#book one end me thinking we'd get to kiss them in at least book two. lol baby you was naive

[eviebofficial]

Buying a sequel book as an A-mancer is like being a bumblebee throwing yourself at a glass window pane trying to fly through like "this time. this time. this time"

[marrr444]

You finish ChoT? ❤️

I really wanted to talk about my thoughts on Chain of Thorns BUT I JUST COULDN'T GET. THEM. TOGETHER.

(But I promised you I would) So I searched anti chain of thorns and then regretted it.

Overall, I LOVED ITTT!!

I WANT MORE (MAINLY MORE JORDELIA)

SO...Here are things I loved, I wanted more of ect ect, as less scattered as possible, anyway:

(Wow this got long.)

I am glad Jesse wasn't punished for being Tatiana's son but also (especially) Lucie for necromancy.

Also kinda sad that Lucie and James couldn't use their powers anymore. (Or well ,mostly, James his gun) but I get why (and now Kit will get to have the gun in TWP, if I remember the spoilers for SoBH I've read correctly, which is pretty cool)

WE DIDN'T GET CORDELIA AND LUCIE'S PARABATAI CEREMONY??? idc if it was completely uneventful I still want it. Cassie you let me down.

On the topic of things we didn't get, here are two more: Matthew telling his family about his secret FROM HIS PERSPECTIVE (and not just a mention through Cordelia) same for Will and Tess learning about the gracelet and more specifically I would have LOVED a Will and Cordelia scene (like Will saying "thanks for taking care of my son" and ruffle her hair like he wanted to in the wedding).

Oh and also Alastair coming out to Sona with Cordelia reacting the same way Eugenia did with Thomas would have been WHOLESOME.

I'd also like to say I'd have loved a scene where James and Cordie played chess and/or woke up in the same bed but fingers crossed that will be in the Better in Black short story (the book which I feel compelled to remind I am not getting but it will hopefully be published soon enough. Hopefully.)

I was SO SCARED Alastair and Thomas wouldn't end up together, THANK GOD I was wrong.

Arianna? Yeah ok pretty cool. Can't be the least bit mad at Ari for what happened at GoTSM.

FAIRSTAIRS IN PARIS OMFG??? Should they have ended up together? No bUT am I happy they kissed a bit? YES???! AND THEN JAMES CAME DJSBFNDNFNCNDF

I didn't mind Cordelia killing Tatiana. There was no one else who could have done it. Grace definitely couldn't have (except if she wanted to be as dead as Christopher or Tatiana to escape) and James already killed Belial so that'd be too much for one person. AND JAMES KILLED BELIAL!! James's will was as strong as a Prince of Hell and STRONGER which WE DON'T TALK ENOUGH ABOUT (and we do occasionally talk about it)!!!!

CHRISTOPHER DIED AND WASN'T GRIEVED ENOUGH. which isn't necessarily a bad thing considering it would have broken my heart much more. ALTHOUGH, I can't remember James grieving him, and that is. Other than that we saw the impact his death had on everyone, we saw Anna grieving, Grace, Matthew thinking about him and even Cordelia shedding tears and hugging James and that is enough.

Oh also, I find that I cannot hate Grace. She helped Cordelia A LOT by telling her about what she'd done considering James' was being a stuck-up "ahmag" at the time. (Which Thomas is pretty sure means idiot in Persian and I trust him)

Also, I feel like I want more of the characters as a group, you know, banter and meetings at the devil tavern.Like, they are SUCH a nice group. Their characters are AMAZING but I feel like (other than to fight) we didn't see them interact with each other enough. (Except ,obviously, the couples)

Other than that pretty content??

No hate, I am sad I finished the book these are just things I wished we'd gotten, but one can't have everything and this gives me content for daydreaming lol

(I wrote this a while ago idk if it makes sense)

[yzeltia]

Wolraha Week

Chapter 7: Adventure Characters: G'raha Tia, Keith Summers Rating: T Notes: In my head, Mephina granted Keith's wish for them to have the experience of having a baby promising he'd of course adopt from his homeland down the line and she goes for it and has the help of the others to make his wish come true by locking them in the Crystal Tower and magicking away 13 years then rewinding it on the two husbands after. Idk, probably never going to disect it too much. Thanks for indulging me!

Slumped back in a chair, Keith kicked his shorts off then started to rub his face, G'raha already in bed with a book open in his lap.

"Did Khenna finally exhaust you of storytales for the night," the Miqo'te asked, not looking up from his reading.

"Yeah. I'm running out of ideas. Bedtime really should be your territory y'know."

"And why's that?"

"Well, cause…you're older than me."

"By a sun!"

"Technically yeah, but you have to add all your time on the first in there too. You're old enough to be my grandpa when you think about it. Great - Ack!"

Keith laughed as he was pelted by a pillow from the bed, G'raha's book now cast aside and ears folded back.

"Finish that sentence and you'll be needing that pillow on the floor."

The Hyur chuckled then got up to crawl into bed with his pouting husband, putting an arm around him as he flopped back. Beaming, Keith kissed on G'raha's shoulder, eyes up at the grumpy Scion until his ears laxed. Soon the Miqo'te sighed then pulled back to stare up at the ceiling.

"It is still strange to think I have a daughter that will be half my age in two years time. She'll be old enough to go off on her own adventures or perhaps to the Studium. Quite possibly she'll find a way to fit in both. It just…doesn't feel real."

"It was though, yeah? It's all hazy, but it's all there. The going stir crazy cooped up in the tower while you got all moody. Enjoying a different room every night. The baths, the food. It was wonderful to start."

"Yes, for you. I was the one gaining weight and getting sore. All those stairs were awful toward the end."

"Hey, I made sure to give you foot rubs and made it so you didn't have to lift a finger toward the end. I put in a lot of work getting those node thingies to work."

"Hitting an on switch hardly compares to having your body carry an entire living being that it wasn't made to carry!"

"Hey! I didn't know the gods were gonna do that to you! You're the one who encouraged me to ask."

"I didn't think they'd say yes," G'raha said.

Keith jumped, eyes wide as he searched the other's face in disbelief. The Miqo'te sensing the impending panic quickly put his palm to the other's neck.

"Not that I regret a single moment. You have to admit it's an unheard of feat of magic, or at most, a buried subject."

The Hyur settled down, soothed by the touch, "Such wonderful magic. Maybe I was a little useless to start but when G'k came into the world I didn't want to ever let her go," Keith sighed, rolling onto his back, pulling the other up under his arm.

"I wish you'd kept that feeling. As I recall when she was about six you lost her playing hide-and-seek," G'raha laughed.

"Oi! It's not my fault someone inherited a giant skyscraping palace! I'm surprised there weren't times when we lost one another."

"True. We rarely parted company though."

"I couldn't bare the thought of being without either of you even for a second…despite the time shenanigans involved."

"That's a big word. Gold star."

"Shut up," Keith laughed, nudging his husband with an elbow before letting out a deep sigh while putting his hands behind his head, "I wish we could have given her a normal childhood though. Friends. I mean she's getting along with Khloe, sort of. Still, I at least always had my brothers. Maybe if we had-"

Keith was silenced as a pillow whacked against his face, "You stop that right now. I'm not going through that all again. We agreed we'd adopt when we settled down more after our next big adventure. It was even your idea. You promised Mephina and the others."

Keith chuckled then moved the pillow away, "I know, I know. And I still will honor that promise…Though, I don't think any adventure will beat that one. Thirteen years in just as many minutes. Thirteen wonderful years."

The Hyur smiled then reached over G'raha, picking up a framed portrait of their family, showing it to his husband beside him. The two leaned in then kissed softly before hunkering down, G'raha pushing his head under Keith's chin while the latter draped his arm over him, clutching the picture tight.

[blurrypetals]

The Pairing by Casey McQuiston - blurrypetals review

originally posted nov. 3, 2024 - ★★★☆☆

While I liked this book a lot more than I liked McQuiston's previous adult novel, One Last Stop (I missed that they released a YA novel, I Kissed Shara Wheeler so I'm planning to read that eventually) I can't say I was even close to loving this one as much as I loved Red, White & Royal Blue.

I think this book had some interesting themes. Having grown up in Utah, I know many people who married their high school/childhood sweethearts and find it impossible to grow with someone they have known for so long, someone who wants their partner to stay the same person they married. I found that part of this book to be the most interesting, but as much as I liked the questions it posed, I feel like McQuiston didn't nail the execution of it.

It seemed like the only growth the protagonists went through while they were apart, however, is getting better at sex. Theo does seem to be rather self-assured, and we're told from Kit's thoughts that they didn't used to be like this, but it's difficult to see growth when we don't know what a character was like prior to the events of the novel.

I did empathize with Theo, though. I have been in that, "What do I do with my life?" phase of my life a few times before, so their half of the novel had my attention very well. I also felt like the "reveal" of their gender was very sweet, and I liked that we as readers discovered they were nonbinary at the same moment Kit did, despite having just spent half a novel in their head, though I'll admit I wondered if they were not a woman after a few hints were dropped early on.

That being said, Kit's half of the book was much more of a slog for me. I think this is due in part to the fact that I did not care for the audiobook narrator, but he felt like a two dimensional sap. It reminded me of how Jane in One Last Stop had no flaws, and the more we learned about her, the more we'd find she was an annoying fairytale who didn't feel like a real character in the least. All Kit does is wax poetic about how heartbroken he is over Theo, how much he loves Theo, while Theo actually appears to have wants and aspirations beyond their desire to be with Kit.

Honestly, I think I would have liked this book more if, in the end, Theo and Kit had decided not to be together by the end of the trip as they nearly did, and then, a few years later, we see them about to take another tour together, we think it's maybe as friends, and then someone notices a ring on Theo's or Kit's (or both) hands. We don't know if they got back together, but it's okay not to know. I like the idea of a more bittersweet ending for these two, because we don't see them grow between their first breakup and the beginning of the novel, we need them to grow more. They are not ready for a committed relationship again by the end of this novel, I don't buy into that.

Anyway, there was plenty here I liked, such as Theo's struggles, the colorful writing surrounding the descriptions of food and drink, and, yes, the sex scenes, but beyond that, I found the plot itself to be pretty thin, the novel itself to be too long, and the lack of flashbacks to be to the novel's detriment.

And damn, did it make me hungry for food I could not have and that's a crime.

[writing-with-zoe]

A Quiet Lake (Naughty Version)

Master gathered a few of us around for a big announcement. I was bouncing with excitement and nearly found myself in a tumble pile with Lexi and Izzy, both equally hyped up for the news.

Eva was already sitting in the living room, legs crossed and arms folded across her chest. It had been a hard and long week, she wore the brunt of it on her tired face. I felt bad for her but also remembered my icky times through the week. We needed a break.

“Great news you all.” Master said, walking into the room and clapping his hands together. Lexi and Izzy instantly jumped over and both hugged around his legs. He reached down to pet their heads, giving them both little ear scritches.

“We won the lottery?” Hayli asked. She was sitting across from Eva, twirling her blonde hair around her finger while playing on her phone.

“Not quite. I think we need a break,” he said sitting next to Eva, both Izzy and Lexi holding firmly to his legs as he walked. I could see her bad mood melt down as she laid her head on his shoulder. He gave her a kiss on the top of her head. “We've all had a very long week and could use some time away. I booked us a row of cabins at a lake.”

I walked in and sat down on his lap, mindful of the two below me. “Hey, I was just thinking that same thing.” I said. Master reached over and ruffled my hair and I wrinkled my nose at him but really was happy for the attention.

“See? Great minds think alike. Now, why don't you all go back up a few of your things. Not that you'll be needing much. We'll have all the privacy we need up there. I made sure to rent the entire place. Sunscreen and toiletries. I really wouldn't bother with much clothing.” He grinned and we all looked over to Eva, who wasn't allowed clothing anyways.

A couple hours later we had arrived. The sun was already going down but there were strings of colorful lights all over. Brittany navigated Toby, Maggie and Candy with unloading everything and getting it put away. While they were doing that, the rest of us ran to lay claim to our cabins.

“Now, now,” Master called after us. “No fighting, or you'll end up in the punishment cabin.” Everyone stopped dead in their tracks and exchanged looks. A punishment cabin might've sounded like a fun bratty way to shake the day up, but we'd all come to learn that Master's punishments weren't the fun kind. At least not for the one in trouble.

“Who will be bunking with you?” Eva asked after we'd all come back, trying to be as casual about it as possible.

“That will be determined by a fun hunt.” Master told her, giving her a little boop on the nose. My eyes grew wide. A hunt? Bahaha. I remember the last time we had one of those and- oh no.

Master must've seen my face because he laughed and reached into the bag on his shoulder. He pulled out a familiar object, a tranquilizer gun.

“The rules are simple.” He said, slowly and tauntingly loading up the gun. “The last one standing gets to sleep in my cabin. Those of you left will be at the mercy of our lovely androids to come and find to carry back.”

The worst possible time to get horny but my legs were wobbling and my heart was racing. I caught a glance with Eva, she was already in competition mode, but I could tell she was equally horny at the idea of running around to see if Master would find us.

“Now.” He said, the tranquilizer gun fully loaded and over his shoulder. “The boundaries have been marked. Halo and Omi were kind enough to place goodie bags around with either helpful or disastrous loot for you. You may team up but I warn you that you will become an easier target in numbers. Are there any questions?” More looks were exchanged but a chorus of “no” came back in reply.

“Excellent.” He said, handing his bag to Halo. “Let's begin.” And with that, the game was on.

[im-a-gaymess]

How do I tell him?

Young!Tom Riddle x Male Reader.

7th Year.

Angsty Fluff? Contains suggestive/smut scenes.

Slight mention of violence (Just Tom wanting to punch the stupid out of people).

Summary: You and Tom are in love with each other, always were, though you only realize it after ending a pretty toxic relationship.

