#basically one of them was texting a girl from a dating site

[sibelin]

sometimes i really enjoy some of my colleagues banter but i always end up realizing we're from two different world and theirs is so much meaner haha

[jsprnt]

Healing Hearts PT. 15 | Virgil Van Dijk

Would a fresh start bring you more than just a new job?

A/N: contains some smut! MDNI, or please skip the part after the marked red border.

C/W: smut, making out etc.

WC: 3.682

Summary: Y/N L/N is a very skilled and praised physiotherapist. A certain event pushing her for a fresh start, as a physiotherapist for Liverpool FC. One question always being in the back of her mind: Will she be able to let go of her past and allow herself to experience new things?

I try to calm down the thumping in my head, my head aching from panic as I stare at the gossip piece. I close my eyes, shutting off my phone and throwing my phone onto my bed. I stand up, pacing back and forth in front of the bed.

I was a fool for thinking our relationship wouldn't be caught this early. All of my effort, allthough looking back I probably worried more than I tried to hide our relationship- was in vain. I couldn't have obviously told Virgil I wanted to not even hold hands with him on the streets or not go on that one nice date. His own efforts to keep me out of the media and even the private dinner basically going up in flames.

I sigh out of frustration, gnawing on my lower lip as I try to think of what to do. It was a gossip site- not some relevant news site yet- they didn't have pictures yet- and no names yet. I grab my phone again, putting all of my social media on private already, preparing for the storm- or fucking tornado that could ruin either the upcoming days- if I was lucky in a couple weeks- of my life.

Thinking privatizing wasn't enough, I delete them all off of my phone. I couldn't be prepared enough. Especially not since what happened last time.

Who could've even leaked the fact that we were on a date? Could've been the employees, but from experience of seeing so many "known" people I'd doubt they'd honestly care. It could've been Theo- maybe he'd noticed me anyways- through my idiotic ways of trying to conceal my identity. I rack my brain- thinking of who it could be before giving up and throwing myself onto the King bed.

I lay there, my hands on my head as I try to reason with myself. I had a couple days or weeks to prepare, this could definitely break onto mainstream news when we'd both be back in Liverpool. I wince at the actual thought of having to face the club. I had to look them all in the face after it looked like I came there to get with one of their players?

Although, I knew most of the supporters wouldn't care or be negative about it. But the thought of my face being plastered everywhere again? What would they say about a girl who dated a billionaire heir and a footballer? Back to back. Was it my fault my destiny was designed this way? Would they say I was ‘lucky’ or that I orchestrated both of these relationships?

I had to face this eventually, but I didn’t want to do it now. There were definitely bigger problems in the world than some dating news- but why did have such an effect on me?

I decide to respond back to Priya's message shortly before closing my tabs. If I just ignored it for now- it wouldn't be there- it wouldn't even exist. If I just pretend to not see or know anything it wouldn’t happen and pass, like a breeze instead of impending doom.

A text message brings me out of my thoughts. A message from Virgil, letting me know he's leaving his own hotel. I smile to myself, remembering there was something to look out for. I couldn't wait to see him.

"Fuck- please-“ She mewls, their bodies pressed close against each other. Her nails clawing and digging into his back, the euphoric feeling of their high taking over both their senses.

Virgil had arrived at her hotel a while ago. It stared with a kiss from her, to a make out session turned intimacy.

Could you blame her? Seeing your partner doing what he's good at, winning for his team and country all while looking so fucking good.

Irresistible, was the right word to describe him.

He groans lowly at her pleas, his hand gripping onto the flesh of her hips, guiding her to his pace. His heart hammers in his chest, the feeling overwhelming, but still not getting enough of the feeling of her around him.

"So good for me baby." He murmurs, sweat glistening on his collar, dripping down his broad, muscular chest. She clenches around him at the praise, a moan leaving her swollen lips as her back arches.

"So needy for me, couldn't handle yourself when I played today, love?" He teases, gently pushing her back onto the bed as he chuckles deeply. She whines in protest, eyes closing, trying to move her hips faster, his veiny hand coming to rest on her stomach again.

"Eyes here baby." He says, his pace fastening with the move of her hips. His hand trails down her entrance, a digit circling her puffy bud.

Another moan leaves her lips, as she cries out in pleasure. Her eyebrows scrunching as sweat forms on her forehead. He's deep, deep enough for his member to be visible, the bulge on her stomach showing as he moves in and out of her in well paced thrusts.

"This what you wanted baby? Hm tell me, should I stop?" She clenches around him again, her nails clawing harder as she tries to blurt out coherent words.

"Fuck- don't stop- faster. Need more- please." She pants, feeling him twitch.

He does as she says, fastening his pace as he moans lowly at the feeling.

"Let go baby." He mumbles, his hand caressing the scar on her side tenderly.

She whines loudly, letting go as she reaches her climax. He groans, making sure she alright before letting go himself. Both of their exclaims of pleasure filling up the atmosphere. Loud panting filling the room, as their chests move up and down in sync.

He leans forward, his hand coming up to hold her tired head up. He places small kisses on the side of her face, mumbling sweet praises to her.

"Did so good baby. You're alright, breathe in for me baby." He murmurs, stroking her cheek tenderly.

He pulls out slowly, a soft sound leaving her lips at the loss of feeling. He presses a kiss on her lips, checking the clock as it read way past midnight.

He gets up, not before another whine leaving her lips, her hand grabbing his hand quickly.

"I'm here babygirl. I've got to clean you up hm?" He reassures her. Getting a warm towel to clean her up gently. Discarding the condom while at it.

"Want to take a shower love?" He asks, rubbing her naked shoulder. She nods, eyelids fluttering, his hands wrapping around her as he brings her into the walk-in shower. Keeping her steady and close as the hot water falls down their intertwined bodies. Soap foaming on their skin, forgetting all worries they had, especially a worried y/n.

"Is my mascara all over my face?" She asks, tired smile tugging on her lips as she looks at Virgil.

"It is, want me to clean it off?" He chuckles, reaching over to retrieve the facial cleanser from the shower niche.

I watch Virgil grab a change of clothes from the bag he had packed. The one he'd dropped on the floor when our kiss started getting a little too heated.

My eyes roam on his body, the white damp towel low on his hips as he walks over to the dresser. I bite on my fingernail nail as I fight back a squeal. Watching him open the drawer.

He grabs a pair of my pajamas I had organized into the dresser. He walks up to me again, seeing me snuggled in the robe he had wrapped me in earlier.

"It's cold." I say.

The temperature in Athens in October wasn’t as bad as Liverpool. Slightly warmer in the day, in contrast, the nights were definitely colder than the days. I had asked Virgil to turn on the heat earlier, hoping it would make the cold much more bearable.

"Here, let's get you in some clothes." He says, as I watch him hold up my gray ribbed pajamas.

“Where is your lotion?” He asks, running his hands on top of my robe, down my back, trying to warm me up.

“On the bathroom counter. It’s the pink tub.” I answer, watching him walk into the bathroom to retrieve it.

He walks back, unscrewing the lid and looking at me for a moment. I extend my leg out of my robe, moving my robe slightly. He grabs an amount of the hydrating cream, applying it in soft soothing circles on my knees and legs.

He unties my robe, applying the lotion on my arms elbows and chest. Softly massaging my back and shoulders.

“It’s like I’m the one who played a 90 minute match.” I chuckle, humming at the feeling of his hands on my back.

“You definitely handled way more.” He whispers, laughing as I give him a look.

“Right, now let’s get you dressed already.”

I allow him to dress me, making the minimal effort of raising my arms and legs.

“Let me put lotion on you?” I ask, grabbing the pink tub. He nods as I lather his skin up. Running my hands down his tattoos as I admire them.

I move so I can massage the cream into his back.

A gasp leaving my lips at the scratches on his back. “Did I do that?” I ask, feeling bad as I look at my nails. I had gotten them done back home, taking advantage of not having to treat any of the players, since I was on leave.

Short nails were a given with this job and I honestly couldn’t remember the last time I had long nails. That also being why I don’t remember scratching any of my bed partners- or at least this crazily.

“What? The scratches from your nails?” He asks unfazed, turning his head to the side.

“Yeah? Did it not hurt?” I ask, inspecting them closely.

“Was to busy with how pretty you looked under me to notice, love.” He whispers lowly and I slap his arm, feeling a little flustered.

I drop the tub of scented lotion, getting up to get a healing cream from the bathroom. Lathering the cream up the scratches with clean hands. Placing a kiss on his spine when done.

I snuggle against him after we both get dressed and finish our night routines. His arms wrapped around my body as I bury my head against his chest, basking into the warmth of our bodies and the silence of the room. The vanilla and coconut scented lotion creating an addicting scent on our skin.

"I'm so proud. You played really good today." I mumble, pulling away a little, tracing the tattoos on his arm gently with my finger.

"Oh yeah? I figured, maybe I should score the winning goal more often." He teases, placing a kiss on my hairline.

"Maybe you should?" I reply, nudging him, my eyes droopy as I fight the sleep that's creeping up to me.

“We’ll talk about it later, or you’ll start something you’ll have to finish hm? Sleep now, love. You look tired.”

"You better be eating properly there." My mom says, pulling me into the biggest hug she'd ever given me. Squeezing me to the point I couldn't breathe for a moment. She pulls away reluctantly, my dad also pulling me into an embrace. "You also should call more- we work but the phone is always next to us my daughter." He says, his hand on my shoulder.

I look at the both of them, a sudden feeling of sadness washing over me. I had already said my goodbyes to my friends, leaving me here in front of the airport, saying goodbye to my parents.

My grip on my suitcase tightens, as I try to hold back tears. There were many things I resented my parents for, but the look of sadness in their eyes made me want to break down and forget about all of that.

Maybe this was my karma for hiding things from them, the guilt gnawing at me piece my piece.

"Want me to come with you?" My dad asks, his hand already reaching for the handle of my suitcase.

"It's okay dad, it's not heavy. You don't have to. It’s raining, you guys should get back in the car." I usher, giving them a reassuring smile as I try to hide the shakiness in my voice.

“Call us when you land!” My dad says.

I kiss both of them one more time before turning around, dragging my suitcase behind me as I enter the airport. If I had stayed longer, they would manage to see the absolute buckets of tears threatening to spill from my eyes.

She checks in quickly and efficiently, knowing Virgil was in the private VIP lounge as she makes her way towards it. They had both spent the last few days with their own respective families, deciding they'd meet up at the airport.

She shoots him a quick message, the door to the lounge opening a few seconds later.

Her emotions were still on high after the farewell with her parents. She just, for some reason wanted to cry harder the longer they stood outside.

She could blame it on absolutely everything. From keeping secrets from her parents, to leaving them or mother natures lovely monthly cycle.

Virgil raises a brow at her instantly, the somber look on her face and the glossiness of her eyes noticeable to practically everyone from a distance.

She walks up to him, into the room. Immediately hugging him tightly, taking in his comforting and familiar scent.

"You okay?" He mumbles, running his hand up and down her back. Feeling her shake slightly, wet patches forming on his sweater from tears.

"It's alright, cry it out baby. You're okay." He mumbles, holding her tightly, giving her the pressure she needed, realizing something had to have triggered her emotions, too much for her to bottle up as he pats her back. Hoping he’d tell her eventually, when comfortable.

The Liverpool bench next to me cheers as Ryan scores the fourth goal against Toulouse. The chants in the stadium deafening as they all sing in celebration. The players were doing insanely well, especially after the Merseyside derby last week which they had also won. Creating a great new start after international break had ended.

I was on the pitch today, just like last week as Dr. Woods had decided to focus on Robbo's serious shoulder injury. We'd all been very shocked and concerned when we were notified. Deciding for Dr. Woods to focus on him for a while, since it was an injury requiring much attention and time.

Focused on the game, I sink further into my jacket, the weather had been progressively getting worse, the temperature dropping a couple degrees just in the past hour alone.

A sudden voice calls out to me from the bench behind me. I sit up, turning my head towards the voice. Already prepared for the "Could you hand me a bottle?" or the recently more common "Can I have a hot pack?" followed by the most creative methods to signal how cold the weather was. My favorite so far was the 'rubbing hands together'.

They would look like mischievous flies, making me chuckle as they looked at me confused.

Instead of some mischievous fly action, I'm completely blindsided by what it is, that I'm told.

"Take my scarf, it's cold and you don't have one." Szobo says, a charming smile on his face as he hovers the scarf around my neck.

I absentmindedly nod, as he ties the black scarf around my neck. I glance at Virgil, for a millisecond, his eyes drilling holes into Szobo's side profile. I look at the rest of the bench, some of them sneaking glances at me, I give them some confused looks back. Returning my gaze to Dom.

I thank him for the scarf, adjusting it a little and turning back around to watch the rest of the match. Still confused, but appreciative for the warm scarf. Trying to focus on the match again.

The match ends with a beautiful goal from Mo. Making the final score an amazing 5-1 for Liverpool. All of us standing up finally, clapping for everyone's efforts and hard work as I immediately make my way into the tunnel. The cheers and shouts in the stadium dwelling down slightly.

I greet the players with a high five, watching all of them pile into the dressing room before me and Dr. Davis go through the usual routine. My eyes catch Virgil looking slightly- irritated. His answers for Dr. Davis unusually short. I decide to not bother him with any of my own questions. I would ask about it later.

Thankfully, we finish quickly, no one having anything bothering them. I walk out of the dressing room. Allowing the guys to get changed, I walk into the medical room.

I unzip my jacket a bit, Dom's scarf still cozily on my neck and grab my bag before making it towards the door. Gasping a little as the door opens right as I reach over to grab the handle.

Virgil appearing and walking towards me as I take a step back.

"Hey?" I say, raising my brows in confusion. Was he injured? Something wrong? Did he want to leave together? Did he want to talk about why he looked irritated?

He grabs my arm, stopping me from moving. His hand moves to the small of my back, he leans forward, pressing his lips against mine breathlessly.

The bag in my hand dropping on the floor as I raise my hand to grip onto his shirt, pulling him impossibly closer. The warmth of his breath mixing with mine as his tongue runs down my bottom lip. My breath hitches, the surprise but delight of the situation catching up to me.

I pull away, looking up at him wide-eyed, my hands flattening on his chest.

"What was that for?"

"This." He says, his hands traveling up to my neck, fidgeting with the scarf and taking it off of my neck.

My expression turns smug, a smirk making it's way to my lips. I narrow my eyes, snatching the scarf out of his hands and cradling it close to me.

"What? You're jealous now? Over a scarf? It's your teammate's, captain.”

He rolls his eyes, avoiding eye contact as I laugh.

"Aw it's alright. Next time I'll just freeze to death. When I get offered a warm scarf by one of your teammates, I'll say 'Nope, my boyfriend is very jealous. I'll freeze instead.' That's good right?" I say, teasing him.

He doesn't make eye contact with me, as I watch become more flustered by the second. I drop the scarf, right on top of my bag.

"Hey, look at me. Come on admit it. You're jealous!" I say, grabbing the collar his shirt and making him lean forward. Deciding to finish what he started.

I move my hand towards his jaw as I press my own lips onto his, his lips parting as our tongues graze against each other. His hand moves to my zipper, zipping my jacket down. A sinful groan leaving his mouth as his hand slips up my shirt. His slightly cold hands making contact with my warm skin. I press my body closer to his, his touch and hold like a drug as I feel his hand caressing my skin.

The room is silent apart from our own presence, the cheering in the stadium had already died down. A soft whimper leaving my lips as his hands inch up my body, our lips still moving against each other.

The sudden noise of the door creaking make us jump away from each other in shock and fright.

"Doc could you give me some-" the man trails off.

Our eyes move to the door reluctantly, seeing a wide-eyed Curtis staring at us, his backpack snug on his shoulders.

An embarrassed gasp leaves my lips, I look at Virgil for a second. The both of us communicating with our eyes as we walk towards him.

"I knew it! Trent you owe me fifty pounds lad-" He shouts, very loudly.

They had a damn bet on us?

I grab the straps of his backpack, pulling him into the room. I shove my hand onto his mouth as Virgil grabs onto him by his shoulders. The door slamming behind us as we half tackle the Scouser.

He mumbles against my palm, as I try to make him shut up.

"Don't worry my hands are clean." I reassure, as I make out some of the words.

He mumbles some more, and I eye him sternly, frowning.

"Shhh! He will give you ten times that amount if you keep quiet about this." I whisper, pointing at Virgil.

Virgil looks back at me, confused expression on his face as I mouth a 'what?'

"Promise you won't start yelling?" I ask Curtis, hesitating to remove my hand when he nods.

I move my hand, his mouth immediately opening to assault us with a billion questions.

"When? How long? First time-" he whispers. I hang my head low from embarrassment, glancing at Virgil who looked like he was enjoying this for some reason. I nudge him with my elbow, making him answer the questions shortly.

I warn Virgil with my eyes when he gives too much information to Curtis. This guy could either keep it all to himself or explode like a ticking gossip bomb.

"And you won't tell anyone- right?" I ask, giving him a sickly sweet smile.

"He'll give you your money-"

"I never agreed to that." Virgil protests, looking at me.

"You'll be alright."

I mumble, focusing on Curtis.

"Promise?"

"Promise. Now can I get some of those bandages?"

This is going to be a difficult one.

[raquellemonsta]

kiss me more (bokuto x reader)

previous || next

chapter 7: gossip

Usually, when you woke up in the morning and checked your phone, you'd only have a few notifications from random apps and maybe a friend. You hadn't been expecting what you woke up to this morning, to say the least. Friends were sending you news sites and posts all about the same person: you. You read through some of the headlines:

"MSBY star Bokuto Koutaro seen leaving shop with mystery woman"

"Who is Bokuto's new girlfriend? (Pictures and more)"

There were even some of his fans on Twitter dragging you for basically no reason other than the fact you were seen with their sports crush. While some were nice (calling you cute or saying you looked good together), others were saying things like "the girl in those pictures with Bo is soo average" and "she's lowk ugly... he can do better".

Those pissed you off, but you knew better than to keep reading tweets. You could get lost in it for hours and that was when you weren't the one they were talking about. It probably wasn't good for your mental health (in fact, it definitely wasn't). Also, seeing the pictures kind of freaked you out. It was like having a stalker even though it was just paparazzi offshoots that were doing it for their job. It was still unsettling to see the two of you walking out of Onigiri Miya, and even entering your apartment building. What if people started showing up at your building in the hopes of meeting Bokuto? Or worse, what if they waited outside of your apartment for you to question you or more. You shut your phone off and went into your bathroom. You had to admit, it was kind of surreal seeing yourself on social media in the context of people who don't even know you. You pumped some moisturizer onto your hands and spread it across your face. You took longer than necessary in an effort to lower your heartrate and ease your mind. After you were calmed down, you went back out to your room and picked up your phone again. This time, you noticed a text from Yachi.

Yachi 💫

hey can you tell me why everytime i open social media i see you?

(y/n)

I DONT KNOW it's not my fault i swear idek what's happening

Yachi💫

well it looks to me like you've made a lot of bokuto stans really mad lol 😜

(y/n)

😔

You let out a sigh, tossing your phone on your bed and then falling back onto it yourself. It was just your luck to have something like this happen. You barely even had time to savor your date with Bokuto before the internet found out and made it their major topic of the day. The whole situation was honestly one big headache. You weren't even officially dating, yet here all of these people were commenting on your relationship that even you weren't entirely sure about.

You couldn't help but imagine how people would react if you two actually became official. Would he announce it? Would they just get used to seeing the two of you together? Or would they inevitably hate you for taking up their volleyball god's attention and ruining their chances of getting with him? You weren't sure and in the present you didn't care.

Instead of focusing on that, you decided to actually do your job and opened your laptop. The advertisements for the match had been up all around Tokyo, and the big posters that would go up on the side of the arena they would play at should be coming in soon. The company paid people to hang them up, since they were giant and it was far out of your skillset.

