#boy meets girl enjoyers how are feeling today?

[yumedoca]

I love how pissed Ataru looks when Rupa puts the ring on her..

[hunterscyarika]

The Medics assistant

Mayday x fem reader

Warnings: none other than a reference of reader having anxiety.

The afternoon skies were cloudy on Pabu, yet everyone was in good spirits.

You were tending to your favorite patient, an elderly Nautolan woman named Meena.

As you made small talk with her you noticed an item you needed on the top shelf.

How’d that get there?

Then you remembered your unofficial assistant, Mayday.

Mayday helped you take care of a few of your patients, he was a quick learner, and you were grateful for the help.

When you tried to reach for the item and couldn’t quite reach it, Mayday suddenly appeared beside you.

“I’ve got it” Mayday said. You smiled brightly “Thanks, Love” You said and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Mayday gave you an adoring smile and kissed your forehead.

Mayday spoke with Meena for a moment. You watched him with heart eyes.

He left to meet up with Crosshair at the beach.

Meena gave you a bright grin and said, “That’s a real handsome fella you’ve got.”

“I know, He’s the best thing that’s happened to me.” You agreed.

Only a few people knew of your battle with anxiety, but those who did were pleased to see the change after Mayday came along.

You left the clinic after helping Meena and you went looking for Mayday.

You found him by the shoreline sitting and talking with Crosshair.

Those two were close, Crosshair was a quiet man who didn’t open up to many people, but he always made time to talk to Mayday. Early on in your relationship Mayday had told you of what he and Crosshair had been through on Barton four, and how they’d barely survived. You were grateful everyday that they did.

You walked up behind Mayday and wrapped your arms around his shoulders. “Hi, boys” You greeted. “Hey, beautiful girl” Mayday grinned back at you. “Hi” Crosshair greeted you. “How are you today, Crosshair?” You asked him. “Fine” He replied, then added “I don’t need  to ask how you are, you two are disgustingly happy” You laughed at Crosshair’s teasing, all too happy to be accepted by him.

Before the sun began to set you left Mayday and Crosshair to look for seashells. Mayday watched you as you sorted through the sand, trying to find just the right seashells for the necklace you were making. He always admired your creative eye. He placed his hand on the necklace you’d given him. It was before you began dating that you gifted him the necklace, he’d been so touched by it that he wanted to cry, that was one of the first moments Mayday knew that his feelings for you went beyond that of friendship.

Collecting seashells was an enjoyable way for you to relax after work. There was something about the sound of the waves rolling in, and the gentle breeze softly blowing through your hair. Mayday joined you. Several tiny teal shells were part of your current collection but something was missing you just didn’t know what, at least until Mayday walked up beside you with an excited smile and he showed you some beautiful magenta colored seashells he found. “Oh, Mayday. These are perfect!” You cheered. “I can’t wait to see what you make with these” Mayday said. “Well, you’ll be the first to see, as always” You smiled and gave him a kiss on the lips.

[forumgamer]

A Jane Austen moment

I am currently re-reading Northanger Abbey (not my favourite Austen, but also not my least - probably rank 3-4 I'd say), and I was struck with the realisation how ODD the notion of Catherine Morland's trip to Bath would be to many modern people.

Here is a young girl (17), going on a trip to Bath with a rich older couple that are neighbours to her parents - not as an au pair or governess or whatever, but as a guest and companion. Taken along to have fun, as a kind gesture of favour and goodwill. And they aren't even her godparents or relatives or something!

And I find that notion so very charming.

Catherine is not like poor Fanny Price, rather abused than cherished, used as an indispensable companion for a very silly and lazy lady (though Mrs Allen certainly has her share of silliness and indolence...). From how their relationship is presented, the Allens seem genuinely motivated by wanting her to enjoy herself. They don't mind her meeting new people and spending time with them, and she in turn refers to them when she is unsure about how to behave in this to her completely new and exciting world. And rich as they may be, they also seem to spare little expense in taking her to Bath and there to balls and plays.

We have today a weird aversion to inter-generational friendships, or so it seems to me. Yet when I was growing up, in a semi-detached suburban house, I was always welcome at our neighbours' house and table. Sure, mostly because they had a boy my age who quickly became my friend, but even now, when we have both moved out, I rarely visit my parents without also checking in with their neighbours, who are like an uncle and aunt to me.

And as for myself, I have no children of my own, and will never have any either. Yet working as a teacher, I get to interact with younger people on a daily basis, and you guys, young people can be amazing company. Sure, some of their concerns appear trivial to me, but I remember they weren't that way when I was their age - just as some of my views or hobbies might seem odd or boring to them, yet they also know I have seen more of the world than they, and apply to me for insights into issues that they feel unsure about.

And guys... I get it. I get what the Allens feel. I might still be a bit young to QUITE get it (I assume the Allens to be in their 50es or so, which I am not for another decade), but... imagine taking a seventeen-year old teenager, that has never been able to travel so far, to a prime holiday spot! Showing them Paris, London, Prague or Rome, seeing their amazement and delight, presenting them the art, cuisine, culture and pleasures of such an unfamiliar site... to find new enjoyment in these things yourself by witnessing their effect on someone younger and more excitable than yourself.

I doubt I will ever have the option to do so, because a) times have changed and b) if Mr Allen had been a bachelor/divorcee like me, the book's plot could not have happened back then either, but... I think I might like it. I really would.

[ash5monster01]

Goes On Chapter Eleven

Pairing: Charlie Dalton x OC!FemReader

Warnings: 18+, depression, mentions of suicide, heavy topics, eventual smut, slow burn romance, fluff, gender themes/stereotypes.

Summary: Against his best efforts Charlie has to start at a new preparatory school after the tragic events that took place at Welton. The very events that led to the loss of his best friend and getting expelled in the first place. He has no plans to make friends let alone get close to anyone ever again. That is until he meets Evelyn and her interesting group of friends. No matter how hard he tries to push them away he finds it to be impossible. So he caves and in the end learns that life can still be enjoyable even if it feels like everyone is against you.

word count: 2.8k

Ten ←→ Twelve

Masterlist

Ridge Academy, NY

2/20/60

When Evelyn wakes up the next morning the smile on her face is still wide. She had never really known what this feeling would be like. That feeling you get when you like someone and they just so happen to like you back. It made you feel brand new, refreshed, hopeful. Which may explain why getting up so early on a Saturday hadn’t bothered her like it normally would. Instead she turns off her alarm on the first ring and makes her way to the showers with that beaming grin.

It’s not long until she’s dressed in a simple floral dress, thankful they weren’t required school uniforms on the weekend. When she adds a little more makeup than normal she excuses it as feeling experimental but honestly she just wanted Charlie to look at her with those eyes that he always does. The eyes that make her squirm in her seat while she feels every nerve ending go off in her body. In fact she’s glad him finally kissing her last night didn’t entirely short circuit her brain.

“You’re forgetting something” Violet grins behind her in the reflection of the mirror and Evelyn furrows her eyebrows as she looks back at her.

“What?” she questions, eyebrows pulled together tightly. She inspects her face quickly, worried she had messed something up or missed and Violet just laughs.

“If you’re gonna put all that effort into your makeup you might as well cover up that neck” Violet says, hand reaching to tip her neck up and reveal the dark red mark right above her throat. Evelyn gasps in an instant, eyes now trained on the spot that is very visibly now that she’s paying attention. Her stomach drops at the idea of other students seeing it as they roam the halls today.

“Shit” she mutters, hands fumbling through the makeup on her desk in search of anything that could possibly cover it up. Violet quickly sets a hand on her own, stopping the girl from stressing too much.

“Calm down and let me help” Violet tells her, grabbing her own chair and pulling it next to hers. Evelyn tries to calm as the girl gets to work, hands grabbing the makeup and focusing her attention to the mark.

“How do you know what to do?” Evelyn asks after a beat, her heart rate now at a normal and soft thump. Violet just giggles at the question as she glances up from her neck and into her eyes.

“When Marty and I first got together he would always leave marks on accident, I got pretty good at covering them up and now I just make sure he leaves them where others can’t see” she says, suggestion in her tone and eyebrows raised which makes Evelyn laugh loudly at the notion.

“It was my first real kiss” Evelyn whispers, recalling the two other times she had barely pecked a boy and felt nothing but regret in her stomach. Instead she kissed a boy hard and good and in return the butterflies hadn’t left her stomach yet.

“He’s good for you and I’m pretty sure you’re good for him too. Hell, he would barely talk to us when he started, and now I can’t get rid of the guy” Violet teases and Evelyn laughs again, admiring the black hair that cascades down her friends back as she works on fixing her neck up.

“I’m just so nervous, I don’t really know what this means for us. I wasn’t even really planning on kissing him but he just showed up at the door and I couldn’t help myself” Evelyn says, softly shaking her head and using the brunette curls falling forward to hide her face. Violet just smiles, leaning back as she checks over her work.

“It means he likes you, and you like him. Don’t let the pressure of others and their expectations ruin what you guys already got. Just cherish it and the rest will happen on its own” she tells her, recalling all the times people had judged her and Marty for getting together so young. At least they had stayed together the whole time, a testament that each of those people were wrong.

“And if he doesn’t want to date me?” Evelyn voices her worries and Violet just gives her a soft smile, knowing how long her best friend waited to feel this way about someone, to stop feeling broken because she couldn’t have crushes like other girls.

“He does, but if not he’s an idiot and I’ll kill him” Violet deadpans and Evelyn is laughing again, heart easing due to her best friends words and the she’s wrapping the raven haired girl into a hug.

“Thanks V” she tells her honestly and Violet hugs right back, enjoying the time alone they have together within this dorm. “Now, how does my neck look?” Evelyn asks pulling back and lifting her chin for Violet to investigate.

“As good as it’s gonna get” she tells her, knowing no makeup in the world was ever that successful at covering any mark left by a silly lovestruck boy. Evelyn turns to the mirror to find it much better than before but the shadow of it still there. Accepting her fate she stands and joins the girl.

“Let’s get breakfast then” she tells her and the girls are off in search of their friends and Saturday morning pancakes which was the only good reason for getting up so early on a Saturday around here. Plus Evelyn wanted to get a head start on planning the spring sport fundraisers before she had a meeting that more than likely only Charlie would show up too.

The closer the pair got to the dining hall the more nervous Evelyn became. She wasn’t used to being nervous like this but for the first time in her life she was going to face a boy she liked and not only liked but had kissed just last night. Her cheeks were already burning red just thinking about it and Violet just shook her head as the two walked through the lunch line and headed for their table that held all of their friends.

“Morning” Marty beamed as the two girls joined them. Evelyn felt her heart drop as she realized Charlie wasn’t there. Nate saw the disappointed look in her eyes and felt jealousy twist in his gut as she moved to sit beside him.

“Heard you got caught sneaking to Marty’s room last night” Laurie teases, eyes twinkling with amusement as she looks at Nate who had told them about how him and Charlie had spotted the girl.

“Better the boys than Mr. Holly” Violet said with a shrug, taking a bite of pancake and grinning around the fork.

“Seems like everyone had a bit of fun last night” Laurie grins, eyes landing on Evelyn. The thing about Laurie is she notices everything, observes everyone and everything around her. The evident disappointment, red cheeks, and half visible hickey on the girls neck were all immediately noticed by the blonde girl. Her awareness is what made her the queen of drama at Ridge.

