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freshl6ve · 12 hours ago

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𝐂𝐇𝐑𝐈𝐒. 𝐒 | 𝐒𝐇𝐔𝐓 𝐔𝐏 & 𝐃𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐄⁷

⭑.ᐟ : 𝐀𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭’𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞. I was lounging on the couch, mindlessly scrolling through my phone, when a sudden knock at the door startled me. Confused, I set my phone down and got up, walking over to the door.

I reached the door, opening it slightly to see who was there. A feeling of uneasy recognition washed over me as I saw Chris standing in the doorway, an expectant smile on his face.

I rolled my eyes and walked away from the door, already feeling annoyed by his unexpected arrival. Chris followed me in, closing the door behind him.

“Whoa whoa whoa,” he said, grabbing my wrist and stopping me in my tracks. “What’s with the sudden switch up? You were all up on me last night, what did I do, ma?”

I spun around to face him, fixing him with a serious look. “Putting your clothes on me and leaving your shit around my house is what you did,” I repeated firmly, the annoyance clear in my voice.

I crossed my arms over my chest, continuing to glare at him. “I literally got in an argument with Matt because he thought I was sleeping with you,” I added, my annoyance and defensiveness rising.

Chris looked mildly surprised at my revelation that Matt had been over. “Matt was here?” he echoed, his eyebrows raised.

I nodded, still scowling. “Yeah, he was. He wasn’t happy to see me wearing your clothes,” I retorted, the sarcasm evident in my voice.

Chris chuckled, a cocky smirk on his face. “Aw, did little Matty-boy get jealous?” he teased, clearly amused by my situation.

Chris took a step forward, his hands reaching for my waist. “Let him,” he said, his gaze locked on mine. “He’s just mad ‘cause you look better in my clothes than his, ma.”

Chris’s hands on my waist pulled me closer to him, my resolve weakening as he neared. “Stop, Chris,” I protested weakly, the proximity and his nearness making it difficult to resist him. “God, you make it so difficult…”

Chris pretended to be clueless, looking down at me with an innocent expression. “Why?” he asked, his hands still on my waist.

I let out a frustrated sigh, gathering my thoughts. “You’re a player,” I began, staring up at him. “I know I should be staying away and I know you’re nothing but trouble.”

I continued firmly, raising a finger between us. “We can’t happen,” I stated firmly, my voice determined. “And we’re never going to happen, ‘cause I’m not going to be another victim of whatever game you’re playing, Chris.”

Chris’s smirk stayed in place, not even fazed by my words. He leaned down, his face only inches away from mine.

Chris leaned down even closer, our faces almost touching. “Just remember,” he said, his voice suggestive, “you were the one who wanted to kiss me last night.”

He moved his head even closer, his breath warm against my face. “Don’t let Matt’s words get to you,” he muttered, his voice dropping to a low murmur.

I swallowed, trying to hold my ground. “Matt only wants what’s best for me,” I countered, my voice weaker than I wanted it to be.

Chris chuckled, his hands tightening their grip on my waist. “And what if what’s best for you isn’t what Matt thinks?” he asked, his lips hovering just above mine.

Chris pulled me even closer, his voice sultry and persuasive. “Maybe I’m what’s best for you,” he whispered, his breath hot against my skin. “And Matt’s just talking down on me so you’ll have this perspective of me as a horrible person. It’s true I’m far from perfect, but everyone’s got a story and reasons behind it, don’t they?”

Chris’s tone turned softer, less teasing. His hands loosened their grip on my waist, still holding me close but with a gentler touch.

“I wasn’t always like this,” he murmured, his gaze never leaving mine. “People can change you, ma. I’m not the same person I was five years ago, or even a year ago. And maybe… just maybe you can change me too.”

Chris moved his mouth from my ear down to my neck, his breath hot against my skin. “Just drop the hard act and live a little,” he murmured, his lips brushing against my sensitive flesh.

“There’s nothing wrong with having a little fun,” he continued, his voice a seductive murmur. “And I can show you a whole lot of fun, ma…”

Despite my better judgment, I found myself melting under his touches, his words both tempting and dangerous.

“Chris…” I protested weakly, my resolve weakening as his lips continued their path along my neck.

Chris’s lips continued their path down my neck, his words a husky murmur against my skin. “Matt doesn’t have to know,” he whispered, his voice low and sultry. “It’ll be our secret, ma.”

His mouth moved down my neck to just under my jawline, his kisses gentle yet persuasive.

“You’re a big girl who can choose her own decisions without someone else making them for you,” he murmured between kisses. “So decide wisely.”

As Chris continued his trail of kisses down my neck, my thoughts began to spin, a mix of desire and guilt flooding my mind. I knew that I was about to make a decision that could have serious consequences, and yet… I couldn’t bring myself to push him away.

I thought to myself, This is my decision. Whatever happens from here is on me. I own it all. Not Matt, not Chris… Me.

The realization of my own agency hit me even harder, and any last trace of resistance faded. I knew what I was about to do was risky, and there were definitely going to be consequences, but at that moment… I didn’t care.

I raised a hand, my fingers tangling gently into the soft strands of Chris’s hair. Not pulling him away, but instead holding him closer, surrendering to the moment and my own impulses.

I tilted my head slightly to the side, granting him more access to my neck. Chris chuckled against my skin, his breath hot and heavy.

“There you go,” he crooned, a hint of satisfaction in his voice. “Let yourself go, ma. I’ve got you.”

His hands gripped me tighter, his mouth now trailing over my collarbone. I gasped softly, my fingers clenching his hair as my body arched against his.

My mind was reeling, caught between the heady rush of desire and the cold reality of what I was doing. But in the heat of the moment, it was difficult to think clearly.

Chris’s mouth continued kissing, the sensitive skin there responding to his every touch. His hands roamed over my sides, up my back, and down to my hips, their grip firm yet gentle.

“Don’t think,” he murmured against my skin, picking up on my internal struggle. “Just feel, ma.”

His hands moved from my hips to my chin, gently tilting my face up to meet his.

Our eyes locked for a brief moment, both of us seeming to hesitate. But then Chris leaned in, his lips descending on mine in a slow, deliberate kiss.

Fuck it felt wrong, and yet so right at the same time. I found myself melting into it, my body responding to his even as my mind screamed that this wasn’t supposed to happen. I was supposed to hate him, to resist him, to not fall for this.

Yet here I was, returning his kiss, my body quivering under his hands as the guilt and pleasure warred within me.

Chris’s lips left mine, moving down to the opposite side of my neck. At the same time, one of his hands moved to the back of my head, his fingers tangling into my hair as he pulled my head to the side to give him better access.

The combination of his mouth on my neck and the slight sting of my hair being pulled made me gasp, a moan escaping my lips despite my best efforts to hold it in.

Chris chuckled against my skin, his free hand gripping my hip. “That’s good, ma. Let me hear you.”

He gave my hair another gentle tug, his lips continuing their path down my neck. I couldn’t help but let out another soft moan, this time louder and more desperate than the last.

As the moans escaped from my lips, a sudden realization hit me like a bucket of cold water. This wasn’t right, I couldn’t keep doing this.

“I can’t,” I gasped, pushing weakly at his chest. “I can’t, Chris. We can’t do this. I can’t…” I repeated, my voice quivered with both desire and fear.

Chris paused, his lips leaving my neck as he looked down at me with a mixture of surprise and understanding. He didn’t fight my hands as they pushed at his chest, instead taking a small step back, giving me a bit of space.

But he didn’t go far, his intense gaze never leaving mines. “Why not?” he asked, his voice a soft murmur. “Is it cause of Matt?”

My gaze held his, my voice firm despite the conflicting feelings surging within me. “No. It’s got nothing to do with Matt right now,” I answered, my hands still pressed against his chest. “This is a bad idea, and we both know it.”

Chris just watched me silently, his hands now at his sides. But his gaze was intense still, those blue eyes holding mine trapped. After a moment, he spoke, his voice a deep murmur. “Why is it a bad idea?” he asked, his tone curious and sincere. “What makes it so wrong?”

My voice grew quieter, the fear and uncertainty evident in it. “Because I don’t want to be another trophy to you,” I confessed, my words barely above a whisper. “And I don’t know where you’ll be in the morning, or who you’ll be with… and I can’t… I can’t handle that.”

Chris just looked at me, his expression unreadable. I could see the wheels turning in his head, processing my words. After a moment, he took a small step forward, closing the distance between us again.

“So you’re just going to assume the worst?” he asked quietly. “That I’ll just toss you aside like a piece of trash?”

I bit my lip, a mixture of shame, fear, and disappointment flooding through me. “Can you blame me?” I responded, my voice shaking. “You’re not exactly known for sticking around long-term, Chris. You don’t even remember half the girls you’ve slept with. How am I supposed to believe I’ll be any different?”

Chris’s gaze stayed locked on mine, his expression hardening, almost defensive. He slowly pulled back from me, his hands moving to his pockets.

He was quiet for a moment, before a bitter chuckle escaped his lips. “You’re just always gonna see the bad side of me, huh?” he muttered, his tone a mixture of hurt and annoyance. “You’ll never believe that I might want to change, will you?”

I felt a pang of guilt and sadness in my chest, the truth of his words stinging. “Chris, I do believe that you want to change,” I said quietly. “But you can’t blame me for being hesitant. You have a track record, and I’m sorry, but that’s not exactly easy to forget.”

He gave a harsh laugh, bitterness lacing his words. “Right, right. My track record. Always gotta bring it back to that, don’t you?” He took another step away from me, clearly hurt and frustrated by the direction this conversation was going.

I took a deep breath, gathering my thoughts. “You know how I feel about people like you,” I said, my voice firm yet soft. “You did this yourself, Chris. You can’t be upset at me when I push you away, when I’m scared of being hurt.”

Chris’s expression darkened, frustration and anger mingling in his gaze. “Then stop letting fear get in the way of what you want, for once in your life,” he spat, his voice edged with annoyance. “God, you just let what Matt says get to your head too much. Don’t you have a mind of your own?”

I turned away from Chris and walked over to the coffee table, picking up his hat and jersey from it. The anger and hurt fueling me, I walked back over to him and shoved them against his chest.

“Here, take your shit and go” I said, my voice cold and hard.

His expression darkened even further as he took the hat and jersey from me, gripping them tightly in his hands.

“So that’s it, huh?” he said, his tone a mix of anger and resignation. “You’re just going to push me away again? Ignore your own feelings because you’re too scared to give in to them?”

I felt a pang in my chest as the words left my lips, but I had to do it. I had to shut him out, push him away before he had a chance to break me.

“Just go, Chris,” I said, my voice firm though the sadness was edging through. “I can’t do this right now. Just go.”

Chris just nodded in response, a bitter smile on his face. He turned and walked towards the door, his footsteps echoing heavily in the silent room.

As he reached the door, he paused, glancing back at me one last time. “You know where to find me if you want a quick fuck,” he muttered, his voice hard and bitter.

“Fuck you!” I spat, anger and hurt bubbling over. “Just leave, get the hell out of here!”

He paused, a mix of anger and hurt flickering across his features, but he said nothing else. He opened the door and was gone, his absence leaving a cold void in the room.

I felt the anger and pain wash over, the reality of what just happened crashing down on me like a tidal wave. I walked over and sank down onto the couch, burying my head in my hands and cursing myself for letting things get this way.

The silence in the room was almost deafening, the only sound being the clock ticking away the seconds in the corner. I felt a mix of emotions swirling in my chest—anger, hurt, disappointment, and guilt.

“God dammit,” I muttered to myself, clenching my fists in frustration. “What have I done?”

As I sat in the silence, the memory of last night came flooding back. The way he had listened to me, how kind and caring he'd been, even as I was telling him about the worst moment of my life.

I felt a pang of guilt as I realized that I might have been too quick to judge him, that maybe I'd let my fears and insecurities get the better of me. Maybe this time, he was telling the truth.

But the damage was already done, and now maybe Chris wanted nothing to do with me ever again.

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── .✦ MASTER—LIST ⭑𓂃

#★┊[𝐂𝐇𝐑𝐈𝐒.𝐒] .ᐟ 🦌₊˚⊹#₊ 𖦹﹕𝐒𝐇𝐔𝐓 𝐔𝐏 & 𝐃𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐄 ₊˚꒰🏁꒱‧#chris sturniolo #christopher sturniolo #matt sturniolo #matthew sturniolo #nick sturniolo #nicolas sturniolo #sturniolo fanfic #sturniolo triplets #chris sturiolo fanfic #chris sturniolo x reader #chris x y/n #chris x you #chris x reader #freshl6ve #street racing au #street racing

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riding-the-sunset-bird · 3 days ago

Note

Hey!

Since I started playing August last year I'd been lurking on the reddit (since I don't have an account) and always found the posts of the person who was writing "what choices determine Cove's X" so insightful and loved reading them

recently, i played the baxter DLC (still am not over it, it's my most favourite thing ever; i just love our pepe le pew) so I spent a lot of time on the reddit just reading up about him and what others thought bcs i LOVE deep analysis on characters that I've liked and I stumbled upon a bunch of your comments (which again, loved reading!) and I put a name to the comment

found the same username on tumblr and simultaneously found out you were the one who goes into the games files and wrote those posts I loved so, AH! Hi!

hahah my 'fangirling' and backstory aside, right after I played Baxter's DLC I felt like I didn't understand the reasons behind his actions? I know everyone talks about how he has self-worth issues and wanted to just be a memory but I don't get how that all correlated to completely detatching and not wanting to be a part of MC's life? Like did he care at all? If he didn't, why keep your number and the gift you gave him in one of the memories (Sightseeing?). But if he did care, how did he so easily at the beginning distance himself professionally? AND THEN REMINISCE ON ALL OUR MEMORIES TOGETHER BUT GO BACK TO PROFESSIONAL; LIKE WHAT WAS THE INTENTION

I feel like it is such a stupid question since it seems like everyone else gets it and the game explains it so many times but I just did not get it 😭

so if you could! could you help me understand it a little better? (and if you have talked about it before, no pressure to rewrite it all here I'd happily read another post of yours about it if you could kindly link it!)

i hope that makes sense haha, hope you have a lovely day and genuienly THANK YOU for what you do with your blog! its so great and even if you don't answer this ask i will LOVE reading everything you still put out!

-jaycee <3

*ahem*

Firstly--AAAAAAA >//////<

Thank you so much!! I do my best to help out so people can understand the code, and at times I just see it as something fun for me. So, when people enjoy them as well, it makes me so happy~

Also, I'd be delighted to answer your questions about Baxter! His DLC is absolutely packed so I get that sometimes it's hard to absorb it all. You asking someone for "help" and wanting to understand (rather than simply giving up or writing the DLC off) is admirable, honestly, not something to feel stupid about!

For me personally, I do believe that there are layers to it, and I'll try to do things in a different enough way/simplify them linearly in case that might help. Included will be quotes from the game to help things flow best.

All that said, let us now go on this journey into Baxter's mind together! ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ

(note that this got so long that I put a TL;DR/summarized version at the end, I just thought it was important to go into as much as possible; I also have a Reddit comment here that has a smaller/quoteless explanation)

Childhood and Early-to-Mid Teens

Let's take this chronologically. Picture a young Baxter Alexander Ward all the way back in Golden Grove. He's a rich boy with rich parents, and by rich, we're talking really rich. What already is so much to an adult is virtually limitless in the mind of a child, and it earns him a certain reputation amongst the population. Everyone knows the name of the Mr. and Mrs. Ward's only child, and it makes him extremely popular.