The process of making them had been really fun. The team got to have a photoshoot with plenty of action shots (you definitely didn't ask the photographer for a print of Bokutos). From there, you had just designed some fun slogans to slap onto them, along with labeling the players. While they were attracting a lot of attention to the match, you had been informed that they were still looking to get more sales for tickets and merchandise.

This whole social media thing this morning had effectively distracted you from being able to do your job or come up with strategies to get more attention on the match.

Then, you had a brilliant idea. What if you used this whole situation to your advantage? You could use the buzz around you and Bokuto as a way to get more spectators for the MSBY vs Adlers match, both in person and watching it on tv.

You shot a quick email to your company's social media marketing sector and asked them to put out posts wherever they could essentially saying the same things. It wasn't long before you got an email back, confirming that the posts would be out soon. Not long after, you got a twitter notification for your company's 'news' account:

"Will Bokuto's mystery woman be at the MSBY vs Schweiden match? Find out here", along with a link to both tickets to watch in-person as well as information for where to watch it.

You grinned widely and even laughed at describing yourself as a 'mystery woman', but you had an idea and went with it. Then, you thought for a moment and wondered if Bokuto had any idea about everything that had been going on. You weren't sure if he seemed like a big social media, though for all you knew he could be crazy for it.

There was a text from him you hadn't noticed before, from around 20 minutes ago. You had probably been too busy emailing your work.

Koutaro  ⭐

Hey hey hey how has your morning been?

read 11:26am

It put a smile on your face to know that he was thinking of you, but you were also confused. Did he have no idea about what people were saying? Maybe he didn't have friends like yours that spammed you with posts about yourself.

(y/n)

i've been okay. it was kinda weird seeing people posting about me everywhere but other than that

You didn't expect him to respond so quickly, especially when it had taken you so long to text back, however the three dots popped up only seconds after your text. You waited somewhat intently to see what he had to say.

Koutaro ⭐

Are people posting about you? What did you do??😲 

It took everything in you to not literally laugh out loud. Again, with the grown man using emojis (which was extremely unserious but in a cute way), but also because it seemed he really had no idea about any of it. You sent him a few of the links your friends had sent you and explained it to him, before your phone started ringing and you saw his contact again. You quickly picked it up, but had to pull it away from your ears due to how loud he was.

"I'M SO SORRY, THIS IS ALL MY FAULT!" he yelled, "I HAVE CRAZY FANS!" he yelled. When your ears stopped ringing, you responded back.

"I can tell" you encouraged him to lower his volume. You shook your head at his absurdity. Two months ago, you would've never been able to guess this would be your reality. You decided to tell him how you had used it to your advantage, and how more people would be attending the game to support MSBY.

"You're so smart (y/n), I don't get how you do it". You felt a fluttering feeling in your chest before you got a hold of yourself again. He didn't give himself enough credit. While Bokuto seemed airheaded at some points, he was actually very emotionally intelligent and made up for lack of book smarts with his people skills.

"It's my job" you said and smiled, even though he couldn't see it. It was nice to talk to him, even though it had only been half a day since you last heard his voice.

"Thank you for last night again" you spoke, much quieter before. On the other side of the line, Bokuto smiled at the thought.

"Anything for you" he responded. You two exchanged a few more words before deciding to hang up so you could finalize one of your projects. Your phone buzzed one more time, and you checked it before putting it on do not disturb. You ever-present smile became even wider when you read it.

Koutaro ⭐

Come see me after the game on Saturday 😊

You were definitely ready for the match this weekend.

[japanese-cryptic-beauty]

The nightmare of Visual Novels

So, I found this one website recommending Visual Novels (VN) for reading immersion. (Not to be confused with "graphic novels" which is, at its heart, a fancy term for comic book...) These are basically computer games where you follow a sort of branching story. A very typical one is the "dating sim" where you interact with a variety of love interests and try to, well, "romance" them - by choosing actions they may like, playing the game multiple times to achieve different endings, etc.

Funnily enough I know the concept mostly from the world of anime and manga, one of these meta things where there are now stories being written about VN - which themselves are stories and a way of story-telling. For example, "The World Only God Knows", where a dating sim addict is called upon to romance "actual" girls to drive hellish spirits out of them. Or the hilarious "Romantic Killer", where a gaming addict is forced into living a dating sim scenario.

But this is not about dating sims or the contents of particular VNs, this is about learning Japanese. I came across a website recommending learning Japanese through VNs, and the arguments were convincing:

You get the dialogue displayed on-screen which allows for reading it carefully.

You typically also get a voice-over, so you get also additional listening immersion, something harder to do with, let's say, anime. (Because VNs pause after a certain point and give you time until you continue. Also, depending on streaming site, you don't get Japanese subtitles / CC captions. Like on major anime streaming site Crunchyroll which typically has none of that.)

You can enlist certain programs for capturing text from the most common VN engines to actually use a dictionary with it.

So, sounds great, right?

The Shit You Can't Buy These Days

Welcome to the world of modern capitalism, where the prevention of spending money advances faster than the ability to actually buy stuff.

Huh?

This starts when you try buying these things. The geniuses that try to sell us things have decided that it's not good if we can simply buy stuff. No, this content is surely for that person in that market and can not be had anywhere else. Fans of manga may already be aware of this - some English translations of manga can only be bought in English-speaking countries because obviously those could be the only people ever interested in them...

So, if you live outside of Japan, you obviously have no interest, and hence get no way, to buy Japanese language VN. You may be able to buy an overpriced translated version on some console somewhere, but we won't let you lay your fingers on our precious software, no.

Hurdle #1: Money, money, money

So, there's a site called "DL Site" where you can legally buy Japanese VNs and, surprise, download them. This site also sells for example manga.

One problem: Payment providers, at least the usual Western gang thereof, doesn't like this website. For some reason, payment providers or major credit card companies nowadays like to stay as far away as possible from anything that could be classified as "adult entertainment" - and frankly, many VNs have that vibe. Not all of them. But these payment providers either limit themselves to a squeaky clean portion of the store (manga only, though) or are not available at all.

Mind you, I wasn't hunting for smut. I merely was trying to buy a VN.

I then went on an odyssey for finding a way to pay. Most options were Japan only - either obviously so or more subtly. Credit cards only work if issued in Japan. At some point I got myself a LINE (the Japanese chat app) account to use LINE Pay - only to find out that I cannot transfer funds into it for no apparent reason.

I was about to give up when I found the solution for the payment problem, which is as obscure as it gets. The payment providers don't want to be associated with the content, but there's a companion site to DL Site where you can buy coupons. These coupons can be redeemed into points that are equivalent to Yen and which you can pay with on DL Site, circumventing the absence of Western payment providers. (It actually works just fine, but it does look a bit fishy at first...)

Problem #2: Nah-nah-naaaah-nah

By which I mean: You didn't think it was so easy, right?

Now that you legally own something you paid for and downloaded it unto your Windows computer, can you play it?

No!

For you see, the publishers of these games have quite some opinions as to who can play their games. "Japan only", that's what. Seriously.

What used to be the dreaded copy protection in decades past is now some silly gating of content behind dubious checks that are made to ensure that the Japanese content can only be enjoyed in Japan.

I don't even pretend to understand why!

Seriously, the software in questions may check:

Your timezone

Your language settings

Your input settings

Your locale (date, time format, etc)

And only if these are sufficiently "Japanese" it may permit you to actually play the game you own (after all, you entered your serial).

The lengths to which a game company goes just to prevent you from playing their game, not for pirating reasons, but simply for ensuring that you are Japanese, is absurd.

At first I tried to run the game inside a virtual environment, "Virtual Box", but no matter how hard I tried, it wouldn't start there. It was quite a demanding little game... for something that plays some music and shows mostly static images and text.

But... do you really want to change all your content, input, language, and time settings to Japanese to start a game? Do you?

There's a way to simplify this a bit. You can have a second account on your Windows computer with all these settings in place, I called mine simply "Japanese". But frankly, that's also shit. Because to use a separate account you have to sign out of your main account, which closes all your apps, browser windows, etc. (Yes, Windows isn't exactly a true multi-user system in its consumer version.)

So this is a big hassle to just play a game for half an hour. (After all, you're brushing up your Japanese, you aren't fluent, so you'll probably tire of it at some point.)

Conclusion

Trying to lay your hands on a Japanese VN as a gaikokujin (foreigner) is a major hassle. Frankly, after managing to make the game run, I didn't actually play it because it had been so tiresome to actually make it work and there were major hoops to jump through just to get it to start.

Now, if you have a second computer, say, a laptop, this can all be navigated, but I spent hours on two separate days just to get to the point where the game was bought, downloaded, installed, and worked. The requirement to mangle some fundamental settings on my computer to just start many of these games doesn't sit well with me.

I never even installed the support for dictionaries because I felt I was done with it.

[dearfuturehusbandblog]

Radical Honesty

Dear Future Husband,

I’ve had this idea for several years now that people hide too much when it comes to dating and that we need a really radical shift in dating style. Instead of making up fluff and putting our best foot forward, maybe we should just put all our cards on the table and find someone who is ok managing that hand. 

So, with that in mind, I have something to confess... 

I’ve conducted a “social experiment” on one of the popular frum dating sites. I signed up with three different accounts: 

1. An actual account for me.* This was set up with a photo of me that is password protected and a bio that reflected who I am and had a lot of details without being overwhelming. 

2. A fake girl account that was quite different from mine and absurd too. The profile picture was originally a picture of me that I photoshopped the heck out of and then blurred it a bit, before shrinking it down to a small size so when the website enlarged it again it would look distorted. The text for each of the paragraphs was loaded with typos and made to sound stupid and artificial. 

3. An account for a fake guy with no photo or details at all. It’s basically a blank profile. This was primarily to see how my “competition” presented themselves and what kind of profiles they write so I could tailor mine to stand out. 

The goal of this experiment was to see what kind of responses these differing accounts would get from the dating public. 

Here’s what’s interesting: 

I set up the accounts when I was in my 20s and I’m in my 30s now. Pretty much from day 1, my actual account received a ton of messages from guys in their 40s, 50s, and 60s (more often that not, divorced).  Some of the younger guys who messaged me had ZERO social skills. Most of them disregarded all the details I put in the profile as though they didn’t even read it. 

The fake girl account got more messages from guys my age, half of them telling me I looked beautiful despite the photo looking completely demented and barely like a person at all. 

And the fake guy account got several messages from girls too, who wanted to know about him despite all signs that the profile is from someone uninterested in participating in the whole dating thing. 

I left the two fake accounts as is, but tried adjusting my real one several times, to try and garner appropriate responses from suitors. None of it worked. 

I made it sound lighthearted and that didn’t help. 

I made it sound serious and that didn’t help. 

I filled it with jokes and that didn’t help. 

I put bullet points for things I’m absolutely not interested in and that didn’t help. 

It just seemed like no matter what I did, nobody read it. 

And I’d like to chock that up to the fact that I didn’t have a visible profile picture, but neither did the fake guy account and that got messages from girls. Although, that could just be a difference between the sexes. 

But oddly, the fake girl account kept getting message requests. Some were definitely from older and creepy guys, but there were quite a few young guys there too. Maybe guys like bimbos who only want them for their money? 

I know I’m not in a place to get married at the moment, but I do still believe in “you never know” and “God works in mysterious ways” so I do keep my options open despite having little hope I’ll ever be a marriage person. But at the same time, I wanted the message requests to stop, so I changed my profile and went with the insane radical honesty thing. 

I obviously couldn’t put everything about me, but I FILLED that profile to the max. And I’ll share it with you here, Future Husband, because this is all stuff you’ll need to know too. I’m putting it behind a Keep Reading bar because it’s loooooong and I’m going to try being considerate of the like two readers I have here by not completely stealing their feed. But who knows, maybe you’ll read it and decide that my baggage is stuff you can handle (if you haven’t read everything in this blog up until this point....)

Without further ado: My Radical Honesty Dating Profile

-LivelyHeart

ABOUT ME

Hi there! Thanks for checking out my profile. I've had the same stupid "About Me" for a while, so even though I don't come on here that often, I've decided to change things up. I don’t remember when I last updated my profile, but let’s just assume it was 2018 or earlier. I think it wouldn’t be too surprising to hear that some things have changed in the interim. I mean, for one, the pandemic really did a number on people…

One of the things that's changed for me is that I've decided to be a bit bolder in personality and stop caring so much what people think about me. This is a work in progress and I do still care a lot what people think, but I figured rewriting this "essay" could be a large step in the direction of that kind of personal freedom. So, let me tell you some important things about me. I talk (a lot), I write (a lot), I overthink (a lot), and I over-explain (a lot). And the guy I marry will have to be able to not only handle that, but appreciate it too. I believe I'm a better writer than orator, so using that medium, I'm about to present you with probably the longest profile you'll ever read on a dating site (I mean, this section is titled "Essays"...). So strap in, bucko, it’s gonna’ be a wild one!

I tend to have strong views on things. Some might even say... polarizing. And I think it comes off as somewhat unexpected because I don't really look like the type of person who would have such strong opinions on things. In most company I'm pretty smiley and lighthearted and agreeable, but I'll get into that a bit later. I'm also generally a socially observant person and try to read the room and not share certain things I think/feel/believe with certain people because I know they won’t go over well. That being said, considering I don’t know who you (the reader) are, and you’re essentially entering my domain by reading any of this, I'm sharing some of these ideas freely and it's up to you whether or not you want to accept them. No pressure!

Let’s start here: I think the modern shidduch system is an absolute joke. (Like I said, some polarizing views.) I truly despise the way modern shadchanas is a “job” that expects large payments in return for a service. I think it goes against the entire idea of what shadchanas is supposed to be - the shadchan is the vessel through which Hashem makes the pairings. Yes, they deserve compensation for having done so, but the fees that are presented to new couples for the little work some of these shadchanim actually do is despicable. I think that making it a job has turned it from pairing up people with true relationship potential to manipulating couples together for the sake of the shadchanas gelt. As a friend who had a broken engagement said to me, “the shadchanim are more interested in making weddings than making marriages." And from what I’ve seen, that is succinctly accurate. The amount of lying and manipulating I’ve seen to get couples who are unsure of themselves and each other together is such a slap in the face to these individuals, and in so many cases is setting them up for dysfunction, devastation and divorce. It’s no wonder the divorce rate in the frum world is on the rise. It’s unconscionable and completely alst-Torah.

Having a negative view on the current system of dating won’t make me many friends, so I don’t share that opinion with many, but I think when it comes to these dating profiles we need to stop being so “open” to everyone and start gatekeeping a bit more. Statistically we’re all really looking for a needle in a haystack and it’s not worth our time or energy to not be clear about who we are from the get-go. I could be wrong though, and feel free to tell me if you believe I am, as I’d be truly curious to hear your perspective on this. But when you take the time to narrow the field from 8B people on planet earth, to approx. 15M Jews, to the 50% which is the gender you’re seeking in a partner, to the 1/3 of that group that identifies as Orthodox, to the 75% Ashkenaz or 25% Sephardi, to the age range, relationship status, mentally healthy, same hashkafah and value system, and ensure you speak the same language…. You end up with a pool of like 100 people from which to find a possible mate. Add in the family dynamics, economics, physical chemistry, emotional and temperamental compatibility…. We’re all searching for that 1 in a million person. Almost literally.

And yet, so many of the profiles I see on here say the same benign things. “I’m a nice person with a sense of humor and Torah is important to me. I’m interested in sports and working out. I’m looking for a girl who is sweet and family oriented, beautiful inside and out.” I mean, seriously? “A sense of humor” can mean so many things. Being “nice” should be standard, not a personality trait. If your only interest is sports.... I'm not even going to get into that here. And I’m pretty sure nobody is looking for a girl who’s rude, hates children, and is ugly to look at. Either you’re all getting dating profile advice from the same person or you’re all just super unoriginal. (Obvs not all, as there are some more unique profiles than that, this is just a generalization of the grand majority I've read) And maybe we're all somewhat unoriginal... but I'm trying something new here. When I read a profile, I want to get a real sense of a person’s personality. And I think when you read mine you should get a real sense of who I am too. Because when it comes to narrowing the field to find your bashert you shouldn’t have to waste time talking to a hundred girls either, just to find out you're so incompatible that if you'd known certain things to begin with, you wouldn't have even taken the time.

So, in the spirit of gatekeeping, let me tell you all the reasons you shouldn’t reach out to me: • I don’t know if I can have kids. I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, even if it sucks and I hate it. I also know a woman who was told she could never have kids and went on to have like 13, so it’s truly all in Hashem’s hands. But I can’t in good conscience get into a relationship with someone who doesn’t know that off the bat, especially when having an heir is his mitzvah, not mine, no matter how much I desire the same thing. If you’re open to exploring a relationship where natural children may not be a possibility, feel free to read on. If that uncertainty is a deal-breaker: you’re welcome. Have a nice day and hatzlacha on your dating journey! • My parents are divorced. I know that shouldn’t matter, but it does. Statistically, children of divorce are most likely to head for divorce themselves, because the home they grew up in didn’t have healthy interpersonal dynamics. I mean, it makes sense, no? And I’m fully aware there were and still are major communication problems in my family that plague me to this day. My “normal” isn’t… normal. At the same time, I think couples therapy can be extremely helpful in these types of circumstances and I’m open to exploring healthy relationship dynamics with someone I can fully trust. But if you think that kind of work and the possible struggles that can come along with that is more than you can handle: you’re welcome. Have a nice day and hatzlacha on your dating journey! • I have a lot of baggage from my childhood (see parental divorce above). There’s a lot of emotional stuff I still have to work through and in the right time with the right people and the right space, I’ll be able to sort through it. I’m upbeat and positive in most company, I can be goofy and wacky and have been told I should be a standup comedian (nooooot gonna' happen... 😅), I see silver linings and can be dan lekaf zechus in most situations, but my natural baseline is super negative, so even when I’m at my highest, I’m still below most peoples’ averages. Considering the childhood I’ve touched on above and the fact that anxiety and depression are part of my genetic makeup, that’s not much of a surprise. But the person I spend the rest of my life with has to know that these dichotomous traits are both part of who I am. If that’s not something you can handle: you’re welcome. Have a nice day and hatzlacha on your dating journey! • I think our food is trying to kill us. (Remember when I said polarizing views?) It may sound like some kind of conspiracy theory, but between the way we’ve destroyed the American soil (I mean, global soil really, but American in particular since that's where I'm living) and the poisonous additives in most foods today that are actually illegal in other countries... I think even the healthy food isn’t really so good for us anymore. I'm pretty sure I have celiac. Or it might be a sensitivity that’s specific to American produce. Unfortunately I went off of gluten before I could be tested for celiac, but even oat challah in the US bothers me more than oat challah I’ve eaten in Israel with the exact same recipe. I want to raise my children without processed sugar, disastrous oils (cottonseed, anyone?) and food dyes, which means keeping a pretty natural pantry and fridge. That isn’t to say that some healthy “junk” food can’t be a part of our every day lives, but unless you already eat healthfully, it would mean a major overhaul of your diet and a lot of people aren’t ok with that. If you’re not ok with that: you’re welcome. Have a nice day and hatzlacha on your dating journey! • I’m more of a follower than a leader. Despite having really strong opinions and my comedic stylings, I hate being the center of attention and drawing eyes, so I’m more likely to shut my mouth and not speak up when I disagree with something. My greatest ambition when I was growing up was to just be normal and fit in, because there was so much turmoil in my life and I felt like a weirdo all the time. With the right people, like some of my friends, I’m able to be spontaneous and bolder in personality, but in my everyday life I get talked over and looked over, and although I hate it, I’d so much rather that than ruffle feathers. Part of that comes from trying to be the peacekeeper and not draw the ire of whoever was most upset/frustrated in my childhood home, and I’d say it’s almost to my own detriment as an adult because I don’t know how to speak up for myself when things are problematic. Even when things are wrong or I’m in pain, I keep it all inside and “go with the flow” until I’ve distracted myself sufficiently to not care about what’s wrong. Obviously when it comes to being in an open and honest intimate relationship with someone, this can’t be the case. Which means there’s a lot of growth that has to happen for me to get over this major hump. Again, if you’re not ok with working through stuff like that: you’re welcome. Have a nice day and hatzlacha on your dating journey! • I’m not a shul person. I wasn’t raised by a mother who went to shul regularly and when I did attend with my father when I was little, he didn’t exactly explain what it was we were doing or saying at certain parts, so as an adult, I still don’t know “the ways of shul." In addition to that, I’ve found very few shuls in my life that fit my belief of what a shul should be. The women chatting and hugging each other while the men are on the other side of the mechitza, merely feet away, trying to say kaddish or shemone esrei; some of the men wandering around in circles and trying to look through the mechitza or shlepping a kvetching baby around during davening, the children running in and out shrieking and laughing and crying; the stares from people who are just completely uncouth; the shoving and gluttony at the kiddushes… It’s all just so unappealing to me. If the shul is supposed to be our own mini Bais Hamikdash, our community Temple of God… we’re doing a really horrible job with it. (Strong opinions, remember?) So… if you expect your wife to be with you in shul every single Shabbos and for every single holiday/event, chances are I’m not the one for you, and now you know, so: you’re welcome. Have a nice day and hatzlacha on your dating journey! • I'm not an athletic person at all. I was born with feet problems and over the years have injured both a knee and an ankle that I probably should have gotten physical therapy for, but it was never prescribed. This makes most forms of exercise incredibly difficult and painful. I enjoy walking and hiking on occasion and usually do it solo so I can go at my own pace. If you're super into physical fitness like running, biking, skiing, rock climbing, etc, and hope to be able to do those things with your wife, I'm not the girl for you: you're welcome. Have a nice day and hatzlacha on your dating journey! • When it comes to personality, I’m kind of an extroverted introvert. If I had to pick, I’d say I have more of a cat personality than a dog personality, though I don’t own any house pets and don’t really want to (although, maybe chickens, one day…). I’m fairly comfortable staying in most of the time, though I do enjoy getting out and breathing fresh air somewhat regularly. I do well in quiet settings and I also enjoy social gatherings. Though, I’m much more comfortable being the host who brings people together (even if I spend majority of the time alone in the kitchen) than being subjected to the whims of someone else’s event/get-together, and being a social butterfly would never be an every-night kind of thing for me. Maybe it’s a control thing, maybe it’s an anxiety thing, or maybe it’s my way of regulating the extrovert and introvert that battle within me. No clue. • I feel like I should also add that as a single, never-been-married, woman in my 30s…. I don’t need a husband. But I want a husband. I’m ok being single. I mean, it's not my ideal, but I’ve done it this far, right? So what’s another 60-90 years? I’m not even sure how I ended up in my mid 30s already, so I think the rest of this century will go by in just as much of a blur. And I’m self-aware enough to know that what I deal with on a daily basis would be too much to bring to a relationship with someone else, especially someone who undoubtedly has baggage of their own that I’ll have to help shoulder too. It’s a lot. And it’s more than can be expected of anyone, so I get it if there’s nobody out there who can handle it all. I mean, this isn’t even everything! It’s just a small taste of what being with me would entail, and that’s important for you to know too.