Word Count: 1786

A/N: I thought of this while listening to Strawberries & Cigarettes thought I'd share

[1:42 AM]

"Look, I'm not saying that I want their attention 24/7, it's just that, well, they don't ever try to make time for me. Even when I need them, they're never here. But I'm expected to be there for them at all times. I'm just so tired of it. I don't know what to do anymore." You sighed, lowering your head as your eyes wander around the ground.

You've lost sense of time, place even. Only once you stopped to take a breath did you note how late it became. As you raised your head you saw how dark it really was there. The clouds over the stars making their light nearly non existent, and the moon half hidden behind some trees.

And as your eyes travel all over the quiet, dark yet beautiful sky, Tom's attention is strictly fixed on you.

If only you knew how much that man felt at the moment. Really, he was almost overwhelmed with the amount of different emotions.

For one, how badly he wanted to punch your partner for how deeply they hurt you. He knew, from your previous vents, that there was so much more than them just having no time that bothered you. He wanted to make them cry out apologies with regret guilt for how they made you feel.

But also, he couldn't help but feel the need to hold you, keep you close to him, tell you how everything's going to be alright. How all he wants to do is protect you from all of the world's evil, to keep you from anything that could cause you harm.

Without you even noticing, Tom gently put his hand over yours, rubbing circles with his thumb on your hand. How can someone be so,, so endearing,, so loveable and be treated this way? How could someone ever look at him and want to use him? he thought, not brave enough to bring himself to tell you what he truly thinks of you.

"You know you deserve better, right, my love?" he asked, and you, all too familiar with the pet name reply with a little smile. "Would you be surprised if I said yes?" you chuckled, turning to face him, the sight of the boy in front of you making your smile grow a little bigger, causing the other to look at you with loving eyes.

"I still love them, though, I don't even know why, but I do. I still hope they're going to change, even when I know they won't" you continued, a short, awkward laugh leaving your lips.

"Believe me, sweetheart, I know exactly how that feels." he smiled at you, gently stroking your face with his free hand as the two of you continued to talk about everything, and anything, enjoying the company you gave each other.

[Following day, 4:27 PM]

Who knew that drawing in the library's restricted section would be so relaxing? Sketching animals, book covers, objects and even some random fellow housemates. It wasn't so bad, right?

But let's be honest, you were only using it as a means of distraction, trying to get yourself to forget about the fact that you're going to break up with your s/o. You don't even know how Tom managed to convince you.

Of course, it's for the best, you know that. Doesn't change the fact that you feel so damn guilty about it. I mean, why do you even? It's not like they value you, it's not like they won't have other people lined up to take their bullshit right the moment you decide to leave.

Okay, that's it. You're doing it, you're definitely doing it. You mumbled to yourself. After, of course, another art session in your little distraction place.

[5:54 PM]

What's the worst that can happen if I confess? I mean, it's not like the world would end, not like the world would explode and I'd be buried underneath layers of rock and lava.

You had him feeling something he's never even imagined he'd feel; he was nervous. His forehead full of sweat, causing his hair to stick on to him. What are you putting him through?

Friendship...That's all I am to him. I'm just a friend to [Y/N]. He only sees me as a friend. Nothing more than that. Maybe I shouldn't. I probably shouldn't.

[6:11 PM]

To his surprise, Tom heard a knock on his door. He most definitely wasn't in the mood to see, yet even talk to anyone.

"Tommy? My love, are you in there?" You questioned quite loudly, making sure to be heard from across the wall.

That petname, you have no idea what it made him want to do. Did he want to have you underneath him, touch every little bit of your body? Did he want to show you that you're his? Hear you whine and beg for him to kiss you; and so, so much more than you could imagine.

It's not the time to get lost in such sinister thoughts, Tom, he mumbled to himself, finally walking over the room to let you in.

"Hello, darli―" before he could finish, you rushed into his arms. Wrapping your hands around your friend's waist as your head rested under his own. "I missed you all day, dummie" you spoke quietly, finally happy to spend time with him.

He was quite surprised to say the least, you weren't the type to enjoy going for any type of physical affection of any type, unless it was under certain circumstances. Especially the hug being so long.

He wasn't complaining, he adored it, but he couldn't help but worry. Was something wrong? Were you hurt?

"Love, as much as I enjoy moments like this, is there anything you need to tell me? Should I kick anyone's arse?" he raised his brow, looking down at you.

You shook your head, never letting go of the taller man, a smile appearing on your face. How cute he is when he's worried, you thought.

That's pretty much how the rest of the day night went. The two of you in each other's embrace, spending it in utter silence, just glad to be in your own little world together.

You told him, before going back to your dorm, about how you finally broke up with that douchebag, and was your man proud.

The couple next days, weeks even, went by quickly. You and Tom would hang by the library after classes to complete and give help with what the other might have been stuck on.

Tom walks towards you, so dangerously close, you can practically feel his lips on yours. A hand's glued on the wall next to you, right above your head. Your body pressed against a door, his knee right in between your legs, brushing against your crotch. His other hand pulling you closer by your waist, soon planting kisses all over your jaw and neck. You can't help but melt into his touch, his lips- you just want more, more of him.

You gasp, practically jumping up your bed. It was only a dream, wasn't it you thought, sighed in slight disappointment. You wouldn't like to admit it to yourself, but you've been thinking about Tom in a certain way lately.

That only made things worse for you. Because according to you, he would never see you that way. Because the way you saw it, Tom only ever thought of you as a friend.

And so thought he. He was just as disappointed every time he'd dream of the two of you being intimate, romantically, sexually, it didn't matter. He was just as devastated when he woke up. Always went back to sleep hoping those wonderful dreams would go on.

Both of you had a few dreams like those. Some were a whole lot sweeter. Dates together, just the two of you softly making out with the sound of classical music in the background. All of this causing the two of you a bittersweet feeling, thinking that all of this was just hopeless dreams, impossible to come true.

════════════════════

Starry night, you and him, the lake, the full moon shining bright. There's nothing that could ruin this delightful night. It feels like a dream, so much that you even question the reality of what's going on.

"Is this...real?" you ask Tom, not taking your eyes off the sky you so dearly loved. He raised a brow at you, looking at you in a clearly confused expression.

"If it wasn't, we'd be doing more than just stargazing, love" he chuckled, really hoping you'd take it as a joke.

"What would we be doing then, darling?" you question once again, mocking the way he calls you petnames while at it, a visibly evil smile painted on your face.

Tom takes his bottom lip in between his teeth, turning to face his pretty boy. "Do you really want to know, [Y/N]?"

The usage of your name kind of, just a little bit, frightened you. Not in a necessarily bad way, more like in a 'I have no idea what to expect next' way.

"What would you do if I kissed you?" he smirked at you, feeling oddly confident, though your silence and shocked face slowly faded. He was about to mutter apologies 'till you let out a mumble. "I'd like that" you said, your voice barely above a whisper.

"What was that, my prince? Would you kindly repeat that for me?" he told you with a straight face, making you wonder if he truly didn't hear you. If only you knew the amount of pride he felt at that moment, barely four words and his mind wandering to so, so many things he knew the both of you would like.

The shade of your cheeks changed a bit, was it from embarrassment? Or from the idea that he may actually like you back. Either way, you did repeat what you had told him, blushing even harder as there was an ever-growing smile on your face.

Soon enough, Tom sat up, leaned against a tree nearby. Motioning on his lap, he asked you to sit there, and happily you did.

You've never seen him smile like that. He looked at you like you're the only person in the world. His hands firmly on your cheeks, slowly pulling you in.

Your arms instinctively went around his neck, tilting your head to the side in order to deepen the kiss.

Once you pulled away to take a breath, his hands rested on your lower waist, his eyes staring at you lovingly as they always did.

"You know I'm no good with words." you looked at him exactly the way he was looking at you; you were truly each other's everything. "I know, my prince" his hand wandered around his loverboy's hair, soon pulling him in yet another kiss.

He knew he loved you, and now he was sure you loved him too. Only thing is, he wasn't sure how to ask you to take over the world with him, but for now, he was happy with what you had, and so were you.

[phantomnostalgist]

The Phantom of the Opera London 10th anniversary, a rant of olden days

Behold the tale of the Phantom 10th...

I always sing that in my head to the tune of "Behold the tale of Sweeney Todd", because the London 10th anniversary of Phantom still pisses me off all these years later, due to the crappy way fans were treated and utter lack of a decent celebration it got. It's been taking me ages to write this up because it was 1996 and I still feel really sodding annoyed whenever I start thinking about it. Aaaargh!

The actual performance that night was the regular cast, which at the time meant Simon Bowman playing the Phantom, who was my least favourite stage Phantom, which bummed me out as it was the first time in a decade that the critics and media people were seeing the show, and so many phenomenal people had played the role yet never been seen or reviewed by them. At the end of the show, we did get some special extras - Sarah Brightman came on stage and sang, joined by some Raouls including the eternally wonderful Steve Barton. Lloyd Webber came on stage and hugged and kissed Brightman, and gave a general speech about how wonderful she was. Brightman also read out a message from Michael Crawford, celebrating the show's success and apologizing for not being able to be there (he'd injured himself on EFX and was strictly told by his doctors not to fly). Sarah then sang an arrangement of Music of the Night, joined by four Phantoms: Simon Bowman, Peter Karrie, Ethan Freeman, and Davis Gaines. I think they had a Masquerade scene at the end so all the cast could come on stage.

After that, all the cast and crew and ALW and Cam Mack and their invited guests whisked off to a big party full of Phantom-themed food.

In contrast, when the Toronto show had its 5th anniversary, they had a full week of celebrations for fans, including backstage tours. And of course the Les Mis 10th had happened the year earlier, and the Royal Albert Hall, and subscribers to the unofficial Les Mis fanzine (The Barricade) got the opportunity to book tickets ahead of the general public. So we'd all been writing to the RUG for over a year begging for something special for Phantom's 10th, they ignored us, and then, we get on to the bit that still really makes me rage - they outright lied to fans and ripped people off on tickets.

Back then the show was still sold out a long way in advance, and as we waited hoping for some news of something special for the 10th anniversary, many of us were scouring the papers waiting for the new ticket booking period to open, the one that'd cover October 9th. And when it did, a bunch of us immediately booked our tickets for that night, in the best seats we could afford. I think the RUG had genuinely not given a damn thought to the thing, but then suddenly realized oh, shit, we're going to want all those good seats for the invited guests and bigwigs. So they started calling everyone who'd booked tickets and saying there wouldn't be a show that night, and giving them a refund. (They also cancelled the matinee, screwing fans who'd booked that out of any tickets.)

I first heard this was happening when someone posted about it on the old RUG forums, and immediately advised that I was 100% damn sure there'd be a show that night, they'd left it far too late to book anywhere big like the RAH, and to refuse to accept the refund. But as not a lot of people were online by then, no one saw it until they came onto the RUG forums to ask what was going on with the tickets. I flipped the hell out and ranted at length and in extreme fury on the forums, and said I was holding on to my two tickets in the stalls, as if there was a show that night we had a legally binding contract and I knew there'd be TV cameras there so if my tickets were not honoured I would have a meltdown that'd embarrass them more than it'd embarrass me. lol I may have been a bit over the top. But I was so spittingly furious, they were outright lying to fans, saying there wouldn't be a performance. So that people like Margaret Thatcher could sit in the stalls. And I'm still pissed off.

Eventually the cheaper seats were opened up to a public lottery where you had to apply for tickets, so some fans got to go, and I think they did offer those tickets to people they'd lied to and refunded earlier. And me and my best Phantom pal also got to sit in the stalls, because the RUG did not try to refund my tickets. In retrospect I realize maybe they were never going to, as they also referred the media to me at the time to represent phandom (I did a couple of TV spots). I remember at the intermission seeing ALW and Cam Mack and briefly wondering if I should go up to them and introduce myself, then thinking about the epic levels of hissyfit I'd thrown online and decided not to.

My Phantom best friend and I also got to go to the invite-only party at the end, as Carlton News did a short interview with me, then presented me with two tickets. The main things I remember about it are there was a huge cake in the shape of the Opera Garnier, as well as a multi-tiered cake like a Phantom wedding cake, with Erik and Christine on top. I was way too shy back then to ask any cast members to dance or anything, I mostly just remember Nicola and I being there and going ooooh and ahhhh at being there. Oh, also the Phantoms were all in tuxes. Nice nice nice.

The only photos I can find are these ancient photocopies (Barbara Burgess and Cathy Reevell made the cake; Jeanette Birt, who photographed the Phantoms, is an old timey fan who was all round awesome).

Edit because I have to note that people like Margaret Thatcher attending theatre are exactly the kind of thing that Erik wanted to blow up the Paris Opera House over. Just sayin'.

Oh yeah and I consider that cake a wedding cake, and it has Erik and Christine on top of it, and is thus proof that Eristine was Canon to the ALW show at least as far back as 1996.

[sinswithpleasure]

The Playgirl (ft. LOONA’s Yves) [Part 3] [Female Reader]

—————

I’m back with part 3!

I know I said I’d start mentioning Yves being futa here, but welp, I doubt it’d be out until Part 6-8?

If you prefer, this is also on AO3 and AFF!

Thanks to @existslikepristin​ and @ggidolsmuts​ for editing / beta reading!

—————

Another month passes.

Yves has been improving a lot, and you're teaching her more than just math. Even on weekends, she requests tutoring, and both of you work on projects or study together, be it at Seoul U's cafe or in empty classrooms.

Two months since you began tutoring her, about one month since you took up her deal. Something in Yves shifts—when she began studying, it was out of just competitive spirit. Now, she seems to truly like what she's doing, and you can't help but to let yourself enjoy the sight of this Yves. She turns up to school a little more regularly, though she still comes to terrorize people. She doesn't go out to parties as much, choosing instead to hang with you. The attention you get from her feels like too much and not enough at the same time. 