However, that doesn't mean he has true company, especially as his neighborhood situation is quite the opposite from the MC of either Our Life version, who are given one or two easily-accessible friends depending on the game.

"The land my family home was built on… I suppose you could call it somewhat remote. It's a fair-sized estate, situated a little ways off from the rest of the town. So, until I moved into college dorms, I'd go as far as to say that I'd never had neighbors before."

In other words, there's no one around his age nor does he have a sibling to play with. This isn't a big deal at first, given that he's young, innocent, and raised where anything he wanted was in his parents' budget. He's expected to act a certain way, certainly, but he can't understand the idea of needing anymore than what he has: he's the cute rich boy that has "everything" and that every kid wants to be close to.

So much so that it gives him an ego about it.

"What I do distinctly recall is that as a child I unequivocally thought I was better than other people. That those who met me were lucky, and I could pick anyone I wanted as company. The onus was on everyone else to impress. "If someone was boring or maybe I just didn't like the colors they were wearing that day, I could find a new playmate, easily. After all, I had the most to offer. "Naturally, what I was 'offering' was what my parents had. A big, cool house, exciting outings, the best toys. It wasn't until I was eleven or so when I developed my first stable friends. They might not have been rich like me, but they had their own charms. Those ties couldn't be replaced."

"I loved it when they would come and visit; there was scarcely anything better. They never got over their sense of awe, and I ate it up."

"Becoming attached to other people, especially those people, made me realize what I'd believed wasn't true. And it was so obvious. They were wonderful. I felt things I never had before. "All it took was being who they were. It didn't matter what their parents did. No fancy venue could top genuine comradery with their company. "And for whatever reason, I was in the club, and I was happy. The person who was lucky to be there was me. "I had wanted my friends to feel the same way towards me. To have that kind of incredible effect on another person for no reason other than that I was Baxter."

Thus, the confident boy Baxter sees in the mirror everyday, like a framed painting of the kind of person everyone wants to be, becomes distorted. Kids didn't flock to him because he was "Baxter," but because he was a rich boy who could wow them. He felt that even the friends he did manage to acquire only hung out with him because they were lovely people, because they also were not immune to being awed by his rich boy things, and because he got lucky.

Qiu - who's part of his friend group - being his first crush likely doesn't help matters. It's no longer about his own personal satisfaction, where he shows off and the kids involved do little more than stroke his ego; now there are kids who are the ones offering him something, and it's something he didn't even know he was missing.

This begins the initial spark of self-worth issues for Baxter, and it's a spark that snowballs as time goes on. He doubts himself, he doubts his ability to make his friends happy in the way that they make him happy, and he - when he's fourteen - goes so far as to doubt the impression something as simple as his hair gives off.

"The generous might say I could count it as black, or that it was 'black in the right light' as my parents placatingly put it. "The fact of the matter is that it's a dusty gray."

"Who would notice a color that wasn't exactly black? And why would they care, even if they did? "Me. I noticed. I noticed and it bothered me, so I dyed it. "Was it something I wanted only for my own preference, or was it because I believed if I saw it as an imperfection then that meant everyone else did? "Probably the latter."

(note that this is around the time that an MC might meet him in Soiree and potentially become his second crush)

So now you have a double-edged sword of sorts where Baxter wants to be good enough as he is, yet is actively covering up the parts of himself that he deems as flaws to be corrected.

In trying to craft this "perfect/better" version of himself, he's created a scenario in which he cannot win. Even if said version could make people happy, he is still not the real version of himself and goes on believing that any amount of joy he does create isn't even "him" doing it anyway.

This is already excluding the fact that his parents are *:･ﾟ✧ garbage ✧･ﾟ:* who always wanted him to act a particular way, and he knew they'd take issue with him if they didn't raise him personally.

"They understand care through the lens of control and protection. That's been their way ever since I was young. In that sense, they treat me no different from a child. "But, of course, they are quiet, educated, esteemed, and a tad old. As is their company, most days. That's not the environment to act as a kid. "That meant I've always been expected to behave with the maturity of someone their own age, or perhaps even older, somehow. "A bit of a paradox, isn't it? Do everything as an adult would while getting the respect an infant does."

"They're family and I'm their son. That is what matters at the end of the day, blood related or not. "I'm thankful for that as well. "Now, if I wasn't the boy they raised together in any capacity, then there would be problems."

Even the air of sophistication he has comes from his upbringing (though he's at least made that his own). There's the Baxter he actually is, the Baxter his parents expect him to be, and the Baxter he's trying to build up for himself to be someone he thinks can make those he cares for happy, all things that he tries to deal with himself as if that's at all manageable or healthy for him.

To the surprise of no one, things still aren't perfect. Without a trust that his friends like him simply because they like him, he doesn't realize - or refuses to contend with - the truth of the situation, and the age gap between them starts causing difficulties.

"I was older than all of them. As sheltered as I was, I got along better with kids not quite my own age. Immature as always, hm? "Life changed fast then, and the years between us became more noticeable with every day. I never reached a point where I felt like I knew what I was doing before suddenly, it was as if I didn't belong with them anymore. "That they didn't have time to keep me around with the differences in our schedules and priorities. And I accepted that. So, the friendships ended. We stopped talking as young teens, and I haven't even seen them since I left for college in 2015. "I thought they mattered to me, but when have I done anything for them? Why did I deserve to be liked and included when all I did was want that to happen and abandon them when it didn't?"

Now we're getting closer to the white-and-black-haired Baxter we know as, at the time he leaves Golden Grove, he's just one year away from his visit to Sunset Bird and simultaneously no closer to knowing what he's doing. He's broken off from his old, cherished, and only significant friend group, and now he's all the way on the other side of the country in Virginia by himself.

He's still chaotic, still kindhearted, yet has no clue that he deserves to have the kind of companionship he longs for. In the year of him being at college, he fails to make those kinds of connections, whether intentionally or otherwise.

"Instead, you could say I don't have many friends. I spend the majority of my time on my own, though I do attend parties and other gatherings when I am able. "I do not have anything quite similar waiting for me there. Don't feel bad about that. "It is only to be expected. I did move across the country. It is a fairly common phenomenon for those of us who do. I'm a regular fish out of water, if you will."

"It hasn't been easy to find anyone to reminisce with, not for a while. But then again, I only developed a sentimentality once I'd gone off to college. "I was too young and proud for that sort of matter before then. There wasn't anything in my life to harbor much sentimentality for. I suppose leaving was the catalyst. Isn't it always? "But once that part of my mind had developed, there wasn't anyone around to share the emotions with. My classmates and I… we don't have that kind of relationship."

His parents are also just as controlling as ever, only allowing him to enjoy his semester off from college under their rules and in a place they personally chose and are comfortable with. Baxter, who had no interest in going home to Golden Grove and thus agrees to the terms, can only make himself comfortable by finding his own ways of having fun, such as renting a car despite being underage.

"At a minimum, I can honestly say that I wish that I missed it, if that makes sense. I don't know how you feel about your hometown particularly, but you should at least be able to appreciate that I spent all of my youth there. "I'm not so jaded as to totally discount the place, far from it. But anything I liked about my home wasn't exactly exclusive to that locale. The US is a big country, and there are plenty of beautiful things to see wherever you go. "I've experienced enough to know that much, at least. So no, I don't miss it. And I won't be going back. "If my parents wish to see me, they'll have to be the ones visiting where I am.

"Mother and Father agreed to me vacationing on my own, but under the condition that they would have the choice of where I stayed. "California being fairly close by, and Sunset Bird being so quaint, not to mention our prior excursions to the area, they concluded that this was the easiest way to keep me out of trouble."

Basically, it's all going back to his line about expecting him to behave as an adult whilst treating him like a child. He's permitted to vacation by himself but only in a town as "boring" as Sunset Bird where there would naturally be very few teenagers around his age. His streak for being a bit of a rebel reflects that.

What he doesn't expect is to meet a new group of people and the MC in particular, who unintentionally challenges his negative view on himself.

Step 3

From the very beginning, Baxter takes immediate interest in the MC and Cove, wanting to make one of those "blissful, temporary relationships" that will last the summer. Already, we have something of note, which is the 50/50 success rate he ended up having: MC and Terry were all for the absurdly friendly monochrome man that swooped into town, whereas Cove and Miranda were more hesitant (and thus didn't spend as much time with him) because his directness tended to put them off.

"I care a great deal about what I say and that it makes the correct impression. Yet I am not always successful. My approach is off, really."

"Now, this may be a complete shock to you, but… I've been told that I can come across as a bit too forward. I know. It can be hard to believe. My intent is to be open with people so we can connect. It almost never works out that way, though. I've had to come to terms with the fact that I don't possess a knack for making friends. "It was obnoxiously easy when I was a child. Especially due to that aforementioned big, cool house. But now I keep finding myself at a loss for how to do it. With the hit-or-miss endeavor, the vast majority of the time I come up with a miss."

"And I've never been in a stable, long-term relationship. They've all been brief, and varying levels of disastrous."

Put more simply, Baxter knows what he wants but doesn't understand what people want out of him (believing more that they don't want him at all). On some level, he's flying blind and simply does what he can to put his best foot forward, not wanting to miss opportunities when they present themselves to him. He's someone who likes seeing people thrive and enjoy themselves, and it's even better if he knows that he caused it.

"I live for approval."

Thus, as the "perfect summer tourist" who wants to vacation and have a fun time with those that he can, he seeks to do everything possible to make it memorable. That doesn't mean that he goes out of his way to do things he doesn't want to or portray himself as this person who doesn't even resemble who he actually is, but he puts on an air of not having any flaws that would cause him to be any form of burden to others.

This is even excluding the parallel of a group of four friends that he's involved with yet feels distant from or like he doesn't belong in at the same time; history repeating itself and what not, though in his case it's more like a self-fulfilling prophecy, emphasized by the possibility of him asking the MC out on a summer fling.

"I don't care about what label you'd choose to put to it. I could be your boyfriend, or nothing at all. "And you can also change your mind without consequence, if you find out it's not what you imagined further down the line."

Baxter gives the MC every out he can to make things as convenient as possible for them, not only so that the relationship isn't serious and they don't have to worry about it, but so they can break it off whenever they wish. He knows full well that even the person he's presenting himself as won't please everyone and sets everything up so he can almost anticipate the ending if the MC gets bored with him because he fails to impress.

He's interested in them, attracted to them, and feels that he'll enjoy their company, but he only thinks he can do the same on the short-term; that small amount of time where people are still learning about one another where little else is hoped for beyond good things.

Another way of looking at it is based on Baxter's view of control.

"It might not surprise you to know that I can be a touch… particular. I know the importance of coherence, with individuals acting in a well-coordinated fashion. And I like things to function well-for systems to operate smoothly. "I confess, you could call me controlling, at times. Not with people, but with processes. Especially when it comes to enacting plans. I'd much rather act under my own steam than follow someone else's lead. "I'm only flexible with the personal, not the business, aspects of life."

His relationship with the MC is, on some level, a process. It's something for him to carefully plan out and calculate to make it the best he can for them. Getting more personal would involve him revealing the parts of himself that he finds distasteful and believes the MC will as well.

Of course, he doesn't anticipate growing attached to them, which brings in the "risk versus reward" aspect. This can be seen when Baxter initially agrees to have drinks with the MC in the morning that he hates so much, where the safe option would be to simply postpone until another day, except he wants to spend time with them as soon as possible.

In that respect, it's not unlike him struggling to decide on the type of ice cream he'd like.

"My problem is this: I'm unsure if I should get a dessert that's to my usual taste. If I do, I'd be certain to enjoy what comes from the ice cream truck. That would be nice. "But, on the other hand, this may happen only once. Perhaps it'd be more rewarding to get something new, an option that would be challenging to find in a common store. "Which will add more to the experience? Indulgence or novelty? I want to make the right choice."

However, his risks don't end up panning out well in his mind because he's unable to get past something so minor as forgetting his wallet, when all he and the MC had planned to do was have a nice time at a cafe in Drinks. In his mind, the Baxter he's trying to present had failed, and what else can he do at that point (under his perceived logic) but do what he remembers worked from childhood?

"It's a question of knowing the right people who know the right people. We could have even had full backstage access with the main cast if I'd asked. "I do try not to lean on that kind of thing too much, if you can believe me. I appreciate it might not look like it now. You could say it's a means for me to preserve my sense of independence. It's easy to be popular if you can foot the bill, and I don't want that to be what draws others to me. "But after all that, here I am, leaning on the same old crutch. Nothing has changed since I was six."

"I suppose that was part of the issue. I didn't consider myself appealing enough as a person to be worth the time. So, I wanted the support of an exciting or interesting backdrop for meetups. "But… it shouldn't matter that much where you are if you enjoy who you're with."

Baxter expects perfection out of himself in the same way that his parents expected things out of him, and the limitations follow accordingly. He wants little more than the MC's presence and it is up to him to "repay them" for it. When he was a child, he was the one everyone else had to impress, and now it's the other way around: he has to impress those he wants to be around.

Except he's only human, and aiming to be the perfect person for the MC all summer simply isn't feasible, which he takes with every ounce of criticism one can imagine.

"This whole situation… it's asinine. I haven't known you long enough to be causing this kind of trouble. I'm quite literally a stranger. And I won't even be here long enough for that to change. As welcoming as you all are here, that can't be forgotten. "This was-I was-only ever supposed to be a part of the fun. A worthwhile piece of summer scenery. Someone who added to the experience, not held it back. You shouldn't have to baby me! To sit there and spend your time making me feel better when I don't keep it together. "The mess I am in the mornings, the drama I cause in the evenings: the person I am when the show is over. Those aspects shouldn't be any of your concern. I don't provide that support to you, do I? And how could I when I don't know you? "No. It's not fair to make you worried or, worse, guilty over what happens to me. What matters is that when we're together it's for the pleasant parts of existence. The less ideal shades of life can be managed separately. "That's all I wanted."

Two things to note as well is that he'll say all of the same dialog even if he and the MC have experienced Hang or Planning (where Baxter can comfort them), and there's a dialog path in Sightseeing (i.e: the moment most players will play first) where he'll openly say that he hopes they count for "more than strangers."

(He's additionally rejected the idea that he knows the MC despite relishing every given opportunity to listen to the MC babble about even the most mundane things.)

So not only will he deny to himself that comforting the MC was worth enough to count (or unintentionally block it from his mind), but when it comes to things becoming more personal, suddenly he's "just a stranger/near-stranger." The MC can be comforted when they need it but not him, and he's just some nobody tourist when it comes time to put any value on himself...

whether that be the simple things like driving everyone around, to the stuff that takes effort to notice like him seeing that the MC wanted to ride in the passenger seat, to the more complex like literally saving Miranda's entire birthday party.

"I couldn't have devised a more pleasant way to spend my time here, even if I tried. And to be frank, I have tried. I didn't come to Sunset Bird totally devoid of any plans or ideas. "You and your friends have invited me to participate in an event with great significance to you. It's a profound gesture to show to a relative stranger. "When it's over, and I'm long gone from here, I hope you can all look back on this party for years to come-maybe for the rest of your lives-and treasure the memory. "And if I am a part of that memory, then that is satisfaction enough. Though perhaps I'm in danger of giving my contribution too much credit."

A hypocrite (I say this affectionately, I swear) of the highest order; there are rules for himself and no other rules for everybody else. The things he does are never enough whereas everyone else does plenty by simply existing and giving him the time of day.