I’m really good at chatting with people (for the most part, anyway…). I’ve had plenty of one-off conversations with guys who have expressed their desire to date me from just that one conversation (not a flex - this always gives me anxiety because I thought we were having a lighthearted chat and the things turn weirdly intimate) and I’ve had to rebuff their advances because their feelings were not reciprocated. Or because they didn’t share my hashkafos on a lot of things. Or because they weren't Jewish, which has happened too. It all has to be mutual, and that is, I think, the hardest thing of all. But they say that making shidduchim is as tough as splitting the sea, which for Hashem is a fantastically easy task. So, maybe you’ve read this far and you’re unbothered by it all. Maybe you have a life experience that matches mine in a way that we could work. If that’s the case: you’re welcome! You've made it this far and I clearly haven't scared you off! …yet. lol You're obviously open to at least hearing what I have to say, and that means you've passed the first test! (I did warn you it would be long!) If you have made it this far and want to message me, use the phrase blue turtles forever somewhere in your message so I at least know you've read this much. But there's still more to this profile, so read on and see what you think then.

I’M LOOKING FOR:

I can't really be too specific about someone I haven't met yet, but there are a few things I will not compromise on:

I'm 100% against: [1] smoking [2] excessive drinking (as in more than just on shabbos, yom tov, and for a l'chaim) [3] any kind of recreational drugs [4] unsafe/erratic driving, driving while texting or holding a phone

I'm looking for someone closer to my own age (-2/+5) and Ashkenazi, and I would also like the person I share my life with to: • have the ability to hold down a job but also make serious time for learning (and enjoy sharing what they learn) • be someone who will accept me for who I am, respect me and my past • be someone who enjoys having fun and can make me laugh - this is obviously subjective, though my sense of humor is full of puns, creative play on words, parody, sarcasm, absurd storytelling, and some dark humor • and I think “good with kids” is probably a given, but I felt I should add it too

Other beneficial traits I wouldn’t say no to: • green thumb - I would love to have a garden and grow our own food, so any experience and interest in that would be super • creative - I would love doing family projects together • handy - I enjoy assembling furniture and doing random DIYs but would love a husband who could take care of stuff like that too • nice singing voice - I wouldn’t say I’m the world’s greatest singer, but would love to be able to harmonize with someone

As a general rule, I'm most attracted to people who try to emulate the 13 attributes of Hashem in their own life. In particular - Rachum, Chanun, Erech Apayim, and Rav Chesed - people who live their lives with a focus on kindness, grace/mercy, and slowness to anger.

PLEASE NOTE: I'm not currently in a place in my life where I want to be a stepmother, and I feel kind of weird about dating someone divorced. Obviously context is important for why the person is in those situations, but having lived through dysfunction and my parents' divorce, for now it is a strong preference. It's also interesting to me that I keep getting messages primarily from divorced guys with kids, despite this being one of the things I have not changed on my profile despite many other updates, which makes me think you're not even reading any of this. If you've continued to read this far, use the phrase it's a mee a mareeyo somewhere in your message to me so that I can at least tell you've read up until here.

I'm a make-do-with-what-I've-got kind of person, but that doesn't mean I'll settle for the lowest hanging fruit. As my boss's friend once told me, "better to be miserable single than miserable married." 🤷🏻‍♀️

WHAT “MODERN ORTHODOX MACHMIR” MEANS TO ME:

I used to have this one set to 'Yeshivish Modern’ but when I actually take a step back and analyze the way I live my life I think I'm more 'modern orthodox machmir' than I am 'yeshivish modern'. I hate this whole labeling system, but there are some differences and I think I'm more 'modernish' than 'yeshivish'.

That being said, let's dig into how I define this particular label:

I like the look of a black hat on Shabbos, but I also like the idea of a married guy doing something that clearly delineates him from the single guys, like wearing a wedding band. (Not a wedding ring "exchange" at the wedding, just a gift given from wife to husband afterwards to be worn as a public sign of a marriage commitment)

And I partake of secular content:

I do try to censor what I listen to, but I grew up with a lot of non-Jewish music and still enjoy a lot of it. It's a comfort zone thing for me and while I don't necessarily agree with all the values shared in the songs, it's still something that's a part of my life right now. Most of these are songs I would never play for my kids and that would probably change things for me down the road.

I read secular books, but avoid reading them on Shabbos and yomim tovim, because I think they bring down the spirituality of the day and are the antithesis of what we're supposed to be doing on those days.

I watch TV shows and movies, youtube videos, etc. But I don't want to own a TV. I don't like the idea of a TV being the focal point of the living room or bedroom, and I don't want my kids to be raised in a home where that seems like the foregone conclusion for downtime. For the occasional movie/TV show, computers work just fine and can be way easier to close up and put away without it being an in-your-face temptation, but the values and language in modern children’s content isn’t anything I’d like my children exposed to all that much in general. I’m much more interested in fostering creativity and originality.

I also try to make a point of not watching/listening to any of the above during the week of Chanukah specifically. The whole point of Chanukah is that we fought against outside influences, particularly those of Hellenistic sentiment, and I think it's a slap in the face to the holiday for us to partake of the secular world during the time we're celebrating our triumph over it. Feel free to share your own personal 'traditions' with me. I'd be curious to hear how you choose to 'step up' your yiddishkeit.

So... modern orthodox, but... machmir. I think the label says it all.

[tonyspep]

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My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

💌 Send this to the twelve nicest people you know or who seem to have a good heart and if you get five back you must be pretty awesome. 💌

🦋✨🌟🌠🌈

1 note - Posted June 2, 2022

#4

💗 incoming love train! I appreciate you and recognize the amazing presence you have on this site, thank you for contributing to our community! 🌷 send this to all the blogs you love! don't forget to spread the love. 💌

BREANNA!!!!! I LOVE YOU TOO!!! SO MUCH!!! and this is exactly how i feel about you too, so this is going to end up in your inbox too

1 note - Posted January 24, 2022

#3

Is it true that you actually love the Cowboys? I heard rumor that your room is decked in Cowboys gear. This true?

go back to twitter

3 notes - Posted November 18, 2022

#2

~*~this feels so right, it can’t be wrong as far as i can see~*~

a/n: my very good friend @lovelymary wanted my version of the brettonio and dawsey double date in episode seven of season five, so here it is. the lyrics and title come from "stay here forever" by jewel. this is basically before the date, the date and then after the date for both couples.

~*~this feels so right, it can be wrong so far as i can see~*~

pairing [s]: antonio dawson x sylvie brett and matthew casey x gabriela dawson

summary: double dating wasn't out of the realm of possibility when you were dating your partner's brother, but sylvie never expected her feelings for antonio to hit her so hard and so fast and for them to be so obvious to gabby and casey

rating: t

it's a big world

for a boy and a girl

letting go of it all

holding onto one another 

"stay here forever" - by jewel

"You know," Gabby's tone was sly, her eyes sparkling and Matt knew he should brace himself for her next words, especially since he found his lap full of her petite body, her arms draped around his neck. Thankfully the blinds to his office were closed. He didn't need any grief from Severide about quickies at work and how he can't do the same with Kidd in his own office. "Sylvie and Antonio seem pretty steady," She observed, tracing the planes of his chest through his collared CFD shirt. 

Matt was happy for Gabby's brother, he really was. He had come to consider Antonio a friend and not just his fiance's brother and an ally with the CPD. That didn't mean he wanted to hear about his relationship with one of his co-workers.

He felt his body relax as Gabby began to press kisses, soft but full of heat, against his jaw and he knew she was buttering him up for whatever she was about to tell him. He, however, wasn't going to complain as his own hands sunk into her thick glossy chocolate hair to anchor her lips to his skin.

"I was thinking," She murmured, her voice breathless and warm, making him groan. "We all happen to have off the Wednesday before my parents' big bash on Saturday, sooooo what if we did something together? Like grab dinner, dessert and we could dance too? You need all the practice you can get before you walk into that ballroom full of at least a hundred or so Latinos and Latinas, baby,"

"Are you saying I can't dance?" He joked, stroking her soft cheek with his thumb. "That's not what I said. I said you need practice. There's a difference," She laughed, unable to keep a straight face. "Just for that I should put you on hose duty," He remarked. "But because I know I can't say no to you about anything, we can double date with your brother and Brett. I get to pick the restaurant, though."

"You drive a hard bargain, Lieutenant. Buuuuut I bet I can change your mind." 

A searing kiss was pressed to Matt's lips and then Gabby had thrown her shirt over her head, leaving her in a lace bra he definitely would have remembered. Suddenly picking the restaurant wasn't as important.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

You and Sylvie, me and Matt at Lakeshore's Wednesday night at 7 don't be late big brother I know where you live

Antonio shook his head as he saw the incoming text from Gabby. Double dating with his younger sister was always interesting to say the least. She was very protective of him, despite being the younger sibling. It took her years to warm up to Laura who had confessed to him on numerous occasions throughout their marriage, she still wasn't sure if Gabby liked her. But he was just as culpable, unable to turn off his cops instincts, which led him to chasing off a few of Gabby's boyfriends.

This was different. He'd known Matt for years now. Hell, the guy came to him to ask for the family's permission to marry Gabby. He was good people. And it wasn't like Sylvie was a stranger. But he knew Gabby wanted to see them interact together, to see neither of them was jumping into something they weren't prepared for.

It was silly he was a grown man in his 40s with two teenagers, but Sylvie made him feel like he was as much of a teenager as Eva and Diego actually were. With Laura things had burned hot and fast, then settled into a typically suburban life once he made detective. He couldn't remember the women, girls really, before her except for Angel Ramirez who went to high school with Gabby and Deana Cruz who was his first everything. So dating was new to him, honestly, and Sylvie's infectious energy had worn off on him.

"You have a visitor, Rico Suave," Came Platt's dry tone, drawing him out of his thoughts. Sylvie jauntily waved from behind the austere sargeant, her blue eyes as bright as her smile. Seeing her familiar blinding smile, he couldn't stop his lips from curving into one of their own, even as Ruzek cat called and Atwater remarked, "Bow chicka wow wow,"

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes, Sylvie Brett," Antonio mused, drawing her lithe frame into his strong frame. "Keep it PG you're on city property," Platt's tone was droll as she rolled her eyes while the detective drew the medic in for a soft kiss.

"I probably should have called ahead or at least texted. I just realized I don't know exactly when you guys take a lunch or a break," She was sheepish, peering at him through her velvet lashes. "Whenever we can," Antonio was honest. "It's rare we go to lunch at the same time twice in the same month. Lucky for you I haven't taken mine yet." He winked and she flushed, showing him the familiar brown paper bag from Lucky's.

"Lucky's?" Jay groaned from his desk. "That is not fair. Hey," He called to Erin across the bullpen. "Why don't you ever bring me a sandwich from Lucky's. I would bring you one."

"You lie," Erin rolled her eyes. "You insist we go dutch over stakeout snacks because you're a cheapskate, Halstead."

"No, I insist we go dutch on stakeout snacks because I respect you as a woman, Erin Lindsay. You wouldn't want a man to pay your way and I'm honoring that. I'm a feminist."

Antonio soaked in Sylvie's warm bubbly laughter as he guided her into the little kitchenette while Jay and Erin continued their playful squabble as Ruzek and Atwater decided between Lou Malnati's or Weiner Circle for their lunch.

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4 notes - Posted June 13, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

and you can keep up all the chatter bout my happy ever after (cause all that really matters is he’s mine)

a/n: this is for @jostystyles 2.6k top tracks writing challenge celebration. the lyrics i chose were "i've got his name i've got his nights" from the song "bragger" by kelsea ballerini and the player i picked was erik johnson. his love interest is an actress who looks like camila mendes from riverdale, palm springs and do revenge. thanks to @fallinallincurls who helped me brainstorm and is just the best. gif credit goes to @landyskog​

~*~and you can keep up all the chatter bout my happy ever after~*~

(cause all that really matters is he's mine)

pairing: erik johnson x oc

summary: isabel ramos has always tried to keep her private life away from the white hot glare of the spotlight, but with a man like erik johnson on her arm, how can she not brag

rating: t

[red carpet debut]

he ain't from round

this side of town

but he fits into every crowd

and he knows just how to do my body and my heart right

At this point red carpets - for vanity liquor launches, for the latest Netflix drama or superhero tentpole flick to even the Oscars - Isabel had been there and done that. She knew what to expect; the white hot glare from all of the lights, the constant flashes of hundreds of cameras, forty different people shouting her name and of course the dozens of interviews from various entertainment news outlets.

Tonight - walking the white (pun intended) carpet - for the second season premiere of HBO Max's newest crown jewel in White Lotus would be just a little different. She wouldn't be walking the carpet alone. She knew everyone was gossiping about her and her co-star, the handsome British actor, Theo James, but tonight she was putting those rumors to bed for good.

Guiding her down the carpet for the first time was going to be her husband (yes, husband you read that right) Colorado Avalanche stalwart defenseman, Erik Johnson. Her lips couldn't help but curl proudly as her long time makeup artist worked her magic. Keeping things private was never easy, not even Ben and Jen had managed to keep their wedding reception from leaking. But Erik's teammates were sweet in respecting their wishes and her friends were all too familiar with things getting out to the public before you wanted them to.

She touched the four point five karat sapphire ring on her finger, her heart picking up speed while butterflies erupted in her stomach. She had done this a hundred times - since she was sixteen and had broken out on the soap opera General Hospital, playing mobster Sonny Corinthos's headstrong daughter whose mother was his former lover and attorney, Alexis Davis - but this was truly different. Even though she had walked carpets with her exes and flings and everything in between, Erik wasn't them. He was everything she had hoped and dreamed of as a girl watching every rom com she could get her hands on.

Slipping her wedding ring from her left ring finger to her right, she laughed softly. There were still some things they wanted to keep for themselves.

"Hola, esposa," Erik's jumbled Spanish made Isabel smile, her own dimples appearing to match his. "Nice try, Blanquito," Her voice was soft and placating but Erik took it in stride, her teasing making his stomach tumble like only she could.

Growing up with Brazilian parents, Isabel learned Spanish before she learned English and could speak conversational Portuguese as well. Erik was trying his hand at Spanish and more often than not he mostly succeeded in making her laugh as he asked why she couldn't just teach him the naughty words.

Once her makeup was finished, he let out a whistle at seeing her full white carpet look. A summery silk maxi dress in a deep green with a plunging neckline and silvery strappy heels while her velvet black hair was twisted into an elaborate braid crown gave her the glam of the star she was and kept with the show's luxury resort theme. It was hard to believe she was his. He was just a hockey player, a Minnesotan born and bred raised in his small town that somehow made it to the league, forget being drafted number one overall and now winning the Cup.

Their first night, the thin Mountain air around them, her sneaking into Denver on a private flight in the wee hours (Erik knew it wasn't his best display of leadership but fuck it, Isabel was too good to be true) on a game day, she told him - their bodies plastered together, sticky with sweat, that's what she liked most about him. That he was the small town boy who made good. It reminded her that she was a small town girl, having left her Brazilian tropical life behind, for a brighter future in the States, her parents wanting to give her everything they never had. That she was just Isabel. Not this international celebrity, a point of fascination for strangers, but a girl who ached for love like any normal person would.

Everything was dimmer with Erik on her arm - the white hot glare warm instead of intense, the shouting not as invasive - except her smile. She knew it was blinding as they posed, his large hand on the small of her back. She missed the cool metal of his ring against her skin but she would make do. No one needed to know everything about her.

The headlines from The Cut to Duemoix to TMZ came fast and furious once they were at the after party at Balthazar with the rest of the cast and director and creator, Mike White.

@IsabelRamosUpdates WE TOLD YOU!!! WE TOLD YOU!!! OUR GIRL DID NOT DISAPPOINT ON THE WHITE LOTUS RED CARPET. SHE LOOKED STUNNING IN VINTAGE CHANEL AND OH YEAH DID YOU SEE HER MAN???? CHECK HER FOLLOWS SHE'S BEEN FOLLOWING AND LIKING THE COLORADO AVALANCHE POSTS SINCE LAST JUNE!!! SHE HAD Y'ALL FOOLED WITH THOSE THEO JAMES RUMORS HA HA HA HA @TMZ @THECUT @VULTURE @USWEEKLY AND WE HAVE THE RECEIPTS

[screenshots of her likes] [video clip of her saying she does not have a man] [posing with fans at the avs playoff games] [instagram comments on @6erikjohnson6's photos/videos]

@IsabelRamosUpdates come to us for the real stuff our girl was slick and got herself one good looking man. 6 '4 235 SIGN US UP AND DOES HE HAVE FRIENDS???????????