“What?” Evelyn gapes, getting more nervous as everyone at the table begins to stare at her. Laurie just smiles, leaning against Marty to reach for the girl across the table, manicured nails turning her chin upwards and as the bruise is revealed to everyone Marty snorts, coughing around his food.

“Holy shit, Ev’s got a hickey” he says and the girl quickly shushes him, pulling away from the blonde girl who settles back into her seat across from her. Nate’s stomach drops, the sight of the small bruise pointing out Charlie did much more than kiss the girl. His girl even. Yet he had to save face, he had told himself he would get over this. He just didn’t think it would be this hard.

“Stop, it’s nothing. Especially since he couldn’t bother to show up this morning” Evelyn grumbles, eyes dropping to her plate so they can’t see her utter disappointment and Nate suddenly feels guilty. He wakes up Charlie every Saturday but today he didn’t because he was jealous.

“Evelyn I’m sure it’s not you” Violet starts but the group is cut off as the chestnut haired boy clambers into the seat beside the girl, hair a disarray and black t-shirt wrinkled against his skin. The very shirt he slept in and didn’t bother to change since he was in such a rush.

“Shit, what time is it?” He asks quickly, shoving his tray onto the table and the group laughs while Evelyn beams a bright smile at the boy beside her. As Charlie glances amongst the table he spots Evelyn’s soft smile and returns one back.

“It’s nine, there’s still a half hour of breakfast” she tells him and he smiles at how gorgeous she looks. He loved weekends when he could see the girl in her regular clothes. It gave him a better image of what life would be like with her outside of this school. That is if he got to keep her.

“Hi” he tells her, a little breathless and eyes shining into her own like they always did. The very look Evelyn had been hoping for as she got ready this morning. Then much to Evelyn and everyone else’s surprise Charlie leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek before turning to his food.

“You forget to set your alarm?” Marty asks, laughing lightly at the boys disheveled appearance. Charlie sends him a glare before glancing over Evelyn’s head to look at Nate.

“Nate usually wakes me but I guess this morning he forgot” and with everyone’s eyes on him Nate not only feels guilty for giving Evelyn doubts about Charlie but guilty because he knows everyone at this very table knew he had done it on purpose.

“My bad man, I just forgot” he says and doesn’t even convince himself before turning back to his own plate of food that he had barely touched due to the fact his stomach was in knots all morning

“So, this is like officially a thing?” Laurie asked, pointing between both Charlie and Evelyn. Instead of responding Evelyn thinks about what Violet had said and looks to Charlie to see if there is any regret written on his face.

“I guess so” Charlie just tells her before flashing Evelyn a smile and continuing to eat his food. Evelyn can’t help the wide smile that crosses her face as she drops her head to look at her food. The rest of the table share knowing looks but this time no one offers Nate a remorseful smile because his own jealousy would be the thing to ruin his friendship with Evelyn, not telling her his feelings.

After finishing breakfast and being harassed for the hickey on Evelyn’s neck the group is quick to move on to the rest of their day. Retreating to study halls, clubs, sports, and group projects. Charlie promises Evelyn he’ll meet her soon for planning committee, needing a shower and change of clothes before he went about the rest of his day. That’s how he finds himself walking back to his dorm with Nate by his side.

“Look man, I know you’re upset but that was a dick move” Charlie tells him as he pushes through the dorm door and Nate drops his head.

“I know” he mutters, watching as Charlie collects his towel and a change of clothes so he can head to the showers. Nate had been too busy letting his emotions control him he nearly forgot he finally had a friend, the kind he always wanted.

“I know this whole thing isn’t ideal, I’d hate it if I were in your shoes too. You have to remember we’re friends though and you were the one who decided to let her go” Charlie tells him, tossing the towel over his shoulder. Nate groans, hating himself even more for deciding to let her go.

“I know man, I don’t know what to tell you though. It’s not like I just fell out of love with her over night okay. I need time to process and when things happen like you biting her neck I struggle” Nate tells him, sitting on his bed and running his hands through his hair. H hated that he never committed and he knew he was being a child but this was just how it was now.

“Nate, I’m not a fucking vampire. Also I obviously know that but if you love her you have to let her be happy and I like to think I make her happy. Plus she makes me really fucking happy, for the first time in months, even when I thought I never would be again. So please, be a friend” Charlie pleads and Nate is reminded of the truth that Charlie had shared with him not so long ago. A sentiment that he was just a guy trying to figure things out and his intentions weren’t to be mean.

“Okay” Nate agrees even though agreeing officially confirmed he would never leave the friend zone no matter how badly he wanted to. Charlie nods once he realizes Nate has agreed and then starts for the door.

“I’ll see you later” he tells him before going off and getting the shower he should’ve had this morning.

It’s not long until he’s finally refreshed and on his way to meet Evelyn. The excitement of seeing her alone has him nearly buzzing as he laps the hallways in search of the girl. Coming upon the study room used for planning committee he shoves through the door without a second thought. He watches as the girl looks up from her alphabetized and color coded planning binder and offers him a grin.

“Clean now, are you?” She teases and he rolls his eyes before moving to the chair beside her.

“Fresh as a daisy, want to smell?” He asks her, moving to nudge his face near her own and she giggles as his slightly damp hair brushes against her cheek.

“I trust you” she squeals, shoving him away and he grins, searching her features and taking all of her in now in the daylight.

“I can’t stop thinking about last night” he tells her and Evelyn blushes lightly, eyes glancing away under his stare and Charlie just smiles, hand reaching to tuck some hair behind her ear.

“We have to plan the fundraiser” she tells him, hands still gripping the binder that Charlie swears is her lifeline but he just chuckles and ducks in close, lips capturing her own. The hum of contentment that leaves her mouth tells him that she actually doesn’t mind one bit.

“We can plan later, I want to make up for all the time I haven’t been able to kiss you” he mutters against her lips and the words wrap around Evelyn’s heart and she wishes to tie it with a bow and keep them there forever.

“Such a sap” she mutters back before reaching to run her fingers through his damp hair. Charlie smiles against her lips, kissing her deeply due to the action. When his lips start to trail down to her neck again she’s too lost in his touch.

“For the first time I’m so glad no one ever shows up to meetings for my club” Evelyn says, a little breathless and lips swollen from him. Charlie laughs, hot breath fanning across her neck and Evelyn laughs from the ticklish feeling and pulls away.

“Hey, get back here” Charlie pouts, arms snaking around her waist and Evelyn shakes her head as he pulls her flush against him.

“No, no more hickeys. I don’t want to get caught again” she tells him and Charlie laughs, hugging her close and Evelyn hugs right back.

“Sorry, I just can’t get enough of you” he tells her and Evelyn smiles, pressing a soft kiss to his nose and admiring his chocolate eyes.

“Yeah, same” she tells him with a grin and Charlie kisses the corner of it, thankful to finally have her all to himself. Not hold back every time he wants to kiss her for being so damn adorable.

“In that case, do you want to join me on a date tonight?” He asks and Evelyn blushes, thinking of how she was never one of those girls who was able to go to the small cafe on campus and go on dates. The small restaurant a hot spot for Saturday night dates with the heart throb boys.

“I’d like that” she tells him and Charlie smiles and presses his lips to hers again.

“Good, then maybe after I’ll sneak into your room again”

Taglist: @octaviasdread @eden-punk @linmichea1 @pursuedbyamemoryy @mynameisjxlia

Comment if you want to be added to the taglist :))

[jadeleechsupportgroup]

Rhapsody in Teal - 3

Rock, meet hard place. You can’t be out sick forever, but you have no earthly idea how you’ll make it through ten minutes of class without throwing up all over Crewel’s desk. You haven’t slept for more than two hours at a time in three days, and it’s turning you into the worst possible version of yourself.

On the morning of day four, you find a package on your doorstep. It’s a box, about the size of a basketball, wrapped in sky-blue paper. You carry it inside and set it on the kitchen table.

“Mrrr?” Grim’s nose twitches enough to wake him up. He rolls to his feet and stretches. “Snacks?”

“Not sure,” you mumble. You unwrap the paper and open the top of the box, carefully untwisting it from the complex series of origami folds holding it together. A card rests on top of a pile of crinkled paper strips.

I have enclosed some samples of other tea blends I think you will find enjoyable.

If you are feeling up to it, I will be going on a hike today.

Jade

“Not snacks,” you inform Grim.

He groans. “Yeah, I can tell. It’s just leaves. Booooring.” He meanders away to the kitchen.

You mull it over while you wait for the chocolate truffle blend to finish steeping. You feel like shit, and you don’t want to face people. But nature might not be the worst, and Jade doesn’t qualify as ‘people.’

The tea is really good.

You don’t have much in the way of outdoor stuff, so you throw on your gym uniform and shove a couple snacks in your backpack. You feel weird as you heave it onto one shoulder, but what’s the worst that could happen? The worst has already happened.

You’d be lying to say you aren’t afraid of a healthy percentage of these boys. They get into cafeteria fights over pasta, for fuck’s sake. You don’t want to see what they would do if they suddenly found out a girl was living amongst them. Even a girl who’s barely girl enough that passing for a boy hasn’t been all that hard.

A knock at the door interrupts your thoughts.

“Hi,” you say uncertainly.

Jade gives you a tiny wave. “Good morning,” he says. “How are you feeling?”

You don’t want to give him your life story, but you don’t want to lie, either. “Ish.”

“Fair enough.” His eyes land on the crumpled shreds of wrapping paper that Grim has taken to batting across the floor like a definitely-not-a cat. The tension in his face eases a little.

Was he worried about you?

“Shall we?”

You nod. “I’m probably not the fastest hiker, but I’ll try not to slow you down.”

“Oh, do not worry about that. I am not, either.”

It turns out that Jade is not exaggerating. He pauses to inspect most patches of dead trees and poke around in the undergrowth with a stick, but you don’t mind at all. It’s a nice, unhurried pace that gives him plenty of time to teach you about plants.

You rummage through your backpack and find a wayward notebook you forgot about, with a tooth-marked pencil wedged into the spiral spine. You flip past the latest page of harried notes and scribble a bit on the first blank sheet.

Maybe you liked drawing, before. Or painting. Or birdwatching. Or dancing after all. No muscle memory has kicked in, at all, for anything. You remember generic shit, like what dollars are vs thaumarks and that magic was more or less a fantasy in your world. You know what a car is and what a phone is. But anything specific went out the window.

Your eyes start to burn, and before you know it, blobs of water are landing on your doodle of the mushroom Jade is examining.

You give up on staying silent pretty much immediately. The book slides off your lap into the dirt as you use the sleeve of your uniform to absorb the evidence of your sadness. Then the wooden bench you’re sitting on bends (a little ominously) as Jade sits next to you.

“Sorry,” you say with a cough as you try to get yourself together.

“Please do not apologize.” The corner of a handkerchief enters your blotchy vision. It would be romantic if you weren’t such a goddamn mess right now. “You have been through quite a bit since your arrival here.”

You insist on using your sleeve as a kleenex as long as possible. “I can’t remember anything,” you mumble. “I can’t…remember anything about myself. Like, what I like. Stuff I’m good at. It’s all just gone.” Your voice starts to lose stability. “My friends. My family. Whether I even had one. Fuckin’ everything.”

You give up and take the handkerchief.

Jade remains silent, and you’re glad. There’s probably nothing he could say to make you feel better. Maybe you don’t want to feel better.