Other than being your student, Yves becomes somewhat of a regular fixture in your life. She still frustrates you—her semi-regular absences from school are met with your nagging and her regular dismissal, her constant nonchalance about how she carries herself still annoys you, and she still constantly flirts with you. That last point is also part of the reason why she is kind of a welcome presence in your life. If she isn't present in school, she will be seen leaning against a wall after class, leather jacket over her shoulders, your favourite mocha frappe in her hands. If she doesn't turn up for a tutoring session, she drops a call and apologizes, then makes it up to you with your favourite dessert next session. On the regular, she always has a compliment or a greasy remark tailored for you on hand, both making you groan and internally panic simultaneously.

It doesn't help that she keeps getting prettier, at least to you. Every day, her empty desk taunts you. Sometimes, you wish she was next to you, lollipop in her mouth, gazing at you and flirting with you. Your heart skips a beat when she pushes herself off the wall to wrap an arm around your shoulder, waving the frappe in front of your face with a "Hey, babygirl" . You look forward to the text exchanges with her every night, where both of you can text for hours. You adore her lip bites when she is focused on something, her soft "Assa!" when she gets something right.

Perhaps your crush on her is starting to get out of hand, but you don't want it to end. 

-----

Your phone rings. Caller ID: yves 💘

"Yo, babygirl."

"Don't—ah, nevermind."

"The cafe's closed today. Wanna come over to my place?"

"What?"

"My place. Come over."

"Oh, um…"

"Text me your address. I'll pick you up."

"Okay."

When Yves hangs up, you panic. Her place? You'll get to see how she lives? Her private space? What?! You fire off a text to Yves, then you carry on panicking.

[yves💘 has sent a message:]

Gotchu

I'll see you in 15, babygirl

Can't wait ;)

-----

Yves's place is cozy. For someone so punk rock, her place looks so homely, so full of life. However, Yves lives alone. Weird, considering there's a lot of stuff that is placed neatly on tables and shelves, too much for one person to use. 

"Welcome to my humble abode, babygirl." Yves curtsies, flashing you her dazzling smile. You place your bag down on the couch in her living room, rummaging to find what you need.

"Hey, would you mind if I went for a shower first? I've had a busy morning."

"Oh, no, sure. Go ahead."

"Right, thanks babe."

Yves leaves. In the meantime, you wander around her living room, glancing at the items on her shelves. A vintage tea set, a back scratcher, and an old camera? Those look pretty cool. Beneath that, another shelf holds a few old DVD cases, each of some old music from the 70s and 80s. Also, are those cassette tapes? You pick each one up, getting a feel of them in your hands. Damn, these are cool.

You wander along the hallways. When you pass by the bathroom, you can hear the water running. Suddenly, you’re hit with intrusive thoughts, all of them about Yves.

Your crush. Just a handful of metres away from you. Undressing. Naked. Under the shower. Water running down her bare skin, maybe over those chiseled abs of hers? Her naked chest, her legs?

You return to her couch, collapsing on it, trying to fight the dirtier thoughts in your head.

You sink your face in your hands, groaning at the thought of a naked Yves. This isn't the first time, and it won't be the last, but it sucks to be thinking of something inappropriate when the time isn't right. The gulps of water you inhale don't quench the correct thirst, but at least it does something.

"Hey baby."

Yves's voice makes you jump. The cutest girl ever greets your eyes, with a look that you never thought she'd rock. That same girl has her head bowed, a sheepish smile on her face, her hand moving to tuck some hair behind her ear.

She looks gorgeous.

Her wet hair, formerly slicked back, now falls over her forehead, forming cute bangs. Her  leather jackets and crop tops are traded for a cozy oversized long-sleeved sweater that engulfs her body, giving her sweater paws. Yves pairs that with sweatpants, and a cute pair of bunny slippers. 

She looks so cute and all you want to do is to mash her lips with yours.

You gasp, freezing. Yves walks over to you, planting her books on the table, refusing to meet your eyes. She grins when she finally looks at you though.

"How do I look?"

"Ah, um, er…" You stammer, unable to process the sight of the punk rock, cool, bad girl Yves now looking like a girly, adorable cutie. This wasn't Yves, this was just Ha Sooyoung. 

"You… you look, er, good," you breathe.

Yves halts, red starting to colour her ears. She looks away, seemingly wiping at her face with one of her sleeves.

"Thank you." Her voice is tiny, tinier than usual. You want to hug her but you control yourself, settling to admire how she looks instead. She looks so pretty, so fucking pretty, and you wonder why she doesn't look like this on the regular. Maybe she's letting you see her more private, intimate side. Maybe she somehow found out you quite like this style. Whatever the reason is, it's working. How do you even continue to function today, now that you've seen Yves look like this?

You love this Yves— no, this is Ha Sooyoung, you hastily remind yourself. She looks so domestic, so cute, so… girlfriend? You want to glomp her, and that urge is increasingly hard to control.

"Let's begin."

"O-Okay."

Both of you slip into your roles as teacher and student. For Yves, it’s seamless, but for you, you struggle to do so. The student herself is a distraction.

The session begins.

-----

"Stay for dinner, babe?"

Yves rises from her chair, walking over to her kitchen. She begins pulling stuff out of her fridge and cabinets, setting them on the table. 

"Oh, sure."

You sink yourself on a dining chair as Yves ties an apron around her neck. She begins work on chopping up some garlic and onions, and you let yourself just… look at her. 

She looks so cool, so domestic, so beautiful as she works on whatever it is. You can't help but fall harder for her, and you let yourself gaze lovingly stare at her.

"You're staring, babygirl."

"Ummfhhhdgh!" You stammer, hastily looking away to pretend you weren't. You drum your fingers on the table, shifting around on your seat to distract yourself from Yves's eyes. 

"Uh-uh, you don't get to hide now." Yves tilts your chin up with her finger, her eyes locked onto yours, her lips inches from yours. This is the umpteenth time Yves has had you in kissing range, and you wish she'd finish the job. 

"You look starstruck, babe. Am I that pretty?"

"Y-Yes." 

Yves chuckles, stroking your cheek with her thumb. 

"God, you're so cute. I'd kiss you right now, but we both know we'd do more than that."

"Wha—?"

"I've seen the way you look at me. I know what you're thinking. If we kiss…" Yves trails off, moving to finish her sentence next to your ear. 

"If we kiss, we both know we won't just be kissing at the end of the night."

When Yves finishes her sentence, you feel her soft lips press against your cheek. Out of the corner of your eye, you see her lips turn up in her signature cocky smirk. You’ve got the urge to kiss it off her face, but you pause, refusing to give in to her. She is right—if you kissed her, you wouldn't be able to stop yourself from jumping her.

-----

Dinner is a relatively quiet affair, with Yves winking at you when you catch eyes with her, and you becoming more flustered each time. All you can think of is about how Yves essentially admitted she knows you want her as much as she wants you, and that thought is enough to fuel your imagination for the night. 

When Yves drops you off in front of your apartment, she gets off her bike, wrapping her arms around your waist from the back.

"Huh?!"

"Goodnight babygirl," Yves whispers next to your ear, her breath causing you to shudder, "I'll be thinking of you tonight."

That settles it. The fire between your legs needs some dousing. You can't help but turn to look at Yves with the utmost shock, meeting her knowing grin. Yves waves, putting her helmet back on and riding off into the night. 

-----

The cold shower you take after reaching home does nothing for you. Yves's words still ring deep in your ear.

If we kiss, we both know we won't just be kissing at the end of the night.

I'll be thinking of you tonight.

Your body feels warm—too warm for the oversized T-shirt and boyshorts you have on. The thought of having Yves pin you against a wall, her lips on yours, tongue swiping at your lips to gain access is way too much for you, and soon enough, you imagine Yves pinning you to her bed, stripping you and teasing you with her touch. These thoughts lead you to lie atop your bed, your shirt pulled up to expose your chest, your boyshorts stripped off to let your hand circle your clit freely. 

"Oh, fuck…"

In your head, Yves has her fingers on you, touching you the same way you touch yourself now. Her fingers mirror the way yours do—rubbing directly over the hood covering your clit, before swiping between your slit to wet her fingers. 

"So wet, babygirl. All for me too."

"Oh, oh shit!"

Yves plunges her fingers deep within you, thrusting freely. Your free hand kneads your left breast, teasing your nipple to drive you crazier. 

"Fuck, Yves, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!"

"Yes, babygirl. That's what I want to hear. Moan my name. Let the world know how wet you are for me."

The dirty sounds of your fingers thrusting deep into yourself only fuels your lust even further. The image in your head morphs from Yves fingering you to her between your legs, her panties pushed aside to expose her pussy. Yves pushes her pussy against yours, grinding against you, flexing her abs with each movement of her hips. In the physical world, you strip yourself of the shirt, grabbing a pillow and straddling it. 

"How does my pussy feel against yours, babygirl? I told you I'd make you love me."

You grind harshly on the pillow. The haze of pleasure is all you can process—how loud you moan doesn't matter anymore. 

"Fuck, yes, Yves, Yves, Yves, fuck, Sooyoung, Sooyoung, I'm gonna come, Sooyoung, I'm gonna come, I'm gonna come!"

With a squeal, you grind harder on the pillow, feeling waves of pleasure wash over your body as slick spills out of your clenching hole. Sweat runs down your forehead, your back, down your chest. In your head, Yves comes just as you do, her body writhing in pleasure as slick flows out of her. 

You collapse on the bed, letting the afterglow of your orgasm wash over you. Yves still doesn't leave your head, but you don't really hate that. You're way beyond trying to hide that you want to fuck her, or that you want her to make you hers anyway.

[missymurphy1985]

The Strip Club - Cillian Murphy X Female OC

A/N - Set in 2010, and I've used fictional names for his wife/children

A night out with his brother and closest friends doesn't end the way Cillian expects it to.

Warning - Smut

Taglist @queenshelby @margoo0 @being-worthy @peakyscillian @ntmynouis @janelongxox @elenavampire21 @noctvrnalmoth @ysmmsy @cloudofdisney @lauren-raines-x @namelesslosers @misscarolineshelby @screemqueen @cilleveryone

"I'm really not up for this Pad, can't we just go for a beer at the Anchor instead?" Cillian complained to his younger brother.

"You haven't been out with us in months, Dermot has had this all planned out for ages Cill, come on!" He rolled his eyes, knowing he couldn't get out of it, no matter what he said. Pulling his boots on, the two of them left the house, getting into the waiting taxi outside.

Walking into the strip club via the VIP entrance at the back, Cillian kept his head low and his brother and friends close around him so as not to be seen. Last thing he needed was photos in the press of him coming here!

"We're here for The Secret Show? Booked under Padraig Murphy?" Paddy told the bouncer, who checked everyone's ID and led them through a curtained off section at the back of the club. No cameras, no members of the public, completely private.

The boys sat around the stage area, a waitress coming over to take their drinks order. Once she returned with them, the lights dimmed and the music from the movie Burlesque began to play through the speakers. A single spotlight on a stool on the stage.

Cillian could feel his cheeks burning, he genuinely had never felt so uncomfortable in his life. He'd never been to a place like this, had always avoided them like the plague. The idea of a stripper had never appealed to him. Someone he'd never met, stripping to her underwear to please him and his drunk friends and even more cringe-worthy, his little brother, was not something he was remotely interested in.

The dancer came out, swaying her hips as she walked to the stool. Perching herself on it, legs crossed. Dressed in a black corset, short black skirt, fishnet stockings, black stiletto heels, and a black masquerade mask covering the top half of her face. Her long, silky brown hair flowing loosely down her back.

She was beautiful, there was no mistaking it. Cillian spotted Paddy nudging Dermot and whispering something in his ear and rolled his eyes. Probably something incredibly inappropriate about the young girl in front of them. He couldn't help feel sorry for her - lecherous old men creeping all over her as she danced for them, throwing money at her like she was a cheap prostitute...

The routine began. Cillian remained stoic, arms folded across his chest while the other lads cheered, louder each time an item of clothing was sexily removed from her lithe body. Her heels had been kicked off, her stockings slowly moving down her thighs, he couldn't watch any more. Standing, he made his way over to the bar to order another Guinness.

"I'd have thought you'd be over there enjoying the show with your friends?" A familiar voice from behind the bar startled him.

"Kate?"

"Long time no see," she smiled.

"Wow! Last person I expected to bump into tonight, how are you?"

"I'm okay, I see you're doing pretty well too." He nodded, his latest film, Inception, had been a box office smash. Professionally, at least, he could say he was doing well.

"Yeah, I guess so." His head lowered slightly, as Kate placed his pint in front of him.

"You guess? You okay?"

"What? Oh yeah, yeah I'm fine. Although, no disrespect? Kinda wish I was anywhere but here right now!" He chuckled. Kate smirked.

"I get off in 20minutes, fancy a walk?"

"You know what, I'll take you up on that Kate. I'll meet you outside?"

"Deal."

Thirty minutes later, after Cillian had made his excuses to his brother, he was smoking a cigarette walking along the canal with Kate at his side.

"Did you travel the world like you planned after school?" He asked, stubbing the cigarette out on the floor.

"I did, a full year of travelling before I went to university."

"Where did you go?" She told him about Australia, backpacking across Vietnam and Thailand, before heading to California for three months on a work visa.

"It was amazing. Truly wonderful. I met some great people over there. But all good things must come to an end, right?" She looked at him, and quickly looked away.

"I couldn't stand in the way of you living your dream Kate, you know that. We ended on grand terms though, right?" She linked her arm through his and squeezed it.

"We did. Promised we'd stay in touch though didn't we..."

"Yeah, I admit that was my fault. Tanya wasn't overly keen on you was she?" His ex wife. Or soon to be ex, anyway.

