#brown oak cabinet front

[ramblegalore]

Traditional Home Office - Built-In Large elegant built-in desk porcelain tile and beige floor home office photo with beige walls and no fireplace

[nahimjustfeelingit-writes]

House Calls.

Professor!Terrence x Aaliyah

Summary: Aaliyah has an elusive charm that can be alluring to some and frustrating to others. Professor Terry is compelled to have her. On one fateful evening at his college buddies bachelor party, he runs into Aaliyah. An interaction he hadn’t imagined would ever happen.

Warnings: SMUT, 18+ CONTENT, based off of Players Club, Nasty Talk, Professor!Student.

Part Two

The calming effects of the incense burning within his Acadian–style home in Baton Raq. Lauryn Hill playing from a vinyl record was enough to ease his mind after grading over thirty midterm papers. Terry shut his laptop and released a soft sigh. He reached up with his long fingers, taking off his glasses. The burning at the corners of his blue-grey eyes caused him to rub. He was exhausted and in need of a long vacation somewhere tropical after this semester ended.

He pushed away from his elegant, black oak wood desk to stand, stretching his long legs and flexing his quads. Terry wore a boxy–fit graphic T-shirt with a photo of Nina Simone printed on the front and thigh–hugging drawstring, black shorts. His feet covered in long, black Adidas socks led him towards the door to his home office. He would have stepped on the tail of his British Brown Shorthair cat if he hadn’t spotted him creeping between his legs as he walked.

“Orion, watch out…”

The cat slowly moved away, staring up at Terry with its golden eyes.

His stomach grumbled. Terry remembered that he’d had leftover red beans and rice. He walked into his spacious kitchen, opening a cabinet to grab a soup bowl and then he strolled over to his silverware drawer, grabbing a large spoon. Ex–Factor faded in the background while he scooped the last of the food into his bowl. He paused, snapping his fingers in remembrance of the honey butter cornbread he’d made to eat with it.

After warming his food, Terry didn’t bother sitting in his dining room. He leaned over the counter and tucked into his food, appreciative sounds between bites mixed with his spoon scraping the side of the bowl the only noise. His tongue slipped out to catch a few crumbs from his lips after scarfing down the last of his cornbread. Terry shook his head and rubbed his belly as he cleared his mess.

“Damn good,” He muttered while walking towards his sink.

He accepted the burn of his muscles from his morning workout while crouching down to grab some surface disinfectant from beneath his sink. That let him know he went hard in the gym. His tongue smoothed over his teeth to get rid of food while he used a Bounty paper towel to clean. His eyes flicked to the window in his kitchen when he’d heard loud voices passing by his home.

The Apple Watch on his wrist with a stainless steel band alerted Terry to a phone call. He headed back to his office and reached over his desk to grab it from the charger.

“Wassam Bitch!”

Terry released a boisterous, deep laugh. All his teeth showing.

“Cousin! You good?” Terry replied.

“Chillin’ fam. Just left Unc house…”

“He straight?”

“You know how he do. Was in the garden wit’ his woman picking tomatoes and shit. I had to break it to ‘em that he ain’t invited tonight. HE CAN’T COME!”

“Mike, don’t do Unc like that…he wanna be there to support his son.”

“No old heads, TJ. We discussed this. I don’t want him getting a heart attack seeing all that buku ass clapping.”

Terry snickered with his phone to his ear as he made his way into his living room. He wanted to break in his new furniture.

“Layla snoopin’ ‘round the house. She heard about the strippers…”

“Thought you said she was cool about it?”

“She is. But ya know…”

Terry made a face on the other end of the line. He knew how his cousin could get. Tonight is indeed about fun, but if Mike messed up, Layla wouldn’t take him back a second time. Out of all the men attending, Terry is the most levelheaded. Majority of the men in his family and Mike’s friends were a bunch of crazy motherfuckers. He already knows how tonight is gonna turn out.

“No fuckin’ up, Cousin.” Terry stated.

“Already, Marine.” Mike joked.

——

She did a slow two–step with a roll of her hips in a sinuous manner to the late, great Aaliyah – she was honored to share her name – and Tank.

