually think having kids will bring out the fluff in Eren and he’ll be that obnoxious holiday parent that's doing the most with decorations and presents. But it's honestly the atmosphere that gets him going. The holiday cheer, the kindness, the emphasis on giving - he loves it all. 

Levi - New Years

The new year signals a new beginning but also the close to another chapter. Each time Levi makes it to a new year he’s thankful but mostly shocked. From life underground to humanity's biggest threat, he never knows when disaster might strike. But, when the clock strikes 12 it's a moment of relief, one where he can sit back and relish in the thought that he’s made it to another trip around the sun. 

Erwin - Fathers Day

Lmaoo I'm not tryna make Erwin sound egotistical at all, but I was also running out of popular holidays. The day the Scouts headed to their mission to plug wall Maria was the first time we saw them get a standing ovation and it was also the first time we saw Erwin express such vocal excitement. Even though he can come off a bit aloof, I thought it was fun to see him in that way. That being said I think he’d enjoy being celebrated and can even play up the wowwwws at the macaroni necklaces and handprint construction papers lol. He would love and take care of his family obvi but it’d also make him feel good to feel that admiration in return. 

Connie - Thanksgiving 

You feed this man and he’ll love you forever. It’s his favorite holiday because it has back to back benefits. There's tons of food, a four day weekend off from work, and the opportunity to spend time with his family. He’s the type to pitch in money but over the years Connie has been more inclined to learn how to cook and has even started bringing in a dish. He’s most excited to try a Friendsgiving as he considers them family as well. 

Jean - Valentines Day

I firmly believe that Jean is a romantic. I don't think he’d be the most creative at gift giving lol but it’s certainly the thought that counts. On valentines day he goes all out - teddy bears, flowers, chocolates, etc. ya know, the usual. Although his gifts are very on the nose and sometimes he needs to be spoon fed the information, what he lacks in creativity, he'll gain in experience; learning to step his game up as the years go by. Again, sweet guy. 

Onyankopon - Easter

He more so likes the spring break aspect of it. With the flowers blooming and the sun making regular appearances, it was usually the first sign to what summer would be like. Ony enjoys traveling, meeting new people, and experiencing different cultures. So although spring break was meant to party, which he did, Ony always made the time to immerse himself in the customs of whichever country he visited. Now as an adult, he still indulged in his version of spring break as he always enjoyed the mini relaxation that it brought about; thinking of it as his summer outside of summer. 

Reiner - Independence Day

Reiner is over the whole patriotic thing, however he can't help but enjoy the events that take place because of it. There’s literally a bbq happening on every corner so he’s for sure house hopping for a plate. There's all sorts of sales and Gabi is making him put that wallet to USE hunnie. And while he doesn’t mind, he more so enjoys their time spent together. There's also the beautiful fireworks that light up the evening sky. And at the end of the day he gets to spend his remaining time with family, gathered around over good food and even better vibes. 

Armin - Mothers Day

Armin is def the type to dote on his wife. Hard day at work? He’s rubbing the stress out of your shoulders. Hungry? He’s cooking and prepping lunch for the week. Overwhelmed at work? He’s booking you a spa day. Armin literally adores his woman and enjoys any chance he has to celebrate her and Mothers Day is no exception. Expect him and the kiddies to hand make you some arts and crafts, cook you breakfast, and plan the holiday around your desired interests; with him making sure, at the end of the day, to show you why you celebrate the holiday in the first place. 

Floch - Halloween

He’s big on the spooky vibe but not to a concerning extent. Like many others he just enjoys the activities surrounding it. This is actually where Floch flourishes in creativity and fun. He’s making spooky themed treats, decorating to upstage the next door neighbor, and enjoying all the movie classics. Let's not even get started on the lengths he’ll go through to make the most life-like costumes and the parties where he shows it all off?? Top mf notch! Bonus points for getting some action at said parties.

[imyourbratzdoll]

𝒂 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒎𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖

🎄christmas masterlist🎄

hello, the christmas gang have come back to leave a special message for you. I will be holding a poll for your answers to go to. I hope you missed them as much as I did.

warning - slight angst, swearing, troublemaker elves.

the gif and headers I use aren't mine.

Warnings and Reminders - Please do not plagiarise, copy, repost/republish, adapt, or translate any of my work on any social media platforms, apps, or third-party sites. The only platforms I post my work on are: Tumblr and Wattpad. I do not own any character of any franchise (Marvel etc.) All my works are fiction and may be dark or triggering content: READ ALL WARNINGS BEFORE PROCEEDING.

Rustling can be heard as the camera moves, shaky figures can be seen through the lens as it’s currently recording. The faint sound of a woman can be heard as she adjusts it, setting it up completely so that it rests on the floor in front of the fireplace. As the woman steps back, the faces and people become clearer.

There stands Mrs Claus (you) and Ari holding their two children as the elves and their children (with Mrs Claus) surround them and face the camera. Smiles and tears grace their features as it feels like years since they’ve talked to you (followers). The heartfelt moment only lasts a second as one elf steps forward, arms wide as he yells.

“We’re back bitches!” The other elves follow, and Ari shakes his head, glaring softly down at the little troublemaker.

“Johnny! Could you let us have a cute moment for once?” Johnny shakes his head shrugging, he walks forward and gets up close to the camera, grinning.

“Did you miss us? Boy, do we have some things to tell you!” He grunts as he’s pushed aside. “Hey!”

Jake sticks his tongue out before facing the camera. “Hi! I missed you so much! It’s been so boring since the last time we saw each other!” He throws his head back, groaning. Ignoring the rest of the others as he takes up the camera before a certain elf makes his way over and pouts, giving him his best puppy dog eyes. “Okay, okay! You don’t gotta look at me like that. Here!”

Steve grins, coming into view and presses his face right up close to the camera. “Hi!” His words come out smooshed, “Missed so much!” He hugs the camera as if you are there. “Oh, I gotta go for a second to let you have some time with the others! Bye!” He waves and grins, skipping off. 

Ransom stands, adjusting his coat. “We already know you missed me the most.” He rolls his eyes. “I bet you have been bored, waiting for me to appear. It’s understandable.” Without a goodbye, he walks off and let’s the next elf appear.

Frank appears and smiles, giving a small wave. “Hi! It’s been so long! I hope you are doing well!”

Lee steps in front of Frank, glaring at the camera. “Did they bring food? What’s the point of me saying hello if no one brought me food?” You shake your head, smiling, rocking your son back and forth. 

“Lee. Be nice, people like you and don’t ask me why. I wouldn’t know, but they do.” Lee turns and looks at you, offended. “I love you, sweetie. Completely different thing.”

Lee turns back toward the camera and continues to glare. “Well, if you came here because you ‘like’ me, then I guess I can talk to you. But, next time. I’d prefer food.” He rubs his chubby belly and waddles off. Probably in search of some donuts.

Curtis steps into frame, a dirty beanie on his head and a frown on his face. “Great, you’re back. Now we have to entertain.” He rolls his eyes, not happy with interacting with humans.

Lloyd makes his way over and pushes Curtis, smirking when the other grumpy elf glares at him. “Hello, my peasants!” 

“Fucking hell, Lloyd. They are not your peasants, if anything, you’re theirs.” Ari facepalms, wondering how you convinced him to keep them. 

“Pfft, me a peasant? Please, maybe when hell freezes over.” He strokes his moustache, imagining what it would be like if hell actually froze over and he got his wish. 

Ari shakes his head, “okay, move along. Move along.” His hand scoops across the floor, moving the small elf along with a soft push and then his full attention is on the camera. “Hello friend!” He warmly greets, sending the screen a wide grin. “We have missed you, the year has been rough without you. I personally hope you enjoy this Christmas special we have made.” A small giggle escapes his daughter in his arms, catching his attention and he smiles, pinching her cheeks softly. Her hands come up to play with his greying beard. 

You smile, tickling your daughter’s feet before paying attention to your little boy. “You missed a lot while we were gone.” You look up, smiling sadly (because they missed you) at the camera. “As you can see, we’ve been blessed with more of these little munchkins. But there is more news…” You are interrupted by the door opening and a sheepish Bucky walks in.

“Sorry, sorry. I didn’t want to be late, there was a thing with the Who’s and then the elves spotted a lolly shop.” He rolls his eyes, remembering what hell that was. “I hope I’m not too late?” He continues to walk over, holding his baby boy in one arm. He leans down and pecks your forehead, giving Ari a nod.

“You’re not late, you are just in time.” You beam up at him before looking back at the camera. “As you can see, Bucky has grown a lot.” He huffs, pouting down at you. “Oh.” Your eyes widened, “Did you say that the elves spotted a lolly shop?” You looked back up at Bucky with a bewildered expression. “Crap… They will be running a muck right now.” You begin to chew on your bottom lip, hoping they aren’t wrecking the house too much.

Ari leans over and kisses your head. “Don’t worry, my love. I have them handled.” You breathe a sigh of relief as you realise, he’s used his magic before anything could be damaged.

“Thank god.” You look back at the camera. “So sorry about that. As you may have heard, we have some new elves, but they are not ready to be fully introduced to you, yet. They are definitely…” You think, trying to find the right word.

“Pieces of shit!” Lee grunts as he enters the room again with a mouth full of food. “Don’ know why we even need them! Got us.” 

Ari stares down at the small elf. “Lee, language. Also, you guys barely do any work, I have to literally bribe you so I can have presents done by Christmas.” He grumbles, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

A scoff can be heard, and Ari’s attention turns toward Lloyd. “Please, we do so much work, I think we should be getting a raise with how much work we actually do.” He strokes his moustache, staring up at Ari, raising a brow as if challenging him. “What are you gonna do, big guy? Step on me.”

“Don’t push it.” Ari mumbles, sighing softly when you reach over and rub his back. “Shall we put the kids to bed before continuing, my love?” You nod, telling the elves to behave as you gather all the children with the help of Ari and Bucky, and exit the room. 

Lloyd grins evilly toward the camera. “Oh, Stevieeee. Look, there’s pretty lights over there.” Lee and Curtis join in, watching the giddy elf sparkle with excitement. 

“Where?!” Jake and Frank shake their heads, trying to warn Steve to not fall for it. Ransom stands behind them all with a glare on his face, ready to seek revenge if they hurt his secret (not so secret) best friend. Steve wanders forward, heading toward the direction the grumps pointed towards. “Oh cool!” Steve exclaims as he opens the little door before a short shout escapes him when he’s pulled in by the sugar crazed elves. “Ah!”

Jake and Frank glare, “What the hell?! Why’d you do that?!” They try to run forward to help, but Lee and Curtis block them.

Lloyd shrugs. “I don’t know, I was bored and he’s so gullible.” All five of the elves noses scrunch when the smell of fire reaches their nostrils. “The hell is that?” 

They turn and their eyes widen when they spot Ransom next to a pile of the three elves favourite things on fire. Lee’s chocolate stash, Lloyd’s polos and Curtis’s beanies. “Whoops, I guess my finger slipped.” He stares down the three, allowing Jake and Frank to quickly retrieve Steve from the other elves, his hair all dishevelled and eyes sad. 

“There were no lights…” He pouts, Steve walks over to Ransom and stands next to him, watching the pretty flames. “Ooo, those are pretty.” He gives his best friend a smile.

You, Ari and Bucky enter the room again and you stop. “Ransom… Why is there a fire on the floor?”

Ransom shrugs. “Revenge.” You nod, ignoring it and heading toward the couch and taking a seat, both Bucky and Ari taking a seat beside you while the elves head over and begin to crawl up your body, finding their favourite spots to sit.

“Okay, we are back! We would like to thank you for being a part of our story, this has been a great journey for us, and we’ve been talking.” You look around you at the people who surround you. “How would you feel if we made Christmas a year long thing? Just for you.” You and the rest of the Christmas gang hold your breaths, awaiting the answer.

💌your answer💌

thank you for reading!

feedback and reblogs are greatly appreciated.

[peskellence]

up in smoke

Explicit content (18+)

Pairing: RK900/Gavin Reed

Tags: M/M, Oral, Rough Sex, Dom/Sub Undertones, Shameless Smut, Semi-Public Sex, Toxic Relationships, Ex-Boyfriends

Read on AO3 here:

Summary: Gavin couldn't stand parties. Least of all, the ones that were hosted by his pretentious older brother. When the ‘small festive gathering’ he has been invited to turns out to be a networking event, he's quickly left wondering if things could possibly get any worse - and then he runs into Nolan, his former colleague and ex-boyfriend.

Modern-day Human!AU loosely taking place at Christmas.

Word Count: 5.4K

Gavin stood at his brother's front door, his fist poised hesitantly over the sleek black panelling. The invitation had come last minute, and he still couldn't quite explain what had compelled him to accept. Perhaps it was the promise of free food - or the opportunity to make his brother squirm with visceral recounts of the most recent horror movies he’d been watching.

Regardless, he found himself rooted in place, the bitter chill outside nipping at his skin - with the cheapest, shittiest bottle of wine the gas station had to offer clutched in his available hand. A torn grumble escaped his lips as he reluctantly brought down his fist. Not seconds after it made impact, the door had swung open. 

"Gavin, you're here." 

Elijah's greeting was accompanied by a nauseating grin nearly as bright as his garish red suit. Gavin had always found it impressive that despite his sibling's enviable wealth, he couldn't afford himself a sense of style.

Shoving his lacklustre gift into his brother's chest, he stepped through the doorway, dusting off his mud-caked boots on the runner. He did a quick scan of the hallway and discovered that the nearby shoe rack was stacked to the point of overflowing. 

“So, who have you invited to this thing other than me? And please don't say Auntie Christie. If I have to listen to one more story about that 20-something masseuse she met in Guam, I'm going to kill myself.” 

“No, Auntie Christie”, Elijah assured, his lips curled inwards as he suppressed a chuckle. “This is really more of a…networking event, with some of the teams from the sister office.”

Gavin, who had been halfway through shrugging his jacket off, promptly halted his movements. He glared at his brother accusingly, mouth pulling into a tight scowl. “You said this was a ‘small festive gathering.’”

“It is small, really. There can't be much more than a hundred people.”

As he focused in on the sounds coming from the parlour, a persistent rumble of voices reached his ears, accompanied by a flurry of footsteps. While the incessant drone of Christmas music sought to drown it out, the signs of life were unmistakable. The house was heaving. 

“I'm out”, he announced, turning on his heel and rounding towards the exit. “You always do this, I can't believe you.”

“Gavin, stay a while”, Elijah implored, stretching out an arm to obstruct his path. “It's freezing out there.”

“Why do you even want me at a networking event? I thought you were done inviting me to those after the last time I embarrassed you.” 

There was a flicker of recollection across his brother's face, followed by a wince. ‘Embarrassed’ was an understatement. Gavin had humiliated him. After receiving a dare from Tina, one of the few lively consultants at their office, he had revisited an old childhood pastime: sliding down the stairs on a baking tray. The result was a shattered collarbone and an enduring bloodstain on a pair of silk curtains. 

“I thought maybe we could discuss your resignation”, Elijah continued, trying to usher him back inside. “We’ve not filled the position yet; it’s not too late to change your mind.”

“I’m not going to change my mind”, he shot back. 

Even if it hadn't been for the ‘incident’, Gavin was firmly set on the fact that he would not be returning to work. The job at the company had been all but handed to him, accepted at a time of financial desperation. Truthfully, he had never fully grasped what the role entailed. Other than being mind-numbingly tedious. 

“The team misses you.”

“I seriously fucking doubt that.”

“Well, Tina misses you”, his brother corrected, trying to remain diplomatic. 

Gavin hesitated briefly, feeling a small spark of interest. Perhaps he could inject some much-needed life into the festivities with the help of an old confidante. “Is she here?”

“No, she has the flu.”

The rogue spark of hope extinguished, and he resumed his efforts to push past his brother. “Then I'm not staying. Bye, Eli.”

“You didn't need to leave over what happened”, his sibling said back. “We could implement some restructures to the teams to make it more comfortable for everyone. I spoke with Nolan about it, and he - ” 

“Don't.” Gavin felt a bitter twist in his stomach at the mention of the name. Glancing back into the house, his eyes darted towards the presumably bustling parlour, narrowed in a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. “Is he here?”

“I haven't seen him…” Elijah said vaguely, “Not unless Chloe let him in.” Then, his eyes twinkled in inspiration as he made a last-ditch effort to convince his sibling. “She made those Mac and Cheese bites you love. Did you not want to have some before you go?”

Gavin’s cavernous belly rumbled to life at the mention of the snack. It was no surprise that his current lack of employment had left him with dwindling funds - as well as a sparsely filled fridge. Realistically, he couldn't say no to the offer of free food, even if it meant tolerating some less-than-stellar company.

With reluctance, he conceded, turning back into the house. “...Fine, but after that, I’m gone.” 

Perfect,” his brother responded, the nauseating smile returning. Glancing down at the bottle he had been gifted, he struggled to mask his disappointment. The label read ‘White Wine’ in a messy back font, with no other information - having likely been scribbled on by the store clerk himself after losing the original tag. “You know what, this is lovely. It really should be saved for a special occasion.”

Entering the parlour, Gavin parked himself at the end of an outstretched buffet table, canvassing the spread for his desired target. He was hard-pressed to believe that ‘cheese bites’ would feature in the selection at all, with most of the foods seeming to be more to his brother's pretentious tastes. 

The fuck is Densuke Watermelon? Why am I here?