Leaving the way he does with no contact and little hope of seeing each other again is the inevitable result of the process he'd put together for his time with the MC and his summer at Sunset Bird. From the beginning, he's had a time frame to keep to, an intent to not get attached, an expectation that no one would get attached to him, and an idea that he would leave as little more than a memory.

"Only lately it's been different. Incredibly different. I almost worry my luck won't last. It will all be over soon. "I wish… I could stay."

Except he does get attached, just as the MC gets attached to him (in what he can admit in Step 4 is the most stable relationship he's ever been in), and now all the control he feels he had goes out the window. That's why he has the potential to get upset if the MC keeps pushing his buttons by questioning him.

"I would've preferred it to have been an enjoyable time having my company while I happened to be here, that was the intention. It seems I've ruined that on the whole. I accept the blame for that. If I had behaved better this wouldn't have come to a close on such an abhorrent note. "However, I am not an irreplaceable part of your life. I was a tourist, a novelty. And now I'm not even that. So don't bother with this."

To him, everything is so obvious: he got "lucky" getting to hang out with his Golden Grove friends, who were simply so nice that they continued bothering with him at all despite his flaws. Considering how that ended, he expected the same where no one would bat an eye if he left.

The MC trying to hang onto what they have isn't a sign that he had done anything right, but that the MC is being their sweet, considerate self in thinking about him. He's had at least five years of criticizing himself, of trying to make people happy yet downplaying it when he does, that everything the MC says goes in one ear and out the other.

"I heard you then and each reasonable suggestion to salvage the situation, but I brushed you off as if you were the one being dramatic. Or that you were lying."

At some point between having his Golden Grove friend group to now, his priorities had changed. He'd given up on having true value to people and instead focuses on creating moments (an appropriate word to use given how the game works) with them. It's a natural progression from not believing he's important to not believing he could ever possibly be.

Even basic traits he does have that one will likely see as something to adore, he won't attribute to himself.

"Now, I do admit, though, that isn't what one might call a grand love story. It's simplicity itself. "I'm not the most romantic or sentimental person in the world. I know that can be at odds with my formality, yet it's the way I am."

He'll say he's not romantic nor sentimental while being one of the most romantic and sentimental people in the game, so either he's unaware of it or refuses to associate positive words like those with himself. On the flip side, he can falsely associate others with credit for things they've done without acknowledging the finer details that might negate his point.

For example, in the Wedding DLC, Baxter gives so much credit to Cove for "staying" and "trying" without understanding that Cove didn't have a choice on whether to stay or leave the MC initially due to still being a child (who absolutely would have left and in fact did try to leave in the Step 1 DLC). He's also one of the few characters who doesn't consider Cove "clingy," probably because he's just as clingy if not more so.

By unknowingly projecting his self-hatred onto the MC's view of him, he's come to the idea that the MC has already gotten as much out of the relationship with him as possible without things completely falling apart, and daring to want anything further is his own self-interest/ego getting to him.

It's even to the point of deciding that everything is his fault if the MC kissed him in Planning when they weren't dating.

"I must apologize for that. I shouldn't have done it. Even at the time I knew I shouldn't have. That was a bad idea. One that only managed to complicate our relationship further. "I shouldn't have involved you in more of my selfishness."

So his conclusion in the Step 3 ending is that he's lost no matter what and genuinely cannot comprehend the idea that he had done anything right for the MC to want to stay in contact with him.

If the MC contently accepts separating from him, then that proves to him that he isn't someone worth sticking around for. If they instead get upset or want to stay in touch, then he has somehow done something wrong in the way he went about things and presented himself. It all goes back to being a scenario he's set himself up not to win.

"In short, what I'm saying is that I'm a fraud in all regards. You can't take any of it seriously, including what color my hair is."

"I don't deserve to have that kind of relationship with another person. That's why. I don't contribute anything. "Maybe I can impress others for a time, but how do you go beyond that? I can't say what it means to be significant as a person, to be irreplaceable. "And since I don't have the answer, I certainly wasn't going to assume I'd do it by accident. What does it take to add value to someone simply just by being there? I tried, but I never knew. "In my eyes there's a world of humans living freely among one another, while every connection I create is so fragile. If I make the wrong step I might hurt them, or be hurt myself, and if it's strained at all it will break entirely."

The sad part of it is that it makes sense, in a way. The things he did for the MC - baring perhaps that damned chocolate fountain - were almost effortless to him. He wanted to do them, so why would he think he did anything special?

One of the very few times he's willing to talk in any way bad about another is only if the MC uses Jude and Scott's relationship as a reason for why they could keep in touch. That's when his cynical side comes out.

"Of course, my rather reasonable prediction is that it will not last. Most relationships don't."

As things were that summer, Baxter viewed the MC as someone he would love to know, but not someone who wanted to know him because he doesn't think he's likable; that the slightest inconvenience to them - to anyone - would make him not worth keeping in touch with any longer. The MC also has friends who have been around longer than him, and he's never considered that he could have any role amongst them.

Tempting fate was never his intention, yet that's exactly what he does in believing they'll never meet again, drawn together as if the longing makes them magnetic to each other.

Step 4

As is standard with the inevitable passage of time and growing older, Baxter is slowly finding himself and improving as a person over the five years that he and the MC are apart. Some things change and others stay the same, whether for better or worse.

Though, any positives aren't particularly noteworthy to Baxter himself.

"I can say that I've improved some talents over the years and found a less eye-catching sense of style, but for anything meaningful there's been no growth."

Due to his self-worth issues, he never thinks what he does is good enough and is wholly focused on where he's yet to improve upon, even though he is fully aware about the parts of himself he has worked on.

"You don't need to worry. I'm not quite as sensitive as I used to be about mistakes. I will survive this, pride as wounded as it may be from these trials and tribulations."

"Part of the tragedy of adult life is learning to roll with the punches, so to speak. I suppose I should be proud of the fact that I can at least handle it much better than when I was younger. "Thinking about what kind of panic a younger Baxter would have been thrown into at the prospect of a missing shirt on an important day-"

Under that lens, it doesn't matter what he does or how he deals with the issues he feels are a burden to himself and/or others; there's always an asterisk - that he's attached to them - to act as a "yes, but..."

"I'm fortunate that thanks to my upbringing I happen to be well acquainted with formality and what it takes to authentically achieve it for an event. It's a unique kind of direct experience to wield. "Additionally, I deal well with the high level of control and detail-work one must take in a stressful event. "When it comes to work, I absolutely can make decisions. It's only in my personal life where I lack conviction. "And that's most suited in bursts with different people rather than a long-term position in a consistent group. You can easily get sick of someone who needs everything to be 'just so'."

Similar to the weddings he involves himself with as he graduates and gets a career as a wedding planner, there is an ideal final product to work towards, but one he could never conceivably be happy with because he's already starting from a place of seeing himself as someone worthless as an individual. It shapes said final product into something entirely unrealistic, never mind completely unachievable.

As for figuring out a life for himself, that goes hand-in-hand with where he ultimately chooses as his first place to live: Prism Vista City, which Mr. "Definitely Not Sentimental" ends up getting attached to.

"This, ahem, particular location was intended to be only a starting point. I was coming from the complete other side of the country, and I at least knew I enjoyed the area. "I expected to relocate once I had my bearings. It wasn't my intention to linger where I might not be welcomed. "But who could've guessed it was harder to pack up and leave everything behind once you had silly things such as an 'actual apartment in your own name' and a 'real career' tying you down? "Weeks passed, then months, and then, perhaps inevitably, I came face to face with one of the reasons I developed such a positive outlook on this state to begin with. "You know, it never ceases to amaze me. California is directly beside Oregon. I could practically walk there if I was industrious, and stupid, enough. "Despite that, being here is a wholly different experience than what I had being raised in the neighboring state. "Sometimes it seems as if I'm still a tourist. That I don't belong here, and everyone who passes by can smell the otherness on me. "Other days, I have the confidence to think I've found my own place in the world…"

That's one thing that never changes about Baxter in virtually all of his life: the desire to simply belong somewhere. What does change is how he approaches that want.

He wanted to belong with his Golden Grove friends, but fell out with them due to the circumstances and chalked it up to a failure on his part. When he wanted to belong with his Sunset Bird ones, he'd already decided himself that it would never happen to save him from any potential disappointment, and that simply being there for a summer would be enough.

In adulthood, he's given up on such things entirely. No more friends, no more flings, and even his most consistent contact - his parents - have been cut out of his life (though in the latter case, it's for the better).

"What happened, I do exactly… that to everyone who unfortunately crosses my path. "The acquaintances I made at college, dancing partners, the friends I had since childhood; my parents, though, that is an entirely different story. "The point of the matter is, excluding those I interact with regularly due to work, I have no relations whatsoever. That's simply the way it goes."

"To start, I haven't spoken to my parents in, mm, a few years now. That's what I meant when I included them in the list of relationships I haven't maintained. "Don't worry. It isn't a painful topic for me, exactly. Mostly I find it… disappointing. Frustrating? Certainly awkward. "Before I cause too much concern, they've never done anything to intentionally hurt me; my parents have always cared for my well-being. "And I can't deny how much they have done for me - all the opportunities and advantages I had because they provided them. They gave me the best they knew how and- "This is not as nuanced as I might be making it sound. "What a novelty it would be if I could speak favorably of my own family. Can you imagine? "That's not the case, however. "What I am trying to say is that my parents are, on the whole, good to me. And they do love me as their child whom they raised for nearly two decades. "Just as I still feel compelled to give them credit for the minimum, I'm certain they're telling their acquaintances endless excuses for why I'm so distant and unagreeable with them. "They haven't given up on me, in their own way. "But all that does not make them good people. "I can assure you that because they are not good people. I'm merely a rare exception to the unpleasantness. "My parents are selfish- they're sheltered. Even as adults."

"Imagining myself as not their son and not someone they loved seemed meaningless at the time. They did love me and that's what mattered. "Of course, it's not always enough, is it? "If I wasn't theirs, either through birth or adoption, if I was someone else's son, they… would hate me. "I know I'm foolish, on many counts. It took me a long time to realize that them being hypocritical shouldn't reassure me the way it did. "Baxter Ward could have as many 'shortcomings' or 'problems' as he did and it'd be fine because it was 'different' in that case. There were reasons, can't you see? "But they couldn't see that other people deserved the same kind of understanding. "And that some things weren't 'problems' in the first place…"

The true tragedy of it being that it's heavily implied that Baxter's parents did attempt to teach him or at least act in a way that would lead him towards a life without any meaningful relationships, which is what he got when he became an adult but not ever what he truly wanted.

"And their nonsense priorities and concerns are what my parents expected from me! "How ironic that I can finally see the silver lining of my lifelong struggles thanks to them. "If I never realized how poor my connections were, or if I never cared that my relationships were nothing more than associations based on conveniences, maybe I'd have been who they wanted."

Arguably, Baxter is at the most "successful" place in his life: he might not be rich anymore, but he's making his own money with a job that suits him, he has a nice apartment, and he's living comfortably.

Except he's not happy, and convinces himself that it's as good as he's ever going to get. It's both the highest and lowest point of his life.

"Of course, I wouldn't be able to understand the viewpoint of someone willing to commit themselves to another person for the rest of their life. "It's what makes for a good planner. I can get invested just enough in the premise to truly create something special, but I'm not attached to the real relationship. "And I'm not disappointed when it's over. "It's been years since I was careless enough to be hurt by anything. "I'd given up on trying for more than what I already had. Then I told others, and myself, that meant I was always content. But honestly, it made me bitter. "I didn't become the person I wanted to be. I didn't achieve the kind of life I'd hoped for."

He couldn't even maintain his relationship with dance, something he'd adored since he was young and now limits to lessons given to wedding couples.

"In a way, I fell out of love with that passion. "It became tedious and unsatisfying to do it with complete strangers, and I didn't have enough hours in a day to dedicate to a long-term competitive partner any longer. "But perhaps I should've tried harder not to give it up entirely. "How embarrassing… even my choice of hobby revolved around having a serious and understanding relationship with someone else. "The precise matter I've had a lifelong struggle to obtain."

As for the MC, Baxter misses them desperately, but goes about his life as though he doesn't. He's committed to viewing himself as someone who doesn't deserve them and that what he did was the right thing to do.

It would seemingly be "easy" then to let go of anything that reminds him of them, in hopes of either limiting the times that he finds himself thinking back to those moments or steering himself towards moving on, but he can't.

The MC's souvenir (if they gave him one)...

"I am fond of it even now. I've never been able to part with it. But isn't that what souvenirs are for? Keeping for the long term? "I'm being entirely reasonable for holding onto that after thoroughly leaving everything in Sunset Bird behind."

Their number...

"I had your number all along. "Of course, I never looked at it over the years we were apart, but didn't have it in me to delete it either."

Even the khaki shirt he wore during Mountain (if he and the MC were dating at the time and they invited him up to their room)...

"It remains my stolen property to this day."

He keeps all of them, unable to let go of the feelings the MC caused within himself but locking them deep inside rather than addressing them. He has the very method for contacting the MC at any time to reconnect, to explain himself, to apologize, to confirm or reject his own doubts over what happened, but he doesn't out of fear.

"I said it before- my concern was protecting my own feelings. Anything I did to that end felt justified. "The more time and experience let me reflect on my actions, I only became more convinced I should stick to my word and not trouble you further."

"I've also missed you over those five years. "And Terry and Miranda and Cove and that summer in Sunset Bird, but mostly, it was you who I thought of. "During that trip, I did feel wanted. "You made me feel wanted. And… important. "It was exciting and amazing, and felt impossible it could last. The shine would wear off eventually, as always. I didn't want to see it happen. "What if I seemed pathetic for being attached to people I met on a short vacation? You had your real group of friends who lived with you there already. "Or what if you stopped responding to me after realizing I wasn't that interesting? Or why would I have even assumed there'd be a reason to talk to me at all once it was no longer convenient? "I'm aware that's not a kind way to view you, but it wasn't that you'd done something to make me believe it would happen. It's my viewpoint for every situation."

Baxter never once thinks that the MC is a bad person, simply that he is the problem and even the best of people will "understandably" lose interest in him if there's any interest to begin with. As someone who likes control and has been conditioned to stray away from more personal relationships, it's advantageous to him to remain in his self-sabotaging mindset.

It's what he's used to.

"I can't afford to flitter off on vacations whenever the mood strikes the way my parents can, but I have a very comfortable existence. "It's nice, if lonely. "Of course, let's not pretend I have anyone to blame for that other than myself. I ended every relationship I had with my own actions. "It's the story of my life. I want to be liked, but I don't want to be important. "A suitor for a season, the planner at a wedding- it's that kind of role I'm comfortable in. "Perhaps that's why I'm drawn to people who are wanted by everyone else. They don't need me. I can be someone, I can't be 'the one'."

So when his Step 4 begins and the MC unexpectedly shows up back in his life, five years after Baxter expressed confidence that they would never meet again, he can barely handle it. Without his say so, he's being confronted with feelings that haven't faded, and ones he already thinks are ridiculous of him to have considering how short of a time he'd known the MC.

The best he can think to do is to put on an air of professionalism and brush the rest off. He'd already left, not contacted the MC for so long, and had remained determined to never see them again, so he doubles down on it.

"I'm merely an employee of your friends. Please feel free to ignore me entirely."

However, it's not tenable, because Baxter has never been someone with the impulse control to keep him in check. Even in the few days he knows that the MC will be around and then leave afterwards, holding himself back from doing what he wants isn't something he can keep up for that long.