@TMZ on the white lotus white carpet dazzling isabel ramos gushes about new man, hockey player erik johnson "he looks pretty good huh?" "i'm very happy" "oh i'm always at every game i can go to just because you haven't seen me doesn't mean I'm not there"

@USWeekly theo james who???? putting to bed those pesky rumors two time emmy nominee isabel ramos debuts hockey player beau on the white lotus red carpet. she jokes with our carrie reynolds "a lady doesn't kiss and tell buuuuut all that time on the ice has its benefits''

Isabel wasn't surprised how easily Erik fell in with the cast and crew, charming them like he had charmed her. She couldn't imagine being any happier and that meant she was entitled to brag, posting a black and white shot of them in a heated embrace in their private car on the way back to the hotel. His large hand slipping under the silk of her dress while her hands were tangled in his soft blonde hair, their lips locked in a steamy kiss.

@isabel life has never been this good @6erikjohnson6

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9 notes - Posted October 25, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[fiddlepickdouglas]

Hey. Ex-Mormon returned missionary here. I don't often like identifying myself that way because it comes with a lot of personal shame and religious trauma, but this post is extremely important.

It really is the people who are generally polite/kind that help us open up to new possibilities. Even if we take years. Hell, I'm 30 and I've only been out for 2 years, as of 2023. But I thank each and every person who was patient, not pushy, and gave me adequate space to sort out my own thoughts and feelings. I believed I would never leave. And no one tried to force me out either. I didn't feel like anyone was trying to "tempt" me away from "the truth" - I was already backing out of the chapel on my own by the time I began to grasp why anyone would drop the scriptures and run, because I had already been seeking out things I knew were "wrong" but felt right to me.

It isn't just boys - thanks to an age drop back in 2012, girls can leave at 19 and boys leave at 18 (which means most of them basically go straight out of high school with no room for secondary education before doing this. Yikes). But especially for young men there's an extreme push that this is not only something they should do, but if they are members of the LDS church for at least a year by the age of 26 and choose not to serve a mission, it's a moral failure. Along with that push, when these kids return it's common that they're pressured to date and get married ASAP (and if they didn't figure out they were gay by spending 2 years surrounded by a companion of the same gender 24/7, they are horny asf), and their standards are often going to be along the lines of, "I could probably marry someone who didn't also serve a mission, but I would just prefer someone who did because they'll understand me and relate to my experiences," if not outright barring those who chose not to become missionaries, let alone someone of another faith/belief. So what you get is a lot of young people who *think* they have experience in the world being rushed into dating and marriage (that they believe is extremely unique and should last heterosexually and monogamously FOR ALL OF ETERNITY, in which separation is made incredibly difficult by church leaders), and that's how so many continue into adulthood and stay in those beliefs for the rest of their lives.

I won't describe my full experience leaving because it was a much longer process than just having some random awakening, but the moment I knew I no longer could stand that shit, my affinity for the LDS church went out like a light with a permanently broken switch.

But I thank every queer friend I had in high school, every pagan/Muslim/Bahai/Buddhist/agnostic/etc. friend I've ever made, every person from a distinct culture whose norms are far from Christianity (and especially Mormonism) that helped me come to be who I am. And I'm sure there's numerous people like me (or soon-to-be like me) on this site who genuinely appreciate thoughts like OP and the following commentators because we are victims and while not every person who has left the church considers Mormonism a cult, it absolutely is.

I still get random texts and emails from people reaching out, trying to invite me back, total strangers just seeing my name on a list and trying to bring back a lost sheep, when I've tried to block everything I could in every way necessary. We now have to get a specific document notarized and presented to a church leader to have our names removed from their registry. Which means many people who don't live in Utah State (where an enormous amount of the LDS population live and where church headquarters are) likely have to go through hoops and wait ages before they are considered excommunicated, and those who do live in Utah risk having to present that document to a notary who is likely a member of the church and while some can bravely do so, others would rather not test their anxiety.

To anyone who is currently a member and questioning beliefs, or you know someone who is, know that it's okay to seek advice from all walks of life and that the agency you have is yours. Learn to recognize which people are using targeted manipulation tactics to sway you, and those who are simply presenting concepts or logical means of studying and understanding that you need to explore. Take your time. Or if you really just want to dive into what a different life could be like, go for it! Just with caution, because there are many who come back to the church because they feel that everything they were warned about is true and they have nowhere else to go. That's not a good reason to return; it's just going back to what's familiar to cope and absolve yourself of any mistakes you feel you have made. I hope you can find whatever direction you choose to go and know that if you walk away, you'll find people who will love and support you and give you the tools you need to come to terms with who you are and how you want to live. Things don't go perfectly, and it's fine if you still need religion of any sort to feel stable. But you can be happy in a way that matters and lasts and fulfills you the way you've always wanted to feel.

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[dreamwritesimagines]

Burn The Witch 18 - Sleepless Night [Bucky Barnes x Reader]

A.N: Thank you so much for your wonderful support and feedback my loves ! ❤ Here’s the next chapter, I hope you like it as well and please let me know what you think! ❤ Thank you! ❤❤❤

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Warnings: Enemies to lovers, fake dating, mentions of blood, sex, violence, death, manipulation, language, guns, knives.

Summary: Midnight texts make things complicated.

Series Masterlist

Okay.

Everything considered, maybe you shouldn’t have barged in guns blazing to your fake boyfriend’s mission.

Especially because the said fake boyfriend thought you were a sweet civilian but as long as you kept your ski mask on, you figured you would be fine.

Even if it felt a lot like pushing your luck.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he asked and you looked around the hall to check whether there was anyone else, then shrugged your shoulders.

“I was in the area,” you said, “So, who else are we killing?”

“We’re not killing.”

“Speak for yourself, I just killed that guy over there.” You pointed over your shoulder “Killed him hard. HYDRA?”

“Aren’t you a sniper?”

“I can be whoever you want me to be,” you said with a grin and Bucky blinked a couple of times, shifting his weight.

“Why aren’t you on some rooftop if you’re a sniper?”

“Change of scenery. How do you know my alias?”

“Why would you help me?”

“I’m a nice person—“ you started but as soon as you saw someone lunging out of the shadows you pointed your gun and pulled the trigger, sending the guy to the ground.

“Most of the time,” you completed your sentence and Bucky raised his brows.

“Right.”

“You’re still taken?” you asked and he stared at you as if he was at loss for words, then pulled himself together and walked past you.

“Oh come on, I just saved your ass.”

“I had it under control.”

“No you didn’t,” you rushed to catch up with him, “And you didn’t answer my question. You still got a girl at home?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“I’m just curious. Is she pretty?”

“Do you always flirt with people you don’t know?”

You opened your mouth to retort but before you could, you heard a voice behind you.

“Buck, what the hell man?”

You looked over your shoulder to see Sam gawking at you and Bucky cleared his throat.

“Um….Sam, Shrike.”

“Okay, what is she doing here?”

“Beats me.”

“I was around,” you answered helpfully, “So who are we killing?”

“We’re not killing!” Bucky and Sam said at the same time and you held up your hands.

“Jesus, fine. Who are we maiming?”

“Did you tell her—“

“I didn’t tell her anything.” Bucky cut him off, looking uncomfortable for some reason. You hummed, clicking your tongue.

“I’m just here to help.”

“Why?” Sam asked and you shrugged your shoulders.

“I’m a huge fan?”

“Try again.”

“I’m hoping he’ll get with me.” You pointed at Bucky with your thumb, making him shake his head. Sam raised his brows, a grin pulling at his lips.

“Oh is that right?”

“Don’t.” Bucky said while you heaved a sigh.

“Listen guys, not that I don’t enjoy this but this is basically a HYDRA building, so you might want to make it fast, whatever it is you’re doing.”

“Can you wait at the door while I get—the thing?” Sam asked Bucky and he nodded.

“Yeah.”

“Great!”

“I didn’t say you could come.” Bucky said and you scoffed.

“I gotta tell you, I was hoping you would say that to me in a completely different context.”

Sam let out a chuckle, “Oh she’s good.”

“Unbelievable.”

“I don’t even want to know what you’re trying to get, okay?” you asked, “I just want to make sure no one dies.”

“Because you’re a nice person?” Bucky asked, his voice full of doubt and you thought for a moment.

“Eh, I have my reasons.”

“But she has a point, we need to make it fast.” Sam said, “Let’s go.”

“Seriously?!” Bucky groaned but rushed after him with you following his lead. After you all reached the end of the hall, Sam kicked the door open and you quickly peeked inside to see a computer in the middle of the office.

Ah.

They were after some sort of a file.

“Don’t let anyone in,” Sam said and closed the door behind him. You leaned your back to the wall, flipping a knife in your hand and Bucky stole a look at you.

“Why Shrike?”

You turned your head, “Hm?”

“Why do they call you Shrike?”

You clicked your tongue, “Oh you wouldn’t get it,” you said and he tilted his head.

“Try me,” he said, “Looks like we’ll be here for a while.”

I kicked a target out of the window and he fell on top of a steel spike from a construction site.

“I like knives better than guns,” you lied and Bucky scoffed.

“You’re a sniper.”

“So were you, but look me in the eye and tell me you don’t have a favorite knife.”

“I can’t look you in the eye, your mask has goggles,” Bucky retorted, making you smile.

“My turn,” you said, “Is your girlfriend pretty?”

“The prettiest,” Bucky said without even hesitation and you had to hold back your aww.

“Does that mean I don’t have a shot?”

“That’s exactly what it means.”

“Maybe I’m prettier,” you taunted and he shook his head.

“Impossible.”

You couldn’t help the smile on your face under the mask, “Loyal type, aren’t you?”

“Not a cheater at least.”

You heaved a dramatic sigh, “Well that’s a shame,” you said, “Lucky girl.”

“Nah, I’m the lucky one.”

“Maybe I should—“ you started but stopped talking when you saw a shadow by the hall.

“I call dibs,” you said before Bucky could even object, then grabbed and pulled the figure around the corner. He almost punched you but you dodged it, sending him back with a kick on the chest.

“No killing,” Bucky called out calmly and you groaned, dodging another punch as you did a backflip, then grabbed your opponent by the hair and slammed his head in the wall, making him pass out.

“Don’t be so vanilla, Barnes.” You commented as you made your way back to him, and tilted your head when you saw the way he was looking at you, almost—

Impressed?

No it wasn’t it, it was something else.

“Huh?” he asked, then tried to pull himself together, “Wh— I’m not even going to ask.”

“I’m just saying, there’s nothing wrong with liking it a little rough,” you grinned, “On the missions, that is.”

He scoffed a laugh, shaking his head.

“You can kill someone and flirt with someone else within minutes?”

“What can I say, I’m the whole package,” you stated, “I mean, not that it works on you, Mr I’m-in-a-relationship. So are you in love then?”

“Forgive me if I don’t want to share any details of my relationship with a homicidal maniac who apparently has a thing for bad pick-up lines.”

“How rude,” you pouted, “I think they’re really good pick-up lines.”

You could see the way he was trying to suppress a smile and you flipped the knife in your hand again, his eyes automatically following your movements.

“You won’t take off that mask, will you?” he asked after a beat and you shook your head.

“Trust me, you wouldn’t like the consequences if you saw my face.”

“Will you tell me who you work for?”

“Nope,” you said, “I don’t want to end up dead. My superiors have a strange idea of discipline.”

“Why are you helping us?” he asked again but before you could come up with an excuse, the door opened.

“It’s done, let’s go.” Sam said and you pushed yourself off the wall.

“We should do this again sometime,” you said and nodded at Sam “Captain.”

Sam smiled slightly. “Thanks for the help.”

“No problem,” you said and turned to look at Bucky.

“Until next time, soldier,” you said and walked away from them, smirking to yourself.

                                               ***

So maybe that was a heat of the moment decision, and maybe Chloe was going to kill you if she ever found out about what had happened but good news was that your cover wasn’t blown.

And Bucky was fine.

You turned the vacuum cleaner off, wiping at your brow and put your hands on your hips, looking around the apartment.

“What the hell are you doing?”

You let out a squeal and turned around to see Keith standing by the doorframe.

“Keith, what the fuck?!”

“What are you doing?”

“How did you get in?”

“I’m a spy. I heard vacuum cleaner and I thought someone broke into your apartment, so I had to check.”

“You thought someone broke into my apartment to clean it?”

“Someone’s gotta,” he commented, making you glare at him before you unplugged the vacuum cleaner. “I’ve literally never seen you clean, what is happening?”

You flung yourself on the couch so that he could sit beside you. “No wonder I don’t do this shit, it’s boring.”

“But why are you doing it?”

You shrugged your shoulders, “I’ll invite Bucky over.”

“So what?”

“I can’t have the apartment look like this,” you motioned around, “The guy grew up in the…. Everyone’s apartment must be spotless era.”

“He’s been here before though—“ Keith started but then covered his mouth, “Oh shit, now I get it. You’re gonna jump on his bones.”

You rolled your eyes at him, “Not even a word, Keith.”

“I have lots of words,” he said, “Number one, you do realize guys don’t care about the apartment, right? I have never once gone to a girl’s apartment and walked out because she hadn’t vacuumed the place.”

“Jesus.”

“Also, if you’re trying to go all wife material—“

“Shut the fuck up, I’m not.”

“I’d like to remind you that it’s a fake relationship,” he grinned, “Are you going to dress up like a Stepford Wife too?”

“I hate the day I decided to become your friend.”

“You love me,” he shot back and you slipped a little on the couch, “But hey, do you actually want to?”

“Want to do what?”

“To sleep with him?” he asked, “Or is it just the mission?”

You tried to keep your expression stable, excitement filling you at the thought of sleeping with Bucky.

Tonight.

Oh God, you felt like a lovesick girl instead of a serious spy.

“It’ll help the mission,” you lied through your teeth, “That’s all I’m focused on right now.”

“Aren’t you a little curious about how the most ruthless assassin of the century is in bed though?”

You let a grin pull at your lips, “Maybe?”

“Ha! I knew it!” he said triumphantly, “So how detailed will your report be, exactly? Asking for a friend.”

You threw a pillow at him, “You’re terrible.”

“Mm hm,” he checked his watch, “Ugh, I gotta go to base. But if I don’t see you before tonight, just…”

“I don’t want any gross advice, Keith.”

“Remember,” he said, “You have a cover to maintain.”

You pulled your brows together, “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means your cover probably likes missionary and soul gazing and stuff in bed. Complete opposite of you, so don’t be like yourself.”

“How do you even-?”

“I have it on good authority that you like knife play, Y/N,” he said, making your jaw drop, “And your cover is a sweet small town girl.”

“Did you talk to Julian?!” you exclaimed and he made a face.

“No,” he said, “You have a knife collection, you idiot. It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out.”

“Bullshit, who told you—“

“Ryan,” he said, “The agent you slept with and dumped, before Julian.”

“He was boring.”

“It’s beyond me why you thought it was a good idea to sleep with him,” he shook his head, “Anyways, I’m out.”

“Why do you have to go to the base, exactly?”

“I have to brief the General,” he said as he walked to the door, “I was supposed to do that yesterday but he was busy with Julian. I think those two are planning something.”

You frowned, deep in thought.

“Tell Chloe I said hi!” you called out and he saluted you, then left your apartment. You pursed your lips and stood up, looking around.

“I should probably dust the place,” you mumbled to yourself, “Where the fuck do I get one of those feather dusters?”

                                                ***

Unfortunately, Tara needed you to cover her shift that day so you had to change plans. Normally you were supposed to meet Bucky for your date, but when Tara told you there was an emergency, you couldn’t say no to her.

Keeping yourself busy at work, even if it was just a cover, helped you to get your mind off the nervousness you were feeling about tonight.

You had never been this nervous before, which came as a shock for you. Bucky was just a target, and you knew better than anyone how to manipulate targets but—

You really, really wanted this. Regardless of it being a part of the mission or not.

So you had just finished with the inventory and closed the cash register when the wind bell chimed by the door and you turned your head, a big smile lighting up your face.

“Hi!” you rushed to throw yourself into Bucky’s arms and he caught you, lifting you a little to kiss you on the lips.

“Hi darling.”

“I’m almost done.”

“No worries, I can wait,” he said and you went behind the counter to hurriedly place the jars on the shelves so that when Tara came back tomorrow morning they would be all ready.

“Sorry about falling asleep last night,” you said, an image of you killing that HYDRA agent in front of Bucky flashing in your mind, “Did you stay up late?”

“Just a little,” he said and you bit down on a smile, he really wasn’t a good liar.

“Oh? What did you do after I went to sleep?”

He waved a hand in the air, as if looking for words, “Um—I—I was with Sam.”

“Sounds fun.”

He took a deep breath and cleared his throat.

“Actually I went on a mission,” he said after a beat and you turned to him, raising your brows.

“A dangerous one?”

“Not really,” he said, “But I wanted you to know, because…”

You stayed silent, waiting for him to continue.

“I don’t really know about the relationship rules so I figured honesty is the best way to go,” he said, making your heart skip a beat, “I think I accidentally flirted with someone last night.”

The words “No you didn’t.” were at the tip of your tongue but you managed to control yourself and tilted your head.

“…Oh,” you ended up saying, “With who?”

He rubbed the back of his neck, “Remember how I told you there was this spy I kept running into?”

You really needed to control your expression.

“Yeah?”

“I mean she flirted with me, I don’t actually think I flirted back but I wanted you to know just in case.”

You smiled slightly, “Bucky, it happens.”

He let out a relieved breath, “Okay,” he said, “Okay, good.”

“I mean as long as you don’t have a crush on her or anything.”

His hesitation lasted only for a second, maybe even less than that but it was there. Your heart skipped a beat and you frowned before he spoke.

“Of course not,” he said quickly, “Not at all, I don’t even know her.”

Was that possible? Could he be attracted to your real self as well as your cover?

Or maybe even more than your cover?

“Alright then,” you said with a smile, “I just don’t like competition.”

“There’s no competition, I promise,” he assured you and you shifted your weight, then placed the last jar on the shelf and turned to him.

“So then,” you said as you both left the shop and he threw an arm over your shoulder, pulling you closer. “Did you know she would be there?”

“I had no idea,” he said while you approached the motorcycle, “She ended up helping us but I don’t know what she’s playing at.”

“I think I have an idea what she’s playing at, if she flirted with you.”

Bucky chuckled and pressed a kiss on top of your head, then tilted your chin up.

“Darling….”

“What? I’m pretty sure flirting existed back in the 40s, and you know what it means.”

“What happened to it happens again?” he asked you with a grin and you shot him a look, then grabbed the helmet from him.

The road to your place was pretty short, especially with the way Bucky was riding his motorcycle. Soon enough, he pulled over in front of the building and you tried to ignore how excited you were, it—

It was finally happening.

Who were you kidding? This had nothing to do with the mission, you really, really wanted him. Your heart felt like it would break your ribcage and you took a deep breath, then got off the motorcycle and placed the helmet in its place.

“So,” you said as he got off the motorcycle as well, then pulled you closer, “Any plans for tonight?”

“Nope.”

“Any accidental meetings with hot spies?”

“Mmm, I don’t know any,” he taunted you, making you smile.

“Yeah? You sure?”

“Oh totally. Besides, I’m happily going steady with the prettiest dame in the world, remember?”

You thought you would melt right then and there, and stepped closer to him before standing up on your tiptoes.

“Right answer,” you muttered after kissing him on the lips, and tugged him by the hand. “Come on.”

“Where are we going?”

“Upstairs,” you said, leading him into the building and he followed you as if he was hypnotized. You grinned when you got to your door, adrenaline rushing through you and you opened the door, then pulled him inside by the shirt, locking lips with him. He easily lifted you up, making you wrap your legs around his waist as he kicked the door shut and you pulled back to giggle.