"I'm sorry about what happened Cill. Are you okay?"

"I'm getting there, you know? If she'd rather fuck her friend's husband instead of her own, then so be it," he smiled as much as he could.

"Well if it's any consolation, she's clearly lost her mind." She squeezed his arm again, and he found himself moving it so it was wrapped over her shoulders. He could feel her shivering and pulled her a little tighter against him.

They approached a small apartment block around 100yards further down the canal, and Kate dug her keys out of her handbag.

"Thanks for walking me home. It was good to see you again," she smiled, unhooking herself from him.

"Maybe I could - " he was interrupted by the door opening, and a younger girl stood in the doorway with a toddler in her arms.

"I'm so sorry Kate, I gave her Calpol an hour ago but I couldn't get her to settle..."

"Hey it's okay, I'll take her now. Get yourself home sis, I'll see you tomorrow yeah?" The young girl nodded, before nodding at Cillian and heading off down the street.

"Liane grew up!" Cillian laughed. The last time he'd seen her she'd still been in primary school. "And who's this little one?" He reached for the toddlers hand, grinning when she took his little finger and squeezed it.

"This is my daughter, Lily."

"Well Lily, you've certainly got your mama's eyes, haven't you?" Cillian glanced quickly at Kate's left hand.

"Her Dad isn't around Cill, I'm not married." He bent his head down. Busted.

"Then am I allowed in for a coffee at least?"

"If you don't mind sharing me with a teething baby, then yes, you can come in!" Kate led him through and fetched the teething granules from the cupboard and a teething ring from the freezer. Cillian offered to take Lily while she prepped a cup of warm milk for her.

Seeing him bounce her on his arm made her smile.

"Reminds me of Jack and Niamh when they were teething. Had to be moving around, constantly needed distraction. You okay if I take her a walk around after? See if I still have the magic touch?"

Kate nodded, and took her back to give her the nurofen, teething granules, followed by her sippy cup of warm milk. Once she'd finished, Cillian offered his arms out for her. She reached up for him, surprising Kate as she normally shied away from strangers, and off they went around the apartment. She watched from a distance as he took her around, showing her the ornaments on the window ledge, her reflection in the mirror, bouncing her up and down as she giggled lightly.

After around fifteen minutes, he made his way over to the radio in the kitchen, fiddling with the buttons before he found the station he was looking for. Soft, gentle classical music played through the speakers. He turned the volume down so it was barely audible, and leaned Lily into his shoulder, rocking her side to side gently. She nuzzled into his neck, Kate watching, smiling, as her baby's eyes grew heavier. She could feel past feelings coming back as she watched them. As much as she'd pretended losing him when he left University to pursue his acting career was fine and she had gotten over it, she never had. And now, bumping into him again all these years later, those feelings were coming back with some force.

Lily was snoring gently in his arms now, and Kate gently took her from him. Taking her into a small room at the back of the apartment. Coming out ten minutes later and closing the door as quietly as possible.

"I'd say you still have it Cill," she laughed, switching the baby monitor on in the corner of the living room where he sat on the sofa, two glasses of red wine in front of him. "You read my mind."

She sat next to him, clinking her glass with his.

"Did you meet her Dad while you were travelling?" He asked, after taking a sip.

"Yeah.. he erm.. he died not long ago. Cancer."

"Shit I'm sorry... Oh Kate that's awful..."

"No it's okay.. it was just a brief fling you know, we weren't together or anything. But it's sad for her. She'll never have that father figure. Just me and her against the world now." She felt his fingers brush her hair out of her face and gently down her cheek. Turning to him, she put her glass down on the table and turned to face him. He placed his down too, and moved closer.

Their faces centimetres apart, she could feel his warm breath against her own.

"I should probably go..."

"Again?" She whispered. She didn't want him to leave her again, as much as he had no intention of actually leaving. Their lips met, a kiss that was fifteen years overdue.

"I haven't spent a day not thinking about you, Kate..." He smiled, pulling away.

"You mean that, or are you just looking to get your end away?"

"Which is why I'm going to kiss you now, and go home. But I want to see you again. If I can?"

"And what if I don't want you to go home..." She kissed him again, this time straddling her legs over his thighs on the sofa. Even if this was a one night stand for him, she needed him, and he wasn't getting away this time.

"Then I'm not going home." His hips rose to meet hers, gyrating over his erection under his jeans, both of them removing each others clothes in record time until they were left in just their underwear.

"My god, you're incredible... Let me taste you..." He flipped her onto her back on the sofa, spreading her legs and placing gentle kisses along the inside of her thighs. His fingers teasing against her underwear, softly caressing her mound, before sliding a finger inside and groaning at how wet she was already.

"Cillian please...." She almost whimpered underneath him, her hips squirming against his lips and fingers. He pulled her underwear down her legs, and unceremoniously threw them across the room before moving his lips to her open slit, drawing his tongue slowly up and down her folds. Her hand flew to her mouth, stifling the cry of ecstacy within it so as not to wake Lily.

"You need to be quiet, you're not going to want me to stop once I've started Kate..." He smirked, before attacking her clit with his mouth, drawing it between his lips, rolling his tongue over it, increasing the pressure. His fingers pressing into her thighs, surely leaving bruises, as his mouth worked magic on her, her hips rocking against him.

"Oh god... That's so good, please don't stop..." Her words coming out in breathy little moans as her orgasm built quickly. Her fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him where she needed him. Two fingers suddenly entered her, making her gasp as they found the small bundle of nerves deep inside her, pushing and rubbing against it hard, matching his motions against her clit. Suddenly his mouth was off her, his fingers pumping into her, the palm of his hand pressed against her clit now as he moved his body up, his lips now pressed to hers. The taste of herself on him turned her on further, and she could feel herself letting go.

"Cum for me..." He whispered in her ear, sending her over the edge with a small cry into his shoulder, her body writhing against him. His fingers removed, replaced with his now solid cock as it pushed inside her quickly, picking up the same pace his hands were, hard and fast thrusts as he hooked her leg up under his elbow, forcing himself deeper.

Her nails scraped over his shoulders as she buried her face into his neck, frantic thrusts against each other, fifteen years of buried feelings coming out of them with a force that took her breath away.

"Yes... God yes..." Her moans into his neck drove him wild, her walls contracting around him pushing him closer. He could feel another orgasm building inside her, and angled his thrusts to hit that magical spot inside her perfectly.

"I'm so close Kate... So fucking close, you feel so good around me..."

"Cum inside me Cillian, please..." He grunted against her ear, nibbling on it gently as his hips pounded into her relentlessly now. Reaching his high, he flooded her, spilling inside her with a deep groan into her neck, sending her into her second orgasm, her legs wrapping tightly around his back pulling him even deeper inside her as she felt his cock pulsate, emptying into her.

He rested his forehead against hers, both of them panting, smiles forming as they looked into each others eyes.

"You're on the pill, right?" He chuckled, coming back to his senses.

"No." He lifted his head quickly.

"What?" She started to giggle, grinning at him.

"I'm on the coil, you're fine, don't worry!" He rested his head back into her neck, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Good to hear. I think three kids between us is enough for now, don't you?"

"What do you mean, for now?"

"I made the biggest mistake of my life leaving you Kate, I'm not planning on doing it again," his lips gently kissed the side of her neck, running the tip of his nose along her jawline softly.

He pulled out of her with a groan, taking her hand and leading her into her bedroom - he'd clocked which one it was earlier that evening.

Kate smiled watching him grow hard again, knowing not much sleeping was going to be done once they got in there...

[johnsamericano]

𝓓𝓪𝔂 10:

кιм נυиgωσσ

23 days of NCT masterlist.

taglist: @notbeforelong @silent-potato @whathamelon @unknown5tar @ajhdr @mrcarbonatedmilk @curieouscapt

warnings: unprotected sex (reader’s on the pill), y/n is kinda odd but in a good way, thigh riding (? Sort of.

“Please, Yuta. I need you.” You pleaded, falling onto your knees as you held onto his hand.

“Stop, people are watching.” He pulled you up, slightly vowing to the students staring at the little scene. “I’ve already told you I’m too busy with my own projects.”

“Yuta.” You whined, feeling like you were running out of options.

“I have a couple friends that might be willing to help you, but I can’t promise anything.”

As expected, all of them rejected you. Everyone was too caught up with their own work to care about yours. But one magnificent day, you found your muse. You met him at the cafeteria, he was simply eating pizza, yet he looked like a model.

He pretended not to acknowledge your piercing gaze, but as you started walking to his table he couldn't help but blush, playing anxiously with the pages of his textbook. Why was the goddess of the art department walking towards him?

“Hi, I'm y/n.” You casually sat in front of him, extending your hand towards him as if this wasn't the first time you'd seen him.

“I’m Jungwoo.” He was literally the epitome of cuteness, his pretty cheeks tinted pink and his brown locks casting shadows over his forehead.

“What’s your major?” You rested your chin over your palms, eyeing the book on the table.

“Mechanical engineering.” He surely didn't look like an engineer, but that sort of made him even more attractive.

“That's cool. So listen- wait, before that, can I grab a French fry? I'm starving.” He nodded, his eyebrows knitted together. “Thank you.”

You chewed on the savory fry, moaning at the flavor.

“So, what were you saying?”

“Oh, right!” You cleared your throat. “So for my final project, I have to paint a human portrait, but it turns out, none of my shitty friends wants to help me.” He couldn't help the small laugh escaping his lips. “Unbelievable, right? So I had no other choice but to hunt down the perfect muse by myself. I was about to give up just when I saw you, sitting here all by yourself like some mysterious rom-com guy.”

“Do you want me to be your muse?”

“Well since you're offering, I'd be more than happy to paint you.” He was about to object, but you resumed your nonstop chatting. “Of course, I’d pay for your time, not too much though, my part-time job doesn't pay that well.”

And that's pretty much how he ended up meeting you every Tuesday, sitting for two hours straight while you painted his gorgeous face. The mood was always cheerful with you around, always making small talk and provoking some smiles from him. He got to know you better during the month you spent together. Jungwoo realized you were the most authentic person he'd ever met, maybe that's why everyone on campus was so enamored by you. On the other hand, he was nothing like the shy boy you first met at the cafeteria. He was so bright, his laugh so pretty that it made you want to hear it every day.

“This is our last session.” You announced as soon as your canvas was fixed in place. “Time goes by so quickly, don't you think?”

“Yeah, sure.” You noticed the saddened expression on his face.

“What’s wrong, woo?” He loved the nickname you decided to give him on your first session, it made him feel closer to you.

“It’s just a pity that we won't get to see each other as often anymore.”

“Who says we won't?” You started moving the paintbrush over the canvas, adding the final details to your portrait.

“You still wanna hang out with me?”

“Of course I do! You're finally opening up to me, I won't risk losing the progress we've made.” His heart felt like it’d escape his chest any minute.

“I thought you were just using me for your project.” You gasped, approaching his seating place with the paintbrush still between your fingers.

“How dare you, Kim Jungwoo?” There was a dramatic pause before you painted the tip of his nose.

“You didn't.” You wiggled your eyebrows, running away from him as he stood up. “Get back here!”

“Stop!” You threatened him with your brush, back pressed against the wall. “I won't hesitate to paint you again.”

“Scary.” His chest was touching yours, faces barely centimeters away.

“Where’s the shy Jungwoo I met?”

“I don't know what you're talking about.” His knee positioned between your legs, pushing against your core. “What is it with that face?”

“Have you been deceiving me from the beginning?” You tiptoed, trying to hold back the small whine threatening to fall from your lips.

“No.” He raised his knee, this time, the imminent whine managing to get past your mouth. “I really was shy around you, but you're so easy to be with. I feel like I can be myself when I'm with you.”

“By yourself, you mean your horny self?” He started moving his limb back and forth, making sure to apply pressure on the right spot.

“I wasn't planning to do this, I didn't even know you wanted to see me after your project was done.” His finger pads danced over your neck, causing goosebumps over the sensitive skin.

“Well, then, are you gonna kiss me or should I take The first step?” He giggled before attaching his mouth to yours, a variety of new sensations growing at the bottom of your stomach. “God, I wish my project would've been related to nude portraits.”

“I would've definitely called the cops if you had asked me to be your nude model.”

“Mean.” Your face inched closer to his lips once again, slightly biting into his skin.

“Are you alright with this?” He lightened up the pressure on your heat, making sure you were both on the same page.

“Yes. But I don't know about making love in a classroom, though.”

“Making love?”

“I don't like the way ‘fucking’ sounds.” He chuckled. “Would you rather have me calling it sexual intercourse?”

“Stop talking before my dick gets soft.”

He lifted you with ease, sitting on the stool you usually used with you on his lap. His hands rubbed the sides of your thighs affectionately, slowly lifting the fabric of your purple dress to reveal your panties. He wasted no time on moving them to the side, quickly using his digits to make sure you were wet enough.

You helped him undo his jeans, clumsy hands struggling to get the zipper down.

“Allow me.”

“Be gentle, alright?” You placed your hands behind his head, toying with his brown locks as he aligned himself with you. He nodded. “I need verbal confirmation, woo.”

“I promise to be gentle, y/n.” You felt his tip prodding at your small hole, bracing yourself for the imminent pain. “Look at me.”

He started sliding inside you, your fingers accidentally tugging his hair. He didn't complain, though, too immersed in your face to even notice. You glanced at him, noticing how handsome he was from up close. His eyes looked like they carried the stars- no, the whole universe, you'd definitely have to paint them one day.

“Can I move?” You nodded, holding back the smile creeping up your lips as he started thrusting upwards. “Not even in my wildest dreams would I have imagined we'd end up like this.”

“Well, I'm glad you accepted to be my model.” You let out an open-mouthed moan, his dick hitting your G-spot.