“Sorry,” you say again once you get your voice back under control. You sniffle. “I really like the tea you got me.” It feels even lamer aloud than it sounded in your head.

Jade emits a small laugh. “I hope I was able to guess some of your preferences correctly.”

“So far so good.” You take a deep breath that turns into a sigh. “I guess that’s one thing I like.”

“Then I believe you will recover the rest soon enough.” He keeps his focus on the dirt, the short, hay-colored grasses, and the dappled shadows from the trees overhead, but his fingers twitch a bit. Like he’s trying not to move his hand. “Perhaps you need to experience a variety of other things to trigger your memories.”

Good thing your face is already red. “Probably,” you admit quietly. “But…this is stupid.”

“Hm?”

“I’m kinda scared.” You pick up the notebook and shake some of the dirt off, hurriedly closing it before he has a chance to see its contents. “Like, of being bad at something. Making myself look dumb.” Apparently another thing you’re good at is being insecure.

“I doubt that you would,” Jade says kindly.

“Besides, I’ve got bigger problems now.” You roughly rub your eyes to stop them itching. “What am I gonna do? It’s only a matter of time before they all find out about me.” You draw your knees to your chest.

Jade mirrors your movements, though it looks a bit more ridiculous for him since he is so incredibly tall. “May I make a suggestion?”

“Sure.”

“You may wish to…take control of the situation, as it were,” he says slowly. “Rather than continue hiding it until others find out at an unknown time.”

You give a sarcastic, humorless laugh. “What, like, waltz into the school dance in a dress? I can already hear the record-scratch now.” You laugh a little more until you realize Jade is not laughing with you.

“Since you mention it,” he says a bit sheepishly, “I was hoping for something along those lines.”

Now you really blush. “You were gonna ask me out?” You bite back asking why, assuming it’s because among the various fish in the sea at school, you are a fairly singular choice. The lowest common denominator of 1.

Jade’s mouth forms a smile. “I would still like to, if you would allow me the opportunity.”

“Oh. Uh. I mean, I wasn’t…gonna go,” you say, stumbling over your words. “I don’t like dressing up. I think.” You squirm uncomfortably.

Jade unfolds himself so his legs stretch out more naturally again. “You could think of it as an experiment, if you like,” he suggests. “A continued study of your tastes and hobbies to discover what suits you.”

Why does this make you want to smile so badly? “I don’t know,” you say. Then, after a substantial pause, “I’ll think about it.”

1 | 2 | {3} | 4 | 5

[softquietsteadylove]

Thena and Gil playfully arguing…in business style!

Tyrant King,

If you would find it suitable, I have had a meeting cancellation this afternoon.

Gil's brows raised as he read the email on his phone. It was nothing if not succinct--classic Ice Queen. She didn't even sign it. But he was surprised she had even attempted to invite him over today. She had stated she was busy all week. No time for them to 'meet'.

No time for them to fuck like wild animals in her office between meetings.

Why so formal, Ice? If you want me to come over, just say so ;)

Her response was prompt, which proved to him that she was anxiously awaiting his response, much to his delight. She could play coy as much as she liked, but she wasn't very good at that game. In all fairness, nor was he.

I have a tight schedule today, Tyrant. I am offering my time, not begging you for your company. You may disregard my previous email if you are otherwise engaged.

Ice cold, his Princess was. But Gil grinned, happily responding, still in email rather than texting. She had yet to give him her personal number, but he was honestly just glad she wasn't having Kingo filter his messages to her, either.

As per my previous email, I would be happy to meet if your schedule sees fit, Ice.

Two could play at this game. Even as he was looking over his schedule and moving things around for himself. He really needed a Kingo for himself, and her older chief of staff Karun also seemed really on top of things. He had once joked that he would try to poach them from her, and the look he got made him know why people were so afraid of someone as beautiful and delicate as she was.

I have a meeting slot available from 4 onward.

So, it was a lie that she had a tight schedule. If she was offering her 4 o'clock then that was her last meeting for the day, most likely. Unless she was planning to make wild love for a tight 45 minutes and then have meetings until 6.

The whole hour?

If you think our business will take that long, I can offer you the full hour. I advise you decide preemptively if you require the full allotment.

Oh, she thought he didn't want the full time? She was making a joke about him not lasting long, sure. But he was having too much fun flirting with her to let it get to him. He gleefully typed out his response, already swiping his other hand through his hair.

Please be advised, Ice Queen, I believe I have several positions to propose during our meeting. I do hope you are prepared for such intentions during only one hour.

He would give anything to see her face right now. He liked it when she got kind of flustered, even when she was annoyed with him. Call him childish, he liked having her attention. He was entirely the the old story of a boy not knowing how to tell a girl how much he liked her, so instead he did little things to get under her skin.

She was facetiming him.

He picked it up with a wicked grin on his face, "to what do I owe the honour, Ice?"

"I would prefer not to have a paper trail for this proposal, as you put it," she glared at him. She knew he was having fun with their little entendres. "Are you coming or not?"

"Don't I always, with you?"

"Insipid juvenile," she practically hissed at him. She leaned back in her chair, ever poised and elegant. "If you don't want the time slot, I'll schedule someone else."

Gil frowned. "Are we still talking about us, Princess?"

She raised her brows at him--the minx. "I was talking about meetings."

He growled faintly under his breath. Such an impossible woman he had chosen. "I'll be there. Who would you even have offered it to?"

She shrugged, now playing coy for her own enjoyment. "I heard the Prince Eternal is floating around the city. I'm sure if I contacted his beastly little assistant, he'd come running."

Gil puffed through his nose, feeling like a bull getting a red cape waved at him. "Now you're just trying to piss me off."

Thena's eyes dashed down to her lap. She was playing a game of chicken with him, and the Ice Queen didn't take unnecessary risks. "My time is valuable, Tyrant. And others are willing to pay even more than you."

That may have been true, but no one would give her more.

He tugged at his shirt, calling her bluff, "you hate that guy."

She made a face; there was no lying about that. "Perhaps, but it's always at least a few million whenever he pays me a visit."

Gil rolled his eyes. He didn't have to be part of the rich boys who were all insignificant admirers of hers. He wasn't some kid with a crush, he was the Tyrant King.

"Thena," he began, and immediately she was set on edge. Even though they had made love several times now (not that she called it that). He leaned forward, making sure his shoulders looked nice and wide in the shot. He lowered his voice, giving her his best, most smouldering look. "I want to see you."

Desired effect: achieved. She blinked, looking just the littlest bit flustered, maybe even blushing a little. Her eyes drifted away again, but she was smiling a little, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. The diamond stud on her ear cuff sparkled at him. It made him want to pull it off with his teeth.

"Fine," she attempted to maintain her cold facade, but he could see a little more Thena under it. She drew her lace tighter around her. "I'll tell Karun to expect you."

And with that, she was done talking about it. She hung up, but Gil didn't feel hung up on. He smiled, slipping his phone into the inside pocket of his suit jacket. He stood, fluffing his hair again and grabbing his essentials to tell his security that he was leaving the office.

He had an important date to make.

[mlembug]

Shy boy meets teasing girl

Description: A geeky university student confesses to his crush, gets turned into a girl. Shenanigans happen. Chapter 1 originally published: 13th of May 2019

Chapter 1 "Now this is a story all about how…"

A loud noise of my alarm clock woke me up.

“Ugh…”, I grunted, knowing that five hours are not enough for a healthy sleep. Still, I begrudgingly rose from the bed and continued with my morning routine. The clock indicated it’s 7 o’clock. Just enough time to shower and catch a bus.

I met up with my friend, Eric, who happened to be riding the same bus to uni.

“Hi! How it’s going, Patrick?”, he asked.

“Yeah, well, you know. Stuff.”, I responded.

“That wasn’t very informative.”, he told me.

“Yeah, it’s just I’m sleepy and not in a mood.”

“That’s what you kept telling me over the last month.”

“I can’t help it, Factorio is just so addicting.”

“If you keep going through life like that, you’ll finish uni without scoring with a single girl.”

“Man, is it all you keep doing in your life? Taking enjoyment in hedonistic pleasures of life?”

“I don’t really want to hear that from you. Also, how are your attempts with Wendy going?”

I was shocked. “How do you…?”

“That’s obvious from your face. You spend most of your time on lectures staring at her.”, Eric responded.

“This is a secret between us.”, I responded quickly.

“Sure, sure. But, you know, the longer you keep that a secret, the bigger is the chance that she’ll slip away from you.”

“There’s no reason why she would want to be with me, you know.”

“You just need some confidence, and you’ll easily attract girls.”, Eric said. “How about this one: I’ll give you 70 bucks if you confess to Wendy today. Even if you get rejected, you’ll still have 70 bucks.”

Thought about it a bit. “Deal.”

“Looking forward to it.”

“Better prepare the money.”, I said, a bit more confident than before. Wendy is a friend I’ve got to know only recently, after I enrolled into college, because of her being in the same group as me. While she wasn’t completely a stranger, trying to ask her out felt to me like a gamble. Then again, it’s not like I had ever attempted asking out girls, so who knows.

I couldn’t focus on the lecture much, instead I tried coming up with an idea how to approach her. Oh well, I could just try the straightforward thing. I take my phone and type out:

“After lecture, can we talk for a bit in private? I have something to tell you.”

“All right.”, she responded.

…and now we wait.

We met at the usual place.

“There’s something I want to tell you.”, I said, then continued:

“I’ve been looking up to you for the last few weeks. Will you go out with me?”

“On one condition. You’ll need to change for me - drink this.”, she hands me a ordinarily-looking bottle with a red liquid.

“Eh? That’s it?”, I asked, twisting off the cap and lifting the bottle in order to drink it.

“Wait, you don’t know yet what will happen if you drink it!” - she interrupted me.

I stopped, and then she continued with something I never expected to hear:

“You’ll turn into a girl.”

“Yeah, yeah, sure. Because I’ll definitely turn into a girl by drinking this. Ha ha.”

I chugged down the entire bottle.

“See? Nothing happened. Does this mean we’re going out now?”

“Sure, we’ll meet here again, tomorrow 5PM.”

“5PM? All right, see ya!”

I walked away.

“…That was weird.”, I thought. “Why would she make such a joke at that moment…?”

The rest of the day at uni was fairly uneventful, so I rode the bus back home, and kept playing Factorio. Around midnight I noticed that somehow I was way more tired than usual, so I laid down in the bed. Despite me feeling so tired, I had a hard time falling asleep, so I can’t remember the exact moment I did. My sense of consciousness faded…

I found myself in high school, talking with Eric, when all of a sudden my clothes change into a schoolgirl uniform! He didn’t seem to notice this, somehow. So I try to allude to this in my conversation.

“Is there something weird about the clothes I’m wearing right now?”, I asked.

“No, what’s wrong with them? No stains or anything.”

I frowned.

“I get it that a girl like you pays a lot of attention to her appearance, but you seem to be panicking too much.”

What.

I tried to walk around. No one seemed to pay any attention. Is there anyone who’ll comment on a guy crossdressing?!

“What are you doing here?”, Wendy asked. “Our next lesson is P.E.! We have to get going and change clothes.”

Wendy grabs my arm and drags me to the girls’ changing room. I walk towards the lockers. Several girls eyed me over, but with no comment from their side. I open my own locker, and I see my own stuff, but the clothes that are there are girls’ clothes.

…what the hell was that?

I woke up, feeling fairly refreshed. I looked at the alarm clock.