Can I come over? (Can I)

Come over (Stop by)

Come over (To see you)

Come over (Tonight?)

Can I come over? (Can I)

Come over (Get with you?)

Come over (I just wanna)

Come over (Be with you, baby)

Can I come over? (Can I)

Come over (Stop by)

Come over (To see you)

Come over (Tonight?)

Can I come over? (Can I)

Come over (Get with you?)

Come over (Just wanna)

Yeah (Be with you, baby)…

Bonnet on her head, a tank top that’s way too cropped and showing off under–boob with skimpy hot pink boy shorts covered her curvy frame. Aaliyah had just finished making her bed, freshly laundered sheets feeling cozy beneath her hands as she spread out the wrinkles. The next song on her Slow Jamz playlist was Ciara–Promise. Aaliyah tapped the side of her mouth in thought while staring at the neatly stacked money on her side table. She didn’t feel like digging for her mini safe tucked in the back of her closet, but she needed to put the money somewhere safe.

She made almost three grand. Aaliyah really enjoyed herself a week ago at the Fire Station. She craved that attention and excitement. Doing content from home was great, but to show out in person? Oh…it stroked her so good. She was so damn ecstatic that she came home and rubbed one out with her fingers deep in her pussy. Making a man react the way he does to her literal being just ignited something in her.

Aaliyah placed the money in her safe and organized her closet. After that, she grabbed herself a bowl of green grapes and crawled into bed. She popped a grape into her mouth while watching re–runs of P–Valley on mute, eyes reading the subtitles. She already knew what was going on, just something to distract her. She rocked her body in bed to Donell Jones–This Luv, lip syncing and snapping her fingers.

She wondered what Professor Richmond was up to…

Aaliyah kissed her teeth at her lingering thoughts. This week was filled with tension. She walked into that classroom on Wednesday, hauling her school bag and a pep in her step. She dressed in skater jeans and a tight Ed Hardy T-shirt with a gray hoodie unzipped.

“Today class, we’ll discuss morality…”

He had a tiny sculpture of Aristotle in his hand, long, manicured fingers grasping it firm. Today, he wore a perfectly fitting, short sleeve, mock neck black shirt with charcoal grey slacks and black loafers. The glasses on his face reflected the light perfectly whenever he moved his head. It was something about his eyes today that just…drew Aaliyah in. They seemed brighter.

She propped her elbow on her desk and rested her chin in her hand. That foot started to bounce beneath her desk, and when his eyes met hers, she had to turn away to simmer down the butterflies. Something embarrassing happened in the middle of his lecture. She forgot to turn her ringer off, the lyrics to P*$$Y Fairy playing.

Don't be surprised, baby, it's just me (Just me)

Don't be surprised, boy, when I bust it wide

I hypnotize you with this pussy (Pussy)

Now you feel like you can fly—

“Sorry! Sorry…”

Aaliyah silenced her phone and with a sheepish smile she allowed her eyes to roam the class, catching on to a few snickers. She felt heat creeping over her honey skin. Aaliyah bashfully tucked hair behind her ear, and then her sultry gaze connected with Professor Richmond’s.

He had one brow quirked up and his eyes were unblinking and concentrated on her firm. He was the first to slowly pull his eyes away before clearing his throat to finish speaking. That look in his eyes…

After class, Aaliyah approached his desk to drop off an in class assignment. She left her hoodie at her desk. Terry was standing there, propping himself up against his desk with his fingertips. He allowed his eyes to scan her body. She paid attention to the way his piercing eyes fixated on the exposed skin of her midriff. A quick circular motion of his eyes on her breasts caused her to part her lips, the tip of her tongue between her teeth.

“Here?” Aaliyah pointed to the pile of untidy papers.

“Yes.” Terry replied with a slower tone.

She slipped it there, patting the top of it. Terry clenched his jaw, his eyes returning to his laptop.

“Have a good day…”

He couldn’t stop himself from standing at his full height. He exhaled a long breath, his eyes trapping her.

“Yes, Ma’am. You as well.”