“Pill?” You nodded, letting him do all the hard work while you enjoyed yourself. “Pretty.” He kissed your throat, holding your glutes to push himself further into you.

There were no words needed to know you were both incredibly close to release, just a few more thrusts had your pussy pulsating around him, his warm cum coating your walls.

“This is the best love-making session I've ever had.” You let your body fall against his, causing him to lose balance and almost fall down. “Sorry.”

“Well, we can always repeat this. Maybe I can actually be your nude model for your next masterpiece.”

“Who is this guy?” He chuckled, the corner of his eyes picking the image of the recently painted portrait. “Don’t look!”

But he was already admiring the product of your hard work, and it was amazing, to say the least. It was a picture of him smiling, sunlight coming in through the large window panel beside him and directly hitting his face.

“If you don't get an A, I'll write a complaint.”

“I like your way of thinking. I'm getting the feeling that you and I will be a power couple, only if you want that too, of course.”

“Let’s go out for dinner and I'll think about it.”

[wastelandnarry]

Don’t You Remember? - hes

summary: You left with no goodbye, not a single word was said, no final kiss to seal any sins.

author’s notes: Hi everyone! Thanks for the support on kiss in the kitchen! This is inspired by Adele’s Don’t You Remember, I hope you enjoy!

warnings: mentions of infidelity, mentions of alcohol, angst

request || taglist

If you were being truthful, which most of the time was a hard thing to do, you were full of bitterness and a cold heart sat in your chest. You'd been hurt before, more times than you could count, and had decided that the next time love came around in your life you would not hesitate to kick it back. Your last long-term relationship, which had ended when they'd decided an adventure was calling their name and you had no ticket with them, had left you in pieces. It had left you bouncing from bed to bed, leaving your mark on stranger's lives, but you'd disappeared before the morning sun rose, leaving them alone and cold in a bed you'd forget about before dinnertime. 

But then you met Harry. 

Harry was warm and he made your heart race with every touch he left on your skin. He was golden and beautiful, leaving you breathless as you gazed at him at your side. He was the warm spots in a sunny field where you'd spend all day if you could, reading a book as the breeze blew through your hair on the summer evenings. His smile was addicting and you found yourself stealing it onto your own face a lot of the time. It was as if a force unknown had brought you two together and the world had burst into color. Harry had come into your life like a storm that a drought had desperately needed. He'd stormed in and refused to leave, no matter how fickle your heart had been, he'd stayed and a part of you had been grateful for it. 

It hadn't been a stable relationship, not at all. You'd both been hurt before in the past and that had made it hard for both of you to truly trust each other. It meant that sometimes moments would go from sweet and innocent to cold and distant. It meant that nights together were spent in a tense silence sometimes, or that they'd be cut short before things escalated too far. But you both felt something for one another, something so deep and passionate it spiked fear in your heart. A fear that it was all too good to be true and it was only a matter of time before things blew up like you were used to. 

"Do you think we should go out for dinner? Or maybe we could order in," Harry's voice broke your concentration, your eyes looking up from the computer screen and finding his. 

"Huh? Oh, maybe we should just stay in? It looks pretty shitty outside anyways," you shrugged, your eyes falling back onto the screen as you skimmed through the emails your boss had sent you. 

"Yeah, guess so. And if we go out we won't have a lot of privacy, don't want our last night together for a bit to be full of people wanting pictures," he sighed and shrugged. 

"What? Last night together? What're you on about, Harry?" you frowned, your eyes shooting back up to watch him move around the living room. 

"I leave tomorrow?" Harry chuckled and looked at you with a confused look on his face, "I have to go to Paris to film for a month, remember?"

"That's tomorrow?" you asked and frowned, shaking your head, "I thought you said that was happening in July?" you scoffed. 

"No, we finish shooting in July," he mumbled and sighed, "But you of course weren't paying attention, all you care about is it affects your own life." 

You'd both frozen as the words left his mouth, both too afraid of what would come next if you truly spoke your mind. Yes, you were a bit forgetful when it came to Harry's schedule, but his life had always been hectic, and trying to plan your life around his seemed impossible most of the time.  He'd be gone for weeks on end with no contact and the only way you knew he was safe and alive was when the internet told you so. Your jaw was clenched as you watched him, frozen in place near the entrance of the kitchen. 

"You know what? You're right. I'm just a selfish bitch who only worries about herself and not the fact that her so-called boyfriend is going to be gone for another month," you scoffed as you stood up, sliding on the shoes you'd set by the end of the coffee table, "I hope you have a fucking amazing time in Paris, make sure not to stare at yourself in the mirror too long." you muttered, grabbing your bag as you made your way out of Harry's house. 

You could've stopped and talked it out, like adults, but in all honestly, it had been exhausting already. Every time Harry had to leave for work there was always something he was upset about. At first, it was how distant you became when the day of his departure got closer. Then it was the fact that you always texted him while he was away, something he'd asked you to do in the first place. And now, it was you forgetting his oh-so-important schedule. It was exhausting, trying to talk things out when you knew it never mattered because it was just a matter of time before something new came up between the both of you. So you walked out the door, hoping that maybe Harry would follow after you and for once try to fix this himself, only to be left sitting in your car alone. 

Days turned to weeks and soon enough, two months had passed since you had last spoken to Harry. The spring weather had turned hotter as July rolled in and the hot days became unbearable. Most of your days off were spent trying to distract yourself from the pain in your chest, the pain that had come with the absence of Harry. He hadn't called you since that night when you'd walked out, hadn't tried to text, facetime you, or even email you. He'd left you with silence and it was all because you'd walked out. 

"You always do this to yourself," you thought as you jogged through the empty park, your forehead  shining with the sweat you'd worked up, "You push people and then blame them when they don't come back to you." 

It was true, this hadn't been the first time a relationship had gone to shit because of your fear of getting close. That's all the fight with Harry had been, an excuse to push him away so that you wouldn't end up on the floor with your crushed up heart. Not that it had helped much, but at least you'd ended things in a way that hadn't crushed your entire soul. But finding distractions became harder and harder as the days went on, everything was just so...Harry. 

Some nights, when your favorite bottle of wine ad tempted you into a glass or two, or three, you'd find yourself sitting on the sofa in your apartment. You'd relived that night more time than you could remember, frowning as you couldn't remember whether you'd both said goodbye. That was what had hurt the most, knowing that you loved Harry and through your fear of it, you never even said goodbye or had that final kiss. You'd just left and hoped you'd see him again. 

"Um, hi Harry," you mumbled into your phone, staring up at the ceiling as you took a few seconds to collect your mind. 

Maybe the wine had given you the courage that you didn't know existed, or maybe the pain in your chest from finally realizing he was gone had kicked you into gear. You'd picked up the phone and clicked on his contact, seeing the smiley picture he'd taken one of the first tines you'd hung out as his contact, before calling him up. You'd hoped he was back, not wanting him to be across an ocean where the sun was high in the sky and his voice would answer back. You wouldn't know what to do if he'd actually answered, so his voicemail message had you letting out a sigh of relief. 

"I know that things were left rather...shitty," you mumbled, chewing on your bottom lip as you sorted through your thoughts, "But I just, I want you to know that I think about where it went wrong a lot these days. I thought that if I gave us space and let us both clear our heads we'd be able to fix whatever this is."

It was true, you'd wanted to give him the space to process the fight. You two hadn't been exclusive, something you'd both been pretty open about since the beginning, but you still loved him no matter how much it terrified you. You'd given him the space to breathe and figure out if you and all your issues would be worth it. And now that there had been radio silence for weeks, you decided getting your own closure would send him the message that you understood. 

"I just...I hope you remember the way it was during the good times," you said, the crack in your voice replaced by you clearing your throat, "How soft and whole it was. You made me...gosh, I don't think I've ever felt so loved in my life before."

Loving Harry had always been something you were terrified to admit to yourself. It still was in a way, but you knew you had to tell him the truth, even if it fell on deaf ears. He deserved to know that he was loved and that it was by you. That even if the silence between you two lasted until your last breathes were taken, you had loved him and it had been a privilege to do so. No matter how bad things had ended and no matter if he'd felt the same, you'd loved him and if he gave you the chance, you would love him still. 

"I hope you still think of me, maybe that's why I get this warm feeling sometimes when I'm alone. Maybe it's you thinking about us. I hope I see you again soon, bub," you sighed quietly, holding back the tears as your voice began to shake, "I love you." 

It wasn't until the call was hung up and your phone laid across from you on the coffee table that you let the tears fall. It'd been a mess from the beginning, casual hookups which led to more and more time spent together. Maybe if you had tried hard enough to work on you fears or maybe if you'd let him in more than you shut him out he'd still be here. But with your voicemail sent and your cheeks wet from tears, you decided all you could do was hope Harry would listen to the voicemail. And maybe, just maybe, he'd remember you just once more.

taglist: @hrrypinks​ @matchacal

[ratsoh-writes]

Okay okay, now I have time. Ranking is on how well I'd get along with them.

Sans: 9/10 because of white chocolate. Seriously when you said white chocolate peanut butter cups I gagged. But on the plus side he will eat any white chocolate I get so I don't feel bad about throwing it out. Small friendly lazy friend, possibly something more. I too fall asleep with cuddles. But don't call me kid.

Papyrus: honestly 5/10. He ain't bad! He's cool! But I don't think we'd have much chemistry friend or more. Just waving as we pass by eachother and a few greetings or small questions. Not sure how to end conversations.

Star: 6/10. I feel like I could actually talk with him occasionally because of his charisma, but for the same reason I personally wouldn't get too close because I can never tell when super charismatic people are lying vs being honest. Sorry star! It's me, not you.

Honey: 7/10 I'd feel like we'd get along pretty well, but it would require some kind of catalyst to get there. 50/50 on if it would every be anything more than friends

Red: 7/10, I'm probably be on the fence of hanging out with him until I saw him being buddies with oak and then I'd know he's cool. 50/50 relationship potential

Edge: 5/10 I like him but we are in two different places. I would try to at least be on his good side, though. Probably wouldn't attempt unless we frequently met up for some reason.

Mal: 4/10 a little envious of his confidence but my brain would get too insecure around him. He cool. But we probably wouldn't be friends.

Cash: 5/10 he's alright but like Papyrus I don't think we'd every have a reason to interact. I will watch him pull pranks, but I do not want to get on his radar.

Oak: another 9/10. I feel like he would be harder to approch but the moment he tells a pun or a small puppy comes up to him I am pulled like a magnet. However I do want kids (I'm sorry, oak, it already happened) so he'd either have to get over that if we'd ship. I'm fine managing it myself. I do totally relate with some memory issues as I have face blindness so maybe we can share tips

Willow: 7/10 he cool. We have a lot in common! Too much in common. We could either help eachother or stress eachother out and I don't know which way it would go. Also his dog is scary.

Lord: 5/10. He's okay. I'd be friends with him but his conspiracies would have me worried about what other things he believes if I don't know him well enough and I might not do so because of that. Eh. 10% dating potential because he's thoughtful.

Mutt: 3/10. Nothing against him but the moment he realizes I don't read books for fun I think it's gonna be weird. I'd support him by buying his books but I would never read them, no matter how critically acclaimed it is.

Wine: 4/10 again I don't think our personalities would ever get the opportunity to get to know eachother, he's fine but I am not fashion. I own one pair of heels and I will not own more. I am looking respectfully at his kissing, though. Perfect domestic kisses thumbs up.

Coffee: 8/10. We will communicate by leaving small gifts for eachother. Pumpkin spice season will arrive and we will thrive together. 40% chance of romance he may be too similar. Bestie material.

Charm: 7/10 I think we'd be friends without benefits. I don't mind the topic of flirting but I'm also not 'bothered' by it.

Sugar: 7/10 because I'd like hanging out with him but I also can't relate to the hopeless romantic side of him so relationship def wouldn't work. Also ace.

Pluto: 5/10. Again! He's great! Just like Papyrus! I dunno. I don't have the same interests and... Oh okay, he's floating away again, bye

Jupiter: 3/10 too loud too much energy. I'm sure you're great just not for me even as friends

Pop: 8/10 I relate to him, especially the introvertness. I will leave him sticky notes near the vents. We will be pen pals.

Rhythm: 7/10 he is very impressive and passionate! But also too charismatic for me and also I give up when I am frustrated with dancing so I will admire from afar.

Peaches: 10/10 I didn't think about it until I ranked him but he's a good one! I would crush hard. Dunno if I'd be his type though.

Rancher: 7/10 👀👀👀 he STRONK but I am probably too intimated. I work hard enough for me but I'd feel like it's not enough for Rancher.

Mafia boys: I'll be honest mafia is a big no so I'm roasting them

Snipe: 0/10 holy shit the paranoia? Do you know how many red flags that is, BYE

Bruiser: 0/10 man you got some ISSUES and you need to work on those, --like actually take a moment!! -- by yourself LATER

Butch: 1/10 at least I know what to expect but Y I K E S

Boss: 2/10 no thanks but I get the vibe he seems like a good tipper so I'll give him that.

Ace: 1/10 charismatic and mafia? See ya never! 🏃

Slim: 2/10 I'm sure you're nice and all but I'll probably never see you and let's keep it that way

G: 8/10 he's fun but maybe too much for me in large doses. I bet he'd be my work husband but nothing beyond that.

Green: 9/10 independent, fatherly and polite? Sign me UP. -1 point for his tiny plants because if he gives me one to cherish I will accidently/maybe on purpose murder it, I don't care how hard it is to kill succulents. Please don't give me potted plants. In the ground I'll try but not potted.

Rust: 7/10 because I'd probably get jealous of his kid magnetism and second guess myself a lot. Otherwise he's cool.

Noir: 8/10 yeah man, let's hang out and see where this goes :)

Lilac: 5/10 he's a good guy but.. too many old ladies, too social for me.