“FUCK! It’s 11! I overslept!”, I shouted, while trying to get up as soon as possible.

Fumbling around, I got up from the bed, but suddenly fell because somehow I tripped on my own pants.

“Ow.”

I lifted my legs and left the pants on the floor. Then, I ran to the bathroom. I felt that my body was lighter than usual. I looked at the bathroom mirror. It was an unusual sight. The person in the mirror moved in response to every my move, but it wasn’t me. Somehow most of the details didn’t quite match. I looked at them more closely, from head to toes. The hair was nearly reaching the shoulders, and the color of it matched my own. The face had a smooth skin, nearly babylike. The person wore the same pajama shirt I was wearing, but it was unfit to their physique. Two visible bumps were protruding out of that person’s chest. This raised the alarm signs in my brain. I moved my hands towards my chest. I felt a soft sensation. My fears were confirmed.

“WHY DO I HAVE BOOBS?”, I shouted.

I touched my body all over, feeling a smooth, soft skin. Desperately trying to deny what was happening, I moved my hands between my legs.

“It’s… it’s gone!”, I cried out. How does one become a girl overnight? How?

I asked myself in my thoughts.

Soon enough, I recalled my yesterday’s conversation.

“I have to meet Wendy as soon as possible!”

That means I have to leave my house. Leaving the house means I have to dress up. Dress up means I have to wash myself.

So I took off my clothes and walked under the shower. I can’t believe I’m about to do this. But I don’t have a choice.

I took a better look at myself. “There’s no way I’ll be able to hide these.”, I said.

I cupped one of the breasts with my hand. Even while standing straight up, it’s large enough to fill my entire hand.

It’s so soft… I wonder how would…

“This is not the time for my horny fantasies! I’m already late!”, I interrupted myself, and got down to washing my body, with as little excitement as possible.

After that, I browsed through the cabinet, looking for clothes that could possibly fit me. Digging through, I found a old shirt that I didn’t bother throwing away, but happened to be smaller than the size I’m currently wearing. This bad habit of mine of not throwing away old clothes actually saved my butt today. I finished dressing up and ran to catch a bus.

After a while later, I managed to get to uni without any incidents. I nervously looked around, searching for Wendy. She was nowhere to be found.

If I won’t meet her earlier, I’ll just have to hope she keeps her promise and she’ll be there as promised at 5PM, and in the meantime attempt to not stand out from the crowd.

“Oh, hi there!”, I heard Eric’s voice.

“How are you doing, Pa…”

I turn around.

“Oh, sorry, I got the wrong person.”, Eric said.

He can’t recognize me? That’s convenient, I don’t really want to face him right now, who knows what ideas he may get.

So I tried moving away from Eric, to avoid his stares.

It’s about 5PM, the same place as yesterday.

“Wow, you turned out nicely.”, I heard.

I immediately recognized Wendy’s voice.

“HOW COME I’M A GIRL?”, I shouted to her.

“You drank a potion which turned you into a girl. Why are you surprised?”, Wendy asked.

“Why do you treat it as something normal? People don’t usually change sex overnight!”, I said. “What will I do with my life? How will I attend uni? My life is over!”

“It’s not like I didn’t warn you before you drank that bottle.”, Wendy said. “And besides, it’s not like your life is over. Half of the world are women.”

“How will I explain this to everyone? It’s not like I’ll just say ‘oh, hey, Patrick is a girl now’ to my mom, dad, and my friends. Can I turn back?”

“I’ll help you with explanations. And yes, you can turn back. After all, since a potion managed to change you, the same potion can turn you back. But…”

“But…?”, I asked.

“Would you even want to?”, she asked seductively, moving her left hand’s index finger across my chest, and touching my chin with her right hand’s index finger.

“We’ll go on dates, buy some cute clothes, watch movies in your room and chill… Patricia.”

I squirmed at the thought of me shopping for women’s clothes.

“For what reason did I turn into a girl anyway?”

“I’m a lesbian. Normally I would’ve rejected you outright, but I’ve known you for a bit, so I thought this could work out.”

“It still feels too weird. I’ve been a guy my whole life. How am I expected to behave like a girl now? I’ll be a freak!”

“C’mon, you’ve got so far, other guys who had asked me out gave up earlier than you. Do you want to pussy out now?”, she said.

“Hmmm…”

“Give it a try, I promise I’ll make it worth it.”, she attempted to convince me.

“All right, I’ll give it a try for a week.”

“Yay! Now we’re girlfriend and girlfriend!”

“So what do we do now?”

“First we should get you in some clothes that won’t make you look suspicious.”

“What?”

“These are clearly boys’ clothes, and they’re too big for you now.”

[slickchickchocolatier]

My Girlfriends Roommate - Chapter 2

Within a week, Vicky and her posse grew on you. They were so kind and incorporated you in all their activities, particularly on the nights they would sleep over in your dorm. They would watch movies and enjoy light gossip amongst one another, to which you were adopted to partake in at their urging. Nothing toxic, you would never submit yourself to such a habit. In fact, everything was so far from it, the gatherings and the girl talks were quite fun; for the first time in a while, you relished the enjoyment at the prospect of having stabled friends.

Today, Vicky arranged for you both to spend the day together. Initially, you agreed jovially but immediately gave an awkward pause upon her mentioning of the company that will be joining you both. A friend of Vicky’s that you have yet to meet. She reassured you of this person’s reliability which more than likely, you suspect, she felt she needed to do after seeing the slightly concerned look you displayed when you found out this friend was a slightly older college male. Same age and grade as her boyfriend, Ethan.

“His name is Gabe, he and I have known each other for a while. He’s cool, I met him in my senior year.” Vicky continues giving you the information regarding this mysterious friend of hers, yet you couldn’t help but still feel a little anxious.

Nothing against Gabe or any man for that matter. Generally, you never partook in friendships with the opposite sex, merely due to the high rate of them being deeply more interested in obtaining sex than anything else. To the point where it became bothersome and dishonest. You had personally witnessed many occasions with your friends in high school whom would unfortunately, not heed your advice but would eventually come to realize they should have.

As you blossomed into your pre-teen years, the topic of boys was prevalent with your father, but not without the weary clouts and warnings that led you to develop a careful instinct whenever approached by one.

It wasn’t that you thought sex was a bad thing, but just like most girls your age, it was something that you held in a special and personal regard. Something you felt should only be shared with someone that you trusted, cared for, and had your best interest at heart. It didn’t matter if it was performed casually or lovingly as long as the person you did it with met that criterion.

Promising yourself to never fall into the “friends with benefits” trap, you took it upon yourself to learn from the mistakes of your peers and remained evasive from boys. Your boyfriend Samuel was the only exception.

He earned the physicality’s of your love because he was upfront with his feelings for you and never once gave the vibe that he had wanted to be “friends” with hidden intentions. All part as to why you gave him a chance and grew so fond of him. His honestly and transparency was much appreciated and genuine, you grew to love that trait in him. He was the only one that qualified for both your friendship and heart.

The fact that Vicky’s friend, Gabe, was in his second year at college didn’t change your perspective of men. You took in the situation and found yourself undeterred, regardless if he was older and therefore, more mature, as Vicky would strongly relay.

According to her, Gabe is a man on a set path of stable success, to which she stated with an unusually high fondness for. It made you wonder how Ethan, her boyfriend, felt about the closeness that Vicky had with another man. Then again, it may be something he didn’t think too much about, it’s hard to tell considering you never met Ethan, let alone Gabe.

Regardless of not yet meeting them, you assumed that their priorities were the same as the rest of your male peers. It was just best to stay away from all of them, especially since you respected your boyfriend highly enough to maintain celibacy and loyalty, even if it came to platonic friendship with others.

“Oh I like that dress! You have such a perfect figure; you should show it off more.”

Vicky displayed her approval as a fashionista, gently twirling you around by the waist so she could examine the mini halter dress that hugged your frame in a tasteful and form fitting manner. The pastel blue color of the material was perfect for the summer months approaching, and it paired nicely with the simple set of open toed heels.

Noting the gold chain choker you had on, Vicky adjusts it so that the clamp was scooted towards the back of your neck and wouldn’t show. Gentle in her adjustment of your necklace, her manicured acrylic nails could be felt grazing against your skin. They were long and decorated with jewels that matched her preppy ensemble.

Her fingers were warm, and the scent of her flirty perfume pleasantly brushed your nostrils. With a light pink bandage mini dress, jeweled heels that were much higher than yours, boosting her to almost meet your height just below eye level. Vicky was a lot more dolled-out and appeared way more high maintenance, slick, and neat.

Her long hair, which was freshly dyed chestnut brown, was brushed, and laid neatly down with the ends slightly coiled underneath her breast. She decorated it with jeweled hair clips that matched the ones in her nails and shoes. Your hair wasn’t styled in a neat structure like hers. Always the type to be more carefree, you reflected a natural appeal and donned a loosely wrapped and messy bun, gently clipped in by a floral hair pin that shared the same blue coloring as your dress.

Various strands left down, hanging, and graciously framing your face, partially cover your ears, and draping your shoulders. The breezy look compliments you as a collection of the loose strands fall naturally and the waves contrasting against your dress. It was very unkept, unrestricted, and sexy, at least that’s what your mother would always say whenever you wore it the same way back home.

Vicky was often told by her friends that she was a princess, a doll face, a girl next door type that everyone envied, even coining the nickname “Korean Barbie”. When it came to you, however, your peers made it very clear that the beauty between you and Vicky was completely different.

They developed a habit of comparing you both since it somehow became widespread that you and Vicky, by popular opinion, were the most attractive girls on campus. Though, unlike the glamorous queen herself, your looks were often taken in and appreciated much differently due to the originality and the natural vibe you had.

You never relied on the use of heavy makeup, over the top accessories, and the constant wear of overly tight clothing and exposure of skin. You were a lot more modest, yet your features were bold and striking than the other girls.

Your mother used to elaborate her experience in fashion and dressing models; she often compared you to them but would always state that you were much more beautiful, which you presumed she said out of endearment because you were her daughter. You were beginning to second guess your assumption after noting the amount of attention you were receiving from the students.

While Vicky was always desired, you were often referred to as a goddess or a siren, considering you loved humming a tune as you made your way to classes. To everyone, you were a novelty. A rare type that reflects the natural elements and colors of earth and water. The true form of mother nature’s beauty.

A sudden knock was heard at the door and upon opening it, Vicky shrieked in excitement.

“Ethan!” She extends her arms high. Thanks to the suspension of her heels, she was able to somewhat reach and place her hands on the chest of a very tall figure. A male dressed all in black, which appeared to be the only thing about him that had volume, for the voice he used to speak towards Vicky with was a quiet and relaxed tone. You felt a hint of nervousness as you braced yourself to finally meet Vicky’s boyfriend.