He was shuffled around repeatedly as other guests approached the table, humming appreciatively at the options. Elijah had clearly understated the numbers, with every inch of the expansive room densely packed with bodies. Having reached ‘sardines’ territory, Gavin concluded that it was far more pretension than he was willing to tolerate sober. 

Forgetting about food, he instead focused on the myriad of expensive-looking bottles lining the back of the table. He cared little about what they contained, with his only real consideration being which would get him drunk the quickest. That was when he noticed a shared detail. A single, harrowing digit which sought to sever what lingering threads remained of his optimism: 

0% 

Very clever, Eli, you smug bastard. 

He felt a firm tap on his shoulder - followed by a flat, monotonous voice which burrowed unwelcomely into his ear. “Ah, Gavin, it’s been a few months. How have you been?” 

Out of his peripherals, he spotted Walter Brown: A heavy-set man in his early fifties with a combover as sparse and flimsy as his charisma. If Gavin had a tenuous grasp on his own position in the company, he had even less of an idea about what Walter did. All he knew was that he attended almost every company event and had a knack for showing up at the most inopportune times. 

He turned to him, mouth stretched into a twisted parody of a grin, as his voice dripped with false sincerity. “Just peachy, Walt, what about you?”

The older man frowned at the nickname, which Gavin knew he disliked, before haughtily clearing his throat. “We've just secured the Stratford Cooperative as a client, so I'd say we're doing marvellous. I heard your team lost Parsons over a little blowout - such a shame.”

“Yeah, real pity,” the younger man hummed, picking at a piece of what he assumed was an extremely expensive watermelon - rolling it between his fingers and squashing it firmly. “So, how’s the wife doing? Still fucking her personal trainer?”

Elijah, who had been schmoozing his way around the table, made an audible sound of disconcertment upon hearing this. His head snapped round to face them, eyes bulged in disbelief. 

“Have you found the cheese bites yet, Gavin? They’re over here. Let me show you.” Flashing Walter an apologetic smile, he placed his hands on his brother’s shoulders before swiftly steering him away.

Once they had sufficiently distanced themselves, he leaned in close, speaking firmly into the younger man's ear: “Be nice.”

"You were the one who said I should stay”, Gavin hissed back. “I never promised I'd be nice.”

Elijah pinched the bridge of his nose, visibly exasperated. “I need to speak with Anderson quickly.” He gestured to a secluded area of the buffet, where a mostly ignored platter labelled 'Cheese Bites' was placed. “Just grab a plate and relax. When I return, we can discuss the restructure.”

"I already told you, dipshit, I'm not coming -" His brother hurried off before he could say anything else, leaving the sentence to hang in the air. 

Left with only the solace of breaded cheese, he grabbed the entire platter, not bothering with a plate. Sitting down on a nearby chair, he prepared himself to indulge. As the first bite touched his lips, a sudden noise startled him, causing it to slip from his fingers and tumble onto the floor. Gavin could feel his agitation simmer, bubbling under his skin, as he zoned in on the source of the noise. 

A group of well-dressed men stood nearby, exchanging a series of mundane anecdotes. Everything about their presence seemed to exude an inflated sense of importance, and as Gavin continued to eavesdrop, his face contorted into a grimace. 

The group, amused by a particularly uninspired joke, erupted into a fit of laughter. Unable to resist the temptation, he mockingly joined in, barking out a sharp cackle and throwing his head back in an exaggerated show of amusement.

Caught off guard by this, one of the men turned to him with an expectant smile before innocently inquiring, "What do you think?"

Gavin hummed in faux deliberation before shedding the pleasant facade almost as quickly as he'd adopted it. 

"I need a piss. That's what I think.” 

He stood from his chair, platter in hand, and hastily stomped away, leaving the men to exchange a series of perplexed glances. Manoeuvring his way through the crowds, he sought out a room that was less densely occupied - stuffing cheese bites into his mouth as he did so, leaving a trail of crumbs. 

This can't get any worse.

Turning a corner, he collided face-first with the chest of an unknown figure. The platter smashed against them, crushing much of the food and leaving an oily stain on their expensive-looking shirt. 

“...Hello, Gavin. I didn't think you'd be here”, a voice calmly addressed him. 

Never mind. It just got worse.

He blinked up at his ex-partner as dribbles of cheese oozed down his chin, unable to be contained by his outstretched jaw. Nolan looked back at him, grey eyes narrowed in scrutiny but expression otherwise unreadable. 

Despite the now prominent stain on his shirt, he looked incredible - dark hair slicked back, showcasing the full expanse of his sharp jawline and freckled skin. Gavin felt his stomach twist in a confusing mix of want and envy as he attempted to rudely side-step him.

“Out of my way,” he demanded harshly, spraying more crumbs from his mouth as he did so. 

Nolan refused to budge, unfazed by the frosty reception. “How are you doing? It's been…”. He paused momentarily, seemingly torn between tact and honesty. “...strange not having you at the office.”

“Funny way of saying ‘relaxing.’” Gavin darted to the side again, but the other man mirrored his movement, blocking his path. 

“You left your succulents on our desk. The rest of them, that is.”

Suppressing the biting laugh that threatened to erupt from his lips, he chose not to respond, rolling his eyes in feigned disinterest. 

"They're still in my car. I could get them for you.”

Having cleared his mouth, he wasted no time in slipping another bite between his lips. He made a point of flapping his jaw as he chewed, gnashing his teeth in uncomfortable proximity to the other man's ear. “Fucking keep ‘em. Like I care.”

Nolan shuddered, but only subtly, before quickly composing himself. “Yes, well, I know you didn't like them much anyway. They hardly ever got watered.”

“I did water them”, Gavin corrected, scowling. “It's not my fault that the internet lied when they said they were easy to take care of.”

“They tend to live longer when they aren't being launched at someone's head”, Nolan dryly replied.

“You asked for it.”

In a clear attempt to shift the conversation, Nolan breezed past the remark. He straightened his back, as he always did when trying to maintain an air of professionalism. “So, what have you been doing since you left?”

“Jacking off and watching reruns of Criminal Minds. I like to switch up the order. Keep it fresh.”

Just then, one of their co-workers approached from behind Nolan, allowing for a fleeting respite in the tense conversation. She clapped her hand on his shoulder and beamed at him pleasantly. “Congratulations on the promotion. We're going to love having you on our team.”

As she happily trotted away, Gavin glared after her before staring back at his ex accusingly. “Oh, I see. So that's what Eli meant when he said there'd been a ‘restructure’”

The other man deflated a bit, his tightly held shoulders stooped in vexation. “The project is struggling, and I'm one of his most senior consultants. It's only natural that I -”

“Save it”, Gavin interrupted, holding out a hand. He popped another bite into his mouth, humming loudly in appreciation, as the cheese oozed itself across his intentionally exposed tongue. “Anyone else would have been punished for the Parsons fuck up. So have you been screwing my brother for long, or is that more of a recent development?”

“I would say that the Parsons ‘fuck up’ was more of a shared effort. You were the one who turned the office into a war zone.”

“I threw one plant, and it missed you. Get over it.” 

From the corner of his eye, Gavin spotted someone attempting to encroach on his platter. He swiftly yanked it away, snarling fiercely to establish his claim. Despite this, as he moved to grab another bite, he hesitated, his stomach beginning to churn.

“You know what? Looking at your face for this long, I think I've lost my appetite.”

The juvenile remark threatened to crack Nolan's composure. His jaw clenched uncomfortably as the corner of his lip twitched in frustration. “Scathing. I don't know how I'll ever recover from such a cutting insult.”

“Just leave me alone, you smug asshole.” Unwilling to engage with his ex for a moment longer, Gavin finally set down the platter - before angrily storming past, clocking the other man's shoulder as he did so. 

He continued to a nearby hallway, heading towards a flight of stairs, cussing the entire time. He was suddenly accosted by Elijah, who parted his way through the sea of confused-looking onlookers. “Gavin, did you want to talk about -”

“No.”

The words died on his brother's tongue. With consideration for the people who were staring, he calmly readjusted his approach. “If you're going to have a smoke, please remember to -”

“Eat a dick.”

He stormed up the staircase and weaved this way through the many corridors. The murmurs of voices and clinking of glasses became fainter the longer he persisted until they were no longer audible. Turning his way into his brother's recreation room, he ignored the overtly opulent furnishings and focused instead on the attached balcony.

Stepping onto the iron grate, he felt the tension in his body ease. He leaned against the railing, looking down at the expansive driveway and the army of SUVs and flashy sports cars. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a packet of cigarettes. He placed one of them into his mouth before lighting up.

After taking a long, comforting drag, he continued to survey the vehicles before a familiar flash of cobalt blue caught his eye. He wondered how much damage he could do to Nolan's car if he were to haul one of Elijah's chairs over the guardrail. 

Indulging in the fantasy, he closed his eyes and attempted to regain some semblance of calm. His moment of peace was short-lived as a shuffle of footsteps approached from behind.

“I thought you quit.”

With a frustrated grumble, Gavin took another drag before turning his head to glare daggers at the unwelcome intruder. “What part of ‘leave me alone’ did you not understand?”

Nolan coolly ignored him, stepping onto the metal grate, careful not to slip on the ice. “You were doing so well. I thought you might actually kick the habit.”

“What do you care?”

“Smoking is disgusting. It smells terrible, stains your teeth - and it is toxic not only for you but everyone you associate with.” 

“Spare me the lecture, Mom”, Gavin retorted, taking a deliberately long drag and blowing in his direction. “If it's so disgusting, why don't you fuck off and leave me to it?” 

Closing his eyes to guard from the smoke, Nolan took a long, steadying breath. With purposeful strides, he advanced, his steely eyes darkening. While his former partner had always displayed remarkable emotional control, Gavin could sense a quiet intensity that was threatening to boil over. 

Attempting to step back, he found himself cornered as his ex-partner loomed menacingly. To conceal his unease, he puffed out his chest and lifted his chin in a show of bravado. 

What the hell is he doing?

In a swift motion, Nolan plucked the cigarette from his mouth and placed it between his own lips. He drew a long, measured drag before exhaling the smoke into Gavin's face.

He felt his breath hitch as the dense veil obscured his vision. Through the haze, he could see Nolan's stern expression beginning to shift. There was a twinkle of intrigue in his eyes, accompanied by a satisfied smirk. He lifted the cigarette into the air and, in one final act of dominance, flicked it over the balcony. 

Gavin reeled as his mind raced with conflicting impulses, as a rogue twitch of interest flagged in his jeans. Fuck, that was hot. Why was that hot? 

"You're infuriating, you know that?" Nolan hissed, narrowing the gap between them. "The most infuriating man I have ever met.”

“Oh yeah, and what are you going to do about it?” he challenged. “Shove me off the balcony?” 

A hand fisted into his hair before harshly wrenching back. Any lingering resistance swiftly deserted him as Gavin felt his body surge with a powerful wave of excitement. 

“No, I'd rather keep you up here so I can teach you some manners.”

“Fuck you, Nolan…” he spat back weakly, inciting a chuckle from the other man.

“Only if you beg,” he purred, beginning to trail kisses along the expanse of his neck. "And trust me, you will.”

The kisses trailed upwards until they were dancing across the shell of his ear, interspersed with harsh nips. Gavin made a small, almost whimpering sound as his face flushed with embarrassment. The other man chuckled, low and throaty, before whispering a hushed command. 

“Get on your knees.”

Before he had a chance to respond, he was being pushed downwards until he was positioned with his face inches from Nolan's zipper. He gulped back a needy breath as he greedily eyed the bulge, a rush of adrenaline leaving him numb to the icy chill of the grate. 

Without much further consideration, Gavin unfastened the pants, pulling them down, before moving on to the exposed set of boxers. Nolan gasped as a cool rush of air struck his arousal. It only lasted a moment as a tight heat quickly engulfed it.

Gavin rolled his tongue across the tip of his length before bringing it further into his mouth, bottoming out as it reached his throat. The man above him growled as he deftly picked up the pace, hollowing out his cheeks. 

“Just look at you, so needy.” Nolan tightened his hold on his head, leaning back against the balcony for much-needed support. “Anyone could see us out here. So desperate for me that you don't even care.”

Gavin responded to the suggestion with a pointed raise of his middle finger before resuming his movements, humming against the hardness in a way he knew drove him insane. Nolan's eyes swiftly rolled into the back of his head, lips parted in a ragged groan. 

Then Gavin pulled away, catching the sensitive flesh with an intentional graze of his teeth. The other man hissed in pain before glaring down in accusation. 

“Why do you always have to make things difficult?” His hoarse voice rumbled, hand clenching Gavin's hair with near excruciating force. “If you're good, you'll get what you want - Now open your mouth. Wider.”

As he allowed his jaw to slacken, he felt Nolan's hips bucked forward with unyielding force. It wasn't long until he had established a pace of hard, relentless thrusts. Gavin gagged and choked around the intrusion as a raw pain burned his throat. 

The hardened flesh twitched in his mouth as the movements became increasingly erratic, signalling that the other man was nearing release. He braced himself, knowing he was unlikely to receive any warning when the length was pulled from his mouth - leaving its seal with a sinful pop. 

“As much as I'm sure you're enjoying yourself”, Nolan began, his voice thick with desire. “It’s getting a little cold. Let's move this inside.”

Pulling up from his knees, Gavin followed him into the recreation room, eagerly speculating on what else he might have planned for them. The answer came in the form of hands gripping his hips as they firmly pulled forward - leading their bodies to roll together in smooth, fluid motions. Then, he was being pushed away with the same intense force he had been used to hold him close. 

“Strip.”

Spurred by unbridled want, Gavin complied with the command. He rid himself of his clothes, allowing them to gather in a crumpled heap around his feet. As he stood in the centre of the room, exposed, Nolan raked him up and down, emitting a satisfied hum. He tilted his head towards a nearby pool table, the action speaking for itself. Nevertheless, he made his desires clear:

“Bend over it. Now.” 

Gavin once again followed the instructions, knees weak as he stumbled over - before positioning himself at the end of the table. Nolan draped over his back and pressed a set of fingers forcefully against his lips. “Open your mouth.”

The digits slipped past his eagerly parting lips as Gavin caressed them with his tongue, thoroughly coating them. Nolan pulled his hand away and - with torturous slowness - ran it down the expanse of his back before settling against his entrance. Without warning, he entered him - fingers curling into the heat as the other man arched back, keening in appreciation.

He worked him open, scissoring his fingers as he pushed himself deeper into his body. His wandering digits struck against a tight bundle of nerves, and Gavin made a loud, strangled noise - succumbing to an intense wave of pleasure.

Nolan continued to tease, pumping in and out, as the other man rolled back, fucking himself against his fingers. A tight warmth coiled in his stomach as the swell of his arousal pressed firmly against the edge of the table. 

“Holy shit”, he whispered, eyes bulging wide in surprise. “Fuck, Nole, I think I'm gonna -”

The other man abruptly pulled out, earning a loud growl of protest from the disgruntled man beneath him. Oh, you fucking asshole.

His frustration was short-lived, however, as Nolan readjusted his position, pressing himself firmly against his entrance. Each drawn-out second seemed to stretch for an eternity as Gavin shuddered in anticipation, gripping the edge of the table. 

Then, the movements stilled before the pressure slowly began to recede. Excitement dwindled into impatience as he glanced over his shoulder, glaring accusingly. “The fuck are you doing back there? Having a stroke?”

A teasing pressure was placed against the willing body as a stern demand was growled into his ear. “Beg.”

“You can't be serious”, Gavin complained. As he strained to glance further behind him, the other man seized his jaw and firmly wrenched him back. With a vice-like grip, he was shoved down and propelled face-first into the table.

“I'm very serious”, Nolan informed. “Either you do as you're told, and I fuck you so hard that you won't be able to walk straight tomorrow - or I leave you here. Desperate and needy, without any sort of release.”

A steady force resisted any attempts Gavin made to pull himself up, and realising that he had been bested, he grumbled back in defeat. “...Fine. Please.”

“Please, what?”

There was a moment of hesitance before he conceded, abandoning what little remained of his dignity. “Please fuck me.”

Nolan hummed in approval as he rewarded his compliance with a return to his original position. “Was that really so difficult?” 

Then, he was stretching him open - slowly and methodically - until every inch had buried itself inside his eager warmth. Gavin groaned at the fullness as the other man responded in kind with a testing jerk forward. 

He repeated the motion several times until the tip of his length brushed against the same bundle of nerves he had previously sought with his fingers. Gavin’s toes curled as his lips parted, begging for more. “Fuck, right there. Keep going.”

“Tell me how good it feels”, Nolan demanded, leaning down and - with deft accuracy - striking the same point again. Harder.

Gavin could feel himself unravelling, a sheen of sweat gathering on his skin as his breath escaped in short, laboured pants. He hated how desperate Nolan made him. Knowing exactly what he wanted but holding back just enough to drive him crazy. “It feels so fucking good.”

Nolan appeared satisfied by this response - as from this point onward, he did not hold back. There was no time wasted in building the pace, as his movements became relentless and forceful, unapologetic in their intensity. Fingers dug into his hips with bruising strength as each harsh thrust propelled Gavin further into the table. 

He trembled under the force, his arms outstretched above his head, as splayed fingers clawing desperately against the slate. Long, needy moans rumbled their way out of his throat as the man behind him responded with small huffs of satisfaction. Each noise Nolan made shot straight to his cock, which pleaded for attention against the edge of the hard plastic rail. 

“Fucking touch me…”

The pace began to slow, and it didn't take Gavin long to realise his mistake. A large hand reached down and gripped the front of his neck - before long fingers spread out, forming a cage of pressure. 