Aaliyah gave him one final once over, her eyes doing a double take to the veins in his arms…

Damn…

She walked away, the silence in the lecture hall unnerving. Terry crossed his arms in front of him and rocked back and forth on his heels. He lowered his head and shook it from side to side with a smirk. Aaliyah made her way out of the room, itching to look back and wave, but instead she looked back and gave him one final word.

“Sorry about my ringtone…I know it was inappropriate…”

Terry licked his lips, “Don’t even remember the lyrics.”

They chuckled, Aaliyah finally leaving the class.

——

Stickin' to the code, all these hoes for the streets

I put it in her nose, it's gon' make her pussy leak

Pussy niggas told, ain't gon' wake up out they sleep

You can't hear that switch, but you can hear them niggas scream…

That imposing beat had the house jumping off. Like That lyrics bounced off the walls, hyping up the room full of men that came out to support Mike.

Got your girl in this bitch, she twirlin' on the dick (he was once a thug, he was, he -)

(He was once a thug, he was, he -)

I got syrup in this bitch, turn up in this bitch (he was once a thug, he was, he -)

And it's 'bout the 'Ercs in this bitch, get murked in this bitch (he was once a thug, he was, he -)…

Terry wore an oversized tank top in beige with the sides cut low, giving you a peek at the muscles in his biceps and obliques. He gave himself a fresh line up and moisturized his low curls. Straight fit, light wash jeans hugged his lower half and he wore a pair of crisp, All White’s. Terry bopped his head precisely to the heavy bass, green solo cup in his hand between his lips. The gold Cuban link hanging from his neck matched the gold Cuban chain on his left wrist and the gold band of his Apple Watch on his right wrist.

The front door opened, more handsome black men pouring in and greeting everyone. Terry saluted the ones he recognized and shook hands firmly with those he didn’t. Terry knew the lyrics to Kendrick’s verse word for word. When the ‘Big Three’ line came up, everyone chimed in. Smile on his face, Terry headed towards the kitchen to fill his cup and mingle with some family he hadn’t seen in a while. He couldn’t believe his little cousins were old enough now to attend functions like this.

“This nigga freaked out already!”

One of Terry’s little cousins, Malik, who just turned 21 sucked his teeth at everyone laughing. Terry did notice the way he kept checking the door for the strippers every time it opened.

“They ain’t here yet, nigga!”

Mike entered the kitchen with enthusiasm and shades on. Terry caught the smell of weed on him when he approached his side. Terry picked up his trucker hat to clear some space from the kitchen island for more liquor bottles. A big ass bottle of Hennessy caught Terry’s eye. He was currently sipping on jungle juice.

“Got that shit that turn you into a beast, TJ. Real King Kong shit!” Mike shouted over the loud music.

“I see you came through,” Terry held the neck of the Hennessy bottle firm, veins in his arms popping out.

“We about to see TJ in rare form tonight!”

Terry shook his head at the men surrounding him all agreeing. He refused to let it get to him. He wasn’t the same tall, lanky kid from Red Stick. Wasn’t the same teenager who got picked on in the schoolyard for being too quiet or too nerdy. He was a grown ass man with intellect and vocabulary beyond the slang words and a muscle strength so powerful he could take down an entire room full of wannabe gangstas. But, he didn’t wear that on his sleeve. He remained stoic with his strong and silent presence. Tonight, however, he’d let himself enjoy what was to come. He had his money ready. He just hoped they were deserving of it.

He was a hard man to impress.

“Make yourself a stronger drink, Cousin. We got all night….”

Terry was more of a bourbon guy. But there wasn’t any around and he refused to bring his good shit for everybody to help themselves to. He poured Hennessy into his cup and took a sip. It was cool.

He sauntered towards the spread of party food they had catered. The smells made his mouth water. He grabbed himself a plate and piled fried chicken, smoked turkey greens, gator bites, mac and cheese, and whatever else he could fit. Today was his cheat day.

Terry ate his food while standing, catching bits and pieces of conversation here and there. On one end of the room, a group of men, most likely Mike’s friends, were laughing at whatever was on one of their phones. Across from him in the kitchen, there’s a debate about which they’d prefer: no ass and big titties or a big ass and no titties. Terry snorted. Childish behavior.