[lunarcat982]

Untitled book

ok so here's chapter 1 of a story I'm writing I've already written the first 3 chapters so will prob post them at some point. Also this is rly long so if u want me to post further chapters like split into different posts or something js say! and pls give ideas and feedback (it won't be perfect so I'll defo need like improvements lol) :))

Chapter 1 

Meet Felix 

Felix sighed as he walked down the crowded hallway of his school, his thoughts drowning in the chatter and enjoyment within his peers. you could vaguely hear his timid footsteps echo around the school. He had bags under his eyes with a tint of red. He’d been crying again. It was so hard sometimes… It hurt. He couldn’t bear it. It was the end of another day just like the others, painful, emotionless and hell.  Felix's phone buzzed in his blazer pocket, probably mum or dad asking him for something as they always do.  Oh… it was Isabell. They used to be friends a few weeks back, good friends, but she said she wanted to find some new ‘people’ and maybe find love, or some generic shit like that anyway. He couldn't remember what she said exactly, but it didn’t help with his mental state, she was one of the few people who kept him at least a little happy in this fucked up world. Haha probably the only person, and then when she went away, he couldn’t help feeling empty and alone, not even his parents talked to him anymore. 

Apparently, she wanted to meet him somewhere today at 4:00, she wanted to talk about how things are going and maybe hang out a bit more. Felix managed a meek smile, maybe he did have someone to relate to, maybe his existence wasn’t so meaningless. He was getting his hopes up, that was the mistake. 

Felix walked up the steep hill that led to the long winding road that accommodated his house. His feet gently smothered browning leaves that had recently fallen from their respective branches. He had already started conjuring up what to say, what to ask. The only problem was getting out of his house after he was in it, of course mum would start bombarding him with questions about girlfriends if he brought up the fact he was going out with a girl. He would have to lie, not that it meant anything, it was almost instinctive now. He just couldn't get why they didn't understand he wasn't interested in any girls! It angered him more than it should have. 

He had arrived, he stood tiresomely in front of the bleak grey door he knew only too well; something about impressing the neighbours, his mum had said. Lazily he pulled on the handle and slowly opened and closed the door. Nothing, he was safe. Carefully Felix ascended the stairs and changed into something more suitable than his confining uniform; and yet even after this he still felt constricted by his parents' choice of clothes, he yearned for something more…  expressive. It-it didn't matter now, he had to go, he was going to be late. He was downstairs now, and was about to leave, but. 

“And just where do you think you’re goin?” her voice was slurred and slow, she had been drinking again. Felix sighed, “I-I’m going to see a friend”

“Which friend!” His mother snapped at him drawing another gulp of wine from one of her already half empty glasses. 

“It’s a boy mum! Okay?” Felix said, actively avoiding looking at the mess, which was his birth mother, he couldn’t stand to see anyone, not even her like this. 

“Eugh, fuckin’ hell Felix, you keep on seein’ all these boys, you’re gonna end up a fag,” 

Felix shut his eyes and tried ignoring the comment, even though the anger was begging to be let out. He never supported his mum’s or, well, the whole town's view on the LGBTQ+ community. But he couldn’t think about that right now, he needed to go, and with that his mum slunk back into the living room in which all the blinds were drawn down, and Felix swung the door open and slammed it shut behind him, ready to see an old friend.    

He was starting to smile more now, he felt heavy weights he’d been carrying for God knows how long lift off him. He felt a sense of escape rush over him; escape from his family? guilt? He wasn’t sure, but it made him feel better and that's all that mattered right now.  And then it hit him, they hadn’t even organised an area to meet up. That was stupid of him. He quickly pried the phone from his pocket and texted asking to meet at… maybe Grey Heart woods? Yeah, that was a good place, he had an idea of something to show her. Felix smiled at the thought of this, he hadn’t been given the chance to express his interests for a long while now and he was eager to do so.  His phone buzzed in his hand “yh ok” she replied.  

15 minutes later Felix was outside the field by Grey Heart woods, he used to hang out here, back when everything was simpler, and he didn’t feel alone all the time. This was where he first met Isabell, they were both 13, wow 2 years ago. Heh, time flies when you have nothing to do with your life. 

At this moment Felix realised Isabell was nowhere to be seen, he checked his phone: 16:01. She was late, eh it was ok people are often late- he had suggested the meeting spot rather late. It only bothered him when he was late, he couldn’t stand that- it made him very uncomfortable; he still wasn’t sure why. 

5 minutes passed and eventually he saw her come out of an opening to the right. She still had glasses although they were new, a ginger ponytail hung from the back of her head and she seemed more confident than the last team he saw her, taller too.  He put on a smile and tried cleaning the mop of black hair that draped over his forehead. In truth he was nervous, it had been so long, and he didn’t want to lose this like he lost it before. 

They walked towards each other, both smiling, “H-hi!” he said, raising a hand to wave, his attempts at hiding his nervous-ness were poor. “Hellooo!” she giggled. He smiled at this, she hadn’t changed, quirky and weird. 

“Heheh, so how have you been? It's been a long time, "he said, more confident now. “Well, let's see, parents still divorced check, no friends check, oh! And still single, definitely check," "and you?” she asked with a beaming smile. 

“Wow ok, let me think, I’ve been rotting away in my room, been crying in the school bathrooms and been completely and utterly alone,” he said, hinting at how much her sudden leaving hurt him. 

“Yeah, I’ll cheers to that!” She said, distracted, looking into the woods to the left of them both. “So, you wanna go in?” she asked signalling towards the woods 

“Um yeah sure,” “I actually have something to show you!” he said remembering what he was planning. “Oh, you do, do you?” she said once again with that cheeky smile. 

They’d been walking for around 5 minutes into the woods now and Isabell was getting restless, “when are we getting there?” she asked. 

“Hehe don’t worry we’re nearly there, I promise”,  

she wasn’t convinced, he could tell. And she was starting to move her body closer to his as they walked.  That was... new, eh it's probably nothing.  

Finally, the pair came to a stop in front of a large tree, around 5 metres up the trunk were 10 wooden planks nailed into various branches, although some appeared to be losing their grip and leaning off the edges.  “Um what's this?”  

“A treehouse!” He said. He was feeling more open with her now, he didn’t mind her judgement. 

“okayy , how are we gonna get up?” she said a little more interested now. 

“Ladder!” he said, smiling and gesturing towards an arrangement of horizontal wooden slabs scaling the trunk of the tree. 

Isabell frowned at the state of the wood but climbed it, nevertheless. Felix followed her up, close behind, smiling more and more. He missed this place.   

Eventually, the two of them had reached the top, Felix was surprised at how well the place had held up, only a few patches of moss growing here and there. “So, what were you gonna bring me up here for again?” She said, her voice smoother and fluid. It was probably just him. 

“Well,” he said, a little nervous, again, “I actually wanted to show you something I’m really interested in… paradoxes!”  he said, smiling once more. 

She frowned at this, “what?” she said coldly. 

“Y'know, a statement or question that contra-” 

“Are you kidding me?”  

“W-what?” 

“I’ve been acting like all nice for you, like we used to be” “And this is what I get…” “Felix, I LIKE you”  

“I” He didn't know what to do, he was panicking and confused. 

She sighed, “I guess I’ll have to do it myself” she whispered as to not let him hear. He did. “Felix, I’m sorry” she started cooing, that same smooth tone in her voice again, “come on we can just be together, I Know you like me” she started moving towards him on her hands and knees. He froze, he didn’t know what to do and was so confused. She was on him now. “W-” he managed to get the start of a word out before she pressed her lips against his own, closing her eyes she moved her hand to his cheek. He felt her tongue progressing towards his mouth, his back now pressed against the wood beneath him, as she leaned into him. He was scared, so scared, he didn’t like this. Without thinking he pushed against her, releasing himself from her clutch.  She got back onto her knees and looked at him with disgust. He hadn't realised, he was now crying, and his eyes were now red with worry. “Fuck you!” she said now angry, “Y-you freak!” she was hurt too, and he could tell in her voice she was on the brink of tears herself.  Without warning she descended the ladder two steps at a time, and ran away from him, all the while he sat there, tears rolling down his red cheeks.  Felix sat there for half an hour more, crying harder than he had in months, as that word repeated over and over in his head, “Freak”. 

[erwinsprincess]

mine, always and forever: chapter 2

characters: OC (female, y/n, she/her) x Commander Erwin Smith

warning: this story will contain 18+ elements including but not limited to childhood trauma, age-gap, power dynamics, graphic sexual content, substance abuse, self-harm, and language (more in depth tags will be at the beginning of each chapter if need be)

aot semi-cannonverse (takes place in aot universe but I am taking some artistic liberties with timelines, characters, world politics, and happenings)

plot: (y/n) is a young (female, she/her) cadet (22 y/o) with a complicated past. escaping from a life of meaningless pleasures in a foreign land, y/n hopes to make a difference by giving her heart as a member of the scout regiment. with only her brothers by her side, she steps into a world of uncertainty. upon integrating herself within her rank, y/n meets a man that would flip everything she knows about herself upside down... and she likes it.

author's note: this story is my own personal delusion about meeting and falling in love with Commander Erwin if I was in the aot verse. therefore, the character is loosely based on my life experience and self-image. however, it is my hope that all of you will see something of yourself in the MC and all of you Erwin-loving baddies will enjoy our blondie in a new story. I am also new to Tumblr and it seems there are endless things I must learn, so feel free to kindly correct me if I fail to add something to my posts that is necessary for your reading enjoyment.

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

“I am never going to recover from today”

You whined, rubbing your sore biceps as you sat down next to Alexei. Your first day of training went off without a hitch starting with strength training, mobility, and some mild combat training. All things considered you excelled for a newbie, as did your brothers, which did draw attention from the instructors.

“What are they feeding you all where you’re from?” An older man with wrinkled features asked you as you racked the weight you were curling. You chuckled bashfully as you remembered the strict diet your mother put you on. You were not allowed to gain an ounce of weight that was not muscle, and your mother preferred you did not gain muscle because it’s not “feminine”. Your diet consisted of fish, grains, sour yogurt, and berries picked from the mountain during your daily hikes.

“My sister and I are simply gifted athletes.” Your twin brother said as he slung an arm around your neck. “Good news for the scouting regiment, we will be your secret weapon.” He said with a smile, pulling his arm from around your shoulder to flex his bicep.

Dinner that night was simple. Stew and bread. Two foods you were unfamiliar with but you welcomed after a very long day of training. You sat with your brothers, discussing the day’s trials, when three men approached your table. One was tall with sandy brown hair, one shorter with blonde hair and blue eyes, and one also tall with dark brown hair and striking green eyes. You noticed yourself maintaining eye contact with him as they introduced themselves as Jean Kirstein, Armin Arlert, and Eren Jeager.

“Mind if we sit here?” The shy blonde boy asked.

You all began to discuss your past and your reasons for joining the armed forces. You noticed Jean was arrogant and bragging about how he wanted to join the MP. Eren and Armin began to tell of their origin story when the room fell silent, as if all ears wanted to hear what they were saying.

“You mean, you were there that day? In Shiganshina?” A girl behind you uttered.

Shiganshina was a small village within Wall Maria that was attacked several years ago. Many lives were lost due to the walls being blasted open by two abnormal titans, or so you had heard. Even the news of this catastrophe spread to the country you were from. You found your eyes to linger on the green-eyed boy. Was it sympathy, or did you have feelings for him?

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Cadet training took all of 6 months. You grew closer to Sasha and the other girls in your cabin. You had made several friends and you spent more time with your brothers than you had in years. Not to mention you kept your eye out for that beautiful Survey Corps Commander, who you saw on occasion. He and the Commanders for the Garrison and MP regularly visited to receive updates on the cadet training. A friend of a friend told you that Commander Erwin had asked about you specifically to the instructor one day during weight training. You quelled your excitement as the likely reality set in that they were being nosy of the foreign cadets. You had been on the same playing field as all of the other cadets, but you always felt as though the leadership remained skeptical of you, despite asking for your help. Nevertheless, you knew you were beyond capable. Your body had become more muscular due to the constant training and you felt more ready than ever to move into Scout Regiment HQ.