“Bedroom,” you pointed at the room at the end of the hall and he pulled you into a kiss, walking there, still carrying you. You let out a squeak when he dropped you to the bed but then sat up when the thought hit you.

“Oh God damn it—“ you pushed him slightly to get off the bed and he looked up at you as you stumbled to the drawer.

“Is everything okay?”

“More than okay,” you grabbed the lingerie set from the drawer, then turned to him, “Just— close your eyes and don’t go anywhere, alright?”

“…Okay but are you sure—“

“I’ll be back in a second,” you said, running to the bathroom with the lingerie set clutched in your arms and you let out a breath, looking yourself in the mirror.

Even your eyes were shiny with excitement.

You shook your head at yourself and quickly shed your clothes to get into the lingerie set. You tilted your head, checking the garter belts and the corset, then pressed a hand over your chest to calm yourself down and walked out of the bathroom.

“Are your eyes closed?” you asked with a smile as you got to the bedroom and he nodded, holding a hand over his eyes.

“Cross my heart.”

You let out a small laugh and pulled at your hand so that he could open his eyes. As soon as he did, he blinked up at you, his jaw slightly agape.

For a second, there was absolute silence in the room.

“Is this a good silence or a bad silence?” you asked, for the first time in your life you were insecure about how you looked half naked in front of a partner, “Because I’m—“

You didn’t get to finish your sentence when he grabbed you by the waist to get you under him, making you squeal.

“You’re perfect,” he breathed out and you pulled him into a kiss, wrapping your arms around his neck.

                                                   ***

You had no idea why you woke up. In fact, considering how peaceful you felt, it was a wonder how you woke up in the middle of the night.

You could almost feel the warmth surrounding you as you leaned in to press a small kiss on his bare chest, then grabbed his shirt in the dark and put it on to walk to the kitchen to get a glass of water. Surprisingly he didn’t wake up, instead he mumbled something under his breath, his dog tags shining under dim light coming from outside.

You felt like you could lie there and just lose yourself in the bliss, and the mission— no, everything else could wait.

You pushed your hair behind your ear after putting your phone on the counter, then you went to the sink to fill yourself a glass of water, and finished it in three big gulps, a smile which was impossible to stop pulling at your lips.

No one, target or a boyfriend, had ever made you feel this way.

Maybe you could just tell him. After tonight, after absolute happiness, you could just tell him and maybe he would understand, maybe you two could have a future, maybe—

Your phone vibrated on the counter, interrupting your thoughts and you frowned slightly, then touched the screen to open the text.

From: Julian

We may have found something. Good thing you didn’t get too attached.

The smile was wiped off of your lips in a second and your stomach dropped as you stared at the text message.

“Fuck.”

Chapter 19

[flightfoot]

Perspective From Another Timeline

Thanks to my betas @steelblaidd and Izzybusy!

I ADORE @buggachat new Bakery Enemies AU. This idea just kept on swirling through my head, I had to write it! This is set between parts 13 and 14, so after Adrien meets Alya and Nino but before Marinette starts sympathizing with him. AO3

---------

“You okay?”

Alya shook her head, trying to clear it. “I’ll be fine. I’ve weathered worse than that - we both have.”

Nino grinned at her. “True that.”

Alya smiled at him fondly, remembering Heroes Day. It was a bittersweet memory, with her having been turned against Nino and them both being akumatized. 

But they had fought to protect each other as best they could. She’d seen Prime Queen’s footage, how Carapace had struggled to get her to fight against Dark Cupid’s magic, how he’d only given into despair after she’d given into akumatization. 

“What did that blast do to us?” Nino wondered. “Everyone else the akuma blasted just disappeared. Why’re we still here?”

Alya’s brow furrowed. “I dunno… hold on, let me check to see whether any new info on the akuma’s been uploaded.”

Pulling out her phone, she tapped on the Akuma News Alert app.

An error message popped up, telling her that she had no internet connection.

Puzzled, Alya checked her phone’s other settings. 

No wifi - no wifi even recognized, much less connectable - no cell service, no connection to the outside world at all.

She glanced over at Nino. “Hey, you got any signal?”

Taking out his own phone, he quickly checked his connection. He shook his head. “Not a single bar.”

Frowning, Alya looked around. “Maybe all the cell towers were taken out?”

Everything looked intact though, no sign of any destruction at all.

Something else caught Alya’s eye. “Hey Nino, what time should it be?”

Nino blinked. “Well I mean lunch just started so it should be a little past noon-”

He glanced around, noticing the long shadows and the pinkish-orange of the evening sky.

“-which it clearly is not anymore,” he concluded.

Great. “Guess Ladybug and Chat Noir must’ve taken a while to defeat the akuma,” she said, putting her phone away. “Hopefully my parents aren’t too worried. They like me to text them just after an akuma attack, but right now…?” she gestured to her pocket.

“My folks aren’t as worried,” Nino said. “But they still expect me back home before the sun goes down. They’ll be getting nervous soon.”

Alya let out a small sigh. “So much for playing Super Penguino together.”

“Hmmm…” Nino’s eyes gleamed. “You know… it’s not night just yet. And I’m sure my parents would understand if I was a few minutes late because I grabbed a bite to eat.”

Grabbed a bite to eat? What was Nino hinting at…?

Alya looked around at their location more closely.

Wait… that blast seemed to have carried them to that one park, the one near-

Alya grinned. “I think my parents will forgive me for not calling in if I bring them fresh-baked treats from the best bakery in Paris.”

---

*ring ring*

The scent of freshly baked bread wafted through the store. 

Instantly Alya felt her shoulders loosen up, releasing tension she didn’t even know she’d had. There was just something so warm and comforting about the bakery.

Of course, a lot of that was due to the people running it. Good luck finding more friendly, caring people than Marinette’s parents. Sabine often checked up on anyone who seemed to be struggling or upset (and ready to protect them if they were - Alya had seen the video of the time a TV crew decided to invade Marinette’s privacy), and Tom was basically a giant teddy bear in human form.

But neither of them were manning the counter today.

Instead a young woman stared back at them.

A very familiar-looking young woman. 

“Marinette?” Alya asked cautiously.

The woman stared at her for a minute. “Alya?” she finally asked. “What happened to you?” She paled. “Did a new supervillain attack? Is that why you and Nino are younger?”

Huh. Weirdly scared reaction from Marinette. They’d all gotten used to supervillains by now. She’d expect an older Marinette to take them in stride even more than the current Marinette.

Hm… an older Marinette, a different time of day, and Marinette not seeming to know about the latest akuma attack? 

“Marinette… what year is it?” 

Marinette blinked for a moment. Her eyes widened.

Seemed Marinette understood what she was getting at.

She told Alya the date.

Her hunch was right. “We’re in the future,” Alya breathed.

A wicked grin slowly spread over her face. 

Five years was a long time. A lot of things could have happened. A lot of information could’ve come to light.

Like Hawkmoth’s identity.

Or more information on the Miraculous.

But most importantly right now-

She leaned in close to Marinette, making sure to keep her voice down, just in case someone else was around in the back. “So did you ever get together with a certain blond-haired, green-eyed model?”

“Uh… what?” Marinette asked, looking puzzled.

Alya snapped her fingers. “Adrien. Did you and Adrien finally get together? Ooooh, if you did you’ve GOTTA tell me how the confession went! Or, no, wait, don’t tell me, I want to get the deets at the time. Just let me know how long I’ve got to wait, girl!”

Marinette just stared at her, slack-jawed. “Adrien… like ADRIEN AGRESTE?!” she said, her volume rising with every word.

Alya’s eyebrows flew up. “Um… yes…?”

She’d thought that Marinette would be glowing about finally getting together with her crush, or dejected about still not being able to spit out what she wanted to say to him, downcast over him rejecting her, or maybe even infuriated because he mistreated her and they subsequently broke up.

(The last one was VERY unlikely though. After the Felix debacle, she’d learned to have a bit more faith in Adrien’s good nature.)

Shock at the concept of dating him? Not something she’d anticipated.

Footsteps echoed from behind Marinette.

So one of Marinette’s parents must’ve been in the back-

Adrien popped his head around the corner.

Seemed both he AND Marinette had aged well. 

Not that Adrien looked all that different. Taller, definitely, maybe with slightly messier hair and… were those earrings? They looked good on him.

“Hey dude!” Nino waved at his best friend. “What’s up?”

“Uh…” Adrien said, scratching the back of his neck.

“WOW those outfits really take the years off, huh?” Marinette said loudly, shoving them out the door. “Make you look smaller than usual. Well we better go talk about plans later okaybye-”

She promptly slammed the door behind them, physically pushing them away from the bakery.

After Marinette had dragged them a good distance away, Alya finally got over her shock, turning around and glaring at her. “What was that about?!” she asked Marinette indignantly, hands on her hips. “You know me, I wasn’t going to spill anything to him. That’s why I was talking so quietly! Why’d you have to do that?!”

Nino frowned, seeming more concerned than annoyed. “Adrien looked really hurt by that. Not cool.”

“There’s nothing to spill!” Marinette protested, gesticulating wildly. “I only met him for the first time two days ago!”

*record scratch*

Two-

Two DAYS ago?!

Ok, hold up.

“Adrien joined our collège class the day after I did! He sits in front of you in class! What’re you TALKING about?!”

“Uh… no…?” Marinette tilted her head to the side, befuddled. “I think I would remember that, even if it was a few years back.” 

Alya let out a bark of laughter. “Yeah, no kidding. He would be uh, difficult for you to forget. Heck, even if your memory was erased, you’ve got so much stuff revolving around him, I couldn’t see that lasting long.”

Marinette blushed. “Why do you think I have a crush on him?! He’s HAWKMOTH’S SON!”

“WHAT?!” Alya and Nino yelled in unison.

“Ladybug and Chat Noir defeated Hawkmoth a couple years ago,” Marinette explained, pulling out her phone.

A moment later she held it up, showing a blog post from the Ladyblog.

Oooh, that’s a nice graphical design. I’ll have to look into updating my site, Alya thought.

Turning her attention to the picture, she squinted. “Hey, can you enlarge the photo?” She asked.

Marinette complied, enlarging it and turning her phone sideways, letting it fill the entire screen. 

Gabriel Agreste being led away in handcuffs by the police, with Ladybug and Chat Noir in the background. Ladybug looked satisfied, with maybe a twinge of melancholy, but Chat Noir…

He stared vacantly ahead, seemingly not focused on anyone or anything, a smile on his face - but the most forced one she’d ever seen.

“What’s wrong with Chat Noir?” 

Marinette frowned, looking troubled. “I don’t know. He seemed really, really upset when Hawkmoth was defeated. It was a tough battle, bad enough that neither of them have returned since, but that doesn’t explain why-”

She trailed off, lost in thought. 

A moment later she looked up, meeting Alya’s eyes.

Immediately she waved her hands around, trying to ward off… something. “I- I mean, that’s what I read on the Ladyblog and what I could piece together from video footage, it’s not like I was there, NOPE. I was huddled in my room the entire time. Not like I have any insight into what Chat Noir was acting like during the battle, not beyond what any other civilian would know! That would be ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!” she let out a few forced guffaws.

Alya’s eyebrows flew up.

O...Kay…?

Maybe Marinette had been following Ladybug and Chat Noir during the final battle and hadn’t wanted anyone to know? She’d wondered whether Marinette might have a thing for Chat Noir, but her crush on Adrien dwarfed any feelings she might have had for him. Plus it’s not like Marinette would actually know Chat Noir, unlike Adrien.

Thinking about Adrien…

“He must’ve been devastated,” she murmured. Marinette looked at her questioningly. “Adrien, I mean,” Alya clarified. “Having your father turn out to be a terrorist? I can’t even imagine.”

Marinette buried her face in her hands. “Not you TOO,” she said, her voice muffled.

Nino slowly started edging his way behind Marinette.

“What’s your problem with Adrien?” Alya asked. “Did he do something?”

Marinette glanced away. “Not… exactly… I just… I’m afraid that it might all be an act. That he might’ve been helping Hawkmoth secretly, and… and even if he wasn’t before, that he might just be biding his time, waiting until he figures out who Ladybug and Chat Noir and then BAM!” she slammed her fist down on her other hand. “He takes them out, steals all the Miraculous, frees his father and rules Paris FOREVER!”

Alya reached out towards Marinette tentatively. She collapsed into Alya’s arms. 

Hugging her tightly, she sang a soft nonsense song, rubbing small circles in Marinette’s back. 

She’d done this a few other times since she’d met Marinette, though she’d never thought she’d do it underneath these circumstances.

Whatever these circumstances actually were.

Did everyone have amnesia or…?

“Do you have any big memory gaps?” Alya asked once Marinette’s breathing had calmed down. “Especially from five years ago?” 

Marinette shook her head. 

She’d shelve that theory for now then. More likely it was…

“An alternate timeline, huh?” Alya said.

Marinette looked up at her questioningly.

“That’s what I think this is,” Alya explained. “I WAS thinking that maybe there’d been some sort of mass amnesia, but if you don’t have any memory gaps - and trust me girl, with how involved you were with Adrien, there WOULD be memory gaps - that seems unlikely. I’m betting this is some sort of alternate universe, one where Adrien never got to go to school.”

“I still don’t get why you think there’s something between me and Adrien!” Marinette said. “I mean sure, he’s pretty, but did I really fall for him just for that?” 

Alya shook her head. “Actually, you hated him at first. Chloe’d been bragging about how he was her friend, and with that on top of you catching him trying to remove the gum Chloe’d planted on your seat and mistaking it for him PLANTING the gum… well… both of us just assumed he was a spoiled rich bully, just like Chloe. Luckily that turned out not to be the case.”

“How’d that misunderstanding get cleared up?” Marinette asked. “And how did your Marinette jump from that to crushing on him?”

Alya grinned. Marinette had ranted about this moment to her SO. MANY. TIMES.

“School let out later that day. It was raining and Marinette had forgotten her umbrella, so she hung back a moment, long enough for Adrien to approach her. At first she looked away from him, not wanting to acknowledge his greeting. But then he told you - told her I mean - that he hadn’t done it, promised that he’d just been trying to take it off with such sincerity that she had no choice but to believe it. He opened up to her, even though she’d been shunning him just moments ago. And finally he gave her his umbrella, just because he could. Because it was the kind thing to do. She’s been a goner ever since.”

The Marinette in her arms looked away. “I can see why she might have developed a crush on him. But I still dunno whether I trust him.”

“I don’t know whether I have anything that could convince you on that,” Alya admitted, “especially since this is probably a different timeline, and for all I know he could be evil here. Just make sure that you’re judging him on his own merits, okay? Not who he’s associated with. Not his fault he has so many crappy people in his life.”

“I’ll… take it under consideration,” Marinette said reluctantly. 

Marinette looked from side to side. “Where’d Nino go?”

“Oh, he snuck back into the bakery several minutes ago.”

“WHAT?!”

---

Nino opened the door to the bakery, letting out a small sigh of relief. He really wanted to check in on his best friend, and judging by Marinette’s behavior, she wasn’t exactly keen on him or Alya chatting with Adrien.

Thinking back on what he’d just heard, he frowned. 

He wished he could say that he’d never have suspected that Gabriel was Hawkmoth.

That he didn’t think Adrien’s old man could ever be capable of such evil.

But he knew better.

The guy threatened to withdraw Adrien from school and isolate him from everyone else at the drop of a hat, paid little attention to his son when he was at home, and was a very negative influence on his life in general. He might have been grieving, but… so was Adrien. He needed the only parent he had left.

And instead Gabriel had chosen to respond by becoming a supervillain and terrorizing Paris, endangering his own son in the process.

He really wished he’d gotten to hit Hawkmoth with his turtle shield more. At least he got to relish the smack he got in.

“You’re back!” 

Nino looked towards the voice.

Adrien walked closer to him, a tentative grin on his face. “I didn’t think you’d return so soon!”

“I had to come back to talk to my best friend,” Nino said.

“Best friend?” Adrien asked, blank-faced.

Oh, right. According to Marinette, Adrien hadn’t joined their class. She hadn’t even met Adrien until recently. 

Had some sort of memory-wiping akuma attacked? Wouldn’t have been the first time. 

“Do you know who I am?” Nino asked, pointing at himself.

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh… well I know you’re friends with the Ladyblogger and Marinette, and… sorry, that’s it.”

He looked really apologetic, like a dog who’d ripped up a bunch of toilet paper and acted guilty about it once caught.

Hm. If it had been a memory-erasing akuma, maybe he could jog Adrien’s memory…?

And even if it wasn’t, he wanted to let Adrien know that someplace, somewhere, people cared about him. If Marinette’s reaction to him was any indication, he’d need that reassurance. Being looked at with suspicion, having people run from you just because of who your dad was, thinking that you might’ve been involved in his crimes… he couldn’t imagine.

“You joined our class the day after Hawkmoth first attacked,” Nino told him, pulling out his phone.

Adrien shook his head, looking confused. “Uh… no? I wanted to, I REALLY wanted to go to school, but Father-”

He cut himself off, looking away.

“Marinette said the same thing,” Nino told him. “That you hadn’t enrolled in our class, that she’d only met you recently. I don't know what that’s about, whether everyone’s memories were wiped, or an akuma messed with the past, or what.”

Come on, come on, where was it- ah!

He clicked on a photo, one taken a few months ago, holding his phone up so his friend could get a better look.

Adrien squinted for a moment. His eyes widened. “That’s-!”

Nino nodded. “Our class photo. The official one, anyway.” He chuckled. “I liked our unofficial ones better.” Swiping to the side, he showed the new ones the class had taken at the park. 

Adrien’s jaw dropped more with every new photo. He let out an involuntary bark of laughter at the one of himself, Nino, Kim, and Juleka posing. “I- I always wanted to mess around like that at photoshoots,” Adrien said. His voice trembled slightly. “But I wouldn’t be able to get away with it. And that’s mostly fun when you can share it with friends, at least share the picture, and I- I couldn’t. Chloe wouldn’t have appreciated it, and L-”

He cut himself off, shaking his head.

“Luka?” Nino asked. 

He didn’t know why Adrien would know Luka and not anybody else, but he seemed the most likely option.

“Uh…” Adrien scratched the back of his neck, looking away.

Hm, he’d have to see if he had- ah!

“You played in Kitty Section too, with Luka, Rose, Ivan, and Juleka.” Nino explained, clicking on the video. 

Adrien’s hands shook as Nino handed him the phone, watching the mini-concert.

“I- I was allowed to- I got to-” Adrien’s voice quavered. 

“Not at first.” Nino grimaced, remembering how bummed Adrien had sounded when he called him. “Your old man said that Agrestes were soloists, and that we were all bad influences.”

“HE was the bad influence,” Adrien said. A current of anger, of venom ran through his voice that Nino had never heard before. 

“Well I already knew that, even before finding out he was Hawkmoth,” Nino said, making a face. “Dude needed to chill out.”

Adrien snorted. “If he had any ‘chill’ he wouldn’t have decided that becoming a supervillain was the best way to heal my mother.”

Oh.

So THAT was why Gabriel had done it.

He’d just thought it was standard ‘I’m an asshole and want to rule the world while being a jackass to everyone in my life’ behavior.

(He still wasn’t going to rule out that being a factor.)

Nino put a hand on Adrien’s shoulder sympathetically. “At least he’s gone now and you’re free, right?”

“Right,” Adrien said. He didn’t meet Nino’s eyes.

“Not you TOO,” Marinette had said, burying her face in her hands.

As if she found it exasperating that Alya sympathized with Adrien. As if she had expected differently. 

Those worries she’d voiced as Nino had been tiptoeing away, about Adrien helping Hawkmoth, about him lying in wait, biding his time… Marinette probably wasn’t the only one to have that concern. And with Adrien’s face being as well-known as it was...