In front of people like Jude and Scott who he doesn't know, it's at least easier, but around someone like Xavier who he has some form of friendlier relationship with (only a day after he'd conveyed to himself and the others that he's nothing more than the wedding planner), he's already dropping stories about the past.

"As soon as it comes to you it appears my reason goes out the window. Along with much of my dignity. "But that is how it is."

"Enjoying myself in your presence is the most natural thing in the world. Frustratingly so, at times. I find myself letting go of more than I intended to."

It's also not that Baxter doesn't want to talk to the MC because, if the MC tries to get him to talk during the ride back from the bakery, he deliberately makes it a game of rock-paper-scissors that they'd be guaranteed to win if they wanted to. He could've shut them down entirely if he didn't care, but he finds a middle ground of technically not agreeing outright while still letting the MC talk to him.

"The petty types of decisions that were best suited to be decided with randomness mattered little to me. "It was far more amusing to see who would use the advantage they had to win and who would be willing to take the loss, and why they seemed to do so. "At the bare minimum I'm not that much of a brat any longer. "As an adult, I use it mainly to get away with not making decisions of my own. Whoever is playing with me has the responsibility to win or lose because what they're up against is preordained. "I don't even need to choose which symbol my hand takes. It's easier that way."

Not that it means he's alright with it either. Baxter is already under the stress of planning a wedding in a matter of days and now has to deal with seeing the MC again, sometimes one-on-one. He doesn't want to be cruel to them, doesn't want things to be so difficult, nor did he want the MC to be "forced" to go with him to the bakery (on a suggestion he couldn't have known would lead to it), but that's what ends up happening.

"I'm not any less immature than I was five years ago, it seems. I've been incredibly rude to you, and that is inexcusable. "You're not unwelcome near me. Of course not. "However, I'm here to plan Jude and Scott's wedding. My priority is that only, and I don't want to get caught up in anything else. "There's no need to reminisce. I hope that's not insulting, it's honestly not meant to be a strike against your character. "You are a lovely person and have many wonderful friends. You don't need me to be an active part of your life."

"I apologize for what happened between us, I honestly do regret it. "I am sorry I hurt you. I am sorry I was unable to keep my word and have bothered you yet again. "I'm thoroughly humiliated and have attempted to get in your way as little as possible. Though I'm unable to quit outright; I couldn't do that to Jude and Scott. "We are both aware that I am fully incapable of making you happy. But in four days you'll return to your life blissfully free of my presence in it. "Please tell me, what can I do for you? I simply don't know…"

It feels terrible for him, but this is the cycle he's gotten himself into: wanting to stick to what he'd done in Step 3 under the belief that the MC would be better off without him, feeling nostalgic for the past to the point where it ends up coming out, behaving distantly as a result and hating himself for it, then apologizing just to do it all over again because he's constantly going against what he actually wants.

"Every time I'm arrogant enough to believe I know what I'm doing and that I'm in control- I don't and I'm not."

"From the moment you walked into that restaurant, my actions were nothing but self-preservation and damage control and, occasionally, reminiscing to an extent I was pleased with. "Yes, I had a 'professional commitment' not to let personal matters impede the work that needed to be done, but my distancing went far beyond that. "In the end, I was using their marriage as an excuse. "If not for that, then there would have been something else. Some trivial reason for keeping you at arm's length. That likely doesn't shock you."

Baxter is essentially shielding his heart from the very thing that would protect him from his own attacks on it. He goes so far that he considers texting the MC directly to be overstepping boundaries (even if it's for work), all after continuing to let go the most whenever he's reminded of times with the MC.

He's aware that he's attached and readily admits as much when it comes time to.

"Even I can admit I wouldn't do this for every client. "And somehow, that makes this worse. It's painfully obvious I have some personal investment, enough to merit this. "More than I intended to be. More than I ought to have. "I wouldn't have done this if you weren't here… "Even though Miranda was the client's sister- "I wouldn't have offered. It'd be overreaching, to do as much as I have. "I've gone beyond the line of pure professionalism more than once already. The cake is the icing on top."

"Well, naturally, it's against my better judgment to make anyone uncomfortable. "Of course, in such a tight spot Jude wouldn't have questioned any help he was offered. "But what would Miranda have thought? And Terry as well? If some strange man they knew long ago was getting that personally involved in their situation? "I wouldn't have crossed that line, no matter how much sympathy I had for Jude's position. "So, where did my confidence come from? Very simply- I thought you would understand. "That I had good intentions, that the odd lengths I went to was merely how I am, that it was okay to let me be involved. And if you did understand, everyone else would as well."

Deep down, he knows that he is not a stranger; that he knows the MC and trusts them on a level deeper than he thought possible before meeting them. The MC brings out the best in him while simultaneously revealing the most vulnerable parts of himself to himself, which gives him all forms of conflicting emotions.

"I… "It's odd, really. I'm the one who left. "And yet I haven't stopped seeing you as someone important to me. Important in my life. "It truly does seem as though everything I did was for no reason at all."

"It's been hard not to feel nostalgic, this past week. We've had quite a stroll down memory lane. Sometimes by happenstance, sometimes because I went out of my way to do so. "I have… fond memories of those days in Sunset Bird. Treasured memories. "Like most treasures, they're things to be taken out and admired from time to time, and then put away again. "Though, some are too delicate for even that. They should never be touched. "This evening is a reprise of something I never wished to relive."

To put it in another way, though Baxter cherishes the time he spent with the MC, anything that brings him back to such times confront him with everything he's tried to avoid.

Yearning for the things he'd tried to put behind him, the what ifs of things going differently, and the doubts of all he's done thus far based on his own conclusions...

"Back then, during my tourist phase, we took that brief trip to the mountains. On a hike, we passed a tree that had fallen across a stream. "If you can picture that, it was as if we were on opposite sides, and I couldn't take the path to you because it looked risky."

Not unlike his fear of the ocean, Baxter's biggest hurdle is that final step past the point of no return: taking the plunge and trusting in his ability to survive.

"It seems endlessly deep and unpredictable, with powerful waves and rapid currents. "And there are creatures lurking in there. Some of them are larger than me. It's unfathomable. You don't play with something like that. "If I enter that water, I'll never return from it. The ocean will swallow me whole. That's what I think."

It's only by the end of the wedding reception that he finally crosses that line and has the epiphany necessary to deal with everything that had happened: the opening of the oven to check the result of a baked cake rather than leaving it a mystery, the flick of the switch to look at a room he'd always kept in darkness prior, and the throwing of himself into deep water and realizing he can still breathe.

"In the past, I spent every moment around other people thinking of the limited span of our acquaintance. As if I wasn't seeing them at all, only the imminent departure. "Our arrangements fell in line with that. A clear timeframe, limited from the outset; predetermined rules set in stone. "It was that way five years ago. It was that way now. "We'd cooperate for a short period in service of Scott and Jude's wedding, and that would be that. I've said as much myself. More than once. "The problem is, as I only recently realized… "I forgot about that. "You see, I thought, completely and earnestly, that I didn't need to speak with you now, here, when I was feeling so… sensitive. "We could simply pick up where we left off later tonight or tomorrow. The fact that we no longer had a 'reason' to interact didn't come up as part of the consideration."

When he wasn't the one setting the rules, when he was the one caught off guard by someone he cared so much about reappearing into his life, when he was forced back into reliving past regrets and under the pressure of facing them all over again when their second/third time together was over, that ended up being when he found what he needed to talk to the MC. That was when he finally had to listen to what his heart was saying rather than constantly denying himself.

Perhaps even most importantly, that was when he had to face the fact that what he did - the suffering he put himself through for five years - had achieved nothing of value, and it's only through acknowledging it that he can keep it from happening again.

"When I left five years ago, that didn't make me happy. When I kept you at arm's length after meeting again, I was unhappy still. "If it doesn't need to be that way, if I was wrong, then… I don't know, honestly. I've never considered it a viable option until moments ago."

"It had been so long since I'd known what it was like to be included, to be around people who'll refuse to let you be left out, no matter how hard you try to weasel out of it. "Terry, Miranda, and Cove were too kind, but it was your gestures specifically that are at the heart of this matter. "Here's the truth: if you didn't ask me to dance again, in the afterhours of another event we helped create like you did then, it would have broken my heart. "That would mean definitively that I lost what we had. "But… if you did ask it would be more painful. Because that would mean- "It would mean even after everything, you hadn't let me go. That you accepted me still. "That you always would have, that I should've believed that all along, that the only thing I've done was hurt you and myself of my own accord. "It's horrible. I didn't want to know one way or the other."

The uncomfortable truth, a placating lie, or the blissful void of not knowing anything at all: those were the choices he had and he finally chose the uncomfortable truth, all for the closure the MC deserves and the potential prospect of a better future if he can only make it past the obstacles he'd set up for himself.

"But I can see now that I'm also wrong for making another decision for you. Even if the conversation went disastrously, you were owed a better explanation and an apology. "You had never asked me to leave you alone, I created that fiction. "I hope you can accept that I did care for you then- I care now. Of course, as ever, none of it counts for much if it's kept entirely to oneself."

"It's… a little hard to approach what I've sowed over the years. So many mistakes. "And even now, when I hope to make things right, to make things last, I'm forced to admit that I'm ignoring the reality of the situation. "This doesn't come down to what I want at all. I don't have the right to put myself before you. I never did."

"I suppose that is the true story of my life: me not understanding a thing and getting it all wrong at every turn. "But rather than dancing around this, I'll say it directly: not trying to stay in touch with you is something I've regretted for a long time. "I will always regret the days I lost, even now that we've reconnected."

That doesn't mean everything is magically fixed, nor that he won't fall into some old habits. He has to catch himself when he automatically excludes himself from the MC's meeting with their moms, and he'll still be apologizing and criticizing himself long after the MC has forgiven him.

"You've never allowed me to wallow in my misery, except for when you had to. When I made you have to because you couldn't get a hold of me. "But when I see you, I'm reminded of what it is like to be seen. "How it feels to have someone who knows you, cares about you, has memories with you, who wants to make more memories together. "And I tried to undo that- "Twice. By keeping you as far away from me as I could."

"Unfortunately, I've yet to think of a good reason why this admission isn't another of my patently bad ideas. It isn't as though I've been thoughtful in return. "I can't stand doing anything in the morning, even if I can pretend to, for my clients. As you know, I can't afford elaborate trips these days. "My only remaining social contacts are limited to the wedding industry, not performative theatre or owners of fancy cars or the like. "I've never been a good partner, even a good friend, to anyone who has crossed my path."

"My few victories were hollow and I'm still sorry I took that out on you at the start of this."

Nevertheless, he has no desire to run away from the MC now, because he never had a desire to run in the first place. He just needed to understand that it was okay to want, and that he wasn't the worthless person he thought he was so he could stop projecting how he felt about himself onto how people feel about him.

This makes way for Baxter to experience a lot of things that most people would have long since had at that point in their lives: he gets excited simply by having a person hanging out at his house, is incredibly pleased to have someone he can be (dance) with, and he's so amazed that he can have these things in his life that he's actively eager to prove to the MC how much he'll be sticking around, to the point of being ready to visit them at the soonest time possible.

"Hallelujah. Admittedly, a part of me was convinced I wouldn't go through with it. What if you thought I had lost my mind to follow you right after we barely reestablished a connection? "But having this last day together, knowing it was the last, was the final push to pursue what I actually wanted."

His story, essentially, is about a fall from issues of self-centeredness just to pendulum swing into ones of self-worth instead. It's about balancing on a tightrope of bringing short bursts of happiness to others while trying not to let his ego take hold of him again. It's about denying himself what he wants and refusing to hear otherwise before finally recognizing that he deserves to be happy.

That's Baxter Ward.

TL;DR:

Baxter starts as an egotistical child - encouraged by his rich parents and the kids constantly impressed by his showing off - but that changes when he obtains genuine friends and learns the value of real relationships.

Realizing that he'd relied only on what his parents had to make connections with people, Baxter doubts his own worth as a person and is unable to imagine that people would feel differently about him than he feels about himself.

Baxter falls out with his friends due to the age gap and not having time for each other, coming to the conclusion that he'd not done anything for them.

Under the belief that he has no inherent long-term value, Baxter goes on flings and seeks to create fun moments with people rather than anything that would require revealing more of himself than he feels is attractive to others; this has the side effect of making him highly critical of himself over even minor mistakes.

Baxter goes to Sunset Bird meets the MC, who (along with the MC's friends) makes him feel a sense that he might actually be someone important to others, which he then actively tries to convince himself out of due to fear of risks/the unknown.

After leaving the MC on no contact, Baxter continues to miss them, but feels like he would only bother them further if he saw them again even if it were just to apologize.

Baxter ends up seeing the MC again in his Step 4 and is confronted thusly by his unfading feelings. This leads him to try and maintain the distance he'd created in an attempt to protect himself, yet he's unable to keep himself from letting loose every now and then because it goes against what his heart wants to push the MC away.

Though horrified by the idea that what he'd done in the past might have been a mistake and preferring (at the start) to go on without knowing, Baxter ultimately reflects on his actions and acknowledges to himself why he's been doing what he's been doing, and that he doesn't want to let the MC go again without laying everything on the table.

#((When you see how long this post is you'll understand why it took me so long jdfkgdfg.))#step: 3 #step: 4 #dlc: baxter #baxter ward #((100% used this ask as an excuse to dump like 95% of Baxter's Bax-story into one post.))#((Hopefully this all makes sense and I didn't just ramble incoherently fjkgjdfg.))

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howlingday · 3 days ago

Text

JAUNE

"Frère Jaune~! Frère Jaune~! Dormez-vous~?"

"Fermez-la!" Jaune shouted at his older sister.

"Aw~!" Saphron cooed. "Is it time for my baby brother's nap already?"

"I'm not a baby!" He huffed, stamping his foot. What was supposed to be a fun day of playing in the forest became another mean game for Saph to play on her only brother. She knew he hated that song, mostly because she sang it specifically to him. But when has an older sister ever listened to her younger brother?

"I found you, so now you have to go hide."

"That's not fair!" Jaune huffed.

"Life's not fair, baby brother~." She pinched his cheek, reeling in her hand as he swatted it away. "Now, turn around and let me go hide. No peeking."

With that, Saphron walked away, leaving Jaune to turn around and count to 100. How one counts that high was usually up to the person counting, and he learned a neat, little shortcut that cut his counting by five. Fives, to be exact.

"Five, ten, fifteen, twenty, twenty-five..." The only son of the Arc family couldn't help but smirk as he cheated. Saphron was probably still looking for a place to hide while he was already halfway through his handicap. She might be upset, but Jaune figured it was fitting payback for her own cheating earlier. "...ninety-five, one hundred! Ready or not, here I come~!"

Jaune turned around, walking the same direction Saph did. Knowing her, she probably just went straight ahead and turned somewhere. However, as he made his way through the woods, something felt wrong about their game. It wasn't a wrong gut feeling like you just cheesed your way into a win without earning it. No, this was a wrong feeling like everything was too quiet and the air was suddenly a lot heavier than it should have been. Even for a forest of bare trees on the cusp between winter and spring, it was as silent as the grave.

That's when Jaune found the footprint. It was big, many times the size of his hand, possibly even bigger than his arm, and it ended in four, sharp points. A Beowolf; a Grimm not normally found near Jaune's family home, thanks to the efforts of Huntsmen like his father and others, but here now all the same. He turned to home, ready to run and scream for his father to protect him, but he was stopped by a bit of string under his shoe, soaked in mud.