That night would be the night you dedicated your heart to the Scouting Regiment. Even though you placed in the top ten in the 104th Cadet Corps, and you would have qualified for MP, there was no way you were giving up the opportunity to leave the walls again and be a part of the reason humanity would prevail.

As dusk fell, you made your way to the stage where you would make the most important decision of your life. Hundreds of cadets gathered, nervous, clamoring.

“Are you sure this is what you want to do, y/n?” Mikhail asked as he nudged your arm. You smiled at your brother. Misha, as you commonly called him was more like you than your other brothers. People commonly mistook him as your twin, instead of Alexei. Alexei and Nik, despite having hearts made of pure gold, are pompous and arrogant. You love them more than life itself but they certainly are the type of men to appreciate their own reflections a little too much. Misha was more introverted and sensitive, but is the type of man that would stand up for the little guy. He is brave and strong and you’ve always admired his stoicism. He is so much like your father.

“I’m sure. This is my chance to give my heart for the betterment of humanity.” You turned to your brother, smiling mischievously. “Besides, I have to keep an eye out for you three, make sure you don’t find yourself in ‘a pickle’ you can’t get out of.” The phrase “a pickle” was one you picked up from Sasha. He shot you an incredulous, but amused look. Your conversation might have continued, but the sound of a man’s voice broke up your banter. Your heart fluttered as you realized who the voice belonged to. A strong, masculine, and demanding voice that made your very toes curl, and made you wonder what his voice would sound like as a soft whisper, close to your ear while he —. You scolded yourself for being so unfocused.

“Soldiers, I offer you my congratulations for having survived this far. You are already miles ahead of those who dropped out.” He paused. “Tonight is the night you decide if you will dedicate your hearts to the future of humanity. You are all that stands between humanity and decimation at the hands of the titans. Your training, bravery, and focus has brought you this far, however an estimated 30% of you will not survive the first expedition.”

Utter silence. The Commander continued.

“The next expedition is planned for three months from tonight. If you are a new recruit you will be expected to give your hearts on that first expedition. Beyond that, many more of you will be a sacrifice in the ultimate goal of ridding humanity of the titans. If you are unsure of your dedication as I stand before you, you are dismissed”

You stood frozen in your spot. Shaking hands, sweat forming in small, cold beads on your forehead, and a stomach that felt like it would rather empty its contents on the dirt floor below you, you continued to lock your attention on the commander. Faces passed as the vast majority of soldiers walked past you. The Commander continued to speak, but you heard nothing. Less than 30 of the original 400 cadets remained.

Another pause.

“For those of you who remain, I hereby welcome you all to the Survey Corps. You are all brave soldiers.”

The proud look on his face sank as his eyes connected with yours. Another long pause. You felt another strong emotion you could not place. You watched the Commander fumble for words. Fumble. The brave, charismatic, and well-spoken Commander was fumbling for words as your eyes remained locked to his, your hand in a fist over your heart.

“We travel to HQ tomorrow at dawn’s first light. You are dismissed.” Then exits the stage.

You all relaxed your salute and turned to each other.

“That was badass.” A boy named Connie said nudging your arm. “I guess we’re full fledged Scouts now, huh?” You smiled back at him, distracted by your thoughts. Why was the Commander staring at you? Ordinarily you would not mind, in fact it was usually you staring at him. Does he think you’re freak? Did he not want you to join the Scouts? But why would he care?

You turned to leave feeling confused and almost regretful of your decision when a hand grabbed your upper arm and spun you to meet their gaze. A gorgeous pair of emerald eyes stared down at you through messy dark hair.

“Y/n, you look beautiful when you’re stressed out” Eren mused.

You urged your clenched jaw and tense shoulders to relax. A small laugh escaped your lips. “I didn’t realize I wore my stress so blatantly.”

Stopping when you realized he used the word “beautiful” to describe you. Don’t get it twisted, Eren is stunning, not your type on paper, but you could see yourself getting into lots of “trouble” with him. He continued.

“I don’t think you have anything to worry about, other than the leadership. They seem to hate you and your brothers. I mean, Commander Erwin couldn’t look more displeased to see you remaining in the crowd.” Ouch. You sighed. “Yeah I guess he’s not the biggest fan of me. I didn’t do anything to him. I’ve only ever been respectful when spoken to by any of the leadership.” Especially the commander.

Over the past 6 months you and your peers had gotten to meet and mingle with some of the leadership of each branch. Commander Pixis was an old, but charming drunk who spent most of his time with your circle asking you how to say swear words in your native tongue. And then laughing to himself as he said them to his section commander who was less than amused. Nile Dawk commanded the MP. He was a forgettable man if you had ever met one. He kept to himself mostly and kept his priorities at home, a family. You admired his allegiance to his wife as MP hopefuls flirted with him to hopefully earn a spot. Offering up all sorts of things as a sort of “under-the-table” way to earn a comfortable life in the interior city. Commander Erwin however was, in your opinion, everything a man should be. He was courteous, eloquent, even-keeled, and above all he was charming. You had to hide your joy when nosy Connie asked him if he was married and if “she is hot”, and the Commander shook his head. He laughed and said, “I have yet to find my better half. That’s the trouble with a life like mine.” The one interaction that you had with him (that you replay in your head every night before bed) was brief. He complimented your athletic abilities after a record setting run through the obstacle course with ODM gear. Asking what your motivations were for joining the military, not specifying your branch of interest. You told him, and he nodded. “That is admirable, L/N.”And walked away, a nod and a smile to dismiss himself. You called after him, correcting his pronunciation of your name. He turned around, a soft smile painted on his face. “I know, I just like the way you say it.” Then he was gone, and your knees were weak.

“Yo, drinks at the tavern tonight to celebrate our impending demise?” Jean requested from behind you, both hands on your shoulders. You chuckled at his morbid joke and leaned your head to touch his cheek affectionately.

As you all turned to leave, you looked back to the platform where the “higher-ups” stood. Probably scolding the Commander for scaring away 80% of the talent in the Cadet Corps to go join the Garrison and rot for the rest of their lives in booze and laziness. Your eyes yet again met his, but this time the eyes were somber pools of blue, colder than ever. You furrowed your brows as you held his gaze. A nervous cramp in your stomach told you that what you were seeing was real, not your imagination. The Commander was disappointed at your choice, but not for the reason you thought.

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

[underaverageheight]

SKZ Anniversary

Happy SKZ Day~

BC x fem!reader Warnings: none Fluff Angst: if you squint hard enough

Word Count: 687

Feel free to reblog and like with feedback, comments are great but I won't be able to respond since this is a sub-blog

You had, well, no idea how you got here. Ever since you saw groups performing when you were little, you wanted to be a star. Fast-forward a few years and instead of auditioning, you applied to be a manager, realizing that life in the entertainment industry was hard. But you wanted to stop that, at least make life more enjoyable for the talented people in entertainment. Employed under JYPE, you were to shadow and assist the managers for girl-group TWICE. You loved it, making a few close friends with some of the girls, who even send concert tickets today.

Today was a special day for you. Today marks the 5th year of the first and only group you manage, Stray Kids. Growing close to TWICE girls also meant meeting Chan. Chan was the hardest worker you knew at JYPE. Watching him from a distance during his trainee days fueled your purpose for becoming a manager, someone these stars can trust and depend on. You only ever greeted him or gave him some of the extra snacks you bought for TWICE. He always had a smile on his face, and it only made you pity him more for the amount of work he's put in for his debut.

Though you know you shouldn't, you and Chan grew to be close friends. A week after that, you were told that you can stop shadowing. You were getting your first managing job. Nothing, nothing in the world could ever have made you believe that your first official job would be managing a new boy band. Especially one with your best friend.

"Congrats guys!" You walked into the conference room with gifts and bags. Joyful greetings were yelled from each member. "Let me help you with that," Chan grabbed some bags from you, lightening your load. "Thanks," You set down each bag gently, not wanted its contents to break, spill, or fall out of place. "Here you guys go, a little gift from me," you said as the boys looked through the bags to find one with their name delicately written on there. "Thank you, Sunbaeee," Hyunjin got up and hugged you, delighted with his new art supplies. Jeongin and Felix started to tear up reading the letter you wrote to each member, expressing your gratefulness to them. Chan watched his members open up theirs gifts and opened his soon after. He pulled out a few snacks and other items that had their own special meanings between the two of you and smiled. Flicking open the letter, he too hugged you as his letter was more personal, sharing the fond trainee memories you shared together.

Later on, after celebrating with STAY, Chan decided to treat the group and the managers with dinner.

Abandoning your usual attire of casual clothes, you wore a dress and heels. Sure, you felt a little overdressed but it was a very special occasion.

"You look stunning Y/n," Chan gestured to an open seat next to him. Butterflies erupted in your stomach. It wasn't everday you dressed up so compliments weren't a common thing. "Aw thanks," you return, "You look pretty handsome yourself- even more than you usually are," You quickly picked up a menu to cover your face. "So, what are you all having?" You tried to focus on the menu and before you felt it, Chan leaned over, giving you his answer. "A date," you felt a little overdressed but it was a very special occasion.

Chan chuckled and looked at your eyes, his eyes reflecting the same happiness you felt his warm breath in your ear, "a date with you," You tried to gather your composure, used to the other members being a flirt but Chan always managed to break that. "Wow Channie, I didn't know you felt that way about me," you teased making him blush a bit. You leaned over to him, "Cause I feel the same way," you laughed, putting your hand over his under the table. "So...you and Chan-hyung?" Han smiled. The two of you blushed, thankful the other managers were busy ordering.

"Yes. Us."

Masterlist

A/N: y'all they are going on Jimmy Kimmel's show on the 29th, makes a great birthday gift for me to enjoy

[callmearcturus]

i am sick as fucking hell today so here's my ranking of S-Links so far

caveats: Aigis STILL hasn't fucking unlocked, i'm only halfway thru mitsuru's, and one-third thru yukari's.

Best to Worst:

The Magician, Junpei: I am still flabbergasted at how fucking good his arc is. The fact that in the penultimate slink scene he recognizes the specific way he's been disrespectful to you and meaningfully apologizes for it is not remotely what I expected out of him. Also I somehow got spoiled very early that he wasn't a romance option, and (I can't believe I'm making this comparison) just like Dorian in Dragon Age: Inquisition, it made it feel fun and safe to play-flirt and joke with him, safe in the knowledge it wouldn't go awry. Junpei is my fucking bro, my ride or die.

The Star, Akihiko: Predictable since I am currently evaluating his entire romance against my other favorite romances in video games (I don't think he beats Garrus and The Transistor, but he's top five). Slowly unraveling this boy is delightful, and honestly the way he turns as you get to know him better is very marked and obvious. He goes from relying on his one hyperfixation to communicate, to opening up and sometimes being genuinely so fucking smooth and romantic, it threw me for a loop. Least neurotypical person in the cast.

The Hermit, Saori: From the moment she said a Bad Word I was in love. I like how... careful you have to be with her, how she is very aware of her faults, of the fact she's a doormat, and the reasons she has become that way. Saying goodbye to her was genuinely very fucking sad and I miss her. Would dump Akihiko for her if I could. (Tho even more I want them to meet, could you IMAGINE.)