“I would think you would have learned by now that you will get nothing from making demands.” His voice was firm and domineering as his hold on the other man's neck began to tighten.“Or perhaps you want to be punished.”

Tears sprung to the corners of his eyes as Gavin’s vision filled with patches of white. He tried to respond, but the only sound he could muster was a strangled whine. Nolan gradually slackened his grip, and he felt his chest burn with the rush of oxygen that filled his lungs. 

“Tell me how desperate you are.” A hand left his hip before snaking its way around his waist,  lightly brushing the tip of his aching erection. “Then maybe I'll consider touching you.”

Gavin held his throat, coughing and spluttering as he did so. “Please touch me. I need it - need you.” His obedience was rewarded as he felt the hand wrap itself around his arousal, trapping it in a tight fist - before beginning to tease him in long, rhythmic motions. 

The strokes became faster and more forceful, matched by the weight of Nolan's thrusts. With every sinful movement, he pushed against him - shamelessly seeking more. He was unable to see sense through his dense haze of lust, becoming a slave to his own desperation.

“I've missed this”, Nolan gasped, his words trailing out like wisps of smoke, becoming lost amidst the storm of steady thumps and fervent groans. “Missed you.”

Gavin wasn't given much time to consider this, as he felt the pressure build in his stomach. “I'm gonna come”, he moaned as Nolan leaned further forward until his chest was flush against his back.

He nibbled on the lobe of his ear before exhaling a heated breath into the sensitive canal. “Then do it. Come for me.”

With a final, measured stroke, the pressure spilt over. It flowed in trails down his cock, onto Nolan's hand as he screamed out his name in a long, broken cry. The other man followed suit, his movements becoming increasingly frenzied - until a long, shuddering breath tumbled from his lips. Gavin could feel the wave of heat as it slowly filled him before dripping out between his thighs. 

Nolan allowed his weight to drop, the disordered rise and fall of his chest echoing through Gavin's back. His face was burrowed into his hair, warm air fanning through it with every shuddered gasp.

Eventually, he pried himself away, allowing Gavin the opportunity to twist himself around. He watched as Nolan lifted his boxers and hurriedly zipped his jeans, his demeanour snapping back to impassive neutrality with unsettling ease. 

As the high of his orgasm subsided, Gavin cursed how willingly he had surrendered to him - sacrificing his convictions for the sake of a few fleeting minutes of pleasure. He also stood up, gathering his clothes, before levelling an accusation at Nolan. Hoping to make him feel a measure of the loathsome frailty he was experiencing:

“I'm guessing this is why you followed me.” The words were hissed through gritted teeth, bared in a vicious snarl. “Well, congratulations, dipshit. You got what you wanted.”

“This isn't what I wanted at all”. The response was swift, laden with protest. A far departure from the muted discomfort that Gavin had been anticipating. As his ex-partner finally turned around, his usually intense eyes had softened significantly, brimming with remorse. “I just wanted to talk to you.”

“Don't know if you've realised, but you can actually do that without fucking the other person.”

Nolan winced before his head dipped. “I'm sorry. I have no excuse - I couldn't help myself.” All of his usual confidence was absent, replaced by a meek uncertainty, as his voice barely rose above a whisper. “I can't stop thinking about you - all the things I could have done differently.”

“It's a bit late for that.”

“Does it have to be?” While there was an element of his usual assertion returning, a vulnerability lingered. “Maybe we aren't good for each other, the way we are now, but maybe we could try to be…different. Better.”

As the sentiment of the words began to sink in, Gavin was left entirely stunned. The toxicity of their relationship had always been something they'd quite happily embraced. It had kept things dynamic - exciting - until the novelty had been exhausted. Entertaining the idea of a future beyond this seemed utterly absurd. 

Yet something about the sincerity of Nolan's words, the unapologetic rawness of his voice, compelled him to reconsider. If only for a moment. 

“...There's this new slasher coming out in a few days”, Gavin grunted, pressing forward before he had a chance to change his mind. “ Yuletide Fright.”

Nolan hummed thoughtfully, nodding his head in acknowledgement. “I remember you saying you were looking forward to it…”

“Yeah, well, we can go and see it together. If you want.” He paused momentarily before quickly adding, “- but you're paying.”

There was a hopeful intrigue in Nolan's bright eyes as he nodded again with greater exuberance. “Okay, that sounds good”, he agreed, smiling softly as he did so.

“On one condition”, Gavin stipulated. “You need to promise that you won't fuck my brother. Chloe will be crushed if you do - and if I lose out on my cheese bites next year, I'll never forgive you.”

[shebeafancyflapjack]

Little hurt/comfort ficlet for @idiotwithanipad x

Robin & OC

-

Most of the time she managed to block out her 'gift', having had nearly twenty years to train herself to ignore the dead people who existed everywhere she went, the majority of them easy enough to spot with their outfits, the way they weaved between livings without getting a passing glance, or outright walking through walls and furniture.

As a child, she'd had the excuse of being an imaginative kid who acquired many "imaginary friends" to talk to. As a teenager that didn't go down quite so well. Not that she usually cared if people looked at her as a weirdo. It was more the 'getting sectioned' possibility that concerned her.

Her parents had gone on and on about how old this hotel was, how it apparently had enough history to warrant a quick tour offered by the resort. So Amy expected more than a few ghosts to pop up here and there. Thus far she'd done her best not to make eye contact with the giddy Georgian woman or the Bridgerton Ken who had been in the reception.

It was a little more of a trial to ignore the caveman scurrying around her room, sniffing at the leftovers of her dinner she'd ordered through room service, nostrils flaring above the lone slice of pepperoni pizza.

"Ooo, smell so good. Wonder how you taste. Cheese taste like cow bum? It all come from same." The feral man was muttering to himself.

Once he got bored of inhaling the food, he was judging her parents choice of books that they'd brought, having dumped them on their bedside tables.

Amy covered her head beneath a large pillow as he continued his one-sided conversation.

"Fanny read this one. Butler no do it, it maid disguise as butler. And she also vampire. Big twist but saw it coming. Oooh, Christine Lampard autobiography! Me want read! Might put on Christmas list-."

"PLEASE WILL YOU SHUT UP!"

He raised his head in time to see the pillow she's thrown hurtle towards him and he ducked to the side to dodge it. He blinked at her in wonder.

"You see me?!"

"Yes! I can fucking see you, all right?!" She confessed through gritted teeth, knowing she'd probably made her situation worse now.

The caveman gave an excited whoop and jumped like a hyperactive five year old.

"This so cool! We have new friend who see! Almost never happen. Me gotta tell others-."

"No, please, please don't!"

Perhaps it was the crack in her voice, brought on by a surge of pain throughout her muscles as she tried to reach forward, that made the ghost stop in his tracks and turn back to her.

His excitement quickly morphed into concern as his eyes met Amy's, her own shining with tears.

"You no look so good..." The man frowned, one of his hands reaching up to stroke at his shift.

"Gee thanks, haven't heard that before. You're not exactly Chris Hemsworth, mate." She bristled; "I'm fucking ill and don't need to have a party of dead people storming in giving me a headache on top of everything else. It's bad enough my earphones have crapped out on me."

"What you got? Plague?" He asked, inching a little closer to her bed.

She huffed a laugh; "Not quite...but my body gets these sores. Don't think it's the same as that bubonic thing but fucking feels like it sometimes." Amy held her arm to show the spirit the angry looking lumps and scars near her armpits.

"Ouchie. They no look fun." He said, sitting on the edge of her bed.

She lowered her arm, slowly, wincing a little.

"Those aren't even the worst ones. The others are in...awkward places."

"That why you not downstairs with mum and dad at dinner and the show?" Her mum had been going on and on about this famous illusionist being the big star tonight, some Derren Brown-wannabe.

She nodded, miserably; "Wasn't expecting to flare up like this, or else I'd just stayed at home. At least then I'd have all the stuff in my room. Netflix don't even work on the TV here."

"Yeah, WiFi on blink since...some ghost, me not know who, play around with router when bored." He said, bashful, scratching at his ear. "So...they leave you here alone?"

"S'not like they abandoned me, I just didn't wanna make a fuss 'cause I know how much Mum's been looking forward to this." She sighed and waved her phone up; "Signal is crap here too so can't even WhatsApp."

"What's what?" He asked, turning his head to the side.

"No, WhatsApp."

"What is app?"

"No! I..." She couldn't help but laugh, realising how ridiculous this was, "Just something I use to text my mates. They're probably sick of listening to me moan too..."

"...You can moan to me if want?" He said, shuffling closer; "Me good listener."

Amy smiled at him a little; "Don't wanna be pitied, thanks. Anyway, I'm sure you got more exciting things to be watching."

"Eh. Me seen how that guy on stage do his tricks. Take all fun out. Lot to do with mirrors. Clever but boring. Rare me get to speak to living girl."

"Rare? So...I'm not the first?" Amy had never met anyone else with her gift.

"Lady who own hotel before golfy people come, she see us after my friend almost kill her. No, it cool! We good now!" The caveman assured after Amy's face went pale with terror; "She like family and come visit."

"She could see you guys because she almost died once?" Amy asked; "So she's not...chronically ill, like me?"

The caveman shook his head; "No think so. Just got bumpy on head. She say she now crazy forever but no ouchy scars and lumps and pain."

"Lucky cow." Amy clicked her tongue. She'd always thought her gift had something to do with having to deal with the constant agony, as well as other health issues she'd had as a baby.

Speak of the devil, another surge of agony hit her from her lower back as she shifted against the mattress.

"Shit!" She swore.

"Woah, woah, you 'kay?" The caveman fretted.

"Yeah, just a reminder to take my painkillers." She went to get off the bed, having left them on the sideboard, only for one of her feet to become tangled in the bedsheets.

Amy nearly fell before two hands caught her by the shoulders, fingers grazing against some of her abscesses. Painless.

"Fuck, that would've been embarrasing. Thanks, mate." She smiled, turning to see an almost cartoonish level of shock on the dead man's fuzzy face; "Uhh, you okay?"

"I....I touch you....?"

"Uhm, yeah, I've always been able to touch ghosts...Can that friend of yours not do that?" She asked, reaching for her pills and grabbing some water.

He shook his raggedy mane; "Only see and hear, but touchy hurt us, same as all other living people. You..." He poked her arm cautiously, mouth agape with awe at the contact, before poking again; "Ha ha!"

"All right, stop that now." Amy batted his hand away.

He retreated, looking regretful; "Oh, sorry. It hurt, yes?"

"No, it was just annoying." She laughed, sitting back down on the mattress; "It's weird. Ghosts are the only ones who can touch me where it's sore without hurting me. Don't invite too many of those though. Used to have a dead friend when I was a kid but...she moved on, I think." Amy looked down at her ebony nail polish, morose.

"Ah. Go up to stars. Me have many friends do same. I name each star for them." He explained, warmly.

"Her name was Lana, if you wanna find one for her." Amy said, quietly; "Speaking of names, do you have one?"

"Many. Most of them insults. But friends call me Robin." He said, holding his hand out to her.

It was a bit cliché but she supposed he rarely got a chance to meet anyone like this, so she shook it. "I'm Amy."

The fur of his sleeve brushed against her wrist. She couldn't resist the urge to feel it properly, softer than any comfort blanket.

"Wow...Is that...real wolf?" She asked, partly freaked out but also a little amazed - couldn't really compare hunting for clothes in this guy's time to the fashion industry today.

He nodded, then gently took her hand and pressed her fingers to different parts of his outfit.

"That bit cougar, that some wild dogs, that leather obviously from cow, and rest mostly mammoth." He explained.

"Real mammoth? Woah." Now that was pretty awesome. She'd never be able to meet one but she could say she'd felt one.

It definitely beat the hotel duvet.

She didn't want to move her hand away. It felt so soothing to be able to touch something, someone, so warm and soft without her skin being irritated. But this must look super weird from Robin's point of view.

"You look sad again. More pain?" He asked, reaching to touch her hand on his fluffy chest.

She shook her head; "No, s'just....My mum tried to give me a cuddle earlier when she could see I wasn't doing good and I had to tell her not to, even though I sure as shit need one right now. Pathetic, right?"

"No it not. I had little cousin, her skin like tissue paper, very delicate, tear easily. Big hugs make her cry too. But she brave and strong to survive. Like you." He told her, squeezing her hand; "We wrap her up in special leaves with Moonah blessed water to try to help. Not sure it did much good but we not have Doctor Google in them times. We just do best we can to ease pain."

"Well...you're doing a good job now." She praised, feeling the burning sensation ease a little with him being so close.

"You...want me to stay?"

"...Could you?" She couldn't understand why he would want to but didn't want to question it.

He nodded, a little bashful, as if he was just as new to the concept of being asked to stay for company.

"Want me to stay quiet still?"

Amy smiled; "Not too quiet, just not rambling out loud like you were doing. You look like you've been here for thousands of years, you must have some stories to tell. Could you just...tell me some of those till I get sleepy?"

"Ooh, yes. Hehe. Get comfy. Me know great one you like about man killed in library." He said, rubbing his hands together.

Getting comfortable was easier said than done in her condition, especially as she pulled away from his touch.

"I...Uhm...God, this is so cringe." She muttered to herself.

"What?"

"Would you be okay to just...hold me?" She asked, cheeks turning pink.

He smiled and nodded, shuffling to lay down and slide his arms around her, as she shifted into them, snuggling against the warm body of fur and skin and wild hair.

"This okay? Amy no ouch?" Robin whispered, fingers moving up to stroke through her hair.

She hummed, content at last; "Amy no ouch. Thanks, Robin."

A soft chuckle came from the long dead man as be continued to hold her close, his etheral presence doing nothing to aggravate her sores. On the contrary, a strange heat seemed to vibrate from his fingers as they brushed over her abscesses, melting the pain away.

It was a shame that ghost therapy wasn't prescribed on the NHS.

Amy relaxed in the man's arms and listened as he began the thrilling tale of the pirate captain who'd been slain in the library.

[sallysgrancanwrite]

Chapter Twelve

Chloe finally tried to pull herself together and fix her makeup and re~join the party. There was a tapping at her door. She knew who this was, Beth. She went to the door but when she opened it it was Edith instead.

“Oh, Edith hi. Come in. I was just coming back down. Just freshening up.”

“When will you learn dear, you can’t lie to me. I know you’ve been crying. Now what’s going on?”

“It’s just Michael. It was just a misunderstanding about tonight. I really wanted to spend the evening with him, but tonight is about you and Bob! How is your party going?

“It’s great! The tree however is interesting. Put a few drinks in the guys and you don’t know what you’ll end up with. We may have some repair work.” They both laughed. “As always I didn’t let them touch the angel.”

The angel had been Chloe’s mothers. She didn’t have much of her stuff because most had been sold or given away but a few special items were kept for Chloe like the angel and her mothers wedding dress.

“Thank you Edith for always taking such good care of Momma’s things.”

“Well, are you ready to go back to the party?” Edith asked Chloe.

“Yes, I am. Thanks.” she said as she gave her a hug.

They both started down the stairs and saw two of Chloe’s close friends, Tanya and Keith, trying to rearrange the tree decorations.

“These men simply do not know how to properly decorate a Christmas tree,” stated Tanya. “Well, except you darlin,” she said looking at Keith.

“It wouldn’t have had anything to do with the large amount of alcohol they drank would it?” Edith asked after listening to Tanya.

Edith had a hard time being around Tanya much. She felt she was a bit too snooty. She could come across as better than others.

“Well, you know Ms Edith you might be right. Heavens to Betsy they all drank like a bunch of fish. “

“They’re just having a good ol time. No harm done.” Edith said.

Edith and Chloe excused themselves and started to put away all the food and package up everyone else’s. It was getting late and people were starting to get their coats on. They actually had quite a bit left but the ladies brought so much besides what Edith had them making all day. Beth came in and started to load the dishwasher. After the dishes were done and all the ladies had cleaned up everyone started heading home. Bob and Edith had a table full of Anniversary gifts and everyone enjoyed themselves. Clearing the furniture away and putting down a dance floor was a great idea. Now Chloe was tired. She was sleeping in and turning her phone off.

“Goodnight Edith and Bob. Happy Anniversary again.” Chloe said as she hugged and kissed them both goodnight.

“Goodnight,” Beth hollered as she went to bed.

Bob and Edith had a slow dance now that it was quiet and they were alone.

“Honey,” Bob said, “come sit and have some champagne with me. I saved the good stuff for us.”

He looked at her and said,

“I would marry you all over again,”

They kissed each other and sat close in front of the fireplace before turning in for the night. Early the next morning Michael tried calling Chloe. She didn’t answer. He was really getting upset that she thought it was okay not to take his calls. He decided to just go over there.

Chloe woke up and still felt upset about Michael the night before. She pulled herself out of bed and just threw on some jeans and a sweatshirt.mit was chilly and rainy today. She was hanging out at home today. She got downstairs and got a cup of coffee just as Beth was.

“Want to hang out in front of the fire today and watch movies?” Chloe asked

“And eat junk food? Beth asked. “It’s the perfect day for it.”

“Well of course eat junk food,” Chloe laughed. “but first a good breakfast”.

Edith was making biscuits and gravy. Bob’s favorite.

“It smells great in here,” said Beth. “I’m starving.”

“You’re always hungry and yet thin as a stick,” Chloe said. “I wish it was that easy for me.”