Tha Biz-, the Bizness

Uh, I like a long-haired, thick redbone

Open up her legs, then filet mignon that pussy

I'ma get in and on that pussy

If she let me in, I'ma own that pussy…

Terry didn’t care much for the mac and cheese. Too dry and not enough flavor. Every thing else was delicious. He tossed his plate and excused himself to the bathroom. He climbed the stairs to the guest bathroom instead of the basement because he was informed that the basement was reserved for the ladies who plan to entertain them tonight.

He relieved himself and flushed before washing his hands. He checked himself in the mirror making sure he hadn’t stained his new shirt.

“Ladies Ladies Ladies!”

Terry could overhear the commotion downstairs.

“The basement is all yours…hey, Keisha, lookin’ good…nice to meet you…don’t worry, the groom ain’t here right now he went out back…”

That sounded like Mike’s best man and bestfriend, Cliff.

“Take your time ladies…don’t rush the process…we won’t complain TRUST ME…”

Terry left the bathroom and walked down the stairs at the same moment they closed the basement door behind them. His eyes that appeared blue–green in the dim light scanned the room, taking in the eager and impatient looks on the faces of men ready to throw cash.

“Fuck you mean they gotta get ready? Type of shit is this here?” One dude complained.

“They work at Crazy Horse, Bruda, you know how them dancers are.”

“Busted and dusted,” Another replied with a drunk cackle.

Terry held up the wall, cup in hand, tripping off of the conversation.

“Kiesha thick ass can get this anytime, anywhere…but that one that walked in last? Man…”

The man that spoke, short in height with a bald fade and teeth lined with gold caught Terry’s eyes and shook his head as he blew air out his cheeks. Terry smirked into his cup.

“She the truth. I wanna see what she do…”

“She one a ‘dem pretty natural ones…rare.”

That interested Terry. He paid closer attention.

“Probably taste like sugar.”

“Im’a put my tongue in it!”

Cliff cracked the door to the basement. He stuck his head between the opening and shouted down the steps. Terry could hear him communicating with one of the dancers. He shut the door quickly and motioned for his friend to pause the music.

“I’m a grab Mike. It’s about to go down.”

He did the Birdman hand rub as he rushed away to collect the groom. The room started to flood with the others, all too anxious to get a glimpse and participate in the fun. Terry pat his back pocket, feeling the folded stack of cash he’d brought. He had more tucked away in his wallet just in case. Mike entered the room cross–faded. He moved with unsteady legs and a bottle in hand, the contents almost spilling onto the carpet.

Terry grabbed the bottle and sat it down on a table.

“AIGHT! ITS ABOUT TO JUMP OFF YA’LL READY?!!!”

Someone activated the strobe lights and the room flooded with ultraviolet light. The melanin in the room looked a deep blue beneath the black lights. Terry knocked the rest of his drink back and sat his cup down next to the Hennessy bottle Mike was holding. From the corner of his eye, he could see someone carrying a chair out from the dining room. They forced Mike to sit, Terry laughing at his cousin’s goofy smile.

Ear Drummers

Strippers

Mike WiLL Made-It

Bands a make her dance

Bands a make her dance…

The door opened and Terry locked his eyes forward, cupping his mouth and howling along with the others.

——

Aaliyah couldn’t control her indecisive habits if she tried. She’d spent majority of her day into the early afternoon cleaning and now her room looked like a disaster. It was nearing eight and she still couldn’t decide what to wear! Keisha was gonna kill her ass…

Aaliyah flipped through her clear tote filled with old outfits from her stripper days. She was about to give up and settle for a neon green fishnet set until she spotted a bright pink holster top with matching bottoms. There were hot pink fishnets with the back cut out for her ass that she could pair with it. Oh! pink pasties over the nipples would spice it up real nice. Aaliyah remembered her seven inch stiletto heels with rhinestone fringes. Perfect. She quickly grabbed it and worked as fast as she could, glancing at her phone.

So far, Keisha hadn’t called her. Aaliyah slipped off her satin, black robe and flung it over the chair situated in front of her vanity. She already applied her body oil with the aroma of fresh peaches blended perfectly with a hint of the tropics creating this rich, sweet, sultry scent. Her favorite fairy dust body powder clung to her soft skin and glittered in the light like diamonds.