Saph's necklace. She said she got it from a girl in her class, a close friend of hers. She also said she would never take it off so long as she lived. Girls made weird promises like that, but that wasn't important. What was important was that there was no Saphron Arc to accompany this necklace, and the thought of that filled Jaune's belly with ice. Heavy ice.

He picked up the string and looked to where the Grimm footprints led to. He could run back to the house. It wasn't far, and his father could come out to save his sister without much effort, unlike Jaune, who was only just a boy. What could he do, anyways; he wasn't even ten years old, and he thought he could be a hero? Like the ones in his stories?

Still, Jaune pressed further through the trees, deeper into the trail of the beast, hoping there was some chance he could somehow save his sister. His pacing only quickened when he heard her cry out from beyond the ridge. Approaching the lip, he saw the black beast below, snapping into the roots of a tree that Jaune's older sister sought refuge under. It was huge, massive even. It was much bigger than the stories his father told him. He took a step back.

'Will you run?'

Should he run? He's already made it this deep into the woods. Going any further would be certain death. But to leave Saphron, who was sobbing and kicking to keep as far away from the monster as she could, would also mean certain death, but this instance would be hers. Could he live with that sacrifice?

No.

'Will you fight?'

Could he fight? Jaune found a large stick next to his foot. He picked it up and noted its weight. He could swing it, though he doubted it would do anything. If nothing else, it would serve as a distraction for his sister to escape. Still, there was that chance, that hope beyond hope that he could kill it with this stick. Slowly, the stick looked less like sturdy kindling and more like a sword. A sword fit for a hero. But reality is, was, and always be cruel, and despite whatever fantasies a boy may have, a stick is still just a stick.

But I still have to try.

'Why?'

Jaune was about to throw himself into an unwinnable fight against a creature his father had to train to fight. He had zero training, zero skill, and stood a better chance of surviving fleeing and getting his father. If he jumped down there, Saph might live, and that was a strong might if the Grimm wasn't finished with Jaune first. Should Jaune simply run and hope for the best, or risk everything in his young life to save his mean, older sister? What would be the point of doing that?

As Saph screamed and wailed, Jaune gripped the shoelace in his fist ever tighter, and he found his reason as he jumped from the cliff and onto the Grimm's back.

The beast thrashed its head around as its bony head smashed against the roots of the tree. Jaune clung to the hairs of its back, slapping his "sword" against the side of the massive monster. Finally, it rent itself free from its wooden prison, flailing more wildly as Jaune continued to hang on for his dear life. It rolled across the ground, suffocating and crushing Jaune into the soaking ground of mud and rock. He let go, and found the creature glaring down at him.

Time slowed down for Jaune Arc. Everything moved like the air itself was made of very thick maple syrup. The Beowolf, with its maw so wide, drew closer to its newest victim. Behind him, Jaune saw Saph screaming as she reached for her baby brother. She had the same thought he did; he was going to die here, and so would she if she stayed to watch. Even still, she couldn't stand by and let this happen.

"GO." Jaune simply said, speaking as normally as he could. Saphron's scream pierced the air as the Grimm snarled.

However, no blood would be spilled this day. Instead, where there should have been a dead boy was instead a living boy with a golden bubble around him. The Grimm snapped and dug its claws into the protective barrier but found neither purchase nor score to have been made in its attempt to maul the boy.

'Greetings.' A voice said inside of Jaune's head. Before he could react, the voice continued. 'I have chosen you to be my new vessel. I hope there aren't any objections.'

"Who...?" Jaune finally took his surroundings seriously. This was real! Was this his superpower? Making a protective bubble for himself? Before he could question any further, he turned to Saph, who looked on in awe of her baby brother. "Saph..."

'The Grimm is too occupied by our power.' The voice said. 'The girl will be safe so long as we are here.' Jaune breathed a sigh of relief. 'However, this cannot be guaranteed if she remains here and more Grimm arrive.'

Jaune nodded, turning to his big sister. Taking a page out of his favorite stories, he gave a confident grin before proclaiming. "Have no fear, Sir Arc is here~!"

Saphron wanted to argue that what her brother was doing was the dumbest thing he could possibly do, but now wasn't the time for arguing. She instead chose to call back. "I'm going to get dad! Don't die before he gets here!"

As she ran, it dawned on Jaune that, despite the amazing superpower he got, his life was still in danger. Suddenly, the Beowolf looked much larger and more dangerous than it was seconds ago. Could Jaune win? This bubble offered protection, but for how long, and could he still fend off the Grimm without it?

'Have faith.' The voice said. 'Though it is a mighty beast, and though you are mortal, we can win so long as you believe in yourself.'

"Who... are you?" Jaune finally asked.

'I am one of the two creators of this world.' Answered the voice. 'And I need your help to find my brother.' A claw pierced through the barrier, but did not break further than that. 'But we can discuss this later. For now, it is time to fight.'

Fight? Jaune only had experience in one kind of fighting, and that was against his sisters. This was not his sister, nor was it even human. It was a Beowolf, a creature of Grimm, and it had every advantage Jaune didn't only a few minutes ago. He wasn't a huntsman, nor was he even in training to be one. So what chance did he have in beating it?

'Do not fear, my vessel, for fear is what draws in the Grimm the most.' The voice attempted to soothe. 'Think instead of why you chose to fight instead of running away. What is at risk if you run now?'

Jaune squeezed the stick in his hand a little tighter. Saph, his big sister, almost died because of his inaction. Now wasn't the time for that; now was the time for payback. Suddenly, a golden light shined in Jaune's eyes, and where there was once a stick there was now a golden sword of light. The Grimm stabbed into the barrier once more, this time its massive claw tearing through, and found itself stuck in the barrier.

Claws that would have torn him to shreds if not for this power. Claws that would have torn his sister to shreds if he didn't show up. A fury so righteous boiled inside of Jaune before he swung his blade clean through the Grimm's talons. It reeled back with a screech, screaming in agony before making another leap at the barrier.

'I trust you, my vessel.'

The barrier fell. The beast lunged. The voice faded. And Jaune moved forward, thrusting his blade into the fanged maw of the Beowolf. His weapon struck true and pierced through the bone-white skull of the monster. It slumped forward, its heavy body crushing Jaune. Fear took hold of him, before the weight lifted and he was left coughing in a pile of fading ash.

"Jaune!" A familiar voice called out. He turned in time to see his father barreling down, brandishing the family sword, Crocea Mors, in hand. "Are you alright, son?!" He circled around his child. "Where did the Grimm run off to?!"

"I killed it, Dad." The look his father gave him was a new one. It was one of disbelief and concern.

He then noticed the ash soaked into his son's clothes, and a grin split across his face. He sheathed his blade, kneeling down. "You killed it, eh, son?" A sharp pain burned across Jaune's cheeks. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING, FIGHTING SOMETHING THAT BIG?! YOU KNOW WHAT WOULDA HAPPENED IF YOU DIED?!"

"SAPH WOULDA BEEN OKAY!"

"YOU DON'T KNOW THAT!" His father released his hands from his son. "For Brother's sakes, son! Your sister was probably scared out of her wits, but the Grimm probably wasn't that big!"

"Could you not say that, Dad? My friend doesn't like that."

"What? Your 'friend' has a problem with the word Grimm?" The air quotes showed that his father cared little with the voice in Jaune's head.

"No, Brothers." Jaune clarified. "He doesn't like his name being said like that without his brother." There was an even more confused look from his father.

"I think you might be concussed, son. C'mere," the large man picked up his son, "let's get you cleaned up, little hero."

"Hero?" Jaune's heart skipped a beat.

"Yeah. What else do you call someone who saves their sister's life? Even if it was a stupid thing to do, and you've probably used up all the good luck for the rest of your life, you're still a hero to me, your mom, and all your sisters. Especially Saph."

Jaune looked to the stick in his hand. He tried to will it into a sword, like before, only to instead receive a chiding message from his savior.

'There is a time and place for everything, but now isn't that time.'

Jaune gave a sigh. How disappointing. Then, he got an idea.

"Hey, dad?"

"Hm?"

"Can you train me to be a huntsman like you?"

"Mm..." His father then chuckled. "Sorry, Jaune. No can do."

"What?! Why not?!"

"There's only one huntsman like me, and that's me."

"Aw..."

"But..." Jaune felt a chill up his back. "I'll see what I can do about making you into a huntsman like you." Jaune could barely contain himself. Literally. "H-Hey! Stop shaking so much or I'm gonna drop you!"

Meanwhile, deep inside Jaune, a voice chuckled. 'This will be interesting, won't it... Brother?'

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

"Thankfully, the boy's father was able to arrive just in time to save his son, who nearly sacrificed his life for his sister. The family says that their son is now training to attend a huntsman academy when he's older."

"I guess it's not the size of the hero in the fight, but the size of the fight in the hero, huh?" The newscasters chuckled. "In other news, the infamous Huntsman Hunter has struck again. The victim was a huntress, whom our sources wish to remain anonymous out of respect for the fallen. Residents of Mistral are advised to travel in groups no smaller than three and to avoid travel at night if possible. Though the suspect remains at large, they are considered to be armed and dangerous..."

#rwby #rwby rewritten #jaune arc #saphron cotta arc #brother of light #the brother of light #saphron arc

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twopoppies · 2 days ago

Note

Louis wants privacy and doesn't want his sisters to post photos of Freddie, because he himself wants to show photos of his """"""""son""""""""" to strangers. makes a lot of sense

https://x.com/fitfdailypromo/status/1888052719887188077?t=j0_nv7rYcvp1Qiu_IEMprQ&s=19

We all know Daisy saying that was complete bullshit to explain the stupidity of posting that photo of Ernest with the emoji over his face.

Look, I said this already but let me make it clear: Louis has now agreed to play this game. I know it wasn’t his choice in the beginning, but at this point, I have no explanation for why he’s blatantly using that boy and I’m just over it. I can’t care about babygate anymore because there’s just no point. I hope it ends soon. For Freddie’s sake, if for nothing else.

My hope is that this tweet is bullshit. Not because it “doesn’t fit my narrative,” but because if it’s true, Louis is going out of his way to use that child to further some weird agenda that I guess (?) benefits his career, but does a massive disservice to an innocent boy.

#babygate #Louis in Louisiana

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silveredlies · 21 hours ago

Text

Half truths and lies of omission were where he worked best. To twist something poisoned and corrupt so that it resembled beauty to be offered was a skill all on its own. There was no need for spells to charm of hypnotize save for some here and there when he had the power of words at his fingertips. Gaining desired information, turning others against their closest allies, stirring up battles in times of conflicts, all for his own gain. It was always nice that his hard work was noticed rather than those that bought in to a beautiful lie. Fools only bored him in the end. There were no true games if there was no challenge or perhaps he had simply become jaded in more ways than he thought. As for play acting, "Fior was smart to play along, though I am a little disappointed he knew already. I put quite a bit of effort in to that one. The necromancer boy, though...all it took was a drink. The Deathrunners leave a lot to be desired if they make someone so foolish their Underboss. I felt bad for him, truly."

To be brought into a lie so easily, there had been a touch of guilt when Mathias had left. Just barely, he had certainly done far worse in his long life. But now likely, his games wouldn't work any longer save for perhaps the bottom of the barrel folks. The ones ranked so low that they wouldn't be brought in to conversations of the Blood Witch. A true shame. Seeing the games come to their conclusion was always a bit disappointing but there were things to do before he found out what a deity could do to an insubordinate blood witch.

As he felt the small push towards himself, Corvinus wasted no time pushing back with his own aura of magic. Letting it seep through just slightly, pressing against the naga. But while the other radiated desire, his own was tainted with rage. Not towards Suresh, not right now, but often how his magic displayed itself. It was hatred and spite that allowed him to obtain his powers and still the powerful motivators that kept him going rather than secluding himself in his estate and watching the world fade away through the windows. But he was quick to pull his back and draw the small taste back into himself. They toyed with different weapons. "I think I'll just keep this one. Though it is adorable how keen you are to keep my jacket away. I'm not above self-maiming to get blood I need if pushed." Suresh had seen how quickly he had healed, there was no point pretending as if blood draw wasn't a tedious task. He felt the tail loosely wrap itself around his ankle though he didn't pull away. "Careful now," he gave a soft warning. The touch was fine so long as it didn't descend into violence and fighting again.

Still at the topic of the Nameless leader, Corvinus gave a sigh that was annoyed. As if it was a topic he didn't much care for. His lips pursed, leaning back into the couch with his arms stretched over the top and legs crossing. An image of openness and walls at the same time. His eyes moved to the windows, a long silence as he focused on the scenes down below. Fingers of one hand were tapping, dancing on the couch as though he were trying to come up with the perfect words. "...I'll grant you another trust," he finally spoke and attention rounding back to Suresh, "I said before you were the reason I came here. True in a way, but you weren't the one that initially drew my attention to the city. Just a happy perk." He thought about how far he should go, how careful to be. Whatever story he gave for the Nameless was a truth in a way considering where he was, so was the other. "I've been hunting while exploring the lovely city. The reason you haven't been able to reach the leader is because, well...he hasn't been here."

He'd been traveling, giving orders from afar, while gathering supplies and powers since his binding to the god. And trying to find a way to sever that same bond. "He came in to my country a few months ago. While I don't claim her lands, I ensure that my isles, my homeland, is safe. You wanted to know why I was here, I was drawn out. Forced into a game I had no intention of getting involved in to ensure me and my own are left alone. You want to know why I chose you three over the Nameless? You didn't interrupt my peace of mind. So I provoked, I taunted, all to create more noise to lure out what I wanted. Honestly, you lot did most of the work for me. And once I'm certain this is handled with the meeting, I will return home to my domain and continue my own works." Everything was stated so bluntly with that hint of annoyance on the topic. It was truths....though it was more the deity itself had lured and forced his involvement rather than any Leader in the shadows.

"I imagine he was still rather stuffy, even eighty years ago. Though an improvement over his predecessor." He listened and nodded, the reason why Callum as still alive was the one where their stories matched up the best. He survived simply because the Witch hadn't felt like killing him. But Corvinus' need to gloat was a delightful bit of petty that Suresh could understand. A sly smile breaking across his lips at the dog comment. However Suresh did have a healthy respect for Death, the Goddess and her chosen. Suresh didn't believe anyone, even Corvinus could outrun her indefinitely. Gold ophidian eyes drifted thoughtfully over the Witch's face. It was what he would do. Drop small seeds and hope the roots caused cracks... And the best doubts were plausible ones. Why would Callum lie about the reason behind the fight? What did it matter if he was following the charge of his Goddess? Suresh already knew how unhappy the Lightless Leader would be finding out how this exchange went between the Witch and him tonight.

The sly smile turned into a graciously amused grin, and the Naga shook his head. "Please. Take this as the compliment that it's meant to be. You are one of the most accomplished half-truth speaker I have ever met." Suresh shook his head, he was a prideful creature but he was careful and observant. Even while he played the total hedonist Suresh knew there was far more under the surface of Corvinus. He'd gotten a small peek behind the curtain and he had gotten a taste of how much was still hidden. Labyrinthian depths. "I heard you went play acting to a few others too... I hear everything... eventually."

Suresh relaxed a little, letting his body uncoil slightly. He had only glamoured his hands, not bothering with the rest of it. The talons were useful but they were just one small brutal piece of his arsenal. "The offer to replace the one I ruined is still there. But you do look nice in my shirt." His eyes drifted over his shoulder and chest, nodding, "I knew that one would fit you." Eternity was a long time to have to plan, to remember slightly, to hold grudges. Suresh slowly manipulated his little game board of the city, making moves that were designed to not pay off for a generation or longer. Position himself carefully in order to strike the quickest and best blow. The people that truly drew his ire he dismantled brick by brick. Methodical and cruel until all they desired was release from the misery. But it had been a long time since he'd felt the need to do that.