“You’re just fine. Not an ounce of fat on you,” said Beth. “Come on let’s eat”

Just then there was a knock at the door. Edith walked over and answered it. All Chloe heard was “Oh hi Michael,” and she was ticked. What did he want?

Chloe got up and went to the door.

“I have it Edith, thank you. What can I do for you Michael?”

“What’s wrong? I thought we’d go out for breakfast.”

“No, I’m already eating and I’m staying home today. I’m not in the mood to go anywhere. And you know what’s wrong.”

“Just give me a chance to make up for last night. Please Chloe let me take you to lunch.”

Chloe thought about it, and he did seem sorry. Somehow he always sucked her back in.

“Not today, tomorrow morning breakfast. 8am.”

“Great, I’ll pick you up at 8 then. I love you.” He reached over and kissed her. She kissed him back. God she loved him. Maybe soon he would ask her to be his wife. She wanted that so much. He has flaws but don’t we all. He has dealt with the worst of his problems in counseling.

She heard dishes clank together and it brought her back to reality. Chloe walked back to the kitchen after Michael left to a very quiet room. Finally Beth spoke up.

“Why do you always go back, always accept his apologies knowing it will happen again? I love you Chloe, but I don’t get what kind of hold this jerk has on you. You could have anyone but you choose him. Baffles me.”

Chloe sat quiet for a moment before she spoke.

“I don’t know how to explain how much I love him. Or how much good I see in him. I know he has so much potential to be better than he is at times and I can’t give up on him. I’m sorry if that upsets all of you.”

“We’re not angry,” said Edith, “just concerned and we worry. You know that no matter what we will all be there for you. Now I’ll make a plate of baked goodies and you all go watch some Christmas movies. I’ll be right there.”

Chloe knew she had the most wonderful people in her life and she felt truly blessed. She felt so loved. She grabbed a blanket and went into the living room. Bob already had a fire going. And Beth already had a bunch of romantic Christmas movies picked out. It was a perfect day filled with family, fun and laughter. When they tired of movies they ordered pizza and played cards. Somehow Edith always won. It had been a while since they had so much fun.

“We need to have family time more often. This has been great today.” Chloe remarked.

They all decided that Saturday’s would be take out and family night.

“Michael is invited to join if you want him to. We want you to be happy.” Bob and Edith agreed.

“Thank you both, I’ll talk to him. It’s getting late and I need to be up and ready by 8am so I’m off to bed. I love you, goodnight.”

Chloe had had fun today but as she got ready for bed it made her think of her parents. Some days Chloe still can’t believe they’re gone. She misses them. Edith and Bob have been great and treated her like their own, but sometimes you just wish for your mom and dad. John and Betty were the most loving, caring and giving people, well besides Edith and Bob of course. No use sitting and dwelling on things that can’t be changed. She brushed her hair and climbed into bed. Before she knew it it was morning. She looked at the clock and it was 7:30! Michael would be here in an hour and she had to take a shower yet. She jumped out of bed and took the fastest shower she has ever taken. She put on a nice pair of khaki slacks, a red sweater with small beads on it and a necklace. Now the hair and makeup. She dried her hair and put it in some hot rollers while she did her makeup. She put on a pinkish eye makeup and some rosy blush and then some red lipstick to finish it. Finally she took the rollers out and brushed through all the curls and hair sprayed it. She put on some perfume and some heels and she was ready. She pulled it off in 45 minutes. Just as she was heading downstairs she heard the doorbell. She grabbed her suede jacket and walked to the door. Edith had answered it.

“Good morning Michael,” she said

“Good morning Edith,” he said.

Then he saw Chloe. She was beautiful as always.

“Good morning Chloe. Are you ready for some breakfast? There is a hotel about 40 minutes from here that serves a wonderful brunch I would love to take you to.”

“If you would like, that’s fine Michael.”

“Goodbye Edith, I’ll talk to you later”.

As they drove to the hotel Chloe realized they were never at a loss for conversation. There was always something to talk about. They enjoyed each other’s company. They got to the hotel and Michael came around and helped her out of the car.

“Thank you Michael, that was very sweet.” Chloe said.

As they walked in Chloe couldn’t believe this place. It was dripping in gold. And marble, and velvet seating. She had never seen a place this nice. Not even the place they went to on their first date.

“Michael this is going to cost you a small fortune. We can go to a cafe. I feel under dressed”. Chloe said, straighten her clothes and fixing her hair.

Michael smiled and looked at her, “you look gorgeous. And I can afford this place just fine. Don’t worry, just enjoy yourself,” he answered her.

“You’re very happy today.” said Chloe

“Yes I am, it’s a beautiful day, I’m with a beautiful woman and the day can only get better.” He replied.

Today he would finally ask Chloe to be his wife. Saying no was not an option in his mind.

[simbi101]

CHAPTER 6 FIELDWORK

How long has your family lived in this country?

How long has your family lived in this country?. My father Idris landed in the United States in 1984 settle then used his money to create a grocery shop that sells ingredients and many things African, Caribbean and Latinos can buy to cook at home, and items that people used back from their hometown once he open that shop, he was recognized on newspapers, Many people came to shop and were recognized for being the first to have an African shop in Baltimore City since the African community and people outside of Africa recognized him. Two years later, he settled down with my stepmother Eunice, who is African American, and daughter, Joani, in 1987; they had been married for awhile then. She later got pregnant with my half brother, Idris Jr. raised my brother from birth to a young adult (high-school). In 2001, my mom visited the United States. and met family and went back; then, in 2002, she was gifted a visa from family members and was gifted a ticket from her late brother. Later in 2002, my father divorced my stepmother. then a year later in 2003, he went to a party, and my aunt introduced my mom to my father. They met and got together, and in that same year, Mom got pregnant then, in June 2004. I was born; my Mom worked hard and was a nurse for over 20 years. till this day, on 2010 my father Idris sadly passed away when I was 5, it was just me and mom till this day.

Where did they come from?

Nigeria is a West African country it between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea to the south in the Atlantic Ocean, it is the most populous country in Africa, and the world’s sixth most populous country. Both of my parents come from different states / town in Nigeria. Both of my parents tribe is Yoruba, my dad is from Oyo State, and my mom is from Ondo State both states have their dialect and speak Yoruba differently. ( I don’t know much about my dad life in Nigeria), my mother went to school with a full family she had older brothers that were making sure she was focused in school and a little sister and younger brother and two family household, she had a job she was farmer and sold chickens and lamb and many animals in her market and also had a job at the airport. My mom was taking care of her nephew who was having a trouble in school in the United States so his mother brought him to the Nigeria to calm down and experience the schools in Nigeria because of my mom taking care of him the mother appreciated my mom being so kind that she gifted my mom a visa and my mom told her late brother he then bought her a ticket but she didn’t want to leave but my grandmother told her to go but my mom was worried because my grandma Is old and needs to taken care of.

Has your family embraced American Nationalism?

Yes, my mother and my African American family has embraced the American patriotism. My mom likes American because she feels like she has more freedom and independence. My family celebrates 4 of July which is not common in Nigeria they take it really seriously because this is time for family time and Thanksgiving is another holiday we celebrate and have a family together, my African American family usually invite me to holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving especially since it’s a great way to celebrate with family since everyone is busy. another holiday that Nigerians celebrate is Easter Sunday, in Easter Sunday my family go to church and pray and lastly my mother embraces the Nigerian culture then USA because that’s her home.

If some of your family have migrated from other parts of the world, how do they integrate their American identity with their ethnicity identity.

My family connect from food, music, gatherings like church, party, cookout, and American dream. In my culture we eat similar food in west African culture but Nigeria make cuisine like Egusi, Efo Riro, Ayamese (Designer Stew), Ogbono Soup, Ewedu, Okra it goes well with Swallow like for example Eba, Amala, Iyan (Fufu) and Semolina. Jollof Rice, Ofada Rice usually prepared in home but mostly a party favorite. Another one is language for me I speak Yoruba small but I understand it correctly but can’t speak in a full conversation, even though I get judged for speaking English instead of Yoruba I think it’s because I was born and raised in the States but I think even if I don’t speak it I think it’s good that I hear the person. Lastly another popular one is Thanksgiving in Nigerian culture in America is popular in church they have events to come to church and pray and worship together and they give food and stay in church for about 3 or 4 hours (celestial church) this usually happens to family who are religiously wealthy.

[manelyec]

SAAC SOARS INTO NEW SEMESTER!

Over the last few years, Emmanuel’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), struggled to put on in-person events and fundraise for initiatives, due to COVID-19. This year, the team had an edge.

“We began preparing in the summer,” said SAAC president, Hassan Badran. “We had a vision and a goal.  Our team was ready to develop a plan for this year to support athletes and make an impact on campus and in our community."

The SAAC team, led by Badran, Vice President, Sofiia Briantseva, Advisor, Kristin Whitlock, and other dedicated student-athletes has done just that.

This semester, the officers attended a Conference Carolinas SAAC training event where Emmanuel received the Comeback Award, a recognition the group is proud of.

“The Comeback Award looked at the funds you raised for the Make-A-Wish Foundation from the 2020-21 year and compared it to the 2021-22 funds,” said Kristin Whitlock. “We were the school that made the biggest impact. The award was nice, but it also showed our students what their hard work can do. The events are fun, but we get to make an impact on people's lives in the process.”

A few other initiatives the group has spearheaded on campus include a canned food drive and Operation Christmas Child.

“The Canned Food Drive began as a Conference Carolinas initiative,” Sofiia said. “I think what made it so successful was that we created a healthy competition between teams.”

The top three teams in the Canned Food Drive were: 1. Tennis – who brought in hundreds of boxes of cereal and peanut butter, among other items. 2. Baseball – they brought in 1,800 cans of vegetables 3. Swimming – they also brought in hundreds of canned vegetable items.

The items were donated to the Rainbow Pantry in Royston.

Royston Police Chief, Donnie Bolemon, who runs the pantry mentioned that most of the donation will be going to help flood and hurricane relief efforts, but a portion of it will be used in our local community.

“While we were there, Chief Bolemon mentioned that he had just gotten a call and he was having to go to a house where children had been abused, and he was taking some of the cereal we brought to help those children. That made a big impact on our students because yes, most of our donation is going far away, but it’s helping people in the local community as well.”

Up next for SAAC? An Operation Christmas Child Packing Party – happening TONIGHT! SAAC, along with EC Serve has taken ownership of the on-campus Operation Christmas Child initiative, an opportunity to purchase gifts, or make monetary donations to help children in need have a special holiday season.

“The packing party will essentially be a campus-wide event,” Hassan said. “We’ll have music, gingerbread competitions, ornament decorations, etc. It’s a great opportunity for students to come out and enjoy the Christmas vibes before we head out for the semester.”

For Kristin, this group has been a special one to work with.

“When I took over, SAAC had 15 constant reps who were always at meetings and engaged, we struggled to put on events,” she said. “This year, we’ve had constant 30-plus people at every single meeting, wanting to work – this group of kids is amazing, hardworking, and showing that they want to make a difference at our school and in the community.”

[neonir]

Been thinking about the state of Halloween in Australia.

Now haloween is not nearly as new here as a lot of people give it credit for, we've been celebrating the date in some way or other since the 1800's, an eternity in Australia time.

That said, there has been a recent surge of backlash against the backlash of Halloweens steady growth in the country, and unlike most debates that manifest here, there is actually some merit to both sides.

Haters will say "It's just the result of the american media influencing kids!" True.

The weenies will say "So is everything else, it's just fun for the kids!" True.

Haters will say "It's just another commercial holiday to make us spend money on unhealthy food, it's not even the right time of year!" True again.

Weenies will say "same could be said about christmas and easter, and you aren't complaining about those" Also true!

(One could make the argument with how much other commercial holidays have become so mandatory and obnoxious, it actually makes sense to stop another in it's tracks, but I wont be getting into that here, because honestly that's not the dialogue most people here care about or want to hear.)

A good deal of the complaints invariably come down to specifically trick or treating. A MUCH more recent development in Australia, growing faster in some areas than others, and one that is likely responsible for much if the vitriol aimed towards it, again, not without reason. A holiday that sees itself celebrated for the entire month in some areas, hated for a practice that lasts for all of maybe four hours of a single night.

Maybe four hours in which someone who has been working all day gets to lose their evening to either repeatedly dissapointing a stream of expectant children, or caving in and spending what money they have celebrating a tradition that has existed here for all of a couple of years, brought on not by a cultural heritage, but by media telling kids to expect it.

Also worth noting that in my experience at least, sad a statement of child literacy as it is, a "Sorry, no trick or treating" sign only stops maybe 40% of the kids, if that though perhaps that may vary from place to place, much like the number of toters.

The common defence for this is "It's just fun for the kids, don't be a sour fuckwit!", which is all well and good, but there are plenty of fun ways you can bring the kids fun that do not involve going door to door soliciting strangers (often unsupervised). Halloween dress up parties, school functions, hell even festivals or what have you would all serve that purpose fine.

Realistically, if you want to celebrate halloween that should be totally chill, Australia is a multicultural nation and anyone complaining about people celebrating it can go cry in the same hole as people who complain about people saying "happy holidays" instead of "merry chrisymas".

The issue is placing the expectation on others to do so too, it's a slightly more pointed (if significantly less pervasive and obnoxious) form of the shit that goes on with christmas. Christmas forces you to see and hear it everywhere you go for a month and a half, which sucks and is really, really stupid.

Halloween sends children out to hit you with "celebrate it or let the children down!", completely irrespective of means, cultural affiliation or whether or not you even have kids to dissapoint.

Now for reference sake, I will have some lollies set aside to hand out, because I actually do enjoy being generous and am not living paycheck to paycheck right now, that said I do not appreciate the growing sense of obligation Halloween's growth here represents in that regard.

Also c'mon, it's broad daylight out and half the kids aren't even in costume. I get kids have to be home before too late and custumes are hard(?) but goddamn, if we're gunna be emulating the traditions put fourth because of the stranglehold american media has on us, could we AT LEAST put some effort in???

[snlhostharry]

try try again

harry x reader

2.2k words 

summary: harry wants to propose, but life keeps getting in the way 

a/n: first off... I suck at titles... why am I like this.... second off this is my secret santa gift for @jambrosemc ! happy holidays em! hope you like this, you are a super talented writer I just binged all your pieces and I am obsessed. and thank you to @peeterparkr for hosting 

The first time he tries is after the first concert he does for Fine Line. 

Fine Line at the Forum is a success in all the ways that matter, and Harry is so happy coming off the stage that he almost forgets about his plan to propose all together. When you barge into his dressing room after the show is over, smiling and ecstatic for him he suddenly sees the ring box on the counter and rushes to shove it in his pocket before you can see it. 

“That was insane, love,” You say wrapping him into a hug. “I think they really liked it.” 

He gives you a cheeky smile, “You think?” You roll your eyes in response, “What gave it away?” He asks, “The frantic screaming or the bra’s that were thrown onto the stage?” 

“You should’ve kept a couple,” You tease, “They could’ve been my size.” 

He laughs, “If you want one that bad I will buy it for you.” 

“I’m holding you to that,” You say, taking a seat on top of the counter. He runs a hand through his hair, knowing that this would be the perfect moment to just get down on one knee. He can see himself doing it, simply bending down and saying the words he’s wanted to say for what feels like forever. “You okay?” You ask him, seeing the look on his face and supposing that he’s thinking about something that happened during the concert. ��You did a great job out there, seriously. Everyone really loved it H, the album is spectacular.” 

He shakes himself back into the moment, “I know, I know.” He says, and it comes off a little sharper than he means it too, he’s just very much in his own head about this whole thing now. What felt like it would be the perfect moment now feels wrong, like doing it now would cheapen the entire thing. He sighs, “Sorry,” He says, planting himself down on the floor dramatically, “Thank you.” 

“We don’t have to go out if you don’t want to,” You tell him, guessing that he’s just tired from a long night. “Let’s get takeout and go home, or go home and get takeout whichever order.” 

He smiles, “You ate before the show.” 

“That was like three hours ago, and it was a snack, I always planned on eating again, and you were too nervous to eat before the show.” 

He hugs his knees to his chest, “Watching you eat an entire kids meal in under five minutes actually helped with the nerves.” 

You shrug, “What can I say? I have my moments.” 

He stands and presses a kiss to your forehead as you swing your legs over the side of the counter. “You have a lot of moments, I love you.” 

“Love you too,” You wait a second before asking, “So home then?” 

He thinks about it for a minute, “Yeah.” 

“When you call in the food order make sure you put it under my name,” You tell him and he collects his things from the room, “People are beginning to get suspicious when I go into the restaurant to pick up an order for Harry.” 

He nods, and gently grabs your hand as the two of you leave. Maybe he’s not going to do it tonight, but he’s more resolved to actually pop the question than ever. He’s just so in love with you that he wants the whole thing to be perfect, and for some reason he has it all in his head that it needs to be a story that the two of you can tell in the future, something meaningful, he just has absolutely no idea what that is. 

The second planned attempt is a lot more off the cuff. 

You insist on throwing him a birthday party at the house, saying something about wanting to one up your sister who threw a very tasteful christmas party that the two of you went to. Not that your sister was invited seeing as the party was in London, but you knew that there would be enough pictures that she would see that you’re just as good as she is. Harry doesn’t understand it at all, but he decides that he doesn't even want to know how a rivalry like that can develop and leaves it alone. 