Aaliyah tied the last tight bow on her bottoms before sitting to slip on her heels. She decided to go with a light beat, not wanted to wear anything too heavy and end up sweating it all off. She tapped the screen of her phone and with twenty minutes left, she swooped her edges and sprayed oil sheen over her two, long braids. Her French tip fingers smoothed down as much frizz as she could to keep it neat.

Situated in front of her body length mirror, Aaliyah admired the final look. Lastly, she tugged on a white, bodycon dress with a sway of her hips.

Buzz Buzz…Buzz Buzz…

“Hello?”

“I’m outside. Diamond and Precious is in the back. You ready?”

“Yeah,” Aaliyah grabbed a pair of black, thong flip flops, “heading out now.”

She ended the call and with one final sweep of her room, she turned off the lights and headed straight for the door. Stanley cup in the crease of her arm, she locked her front door. Aaliyah angled her body, descending the stairs carefully. She didn’t want a repeat of what happened a year ago. She sprained her ankle so bad she couldn’t dance for two months.

Kiesha rolled the window down to her Hellcat, smoke billowing out. Aaliyah rolled her eyes. She did not want weed smell lingering on her. Keisha leaned over and opened the door since Aaliyah’s hands were full. She climbed in and shut the door, Keisha not waiting a moment longer before hitting the gas hard. Aaliyah looked over at Keisha with a mug on her face while her friend laughed.

She noticed that she was the only one ready. Aaliyah looked back at Diamond and Precious. Redbone Diamond had her bubble gum pink frontal pinned up while holding a Hello Kitty compact mirror as steady as she could, drawing on her thin eyebrows. She had on a matching camouflage, short set. Aaliyah recognized that set from Fashion Nova. Her eyes moved towards Precious. Precious was a tiny girl. Petite and spunky. She had a buz cut dyed blonde. She was wearing her outfit beneath a tube dress while puffing on a fat blunt. Her eyes squinted at Aaliyah before giving her a toothy grin filled with braces.

“How ya’ll been?” Aaliyah asked.

“Good!” Diamond replied.

“Straight! How ‘bout you?” Precious said.

“Been good. Dealing wit’ school. Good to see ya’ll. Ready for tonight?”

“Can’t wait!”

“Turnt!” Diamond shouted before snapping her mirror shut, “Pass that here…”

Aaliyah relaxed into her seat.

“Girl, you told me to be ready by eight. Why the fuck you ain’t dressed?”

Keisha reached back, accepting the blunt while one–hand whipping the car.

“Cliffy told me we could use the basement if we needed to. I brought all the goods just in case. The coochie spray for Diamond—”

“BITCH don’t get hurt!”

Aaliyah chuckled.

“You got your LED plug?” Keisha asked Aaliyah excitedly.

Aaliyah dragged her upper teeth over her bottom lip with a mischievous smile.

“Nasty bitch….lemme see it.”

Aaliyah leaned her body against the door so her meaty buns could face Keisha. She lifted her white bodycon dress over her cakes and with one hand, she spread one hefty cheek. There, buried in her ass, was the LED plug. It lit up like a pair of sketchers. Keisha giggled.

“Girrrrrlllllllllll I told Cliff about you…”

Aaliyah fixed herself and straightened up in her seat.

“Keisha, don’t set me up with no nigga. No more of that shit.” Aaliyah retorted.

“I didn’t set you up. He remembers you from Crazy Horse. When he used to show up on Tuesdays…”

“Keish, not that nigga…he ugly and his breath stank. You know exactly what to do to piss me off!”

Diamond and Precious cackled in the back seat.

“His dick big.” Keisha replied as if that would change Aaliyah’s mind.

“Bitch, big dick, little dick, a dick made out of the purest gold if phat ma don’t get wet and this heart don’t skip a beat I’m not finna give you my time. That shit is crazy…”

“You shake ass for an ugly nigga though.” Keisha argued back.

“THEY PAYIN’ ME! Girl…” Aaliyah kissed her teeth, fixing her lash extensions because the windows are rolled down, “How far out?”