“You AREN’T free, are you?” Nino asked, eyes wide.

Adrien sighed. “I was as surprised as everyone else when I found out who Hawkmoth was. That someone who’s caused that much harm, that much trauma to this city, lived in my own house.” He clenched his fists, digging into his jean’s fabric. “I could barely believe it… no… I didn’t WANT to believe it.”

He took a deep breath, steadying himself. “I- I only remember snippets from right after his arrest. The police chief talking to me. Riding back to the station. It’s all a blur. Everything felt like I was processing it underwater. It was all so blurry and muffled. Even- even then, though, I could feel everyone’s accusing stares.” “I understand why, don’t get me wrong,” he cut in hurriedly. “Who wouldn’t be suspicious of the son of the terrorist who’s been making everyone’s life miserable for the past four years?” Adrien almost panted with exertion, his eyes wild. “And- and it was happening in my own house! Underneath my nose! I should have KNOWN! I could’ve stopped this!” 

Reaching out, Nino pulled his friend into a hug. 

Adrien stiffened for a moment, before melting into his embrace.

“It’s his fault, not yours,” Nino murmured. “Remember that, dude. He was the adult. He was your parent. Your ONLY remaining parent. I’ve met the guy. And I’ve heard you talk about what he’s like. If you had investigated more?” Nino shuddered, thinking about the disproportionate punishments the bastard had enacted. “And knowing he was HAWKMOTH on top of that? I’m kinda glad you didn’t. Yeah, maybe you could’ve ended things sooner. Or maybe he would’ve hurt you more before you had the chance. I’m just glad you survived.”

“I-” Adrien’s throat sounded tight. “I’m- I’m glad I survived too.”

They stood there for a moment, Nino feeling Adrien’s breath go in-and-out, his heartbeat racing, until it gradually started to slow.

*ring ring*

Adrien and Nino broke up their hug just as Marinette burst through the door, Alya on her heels. She skidded to a halt in front of Adrien - but not quite in time, sending her careening towards the floor.

She never made contact.

“Woah!” Adrien shouted, catching her in his arms.

Nino detected a hint of pink to Marinette’s cheeks before she abruptly sprang to her feet.

“So, uh,” Marinette said awkwardly. “I’m guessing Nino talked to you about some stuff. I mean, of course he talked to you about stuff, because that’s what talking is about. What- what I mean is, what were you two talking about?”

“I wanted to show him how much we care about him,” Nino told her. “Especially since with this… amnesia?”

“I think it’s an alternate timeline,” Alya said. 

“Especially since in this timeline,” Nino continued, “it really doesn’t seem like he had anyone.”

“I had a couple other friends,” Adrien told him quietly, giving a melancholic smile. “But I lost contact with them right after Hawkmoth’s defeat.”

Noticing Nino’s frown, he hastily added, “they didn’t abandon me or anything! They were online friends. One moved somewhere without internet reception, and the other... we never knew each other’s names. But we talked all the time. We chatted, laughed, defeated villains together…”

“In the video games we played, of course!” he added after a moment. He chuckled fondly. “We played as a team. Together, we were unstoppable, no matter what our opponent threw at us.”

Adrien swallowed. “But in the aftermath of Hawkmoth’s defeat, with all the turmoil, with everything that happened… I lost my means of contacting her. I- I don’t know whether I’ll ever get to see her again.”

“We’d promised to meet up after Hawkmoth’s defeat,” Adrien said. His voice cracked. “That- that once it was safer in Paris, we’d finally tell our names.”

His eyes dropped to the ground. “Instead, we lost each other. Maybe for good.”

“I know what that’s like,” Marinette said. She sounded strangely distant. “I had a friend like that too. I cared about him. A lot. Maybe… maybe even as more than a friend.” She said the last part haltingly, as if she’d only just admitted it to herself. “He- he wanted to know who I was. For me to know who he was. But- but I couldn’t do that. Not in Hawkmoth’s Paris. I already cared for him so much it ached. If I was closer to him than that- if I’d accepted his rose- I’m- I’m afraid Hawkmoth might’ve used the strength of those feelings against me. That I could’ve gotten akumatized, or he might’ve, and if we knew who each other was, knew WHERE the other one was… I just… I couldn’t accept that we might be sent to hurt each other.”

“We talked while the final battle was raging,” she continued. “He seemed really upset, more angry than I’ve ever seen him before, but… also kind of sad. I wanted to know what was wrong, but there wasn’t really time to press him. And after that battle he just… disappeared. I knew there was going to be some sort of disruption, but- but I’d thought we’d have more time to talk beforehand, that we’d be able to exchange new contact information. We were cut off before we had the chance.”

“I- I think of him every day,” she said quietly. “Wondering how he’s doing. He was always so positive, no matter what life threw at us. I hope that wherever he is, whatever he’s doing, he hasn’t lost that positivity, that optimism, the ability to see the best in the world and in others.”

“I’m sure he’d be happy to know you cared for him so much,” Adrien said, giving her a warm smile.

Marinette blinked, giving herself a small shake. She turned to Alya. “I dunno whether you’ll remember any of this after the Ladybug in your time restores anything, but on the off-chance you do, is there anything you need to know?”

“Oh!” Alya pulled up some footage. “You told me who Hawkmoth was, but what about Mayura?”

“Mayura?” 

“Who?”

Alya snapped her fingers. “You know, the Peacock Miraculous wielder, the one summoning the sentimonsters! Did she not exist in this universe?”

She pulled up part of the fight against Mayura, the sentimonster Ladybug, and Hawkmoth.

The video ended, she took another glance at Marinette and Adrien.

Marinette seemed to be in shock, staring straight ahead.

Adrien frowned, thinking. “I’d wondered for a long time how Father managed to hide his supervillain activities from Nathalie, considering she was around him most of the time. I thought maybe she was just really good at never asking questions.”

He grimaced. “Looking at that? I’m betting she didn’t ask questions because she already knew the answers.”

“You think Mayura’s Nathalie?” Alya questioned.

He nodded. “Unless something’s different in your universe. My father doesn’t have a lot of associates, and the way he acted around Mayura there, how he was willing to pass up a chance to fight Ladybug for her Miraculous in exchange for catching her… the only people I can think of who he’d do that for are my mother and Nathalie, and mom…” he trailed off.

“I- I didn’t even think about that,” Marinette said guiltily. “I remember reading something about Gabriel having a secretary, but I didn’t think about her much beyond that.”

“Maybe you could ask this universe’s Alya to post something on the Ladyblog, telling Ladybug and Chat Noir she has a lead on who Mayura is?” Alya said. “I mean, I know they haven’t shown up in ages, but maybe that’s just because they haven’t had reason to.”

Marinette winced. “I… really don’t think that’s it… plus Ladybug and Chat Noir never said that someone was helping Hawkmoth. Mayura never appeared, at least in public. I don’t know what we can do about this right now, especially without proof. Maybe if Ladybug and Chat Noir appeared, but…”

She sounded doubtful. Alya was beginning to think that the final battle was even worse than Marinette had alluded to.

She hesitated a moment, before turning to Adrien. “I- I think I owe you an apology. I thought you might’ve been helping Hawkmoth, but… well… I was just judging you by who your dad was. You’ve been nothing but sweet and kind.”

Adrien smiled at her, though it was slightly strained. “It’s fine. I’m used to it. A lot of people in this city have suffered at Hawkmoth’s hands. I don’t blame them for being scared, or angry at any reminders of him.”

“That doesn’t make it RIGHT,” Marinette said heatedly.

Nino nodded. “Dude just because something’s done to you it doesn’t mean it’s justified, or that it shouldn’t be made better. Like with your old man forbidding parties. I didn’t let that stop me from bribing your bodyguard into letting me and the other guys throw a party at your place for you!”

He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “It kinda escalated though. I think half the guys at Paris were partying in your room by the end!”

Alya gave Nino a sideways look. “And ONLY the guys because they ditched us girls while we were planting trees with a lame excuse. Seriously if you’d said you wanted to throw a party for Adrien while his dad was away, you could’ve just told us!”

Nino winced. “Yeah, my bad. At least we got to have fun there for a while before the akuma attack.”

“Akuma attack?” Adrien asked, eyes wide. “But I thought you said Father was gone!”

“He was- OOOOOOOH.”

“Yeeaaaah I don’t think he was actually gone,” Alya said. “You threw a ‘secret’ party in Hawkmoth’s house, WHILE he was still at home.”

Adrien gaped at Nino. “How’re you not DEAD?!”

Nino chuckled. “Lucky I guess?”

*twinkle twinkle*

A familiar red mass flew towards Alya and Nino.

Adrien’s eyes widened. 

“Behind the portrait!” he blurted out, just as the two of them were enveloped by the ladybugs, spiriting them off to whence they came.

It was silent for a moment.

“Do you think they heard?” Adrien asked Marinette.

“I hope so,” she said, looking off in the direction the ladybugs flew.

She turned to him. “I was planning on setting up some hang out time with Alya and Nino later this week. If you’re not busy… would you like to join?”

His smile told her everything she needed to know.

[biggest-stupidhead]

more modern au levi x reader!! is it okay where reader makes petra jealous???

Just a reminder: WE DO NOT CONDONE PETRA SLANDER IN THIS HOUSE!!!

with that said, I will write this heavily focused on Petra to make it a lil angsty, hope you enjoy!

Summary: Petra watches her ex fall for another

Word Count: 1.7K

__ 

It had been two long years since Petra and Levi ended things. It wasn’t messy but it was painful, she had seen it coming from a mile away. He had grown just as distant as he had been when they first met. Staying late at work, texting her dryly, and using terrible excuses. Although she had known it was coming, she still was a wreck when he actually ended things. She spent the months following the break up drinking wine and crashing at Oluo’s place regularly. After two years she was finally feeling better, dare she say, ready to get back into the dating scene? Or at least that’s what she thought, she was scrolling through her instagram feed when she stumbled across Hange’s page. It was someone’s birthday, someone she wasn’t familiar with. 

A woman with bight eyes and an even brighter smile was in the center of the group photo. On her right was Levi, who had an arm thrown casually over her shoulder, the faintest trace of a smile on his lips. Petra pinched the screen to zoom into Levi’s side, where she saw a feminine hand on his waist. She stared stupidly at the image. She shouldn’t feel jealous, she had no right. It had been two long years since the break up. But the picture only dredged up old memories of times when she would hold Levi that same way. When that smile was directed to her. She then turned her attention to the caption, which read: 

Happy Birthday (Y/n)! 24 never looked so good!

She then scrolled through the comments, many of them consisted of birthday wishes and support. She lost interest when she didn’t see Levi’s username and instead went back to the collection of photos, three of them in all. The group one that she assumed had just been taken, the second one was a picture of Hange and you on the beach, Petra felt a involuntary wave of self consciousness wash over her at the site of you in a swim suite. The final picture was the one that hurt the most though, it seemed to be a very old picture of you, maybe from your early years in college? You were sitting on a couch with younger versions of Hange, Erwin, Levi, and Moblit. Levi’s arm was casually thrown over your shoulders. Why had he never mentioned you before? Were you the reason that they broke up? No Levi had assured her that it wasn’t like that, said he wasn’t seeing anyone else. She tried to stop herself from going down that rabbit hole, but she couldn’t seem to. Before she really knew what she was doing, she had clicked on your profile which she was almost disappointed to find as public. This meant that there was nothing stopping her from judging every perfect image that was posted, and to her pleasant surprise, there was only one photo of you and Levi. The photo was posted the week prior, the two of you were hiking in the mountains, the dusty trial behind you. Your face was flushed from the exertion of the climb, Levi seemed cool as a cucumber, his face blank and void of emotion. She scrolled through the post and found a video, the sound of your shoes crunching and Levi talking behind you were clear as day. 

“I mean come on, who uses fucking Lipton? Have some god damn class.” Levi spat, as you snorted in amusement. Petra found herself chuckling along with you at Levi’s little rant. She felt a rogue tear slide down her cheek when you showed the phone to Levi, who’s face fell from being mildly animated to apathetic once more. You cackled as he swiped the phone and the video ended abruptly. It was so innocent, it was clear from the rest of your page that you were a private person, much like Levi. With little indication that you were dating him, it left her wanting to know more. More about the girl that had taken her place, had managed to worm her way into Levi’s heart of stone and make herself comfortable. As soon as these thoughts crowded into her head, she deleted instagram all together and powered her phone down, determined to wipe her memory of the images she had seen. 

__

The music was a nice distraction from the awkwardness that hung in the air. You had arrived uncharacteristically early to Hange’s party, and consequently meeting a whole group of people that you had never met before. The new people were about your age, three young men and one stunning young woman. It was early fall and Hange’s annual bonfire bash as you all had dubbed the event. Basically you lit a massive fire, when you were younger it was your past assignments from your pervious school year, then it became just regular old wood. You tapped your finger against the cool beer bottle as you leaned up against the counter, the men were laughing obnoxiously as they dropped the alcohol that they’d brought into one of the many coolers. The woman was looking at you almost nervously, she seemed extremely on edge, shifting her weight back and forth, eyes wandering around the room in a jittery manner. You frowned, wondering what was bothering her, but ultimately deciding that it was not really your business. Erwin shimmied behind you, his hands on your shoulders as he slide past you into the kitchen. You caught his arm, clinging to his familiar presence. 

“Erwin.” you hissed as he stooped to reach your level. 

“Who are these people?” you asked as you held his bicep firmly in your grasp. He pulled away and looked at you with a confused expression. 

“You mean Levi didn’t tell you?” He said slowly, clearly he was unsure if it was his place to speak on the relationship between Levi and these people. 

“No....” You said carefully, not wanting to make Erwin uncomfortable. 

“Oh well they used to work in the same department before Levi switched.” He said, he looked over to the men and motioned for them to come over, they ambled over with curious expressions. 

“What’s up Erwin?” the dark haired man asked as he looked between the two of you. 

“Just thought I’d ought to introduce you to (Y/n) here, she’s an old friend of ours from high school.” Erwin explained, his hand still comfortingly placed on your mid back. You waved shyly and smiled at all of them, including the girl. 

“Pleasure to meet you.” The blonde with a ponytail said, outstretching his hand to shake yours. 

“I’m Eld, this is Gunther, Oluo, and that fine young lady over there is Petra.” He said, pointing at all of them respectively. 

“It’s so nice to meet you guys!” you said sweetly as you struck up a conversation with Oluo about what they thought about the department that they worked in. It didn’t go unnoticed that Petra remained nearly silent, her amber eyes wide and a bit fearful. When the interns arrived, the men were quick to go help them carry in the alcohol that they brought, leaving you and Petra alone in the kitchen. You cocked your head at her as you poured some pretzels into a large bowl. The warm glow of the setting sun cast a halo over her head and you couldn’t help but voice your admiration for her. 

“You’re really pretty.” you gushed as she blushed at your words and turned to look at you with wide eyes. 

“So are you...” She returned the compliment and you smiled, feeling more at ease now that the two of you were alone. 

“So how long have you known Hange?” You asked conversationally as you crumpled up the bag and tossed it into the trash. 

“Hm let’s see...about four years now?” She responded with a bit of a wistful tone. 

“Really? I’m surprised we haven’t met sooner!” you chuckled as the two of you opened a bottle of wine and poured it into two large glasses. The two of you strolled out into the bark yard, where Hange and Moblit were chucking large pallets of wood onto the fire pit. You and Petra sat down in two lawn chairs watching as Hange and Moblit bickered over if it was safe enough to light the fire with gasoline. 

“I am too, you seem....like a really nice girl.” Petra said a bit downcast as she looked deeply into her wine. 

“So do you! We should grab breakfast ooo or maybe even brunch sometime!” You said excitedly and Petra sat there in awe, wondering if there was even a mean bone in your body. Or if you had any clue that she had dated Levi. 

“Yeah...this is kind of random but...are you dating Levi?” She blurted out, her face turning to look at you with a flushed expression. You nodded nonchalantly and took another sip of your wine. 

“Yeah we just started dating about a year ago.” You said with a shrug, Petra inhaled, readying herself for the next words that would either make or break the future relationship between the two of you. 

“Did...you know we dated?” she said, cringing when the words left her mouth. She sounded crazy and she knew it, but she felt obligated to clear the air between you before it got bad. 

“Hm I think he mentioned it once or twice, and Hange told me about you when you first started dating.” You said looking up thoughtfully, your tone held no malice or any sign of ill will. 

“You’re not...” 

“Insecure? Nah, and don’t take that like I’m being cocky! I just mean that...” 

“No, no let’s just not do this. I’m sorry for bringing it up. God I’m such a bitch.” Petra went to stand and you followed her, catching her wrist. 

“It’s alright really, I don’t care about what happened between you and Levi. It’s frankly none of my business, I just...wanna be friends with you.” you smiled at her sheepishly as she looked at you with wide eyes. 

“Oh” She managed to say dumbly. 

“That is if you want to be friends.” You said, letting go of her hand and giving her some space. 

“Yeah...I think that I’d like that very much.” Petra said with a bright smile. 

__

In honor of Women’s History month, I couldn’t bare to write something that was a stereotypical jealous ex, so I did the next best thing and wrote this more geared towards the reader and Petra bringing each other up instead of tearing one another down. As someone who was apart of the fandom back in like 2014 I am way too familiar with writers turning Petra into a psycho bitch, and I don’t like that. SO I hope that this is good enough to fit the prompt! 

[seijorhi]

Ok so YouTube keeps recommending anime clips from that one rent a girlfriend anime and now all I can think of is reader renting a boyfriend just to have yandiere bokuto or maybe hajime become infatuated with her and immediately touching her way more than what the contract has written on it 💦

I am on a Fukurodani kick this week, so let’s go with our darling boy Bokuto 😌

Once again Rhi learns that she is actually incapable of creating a ‘short drabble’

TW implied non-con

It’s embarrassing. You can’t even get a date to your ex boyfriend’s wedding. The fact that you’re even going to your ex’s wedding is bad enough as it is- you’d tried to wriggle out of it, but considering the girl he’s marrying is your cousin, your attendance is apparently ‘not optional’ according to your family.

But you’ll be damned if you show up to watch them tie the knot alone. Finding a date however, is more difficult than you think. Your male friends are either busy, taken, already going with somebody else or close enough with your ex that he’d know you were just bringing them along for show. Basically, you’re screwed. It’s not even that you want to prove that you can one-up him - it’s the pity he’ll give you. He thinks he ruined your life when he left (he didn’t) and that you’re still desperately pining for him (you’d rather throw yourself off a cliff than get back together with him).

It starts as a joke with a friend, you’re both a few wines deep, bemoaning your struggles when she suggests those Craigslist’s ads. “You know, the whole rent a boyfriend for a night thing, and then when you meet he’s actually kinda cute, and then you kiss him as part of the act but you both secretly want more and then you guys end up sleeping together and then-”

Ok, she’s clearly had one or two more than you, because that is definitely not how those stories go, but it does get you thinking. You’re not going to use Craigslist - you value your life and safety thank you very much - but there are sites out there that offer those... services.

Which is what leads you to Bokuto. The website seems reputable enough - at least for a boyfriend for hire kind of a deal, and the reviews don’t look too frightening. Actually, they’re glowing, and maybe that’s what gives you the final push to arrange a ‘consultation’ with the man.

“It’s an overnight thing,” you tell him over the FaceTime call, only for your eyes to widen and your cheeks burn as you realise what it sounds like you’re implying. “Not that I’m asking you for sex! I’m not, I know that’s against the rules, it’s just that-”

He cuts you off with a warm laugh, “Don’t worry about it. Overnight is fine, though we do charge extra for that.” You’d expected as much - at this point you value your pride more than you care about the small fortune you’re going to end up forking out for this whole thing. “Just tell me exactly what you’re wanting out of this, what you are and aren’t comfortable with, and then I guess we can start talking about how we met, come up with some meet cute story that’ll make everyone else super jealous.” He winks and your heart skips a beat.