The feel of the warm hand in his own, electricity that he couldn't help jumping from skin to skin, it was just part of what he was, a soft pulse of desire. But nothing that couldn't be shrugged off by the Witch. Because yes, to touch someone that could ignore that soft current that drew people to him was lovely. Dangerous and alluring. His eyes watched as Corvinus brought Suresh's hand to his lips and kissed it. Terribly charming. And Suresh's eyes softened at the caress as he searched for the lie, for the flinch. The Naga wanted to tell him that he should fear them... but who was he to correct the other? A mischievous glint came into his eye as he drew his hand back. Letting them rest in his lap, golden nails tracing his own scales absently, "I have to confess, I haven't been that excited in ages..." He let his tail drift down and loosely curl itself around one of Corvinus' ankles. The Witch had accepted the hand, so why not push a little?

Listening to the Witch again it had that taste of truth enough. Missing pieces. What was one witch? The sentence made Suresh reguard Corvinus' thoughtfully before he answered, "Depends on the Witch..." The comment about the not being considered a god made the Naga shrug. "One cultures monster is another's god. Who knows? Maybe in another five hundred years someone will make a shrine to the Immortal Blood Witch and burn effigies to you?" Suresh's mind drifted back to his Advisor and the Lightless Emissary. So many coincidences... "Something I am curious about, where did you find him? You might be a wonderful lure but you had to post up somewhere to get his attention... And we've been attempting to reach out for a long while now... I simply must know, where was it?"

#convo | suresh | 02

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toreii · 1 year ago

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Idia: “The impact conveyed through the hand-drawn illustrations! I feel energized when I see the seriousness of the creators!!”

Idia: “Cellphones must be turned off at the museum. Don’t worry, all the daily social games have been digested already. Now, let’s go.”

#twisted wonderland #disney twst #twst spoilers #idia shroud #twst idia #translations not 100% accurate #ive never seen someone so excited to go to a museum #then again it’s the d100 collab and i completely relate #boy said i already played all of my games lets go #yes bby im right behind you😭#he’s definitely growing little by little #it took me 30 pulls but he came in the 22nd #i have enough to keep trying but idk if i will #i’ll wait and see how i feel before this ends

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m00sebaby · 5 months ago

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just having a bit of a ramble dont mind me

#having a boyfriend who likes sports is wild and exciting to me #its been a year and its still like #oh? you want to put the tennis match on one monitor and the football game on the other while i watch baseball on my phone?#you want to wake up early to watch liverpool?#he asks me questions like about why luke weaver was so excited to get his first save on the yankees #and despite bemoaning it at first shows genuine interest in footy matches when theyre on #to the point of learning all of the players and already knowing we love darwin no matter what he does #and then to the point of agreeing to extend our trip to dublin in case liverpool made it to the europa final #and THEN to the point of asking if anyone else interesting was playing in the final after liverpool lost against atalanta #and further to the point of saying if i won a kit if he could have it #and even FURTHER to the point of sitting with me in a pub in dublin to watch the last liverpool match of the season #and then when we watch american football he explains different positions to me and like knows so much?#and same for hockey #and when he was asked to go to a hockey game in front of me all of 4 months into our relationship #he said 'i should ask liza if she wants to come because she'd be mad if she missed out on a game like that'#meanwhile the guy who asked him had his gf next to him and she was like 'can i go?' and he said 'if you want to'#like just the fact that my mans knows how stupidly important sports are to me and hes fully embraced it #and absolutely listens to me hurl absolute abuse at the television when my team lets me down #and not that i've ever vibed with the idea of subconsciously dating a guy who is like your dad #(i love my father dearly but many core facets of his personality drive me insane to no end plus i did that for many years and boy howdy. no #but the only other person to ever fully embrace and actively try to enjoy the sports i like is my dad #and its just such a loved feeling. i have never felt so so loved before.#like in a way thats not predicated on what i do or how i act its just like he loves me for me. everything else is a bonus.#i feel lighter. i feel like hes a gift. i have never experienced so much trouble in such a small amount of time while feeling so... ok??#like he isnt perfect at verbally comforting me all the time but he makes up for that by just being present and warm no matter what #i just could not be happier and feel more secure #sometimes i say 'i want to date you forever' and he hits me with '... and never get married?" and i have to fight to be vaguely normal #like oh lmao you like. you like me fr fr?? wild #anyways back to sports ignore me

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classyrbf · 6 months ago

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HE'S SUCH A (HOT) LOSER! — CHOSO KAMO

SYNOPSIS...nsfw and sfw headcanons about loser!choso bc I can’t get him out of my head after righting that drabble about him

INFO...loser!choso x fem!reader, socially awkward, virgin!choso, jerking off, virginity loss, sexual acts, creampie,

OTHER...likes and reblogs are appreciated

loser!choso who literally has no friends, is the epitome of socially awkward and always ends making the conversation weird when he opens his mouth

loser!choso who has never seen a woman naked in real life, he just goes on porn sites and jerks his dick until it feels like it’s about to fall off, cum painted on his toned stomach

loser!choso who has sex toys in his closet, fleshlights, pocket pussies, whatever you call them—he has at least two, one of them even vibrates

loser!choso who is (you guessed it) a total virgin, he’s never even gotten close enough to lose it, yet alone have his first kiss

loser!choso who is forced by yuji to go on a dating app and try to find a girlfriend, and he ends up matching with you

loser!choso who stays in his room, playing video games, or goes to the gym, otherwise the poor boy has no social life (like I said, he has no friends)

loser!choso who finally goes on his first date with you and he’s sweating, stumbling over his words because you’re smiling at him, grabbing his hand and making jokes all while looking like some sort of goddess. He was starting to wonder if he’s dreaming

loser!choso who is absolutely stunned when you express how cute you think he is, how nice his hair looks, and he doesn’t know how to react so he just stands there and smiles at you like a complete idiot

loser!choso who drives home after the date and he genuinely can’t wait to get home to jerk off to the thought of you, so he pulls into an empty parking and pulls his pants down right there, tip already leaking precum when he remembers the way your tits were popping out of you dress

loser!choso who thinks the date went horribly wrong until you’re texting him the next day, already planning the next time you meet up, weirdly inviting him over to your place

loser!choso who is obsessed with titties (clearly) no matter what size. He imagines himself getting a hold of pair and just grabbing them, sucking them, it turns him on so bad

loser!choso who thinks nothing of going over your house until he gets his one wish, getting a hold of your tits in his hands, and he’s star struck, just groping, squeezing and without thinking he’s sucking on them

loser!choso who ends up losing his virginity a few minutes later with you bouncing up and down on his cock, pussy gushing around him. He’s in literal heaven and can barely think, brain turned to mush

loser!choso who realizes real sex is better than porn fairly quickly, and lets just say he becomes more obsessed with you than ever cause it’s so much more intimate when you’re holding him, praising him, calling him a good boy

loser!choso who cums in your pussy so many times that night, and the aftermath leaves him stuck in the same spot on your bed while you cuddle up to him and tell him how much you like him even if you’ve only known him for two days

loser!choso who now has his first ever girlfriend, his first everything with you and he can’t wait to brag to yuji about it because you’re absolutely gorgeous

loser!choso who shows you off on his social media despite the twenty followers that he has, he just want to show off his girlfriend to whoever he can

loser!choso who gets weird stares in public from other men when he’s out with you because he knows you’re way out of his league, but just to make them jealous he grabs you and kisses you in front of them

loser!choso who doesn’t develop a sense of fashion until he meets you, going to countless stores as you pick out outfits that’ll look good on him, and he won’t lie, you’ve done a very good job because he’s gained much more confidence in himself

loser!choso who goes on and on about his special interests and you sit there smiling at him, listening intently. He’s lowkey a nerd but you love it

loser!choso who hangs with no one but you, missing you constantly and randomly showing up at your house when he feels like you’ve spent too much time apart

loser!choso who wants to learn how to pleasure you more so he looks up videos on how to eat pussy and watches all the porn he can to study their movements, but when he tells you, you just laugh and say how silly he is, showing him a hands on tutorial, instructing him on what to do and what you like

loser!choso who constantly asks if he made you cum, poor baby doesn’t want you to go around unsatisfied so he doesn’t everything in his power to make you feel good no matter what

loser!choso who is (obviously) the quiet type, so he studies what you like and what you do by watching you and when he grabs your exact fast food order without you saying anything, you’re standing there confused and he’s looking down at you like “what?”

loser!choso who has a glow up because of you, and girls that have rejected him come crawling back into his life not knowing about you, so he just hits them with the “my beautiful girl who I love very much does not like you talking to me bye” and blocks them

loser!choso who is actually very sweet despite his awkwardness, he might look stand offish in person and act weird around others, but when he’s comfortable with you hes a different person

loser!choso who gets you anything you ask for, spending countless amounts of money on you even if you don’t ask for it, he just loves you so much he wants to show his appreciation in every way whether that’s spoiling you or making you cum

#—☆classyrbf #anime #anime smut #jujustu kaisen #jjk #jjk x reader #jjk smut #choso x reader #choso x reader smut #choso headcanons #choso smut #choso x you #choso x y/n #choso kamo headcanons #jjk headcanons #jjk choso #choso kamo

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nightingale-prompts · 5 months ago

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The Nightingale Family-DC x DP prompt

(Shameless Addams family inspired prompt)

News travels fast in Gotham, especially in affluent circles. A new family has arrived in the city, old money at that. They had taken up residents in the old mansion overlooking the Historic Gotham Graveyard.

The Nightingales had a way of letting their presence be known. They were rarely seen in public. The eldest Jasmine Nightingale however had made waves working at the Gotham Asylum as a psychologist. She was often escorted by her younger brother Dan Nightingale. The public really started talking when Jazz was seen talking with Harley Quinn.

There were two children that lived in the Nightingale manor. They were elusive to say the least as the family didn't attend the parties of Gotham.

It wasn't until Damian Wayne got an invite from his classmate Danielle to visit their manor that someone saw the lives of Nightingales. This invite had been received after Damian carefully befriended the youngest Nightingale to investigate their connections.

That's how the Waynes ended up at a dinner party.

The manor was bleak to say the least and that's saying something in Gotham. The buildingbwas made from black stones and gargoyles perched on the roof. The garden was wilted and full of thrones that crept up the walls.

Bruce felt a sense of Deja vu as he approached the door and rang the bell. Tower bells rang out as the face of Jasmine Nightingale appeared. She was dressed in black dress pants and blazer. Her lips were painted to match. Her red hair had a striking white streak through it which had become a fashion trend since the family's arrival to girls wanting to seem mysterious.

"Good Evening. It is so nice to meet the infamous Waynes." She shook Bruce's hand. Behind her, the sounds of clanking metal was heard. "That is just my younger siblings playing. You don't you boys join while I talk to your father.

Despite only being a fresh-faced 20 year old Jazz carried herself like a confident adult. A certified genius in psychology who graduated early she also handled the inmates at the Asylum well enough that escapes are at an all time low.

"She's got it all" was what Harley said.

Bruce's admiration of the young lady was only matched by his suspicion. The house the Nightingales lived y had once belonged to the Al Ghouls. There was no telling yet if there was a connection.

He took a seat in the living room with Jazz tea already prepared. She poured two cups of black tea. Not black as in the type of tea but the color of the drink. Bruce cautiously sniffed the black liquid, it smelled earthy and acidic. Poison.

"Do you like it? I made it myself. I added the belladonna myself. It has a sweet taste so you don't need sugar. The kids have sweet tooths but we avoid added sugars. They love nightshade." She smiled drinking.

Bruce put the cup down. So they drink poison at a young age. They must be part of The League of Assassins. But why are they here?

"If you don't mind me asking. Why did you move to Gotham? Your parents-" Jazz put a hand up as she finished her cup.

"Mr. Wayne I'm sure you are no stranger to parents leaving before their time nor the concept that not all parents deserve children. Now I can't confirm or deny if that is the case for use but you can understand that it's a private matter." Jazz said sternly.

That wasn't an answer.

Upstairs Danny and Danielle played with Elle's new toys. Swords from Dan's trip to Portugal. He even sharpened them. They were currently tearing through the mansion.

Tim and Damian caught them while Danny had successfully pinned Elle to the ground.

"Dami! Help!" Elle yelled catching Danny off guard as Damian tackled Danny to the ground.

"Alright, alright. You can go next." Danny rolling Damian off him and passing him the sword. "Im taking a break."

Danny loved playing with his little sister but baby games are tiring.

"They let you play with swords," Tim exclaimed. This wasn't something he expected, sure it was normal for Damian but Damian is weird and was raised by assassins. Damian didn't do it for fun, it was training.

Damian and Danielle ran off while fencing.

"You must be one of the Waynes. Elle has been excited to have your brother over." Danny said politely if not a bit dismissive.

"Eh, yeah. Your sister said we should join you." Tim said a bit awkward. " You have another brother right?"

"Oh, yeah. He travels alot but he's relaxing right now. He's probably swimming." Danny shrugged.

Tim had heard of Danny. They went to the same school but Danny was part of a program that allowed him to come to school when he felt like it. The program is for young engineers who want to work for Wayne Industries. He mostly worked on small experimental projects. So far Danny's superconductor tech was revolutionary but impossible to replicate. Danny somehow managed to make a more effective coolant than anything they had created in the lab.

"You have a pool?" Tim knew that the mansion didn't have a pool.

"Of water? No." Danny shrugged but gave no further answer.

"I see, so what do you do?" Tim tried to sound normal like he was talking to his friends and not someone he was trying to probe.

"Anything, everything. I was going to recalibrate my telescope but I have a laser to test." Danny walked off expecting Tim to follow.

Testing was just cut a bunch of things in half. Tim got some great info on making an explosive ice canister and foam bombs. Tim made sure to get his number to hire him to make some gear for him.

The Nightingale kids were absolutely lawless. They destroyed everything in their path.

Elle had dragged Damian to her room to show off her toys. She used to travel with Dan until she started school. She picked up a bunch of items. Cult artifacts, shrunken heads, voodoo dolls, cursed puppets, knives, swords, and the homemade taxidermy Elle made from roadkill. She also had a pet dodo bird named Ernesto who had a bed next to her bed. Ernesto took a liking to Damian and sat on his head. The way he shows his affection

Soon enough Dan came upstairs to check on Elle and Danny.

"You kids, need to get ready for dinner. Sharpen your nails and teeth." He said before going back to the kitchen.

"What does that mean?" Damian asked.

"You don't sharpen your nails. Well good luck at dinner." Elle said bemused.

Dinner was...horrifying. Watching the family chat happily as they ripped apart the moving food as it came to life. Damian was actually excited as he skewered the cheese and broccoli casserole that screamed at him.

"Father, why can't we do this at our home?" He asked.

#dc x dp #Dan was swimming in the Lazarus pit in the basement #dpxdc #dc x dp prompt #dp x dc prompt #danny fenton #danny phantom #batman #tim drake #damian wayne #bruce wayne #dark danny

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flowersforbucky · 7 months ago

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down bad

bucky barnes x reader

word count: 3.9k

author's note: i couldn't stop thinking about bucky being able to use his metal hand as a vibrator and therefore this was born.

warnings/tags: SMUT, oral (female receiving), fingering, bucky being used as a human vibrator, multiple orgasms, language, consumption of alcohol, reader is afab, no use of y/n, slightly possessive bucky, 18+ only

“You’ve got to be fucking joking,” Natasha mutters through a mouth full of popcorn. “Tyler from the statistics department? Are we talking about the same Tyler from statistics?”