Basil: 6/10 I think we'd be neighbor friends who wave and ask to borrow something. Look at the lawn after yardwork. Yeup.

Oh dang! You did the whole lot!!

Lol I love how you roast the mafia boys. I’m surprised boss and slim got as high as they did.

Willows dog chaos can be nice. She’s a 50/50 but if she likes you then it’s all clear

Peaches is 100% husband material

[blushing-starker]

Having a boyfriend that's a natural rule breaker becomes even more tedious because now it's two people conspiring together, itching to shatter social norms. Sure, they won't pull the fire alarm stunt to get out of a quiz (that's more Rocket and Groot's style), place mirrors on front steps to confuse Fury and nearly give the principal a heart attack (Loki with an exasperated Thor and cackling Hela) or hire a mariachi band to follow hall monitor Alexander Pierce (Steve had joined Bucky and Sam in that one); they'd never sneak into the air vents, fill them with glitter so the haughty board of directors would be covered in pink sparkles when they cranked the ac (Clint and Nat).

Ok, they did help with that last one, buying the shimmering stuff from T'Challa's sister and slipping five jars into Clint's backpack, but they didn't actually go into the vents.

But that's not the point. The point is there are limits to their rule breaking; Tony's spot on the football team and Peter's participation in the art club too important to risk on something as silly as skipping a quiz. No, they thanked their best friends, unhooked the window lock and slithered out only after finishing and handing in the quiz. They weren't amateurs.

Still, Peter knows Tony literally couldn't have chosen a worse time for their impromptu lunch date. (Luckily, he'd expected this exact situation.)

"Tony, they don't even have bad food today. We could just wait until the bell rang to meet up and eat at the bleachers. Like we always do a day before a big game."

His boyfriend swivels around, hooks nimble fingers into his belt loops to pull Peter closer, never once stumbling even while walking backwards. The grin he shows is manic, just this side of wild to let Peter know this isn't about haunting nightmares and bouts of anxiety. This is normal, too high on a feeling Tony Stark. Which means he won't head back to school unless Peter pulls out all the stops...

He's too exhausted from last night's art project to use up energy on the puppy eyes. So he sighs, tugs on the blue varsity jacket Tony loves to show off, kisses a dimple before turning this untamed creature around.

"Come on, I found a new route to that shawarma place with MJ and Ned last week." It sounds exasperated, but Tony knows Peter will do anything to keep him happy. Well. Not anything. There's only so many times they can discuss Star Wars before simply agreeing to disagree on whether Han and Luke are pan or bi.

"What, and you tell me this now?", Tony squawks indignantly from Peter's left side, freezing nose nuzzling into Peter's neck as revenge.

Like a robber caught sneaking into a vault, he raises his hands instantly before shoving Tony away.

"Hey, you were focusing on practice! If I told you, you'd bring Rhodey, he'd bring T'Challa and then Shuri would pop up and who goes where she goes? Bucky, which means Steve and Sam, who'd already be there thanks to Rhodey and of course Clint would somehow appear with Nat. We'd be together so Ned and MJ are gonna be teasing with Betty and half the guys in our grade have a crush on Nat, or MJ or Shuri or Betty or you. So what's the end result? The entire football, soccer, basketball and swim team eating shawarma a week before the games. I am not hearing Coach Coulson scold me for you guys breaking diet again. I'm already on his list, another situation like that and I'll have to run fifteen laps around the field."

"Oh come on, you can do those in your sleep." He could, but again, not the point.

"With a weighted backpack, Tony."

"Yeah, I can see why you wouldn't want that."

"Before cycling fifteen laps and then swimming fifteen laps."

"Jesus, why would he even do that?" Tony looks at him then, disgruntled at the thought of his boyfriend doing all that.

He shrugs, doesn't want to explain Peter had done it once when it all got too much and he'd needed to release the pent up energy. He hadn't noticed Coach watching him, ready to come help if he hurt himself. They'd talk afterwards, Coulson making him promise to never do that alone. Now it became a reward and a punishment. Peter won the art contest? Fifteen everything to focus his mind and not go jumping off walls in his excitement.

His students wolfing down a thousand calories before a game? Fifteen everything so Peter would at least "time it so it's not during the season, Jesus". To be fair to Peter, Tony participated in almost all the sports teams so scheduling was hard.

"Listen, just don't eat a whole animal, ok? We can split it, eat enough," he glares at Tony, pushing through even as the puppy eyes come out, "and then head to the movies. They're showing Aliens for a few days cuz of Halloween and I already texted the guys to come during lunch."

His boyfriend, smart and sharp and witty, just blinks at him. "But we have class after lunch."

"Technically, but I convinced Mr Pym to let the class out of lab so we could all hang out. It's the one class we share so now the whole group can see it together."

Tony stops, eyes wide and mouth open.

"You, what, planned this?"

"Yeah, something fun before tomorrow to take it off your mind for a while. Or, you know, not make it stand out as much. I know how focused you get, and it's really great, having that as a goal, strategizing and taking it seriously. But I also know it can be a lot, so I thought we should all hang out since each of us has something coming up and we aren't spending much time together. Which I get, responsibilities and family and school; I just missed it and I can't be the only one, right? So yeah, this was planned. Like, two weeks ago. When MJ found the new route, it was like a sign. And I really want you to relax and enjoy the whole, I have friends that care for me and a boyfriend that loves-"

He slaps a hand on his mouth, eyes impossibly wide and cheeks flaming. Tony and Peter stand immobile, the world reduced to beat up sneakers breaking the simplicity of yellow lines on black, a flickering neon sign telling them the shawarma place is open and two hearts slowly starting to beat again after that confession.

Ned would say it's romantic. MJ would bluntly remind them it's a bad idea to stand in the middle of the road even if they're saying I love you. And with good reason, since there's the telltale roar of a car bursting with teenagers, voices howling out the lyrics to an AC/DC song. And of course Peter notices the noise of rubber swerving against gravel, the screeching of old brakes and a few terrified shrieks harmonizing with a sharp wind blasting into him out of nowhere. Before he can react, Tony is there, wrapping his arms around Peter and shoving them both into the little patch of grass that grows from a crack in dirty pavement.

There's a moment where his whole world flips, tumbles until he screws his eyes shut and prepare himself for whatever the fuck caused that noise. But nothing comes. Only a sigh blowing a stray curl away from his forehead. But a sigh? Why would?

Tony.

He gasps, jolts upright and apologizes when that just serves to jostle his boyfriend further into the ground. His boyfriend who'd flip them so Peter wouldn't be hurt. Tony is peering at him through half shut eyes, discomfort clear on the grimace he tried to transform into a sheepish grin.

"So, you love me, huh?"

It's the stupidest thing Tony Stark has ever said.

"What the fuck were you thinking? You could have gotten hurt, you could have shattered a wrist, dislocated a shoulder, torn an ACL, bent a leg-"

"This is not what I expected. Also it was a three foot leap forward on grass, I'm fine, Peter."

"Or bashed your head, or busted an arm and then what would you do for the game tomorrow? Who the hell does that?"

"The guy you love, apparently."

"That's not the point, Tony, that's unimportant because you nearly got hurt. Christ, Coulson will slaughter me if there's a scratch on you, and then your mom would be sad and I'd be sad because, what would I do without you? And don't you ever do that again, I can't take it. I am not losing you, Tony. God, why would you do that, risk so much on-"

"On you? Babe, I'd do it again. Ok, not the right thing to say based on the whole face thing you got going on right now. But just hear me out. Don't, stop hitting me, ow, why are you hitting, how are you this strong, Jesus. Ow, stop it. Peter, for fuck's sakes, I love you, you animal. Now please let go of the jacket, it'll get wrinkles."

His hands unclasp the soft cotton, Tony falling back with a groan and Peter's unhinged jaw snapping shut after fifteen seconds of letting the flies in.

It's a wonderful thing, hearing the guy he's loved for so long say it back, say he loves Peter.

It's also fucking stupid since there's even more reason to not do stunts like that.

"You're an idiot. I'm in love with a guy that has one shared brain cell with Steve. You could have been hurt, Tony. And what would that have done, huh?"

His boyfriend sighs yet again, wraps an arm around Peter to push them from the ground and heads to the car where their friends are gawking. He waves them off, offers a "Yeah, I know I'm amazing, no, I didn't break anything, T'challa, yes, I can play, Jesus, Rogers, I can read you like a book. I appreciate the worry, Bruce; Nat, thanks for calming him down. Rhodes, excellent driving. No need to hog the seats, Sam, we need to settle in. Peter, you can keep cursing me out if you, yeah, see how it's nice being fun size when you fit in my lap in a car full of people. What, I'm not walking after that, I don't care if it's til we reach the parking. Let's go, Rhodes. Pepper, I'm fine. "

Clint offers a high five. Tony responds and that's that. Out of sight, Ned gives him a fist bump and MJ keeps on reading her book. It could just be his imagination, but Tony's sure she's smiling, approval clear on her face. He preens, glad to have her blessing, and settles his head on Peter's fluffy hair.

-----

When they're all laughing in a booth, smashed together and picking food off of everyone's plate, Peter nuzzles the crook of his neck, holds his hand and squeezes it. Tony smiles, lights up and shoves at Sam's face when the trio of best friends tease him for puffing his chest out when his boyfriend ever so softly says, "I love you."

"I love you, too." The table whoops and calls for another round of food and Coca-Cola, their family grinning at them and fondly teasing the new couple. Tony grins back, high on this feeling of warmth and happiness and safety and love.

And then Peter presses ice cold lips onto his neck and he lets out a shout, pain coursing through him when a knee slams into the table. His eyes water and through the haze of agony he sees their friends exchanging cash, some grumbling and others smirking. Rhodey and MJ, he notes, are the ones that win the most. They high five before pocketing the cash and ordering dessert.

Peter kisses his cheek, smile innocent and eyes wicked. It's his own fault Tony snatches an ice cube and slips it below his Nirvana shirt. He only has five seconds to lord his victory over Peter before there's ice cream being smeared on his cheek. They battle then, accidentally sending food into Wanda's lap, Clint's hair and Bucky's face.

In less than a minute they are all covered in shawarma and participating in the fight. Peter shrieks when Tony pulls him into his lap, gets chicken on the varsity jacket and tries to wriggle away. But Tony kisses him, tastes ice cream and joy, thanks whoever decided to give him a break and find this incredible person dozing on the roof of the school with Ned and MJ one spring afternoon. Peter kisses back and, at the same time, they say, confidently, honestly,

"I love you."

This is dedicated to @drarryismyshit07

[tsrookie]

Alright, so today’s the three-year anniversary of Reputation a.k.a the greatest album of all time, my baby, the light of my life, the album that deserved a Grammy (trying desperately not to think about the scene from Miss Americana😭), the album that introduced us to the most beautiful couple ever, the album that shut Kimye up, and I better stop now, or else I’m not gonna shut up.

So in honour of this momentous occasion (and the fact that I reached 200+ followers! Thank you so much you guys!🥺 Love you all 3000💙), here’s a loooooong post on why Reputation is the Ethan and MC album.

1. ...Ready For It?

No one has to know

Throwback to MC saying the exact same words back in Miami.

In the middle of the night, in my dreams

You should see the things we do, baby, mmm

In the middle of the night, in my dreams

I know I'm gonna be with you

So I take my time

Remember back when MC asked for Ethan to get into bed right away during their first time? Ethan told them that he had dreamt about the moment for months, so he wasn’t going to rush it.

2. End Game

Big reputation, big reputation

Ooh you and me would be a big conversation

These two dating would be the talk of the hospital, and they know it.

Even when we'd argue, we don't do it for long

And you understand the good and bad, end up in the song

For all your beautiful traits, and the way you do it with ease

For all my flaws, paranoia, and insecurities

Think these lines are pretty self-explanatory😌

I hit you like bang

We tried to forget it, but we just couldn't

*gets war flashbacks of the ‘reset’ phase*😭 They tried to make it work, but we all know how Ch 8 of book 2 went😌

I swear I don't love the drama, it loves me

Perfect for our chaotic MC😌

3. Don’t Blame Me

Do I... really have to explain this one?

For you, I would cross the line

I would waste my time

I would lose my mind

They say she's gone too far this time

Do we need a recap of our rule-breaking MC?

And baby, for you, I would fall from grace

Just to touch your face

If you walk away

I'd beg you on my knees to stay

He was willing to risk his (mostly) rule-abiding reputation for being with MC. And there’s no way he wouldn’t beg for MC not to leave him if he ever screwed up🤷‍♀️

4. Delicate

This ain't for the best

My reputation's never been worse, so

You must like me for me

Ethan stood by MC’s side throughout the Ethics hearing, when her reputation was completely smeared, and people only saw her as a patient murderer. He didn’t know about the sabotages, but he would’ve definitely supported her if he had known.

We can't make

Any promises now, can we, babe?

Commitment-phobia🙃

Sometimes I wonder when you sleep

Are you ever dreaming of me?

Sometimes when I look into your eyes

I pretend you're mine, all the damn time

They spent so much of time apart, not able to be with each other, so the least they could do was dream of being with each other all the time.

5. So It Goes (an underrated af bop)

What can I say... it’s a sex song, okay? Don’t make me go into the details😂 Just listen to the lyrics, and all will be clear.

6. Gorgeous (Tumblr won’t let me put any more links)

MC’s eternal anthem to Ethan.

Whisky on ice, Sunset and Vine

You've ruined my life, by not being mine

We all know Ethan loves Whiskey, and the second line? C’mon!

You're so gorgeous

I can't say anything to your face

'Cause look at your face

And I'm so furious

At you for making me feel this way

But, what can I say?