The call that’s supposed to last twenty minutes goes on for almost an hour, but you feel strangely relieved when it’s done. Well, relieved and maybe even a little excited? Bokuto’s attractive and funny and he didn’t seem like a creep. It’s a ridiculously stupid idea, and you should probably be horrified that you’re even considering it, but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.

He arrives at your place on time, which you count as a win, looking particularly fine in a nice suit with a tie that compliments the colour of your dress (as you’d discussed). He’s somehow managed to reduce you to a blushing and stammering mess as you sign the paperwork - and he hasn’t even done anything yet.

“Relax, baby,” he says, grabbing your hand and bringing it up to his lips for a kiss. “I’m gonna take good care of you tonight, just follow my lead.” His smile is beaming, but there’s a flicker of unease at the affectionate gesture. You’d agreed that posing as a ‘couple’ meant you’d have a show a little bit of PDA, but you’d thought he’d at least wait until you were actually at the wedding to start...

But he’s probably just trying to ease you into it. It has to look natural between the two of you, right?

To say that your family are impressed in an understatement. He’s tall, fit and handsome, and there’s this kind of bright, shining exuberance that just seems to draw people in. He’s like a puppy, almost - a super friendly golden retriever desperate for cuddles, and it’s sweet. Dutifully he sticks by your side the entire time. A little too close, maybe - following you every time you go to get a top up of your drink or a bite more food, reaching out to take your hand in his, but you suppose he’s just playing his part.

And he’s more than aware of your ex, who seems mighty interested in your new boyfriend, particularly for a man on his wedding day. You’ve just finished the entree course when all of a sudden Bokuto grabs your chin and tilts you back into a kiss, his tongue sliding between your lips to deepen it as you gasp in surprise. It only last for a moment, but when he pulls away there’s a distinctly satisfied look on his face. Your stomach twists into a knot, your cheeks warming under his heated gaze. You know that you said kissing was okay, inevitable at some point, but... it just took you a bit by surprise.

“What was that for?” you ask him quietly, trying not to frown as he toys idly with your fingers.

“Hm? Oh, your ex has been staring at us for the past five minutes. Figured I’d give him something to look at.”

It wasn’t a bad kiss by any stretch of imagination, but you can’t deny that it made you a little uncomfortable.

You know he’s only doing what you both agreed on, so you push down on those feeling and offer him a small smile and a nod, “Just, maybe warn me next time?”

He leans over and pecks your cheek, “Of course, baby.”

You choose to let the endearment slide.

It only gets worse as the night wears on. Bokuto’s reluctant to let you slip too far away. When your friends swarm to try and get you to come dance with them, Bokuto follows. He pouts when you ignore him in favour of dancing with the girls, and the very moment they turn their attention, he’s resting his chin on your shoulder, arms looping around your waist.

“Dance with me,” he whines, and you fight back a sigh.

He holds you close as you sway with the music, his broad hands resting just south of what’s considered appropriate, but you have to keep reminding yourself that he’s playing the role of your boyfriend, and if he really was your boyfriend, you wouldn’t be making such a fuss.

But when those hands start to wander, fingers grazing your sides, a hand dipping to rest on the curve of your ass, you have to put a stop to it. You don’t want to cause a scene, not when you can feel the eyes of the groom burning a hole in your back, but this doesn’t feel right anymore. He’s not exactly breaking any of the rules you set out, but there’s clearly been some miscommunication, because this is pushing right past your boundaries. “I just need some air,” you tell him with a tight smile, prying his arms off of you so you can make a hasty escape.

It’s both a blessing and a curse that you’ve booked a room in the hotel. You’re not relying on him to get you home, but there is absolutely no way in hell that you’re feeling comfortable enough to spend the night with him in the rooms you’ve booked - adjoining or not. It’s not his fault, you rationalise as you wait for the elevator, key in hand. Maybe this is how all of his engagements go - but fake boyfriend or not, he’s still a stranger, and this whole night has been too much.

You figure that you’ll slip away now, call an Uber back into town. There has to be a bus or something you can catch the rest of the way back home, even at this time of the night. You’ll text him once you’re on your way, letting him know that he’s welcome to the room (both of them, if he wants - they’re already paid for) and that he can expect the rest of his payment tomorrow as agreed. This was a bad idea, but you’re not going to be a bitch about it. You just want it over and done with.

You’re halfway through changing out of your dress when there’s an insistent knocking at your door. It must be your mother, you figure, or maybe one of your friends who saw you all but flee the dance floor downstairs, so you hastily re-do the zipper and try and right yourself before answering the door.

A pair of hooded, golden eyes greet you. Bokuto is grinning lazily, leaning up against the doorway with an arm braced against the frame, boxing you in. You hadn’t realised earlier just how big he really was - not just tall, but muscular - he dwarfs you without even trying.

He barges into the room before you can even try to protest, kicking the door firmly shut behind him.

“If you wanted to ditch so bad, baby, all ya had to do was say so.”

[ladyartemesia]

Fic recs for taehyung? I love your stuff btw I’ve read them all uwu

As a beacon of extra-ness in an already extra world, I am entirely incapable of just recommending fics like a normal blog. No. I’ve got to wax on like a bloomin connoisseur. I have compiled some (but not all) of my favorite works in several different categories and sorted them accordingly. This crazy list is so long I had to add a “keep reading”... but I simply couldn’t bear to leave any of these off the list. They are all so good!

Fics have been divided into 8 categories. Some are under the cut. 

 ▨ FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS and FRIENDS TO LOVERS ▨  ▨ ARRANGED MARRIAGE ▨ ▨ FANTASY ▨ ▨ ANGST WITH A HAPPY ENDING ▨ ▨ HYBRID and ABO (alpha/omega) ▨ ▨ MULTIPLE PARTNERS ▨ ▨ NEIGHBORS AND ROOMMATES ▨ ▨ TABOO THEMES and DARK FIC (Sex Work/Power Imbalance/Very Unsafe Sex) ▨ ▨

▨ FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS and FRIENDS TO LOVERS ▨

Insomnia by @hobiwonder

This is one of those fics I read and literally could not stop thinking about. It is wildly hot and honestly hilarious. Poor reader cannot sleep and the beautiful bro she’s tutoring offers a rather unconventional solution.

(Ego) Hoe Chronicles: KTH by @suga-kookiemonster

Listen. If you find a niche fan blog devoted entirely to Ego Tae... I’m not gonna say it’s mine. But it’s probably mine. I once told suga-kookiemonster that I would literally read a story about Ego Tae going grocery shopping on a Wednesday night and I stand by that. In this lurid romp, the reader falls into the clutches of everyone’s favorite bohemian sex lord and he rails her into another dimension.

Falling, Falling, Gone by @johobi

Pining (mutual or otherwise) is not really my thing, but I would straight up read Jo’s laundry list if she posted it. As usual I was blown away by how everything she does seems somehow better than any other version of it. This reader is really unique as well, and her relationship with the wildly popular soccer star Tae comes to a sexy and hilarious head at a sort of bachelor auction. With sharp dialogue, delightful subtext, and fantastic side characters, you really shouldn’t miss it. It’s pretty much perfect.

A Friendly Favor by @baeseoul

This is the classic “teach me some sex for another woman” trope and it is done so well. Sweet best friend Tae is looking to benefit from your experience, but his is not the only world about to be thouroughly rocked.

Officer Kim and the Criminal Crush by @ddaengyoonmin

This is one of the best twists on childhood friends to lovers I have ever seen. Tae grows up to become a cop and reader grows up to be a societal menace. I won’t spoil it, but it’s the perfect blend of nostalgia, tenderness, and smut. This fic technically doesn’t have a name so I had to give it one to link it. It’s part of an AMAZING series Zoe did that I also highly recommend.

Out of the Blue by @jimlingss

This is one of those stories that blooms throughout the narrative until you are left with this gorgeous flower at the end. I loved the journey of these two characters. It was real and it perfectly captures the experience of finding your soulmate in the person you least expect.

Sin Pijama by @brilliantlybasicb

This fic is a switch culture fic. It is wild wicked hot and this Tae is unreal. I love the way he lets the reader think she is in control just long enough. It is a wild romp with an adorable sequel and honestly you should read it.

Girls Like You by @jjiminah

I was in jjiminah’s asks IMMEDIATELY about this fic because I had FEELINGS. The reader begins wordlessly teasing and tempting Tae on their morning bus ride every day until he is literally losing his mind. Everything that follows is fire. Jjiminah has hinted she will wrote more for these two and I NEED IT.

Sighs and Sonnets by @btsaudge

This fic is beautiful. Like it’s basically art. This is a bad boy who is bad for you. But he has the soul of a poet and the stroke game of a renaissance master. Bittersweet and seductive, this fic is a full experience.

The Text by @taetaesbaebaepsae

Tae is your friend with benefits but it looks like feeling may have been caught by one or more parties. When you attempt to soothe your aching heart with another pretty boy, Tae decides to stake his claim. This was very sexy. The whole fic was sexy.

▨ ARRANGED MARRIAGE ▨

Monster by @neonlights92

Monster and all of its companion series about each of the boys is one of those fics that I reread constantly and also just think about constantly. This is one of the best mafia AUs out there and it’s characters are vivid and unforgettable. Tae’s stubborn resistance to his lovely new wife in contrast with her quiet, clever strength really brings this story to life. A word of warning. The masterlist links are a bit messed up. To read part two you must click on part three. And to read part three must click on part four. The link to part four is at the bottom of part three (or you can just search it on her site. It is definitely all there though).

Dichotomy by @kpopfanfictrash

There is a reason the incomparable Shanna is on this list three times. She is truly incomparable. This is childhood friends-to enemies-to spouses and it is wonderful. I adore this Tae. He is sharp and vulnerable and occasionally heavy handed, but truly a gem. This fic also features one of the best angry sex scenes I’ve ever run my eyeballs across.

▨ FANTASY ▨

Chism by @kpopfanfictrash

The world-building in this story is genuinely awe inspiring. You could write series upon series within this vivid universe. The god of Winter is missing and Summer’s heat burns unchecked for many years. The reader is a warrior with a unique ability tasked with guarding a very interesting prisoner. This story is so good. I mean it is really bloomin incredible. It’s hard to say what I liked best about it, because it was stellar across the board.

Obsidian by @kpopfanfictrash

In the pantheon of delicious Tae incarnations, Obsidian Taehyung is essentially unrivaled as a grey witch who moonlights as a sexy rock star. His extremely erotic clash with a white witch detective plays out as the two of them track down a sinister killer (with the help of some truly memorable side characters).

Out of this World by @ddaengyoonmin

This one is really unique. Tae is a merman scientist on the water planet of Neptune and when the reader and her misguided crew crash into his sea, he takes it upon himself to improve inter-species relations. This fic features excellent world building alongside several twists and surprises. Clever scientist Tae is downright irresistible.

▨ ANGST WITH A HAPPY ENDING ▨

Picking Flowers by @jamaisjoons

So this story is a journey - truly a beautiful one and it’s a gorgeous addition to the hanahaki genre. There is real pain and I cried real tears, but gosh it was so sexy and so worth it. I was surprised by how truly immersed I ended up in this piece. I lost track of everything else. The end is insanely satisfying, but the journey is really what makes this fic unmissable.

Until Yesterday by @jimlingss

This fic destroyed me slowly then slowly put me together again piece by piece. When I say I went through it - I WENT THROUGH IT. The story is loosely based on the movie “The Vow” and it is just fantastic. Beautiful and tender till the last word.

The Foolish Muse by @bibbykins

This is the story of someone who is deeply in love, but knows they deserve better. It is a sexy and evocative work with allusions to mythology that fit seamlessly into the narrative. I think my favorite part is Tae discovering how much the reader meant to him and what choices ultimately lead them to a really delicious conclusion.

Back to You by @ladyartemesia

The last time I did a fic rec list, it got like 700 notes. Ya girl is not makin the same mistake again. I spent hours on this list. My work is comin along for the ride. Kim Taehyung is the love of your life, until one day he disappears without a trace.

Vacancy by @ppersonna

This one is the only idol AU on the list and I normally don’t read those, but Lindy’s work is too good to miss in any setting. I am thrilled I took a look because what I found was a glimpse into a beautiful relationship that weathers and eventually overcomes the challenges of loving in the limelight. There is a LOT of emotional depth and symbolism which really elevates everything about this lovely story. The reader’s internal struggles in the face of her lover’s fame are extremely well done.

▨ HYBRID and ABO ▨ (alpha/omega)

Eye of the Tiger by @opaljm

I am beyond hype about this story which is (very) loosely inspired by Zootopia and features a cocky tiger Taehyung and a fiesty prey hybrid he needs to fake date in order to keep panther Jimin from murdering him. (Tiger Tae got a tad too frisky around Jimin’s mate and now things are dangerously awkward.) This story is already so freakin good. I cannot wait for the rest.

Silver and Blue by @taetaewonderland

What happens when you get on the wrong side of the right werewolf? Very sexy - very crazy times. Chronologically this is the first of the Silver and Blue series which follows barely civilized were-Tae through his courtship and eventually his relationship with the spunky reader. Holla to all my impreg kink homies. This is the fic for you.

Heat Run by @ladyartemesia

As I said before, the last time I did a fic rec list, it got like 700 notes. Ya girl is not makin the same mistake twice. I spent hours on this list. My work is comin along for the ride. Alpha lawyer V is a man of many secrets, but his well ordered reality spirals wildly out of control when he crosses paths with a fiery omega set on saving the world from his wicked ways.

Beautiful Stranger by @interludemoonchild

This was a wild ride from start to finish. Taehyung is a tiger hybrid shifter who escapes from the circus to be close to a veterinary student he bonded with. There is a lot of interesting twists and surprises in this one. I was definitely screaming at the end.

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell by @jingabitch

A very young wolf hybrid Taehyung adopts you as his pet human when you are just a kid. After Tae leaves to serve in the military he returns to an adult version of his sweet little princess and chaos ensues. Mind the tags for this one folks. It’s excellent, but there are very triggering themes throughout.

▨ MULTIPLE PARTNERS ▨

Level of Restraint by @lemonjoonah

This is not strictly a Tae fic in that he is only one of three major players in this twisted masterpiece. Lemon is the undisputed queen of the surprise twist and this one is truly brilliant. People dropped this fic in the discord calling it the best fan fiction they had ever read and I am not here to argue with them at all. Fair warning, every word - every inch of this fic is sexy and it’s delicious brand of titillation is wrapped around your psyche good and tight by the end.

Four by @luxekook

The quadruplets next door are fueling your very lurid fantasies. It turns out they have some fantasies of their own... You will need water if you read this fic. This is the original patented Kim Taehyung Horny Hive Mind 4D Experience™

▨ NEIGHBORS AND ROOMMATES ▨

The Heat Wave Series by @curly-bangtan

The original story (chapter 1) in this series is definitely famous, but I don’t know how many people have read all 9 chapters and if you haven’t, you are really missing the incredible journey of two very horny idiots stumbling recklessly towards real and amazing love. Everything is set off when the air conditioner breaks and a pair of wild roommates shed their inhibitions along with their clothes.

Flicker by @chimoona

So this fic started out with adorable neighbor dynamics and ended with erotic rope tying. Baby I was ABOUT IT. This was so bloomin hot and also like sweet and tender. Really a sexy and sentimental treasure.

Not Your Typical Flower Shop Story by @jungtaeyoongles

This story goes from “aww” to “WHAT THE-” real quick. Fast paced plot and twist after twist turn the whole flower shop au upside down and then inside out. I can’t say more because spoilers but like - WOW.

▨ TABOO THEMES and DARK FIC ▨ (Sex Work/Power Imbalance/Very Unsafe Sex)

Extracurricular by @ppersonna

One of my favorite professor-student AUs. The reader writes her gorgeous professor a borderline erotic analysis of several major works of art and he feels compelled to discuss it with her privately. Lindy really outdid herself on this one. It is scorchin. Professor Tae is actually really sweet and somehow that just makes the whole thing hotter.

Akrasia by @nitaescence

This is insanely hot. Emphasis on the insane because it’s basically a super erotic romp where you have sex with a man you don’t know (Taehyung) on a crowded public bus. I literally felt my blood pressure going up the longer I read. Whew.

The Client by @jungkookiebus

This one hit me right in the feels. Taehyung is a sweet and lonely man who has a standing Wednesday appointment with an upscale sex worker. As the story progresses, feelings become involved on both sides. When I say I am checking her page thrice daily for part three... This is so engrossing. And this Tae. I just want to hold him.

Daffodil Dreams by @sombreboy

Tread carefully ladies and gents. This story is excellent, but it is easily the darkest fic on the list and, if you choose to read it, please read the trigger warnings carefully. The reader is a psychologist called in to analyze a very dangerous criminal. As their sessions progress, however, several boundaries are crossed.

Obey by @jjkfire

Taehyung is the most feared and ruthless member of the local mafia and you are the world’s most inept escort. You needed a job, but had no real interest in sex work and you’ve managed to fly under the radar as a glorified waitress until Kim Taehyung himself walks into your agency and decides that you’re the only girl he wants. Oh my gosh I loved this story so much. It was downright amazing and there is a surprise at the end that makes everything even sweeter.