“Nat, for the fourth time, yes. Tyler from statistics. The only Tyler from statistics that I know.” You reach for the bottle of Moscato that the two of you are sharing, pouring yourself some more wine.

“Nuh-uh,” Natasha shakes her head. “I don't believe you. There's no way he could be that bad.” She takes a sip from her own glass of wine. “He's too gorgeous,” she shrugs, turning to face you on the couch. The romantic comedy you had picked out for your bi-monthly movie night plays forgotten in the background.

“Trust me,” you sigh. “I was just as shocked as you are. But I swear on my life, he stuck his tongue in my ear. In my fucking ear, but wouldn't go down on me.” You can tell by the look on her face that Nat is trying her hardest not to laugh.

“He said his dick game is ‘too good to need to eat a girl out’.” You shake your head, cringing at the memory. “Which is also what he said when I merely suggested that he use my vibrator on me instead. He looked like I had kicked his dog.”

“Well?” she asks, a pained expression across her features. “Was it? Too good?”

“I didn't stay to find out,” you admit. “I faked a work emergency and dipped.” A laugh breaks through her pursed lips.

“I'm sorry–” she says, although her face says otherwise. “I shouldn't laugh. You just have the worst luck with men. Isn't that the third failed hook-up in what? Six months?”

“Don't fucking remind me,” you groan, throwing your head back on the couch and staring up at the living room ceiling. “I think I've lost all hope of ever having an orgasm given to me by another person again.”

Nat opens her mouth to speak, but quickly closes it when you both notice voices approaching from the hallway.

Sam and Bucky enter the room a moment later, both dressed uncharacteristically nice. You suddenly feel the desire to conceal yourself with the fleece throw blanket laying across your lap. You and Nat usually plan your movie nights for when the tower is relatively empty, so you're just wearing a pair of old sweatpants and a tank top. Bare-faced and hair unstyled, the fact that Bucky's gaze is locked on you as the two of them approach where you and Nat are lounging doesn't help. He's not smiling - but there's a look on his face that you don't quite understand. The ghost of a smirk on his lips and a twinkle of amusement in his eyes.

It's a look that makes you nervous - in addition to already feeling flutters in the pit of your stomach at how fucking good he looks.

“Hey, boys,” Nat greets them cheerily. “Where are the two of you going so dolled up?”

“There's a new nightclub in Brooklyn that a group of SHIELD trainees are going to tonight,” Sam answers. “They invited us and we've got nothing better to do. Figured we'd go check it out, get a few drinks. You ladies want to tag along? Or are you too busy watching - what is this, 10 Things I Hate About You?” He gestures towards the screen.

“Couldn't hurt to get out of the house for a while tonight, right?” Nat looks at you for confirmation, a knowing gleam in her eyes. “Who knows, you might even meet someone,” she adds, nudging you with her elbow.

Bucky lets out a sound halfway between a laugh and a cough, which he tries to play off as the latter. You narrow your eyes at him before glancing back to Natasha.

“For sure,” you agree, trying to ignore Bucky's bizarre behavior. “Couldn't hurt. You guys go on, we'll get ready and head there soon. Text us the name of the club?” You direct the last part to Sam in particular.

“You got it,” Sam says as he pulls his cell phone from his coat pocket. He turns to leave when both your and Nat’s phones chime with the club information. “Let's go man, our Uber's here,” he directs at Bucky.

“See you both soon,” he says before turning to follow Sam, though his gaze is still only on one of you.

“I'm gonna go throw on some make-up, curl my hair, and hope I can find something somewhat cute to–” Nat starts as soon as Bucky and Sam have turned back down the hallway.

“Was he acting kind of odd?” you interrupt her in a hushed tone.

“Barnes? Always. I've stopped reading into it too much.”

“Some spy you are,” you mumble. “Meet me back here when you're ready.”

— — — — —

One hour later, you're applying some last minute mascara and lip gloss in the backseat of an Uber on your way to downtown Brooklyn. Natasha sits beside you, ranting about an assignment that Fury has tasked her with and you swear you're trying your hardest to absorb everything she's saying - but your mind keeps going back to the way Bucky was looking at you just an hour ago.

What was with that little smirk? That curious glimmer in his eyes? Had he overheard your conversation with Nat? Had he developed the ability to read minds and knew you were thinking about how fucking hot he looked? Or was that thought simply written all over your face?

You knew you couldn't deny it. Bucky does look exceptionally attractive in his black suit, with his perfectly tousled hair - but you had found him to be ridiculously good looking since you'd first met him. Even in casual, everyday clothes, even in gym shorts and drenched in sweat, even covered in blood after particularly brutal miss–

“You girls have a great evening,” your Uber driver interrupts your train of thought as he comes to a stop in front of your destination.

You really need to get fucking laid. You definitely shouldn't be having these kinds of thoughts about Bucky. He's your coworker, your teammate, your training partner on many occasions, your friend…

Natasha thanks him and hands him a generous cash tip before climbing out of the car right after you.

“Thanks,” you tell her. “I'll buy our drinks.”

“Don't worry about me,” she tells you with a sly grin as you both flash the bouncer your IDs and enter the club. Despite the night still being relatively young, it's already bustling inside.

“You just focus on meeting people, mingling, maybe hitting it off with a super hot guy and taking him back to your place for some mind-blowing–”

“Super hot guy? Are you talking about me?” Sam’s voice interrupts Nat. You both turn around to see him and Bucky walking towards you, drinks in hand.

There's a roguish smile on Bucky's face as his eyes skim up and down your figure.

“You both look wonderful,” he compliments, but once again, his stare is focused only on you. If Natasha notices, she says nothing.

To be fair, you were impressed with how well you managed to put yourself together with such little notice. You found a black, backless mini dress crammed in the back of your closet that you had forgotten all about after snagging it on clearance forever ago. The form-fitting material hugs you in all the right ways, and paired with your favorite pair of strappy black heels, you're feeling infinitely more confident than you were when Bucky saw you just an hour prior.

“Thanks!” You chirp quickly, averting your gaze from him to take in your surroundings. To your left, the dance floor is lively, though not too overcrowded for your liking. To your right, there's a bar surrounded by tables filled with groups of people conversing - you vaguely recognize a couple of SHIELD agents huddled around one. The entire room is illuminated by the faint blue-green glow of the mood lighting, and the bass of the music vibrates through the floorboards.

Sam and Bucky excuse themselves to go say hey to the group of agents that had invited them, while Nat all but drags you over to the bar. You order a double shot of whiskey and throw it back as quickly as you can.

“I see what you mean now,” Nat whispers to you after downing her shot of tequila. “About Barnes,” she clarifies. “He's been eye-fucking you since we walked through the door.”

If you hadn't already swallowed your liquor, you would have spewed it all over her.

“He has not been eye-fucking me, Nat,” you say in an almost scolding tone.

“I'm just saying,” she throws her hands up. “There’s no way he could possibly be any worse than the last few guys you've gone for. I think you should go for it,” she shrugs.

“It's not that I don't think he'd be good,” you say defensively, forcing yourself to look away from where he and Sam are socializing with the small group of SHIELD agents a few tables away. “I just don't want things to be weird afterwards. We work together nearly every day, and we have a bunch of mutual friends–”

“Suit yourself,” she cuts you off in a tone of voice that very much says if you say so. “Now, are you going to dance with me or not?” She adds as she begins tugging you towards the ever-busying dance floor.

You spend the next half hour dancing with Nat before she's swept away by some black-haired doctor looking type. Good for her, you think as you watch them converse intimately at a small booth on the other side of the room.

Thanks to the liquid courage that runs through your veins, you're okay with the fact that Bucky stands just twenty feet away from you, watching you as you dance among the thick crowd of people.

You've made eye contact with him a few times now - on accident or on purpose, you're not sure at this point. But each time, your eyes lingers on his for a moment longer than the last.

You're mentally daring him to come here, to make a move, to do something other than stand to the sidelines of whatever conversation Sam and the others are engaged in.

The slightest bit of pressure on your waist snaps you back to the now congested dance floor.

You look up to find that the hand on your waist belongs to a tall man with shoulder length, sandy blonde hair. He's conventionally attractive enough, though not who you were hoping would come grab you on the dance floor.

“I'm Shawn,” he introduces himself, loudly enough for you to hear him over the roaring music. You tell him your name, pushing aside the pang of disappointment in your chest.

“Do you want to go somewhere a bit quieter to talk, maybe? Let me buy you a drin–”

“There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you,” a voice booms from behind you.

Shawn immediately retracts his hand from your waist, backing up a few inches as Bucky comes into view beside you.

“Must not have been looking too hard, I've been right here this whole time,” you jab back with a smug smile.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to–” Shawn says as he starts to back away.

“No worries, bud,” Bucky says in an overly friendly voice as he moves to stand in front of you, blocking you from Shawn's view entirely.

“Took you long enough,” you tell Bucky once the man is out of ear shot, once again beginning to sway to the music. “Get bored of listening to Sam hype himself up to the newbies?”

He takes a step closer, angling himself behind you. The crowd of people surrounding you edges you closer to him - your bare back brushing against the cool satin fabric of his suit.

“Maybe,” his chest vibrates against your skin when he speaks. He places his hands on either side of your hips - eliciting goosebumps across your skin in a way that no one else has in a long, long time.

“Or maybe I just wanted to save you from wasting your time on another guy who can't make you come.”

Your movements come to an abrupt pause as his words hit you.

He had fucking overheard your conversation with Natasha.

At a loss for words, you turn to face him. There's a shit-eating grin spread across his face. He thinks this is hilarious and it's obvious.

“Hasn't anyone ever told you it's rude to eavesdrop?”

“Is it really eavesdropping if I have superhuman hearing?” He takes a step closer to you, closing what little distance was separating you. The peaks of your breasts brush against his chest.

“So what happens now that you've saved me from another unsatisfactory hook-up?” You challenge, staring up at him in the neon blue lighting.

You can smell hints of cedarwood and sage from his cologne in your close proximity. It's so delicious that it's dizzying.

“Let me take you somewhere more private than this dance floor and I'll show you.”

“You seem to have a lot of confidence in your ability to give me a better experience,” you say, leaning forward so that your face is just inches from his.

He responds by placing his flesh hand on the small of your back and pulling you flush against him. The tips of his fingers continue to dance down the skin of your exposed spine. His vibranium hand comes to cradle your jaw, his metal thumb tracing your bottom lip.

His mouth forms a dark smirk - and then you feel it. It starts soft and subtle and then gradually increases in intensity.

His fucking thumb is vibrating against your lip.

If you hadn't been standing in the middle of a crowded dance floor at a nightclub in downtown Brooklyn, you would have taken that thumb into your mouth and sucked on it right then and there.

“What do you say?” he asks, now tugging on your bottom lip with the pulsing digit. “Are you going to let me take you to the first empty room I can find in this place and make you come?”

“I say show me the way.”

He removes his hand from your face and turns you in the direction of the back of the club. He guides you through the throng of dancers, keeping his hands placed firmly on either side of your waist from behind. His vibranium fingers still hum softly, reminding you of what he says is to come.

Directly past the dance floor, there's a hallway blocked off by a rope with a sign that reads employees only. Taking a quick look around, you see that all of the patrons surrounding you and Bucky are paying you no mind. Bucky unhooks the flimsy rope and the two of you slip down the hallway.

He jiggles the handles of several doors that all turn out to be locked. Not wanting to waste any time or draw any attention to yourselves with picking locks, you continue down the dark corridor until the heavy music from the heart of the club fades to a muted roar.

The very last door opens without a hitch.

Thanks to the pale orange glow of a table lamp on a desk in the corner of the room, you can see that you're in a makeshift office/supply room - a couple of filing cabinets, cleaning supplies, extra glassware, and some sound equipment strewn haphazardly throughout the limited space.

Bucky clicks the lock into place as soon as he closes the door behind him.

You're going to turn around him and tell him that he doesn't have to do this - that as badly as you want this, you don't want to ruin your friendship, that as badly as you want him, he doesn't have anything to prove to you - but his lips are already on yours as soon as you start to open your mouth.

He doesn't take his lips off of yours as he guides you backwards to the rickety wooden desk. The backs of your thighs hit the table and Bucky effortlessly lifts you to sit on the edge, giving him the perfect angle to deepen the kiss - with his tongue exploring your mouth, you're unable to stop yourself from groaning into the kiss.

You fist your fingers into his hair, tugging just hard enough so that he hisses into your mouth. His own hands trail from the sides of your stomach and down your thighs, until he reaches the tail of your dress. You instinctively part your legs for him, as much as the restrictive fabric will allow, and his vibranium hand shoots between your thighs.

He teases you, dragging his index finger along the cloth of your panties that you know you're close to soaking through already. Just as the tip of his finger pauses above your clit, his finger begins emitting the softest vibration.

You break the kiss, breathless as you throw your head back at the sensation. Bucky takes it as an opportunity to attach his lips to the pulse point of your throat, nipping your flesh with his teeth followed by a wet kiss.

He continues with the ministrations through your panties until you're rutting against his hand, needing more. He tugs your underwear to the side and increases the intensity of the vibration before nudging his middle finger past your entrance.

You have to hold onto his shoulders to steady yourself - despite the fact that you're sitting, your body feels like jelly beneath his touch. He adds in his index finger with ease before cupping your pussy in his palm - the heel of his hand pulsating against your clit.

“Fuck, Bucky,” you cry against his mouth.

“You're so fucking wet for me, you know that?” He coos, thrusting both of his fingers against the spongy-flesh of your walls.

You can feel the vibrations of his hand all the way from your belly to your toes.

You begin grinding your hips to meet the movement of his fingers, fucking yourself against his hand. There's a familiar knot forming in your lower belly as he curls his fingers inside you -

“I want you to think about me and how good I'm making you feel every time you think about letting some fuckin’ nobody touch you,” he says in a low voice next to your ear. “I want you to think about riding my fingers until you come all over my hand.”

His words send you over the edge and you do exactly that - your pussy clenching around his fingers as you ride them through your orgasm. While you're still coming down from the high of your climax, Bucky pulls his metal fingers out of you and brings them to your lips, inserting his index finger in your mouth. You swirl your tongue around the slick metal as he brings the vibrations to a halt and then slowly pulls the finger from your mouth.

He picks you up off the edge of the desk and plants you back on the ground - your legs still shaking from how hard you had come.

“Turn around and lean over the desk,” he instructs you, soft but authoritative.

You don't know if it's because of the way he's looking at you or because of how good he's already made you feel, but in that moment, you would've done anything he asked of you.

You bend over the desk, supporting yourself by leaning on your forearms. You peak back over your shoulder to look at Bucky - he hikes your dress up, baring your ass to him.

He lets out an audible groan before he has even pulled your panties down to your ankles.

He kneels on the ground behind you, his face inches away from your cunt. He uses both his flesh and metal hands to spread you open for him, and then his tongue is licking up your center from behind.

God, you hope no one tries to come into this room. The door may be locked but the sounds that someone would hear if they even walked up to the door…

Bucky knows just how to make you writhe above him. He's soft when he's kissing up your folds and unsparing when he's sucking your clit between his lips. His hands hold your ass in a firm grasp that teeters between pleasure and pain.

You grind back against his face and he moans so deeply that you feel the vibration of it up your core. Your eyes roll back into your head as you clutch the sides of the desk to better support yourself.