Objectively, you throw a very nice party. Of course Harry makes it a point to tell you this as often as possible without seeming overly invested in it, because he loves you and he wants you to be proud of your own work just like you want him to be proud of his. It’s hard for him to leave your side at all because he loves to see you talk to his friends and family and seem so happy to do it. You fit right in with everyone and he’s so grateful for that, and it’s as he’s standing there watching you talk to people that it hits him that this could be his moment. 

Not in front of everyone because that would be so much more pressure than he needs, but he thinks that after when everyone has finally left the house that he could catch you in the middle of cleaning or something and gently ask you to marry him. He decides that tonight, that’s the plan and he spends the rest of the night just thinking about that. It really is a great party, full of all his favorite things and people, it’s one of those nights where he feels like he loves you so much that his heart might just burst out of his chest. 

When finally every last guest has left the house, and things are a bit messy, he can’t seem to find you anywhere. He locks the door behind him, and starts walking through the house calling your name. He checks upstairs, in the kitchen, in all the bathrooms, and nothing. Until finally he walks into the living room and finds you sound asleep on the couch, snoring loudly enough that he’s surprised he didn’t hear it while he was looking. He looks at you and just smiles, suddenly completely fine with the fact that another plan has been ruined. He simply picks you up and takes you to bed, well aware he’s going to have to move onto plan C if he ever wants to get this done. 

The next time he tries, you end up surprising him. 

Plan C is a nice candlelight dinner at the house, which Harry tried to cook but ended up burning so eventually he relented and ordered food before putting it all together. Of all the plans he had come up with thus far, this one seemed the most foolproof. Everything was already planned: he knew you were going to come home from work at a certain time, he knew that there wouldn't be any distractions, and he had psyched himself up enough that he wasn’t just going to forget about the whole thing like he did the first time.

When the entire table is set up and the ring is in his pocket, he sits waiting for you to come home. He thinks about getting up to change some of the place settings just a little, but when he does he hears the clicking sound of your key in the door and sits back in his seat. After you walk into the house and set your stuff down in the entryway, Harry hears the sound of your shoes on the floor as you excitedly run into the kitchen. When you make it to where he can see you, he sees that you have a megawatt smile on your face and a large box in your hands. 

“I have a surprise,” You say, keeping a firm hold of the box. 

“I suppose it’s in that box,” He says, leaning over the chair so that he can see. 

You roll your eyes but keep smiling, “Yeah, obviously.” 

“Do you want me to guess?”

“God no,” You say, “That would take way too long. Basically I was at work today, and Mark has been producing this piece about a no kill animal shelter for a new segment about everyday heroes or whatever which is gross because puff pieces but when the woman came in to do the interview she brought in all these cats, no dogs for some reason, but anyway so we were all playing with the cats because our job is stressful and cats, and then she was like ‘you guys seem so good with these cats, they are looking for homes and-” 

He looks at you with a wide eyed expression, “You didn’t.” 

You ceremoniously walk over to the table, open the box and pull a small orange cat into your arms, “You bet your ass I did.” You gently pet the cat, which mews quietly from your arms, “She does not have a name mostly because I couldn’t think of any.” 

“We talked about pets like a week ago, briefly.” 

You give a guilty smile, “Yeah but I felt like I really needed this cat. I live here now, we live here, and I finally feel like I’m settled-” You sit down at the table and sigh, “I think I might be nesting, which is kind of gross but I don't know. I love you, and I love being here and I finally feel stable enough to get a freaking cat so that’s the explanation I have.” 

He can’t stop himself from breaking into a smile, even though he knows his plans have been thwarted again. (He thinks later, after the moment has already passed that he very well could’ve done it right then and there after you’d given a whole speech about the two of you being stable). He shakes his head after looking at you making funny faces at the cat like it’s a child, “Okay hand her over.” 

You hand her over and say, “I will not accept any names that have to go with the fact that she’s a ginger, because that’s just lame.” 

“Well seeing as those were my only ideas-”

You sigh, “We will think of something, just not now because you got dinner and I’m starving.” 

“What’s she going to eat?”

“I got food and a bowl, and a bunch more things being delivered within the next week or two.” 

“Did you go out and buy a box just for the dramatic reveal?”

“Yes, I did and it was totally worth it.” 

The cat’s name ends up being Hillary, after you discover an affinity for pet names that are usually person names. Something about the way you’ll end up talking about Hillary in polite conversation and someone will have to ask you who that is makes you want to choose it overall. Even though Harry is not sure about the sudden change at first, he soon becomes best friends with Hillary, and you often find the two of them cuddled up together on the couch. She likes to listen to him play music just as much as you do as it turns out. 

Harry is still trying to think of a way to propose. So much time has passed since he bought the ring, and the first time that he planned to pop the question that he wonders if he’ll ever find the right time to do it or if you’ll just end up asking him one day because it’s all gone too far. One afternoon when the two of you are relishing a rare shared day off, he watches you cook lunch in the kitchen and decides that now is the time to do it. No more excuses, no more surprises, just him and you and the question on the tip of his tongue for too long. 

When you put all of the food on plates, and set them out on the counter he walks over and just looks at you. It weirds you out at first so you ask, “What? Is there something on my face?” 

He gets down on one knee and you still are very confused about what he’s doing. You open your mouth to ask him, but the realization suddenly hits you and you cover your mouth with your hands. 

“y/n,” He says, “I have been waiting to ask you this for what feels like forever. And everytime that the plan fell through you somehow managed to make me want to marry you even more. I love you so much, I love everything about you, how excited you get about your work, how much you love Hillary and how supportive you are whenever I do anything. I love our life here, and I want to be with you forever. Will you marry me?” 

You don’t say anything for a second, still shocked, “Yes of course.” He stands and kisses you, slipping the ring onto your finger. “I was wondering when you would ask me.” 

“You knew?”

“I saw it that night after the forum,” You say, “I figured you got nervous.” 

“And you just let me flounder here for almost six months?” 

“Yes,” You smile, “I figured you wanted to do it on your own terms.” 

“Next time just call me out love, because I sat on this for too long.” 

[theladyofdeath]

Another First Date {Fatherhood}

An extension of Oblivion. It’s not necessary to read the story first, but if you’d like to, here is the masterlist: Oblivion

A series of short stories that revolve around Cassian as a single father, raising his daughter, Lily.

Fatherhood {Oblivion Masterlist}

Cassian looked in the mirror and slowly shook his head.

He felt ridiculous.

It had been almost ten years since Cassian had been out on a date and he had absolutely no idea what he was doing. If it hadn’t been for Feyre and Elain’s constant asking of him to get himself back out there and be happy, he wouldn’t even be doing what he was about to do.

It wasn’t that Feyre and Elain wanted him to forget about Nesta. Instead, they insisted that he was lonely, even though he really wasn’t. He had no time to be lonely.

Lily kept him on his toes.

At nine-years-old, she kept him just as busy as she had when she was a newborn. Instead of changing dirty diapers and gifting her unending bottles, though, he was taking her to dance and soccer, helping her with homework, and bringing her and her friends to the park on playdates. 

But, after his sister-in-laws thought he should be doing more for himself, they had set him up.

He had a ton of emotions about it.

Nerves being at the top of the list.

Excitement from time to time.

An excessive amount of guilt. 

Which was ridiculous. Of course, he knew Nesta wouldn’t have minded him finding someone else. It had been nearly a decade since her death. By now, most people would have moved on and found someone new. 

Cassian just hadn’t been ‘most people’.

“You look nice, dad.”

Cassian spun around, not having heard his daughter creep into the doorway. Kiara, their golden retriever, sat by her feet.

“Yeah?” Cassian asked, looking back in the mirror. “I shouldn’t wear the red shirt?”

Lily shook her head, arms crossed. “Definitely the black.”

“Alright,” Cassian sighed. “Thanks, kid.”

Lily nodded. ‘Yeah, yeah. You’re welcome. While you were getting yourself all prettied-up, Aunt Lainy got here. She’s ordering pizza for me and Nora.”

Cassian nodded as he grabbed his wallet and keys from off the top of his dresser. He slowly faced his daughter. “Look, if you’re not okay with this-.”

Lily groaned and rolled her eyes. “Dad, I told you it's fine.”

“I know, I just-.”

Lily, apparently having heard enough, turned on her heels and walked away, Kiara keeping just behind her. He had asked Lily the week before if she would be okay with him going on a date.

And he had continued to ask her every day since.

She’d never seemed concerned about it, had told him to go and have fun. He then went on to go into detail about what dates entail, and she told him to please shut up when he told her he may be kissing some random woman.

He also told her that no one would ever replace her mother.

It was impossible. 

And every time Cassian had asked Lily if it was okay, she had told him it was.

So, here he was, feeling like an inexperienced teenager, about to go out on a blind date. Tanwyn worked with Feyre, and Cassian knew very little about her. All he knew is that she was nice and pretty and liked kids.

Cassian figured it was a good starting point. 

When he went downstairs, Elain, Nora, Lily, and Kiara were all on the couch together, turning on a movie. When Elain saw Cassian, she whistled. 

“Look at you, handsome,” she sang.

Lily and Nora covered their mouths and broke into a fit of giggles. 

“Yeah, yeah,” he muttered, as he reached the floor and headed toward the door. He stopped in the living room, though, and knelt down in front of Lily. “You’ll probably be asleep when I get home, so if that’s the case, I love you and goodnight.”

“I love you, too,” Lily beamed. “Now leave. It’s girls night.”

Cassian snorted and leaned forward to kiss her on the forehead. “Be good.”

“She’s always good,” Elain said, shooing him away. As he walked by her though, she whispered, “Have fun, Cass.” 

He would.

He would try, anyway. 

As he got into his truck and put Tanwyn’s address into his GPS, though, he felt like he was going to puke. A date. What did people even do on dates these days? Was romance still a thing, or was it all about sex?

Sex.

Mother’s tits, it had been a long time since Cassian had sex. He’d become quite friendly and familiar with his hand throughout the years, though.

That had been Rhysand and Azriel’s chime when he told them their wives were trying to set him up.

Look at it this way: even if it goes bad, at least you’ll get some.

As Cassian stopped at the stop sign at the end of his road, he felt the strong temptation to turn around and haul ass back home.

But, he knew that would only lead to a scolding from Elain, so he turned right and made his way toward the main road. 

Ten minutes later, he was pulling into Tanwyn’s driveway and regretting everything. 

Leaving his truck running, he strode to the front door, rang the doorbell, and waited.

He could hear hurried steps on the other side of the door, and then it was thrown open.

Feyre had been right - Tanwyn was pretty, and perhaps only a year or two younger than Cassian. She wasn’t much shorter than he was, with her long, tanned legs and long, brown hair. 

She smiled when she met Cassian’s eyes. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Cassian said, then cleared his throat. “You look...nice.” 

She wore a red dress that showed off a generous amount of cleavage. 

“You look pretty good yourself,” she said, and stepped out onto the porch, shutting and locking her door behind her. “I’m Tanwyn.”

“Cassian,” he said, and held out his hand like he was at a damned job interview.

Tanwyn let out a quiet laugh before shaking his hand, delicately. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Cassian, the gentleman he was, opened the passenger side door and helped Tanwyn up into his truck. He then got behind the wheel and put the truck into reverse.

“Feyre’s told me a lot about you,” Tanwyn said, when they began driving down the road. 

“Uh oh,” Cassian muttered. “All good things I hope.” 

Tanwyn nodded. “All good things.”

They fell into a silence, but it wasn’t uncomfortable, even though Cassian’s thoughts remained racing at a million miles an hour. 

What was she thinking?

What exactly had Feyre told her?

Was she aware that he kept glancing at her breasts?

It was going to be a long night.

They pulled into the restaurant and Tanwyn made a comment about how much she liked the place he’d chosen. It had been years since he’d been there, the last time being for a company Christmas party, but the food was good and it was upscale enough to be considered fancy. 

They sat in a corner and there was a candle lit between them. The waiter brought out a bottle of white wine, and Cassian wasted no time downing his glass before filling up again.

Just a little to take the edge off.

“You seem nervous,” Tanwyn said, at last, after the waiter brought them a basket of bread.

Cassian took a slice of bread out of the basket and buttered it up before he asked, “Exactly how much did Feyre tell you about me?”

Tanwyn’s eyes softened, and there it was.

The pity.

“I know about your past, if that’s what you’re referring to,” she said, and took a piece of bread for herself. “And I know you have a daughter, too. Lily, is it?”

“Yeah,” Cassian said, finally finding a subject he was comfortable talking about - his daughter, his love. “She’s almost ten, although she thinks she’s sixteen.” 

Tanwyn chuckled. “I get that. I don’t have kids, but I have a niece I’m close to. She’s the same age. Maybe we can get them together sometime.” 

Cassian nodded as he gave her a nice, gentle smile. “That sounds nice.”

The dinner went on like that. Tanwyn was kind, and she seemed genuine. There was nothing about her that was a turn off, nothing that seemed strange or out of place.

Which is why, when Cassian brought her back home after dinner and dropped her off, he walked her up to her front door and leaned down, pressing his lips softly to hers.

The kiss lasted a few seconds, and it was nothing heated, nothing intense.

It was….nice.

But that’s all it was. Just nice. 

When they pulled apart, Tanwyn smiled. “Goodnight, Cassian.”

“Goodnight,” he said, and she walked inside.

So much for getting some. 

Cassian made his way back to his truck and got inside, and drove back across town to his house. There was a soft light on in the living room, but the rest of the house was dark. He looked at the clock on his dashboard. It was just after ten. 

When he opened the door, Elain was sitting on the couch by the lamp on the side table, watching some horrid reality t.v. show. As soon as she heard the door, though, she was looking over her shoulder, brows raised. “You’re home early.” 

Cassian chuckled as he strode to the couch and plopped down next to his sister-in-law. “Yeah, don’t tell your husband that.”

Elain smiled, but she nodded as she looked back toward the t.v. “So, how’d it go?”

Cassian thought for a minute about the right way to answer such a loaded question, but he eventually settled on, “It was okay.”

“Okay?” Elain repeated. 

“Nice,” Cassian pushed. “It was nice.”

She looked over at him, then. “Will there be a second date?”

Cassian let out a breath through his nose and shrugged. “I don’t think so, Lainy.”

“Why not?” she asked, only curiosity in her voice. “She’s nice, and gorgeous, and judging by the pink lipstick on the corner of your mouth, she’s into you, too.”

Cassian hesitated as he reached up and wiped off his mouth. Sure enough, on the back of his hand was the softest tint of pink. He laughed, quietly. “She was nice. And, yeah, she’s beautiful….but, it just didn’t feel right, you know?”

"Because of Nesta?” Elain asked, resting her head on the back of the couch.

“No,” Cassian answered. “Yeah. Both yes and no.”

Elain just watched him, waiting for him to continue, patiently. 

“There was just no spark, you know?” Cassian said, at last, staring absently at the wall beside the t.v. “With Nesta….it was like this all-consuming fire. Constant flame, passion….” He shook his head. “Every time I even thought about her I would get so weak in the knees that I couldn’t function, and my mind….would just lose all train of thought. When I was with her, even when we were just kids, starting to date, I had no doubt in my mind that she was the one that I wanted. Even after the years we spent apart, I never lost sight of that, never stopped feeling that way about her. Even now, after ten years without her, Elain, every time I think about her…” His words trailed off as a lump caught in his throat and his vision blurred. He cleared his throat, and even though Elain didn’t push for him to continue, he said, quietly, “Nothing and no one can ever compare to what we had. And, I know relationships aren’t meant to be compared and that I could probably get together with Tanwyn, or someone else, and be happy enough. But, when you had a love like Nesta and I had….everything else just seems….small. Insignificant. Underwhelming.” He looked at Elain and he saw what was left of a tear that had fallen down her pale cheek. “I loved too greatly to love again.” 

Elain opened her mouth to speak, surely to protest, but Cassian shook his head. “And I’m okay with that. I’m at peace with it. You and Feyre worry too much. I’m not lonely. I have a great job, a great family, and an incredible kid,” he said, tossing his arm around Elain and pulling her into his side. “As for sex, Tanwyn was too nice for a one night stand. Good thing my hand is great company.”

Elain laughed, pushing off of him. “I can always count on you to ruin a moment with something inappropriate.”

“Yeah, that was an Azriel and Rhys comment, wasn’t it,” Cassian said, even though he was grinning. “True, though.”

“TMI,” Elain commented, shaking her head. She stood, taking her empty wine glass with her to the kitchen. “Wine?”

“Considering it’s mine?” Cassian chuckled as she disappeared around the corner. “Yeah, sure.”

She came back a moment later with two full glasses. “I thought I’d crash on the couch tonight since Nora is already asleep with Lil in her room. Azriel won’t be back from his trip to Adriata until tomorrow afternoon.”

“He needs a new job,” Cassian muttered, taking the glass from her outstretched hand. “Travels too much.”

Elain hummed in agreement, but the job paid well, and Cassian knew that’s why none of them ever complained. 

Cassian kicked off his shoes and watched crappy t.v. with his sister, instead of having spent the night with a beautiful, single woman. Elain didn’t push him any further about it, even though Cassian was fully aware that she most likely had a thousand more questions.

He had meant what he’d said, though. 

I loved too greatly to love again.

His relationship with Nesta had been more than a relationship. She had been his soulmate, and when two hearts connected on the level that theirs had, there was no going back to those simple, mundane relationships.

They just didn’t compare.

And Cassian was okay with that.

He wouldn’t trade what he’d had with Nesta for anything, even though their time together was cut far too short. He’d do it all again, even if it led to the same outcome.