“Ten minutes.”

They rode in silence the rest of the way while blasting a bounce mix. Keisha’s Hellcat slowed to a stop in front of a cute little house with a lengthy drive way. Kiesha parked on the grass and killed the ignition. She gave the blunt one final hit before tossing it out the window. The ladies exited the car and before the went inside, Keisha had an idea for them to take some pics and video before heading in. Aaliyah acted as photographer and videographer while Diamond, Precious and Keisha did their thing.

When they finished, Keisha begged Aaliyah to do a video. Aaliyah scoped out the area and yanked her dress off, darting to stand next to a white SUV parked haphazardly on the front lawn. Keisha moved her phone in different angles, Aaliyah staring back at her with a hand on the car and her ass moving like a tidal wave.

“Damn, mama…show out!”

Diamond and Precious clapped their hands in time to Aaliyah’s twerking.

“Cool it nah,” Aaliyah shooed them off before putting her dress back on, “You see that?”

The other ladies followed her gaze through the windows of the home. They all gawked at the amount of men throughout that house.

“Dayummmmm…we leaving chubby tonight. Money, money, money!” Diamond said.

This was Aaliyah’s vibe. Although she had a ball at the fire station, nothing compared to a room full of black men. She grinned beautifully and squealed. They grabbed their things and Aaliyah was last to trail behind because she forgot her thong flip flops. Keisha knocked on the door boldly and it opened two seconds later.

It was Cliff.

He hugged Keisha and kissed her cheek. Cliff did the same greeting for Diamond and Precious. However. He held his hand out for Aaliyah. Her sultry eyes flicked to Keisha then back at Cliff. She accepted his hand and he guided her inside softly, his eyes scanning her body.

“Liyah Alllure…mmm, mmm, mmm…”

“Hey you,” Aaliyah titled her head in greeting with a sweet smile.

“Still just as gorgeous…happy you could join us tonight.”

“Happy to be here…”

“Ladies Ladies Ladies!”

Some dude with a skinny frame and a gold grill greeted them. They all said hello, ignoring the men in the room eye–fucking them. Aaliyah could suffocate from their stares alone.

“The basement is all yours…hey, Keisha, lookin’ good…nice to meet you…don’t worry, the groom ain’t here right now he went out back…Take your time ladies…don’t rush the process…we won’t complain TRUST ME…”

Aaliyah remained close behind Precious as they disappeared into the basement. The door shut behind her with a soft click. They entered the finished basement and Aaliyah excused herself to the rest room. She’d been drinking water all day and needed to go before doing a bunch of dancing. Keisha got dressed while Precious and Diamond helped each other out on jewelry. Aaliyah exited the bathroom in just her pink, outfit with rhinestones to match her heels.

“How we goin’ in? One by one or?” Diamond questioned.

She was dressed in neon green. A full body fishnet outfit with black stilettos. Aaliyah was happy she decided on the ensemble she had on.

“One by one. I’m supposed to give the lap dance. After that, ya’ll come out. Simple.” Keisha said.

The intro to Bandz A Make Her Dance started playing.

“That’s me!” Keisha stood up. She was wearing a white cowgirl hat with a fringe bikini set to match and white stilettos. She reminded Aaliyah of Megan The Stallion with her blue hair cascading down her back.

Keisha climbed the stairs and when the door opened, howling and yelling pierced her ears. The other three ladies shared a look with each other and laughed.

“I’m a need some liquor.” Aaliyah said.

——

Terry’s bottom lip sat between his teeth to contain his laughter.

When the first girl entered, going by the name of Keisha, he loved her vibrant personality and spit fire attitude. Keisha had the men in that room foaming at the mouth. She sashayed over to Mike with that brazen attitude and revealing body. Ain’t no way in hell she could fit that white bikini set and that was the point. Terry’s brows rose in surprise at Keisha straddling Mike. Her bountiful curves almost swallowed him while he was in that chair. Big ol’ ass and fat titties. That country thick you got lost in.

Terry grunted when she turned and made that big, fucking ass clap in Mike’s face. His thick brows knitted together and he shared a look with a friend before chuckling. Mike didn’t know what do to. He kept his hands to his sides, grasping the back legs of the chair he was stuck in.