The Priestess, Fuuka: I love this girl so fucking much. The steel core of her underneath of the self-doubt is wonderful to see. Also the specific way she sucks at cooking and almost locks up from the failure tracks as very real. It does suck to rope someone else into helping you with something and then seeing how good that person is at the thing. Also her slink is so close to a romance, I'm mad about it. LEMME DATE HER.

The Moon, Shinjiro: Ah, the urge to help people vs the urge to be a bitch. Who can't relate to that. Especially given the inevitable end of his arc, the specific way Shinjiro is trying to keep people from relying on him or expecting anything from him... hitting facefirst into the wall of how goddamn fucking reliable he is, it's great. Glad I maxed this one out.

The Tower, Mutatsu: I really like that you're basically therapizing this old monk just by.... being a mirror to reflect his questions back at him. You do very little to help him honestly, you just exist nearby and thus inspire him to challenge himself and better himself. He just needed someone to talk to! Also its funny to imagine FemPC just hanging out in his booth for a few weeks. What a duo.

The Sun, Akinari: Did NOT like this one at first, but wow the actual final thought of it, the idea that.... death is inevitable, and you will never know your purpose, and you will never see your purpose, but you do have purpose. That was surprisingly affecting. Also WAS HE A GHOST THE WHOLE TIME? WHAT WAS WITH THAT? Wacky.

The Chariot, Rio: Oh Rio, I wish I could rank you higher, girl. I really like Rio and think she's actually an incredible example of the Chariot, but in the way I enjoyed being careful with Saori, there were times I wanted to smack Rio upside the head. Because she's making progress, she's getting there, but it's almost entirely without you. You're there to support her and that's great but you cannot fucking challenge her at all ever or she'll get upset. Just frustrating.

The Devil, Tanaka: This one was so fucking weird but enjoyable? But there's no depth here. It's just weird and fun!

Strength, Koromaru: I'm not a dog person but this is a good dog. Also while I didn't vibe with the plot around Koromaru, the way he incited conversation with other characters was great.

Justice, Ken: I'm about... 4 or 5 into this one? And the point seems to be "ah, the trauma of growing up too fast." Which yep. That's a thing. Wish this slink wasn't like pulling teeth.

The Emperor, Hidetoshi: I'm bored to tears and I'm never gonna finish this one. Hidetoshi is a tool, I'm not interested.

The Hierophant, the Old Couple: this one is straight up poorly written. It's just so fucking poorly written I don't know if something went seriously awry in localization or if it was just that bad. I maxed it out and I regret it.

The Hanged Man, Maiko: HEY YO WHAT WAS UP WITH HER DAD HITTING HER AND THE "BEST" OPTION BEING "That's mean!" OH BITCH IS IT MEAN TO HIT A CHILD? OH DANG I HAD NO IDEA.

Temperance, Bebe: The degree to which I failed out of this slink cannot be overstated. When Bebe calls me, I turn him down every time even if I have NOTHING else to do that day. This slink feels offensive to like five different groups of people. Nope. Not doing it. Bye.

I thiiiiiiink that's all the ones I have an opinion on. /jazzhands

Say What About:

Yukari: I bounced off her early because she gave me huge Best Friend Who Quietly Hates You vibes. She gets great development in the main story tho so I'm working on hers.

Aigis: Hasn't unlocked.

Mitsuru: IT TOOK ME UNTIL FUCKING, WHAT, NOVEMBER TO GRIND ACADEMICS? OH MY GODDDDD the stat threshold for her is literally just to fucking high.

Ryoji: Gave me the creeps so I fully skipped everything after the mandatory unlock!!!! Don't like him!

[girlcrushart]

I did not know that today was @whoiwanttoday's birthday even tho he always knows when it's mine. In my defence I never know when anyone's birthday is (I've even been known to forget my own). I think it comes down to the fact that one thing I hate a lot is expectations. Like, having high expectations and then being let down is one of the worst feelings. Or, wondering what expectations are and worrying a lot about meeting them—hate that. And holidays (including birthdays) are fraught with expectations, which is why I always downplay them bc that's all just too much for me. However, when it's easy to celebrate, I go for it, and this one was easy. You see, I already had this Charli XCX poster made because I knew I'd be posting her again soon enough. I'll let you all in on a little secret: I have quite a few girlcrush posters already made (you're welcome to guess how many... in fact anyone who guesses correctly gets to choose a girlcrush subject for me to make a poster of). I do that because 1. I like making the posters... it's a very relaxing and enjoyable way to spend time, and 2. It's great to have a collection of pre-made posters of girls I know I'm going to post anyways, for those days where I just don't have the time. So, ya, I already had this poster, and then @whoiwanttoday used the source photo from this poster in his bday post, so that's a sign, I think. Now, you might think that my birthday present to him is posting this poster of Charli XCX, but that's not the main present. The main present is this: admitting that there was a time when I didn't think much of Charli, both as an artist as well as general hotness. It will forever be a mystery how that even happened in the first place, but there is no doubt that the hero who pulled me out of that dark place was none other than today's birthday boy and I publicly acknowledge that he is 100% responsible for making me realize that Charli was ridiculously hot and that her music was excellent. And I'd say that my most most favourite songs from the past couple years have mainly been Charli songs. I adore her music SO much. And she is extremely hot. So happy birthday @whoiwanttoday, today's girlcrushart guardian is dedicated to you.

[ash5monster01]

Goes On Chapter Thirteen

Pairing: Charlie Dalton x OC!FemReader

Warnings: 18+, depression, mentions of suicide, heavy topics, eventual smut, slow burn romance, fluff, gender themes/stereotypes.

Summary: Against his best efforts Charlie has to start at a new preparatory school after the tragic events that took place at Welton. The very events that led to the loss of his best friend and getting expelled in the first place. He has no plans to make friends let alone get close to anyone ever again. That is until he meets Evelyn and her interesting group of friends. No matter how hard he tries to push them away he finds it to be impossible. So he caves and in the end learns that life can still be enjoyable even if it feels like everyone is against you.

word count: 2.9k

Twelve ←→ Fourteen

Masterlist

Ridge Academy, NY

4/7/60

Thursday track meets were back in full swing. Charlie was not normally a nervous person but today he was rattling with nerves. He still wasn't fully confiendent in his pole vaulting abilities but there wasn't much he could do about it now. He had three events to participate in and no other choice. Next year he'll actually go for the sports he wanted but until then this would just have to suffice. Besides when the blisters and callouses started to hurt it brought him right back to the first night he kissed Evelyn and he wasn't so upset about it anymore. Smiling to himself he finished wrapping his one hand as he waited for his event to be called.

As for the girls they laid in the grass, patiently waiting for the events of each of the boys. It was the first time the three girls had been alone in a while and they were taking complete advantage. Laurie even came prepped with nail polish to do the girls nails as they waited the events between the ones they were there to watch. Evelyn laid completley still as the blonde girl did her fingers first since Violet had already broken into the snacks they also brought. Both of the girls noticed how a smile hadn't left Evelyn's face once, mind on the brunette boy that had completely captured her heart. She was so blissed out the girls used this as an oppurtunity to get all the information out of her they could.

"That is the sweetest story I've ever heard" Laurie cooed after Evelyn had just finished retelling the story of their first kiss. So far Charlie had been a dream boy, being everything she needed and more.

"I know, until Violet ruined it" Evelyn said with a giggle and the raven haired girl gasped and reached out to whack her friend.

"Hey, how was I supposed to know he was in there and you should be thanking me anyways. He never would've snuck into your room if it wasn't for him and Nate catching me on the boys floor" she defended and both the girls giggled at her words. Knowing the truth they held.

"Thank you Violet, next time stay in the boys dorms a little longer" Evelyn finally said around her giggles and Laurie laughed harder, rolling onto the ground beside the brunette. Leaving the nail polish behind. Violet just rolled her eyes but joined into the laughter as well, laying down herself, and enjoying the feeling of the warm sun on her skin.

"What about you Laurie, anything happen with Mr. Eli Johnson?" Evelyn asked, heading tipping to look at her, eyebrows moving up and down suggestively. Laurie just grinned, the soft shake of her head as she looked away from the girl and up to the clouds.

"Not really, I wanted it to but he wasn't a very good kisser. So I let him get to second base and called it a night" this response has Evelyn and Violet erupting in a fit of giggles and Laurie can't help but laugh herself at the memory of it all.

“How disappointing considering you were practically over the moon when he asked you” Violet points out and Evelyn grins wide, remembering how Laurie had barged into their room just to share the good news. Despite her wanting to go with another guy.

“It’s okay, I still haven’t quite given up on the Jay Adam’s dream anyway” she says, sly smile dancing across her lips and neither of the girls can say a word because that was their Laurie. Confident, cool, and queen of the school.

“Hey are we cheering or sleeping?” Marty suddenly lands on top of them all, eliciting shrieks from each of the girls as he laughed. Violet is the first to shove at his weight, nose scrunched up in disgust.

“Gross, you already smell. Please go away” she says which makes all of them laugh as the boy removes his weight from off of them. Once free they sit up, eyes squinting in the brightness of the sun.

“We were sleeping, nothing exciting about watching you throw heavy things around” Laurie says, brushing grass from her sweater and perfectly styled blonde hair.

“Violet never seems to mind” he grins, eyes sparkling with amusement and the girl quickly shoves him as hard as she can. He was good at pushing her buttons.

“Careful there Martin, she’ll stop visiting after hours and that’ll interfere with my plans too” Evelyn tells him, a pointed but joking look on her face, and Marty grins at all three of the girls that he has come to love in very different ways.

“Yeah well those plans are about to launch himself in the air so get ready to watch” he says with a soft pat to her leg before standing up. He doesn’t miss a beat as he bends to offer Violet a chaste kiss and runs off to join the boys in his own event.

“God, is it bad I don’t want to watch?” Evelyn asks, suddenly filled with nerves as she spots Charlie stretching and preparing for his event. The girls giggle beside her and Violet wraps a comforting arm around her shoulder.

“Yes, considering he’s only been doing this for a month” Violet teases and Evelyn can’t bring herself to laugh because the whistle is blowing, indicating the start and Charlie now has the very large pole in his hands. Since when were they that tall? He could fall and break an arm, or worse his leg.

Panic was beginning to flood her but she didn’t have time to acknowledge it because suddenly the boy was running, running so fast it almost hurt her neck to follow him. Even Violet and Laurie held their breaths as the bottom of the pol met ground and the boy was being lifted in the air, feet above his head and guiding him over the pole. A laugh of nerves and pride fell from Evelyn’s lips as he cleared it and she didn’t breathe until he met the mat on the other end and lifted himself up from the ground.

“That was amazing” Laurie said as the crowd began to cheer and Evelyn nodded, still trying to come back to reality as Charlie returned to the other members of the team.

“Wow are you sure he’s never pole vaulted before?” Violet asked and Evelyn nodded, remembering that day in the hallway like yesterday. Yet Charlie had completed the sport with ease and even she had been wondering how he had gotten so good in such a short amount of time.

"Positive" she told her and Violet and Laurie shared equally impressed looks as another student attenmpted his hand at the event. Evelyn's heart had now calmed and she found herself enjoying this much more than she thought. It was fun watching and not only that but cheering on your favorite people in the world, even Charlie who was the most unlikely of her allies lately.