You're gorgeous

Ethan Ramsey is famous for two reasons. One: his smart brain, I guess😒 Two: HIS LOOKS!!! HE’S GORGEOUS, AND DON’T DENY IT.

And you should think about the consequence

Of you touching my hand in the darkened room (dark room, dark room)

Ah, the olden days of hand holding in the diagnostics office🥺

Ocean blue eyes looking in mine

I feel like I might sink and drown and die

No explanation required.

You make me so happy, it turns back to sad, yeah

There's nothing I hate more than what I can't have

You are so gorgeous it makes me so mad

The wonderful will-they-won’t-they saga. The frustrating hot-and-cold behaviour. The ‘We can’t’, ‘It’s unethical’ and ‘It’s complicated’. MC deserves an award for her patience😓

7. King Of My Heart

I'm perfectly fine, I live on my own

I made up on my mind, I'm better off bein' alone

Ethan ‘I don’t believe in soulmates and nobody’s waiting at home’ Ramsey.

And all at once, you are the one I have been waiting for

King of my heart, body and soul, ooh whoa

And all at once, you are all I want, I'll never let you go

King of my heart, body and soul, ooh whoa

This could be from both Ethan and MC’s perspectives. The love they share isn’t something that you get easily. It’s something that MC has waited for her whole life, and something Ethan never knew he needed, but now can’t live without🥺

Late in the night, the city's asleep

Your love is a secret I'm hoping, dreaming, dying to keep

Change my priorities

The taste of your lips is my idea of luxury

This was definitely Ethan throughout book 2, after he finally gave in. He let go of his previous rules and regulations, especially during the time of the attack. He was clearly affected, and once MC was alright, his main priority was her, and her alone.

Is the end of all the endings?

My broken bones are mending

With all these nights we're spending

Ethan’s been burnt a lot in the past. But all those wounds are now healing thanks to MC.

Up on the roof with a school girl crush

Drinking beer out of plastic cups

They act like lovesick teenagers around each other, like, that’s literally their description if you choose to kiss Ethan for the first time in Chapter 14 of book 2!😅

Say you fancy me, not fancy stuff

Baby, all at once, this is enough

We all know about his initial fear of his mother reaching out to him for the sake of his money. To him, MC not talking advantage of him is a pretty big deal, even though it’s never mentioned. You just know, you know?🥺

8. Dancing With Our Hands Tied

My, my love had been frozen

Deep blue, but you painted me golden

Again, Ethan doesn’t have the best experience with love. But MC changed that.

I'm a mess, but I'm the mess that you wanted

This could go both ways, cause they’re both piping hot messes😬 (but love each other anyway🥺)

The rest of this song could have made so much more sense for them if we had gotten some sort of a secret relationship storyline. But oh well, I’m definitely not complaining about the gala😌 (and definitely not believing any of the supposed cancelled storylines)

9. Dress

Our secret moments

In a crowded room

They got no idea

About me and you

I mean... pretty obvious😌

Even in my worst times, you could see the best of me

And I woke up just in time

Now I wake up by your side

My one and only, my lifeline

This is practically Ethan’s train of thought, and you can’t convince me otherwise.

As for the rest of the steamier lyrics... I’ll um... let you guys listen to it yourselves😁

10. Call It What You Want

I wrote an entire fic inspired by this song, so excuse me for the shameless self-promo, but go give it a read?🥺👉👈(totally fine if you don’t! I’ve probably made so many posts about this song that y’all know the meaning anyway😅)

11. New Years Day

Don't read the last page

But I stay when you're lost and I'm scared and you're turning away

I want your midnights

But I'll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Year's Day

MC has always stayed by Ethan’s side, even when he’s pushed her away. These lines perfectly explain how she wants his worst times, and his best, the midnights they spend staying up together, and the moments where it’s just the two of them, when everyone else has left, like the aftermath of a New Years party (still mad at the fact that we didn’t get to see the gang celebrate New Year together😭)

I'll be there if you're the toast of the town babe

Or if you strike out and you're crawling home

The above explanation for these lines as well.

Please don't ever become a stranger whose laugh I could recognize anywhere

Becoming strangers to each other would be their worst nightmares. Knowing that the other was out there in the world somewhere, but not being in their lives would kill them.

You and me forevermore

These two are each other’s soulmate, they know it, even if they haven’t said it yet. Forever wouldn’t be enough for them to shower each other with they love they hold for each other. But it’s a good start.

——————————

If you guys made it this far, then I honestly love you more than words can ever express🥺💙 Thanks for putting up with my Swiftie-Directioner-Ethan stan ass, cause I dunno if I’d ever be able to handle someone like myself. And if you read all the above stuff, then I hope you wanna know why this album means so much to me.

Reputation is perceived as a dark album, when in reality it’s truly about finding love amongst all the noise. This album, and Taylor and Joe’s story, taught me what true love actually is, and Ethan and MC cemented that. This album and these two couples (quite literally) saved my life.

The most beautiful part about both these relationships is that even though they never showed it openly, for the sake of their relationships, both Ethan(in the story) and Joe stood by the side of the one’s they loved, despite half of the people who they knew hating on them, or betraying them. And I think that’s what’s truly important. Forming a true relationship like that, be it platonic or romantic, is long lasting, and I hope everyone finds those kind of people to fill their hearts with. Sending much love, and sorry for being a huge sap😅💙

Tagging a couple of my Swiftie homies: @swiftlydarcy @nikki-2406 @dxnicaramsey @kaavyaethanramsey @caseyvalentineramsey @drariellevalentine @justanotherrookie

[madly-handsome]

I Have Two Hands

Thank you @accidentally-logince for reviving the emotions in my heart to write and finish a fic with this post. Thank you for the motivation you provided for my feeble mind and tainted heart. You're a blessing to this fandom and Earth 💖

---------------------------------------------------

Words: no clue for once. We're gonna wing it

Pairings: LAMP

Warning: angst, bad language, magic

---------------------------------------------------

If someone else had been in Virgil's steel toed shoes...it'd be impossible for them to comprehend.

"Patton, I feel it is an appropriate time to share that I have romantic feelings towards you"

"What?? No fair, I’m in love with Patton!"

"I HAVE!!!!!! TWO HANDS!!!!!!"

Ugh. The side hidden in the shadows on the stairs felt sick.

Like acid was churning and filling his stomach, feeding off of his flesh from the inside out. Look at them, all carefree and careless. It wasn't his fault he wasn't good at communicating how he felt! Why else would he want to be distant from Patton? He didn't hate him...he just...didn't know how to feel.

Then there was Logan. That nerd deserved the best and Virgil fucking knew it.

And Roman? Well...he was warming up to him. Sweet when the royal wished to be. Virgil didn't want to admit it.

"No, this shall not be an easy battle. There is only one way to settle this."

Roman drew his sword, pointing it towards Logan, the sunlight glinting from the blade blinding Virgil. "Taste my blade you treacherous mage!"

"Quite dramatic for something that could be so simple," Logan smirked, opening the book in his arms to hover his fingertips over the flipping pages, eyes hidden behind shining lenses. "But I love a challenge."

The apartment vanished in a blink of light, shielding Virgil from the change. A whimper tore at his vocal chords, gripping onto his bow like his life depended on it. He pulled his hood over his head, attempting to protect himself from the blinding sunlight. His eyes healed, revealing a circular arena filled with shadows and nameless faces. He stood hidden in the stone column entrance, knuckles white as he watched his friends quarrel amongst themselves.

"My loves, please don't fight!" Patton gasped softly, dropping his staff at his feet. "Look! We can hold hands!" He outstretched his open palms to both sides, pleading to end this idiocy. Virgil's chest tightened over his heart's pleas. He wished he could make his dreams come true, but he rolled his contrasting eyes to reawaken the reality.

"Regain your strength my heart. Should your chest yield to him, you will have to clean his wounds after I'm through." Roman swore, keeping his poise as he kept a sturdy position.

"Oh please, like I could be battered with so easily." Logan sneered as liquid danced around him. "Patton is my night sky, and I'm the lucky one to view him in his beauty. You're still sleeping when he is shining above our undeserving eyes, oh master of arms."

"A mere mage knowing my sleep schedule?" He laughed nervously, "I most certainly do not sleep at such an early time. My darling Patton is the most beautiful gem in a sky so dark and horrid. I'm well aware of his undying beauty and grace."

"Lies are untasteful Prince."

Virgil was getting tired of their antics.

He snapped his arrow to the string of his bow, peering down the silver rod as he breathed evenly. Aim at their hands...not their hearts. They threatened to thread red strings with nimble fingers. It wasn't their say! It was time to kill time itself!

Shick!

Thunk!

Roman shrieked, "Son of a-!"

"If you yearn to make promises you can't keep, then you don't deserve our dear strategist."

Virgil finally embraced the limelight, straightening his back as his feet fell on the dirt ground. His violet strands flicked like waves in a violent breeze as his hips swayed in promise. These idiots had to learn to get over their egos and listen. Their voices bounced off of the damp stone walls and crumbling stability, it shouldn't be that hard. If Patton wanted to hold both of their hands, then he should be able to do just that. The rogue's purple hood helplessly flew off his head, revealing himself to the ones who held his heart in their own ways, another arrow snapped on the string.

"Virgil!!" Patton gasped, eyes gleaming with tears. "I...I-I can have three hands if you want!"

Warmth spread through his heart and reached his lips into a sunny smile. "You're great...just the way you are Pat."

"And you shall not interefere you fowl beast!" Roman declared, pointing the tip of his sword towards his new foe, nursing his injured hand at his side. He had to feel trapped now with two long ranged foes stationed at either side of him. Pity almost overtook Virgil's resolve, but one glance at Patton's woeful eyes erased it all.

"You shouldn't interfere with things you cannot understand Virgil," Logan said lowly, hesitation swimming in his own irises, "Retreat now while you still can."

"Patton's close to me, and I won't let either of you hurt him."

"We'd never do such blasphemous things!" Roman huffed, advancing towards Virgil with a cry.

Virgil's blown irises glowed neon purple as dark clouds overhead flew over the sun. "Then fucking listen to him!"

Roman screamed as the cloaked figure dodged him, jumping back and firing an arrow at his shoulder. Red seeped through his white tunic, matching with his sash. "You're losing this game Prince."

Waves washed over Virgil, drowning him in fear! Fuck, what was this? Last he heard, Logan wasn't at this level of sorcery. His limbs yearned to swim, but he was frozen still...shut down instantly.

"I got stronger since our last sparring match," the mage nodded, having read his mind.

A blur of red flew above Virgil's head, watching as Roman swung two swords above his head.

"Roman?" Virgil whispered, genuinely shocked that he could still move.

The waves crashed, shooting up into the clouds above in retaliation. Virgil hacked up a lungful of liquid, watching as Roman deeply cut Logan's shoulders with a cry. The mage hissed in agony, rain gently carressing their skin to sooth each wound. Blue and Red fell from above like rain, empty...still carefree.

This was pointless and stupid.

Patton sprung quicker than lightening, catching both of them before they could fall on the cracked floor below. Virgil couldn't move, each breath ragged from loss of breath. The other two seemed to be just as tired, being surprisingly quiet in Patton's hold.

The strategist cocooned Virgil between the other two idiots that fell so hard.

"You should have known better," Patton lectured softly, carressing Roman and Logan's cheeks to rest his forehead against Virgil's. "I love all of you and you know that. Fighting doesn't solve anything."

"Sorry Popstar," Virgil hummed, his face heating as their skin touched. He knew better, but did the other two? He opened his palms, offering his hands to whoever wished for them.

"Yeah, I'm sorry too." Roman sighed, brushing his fingers against Virgil's tenderly. The pads of their fingers connected for the first time, greeting each individualized pattern with reverence. Virgil's blue and brown irises flicked to Roman's soft and sweet gaze, pastel pink lips mirroring the flavor. A short gasp trickled down the rogue's throat, fires heating his cheeks at the contact. Their fingers danced, unsure of how such a connection was to be carried out. It was scary, allowing such intimacy between them. Could they? Roman's bravery brought his hand to think so, closing the remaining space between them to fit into the empty spaces between Virgil's fingers. Roman's warmth radiated from him, filling their hearts with warmth as Patton took his other hand to heal.

"Roman," Virgil whispered warmly, afraid to break their connectuon if he spoke any louder. "You fought bravely."

His other hand felt a soft brush of foreign skin, eyes unafraid to dart to his other side to meet cool, dark, stormy seas. There was a hint of sadness and protectiveness in Logan's seas, surging with unsure ripples around his pupils. Streams threatened to fall as the rain licked at his face. Nimble fingers tested the waters, lightly creeping across Virgil's palm. They were so soft, the rogue craved this taste. His hand was pliant, afraid to scare the other away so easily. He could feel the other's bones beneath his skin, meant for absorbing information instead of love...or so Logan thought. Virgil knew better. He eagerly curled his fingers when Logan's slid between his, pressing their arms close for contact.

"I appreciate your attempt at intervening," Logan whispered, his smile softer than the puffball healing their wounds.

"You were both very stupid," Virgil grumbled, lightly tightening his hands in theirs, "But at least we could be stupid together."

"Saaaap!" Patton giggled, giving each of them a kiss on the head. "There! My boys are all better now~"

They sighed in content as Patton snuggled on top of Virgil, placing both of his hands over theirs. The sky ended it's tears, brightening their vision behind their eyes. Virgil couldn't see, but he could still feel them, and most importantly, he could still feel with them.

[katedrakeohd]

#Wacky Drabbles

Prompt #4 we need to identify the source of the problem

For @emceesynonymroll and my fellow:

Wacky Drabblers: @jessiembruno @brightpinkpeppercorn @jovialyouthmusic @sirbeepsalot @bobasheebaby @burnsoslow

@qween-corgis

Rated: PG for swearing

Word count: approx 3000

Dinner Discourse

Drake sits at the kitchen table watching Kate help her mother prepare dinner. He can't help but notice how much Kate and Lorraine look alike in their matching aprons. Although Lorraine’s hair is shorter and contains more grey, it's similar in color to Kate’s, and they're close to being the same height. While Kate chops ingredients for salad, her mother is stirring a pot of sauce on the stove. As they chat quietly at the counter, Lorraine periodically scolds Kate for talking with her hands while she's holding a knife.