His enthusiasm alone has you spiraling towards a second climax embarrassingly fast.

“You know,” he murmurs against your sensitive pussy. “When I overheard you say that someone had refused to go down on you, I couldn't believe it. What a fuckin idiot to pass this up.” He gives your ass cheek a firm slap with his flesh hand before diving his face between your legs once more.

It's just seconds before you feel the telltale pressure growing in your lower belly once more. You go limp against the table, Bucky placing his hands on the backs of your thighs to help keep you upright as you ride out your orgasm on his face.

You continue to lay against the desk as you regain control of your breathing. Bucky stands up, tugging your panties up your legs and back around your waist as he does. He then shimmies your dress back down into place so that you're once again looking club-appropriate.

When you turn around to face him, he's wiping your slick from his lower face on the sleeve of his suit, once again displaying a shit-eating grin.

“What was it you said?” He asks in mocking contemplation. “You had lost all hope of ever having an orgasm given to you by another person again?”

“I think you've made your point. You're fantastic at eating pussy and you're a walking human-sex toy.” You roll your eyes at him and start to walk towards the door, but he grabs your wrist in his metal hand, stopping you.

He pulls you back to him and brings his flesh hand to cradle your jawline. He stares at you in a heavy, uncertain silence for a split second before bringing his lips to yours.

It's a kiss that's a bit more hesitant, and a lot less rushed than the one before. You taste yourself all over him, warm and salty. He takes his time getting lost in your mouth - you savor every second and it still comes to and end all too once.

“Couldn't help myself,” he smiles softly when he pulls away. “Just had to kiss you one last time.”

You can't help the way your heart skips a beat when he says the word last.

You clear your throat. “We should probably go find Sam and Natasha,” you say, giving him a small smile in return. “I'm sure they're both wondering where the hell we are.”

You spend the rest of the evening attempting to mingle with friends, but there's one thought that torments you for the remaining duration of the night - just a few hours ago, you doubted that you'd ever have a satisfactory hook-up ever again.

Now, you had to wonder if anyone else could ever make you feel as good as Bucky did.

♡♡♡♡♡

i left this kind of open-ended soooo leave it to your own interpretation what happens next for them 🤭

as always comments/reblogs are infinitely appreciated. thanks for reading!

my masterlist

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky x reader #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes one shot #bucky barnes oneshot #bucky barnes one-shot #bucky x you #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes fic #my writing #flowersforbucky

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kisses4themissus · 23 days ago

Text

mr, mrs & a bump || Hwang Inho X Reader

wc: 2k a/n: luv the married couple sm!! i headcanon for wife!reader that she sees junhee as her daughter/younger sister pairing: inho hwang x wife!reader

pt 1 ¦ masterlist ¦ prequel

You groaned, rubbing your bump as you walked into the next game; It’d be a mix of mini games, you had selected the games one night while in-ho had been off taunting gi-hun with his presence.

“Please group up into teams of five!” The announcement rang out through the room. Players look around at each other before doing so.

In-ho walked over to you and grabbed your hand. You grumbled as you both approached his group. “She can be our fifth, this is my wife!” He smiled, his hand going to swell of your stomach. “Wife?” Player 390, jung-bae said in shock.

“And she’s expecting?!” A younger man, 388 whispered out, lightly hitting jung-bae’s arm. You chuckled and nodded at them before smiling at gi-hun. “Nice to meet you all, i’ve heard you’ve played these games before?” You questioned, gi-hun nodded in response before looking around the room. “I have, the owner must’ve changed the games…” He nervously looked around to the soldiers.

“Excuse me, may I join you all?” A softer voice spoke up, making you all turn to see player 222.

“Sorry, we already have five!” Dae-ho declined politely. The young girl sighed before cupping her belly through her jacket. You sighed, having a soft spot for the young mother. “I’ll leave, take care of her!” You pointed at in-ho who nodded as the girl stepped closer to the group before anyone could protest you walked away to another group.

As you glanced at several different teams none had stuck out as winners. “Hey sexy senorita, looking for a team?” A gruff voice spoke up from across the room, you quickly covered your stomach and turned with a small smile to the rapper.

“I am…but is it alright that I have a condition?” You questioned, walking closer. He nodded at you “Whatever it is, it’s cool!” He attempted to flirt, leaning into you.

You sighed and unzipped your sweater and rubbed the pronounced belly. “Oh thank you!” You giggled at the rapper who stared at you shocked. You quickly walked past him and towards the rest of his team; you had identified each of them within second of meeting them. “Really, you had to choose the pregnant chick?” Nam-gyu scoffed, hitting thanos, who shook him off and helped as you sat down on the sand.

Once sat you looked around, your eyes catching in-ho who carefully watched you with the group of younger people. “A pregnant woman, means they have more experience!” Thanos grinned, sitting down next to you, the others doing the same.

You cleared your throat before turning to the others. “I’m happily married, in fact you might know my husband!” You smiled as you pointed in in-ho’s direction. He’s gaze hardened at thanos and his goon; you giggled and waved at your husband before turning to the two boys.

“Try something and he’ll won’t let either of you live!” You smiled before talking to the other two players.

“She’s scares me!” Nam-gyu shivered, thanos nodded in agreement.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Once the games were announced you all assigned games, you had gotten gong-gi; you were lucky to have played with on bedrest a few months back.

You watched as other teams go up, some failed some had passed. You watched boredly from the floor, you glanced over and noticed in-ho whispering something to jung-bae. You kept quiet and waited for it to be your own turn.

You waited as the worker locked your ankles together.

“Let’s get it!” Thanos hyped himself up as you all stood at the beginning of the track. A weird flutter sensation moved across your stomach as you waited for a signal to go, you chuckled and rubbed where your baby had kicked. In-ho watched your group with a smile at the moment between you and your unborn child.

“How far along is she?” Gi-hun asked, leaning over to in-ho. “She’s nine months, around anytime she should be expecting.” In-ho answered. “And they let her enter the games?” Gi-hun scoffed, trying to grasp how monsters frontman was to accept two pregnant ladies into the game, knowing one or either of them wouldn’t make it out alive. “Appears so..” In-ho nodded.

Your team had surprisingly past the games with ease. You had watched the guards as they unchained you all and led you to the dorms, you had quickly turned and blew a kiss to in-ho before following the soldier.

As you entered the dorm, geum-ja waved as you walked back to your bunk, you smiled and waved back; she didn’t deserve to be in the games, you had hoped to be a kind mother like her, sticking up for her son, doing anything to help her child. You quietly laid down on in-ho’s bunk, patiently waiting for him to get back.

- - - - - - - - - - -

You were startled awake by in-ho, who smiled down at you. “I’m back, we all made it through.” He rubbed your bump with a smile.

You had nodded, you slowly sat up, wiping sleep from your eyes. “Where’s 222?” You questioned, in-ho helped you sit up and pointed you in her direction. You quickly brushed off your husband’s embrace and walked over to the younger woman. “How are you feeling?” You asked, rubbing the girl’s back in comfort.

“I’m ok, just tired now.” She gave you a small smile.

“Just rest up for now, if you need anything i’ll send inho-!” You stuttered at your slip up, “I mean young-il…” You chuckled, avoiding gi-hun’s confused look. “That’s the we had picked out for our son, we’re still figuring out a girls name in case.” In-ho covered up, smiling at the others who smiled and nodded.

You gave in-ho a thankful smile, he nodded and rubbed your lower back in reassurance.

Both you and in-ho had sat down and joked around with the others, they began to give their names out to each other, you smiled and gave them your name, in-ho giving them a fake name.

“Jun-hee, when we get out of here you should visit your doctor, stress isn’t good for you and your baby!” You gently lectured, she smiled and shyly nodded at you. “You should visit too!” She pointed out, making you grin before rubbing your bump.

“When we get out of here, we should plan a playdate for the two!” You joked, making everyone laugh. The metal doors began to open, you internally groaned, the voting was about to begin.

- - - - - - - - - - -

You had watch as the board went up, you were all outvoted to leave. Deep down you had wished everyone had voted to leave, wanting to save the older woman, the soon to be mom, gi-hun from your husband’s plan, dae-ho from an early death, jung-bae from jealously that your husband radiated.

Gi-hun sighed as you all stood by your bunks. Jung-bae had avoided you all, sitting by his bunk alone. As you listened to everyone discuss the next plan for the next game, a fast cramp struck you down your back, making you gasp in pain. In-ho quickly held onto you as you gritted your teeth at the pain.

“What is it? The baby?!” In-ho questioned. You shook your head as the pain soon released. “Braxton hick.” You sighed, taking deep breaths. “Here sit down, you too jun-hee!” Dae-ho and gi-hun both jumped up and had you both sit on gi-hun’s bed.

“I’m not looking forward to that…” Jun-hee confessed, making you laugh a bit at her expression of shock. The others began to pick up a conversation for a bit.

You turned and watched as the workers began to set up their tables to hand out dinner for the night. “Dinner time.” You announced to the others. They all nodded, helping both you and jun-hee up.

As you all stood in line, you sighed, stretching your back the best you could as a cramp went down your lower back. “Are you alright?” Dae-ho asked, looking around for in-ho. You chuckled and nodded. “Just a fake out.” You reassured the young man who stared at you for a moment before nodding.

Once you had gotten your food you walked back to the group. With a quick glance, you paused as you spotted jung-bae a few feet away, sitting on his bunk, his back facing you all. “Someone go get him, it’s a bit sad seeing him eat alone..” You pointed out, dae-ho sighed, placing down his food and milk.

You smirked as dae-ho got up and dragged jung-bae over to you all. “If you wanted to be alone, you should’ve gone farther..” Dae-ho scolded.

“I’m sorry everyone..” Jung-bae apologized, looking down at his shoes, ashamed. He began to explain his situation as to why he had to vote to keep playing.

“Jung-bae, you of all people shouldn’t have done it. It’s not twice as righteous,” Your husband sighed. “But seeing the outcome, we would’ve been outvote..” You nodded in agreement with in-ho.

“To be honest, i understand why you did it..I thought about playing one more game..” Dae-ho placed his hand on jung-bae’s should in comfort. Jung-bae turned and went to hug dae-ho who pushed him away. “You did?!” He asked, happy someone understood his thoughts. “I said i get it!” Dae-ho pushed himself away, you cracked a smile at the pair.

“In the next game..we might have to kill each other.” Gi-hun told you all. In-ho sighed, “gi-hun, that’s a bit much..there’s nothing we can do now anyways, let’s try to stay positive, we have two expecting mothers, we need them stress free.” In-ho nodded towards you and jun-hee.

“Here, jun-hee take my milk.” In-ho handed the young girl his milk carton. She smiled at him, shaking her head. “No, it’s ok. Your wife must need it!” She declined politely. You shook your head and motioned for her to take it. “I’m alright, the guards gave me water!” You smiled at her, she nodded and thanked you both as she took the milk.

“Here, i don’t deserve to eat!” Jung-bae handed you his bread, you hesitated before taking it from him. “Thank you!” You thanked, splitting the bun before handing half to jun-hee. “From my baby to yours!” You joked, earning a small laugh from her.

It had been later on, gi-hun explained to you all how you needed to create a fort with the bunks since players by the third game had began to kill each other. You and jun-hee were told to get pillows and blankets with the others moved the mats to the floor.

You sighed as you tossed another pillow down to them, you had laughed as the pillow smacked in-ho on the back of his head as he stood up from placing down a mat, dae-ho smirked at the accident. “Watch where you throw that ma’am, you could’ve done flying stones for your team instead!” In-ho laughed, rubbing the back of his head.

“Sorry!” You laughed, everyone laughed and kept making jokes everytime you passed something to them.

- - - - - - - - - - -

You had peacefully been asleep when the urge for the bathroom pulled you out of your sleep. You tapped the arm in-ho had wrapped around your bump, “I need the bathroom, let go!” You smacked his arm, he begrudgingly let go, mumbling something as he turned over.

As you got up, you turned to see jun-hee also up, looking at you, holding her bump.

“Bathroom?” You asked knowingly. She nodded shyly.

You both walked over to gi-hun, you tapped his shoulder, he turned to face you both. “We need the restroom.” You explained, he sighed, glancing over the room. “It’s too dangerous, you’re both expecting..” He sighed, looking at you both.

“It’s ok, i’ll go with them!” You all glanced up to see geum-ja, the older lady who joined for her son. “I’ll protect these ladies!” She promised, pulling out a small knife she had hidden in her hair pin, you raised a brow at her, a bit upset the workers had missed that detail but was happy the old woman was safe.

“I trust her, c’mon jun-hee!” You lead the girl towards geum-ja as you all walked to the side door.

You sighed, the door was shut, jun-hee knocked twice before a soldier answered. “We need the bathroom.” She explained. The solider stared at her “No. entry and exit are restricted at this time.” They explained, you all scoffed as they shut the window shut.

Geum-ja scoffed and went to knock but you placed a hand on her shoulder, “Let me try.” You smiled at them before pounding on the door.

No response.

You scoffed, rolling up your sleeves of your jacket and pounded on the door once more. “Open the door now or i try pushing my child out now and when you have to come in here you will slip on my birthing fluid and crack your skull open and bleed to a very slow death!” You yelled.

The door opened, the solider stepped aside, you nodded “please and thank you.” Jun-hee smiled as you past the guard and walked to the stairs. “Can i come with?” Another player 120, hyun-ju pop in the doorway, geum-ja smiled and took her hand. “Don’t worry, it’s another woman.” She reassured you both.

You smiled and nodded before walking up the steps to the bathroom.

The others walked into the bathroom, you waited behind for them to be in the bathroom before grabbing the solider. “You pull that shit again, i will have frontman execute you in the dorm for entertainment, understood?” You asked sternly, the solider nodded. “Yes, mrs frontman.” They stepped aside to let you walk to the bathrooms. “Ugh, i hate that name!” You muttered, walking into the bathroom finally.

As you walked towards a stall you stopped as you heard crying, you quickly took a step back and knocked on the closed door. “Jun-hee?” You questioned, sobs filled your ears, your sighed and pressed the handle down. “I’m coming in ok?” No response.

As you opened the door, jun-hee sat on the toilet crying into her palms. “What’s the matter? Is it your baby?” You questioned, ready to get geum-ja. Jun-hee shook her head at you.

“I’m-!” She stopped, tears falling down her face. “I’m so scared!” She confessed, you sighed your eyes filling up with tears. You quickly knelt down the best you could and hugged her. “You’ll be alright, jun-hee i promise. I’ll make sure of it.” You promised as she cried into your jacket. Geum-ja and hyun-ju had stopped at the stall door and watched as you comforted the young girl.

Once you had gotten jun-hee to stop crying, you had made your way towards your bunks again. You watched as in-ho switched with gi-hun for the night watch. You paced in front of your husband, running your hand over your bump.

“What’s wrong?” In-ho questioned. You sighed, letting your tears fall. “It’s hard watching a soon to be mother go through this in-ho! I can always decide to leave at anytime, she has to relay on these stupid players to leave..she has a baby on the way!” You cried, in-ho sighed, walking over to you, wrapping his arms around you.

“Hush now love, get some rest. Tomorrow you can decided the vote.” He informed you as he rubbed your back, your cries turned into sniffles as you calmed down.

“How are we gonna end this game?...”

inho taglist: @snowtargaryen @menabuser16 @azusdump

#frontman x reader #hwang inho x reader #player 001 x reader #young il x reader #inho hwang x reader #frontman x you #in ho x reader #squid game x reader #squid game x you #hwang inho

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