It's not long until the meet is over, the girls cheering where necessary when Marty and Nate were up in their own events as well. The temperature had cooled down quite a bit as the night progressed, the sun barely cast over the horizon now as the teams began to pickup and visiting families started to make their way home. The girls made quick work of collecting their things and starting for the very boys they had attended this for. Violet beat all of them, rushing into Marty’s arms and greeting him with a friendly kiss. Much different then the last interaction they had not that long ago. Evelyn took a much gentler approach, walking slowly into Charlies arms and offering him a sweet kiss. Nate turned away quickly, not wanting to watch.

"What, no running and jumping for me?" he teased once she pulled back and Evelyn just laughed, giving a soft shake of her head. Charlie kept his arm wrapped around her shoulders and she locked her own around his waist. Happy to have someone to belong too.

"I'm not much for theatrics" she told him and Violet glared as Marty set her down and the group began to circle around one another. Laurie and Nate standing awkwardly beside each other being the only two single ones of the group and never once having any interest in the other.

"You did really good Charlie" Laurie praised and Charlie smiled, softly shaking his head as he glanced to the other two boys.

"Thanks Laur" he said, a bit embrassed. He still hated track, despised it, but the praise made it worth it. Only slightly.

"Yeah, I thought Evelyn said you've never done track before" Violet repeats from earlier and Charlie's brown eyes dropped to gaze into Evelyn’s and she smiled at him, remembering the closed off boy who argued with her in the hallway that day. He was still that boy but at least now he had begun to let her in.

"I haven't, it's just these muscles I have from all those years of rowing" he smirks, free arm lifting to flex for the group and they all laugh as Evelyn pulls his arm down, shaking her head at the cocky boy beside her. Once the laughter calmed he glanced around the group. "But seriously I worked my ass off this last month or so. No chance I was going to risk falling on my ass in front of the entire student body. Especially since I still have the new kid reputation"

“That’s fair” Nate agreed and Laurie smacked him as well, the group comfortably laughing again.

Charlie couldn’t help the slight constriction in his chest. He had come to like this group of people, he really did. It just would never be the same and he figured it never would. Just a few months ago he was the happiest he’d ever been in his life and now he wasn’t sure what he was. He knew he was happy around Evelyn, content even, and he knew he enjoyed the presence of the others but they didn’t offer him what the Dead Poets did. Those were his brothers, his family, the only people he had ever shown his true self too. Then suddenly, all at once, he was sad because today he did something new and none of them were there to see it. Most of all Neil who would’ve been the first person he told about today.

“I gotta run, thanks for coming guys” Charlie suddenly said and before Evelyn could question why, he let go of his grip on her, and rushed off towards the entrance to the dorms. The group looked amongst each other as they spotted Evelyn’s disappointed face.

“What was that about?” Violet questioned and Evelyn shrugged, turning back and trying to hide how much his sudden change in attitude upset her.

“Not sure” she spoke, eyes a bit more dull than they just were. She liked having a boyfriend, she loved even feeling content enough to have one, but when he closed off like that she couldn’t help but feel a little lost. Charlie had always been a mystery but she hoped they had at least moved past that point by now.

“I’m sure it’s nothing” Nate said, seeing entirely through her and Evelyn nodded even though it did nothing to ease her mind. Nate went to walk towards her but she took a step back, sad eyes gazing amongst her friends that she didn't want to pity her.

"I'm going to finish up some homework, I'll see you guys later" and just like that Evelyn was off too, running to hide from her friends who would question her until she was too sad to answer. She may be Charlie's girlfriend but she still couldn't explain him and that hurt more than anything. To be the closest person in his life and still feel like you knew nothing about him. To feel like he didn't entirely trust you yet and that was pain on its own.

The now abandoned group of friends slowly dispersed off into their own things. Nate who couldn't get the image of a sad Evelyn out of his mind started for his dorm, hoping Charlie would be in there so he could give him a piece of his mind. Yet what he didn't expect to find was Charlie sat up on his bed, track clothes still on, as tears streamed down his face. It was the first time Nate had ever seen something as heartbreaking as this. He knew Charlie was broken but he had hid it so well, at least up until now. When Charlie spots him he's quick to wipe at his face and turn to the wall.

"What happened?" Nate can't help but ask, almost shocked by the fact that just moments ago he came here to yell at Charlie for Evelyn being sad when Charlie was the saddest of them all.

"I don't know, it's hard to explain" Charlie muttered, voice hoarse with tears. Nate took his spot on his own bed, watching Charlie who refused to turn from the wall. He hadn't cried in front of anyone since he first found out about Neil. Everyone must reach their breaking point some time.

"Try me" Nate said, getting comfortable and preparing to hear his side of everything. He knew about his friend, knew the turmoil that Chartlie held. He just didn't know anything about it. He was given no story, no context, and it was such a heavy fact to know. Knowing nothing about the story made it consume your mind entirely. He figures because of this Charlie took a moment to respond.

"It's weird, like I can't explain. Just sometimes the memory of what happened is so suffocating I can't breath. It happens randomly too, like the weirdest things could trigger it" Charlie says, slowly turning to face Nate. The one good thing was Nate had a comforting aura to him, probably why him and Evelyn had been friends for so long.

"What triggered it today?" Nate asked, hoping his questions wouldn't scare him off. He had shared a room with Charlie for a while now and he knew he was the only one to know this about him. He just wanted to be there for him if need be.

"I'm not sure, suddenly I was super aware of the fact that all of you were my friends but not really my friends. Because my friends are still at Welton and one of them is dead and then I started feeling guilty for moving on and pretending they don't exist. Guilty that I'd ever be so happy when my friend was so unhappy he didn't survive" Charlie says, tears streaming down his face again and to avoid looking at Nate his eyes find the picture on his night stand. The one of him and the boys outside of the cave. A moment frozen in time where he was his happiest. If only that Charlie could see him now and what a wreck he'd become.

"I hate to say it Charlie but I think you’re experincing panic attacks. Which is normal for people who have endured any type of trauma. It's a coping mechanism for people who still struggle with traumatic events in their life" Nate says, knowing all about this because his own father had them growing up. A side effect of surviving World War 2 and living a life to tell the tale. He'd seen his Dad jump at enough fireworks, and be blinded by anger enough times, to know a piece of his father would always be still at War.

"How do I get rid of them?" Charlie gapes, mind reeling over the idea that the death of his best friend had impacted him in such a way that he may never be normal again. Yet then again, what really is normal? He wasn't so sure anymore.

"You don't. You learn to live with them and when that doesn't work you start to learn what triggers it, and learn to live with that. Whatever happened though Charlie was enough to unease your mind and you should probably figure out how to get some closure" Nate spoke, standing and searching for his shower stuff. After an entire track meet he needed a rinse and he figured Charlie needed the room. Charlie might be the guy who stole his girl but that guy was also very broken and Nate couldn't fix that for him no matter how hard he tried.

"Like face my fears?" he questions and Nate nods, swinging his towel over his shoulder and offering him a tight lipped smile.

"Exactly" he says before opening the door and giving Charlie the space to recognize what had really happened to him. How he had been left to hold in all this trauma to the point his own body had made a chemical reaction to what he had endured. Charlie hated that, it made him feel weak, when not so long ago he felt like a king. When he felt like he had a chance at loving his life.

To indeed be a God.

Taglist: @octaviasdread @eden-punk @linmichea1 @pursuedbyamemoryy @mynameisjxlia

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[moohnshinescorner]

In Hunter Valley, it's always open season on men.

Man Spread by Vanessa Vale is now live!

I'm a famous TV star—how hard can it be to pretend that real love is fake?

To women around the world, I’m Dr. Dark and Dangerous, sexiest bachelor alive.

I meet the only one who has no idea who I am. To single mom Aspen, I’m just the guy who rocked her world one night. Nothing more.

With the tabloids out to destroy my career and a movie deal on the line, I need help. I need a girlfriend to improve my image. Since the only one I want won’t do a real relationship, she agrees to be my fake girlfriend. Except the more time we’re together, the more we blur the lines between what's real and what’s fake.

Because how I feel for her isn’t pretend at all.

Download today on Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and Kobo!

Amazon: https://bit.ly/3GmjadU

Amazon Worldwide: https://mybook.to/ManSpread

Apple Books: https://apple.co/43f1ZWi

Nook: https://bit.ly/3VitnB4

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3TeBn3h

Google Play: https://bit.ly/3TzOUUq

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/4a1mIQp

MY REVIEW

This is the second book in this series that I have read and I loved it. Luke and Aspen are perfect for one another. His ying to her yang. A wonderful story.

Aspen is a beautiful character full of pose and grace. Being a yoga instructor has given her a new life, but ballet is her love, her passion. Meeting the mysterious Luke was more than what she bargained for.

Luke laid claim the moment he saw the beautiful, blonde bomb shell. She is smart, intelligent, sexy and beautiful. To top it all off she has no idea who he is. A true rarity in his twisted world of gold diggers and social climbers. But will his desire to become more be the building block to make it all fall down.

This book like the first one I read is fun and highly entertaining. It is full of humor and snarky sass. Not only is it funny, it is sexy. With the scenes that will make you blush and the ones that will make you laugh, this book is sure to entertain and hold your attention for hours. It is a steady paced story and well developed. It is filled with interconnecting characters and new characters, making the story very enjoyable.

I think this is the rom-com of the season to read. I loved all the characters, especially sweet Sierra. She reminds me of myself when I was young. A tomboy whom loved sports and got along with the boys better than the girls. She was quick whit and fun. I can't wait to read more from Vanessa Vale.

[queenscharacters]

"Is your whole mission in life to drive me crazy?" Jessica to Zane

“Actually,” Zane drawled, his grin turning into a smirk, “I’d say my life’s mission is to love and support you. For whatever reason, that drives you crazy, but maybe that’s something you need to explore.” He knew what he was saying was only going to drive her crazier, but he couldn’t help himself. Old habits died hard, plus there was something so enjoyably about riling Jess up. It wasn’t that he wanted to upset her, but he had a way of annoying her so easily, and he had a feeling she enjoyed these little moments as much as he did.

“Seriously. Tell me why you’re so bothered that I said this is the best thing that’s ever happened to me - shouldn’t that flatter you?” Zane countered, arching an eyebrow. He wouldn’t deny that he was annoying, but something about Jess just brought this side out of him. He was giddy. He had too much fun with her. The Lillywhites had always been the best of friends he’d ever had and he knew the feeling was at least mutual with Marcus. He’d hate to find out he was more of a nuisance than anything else to Jess.

Was it love at first sight with her? Not in the slightest. He was 15 - they were both awkward. He clicked with Marcus immediately, but Jess, much like today, acted like it was a hindrance to spend time with both boys. He’d be lying, though, if he didn’t acknowledge how quickly he fell for her. It was long before the braces came off, baby fat shed, and makeup entered the equation that he knew he was smitten with Jess. Maybe then he could’ve blamed his emotions on her being the first British girl he knew, but now he knew that wasn’t the case.

“And for the record, I meant what I said.” Zane lifted his chin, meeting her eyes so she could see the sincerity in his. Yeah, the situation wasn’t ideal. He wouldn’t even say he was happy with it. He always imagined getting married to Jessica in way different circumstances. Never in a million years did he think he’d be leveraging a mistake that she - of all people - her - made against her. He saw an opening, though, and he’d be damned not to take it. “I know that just eats you up, but I wasn’t joking. I’ve accomplished a lot, but nothing beats this.”