Every damn time.

It was better to have loved Nesta Archeron and lost than to have never loved her at all.

[harrysweasleys]

caught in the act // f.w

summary:  how do you feel about writing a request for professor!fred and professor!reader bantering like cRaZy at hogwarts a few years after graduation and things just ~happen~ between them both? like maybe they try to one up each other all the time or they just dislike one another OR they're secretly dating but try to hide it from the students but the students know anyway? i don't even care what it is, i just desperately need professor fred k love u BYE

warnings: flirty and steamy, mentions of food 

word count: 3.7k

a/n: OK so this idea was stemmed from a very long chat between me, @ickle-ronniekins and @wand3ringr0s3 and it has finally been brought to life! this was so much fun to write and i really hope you all enjoy :) [i do not give consent for my work to be reposted on any platform.]

———————————————————————

The familiar echo of the Hogwarts bell never failed to make you jump out of your skin. Especially when you were currently eyeing a class full of students in eerie silence, broken only by the occasional drop of a quill. Their practice exam required lack of noise to the point where you swore you could hear the movements of your ribs as you inhaled and exhaled. 

The ringing sound echoed throughout the class for a short moment, the students in front of you all placing their quills down and forming a line towards your desk, their parchment in hand and some of their faces rather sullen. It was only a practice exam, but the real deal was coming up in a few weeks and revisions were taking up a majority of their free time. You couldn’t tell if their expressions were from the work they just did or from the lack of sleep.

You remembered your exam days at Hogwarts. Long, dreary nights in the common room by the fire until the sun came up, your eyes burning out of your scalp from reading scribbles and notes all night long. Those really were the days, weren’t they?

“I don’t think I did so well, Professor,” one of your students, a fourth year Hufflepuff, said with a defeated tone to his voice, “I couldn’t remember the proper spell.”

You had found it rather odd that for a Charms class, the students had to do a written practice exam. It wasn’t your decision — but you surely questioned it. 

“It’s alright, Edwards,” you grinned back, “It’s not the final thing. This will only prepare you for the one you take in two weeks. Remember, that one is a performance exam. If you’ve got your wand movements down, you’ll be all set.”

The boy nodded, no trace of a smile on his face as he turned away and trudged out of the class, his overly heavy backpack hanging off of his shoulder. 

A frown formed on your lips as the next student walked towards your desk, a confident smile on her face as she handed you her exam paper, “Have a good day, Professor!”

You were about to wish her a good day in return, but a figure by the door caught your attention instead. 

Fred Weasley — or, rather, known to his students as Professor Weasley — stood with his hands in his pockets, his button up shirt tucked tightly into his slacks. His hair was short, standing up and looking soft as ever. 

He shot you a quick wink, causing you to shake your head with a small laugh before you returned to collecting exams. You couldn’t give away that you were, indeed, dating a fellow professor. You were sure, due to the countless times you’ve popped in and out of each other’s classes, that some of them were suspicious. But you could hardly think about that too much without getting paranoid.

Your students filed out of the classroom one by one, each of them excited to finally be on lunch break. You could hear a few of them mutter a quick ‘good afternoon, Professor Weasley’ as they passed by him in the doorway, none of them striking any sort of conversation, much to your pleasure.

“And what can I help you with?” you grinned, standing up from your chair and placing a clip around the stack of papers, sitting them down in the corner of your desk so you could remember to take them with you and look at them in your office later in the evening. You much preferred to do your grading and marking at night — you felt much more ‘in the zone,’ so to speak.

He walked over to you, hands still in his pockets, “What? Can’t pay my girl a visit during breaks?”

You scoffed, taking out a large stack of paper from your desk drawer and preparing for the class of sixth years you had after your break. Fred was inching closer to you with each passing second, taking strides with his long legs as if time was running out and he was trying to get to you as soon as possible without running. You stifled a laugh at his movements.

“Considering no one knows I’m your girl, I’d say no,” you replied, giving him a small smirk, “We don’t want to get caught like last time do we?”

You mentally cringed, thinking back to when fellow professor Neville Longbottom caught you and Fred at the Hogwarts staff Christmas party, your bodies nearly flushed to each other and his head dipping down to whisper in your ear. That might not be a giveaway, but considering the nature of Fred’s words and the way your eyes grew wide as you gave him a slap across the chest, it was a bit of a statement. Neville had asked you that night if anything was going on between you two, to which you replied ‘it’s late, I need to leave.’ 

“Well, it would be a shame for the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher to be dating the Charms teacher,” he said, a fake grimace on his face, “You’re only the most brilliant person in this entire school. I would be so ashamed if people knew. The highest held Professor, me, dating you, the lowly Charms teacher — a tragedy, really.”

“Oh, excuse me,” you placed a hand over your chest, stepping closer to him and leaning against the edge of your desk, “A shame, you say? I’ll have you know people much prefer my class to yours, anyways. Actually, just this morning, a group of Hufflepuffs told me they liked me best.”

The corner of his lip curved up into a smirk, leaning closer and wrapping his arms around your waist, his hips leaning against yours. You felt his hands slide lower down your back, giving your bottom a quick squeeze. 

“Hands off, Freddie,” you poked him in the chest, “This relationship has now become a competition.”

He pursed his lips, “Well, can the academic competition start tomorrow after we perform the, to kindly put it, physical competition in my room tonight.”

You slid away from him, shaking your head, “You are unbelievable.” 

“Well, believe it, love,” even though you weren’t facing him, you could hear the smirk in his voice, “This is all yours.”

“Uh, Professor Y/L/N?”

You spun on the spot, colour draining completely from your face. You heard Fred let out an awkward cough, facing the doorway where someone now stood. One of the students from your previous class was standing awkwardly, books in her arms and a confused look on her face. 

“Oh, hello, Miss Myers,” you sighed, running a hand down your face, “Professor Weasley, do you mind giving us a moment?” Your cheeks felt like they were on fire, and the temperature in the room was now a million degrees warmer than it previously was.

Fred grumbled a quick ‘of course,’ and made his way out of the room, turning to give you a wide-eyed expression before closing the door behind him. You let out a deep sigh, falling back into your chair, tossing your hair over your shoulder and looking over at your student.

“Did I interrupt something?” she asked, clearly fighting a grin.

You waved your hand, “No! No,” you tried your best to act nonchalant, letting your student take a seat in front of you, “So, what can I help you with?”

She began expressing her worries for the upcoming exam, all the while you tried giving her the best tips and advice on how to study her charms carefully and safely. You couldn’t count the number of times students had tried their spells outside of the class and had something go horribly wrong. No one wanted to deal with that again.

Though, you kept wondering what she meant by ‘interrupting something.’

You knew that she didn’t mean it in an accusatory manner — you weren’t all cozied up to Fred when she walked in. She couldn’t have seen anything, could she? Even if she did, who would she tell? Headmistress McGonagall was well aware of your relationship with Fred. But she was the only one who knew. You didn’t want to even think about the rumours that would spread if word broke out about your — to put it scandalously — affair.

You honestly weren’t sure what was holding you back from just announcing it. If McGonagall approved, what’s the worst that could happen? 

“Thanks for the help, Professor,” Miss Myers’ voice cut your internal rambling short, causing you to shake your head.

“No problem, my door is always open,” you grinned, motioning your hand in the direction of the door. She gave you a bright grin and picked up her backpack, turning to give you a little wave before making her way out of the classroom, once again, the door shutting closed behind her.

A loud groan left your lips before you dropped your head, letting your forehead smack loudly against the hardwood surface.

———————————————————————

The next two weeks felt like a whirlwind. Not only was the end of term approaching as rapidly as ever, but because your fifth years were rushing towards you every hour of the day to prepare for their OWLs, you were feeling rather happy that you only had a few days left before you were out of here. A lot of them seemed to get the hang of their Charms abilities, but many of them still seemed to be a little off. You couldn’t blame them — fifth year was rough — but you really wanted them all to be successful and to pass. Many of your students wanted to go on and be Aurors. A passing Charms mark was kind of a necessity.

“So you’re alright with overlooking the exam?” the Headmistress asked, her pointy hat standing tall on her head as her emerald robes flowed loosely behind her, the two of you walking towards the Great Hall, “You won’t be alone, but I just wanted to double check.”

You grinned, “Of course, it would be my pleasure.”

The walk to the Hall wasn’t long, but you were feeling suddenly anxious. You had poured your heart and soul into the teaching that you had done this year — you only hoped it paid off enough. You didn’t want to disappoint or let your students down. This was the most important exam yet. 

The Charms exam was tomorrow at noon, so you weren’t sure why your wand was in a knot just yet, but the anxious bubbles in your stomach hadn’t calmed down over the last few days, to be totally honest.

You walked into the silent Hall, no students present yet, and came to a halt as you spotted the redheaded man standing all the way on the other side.

“Oh, so you’re my ever so lovely companion this afternoon?” he grinned, standing up off of his chair and placing the stack of papers down on the table in front of him, his sweater clinging rightfully to his body and causing you to scan your eyes up and down his figure. He had a pen sticking out from behind his ear and you could see the pleased expression cross his face, even from the other side of the room.

“I suspect you two will behave,” McGonagall said from next to you, her eyes twinkling with some sort of amusement as she gazed between the two of you, eyebrows raised.

“When do I not behave, Minerva?” Fred asked cockily, shoving his hands into his pockets — which suddenly seemed to be a signature move for him. You weren’t really sure where it came from, but you weren’t complaining. It gave him some sort of authoritarian vibe, which was one of the many reasons you felt as if today might be a tough day.

Leaving you and Fred alone, McGonagall left the hall with a quick shake of her head, her little heels clacking loudly. You rolled your eyes, walking over to stand next to him. Even as you walked up the few stairs to the platform, Fred’s height towered over you and caused you to crane your neck up to look him in the eyes.

“Well, well, well,” he grinned, his hands finding their way to your lower back, sliding down so that they rested in the bum pockets of your jeans.

“Fred!” you squeaked, giving him a light slap across the bicep before pulling away, “We’ve almost been caught twice. Third time is definitely not the charm, here.”

He let out a low chuckle, his chest vibrating and his eyes crinkling in the corners. You loved the sight of him in a good mood, your heart doing a little flip in your chest as he ran a hand through his hair. 

You couldn’t help yourself, leaning up onto your tip toes and pressing a light kiss to his lips, pulling away ever-so-quickly, reaching up and pulling the pen out from behind his ear in the process, putting it down on the little desk next to the chair he was previously seated in.

“Ha! Gotcha,” you grinned, using your index finger to tap his nose lightly. 

“Oh, okay,” he nodded, hands immediately finding their way around your waist, “That’s not fair, love.”

His lips quickly found their way down to yours, warm and inviting as always. No matter how many times you kissed him, you never got tired of it. You still got the same amount of tingles and butterflies as you did the first time he kissed you. And that’s not something you ever imagined would change. 

“Fred,” you mumbled against his lips, a low groan leaving his throat as you tried your best to wiggle out of his grasp. You could hear the voices of students down the corridor— they were bound to enter the Great Hall any second now. This was not the position you wanted them to see you two in. 

“Fine, fine,” he mumbled, pulling away and rolling his eyes. His lips were red and his cheeks were slightly flushed, but he looked as dashing as ever. It was hard for him not to look like this, actually. Something in Fred Weasley’s blood just made him irresistible. You often felt like cursing him out, honestly. 

Seconds later, the large door opened and the room was no longer silent. Fred shot you a quick wink, sending your heart into a fluttering frenzy, before you turned to face the oncoming group. 

“Good morning!” you announced with a somehow steady voice, “Everyone find your seat so we can begin!” 

It took a few minutes, but eventually the group each found their assigned desks and sat down, taking out their quills and parchment. 

“You have two hours,” Fred clapped his hands together, echoing loudly throughout the room, “And the two of us will be here if you have any questions. The lovely Professor Y/L/N has volunteered to keep me company, probably because she finds me irresistible—” you rolled your eyes, “—but we’ll both answer any questions you have.” 

You looked to the ground, hair falling into your face as you bit your tongue, holding back any snarky remarks towards your idiotic boyfriend. He really wasn’t helping the whole ‘lowkey’ aspect to your relationship.

“Does anyone have any questions before we start?” he asked, lifting his left arm to check the watch on his wrist. You finally peered back up, gazing over at the large clock that was sitting behind you. You immediately regretted not bringing a cup of tea or a snack, but the two hours were bound to fly by. This wasn’t your first time overlooking an exam period, and each time you’ve done this before, it’s never felt like it was dragging on.

“Good luck everyone!” you called out with a smile, clapping your hands together. They all began scribbling away as you finished your sentence, the scratching sound being the only noise you could hear as any previous chatter had now completely ceased. 

You walked slowly over to Fred, your hands crossed over your chest as you raised an eyebrow, “Really smooth, you know? Nearly gave us away, you did.”

He shrugged, giving you a lopsided grin, “Oh, come on. Pretty sure half this lot know we’re together anyways. They may be younger, but they’re not completely dim-witted.”

Scoffing and turning your back to the group to face him better, you tried your best to give Fred a serious glare, “None of them are dim-witted, Fred. I’m just saying it would be nice to avoid the drama that comes with public teacher relationships.”

You took a step back as he took one towards you, trying your best to maintain some sort of professional distance. The students might be busy with their work, but that didn’t mean they were blind to the two Professors standing watch at the front of the room. 

“I gotta admit, love,” he nodded his head, lowering his voice and leaning in, “the sneaking around has been rather fun.”

His voice sent shivers down your body, goosebumps rising on your skin. You forgot how to breathe for a second, quickly trying your best to regain your composure so the students didn’t see you looking like a fish out of water. 

You let out a low cough, clearing your throat and nodding, “It has, hasn’t it?”

The grin on his face was practically contagious, causing the corners of your own lips to turn up before lifting a hand to toss your hair out of your face. You gazed up at him, running your tongue over your bottom lip before pulling it between your teeth, shooting him a wink in the process.

You could see the way his eyes were drawn to your every move, looking at your lips as if in some sort of trance. It caused a little sense of pride to blossom in your chest, to be honest. Fred was often the one who had you locked in a permanent dreamy state. It wasn’t everyday that you had the upper hand.

“Not bloody fair,” he tossed his head back, “Y’know how badly that makes me want to kiss you.”

You smirked, giving him a quick shrug of your shoulders and turning away, swaying your hips as you walked over to the chair that was a few feet away, sitting down comfortably and giving him another wink. You could tell his gaze was on your hips as you walked away — the darker tone in his eyes now locked on you.

Oh, this was going to be fun.

———————————————————————

“You’re a real piece of work, y’know?” he groaned in your ear, leaning over you as you organized the pile of recently collected exams, making sure that Fred’s proximity wasn’t a distraction. You weren’t being overly successful at that last part, though. You could smell his cologne and the warmth of his skin as he stood mere inches away, knowing damn well that he was causing you to stutter in your work.

You had been teasing Fred the entire exam period, sending him winks and lingering looks, even being bold enough to run your hand through his hair at one point, making sure to rake your nails lightly down the nape of his neck, enough to cause his body to erupt in goosebumps. He gave you a stern look after that, letting you know that he was now completely and utterly under your charm. 

“Am I? Well, this is a competition, if you remember correctly. I think I won.” you spun around, leaning against the desk, a teasing look on your face. 

“Oh, you definitely won,” his hands slid around your waist, delicately but firmly. He had a way with body language that was unmatched, you had to admit. 

Taking a step closer to you and pulling your body closer to his, he dipped his head and began to pepper your jaw with light kisses.

“Fred,” you giggled, weakly attempting to push him away, “Not right now.”

He groaned against your neck, his lips continuing to press kisses along your skin. It was rendering your mind nearly completely blank, but you tried your best to stay focused, to make sure that you guys wouldn’t get caught and ruin the secrecy aspect to your hidden romance. Plus, you really didn’t want McGonagall to catch you in such a scandalous position. 

“Honestly, do you have no self control?” you asked, successfully pushing him away. You missed the warmth of his body pressed against yours, but you had a feeling you’d be getting a lot of that tonight so you weren’t too upset about it. He’d more than make up for it in a few hours.

“Not around you, love,” he grinned, running a hand through his hair. You wished you were the one doing it instead, but once again, you had a feeling you’d be doing that quite a bit tonight, so you figured you’d wait until you could do it with no worries of anyone cutting in. He loved the feeling of your hands running through his hair, delicately giving little tugs every now and then. 

You let out a laugh, shaking your head as you picked up the pile of finished exams, “You’re too much.” 

Fred followed closely after you as you made your way towards the exit of the Hall, his hands empty but he kept them to himself this time, “But you love me, don’t you?”

“Of course I do.”

———————————————————————

After having been empty this afternoon, the Great Hall was now bustling with life. The four house tables were filled with students and food, echoes of distant and nearby conversations reverberating around the crowded room. It wasn’t a sight one could get used to. Yes, you had spent seven years of your youth here, and a few years as a Professor now, but the atmosphere of this room would never quite sink in.

Professor Neville Longbottom, who was currently seated next to you, was rambling on about a mishap that happened in his class that day — something about a first year Gryffindor knocking over eight potted plants — and you nodded along and laughed as he made jokes. 

“Can you believe it?” he asked, eyes wide as he munched on a potato, “He thought Mandrakes and Mimbulus Mimbletonia were the same thing!”

You let out an amused snort, “Kind of hard to think that,” you took a sip of your goblet of wine, “But I guess some people don’t have the magical knack for plants that you do.” You nudged him in the side with a smile.