[dani-of-the-cosmos]

~what bothers the signs~

<3 use your dominant sign, sun, moon, rising, mercury, mars, or venus <3

aries

trump supporters. ants in their bedroom. people who cling onto the past and don’t give them the chance to change. when guys comb their hair too neatly and end up looking awkwardly posh. teenage boys in general. their mom. “because i said so”. fake-humble people (fishing for compliments). when people harshly insult themselves in hopes that someone will say “aww no you’re not!” possessive friends who get mad when they spend time with anyone else.  

taurus

when the shower water turns cold because they’ve been in there too long. being told to hurry up. teachers who try too hard to be friends with their students. when astrology posts act like their only personality trait is eating a lot. carelessly flirty people. when people romanticize recklessness. “idk, just because”. when their friends cancel plans at the last minute. flaky people in general. people who change their mind every day. unreliable people who act in unpredictable ways (taureans need to be able to fully trust you). shitty service at a restaurant  

gemini

“ok then”. math. passive-aggressive people who remind them of their past mistakes, and force them to re-state their apologies. being left on read. feeling a mix of guilt and indignation when someone isn’t treating them right. being so self-aware that it turns into frantic defensiveness. strict routine. dry texters. “umm i don’t know how to respond to that.” feeling controlled by an outside force or person. relentless creepy men who repeatedly dm them after being told to stop 3 times. slow walkers.  

cancer

attention whores. “get over it”. “life isn’t fair.” “tough shit.” people who don’t remember the pain they caused them in the past; who expect them to just move on. people who leave in the middle of a texting conversation. loud, spitty chewing. awkward butt-touching. when people question their motives and intentions (this will make a cancer extremely stressed). when their friends are too busy to make time to listen to them vent. when people try to act “alpha” and make a big deal about themselves. people who are able to switch off their emotions and freeze them out 

leo

when someone tells the same story over and over again. pimples. when people don’t point out how particularly hot they look that day. that sickly cold feeling on a cloudy early morning. one-uppers. people who raise their hand in class to read from the textbook and then speak at the speed of a snail. people who act weirded-out when they compliment them. fake baby-voice. when people step on their white shoes. “you have so much potential, if only you’d apply yourself”. repetitive throat clearing. “you’re so annoying”

virgo

feeling like an afterthought. people who don’t practice proper oral hygiene. when people talk too close to their face (if you want a virgo to hate you in .02 seconds, just start whispering directly into their face without having brushed your teeth that morning). when they can’t tell if their crush’s personality is just flirty, or if they’re interested in them back. being sweaty. girls who wear too much perfume. sleeping in the same room as someone who constantly shuffles the blanket around with their legs. “it was a joke, chill” 

libra

people who think it’s cute to constantly point out “well this is awkward”. self-proclaimed “brutally honest” people who put on their dating profile that they’re “fluent in sarcasm” (basically unresolved feelings of aggression showcased as a “bad bitch” persona). people who don’t wear deodorant. super loud people who need to make every situation about them. when a person never initiates a conversation, so they have to always do it. the inner conflict of not wanting to put up with people’s toxicity any longer but also not wanting to piss people off by saying anything. online shopping sites that load too slowly  

scorpio

straight tiktok. fake people who smile to your face and then shit on you behind your back. people who try to be funny by doing things like tapping them on the shoulder and pretending it wasn’t them, or having an unannounced staring contest. catcalls. people who get super uncomfortable really easily. when someone makes a superficial judgement about them without getting to know them first. self-pitying people who try to guilt them into dating them. 

sagittarius

“shhh!” feeling like a nuisance. people who get offended when they curse. people who are overly secretive and protective of their phones. youtuber apology videos. when someone thinks their interests are “cringey”. when someone spoils the end of a movie, book or tv series. when their family leaves balled-up hair on the shower wall. people who don’t take them seriously. old people with superiority complexes. their dysfunctional family dynamic. mockers 

capricorn

people who purposefully fart near them and think of it as a joke. april fool’s day. their uncle. fake-deep quotes. edgy posts (like “at the end of the day nothing matters” and other stuff like that). when people invalidate their problems by quoting vague, condescendingly positive philosophies. when they can’t find a misplaced belonging (capricorns FREAK OUT when this happens; it’s intense). waking up late and not having enough time to complete their perfectly crafted routines. 

aquarius

people who attach emotions to every little situation. people who don’t straight-up state how they’re feeling, and passive-aggressively expect them to just “get it”. when people guilt them for not hanging out with them every waking second. people who don’t honor their need for independence and individuality. clingy people. close-minded bigots. people who are so self-centered that they’re unable to see the magnitude of others’ suffering. when someone is blissfully unaware of the world. people who complain and wallow in their sadness yet who do nothing to change their situation. people who overreact to trivial things. highly reactive people. judgmental stares. 

pisces

“are you seriously crying about that?” coarseness meant to be perceived as “cool”. people who are so sarcastic to the point of it being offensive. when people think of animals as less valuable than people. spiritual superiority (”my beliefs are the only right ones”). perfectionists. timed tests. trying to do push-ups. when someone invalidates their emotions because they’re “not logical”

[miyaniacs]

this will be so much fun!!!

OKAY SOOO I’LL DO SOME OF MY FAVES FOR THIS ONE OKAY?

(repost bc it took too much time to write this to not show up in the tags numbers of failed attempts: 2 )

warnings: I guess slight nsfw and me being tipsy while writing this , all characters are 18+

characters: Kurro, Akaashi, Kenma, Oikawa, Bokuto, Ushijima, Iwaizumi, Osamu, Atsumu, Sakusa

masterlist

HC The boys find out their crush is a cam girl / has an onlyfans account

Kuroo

AYT NOW LISTEN

it was late at night and he couldn’t sleep so ... there is one thing he hasn't tried yet...

now he’s on some popular cam girl website and scrolling through the different cams

then he stops

this one girl seems familiar

he clicks on it and

JACKPOT ?! its YOU ??? HIS CRUSH ???!

but OMG. he had the best night of his life sweety

but still.. he will now definitely ask you out on a date tomorrow.

after seeing your beautiful body and the way you moan and move

HONEY NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO SEE THIS AGAIN

other than that he probably thinks it’s hot af that you are a cam girl

I mean Kuroo aka pornstar

he loves the fact that you the sweetheart for anyone else but could be the pornstar just for him

smug af the next day he sees you from afar

shy af the second you come over

Akaashi

HE DID NOT OPEN THIS TAB OKAY

he did tho but HE DID NOT OKAY?

OKAY!

so anyway - his browser magically opened his one website

and he just hear someone talk

he recognised the voice but - NO... this can’t be you right?

yeah jokes on him

he chocked on his on salvia when you walk in the view of the camera wearing nothing but some sexy black lingerie

GURL. BITCH THOUGHT YOU WERE A BABY?!

but now he knows you aren't

you definitely aren't

but he now wants you to be his babygirl

and he wants to look away.. but he can’t

soooooo ..... yeah. he had some fun that night

wasn’t sure how to look into your eyes the next time he saw you tho

Kenma

he did not find you

Kuroo did

and yes he immediately sent him the link with a voice memo of him basically just screaming

the said link lent to an onlyfans account

despite the fake user name, he instantly recognises the birth mark on your arm

yes the many times he watched you when you all were out with friends made him recognise this stuff

so did he pay to see the rest of the pictures and videos?

yes.

was he embarrassed?

oh hell yes.

was he still enjoying it?

yes.

is he now able to look into your eyes?

no.

Kuroo has to do all the magic to make him speak to you now - because you are, despite the account you got, still a shy bean who can’t talk to her crush

Oikawa

screams in the middle of the goddamn night

you - you just brought him chocolate a few hours ago?

and now your stripping in front of him? I mean you don't know that he's watching since you just do it in front of the cam

his little oik-oik is growing

he thought you were innocent?

will sent the link to IWA-CHAN

with a “LOOK AT MY CRUSH OMG”

after your lingerie is off and you took out a toy he sent another message

“WAIT NO DONT LOOK AT HER”

he will be all cocky tho when he sees you the next time

you walk up to him, saying a cute and shy “hello” and he’s just

“you haven’t been this shy last night”

you panic and run away which results in him panicking running after you screaming apologises

Bokuto

He is hyped

OMG

Poor Akaashi will probably know about all of this too

he has so much fun watching you online - imagining that you are here with him at this moment doing all of this just for him

which you secretly do since you’re also imagine him watching this

will open this website more often the following days then he would admit

i’m not sinning that much to actually write down the stuff that’s going on in his head

the next time he sees you

he does question if it was really you who he saw online

you are nothing like the girl he saw there

SOOOOOOO he straight up ask you

“hey y/n !!! are you (your username)” he smiles and tilts his head

you just black out

Ushijima

again poor baby

Tendou and Semi told him to visit this site - hot farmers advice

this baby thought he’d actually learn something he could tell you - his crush - since you recently TOLD HIM that you try to grow some tomatoes

but when the site finished loading

HE WAS NOT EXPECTING TO SEE YOU ON THERE

with nothing less than lingerie, an oversized plaid shirt AND a straw hat

you’re on all fours and the way you move and moan and talk to the camera

he wasn't really taking note of where his hand is wandering rn

soon after, you are now without a bra, he finds himself rock hard

the next day you tell him about your tomatoes WHICH ARE GROWING (!!!) he gets red af and just leaves

you look confused at a laughing Semi and Tendou rolling on the floor

Iwaizumi

he usually doesn’t do this stuff... but... it was some time until he got some

and he just wants you - so he doesn't want to hook up with some random girl

you’re pure and innocent and he accepts this and will wait for you too feel comfy enough so he can ask you out on a date

anyways he’s at this random website

and switches trough the channels to find someone he likes

and he chocks.

THIS CANT BE

YOU

he actually was about to text Oikawa but then stopped because Oikawa

he starred at the screen not even blinking

his hand is moving so fast

and all the things you say and the way you tease your viewers

omg

hny

he really wants to fuck some manners in you okay?!

awkward af the next day he sees you tho

yes talking about blushing IWA-CHAN

Osamu

his Laptop was broken

so he used Atsumu’s

WHO left this tab open

he let out a small scream, his normally stoic face falling

WHY ARE YOU NAKED ON HIS BROTHERS LAPTOP

now he sees that it’s an only fans

WHY IS HIS BROTHER PAYING TO SEE HIS CRUSH NAKED

but hey.. Atsumu’s not home... and he told him it’s okay to use his laptop..

a few minutes later he’s already worked up watching your beautiful body, his eyes following every movement of yours

he can’t really comprehend that you are the same girl that always comes to his shop, always stuttering and nervous while talking to him?

BUT HELL WAS HE ENJOYING IT

and those pictures of you in this maid uniform.

OH AND IS THIS CHOCOLATE ON YOUR BOOBIES

his imagination went wild

“OY i see you’re enjoying my present?” - Atsumu came back home

Atsumu

I mean it’s canon that he watches porn and is paying for some cam girls right?

so he’s looking for some now that look more like you - his crush.

someone cute and innocent

Gosh he loves it how easily you get flustered when he flirts with you

this one looks promising he thinks

and hell was it promising

it was you

surprise surprise

he was blushing for a whole minute baby

THAT ASS ?!

how tf have you hid that all the time?

SO many dirty thoughts

SOOOO MANY

will def call Osamu to his room

after he finished this lil problem down there obviously

Osamu is grossed out - he thought you are cool  and now he can’t look at you the same way

Atsumu tho - wont get that much sleep that night, your body and all the thing’s he’d do to you circling in his head keeping him up

is Atsumu enjoying this way too much the next day he sees you? Obviously YES

he will walk up to you, flirting, and when he’s about to leave he adds

“How about you skip todays stream and put on a show just for me?”

Sakusa

IT. WAS. NOT. HIS. IDEA.

Ratsumu sent him a link

our poor boy thought it was about volleyball and not something so dirty

he was CLEANING HIS ROOM WHEN HE OPEND IT

with the cleaning product you suggested to him

and now he sees you on his phone also cleaning

but with - with NOTHING ON ?!

he dopes the products and sits down on his bed - he knew you are beautiful but damn.. this hits different.

you with some MR. PROPER and WINDEX

PUHHH his fantasy is running wild WILD now that he sees you.. move .. and cleaning some of your toys and well

.... he needs to change the sheets and cleans again afterwards

ok so the next day... Atsumu already told you that he knows about your dirty little secret and that he sent it Sakusa to “help you two ”

Sakusa came and looked at you disgusted “You're dirty even tho you’re cleaning? that wasn't the way you’re supposed to uses those items.” he adds

“Then make me pure again?” you return ( @tendouthighs​​ about Sakusa) “- and show me how to properly use them”

[sw124]

MLC: Josie and Viper

[Symbiote Boyfriend]

She hadn’t moved all day, she barely ate anything all week, she didn’t speak to anyone for almost a month; her phone muted. She tossed and turned on her couch from time to time but mostly to keep a cramp in her leg at bay. The only time she moved from the couch was to use the restroom, if it wasn’t for Viper she probably would have trouble even moving a single finger.

“Babe, honey you need to eat.”

Josie tilted her head towards the voice, no one was in the room. Her stomach complied with the tone, it growled like a ticked off bear. With a heavy sigh she walked into the kitchen, she went to the fridge and pulled out a gallon of milk. From her back a large ocean-black tendril extended and pulled out a box of cereal and a large bowl. Josie picked up two spoons and went back to the couch, once the cereal was made the tendril picked up the remote and turned on the TV; from her shoulder a larger mass formed a head and turned to her. Large milky eyes curved upwards before leaning and gently placing a soft kiss on her cheek.

“….Thanks sweetie…….sorry about all this-“ she was silenced with a smaller tendril touching her lips.

“Babe you got nothing to be sorry about, come on lets watch some dumbass commercials and classic cartoons. We’ll deal with what happened later…ok?”

Viper nearly melted seeing her smile, he could feel that little spark of joy in her…but then get smothered by guilt again…he had to help her but problem was how.

After the seventh spoonful of chocolate cereal came a rather interesting commercial. It was an ad for the Meta Clinic and…Monster/Human couples therapy? This made the couple pause, this was…well this was new! Sure there were dating sites, clubs, cafes and speed dating for people looking for monster boy/girlfriends but now offering couples therapy?

Viper wanted so badly to grab the phone and call for an appointment but…he didn’t wanna force Josie into something like that. He’d be doing more damage then good…he’d start by talking about it.

[Two weeks later]

“Viper and Josie?” The secretary called out. Josie looked up from her phone and stood up.

“Thats us…” Viper extended his head from her back giving a nod.

“Dr. Fortune will see you now, please head back down the hall to room 7 please.”

With a nervous smile she proceeded down the hall, Vipers head gently tucked beside her..whispering soothing nonsense. This was enough to at least quell the rising panic in her chest, finally they came to a door with the number 7 on it. With a hard gulp Josie pushed opened the door…

The room was massive! It almost looked like the lobby of a hotel, hell it even had a pool in the corner of the room and a tank! The room was painted in shades of two-toned moss, the air smelled of perpetual rainfall…and lemon. It was there but didn’t overpower…the temperature was perfect.

In the center of the room were two chairs, a large love-seat sofa and a dark grey armchair. Between them was a white round table with a pitcher of water and three glasses. In the grey armchair….was the doctor they came to see.

“Ah, you must be Josie and Viper. Please come in, have a seat.”

She hesitated but…Josie complied, the love-seat felt like if jelly and clouds got married and had a baby. It was so soft and cool to the touch, best part she didn’t sink it like some other chairs. Viper loved the feeling, hell he could just imagine cuddling up with his girl on this couch watching old sci-fi movies.

“Lets get started, first can you tell me how you met an how long have you two been together?”

Josie paused…then spoke. “Well…Viper an I met via collage..we had the same class, we got paired up and it sorta started from there. We’ve been together for about…two years now.”

“What kind of class were you in?”

“It was a philosophy class, I took it cause I was curious on what made philosophy so damn interesting.” Said Viper.

“I personally took it cause I’ve loved things that sorta question the norm of society. Our project was to listen to one of the stories of Plato, we got ‘The allegory of the cave’ and write our thoughts on the meaning and reasons behind it….those were some of the best nights I ever had.”

Josie never noticed the subtle blush on her cheeks, but that smile she had told the Doctor everything they needed to know, even Viper couldn’t hide his smile.

“You and Viper have a very close relationship I can tell…however the reason why you’re here is not really about the two of you. Its the people around you, mainly family.”

You could almost make out Josie’s heart in her throat, Viper; if he had one, would have been in his as well. Dr.Fortune took a sip of water and…with a sniper-gaze they fixed on Josies eyes.

“I’m going to take a guess, stop me at any time. The problem isn’t with either of you two but from Josie’s family.”

Josie began to chew on her thumbnail, Viper was quick to pull it away as the Doctor continued.

“Your parents I will take are very strict people, perhaps even falling in line with deep religious practices but yet despite saying their ‘devout’ they continue to say and do things that go against the basic principles of their religion. Growing up they saw you as either property or a tool to get what they wanted. If you ever raised your voice in defense of yourself…you were either met with Verbal or Physical violence…”

The Doctor paused, fat tears were cascading down Josie’s face. Her breathing was labor, almost choking on some of her deeper breaths. Viper already had his tendrils wrapping around her in a tight embrace, gently whispering into her ear.

[Klink!]

Josie jumped, looking down she found one of the glasses had been filled with water…with a lemon slice in it. She looked up at the Doctor who was pouring a glass for themself.

“Take a sip, it’ll help.”

She…did feel a little parched, Viper handed her the glass, she took a few small gulps. Blinking she looked into the glass…the water tasted sweet, with the lemon slice it almost had the taste of lemonade but without the sharp zing. She noted how the water almost was coating her throat, soothing the burn forming.

“Like it? Its something I made myself for my patients, I boil distilled water and honey together an let it sit overnight in the fridge then add lemon slices to it. The honey and lemon help soothe your throat while the cold water rehydrates you.”

“Its…really good.” Josie smiled taking another sip. “Everything you said…was right, even the religion part. My parents always treated me like I was some show pony at every gathering, they never listened to me an always thought my problems were just…not worth their time.” Josie rubbed a tear away.

Viper remained quiet but nodded when she was done speaking, Dr. Fortune turned to Viper then.

“An the first meeting with her parents they referred to you as a ‘parasite’ and even went so far as to disown Josie from her own family if she didn’t breakup with you.”

Vipers eyes went wide for a moment before slowly closing…his lips curling back, showing off his razor teeth.

He hissed. “Yes, the moment she finished telling them they started calling her all sorts of nasty things and…even went so far as to say they picked out a husband for her to marry. To be honest I actually knew the guy and he…he’s rich but also a huge dick, he was the biggest bully at my high-school back in the day. When Josie refused…they disowned her and kicked us out on the streets…this was around a month ago…”

Dr.Fortune set their glass down, leaned back in the gray chair with their elbows resting on the armrests…fingers pushed together in a pyramid fashion.

“An since then Josie has received texts and phone calls demanding she breakup with you and marry this ‘dick’ all for the sake of money. I’ve seen this before and its a classic case of narcissism but also a show of parental neglect and abuse.” Doctor Fortuned leaned forward, their gaze turning sharp.

“Josie….for starters you are not the problem, your parents are stuck in a mindset that is outdated and unacceptable. You are not to blame for their disappointment, no you never were. Your parents refused to change their ways and therefore are stuck in the past. However that doesn’t mean you have to, in order to help yourself you need to first cut ties with the ‘parasite’ that is your family. Go completely no contact with them, then once thats done I want you to focus on your relationship with Viper.”

Josie blinked, eyes widening. Cut ties with her family?! How could she do that, this was her family!

“Yes I’m aware your not keen on the idea but…let me ask you something. When has your family ever done anything for ‘you’ out of love an ask for nothing in return?” Josie opened her mouth but….nothing came out…she looked through all her memories…but couldn’t find anything.

“Now…I want you to think about what Viper has done for you, who do you think is more deserving of your time an energy? A family that wants you to marry a jerk for money or the symbiote who from the moment he met you has treated you like the human you are?”

Josie sniffled….they were right, ever since they met; Viper had shown her nothing but compassion, patients and love. Sometimes she felt so guilty about putting him through her crap but…he never complained about it. She rubbed her eyes again, it was time to stop waistline her hard earned time and effort on people who didn’t love her! It was time she spent her energy on Viper and school!

Doctor Fortune smiled, the match was struck and the fire was starting to burn. Now it was time to slowly stoke the coals and make sure they never went cold.

“Your right Doctor….I need to stop waiting my time with those people…I’m thankful they gave birth to me but thats no reason to hold it over my head. I’m…I’m done with them!” Josie slapped her knee, it…it felt really good to say that.

Viper could feel the adrenaline pumping in her, yes there it was, the spunky spitfire he fell for was back an with a vengeance!

“Thats good to hear, but thats just the first step in your road to recovery. I want you to take this a step at a time, in time you may learn to ‘forgive’ your family but don’t you ever, EVER forget what they’ve done to you. If you forget then your just gonna end up falling into their grasp again. On another note as a way to help you cope and give you a extra bit of therapy I suggest taking up a type of hobby. Hobbies can help you gain a sense of control over your life.”

The Doctor paused and looked down at their watch. “Oh, it seems we’re just about done with our session. If you’d like to set up another appointment please see the secretary up at the front desk, before you go is there anything you’d like to ask me?”

Viper looked at Josie, she looked right back at him before turning to the Doctor.

“What kind of hobby should I get?”

Doctor Fortune handed them a small brochure. “Try flipping through this and see if any catch your fancy, my suggestion is find a hobby you two can do together or by yourself; its really all up to you an there are no wrong choices.”

An with that…Josie and Viper left, scheduling another appointment two weeks in advance. As they walk outside Josie looked through the brochure, there were so many hobbies to choose from..

At least she and Viper can choose together.

[I plan to do more couples, I did a Symbiote/human couple to start cause everyone is familiar on what they look like thanks to Venom. I’ll be working on more monster like boyfriends in the future. I hope you like this, I’ll be doing more of this in the future including Yandere couples. This was inspired by @semisolidmind artwork, I also wanna thank @sarabat85 for helping me out as well. My next couple will hopefully be posted very soon and was put together by my closest and dearest friend @eomlotanis who has always helped me with story ideas and character development.]