“All that ass, Mike!”

“You better get it in while you can!”

“Suffocate that nigga, Keisha!”

“You good down there groom?” Keisha teased.

Money flew in the air when she plucked her top off. When them titties dropped, Terry’s large hand stuffed into his back pocket. He didn’t make it rain yet, he was waiting for Keisha to do something special. The body was crazy, but where’s the tricks?

“Throw that shit, TJ.” His friend nudged him with his elbow.

Terry ignored him.

Keisha stood up and went down to the floor in front of Mike in a split. She made those twin globes dribble and that was good enough to earn some of his cash. Terry leaned over the back of Mike’s chair and flicked two Benjamin’s on her. He watched it connect with that ass before falling to the floor. Keisha arched forward and spread her cheeks before going into a head stand.

She shook her legs and clicked her heels before dropping into another split.

“THERE YOU GO!”

“Baby going stupid…”

“Buku ass…”

Terry remained close. Keisha’s eyes locked onto him and it was enough to bring her to her feet. Terry held her steady gaze, a smirk teasing his thick lips.

“You a pretty nigga, ain’t you?” Keisha walked up on him with her hands on her hips, “What’s your name?!”

“TJ.” Terry replied.

Keisha pushed her breasts up with her fists in his face.

“Like what you see with those green eyes. A pretty boi like you ain’t used to a woman like me, huh?”

Terry’s tongue grazed his bottom lip and he locked on to the dizzying motion of her fat tits. Bringing his eyes back on her, he displayed a bill and sat it in the crease. Keisha leaned forward and grabbed the money with her teeth.

“Keep impressin’ me and there’s more for you…”

Keisha had to blink out of a trance. Terry had this unspoken power that rendered her speechless. To top it all off, that deep baritone shot straight to her clit.

“Come get this money, baby!”

Keisha pulled herself away from Terry, but not before dragging a hand down his chest. The look in her hazel eyes told him she wanted to do more than give him a lap dance.

She wanted to spin on that dick.

The door pushed open and the next girl to enter had pink hair. She was a cutie.

“I’m Diamond…”

When she turned, Terry looked away.

A BBL. A bad one at that.

He folded his money back up and made his way to where he stood earlier. The other men in the room were probably so used to seeing it that it didn’t even phase them. Terry watched Diamond do her thing. She hit the splits, shook that ass as best she could, but it was boring. Terry filled his cup and just vibed, laughing at the way some of the men in the room went bonkers over her. Even Mike was stuck. Mouth wide and eyes equally wide.

Next came a tiny girl that showed off acrobatic skills and flexibility. Terry had his money out again and he made it rain on her. She made that little booty shake. Keisha was making her way around, grinding and talking shit. Diamond allowed some of the men to grab ass. The three women scoped out Terry and winked at him. He played nice with Diamond and slipped her a crisp bill. With the tiny one named Precious, he tipped more.

“Where’s Liyah?!”

Cliff scanned the room. Another girl?

“There’s more?! Ahhh shit…”

——

Aaliyah watched from the bottom of the stairs as Precious made her entrance. She wrung her hands and exhaled a sigh. She didn’t know what to expect past those doors. Aaliyah applied more gloss and with a shaky hand, she grasped the railing and climbed. They kept the light off to avoid being spotted right away. Aaliyah stared through the crack of the door at Precious working the room.

So many…so many men.

The floor was covered with money.

She allowed her eyes to scan, taking everything in. As her eyes swept past the groom in his chair, she couldn’t see the entire room because of the door, but the sound of Cliff’s voice let her know it was time.

“Where’s Liyah?!”

“Put on her old intro!”

That was Keisha’s voice.

Aaliyah felt her nerves settle. The blacklights and the song reminded her of Crazy Horse. This was her walk out song….

Waka Flocka Ft. Roscoe Dash–No Handz Instrumental.

With one hand Aaliyah pushed open that door and stepped one shaky leg out past the darkness. The ultraviolet light caused her skin to twinkle and the blue hue made the pink she wore pop. She fully came into view, her tongue curled up over her top teeth to tease and those ‘come fuck me eyes’ staring into the faces of horny men with the money she wanted.