He grinned at the compliment, the tips of his ears turning a deep shade of red. Neville was two years below you while in school, but his knowledge of plants and nature was way beyond you.

The conversation fell to a lull and Neville became invested in chatting with the person to his other side. You didn’t pay much attention to who it was, as your eyes were now trained to the other end of the table, where the usual seat of Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor was occupied by your boyfriend. 

His eyes were already looking in your direction, causing a heat to surge through your body. A lazy smile was on his lips, and he clearly wasn’t paying attention to the elderly Professor Slughorn seated to his right. 

“I love you,” you could read his lips, his eyes bright as they stayed locked on yours. His smile was genuine and loving, quite opposite to the teasing one he usually gave you, and it left your stomach feeling rather fluttery.

You bit your lower lip, fighting a grin, before moving your lips in return, “I love you more.”

———————————————————————

taglist 

@grierpilots @hxfflxpxffs @mikumana @msmimimerton @pit-and-the-pen @diary-of-an-onliner @theweirdsideofstuff @thoseofgreatambition @theweasleysredhair @haphazardhufflepuff @starlightweasley @mytreec @thisismysketchbook @valwritesx​ @vogueweasley​ @hufflrpuffforfred​ @phuvioqhile​ @marvelettesassemble​ @almostweepingbanana​ @ickle-ronniekins​ @iprobablyshipit91​ @wand3ringr0s3​ @susceptible-but-siriusexual​

[mermaidsirennikita]

waiting patiently for ur 365 days review 🙏

Soooooo I haven't been able to get to some of my asks due to busy times + friend stuff but!

I really, really enjoyed it. Does it top the first movie? No, but how the fuck could it possibly. The first movie was a fever dream brought to life, and this is... a follow up to a fever dream. I also personally feel like, due to the nature of the mafia erotic romance subgenre, there's really only so many places that they could have taken this movie, and while some things bugged me, I still was like... I don't know that I could have expected much different.

Obviously, the first chunk of the movie where it's just like. Fun! Friends are having fun! "Santa seems to have forgotten me baby"! Domenico and Olga fucking while he's covered in food on Laura and Massimo's dining room table while they're house sitting (mind you, Domenico is EMPLOYED by Massimo) and then acting like... That is something they were not only justified in doing, but CORRECT in doing! Massimo giving Laura a clothing company for Christmas and her being like "okay, you can put a toy in my asshole, how about that". Erotic golf! We love this!

The fact that they even DID Christmas in this franchise makes me so.... so, fucking happy.

I'm honestly not sure how I feel about Laura not telling Massimo about the baby. There is the logical aspect of like... Glossing over the fact that Massimo would most definitely threaten the doctor until he told him every minute detail regarding her condition. I feel like he honestly could have found out about the miscarriage by accident, because if she was truly in bad condition, it probably would have been mentioned to... somebody? Not sure how Italian healthcare works in that regard, so idk. Yes, it's private and really nobody needs to know, but... I feel like it would've come out in the mix. I can see why she didn't tell him, because he's certifiably insane and that's actually probably a good call. But I think that to a degree, the drama would have been enhanced by him knowing.

On the other hand, I can also see where being like "yes, let's discuss the miscarriage at length" would've taken away from sexy honeymoon montage, and honestly? We deserved that. Laura deserved that.

Laura acting like she had anything other than the miscarriage to be unhappy about when she was living a life of luxury, wherein her best friend even moved to Italy to get her own mafioso fuck machine, was... annoying. But I expected it, tbh. I've seen soaps. When a woman marries a dangerous man, she always ends up complaining about him being protective because other dangerous men are going to come at him through her. The movie takes a *lot* from daytime--like, I would argue that the first movie feels more like a mafia dark romance, whereas this one felt a little bit more like a traditional soap opera? And I didn't mind that at all, this is just one of those irritating beats where I'm like... I wish you could have conflict other than this, but this is the conflict I expected, so I'm not *shocked*.

I haven't read the books, but book readers made it seem like Nacho was a lot better than he was? Which, like, I don't know--I understand that in the books she ends up with Nacho. But to me, I literally cannot understand how you make that happen in this movie. I already thought that would be a tall order for the movieverse because Michele and Massimo made such a big impression in that first movie, and the people who are into this kind of shit are going to glom on to the Original Daddy no matter how hot Nacho is (more on that in a minute). However, I didn't expect that Nacho would not only... not actually fuck her in this movie, but WALK AWAY FROM HER WHILE SHE IS BLEEDING OUT LMAO. That in itself seems like he really.... is not a contender. And Massimo was arguably the most wounded party in this entire movie, so.... He comes off as pretty sympathetic, tbh.

Nacho was just boring for me. Like. It doesn't matter if Simone is really hot, which of course he is. There just... The thing about Massimo is that he's not just hot. He's played, so badly, with all the passion and verve of a man giving it his all, but a guy who went "twin twist? Sure. I'll just suck my teeth a lot and you can make my hair sexily mussed". It felt like Nacho was NORMAL, and I don't want NORMAL, I want a complete deranged lunatic who again says "SANTA MUST HAVE FORGOTTEN ME THIS YEAR BABY" completely straight. Completely straight. I had just taken a sip of sangria when he said that, and I just had to look at my friend beside me and not choke in the moment. I don't know if I will ever be as happy again as I was when that occurred.

So Nacho just... Being a guy? Who doesn't even swim in the nude, but in various wetsuits? Who shows up dressed like a gardener on a porn set? (Actually, his costume in his introductory scene was delightful, but it does not appeal as much to me, a materialistic woman whose fantasy is to be swept away by a rich man, as much as Massimo's various suits did. I'm not into the gardener angle.). Obviously, Nacho was not a gardener, but he honestly seemed like kind of a dud the whole way through. Just boring. Just "I'm the good guy". Stop it, Jacob Black, I've done this before.

Also--we must say. The lingering kiss on his sister's pregnant belly? She is either not his sister and is pretending to be someone she isn't (possibly, seeing as he wasn't actually a gardener) or she is his sister, and they are fucking. Either way, that's his baby. Nobody kisses their sister's, nay, their friend's, pregnant belly like that. Literally nobody. Shut the fuck up.

Love Olga and Domenico, am all for their love. The moment he sauntered onto the screen with a rose between his teeth I was like "yes, this can stay, we love this angle". I assume 3 will feature their wedding?

Laura's trashy mom can fuck right off. You're gonna act like this man jetsetting you around the world and giving you everything you want wasn't your favorite person until 30 seconds ago?

As a soap viewer, I guessed the twin angle as soon as Massimo~ was caught fucking Anna. Like. Duh. I think they could have leaned into the twin angle more, and I hope Adriano lives because he was delightful. He got a shoulder shot, so he should be fine. I do think it's objectively hysterical that Massimo was like "I have a brother and I'm embarrassed by him" and not "I have a murderous identical twin who should be kept in an asylum". Fucking amazing.

So yeah. Had its flaws. Is not as insanely amazing as the first movie. Nacho is a dud. But I had a great time, and I will be rewatching it probably 50 times before the next movie comes out.

[usagis-tsukinos]

Brutal Love - 9

Read, Comment, or Kudo on Ao3!

Chapter 8

Chapter 10

The One with The Christmas Party

Pairing: Lucifer x F!Reader

Rating: M/18+

Warnings: Not SFW

Words: 2,608

Ages: 22/24

Gabriel sat on top of the kitchen counter, badly singing along to the Christmas music in the background as his best friend prepared to make sugar cookies, as well as the other types that were already baked and decorated for consumption. She had two big bowls of cookie dough prepared, one for Gabriel and one for her to actually bake and decorate. In the living room, the Shurley Christmas tree stood fully decorated with tomorrow’s presents all around it. Michael sat on the couch watching the television, Raphael read on the floor next to the fireplace, and Lucifer was in the bathroom getting ready for the day as he started to shave. Overall, despite Gabriel’s atrocious singing, it was a nice, quiet morning.

Gabriel was used to her being quiet as she baked, it was something that needed constant concentration to make sure everything came out correctly. He just assumed by now that she was comfortable enough to be silent with him, so he didn’t think anything of it. As she mixed her food coloring in, she thought about two nights back in Lucifer’s room, their hushed tones as they spoke to each other, how close he let her lay next to him before her thoughts were interrupted by Gabriel.

“Hey, Earth is calling!” He snapped his fingers in front of her face, pulling her from her thoughts before she looked down and realized she had stopped mixing her dough all together.

“Are you okay?” She opened her mouth to speak, only to become startled at the sound of the kitchen door opening, watching as Lucifer came in shirtless and stood close to her at the counter, eyeing the mess she’s created for the sake of the holiday.

Barely glancing at Gabriel in acknowledgment, his attention solely on her, Lucifer gave her the smallest of smiles, “You baking for the whole neighborhood or something?” Gabriel looked up from his phone at the slight change in tone, was Lucifer being… playful ? He watched his friend blush– must be from how close his brother was standing to her, this was nothing new– and stammered for an answer as she tried not to look at Lucifer’s chest before making a comment about how he shaved. “Looks nice,” it came out as a whisper, though she wished it came out louder than that as she tried to continue her task. Lucifer simply watched her for a second, “Do you need help or something? I can do that while you cut out cookies. Or I can stand and watch your arm fall off, it doesn't matter to me.” His tone was hushed as she still avoided eye contact.

Gabriel rolled his eyes, hopping off the counter to walk over and push Lucifer out of the kitchen, “You’re just gonna distract her!” “I already distract her, this isn’t new. I can’t help being so handsome that my mere presence makes her nervous.”

“Get out , Lucifer, go bother somebody else!” With that, Lucifer was pushed into the living room, no one bothering to acknowledge him before he went back upstairs to grab a shirt.

Every single year the Shurley’s host an annual Christmas party and Gabriel will send out the invitations because out of the four of them, he knows the most people and is generally liked by enough people to have a lot come by. It was usually a gift exchange, with some alcohol involved if someone brought their own, with each guest bringing food or at least something that could quickly be made in the oven. It would simply take too much time to cook for 20-30 people, so bringing something like a frozen pizza would usually be sufficient. Laying out all the cookies she made onto a little dessert table, she examined her work before realizing that while everything in the house was decorated, they missed the most important thing: A mistletoe! Running back into the kitchen she stopped Gabriel’s feast as she grabbed his arm, “We have to go to the store!”

“It’s Christmas Eve, what more could you possibly want to buy my stupid brother?” “No, we need a mistletoe!”

Gabriel sighed, “You’re trying so hard to get one kiss out of him, aren’t you. It’s been 14 years, give it up! If he hasn’t kissed you by now-” but Gabriel’s rant had fallen on deaf ears as she pouted at him.

“It’s not just for me!” She whined, “Other people can kiss under it, too! Don’t you want to kiss Kali under a mistletoe?”

“...Fine.”

Later that evening, as the party went on as people mingled and drank, Lucifer stood by one of the food tables, grabbing his plate before looking up the second he felt somebody next to him. He glanced over at her, her puppy eyes big as she held her hands behind her back. Lucifer sighed, “What? Am I in your way, do you need a plate?” But she shook her head no as she just kept watching him, his eyes looking towards her arms, “You’re hiding something.”

“I’m not.”

“It’s Christmas Eve, the least you could do is not fib. Santa won’t bring you anything if you do.” He leaned in close to her at the last part, watching her suddenly take a deep breath and try not to react before he leaned back to his full height. “Just tell me what’s behind your back, I’m not gonna spend all night guessing.” Sheepishly, she moved her arm into his sight, opening her hand to reveal a mistletoe.

Lucifer resisted the urge to roll his eyes, “You’re not getting a kiss.”

“Please? Just one kith?” She stepped closer to him, trying to trap him under it but her hand only went to his cheek, the mistletoe grazing it slightly. Lucifer began walking away, her close behind as she followed him from the dining room, to the living room, to the kitchen, even to the hallway. He even tried to hide in the bathroom for a second but she just stood outside of it, saying she’d leave him alone forever if he just gave her a kiss, only for him to open the door and disagree with that plea, saying that, “If that were the case, I would’ve done it forever ago, but I don’t think that's how it works with you!”

The night went on, Lucifer pretending to be annoyed with her existence as she desperately tried to just get one little kiss from him. He’d tell her, “Five minutes” but when five minutes were up, he still wasn’t letting her near him. In truth, he just wanted to see how long she’d hold out for. She’s already waited fourteen years, what’s another hour, two hours? But Lucifer didn’t have any actual intentions on kissing her, and screwed up.

See, Lucifer let his guard down and decided he was going to slump down on the couch, in a little area no one was really paying attention to, which gave her the advantage of standing above him, mistletoe in hand, and holding in above their heads with a smile. Lucifer, upon realizing his mistake, went to move but before he could she was straddling his lap, still holding the mistletoe. Instinctively, his arms went right around her waist, holding her flush against him as she smiled down, her plan suddenly going too well, as she realized she didn’t expect to make it this far.

Lucifer kept up the act, lightly glaring at her and yet making no moves to remove her from his personal bubble, “Get off me.” She tried to obey, suddenly panicking when she realized she couldn’t and watched as Lucifer’s face was almost offended that she’d try to leave his lap. “What, am I not comfortable? You love sitting on my lap. Since when do you actually listen to me?” Her heart rate rose as her hands went to his shoulders, holding on as she said nothing. Lucifer kept speaking softly to her as her forehead touched his, “Don’t you want a Christmas kiss from your favorite person? I don’t even think I’d ever have to buy you anything ever again if I just kissed you once, huh? You’d accept anything from me.”

His face softly moved closer to hers, her nerves still kicking in as she tried to rationalize everything that was happening. She’d had a couple to drink, she knew that, as did Lucifer. But Lucifer was a quiet drunk and her inebriation simply made her more on edge with every little touch Lucifer gave her. She wasn’t uncomfortable, she was exhilarated as his fingertips gripped onto the dress she was wearing, sinking into her skin as he held her tightly. Underneath she could feel his cock pressed right up against her panties, and she begged he wouldn’t take notice of how wet she’d become in just a short amount of time.

Finally leaning in, he initiated the kiss, her freezing up for a moment before giving in hesitantly. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she pushed herself against him, his hips moving to meet hers as she squeezed her legs around him, desperate to keep him close so that this moment never ended. She’d pictured kissing him so many times throughout her life, and yet it was better than any late night daydreaming could conjure up. Reluctantly breaking the kiss for air, she watched his face, covered in her lipstick, his hands around her waist, an aroused cock in his jeans because she’s sitting on his lap. The feelings it stirred in her were almost primal as she had to pry herself away from him, trying not to get lost in the moment or overthink it.

This meant nothing, it was one kiss and they were drunk, it wasn’t gonna be anything more than just the holidays getting to them–

“You look a little lightheaded, do you want to lay down? We can go in my room. I can get you some water.” Of course she agreed, finding herself on his bed as she’d been so many times throughout the years as he closed the door behind him and put her water by his nightstand. Laying down on his bed, he initiated the invitation to let her cuddle him for once, wrapping his arm around her waist as she took it, wrapping a leg around his and he almost groaned as he felt her heat radiating onto his thigh through his pant leg.

“Lucifer, can I have another kiss?” She mumbled, thinking he’d say no before she felt him lift her chin and kiss her again, slightly harder than before as her hand went to his pants, gently stroking him through the fabric as he moaned into her mouth. Lifting her onto his lap to straddle him as he sat up against his pillows,, his fingers went under her dress as she unzipped his pants, moving to kiss his neck. “You’re so big, Lucifer.” She mumbled, taking him into her hands as his fingers found her wetness, slipping a finger inside to stretch her out for him.

Adding another finger, he softly bit her neck in response, “Tell me how much you love me.” “I love you so much, I’m so honored to be touching you like this.” Her kisses continued on his neck, as she showered him in praise for being so handsome, and generous, and for just feeling so good , whether it was his cock in her hands or his fingers slipping in and out of her with ease, his thumb gently caressing her clit as he told her what a good girl she was for letting him do this, asking her how often she’d thought of him touching her like this, if any of this was planned, but it wasn’t. “Lucifer,” she begged, stopping his hand as she could feel her wetness dripping down onto him, “Please.”

At this point, neither were sure it was the alcohol or just their feelings getting in the way as she tried to position the tip of his cock against her wet pussy, rubbing it against her up and down as she desperately wanted to sit on it and feel him stretch her out, way more than either of their fingers could. She shivered as it rubbed against her clit, if she were desperate enough she’d have gladly cum just from that but Lucifer stopped her, looking her in the eyes. “You want me to fuck you? Is that what you want?” She knew she had to answer verbally, “Please, I’ll be so good for you, I’ll make you feel so good.”

Lucifer continued to watch her face as she tried to hold herself from just riding his cock of her volition, silently moving the tip so that the next time she rubbed down, she’d sink right onto it. Gripping her hips, he kissed her again, keeping her pelvis to pelvis with him as he thrusted inside, her arms hugging him as tight as she could while trying to bounce on his cock. “You’re so fucking wet.” He mumbled against her mouth, “I feel like I’m gonna slip out.” He moaned at the feeling of her pussy clenching down on him with every thrust, both of them trying to keep eye contact as though to remind the other that this was happening, and there’s no going back.

“Anyone else make you this wet, baby? Huh?”

“N-No, Lucifer,” She tried to keep her voice down, desperate to grind against him before he flipped them over. “Tell me whose dick you think about, Princess.”

“Yours, Lucifer!”

“Tell me whose dick is gonna make you cum.”