Lorraine glances over her shoulder at Drake when he starts chuckling, “I didn't know that preparing food was a spectator sport. Or that it was so entertaining.”

Drake grins back, “I like to watch Kate work in the kitchen. It's such a rare thing to see these days. Besides if you think she looks dangerous talking with a knife in her hand you should have seen her cut our wedding cake with a sword!”

Kate shoots a glare at Drake for mentioning the wedding that her Mom wasn't even invited to. When her Mom's mouth drops open in shock, Kate gestures toward her with the knife in her hand and gives him a disapproving look. Seriously? He shrugs back at her and mouths sorry.

Lorraine admonishes Kate for her reckless behavior, “Seriously? Isn't using a sword a little bit dramatic even if you are a Duchess now?”

Kate pops a slice of cucumber into her mouth before answering. “Well the sword was a wedding gift. At least it was thoroughly cleaned off before the cake cutting. It came in very handy when I was fighting assassins earlier that day.” Kate's amused by her Mom's wide eyed expression when she looks at Drake to confirm what she's just heard.

“Fighting off assassins on your wedding day? You can't be serious.”

Drake gets up from the table and walks over to give Kate a hug from behind and a kiss on the cheek. “Oh we're deadly serious. The two of us were even kidnapped from our wedding reception. Your daughter and I fought off a whole crew of bad guys with the help of our friends. Kate is a total badass.”

Lorraine steps back from the stove, her hand going to her hip as she tries to make sense of what she's hearing. She points her finger at them both. “Oh my God why didn't you tell me any of this? Or that you were in so much danger?” Although the question is directed at Kate, her eyes are glaring at Drake accusingly as if it's his fault her daughter was in harm's way.

Kate leans back into Drake and his arms tighten around her protectively. “Look Mom, it's not like you could have done anything about my situation. I have Drake to protect me, and I have bodyguards and powerful friends who will always have my back. I'm not some quivering flower either. Besides I survived living in New York city by myself long before Drake even met me.”

“All kidding aside Mrs. Darling, I love Kate and I'd never let anything bad happen to her. I've taken a bullet for her, and even won a duel against a trained swordsman in defense of her honor. I assure you she's in good hands.” Drake insists.

Turning back to the stove to tend to the pots and picking up her spoon again, Lorraine shakes her head and sighs. “The fact that you had to put your own life on the line and be so brave to protect my daughter does little to reassure me Drake. As much as I appreciate you being there for her, it's the fact that there are people out there wanting to do her harm that worries me.”

Kate pats Drake on the arm and then he lets her go back to finish making the salad.

“I told you Drake, my Mom's no pushover. You'll have to rope the darn moon to make her happy.”

Lorraine chuckles, “Well I don't know about roping the moon, but he can start by setting the table for dinner.”

Drake nods, “Yes ma'am.” And after being shown where to find everything he goes to work setting the table for four.

Kate steals glances at Drake as he moves from cupboard to table. As she watches him place each item carefully, she can't help but smile. He catches her watching him and winks back with a grin. Lorraine sees Kate blush and look away, shaking her head.

“Geez daughter of mine I haven't seen you blush over a boy since you were in high school. He must really be something.”

Kate grins at her mother, “Oh you have no idea. He's more than just something, he's everything.”

Lorraine laughs, “I used to think the same thing about your Dad, until he ran away with his young Brazilian intern. But look at you going and landing yourself a Duke.”

Kate tosses the vegetables in the bowl with a pair of tongs. “Well ….actually he married a Duchess. He was just a poor homeless shmuck before he met me.”

Drake protests with a laugh, “Hey I wasn't homeless.”

“If I had accepted Nicholas’ proposal I would have so totally kicked you out of the Palace,” Kate teases as she places the salad bowl on the table.

Drake slips an arm around her back, untying her apron strings. “Well then this poor shmuck is lucky you turned him down then. Otherwise taking that bullet to the arm was a total waste of time.”

Lorraine turns around and leans against the counter, her arms crossed. “Oh my goodness you two lead interesting lives don't you? Bullets, assassins, multiple proposals it's like you live in a movie or a novel.”

Kate laughs, “Well actually we do! One of our friends documented the whole thing. I'll have to send you a copy of his book.”

“Well I suppose that's one way to get caught up on what I've been missing. I saw you two on the cover of a magazine at the grocery store, and couldn't believe it. I so wish I could have been at the wedding. It's not everyday that your daughter gets married and becomes a National hero at the same time.”

“Actually to make sure it was extra official we got married twice,” Kate chuckles as Drake wraps her in a hug.

When the oven timer beeps Lorraine grabs her oven mitts and takes the tray of meatballs out of the oven.

“What do you mean twice? Oh never mind, I don't need to know.” Lorraine sighs, turning off the oven.

While Lorraine is busy at the stove, Drake slips his hand behind Kate's apron and places it on her belly. He leans in and whispers into her ear. “Should we tell her?”

Kate tips her head to the side and gives him a kiss. “Sssh, not yet.”

Turning around from the stove, Lorraine unties her own apron and sets it aside. “Ok you love birds, save the smooching and sweet nothings for later. Dinner's ready and as soon as Carol gets home we'll dish up. In the meantime I need to round up the cats and feed them too.”

Kate's eyes light up, “Ooh can I help? I want to meet the kitties.”

She pulls off her apron and tosses it at Drake. “Here hold this for me. Can we trust you all by yourself in the kitchen with all this food?”

Drake's stomach growls. Between all the delicious smells in the kitchen he wasn't so sure he could be trusted. He grins, pulling out his phone. “I make no promises. But I'll try to distract myself by checking in with Mara and giving her a situation report.”

Lorraine frowns at Kate as they exit the kitchen. “Who's Mara?”

Kate reaches out and touches her arm to reassure her, “My bodyguard. She's back in Seattle at the hotel. It was tough to convince her to stay behind today. But I promised her we'd check in regularly, and contact the local authorities if anything bad happened.”

Her mother nods, “Does Drake have a bodyguard too?”

Kate glances over her shoulder back toward the kitchen as they go down the hall, lowering her voice. “He does, but Drake is so used to looking after himself that he rarely sees the need to give him much work outside of Cordonia. He left Preston back in Valtoria with instructions to keep watch over the estate.”

Back in the kitchen, Drake leans against the counter and talks to Mara on the phone. In his other hand is the remainder of his chocolate donut.

“Everything is fine Mara, aside from some delinquent water fowl there hasn't been anything to worry about.”

On the other end of the line Mara sounds agitated and out of breath, evidently she's been pacing the room and waiting for his call. “I don't like it. I should be there to keep an eye on you and Kate. With all the added attention this Royal Heir business has brought upon you both we never know who we can trust.”

With a sigh Drake takes a bite of donut, “Well I'm pretty sure we're safe with Kate's mother. But if it'll make you feel better you can coordinate with the local authorities in Klamath Falls to be on alert in case we need assistance.” Damn what a mother hen she is. Surely this will give her something to do in our absence.

Mara's smile of relief is audible in her voice, “I'll get right on that Your Grace. Oh and at what hour should I expect you and the Duchess back at the hotel tonight?”

Drake chews on his lip hesitantly before answering, “Well considering the length of the drive and that we're just about to sit down for dinner, it's not likely we'll be back tonight.”

“But that's..that's unacceptable and a serious breach of protocol. I insist that you reconsider your decision to stay overnight Your Grace.”

Drake runs his hand through his hair in frustration, “I seriously don't see a problem Mara. There's no foreseeable threat. Just do as I asked and then get some sleep. We'll be back in the morning.”

Before she can protest further he hangs up.

Great. Now she's got me all nervous about being out here in buttfuck nowhere without backup. Thanks a lot.

Out in the backyard in the diminished light of early evening, a fox silently trots toward the poultry pen. Sniffing the air and with his tail held low he discerns no obvious threats. This wasn't his first visit. Poking his snout through the waffled metal fence, he clamps down on the metal wire with his teeth and tugs in an attempt to loosen it from the wooden frame. When it doesn't budge, he paws at the soft ground next to the fence instead and begins to dig a hole.

On the far side of the pen by the gate, Clem is resting with his face tucked under his wing. The sound of scratching jolts him out of his doze and he puffs out his feathers and opens his beak to hiss a warning. The fox stops digging and crouches low to begin wriggling under the fence. With a flap of his wings and a strangled hissing honk, Clem launches himself across the pen to attack the intruder. With gnashing teeth the fox fights back with a yip and a snarl. Clem flaps his wings and beats the fox around the head until he struggles his way back out of the hole. The fox shakes off the dirt from his fur and then sneezes before running away. Clem sees the hole as a new point of escape, ducking his head and attempting to fit under the fence. He only gets halfway through and gets stuck, one wing on either side of the fence. In his panicked state he starts flapping his wings and honking loudly.

In the kitchen the sudden commotion caused Drake to almost choke on the last bite of his donut. What the fuck is Clem up to now?

The headlights of Carol’s Jeep illuminate the front yard as she pulls into the driveway. As she parks next to Drake's rented black Lexus, she can't help but raise her eyebrows. Apparently the Duke and Duchess travel in style.

When she cuts the engine Clem’s loud honking meets her ears. Looking toward the house she's surprised to see a man in a white dress shirt and jeans come out through the screen door carrying a broom.

Well hello there handsome stranger, you must be Drake.

In the glaring flood of her headlights he raises a hand to shield his eyes. Oops sorry.

Shutting off her lights, Carol gets out of the Jeep. “Hi there. You must be Drake.”

Drake smiles, giving a slight nod. “Carol, I assume.”

Stepping forward, Carol sticks out her hand in greeting. Drake wipes his hand on his jeans and then accepts her handshake. Clem continues to honk loudly.

“I see you're armed. Is the darn goose causing problems again?” she laughs.

Drake looks down at the broom in his hand, “It seemed to do the trick earlier, so I figured why not.”

“Well I guess we need to identify the source of the problem then. I'll lead the way.” Carol says, stepping past Drake.

He makes an “after you" gesture with his arm and then falls in behind her. As they come around to the back of the house, the other feathered residents in the chicken coop are also raising a fuss. Carol checks the latch on Clem's pen and sees it still fastened.

“Ok well he didn't get out this way.”

Pointing with the handle of the broom in the dim light Drake says, “Nope, from the looks of things he's found another way. Or at least he tried.”

Clem has stopped struggling and is just laying there wedged and wailing.

“Now what?” Carol wonders.

“Well with his wings out like that he can't really move forward or backward. So we need to get him to fold up a wing and either back up or squeeze the rest of the way through.” Drake offers with a shrug.

“Ok then Sir Broomsalot, which end do you want to tackle? Cuz he's either gonna snap and hiss from the front, or blow shit all over you from the back.” Carol laughs.

“Well he's better off back in his pen than out of it. So I'll tackle him from the front. I have the broom for protection.” Drake says, apprehensively.

“You don't sound so sure about this plan.” Carol says, placing her hand on the top of the gate preparing to get in with Clem.

Drake walks around the enclosure to the opposite side. “Well I'd rather just whack the hell out of him until he pops through, but that's liable to break a wing or maim him in some other way.”

Carol chuckles, “That wouldn't hurt my feelings. But it wouldn't do him any good to die of an infection before we're ready to…you know.”

Drake looks down at the silly goose as he hisses and snaps at him. “Ok here's the plan. I’ll use the broom to deflect his head and neck back toward his body. Then I'll fold in his wing and then shove him back through. Can you grab him by the legs and pull?”

Carol laughs as she gets into the pen, “Ok, it's worth a shot. It wouldn't be the first time the damn bastard has shit on me.”

Drake nods, crouching down with the flat side of the broom as a shield in front of him, “Alrighty then, here goes.”

Clem honks and starts to flap his wings in protest as Drake presses the broom into the side of his face. But with his head and neck turned to the side he stops struggling. Drake braces the broom with his knee and then carefully folds in his wing the best he can. “Ok now pull.”

Sucking in a deep breath, Carol turns her head to the side and then yanks the goose by the legs and whips him off to the side. In a flurry of flapping and feathers, Clem tumbles across the pen and then rights himself again. With a flap of his wings and a shake of his head he seems to be more or less back to normal, save for a few lost feathers.

Drake drops back on his ass on the ground, laughing. Carol scrambles to her feet and gestures for Drake to help her up over the side of the pen. “Hey! Get off yer ass and help me outta here.”

“Oh right.” Drake rolls over and gets up. He sticks the broom down into the pen and Carol steps up on the side of it, and then scrambles over the side with his help.

Glancing around for something to block the hole, she points to a large plant pot nearby. “Can you lift that? Use it to block the hole for tonight?”

Drake frowns, sucking in a breath and then letting it out with a shrug. “Ok sure.”

Carol opens her mouth to offer to help, but then Drake squats and lifts the planter of flowers easily and places it next to the fence.

“Wow, brains and brawn. You're the complete package aren't you.” Carol chuckles.

“He sure is,” a voice says from behind them.

Carol and Drake turn to see Kate coming out of the backdoor. “Uh Carol, this is my wife Kate.” Drake says with a grin, wiping his hands on his jeans.

“Oh my goodness if you're not the spitting image of your mother!” Carol exclaims happily.

Kate nods and laughs, “Thanks, now if you two are done playing duck-duck-goose, why don't you come in for supper?”

Drake bows his head to Kate and gives her a wink and smile, “Yes ma'am.”

Continue to the next part