“Lucifer’s!”

“You ever wanted anyone else to pound into you like this? To wrap their hands around your throat and make you fucking beg?” To say Lucifer’s ego was big at the moment was an understatement. Fourteen years of fueling his ego has made him have quite the superiority complex over the years. Why else would she think of anyone else when she’s been his little lost puppy this whole time? Who else could possibly make her feel this good? If she were anyone else she would’ve waited maybe a year and then given up on him.

As his cock continued to pound against her G-Spot, he desperately tried to keep the L word to himself as his orgasm approached. He wanted to say it so badly, but she’d never believe him. With her legs around his waist and arms clinging to him for dear life, her orgasm approaching fast she kept repeating “I love you” over and over again, never assuming she’d ever get a reciprocated answer as Lucifer tried to pull out, but her kegels kept him in as well as her legs around his waist, begging for him to cum inside and mark her. Telling him no other man would ever cum inside her, and that it was okay, she was his whether he was hers or not, but he was. He was always hers.

Cumming inside with a groan, she laced her fingers through his hair as he pushed himself off her, too spent to even put his cock away as it softened. She tried to get up, Lucifer having to reach over and grab her so she didn’t fall on her face against his bed room floor. “Just,” he cleared his throat, “Just stay here for tonight, it’s fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I don’t care. Consider it a Christmas present.” Slowly thinking it over, she got back into his bed, the covers going over them as Lucifer allowed her to hold him once more. Maybe they’d talk about it in the morning.

[going-dead]

Phasmophobia

Danny was very sick of tourists coming to explore Amity park. Like very sick of them, especially the ‘ghost hunter’ ones. In the end they just caused more problems than the actual ghosts, getting in the way of the fights causing Danny more stress and injuries than normal. Not to mention they sucked at their so called jobs. He was pretty sure even a single elementary schooler of Amity was a better ghost fighter than all of the tourists combined.

But at the moment it was the dead of winter and probably one of the coldest weeks of the year. So only the stupidest of self proclaimed ghost hunters would venture out to hunt ghosts in weather like this. While it was nice not having to worry about danger prone tourists Danny still was miserable, he could deal with the cold just fine in fact he preferred the cold. The problem was that It was the holiday season, the worst time of the year. At least the ghost attacks were less frequent as they all prepared for the Christmas truce party.

Still he supposed it could be worse. His parents weren’t fighting as much this year, though that was probably due to the fact they were still treating him like he was made of glass half of the time after he told them about the whole half dead thing. Danny figured that was due to the fact they blamed themselves for the portal incident, causing them to coddle him to an almost tortuous degree. It was as if they expected him to disappear if he was so much as bumped in the wrong way. It had gotten a bit better at this point at least, if things continued as it did at the beginning Danny was pretty sure he’d rather have them still be shooting at him. Now they only tensed up when he left the house instead of not so subtly stalking him all day.

At the moment Danny was sitting on the counter in the kitchen with his mom while she was cooking dinner. “Danny dear get off the counter that’s where the food goes not you.” Maddie said shooing him off the counter with a spatula.

Danny floated off in a huff, “This is ghostphobic mom. The counter is a perfect seat.”

Maddie rolled her eyes, “The term would be phasmophobic, and no it’s not it’s; I don’t want your butt all over where I’m making our dinner-phobic.”

“Fine transphobic then.”

“How about asking you to set the table? What would that be?”

Danny mulled it over for a few seconds. “A reasonable request I suppose.” He phased his hands though the cabinets grabbing the plates. Honestly he could have just as easily grabbed them normally but he was still trying to get his parents used to him having powers. “Oh by the way Sam, Tucker, and I are hanging out tomorrow to celebrate winter break starting and school being out for two whole weeks.” “Alright sweetie, but be safe okay?”

“Of course I will be mom.”

“I mean it Danny, please.”

Danny sighed “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to text you regularly to let you know I’m safe. I’ll be fine and stay out of trouble, I promise” Maddie nodded seemingly plated at least for the time being.

The next day Danny was really regretting making that promise. The day started out so well too. Danny, Sam, and Tucker were walking along the park trail. Danny was walking a few steps in front of the other two, subtly making the path easier with his powers. The only people out insane enough to bear the cold were people who had to go to work and teens who were bored out of their minds.

“All I’m saying Danny is that if you want to choose that class you should choose a race other than human for once. Hellspawn would be the best option in your case.” Tucker argued.

“Says the dude playing the race for furries.” Danny shot back turning his head to look back at his friend.

“Hey! The beastmen race is a perfect fit for my class, they have an exp boost for trickery and magic skills  it’s the best for playing a character who mains in ambushing with traps.

“Boys boys stop arguing. Danny will be fine playing as a human he’s just gonna have to spend more time grinding. Also he’s right, beastmen are so the furry option.” Sam cut in.

“Whatever, I just don’t understand why he always plays the most boring race in every game he plays. I mean why would you want to play as a human when you could be a fantasy race like an elf or something.”

“Well that’s easy for you and Sam to say you both are still hum-,” Danny was cut off mid sentence by his ghost sense and a glowing red circle surrounding the group. He hardly had a chance to go ghost before being fully enveloped by the light.

When Danny was finally oriented enough to open his eyes he vowed to never complain about getting motion sick while his dad was driving again if it meant he would never have to go through that awful experience again. It felt like getting sucked into the Fenton Thermos if it was the size of a straw and being spun in a blender all at the same time. He looked around seeing if his friends were brought along with him. And just his luck, of course they got pulled through whatever the hell that was too.

“Ugh, you guys okay?” He closed his eyes again and focused on stabilizing his core and getting the last of the nausea to leave.

“Bleh I think I’m gonna hurl.” Sam groaned from beside him.

Danny heard Tucker shift beside him. “Yeah I’m good, I guess all that time staying up late playing VR games kinda helped against motion sickness. Landed on my arm though so definitely going to bruise later. Where are we anyway?”

That actually was a good question, Danny lifted himself off the ground literally, using legs to stand was lame anyway. The sight he was met with was both confusing and surprising. Looking down he saw that the three of them were in some sort of red magic circle or something, with candles lit around it. Looking past that was the part that was surprising. He was expecting this to be the work of a ghost but standing in a circle around the three of them were six  humans in different colored robes. He couldn’t recognize any of them though, they must have been from out of town or just total shut ins. He was pretty sure he recognized where they were though, it was the basement of an abandoned building next to the mall, Sam was super into urban exploring the year before and it was one of the first places she dragged the two boys to.

“Haha uhh hey didn’t know there was a costume party going on, I would have dressed up, looks like you got all the colored robe thing going on though. Would my hazmat suit work instead of a robe?” Danny looked at the group around him and cracked an uneasy smile. Maybe it was some sort of accidental ghost summoning or something, it wouldn’t be the first time. Though the fact it brought his friends along pointed to it either being on purpose or something much more powerful, or both.

The man in the black robe turned to a woman in a white one. “Why did the spell bring two kids along with it .”

Danny tried to ignore being called an ‘it’ not like his parents didn’t do it before they knew about his identity. “I’m not the murder clown and I do have a name you know.” But his words seemed to fall onto deaf ears.

“I did the calculations right if that’s what you’re trying to imply, as you can see the subject did appear in the circle as planned. We probably just underestimated how much power the sacrifice would provide with the addition of the solstice.” White robe snapped. Great, this was totally just what Danny needed at the start of his winter break. Not only did they seem like ghost hunters they were the crazy obsessed culty ones.

“Either way the goal was achieved in the end, we have the ghost boy.” Black robe pointed to two men, one in yellow and one in blue robes. “Take care of the two bystanders, but don’t kill them. After all we shouldn’t kill our soon to be followers.” Yeah that wasn’t concerning at all Danny thought.

The one in the yellow grabbed Sam and the one in the blue grabbed Tucker at the black robed man's command. Danny assumed that probably meant the black robed one was the one in charge here. “Hey! Get your hands off me you freaks!” Sam yelled, struggling against the man’s grip.

But Danny’s friends didn’t have a chance against people twice their size. Before either of them could struggle more the two men slammed their heads to the ground in almost unison, knocking them out almost instantly. It happened so fast all Danny would do is watch on in horror. He felt like he watched their now limp bodies for ages, their chests shallowly rising at least giving him the relief of knowing they were still alive. But the sight of small puddles of blood forming around their heads snapped him out of his horror and into a rage.

Danny placed his feet to the ground turning to look at the two in the black and white robes. “Why?” He seethed, “You said they were accidentally brought along when you were trying to get me here. Technically in a way this falls onto me. So tell me, why?”

The man in the black robe seemed taken aback from being confronted so suddenly. The woman in white didn’t seem to have the same problem, maybe they both were in charge? Honestly though Danny didn’t care at this point. “We will take over the little town you haunt. After we do that we will find out where all the ghosts are originating from and then make them into our soldiers so we can take over the country and then the world. To do that we obviously needed you out of the way since you seem to be the only one capable of combating the other ghosts that come into this world. Or you would just defeat our pawns before they could take true action. So we found a way to summon and trap ghosts, then brought you here so we could get you out of our way.”

Honestly Danny was disappointed hearing that more than anything, his rage almost completely disappeared after hearing the plan. “Hold up that is the stupidest plan I have ever heard.” And that was saying something seeing as he dealt with Vlad's plans on a weekly basis. “First off you do realize it would be very hard to get or even force ghosts into your service if you don’t offer them, anything in return. Not to mention how some ghosts have almost godlike powers and you expect to overpower them? Also I am not even close to the only one who can fight ghosts. Everyone in Amity Park has at least some know how when it comes to ghost fighting. They sell basic ghost protection equipment at the supermarket. I just happen to be better suited than everyone else because I y’know can like fly and go intangible when chasing them. Using ghosts to take over the world is so stupid do you even know how to properly catch a ghost? Seriously this is like next level dumb, not to mention how did you even know the summoning would work if it didn't you’d just all be standing in a darkly lit room looking dumber than you already do.”

That seemed to anger the white one a lot. Apparently she didn’t like her intelligence questioned. “Why you little-.” She stomped her foot. “This plan was thought through down to the smallest detail. You want to know how it worked huh? How about asking your friend over there. I wonder what happens when the dead are killed? You will find out soon enough.”

Danny looked over to where we gestured and his refound taunting attitude vanished. Laying over in the corner inside a smaller less complex looking circle was a ghost or the ectoplasmic remains of one at least, the core was completely destroyed. Judging by the fact that the ectoplasm was red it probably had a fire core before it was destroyed. From the lingering ecto signature Danny doubted the ghost was even sapient. It was most likely the remains of something like a blob ghost or the ghost of an animal or even a weaker ectopus. Still all he could do was stare at the remains in horror.

“Of course summoning you was harder so we used that thing for its ghost energy to help power the circle. Instead of chalk we used it’s ectoplasm to ensure the strength and longevity of the seal to hold you in the circle.” The woman smiled as if she achieved something great. Achieve something she did indeed, but it certainly was not what she intended.

The rage Danny felt before came back in full force. Before with his friends he at least knew they would recover, all three of them got injured fighting ghosts more often than they should. But to injure a ghost to the point where not even their core remained was something so taboo that only the most despicable ghosts would do. Even Skulker kept the cores of his prey stable enough not to fade away completely. A ghost's form could be completely destroyed but as long as their core remained they would reform back where they first formed in the Ghost Zone. The only ghosts Danny could think of who would go out of their way to destroy a core were some of the ancients like Pariah Dark or Nocturne.

Danny finally managed to tear his eyes away from the ghost's remains to lock eyes with the woman. She and the black robed man took a step back out of instinct. Looking into his eyes they felt the feeling every animal of prey felt when it knew it was being watched, being hunted. The temperature in the room dropped and frost started to crawl across the walls. Danny took a step towards the two leaders before pausing to reconsider and turning and starting towards the two men standing above his friends.

Then men in yellow and blue robes looked to the man in black for guidance, unsure of what action to take. He looked uncertain as well but shook his head. “There’s no way it can pass through the seal, we tested it.”

Danny's eyes flicked over to the man then back to the two who hurt his friends and gave them a predatory grin, his teeth now looking slightly sharper than usual. He made no sound as he stepped over the circle with ease closer and closer to the two men. They both reached for their weapons, small bats, apparently they were the muscle of the group, and swung at the approaching ghost. Danny simply went intangible causing the two to overswing and hit each other instead, knocking the wind out of them both and causing them to drop their bats. While they were catching their breath Danny grabbed them by their hair and knocked their heads together. Their bodies crumbled to the floor just a few inches from the teens they did the same to just minutes before.

The one who had yet to say or do anything, dressed in red, made her way towards Danny while his back was towards her. Just as she got within arms reach of him she slipped and fell. The temperature had dropped even more at this point causing the ground surrounding Danny to ice over. Danny hardly acknowledged the large thud behind him simply trapping the fallen woman up to her neck in ice as he walked past and headed towards his final two targets.

When first summoned by the group Danny could, within reason, probably be passed off as a weirdish looking human excluding the glow around him. But now as he stalked towards his prey that was no longer the case. His chest no longer moved like it was breathing. His feet made no sound as they made contact with the ground. His eyes, non-blinking, no longer had pupils or even whites to them just a void of endless ectoplasmic green. His ears were pointed almost bat like. The tips of which, along with his lips, were tinted blue. His hair, normally white like snow, now was just the white that came from complete absence of any color. The hair was defying gravity almost as if it was underwater while smoke like wisps trailed off from his hair as he moved. His mouth was twisted into an emotionless smile splitting through his cheeks showing needle like teeth all the way back to where his molars would have been, there was no tongue or throat behind them, just another endless green void. The skin of his neck that was showing past the hazmat suit was marked with lightning like scars. The glow around him seemed to absorb all the light in the room.

The man in the black robe looked between the approaching horror and his partner before running towards the exit. Danny moved so fast it was almost as if he materialized right in front of the man. The man stumbled back falling down in shock but still tried to scramble away from him crossing his chest as he did so. Just as Danny started to raise his arm towards the man he paused and lurched back.

He looked down at his chest where an ornate knife was now lodged. Holding onto the hilt was the woman, she gave the knife a final twist before letting go and herding her partner into the corner farthest away from Danny. Danny showed no pain as he grabbed the knife and pulled it out, the blade was dripping with ectoplasm, and dropped it on the ground. The wound in his chest already healing, filling with more ectoplasm to replace what was lost.

The smile that was marring Danny’s face was replaced with a scowl as he made his way towards the corner where the two were cowering. Placing a hand on their necks he lifted them both up against the wall and started slowly burning their skin with an ectoblast. He let them go, letting them fall to the ground only when their screams of pain turned silent as crushed vocal cords and burnt throat muscles took their toll. Both cult leaders looked up at him in horror faces pale. "What's wrong?" Danny smiled, "It looks like you've seen a ghost."

The woman looked at him in fear as she grasped at the raw skin of her throat, which now was covered in blisters and charred in some of the worst places. “Wha-, what, what are you?” She managed to rasp out before coughing up some blood.

Danny let out a dark chuckle, his voice echoed over itself. “I-,” he snarled, “am a Phantom .”

After Danny sent an anonymous tip to the police about the cult, he brought his friends back to his house. Of course his mom freaked out after he stopped responding to her texts and even more when he phased into the living room with an unconscious Sam and Tucker. He was pretty sure she was about to break out the BOOmerang if she didn’t hear from him for much longer. She was more than willing to take the two of them to the hospital to get them checked out.

Danny made a quick stop into the ghost zone to tell Clockwork to spread the word to other ghosts to be on alert and that there were humans that were trying to summon and capture ghosts. After telling Clockwork what happened, in much more detail than the briefest summary he gave his mom, including how he probably went a bit overboard with dealing with the cultists. He also admitted he didn't regret it even if he did go overboard. They hurt his friends and caused a ghost to completely fade, and in Danny’s opinion they deserve whatever came to them. The whole story caused Clockwork to also start fretting over him making sure to let Danny know that his reaction was a completely normal response to someone threatening something that falls within his obsession especially since it happened in his haunt of all places. Danny swore that his ghostly mentor could be worse than his own parents sometimes especially when it came to reassuring him about his more ghostly tendencies.  

Luckily after being released from the hospital it turned out the worst Sam and Tucker suffered were concussions that would heal in a decently short amount of time. That didn’t mean they weren’t complaining about it though.

“Stop laughing about my suffering Danny! I won’t be able to start playing Fantasy War Online VII until my two week tech restriction is lifted by my doctor. It was bad enough I had to go to a hospital but to be taken away from my lovely devices as well is just too much.” Tucker lamented.  

“Quit complaining and suck it up. I’m on the restriction too Tucker.” Sam pointed out.

Tucker huffed. “Yeah well you’ll probably manage to catch up to all the people who are getting it on release day easily, since you’re scarily good at MMO’s.” He flopped back onto Danny’s bed. “Hey at least this gives us more time to convince Danny to play something other than a human for once in his life. Like I said before the hellspawn is the perfect race for the build you’re going for.”

Danny just rolled his eyes. “And like I said before, I like being a human.” “Whatever dude just don’t complain when I utterly beat you if we end up fighting because you wanted to be the lamest most boring race ever.”

Danny shrugged. “Somehow I’ll cope, I just think it’s nice to be seen as normal and not scary.”

Sam laughed. “Danny you are the least scary person like to ever exist. The only things scary about you are your grades and your wacky parents. I doubt you could be scary if you tried.”

Danny looked out the window watching the stars as they started to appear in the sky. “...Yeah I guess you’re right.”