She allowed her body to rock to the beat. Aaliyah turned her back on everyone, brought her hands up, and gave them a thunderous applause with that beautiful ass before arching her back. She twerked those honey buns and looked back at it before a lusty smile appeared on her lips. Both hands twirled her braids while she rocked those hips.

Back. Forth. Back. Forth.

Bounce, Bounce, Bounce

*clap clap clap*

Nobody wasted time throwing money. She could work that entire room on her own. Aaliyah got down on her hands and knees, crawling like a jungle cat before turning to show off that LED plug while twerking.

“You see that shit?!”

“Hot damn!”

“Fuck, she’s nice.”

“C’mere pretty lady…”

“Freaky girl!”

That song…she owned it.

She staked her claim on it.

She spread those legs on her back and gyrated, thighs separated and the barely there crotch of her pink bikini covering her meaty pussy lips. She rubbed the money that rained down on her into her pussy and around her breasts. They…were…obsessed.

The way she looked at you, it made you feel like the only man in the world worthy of her attention.

How nasty she talked…

“I better see some thick bulges tonight, boys…”

On her feet, Aaliyah strutted dangerously slow, further into the crowd of men. As her eyes swept, she came across a pair of blue eyes that reminded her of a bottle of Hypnotiq beneath the blacklights. Too familiar…

Holy FUCKING shit…

She tried to mask her surprise but his was so boldly present.

The Professor.

His jaw dropped, eyes widening in disbelief as if a sudden jolt of electricity had coursed through his veins leaving him momentarily stunned. To others, it could seem as if Terry was so overwhelmed with how motherfucking fine Aaliyah is that he couldn’t even function. She knew the real reason. She simmered down her astonishment as best as she could and turning away, focusing on a cute guy with thick locs to his shoulders.

Her heart raced. Panic consumed her.

She had no time to panic.

“Prettiest thang in Louisiana…”

Aaliyah cupped her breasts covered in nipple tape and licked her lips. She could feel Terry’s gaze burning a hole into the side of her face. She was nervous. Oh so nervous. Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. Everybody was too drunk or too hype to take notice.

all except Professor Richmond. He could see right through her.

What the fuck was he doing here of all places?!

She blended in with her girls and tried her best to shield herself from Terry’s view.

That intensity in his eyes this time around left her shaken up.

Aaliyah pushed herself to perform. The space was too cramped. They scattered to watch her hit a clean split and when she glanced over her shoulder, Terry was right there. Like he appeared out of thin air.

He was standing above her. Towering over her. She had no choice but to look up.

Aaliyah couldn’t hide. She couldn’t if she tried.

“Back up, TJ. I’m tryna see all that…”

He was shoved to the side and Aaliyah felt the rain of money on her while she avoided Terry’s hard eyes zeroed in on her ass. He was so stuck.

Her breath hitched at the way he looked at her. Like he wanted to ravage her.

Her eyes glided down his frame and she loved the way he dressed. He looked delectable.

“Arch that back, bitch…”

“Yeahhhh…”

Aaliyah grabbed her ankles and made each cheek dance on its own. The heavy bass and quick melody of the bounce song compelled her to shake some ass.

The sound of her pulse in her ears drowned out the music. She locked eyes with him again and for once she grew timid. His eyes drank her in and when she lifted one leg up to pop that ass he chewed on that lip and tilted his head to see how that pussy looked from that angle.

You like what you see, huh?

“You got skills baby…Think you can show me more?”

Terry cut his eyes at the men circling Aaliyah.

Things were turning up like a raging storm.

“Pull that pussy part…”

They wanted to see her pussy. Aaliyah giggled and trailed a finger between her legs before rubbing it against one of their noses. They enjoyed that way too much. He tried to suck on that finger but Terry yoked him up by the wrist. The dread head looked at Terry like he was asking for a death wish.

“We don’t touch unless they say so…remember the rules.”

“Let go, nigga. I don’t need you tellin’ me what the fuck to do…”

“Woah, woah, woah…”

Aaliyah used that opportunity to disappear. A prickling sensation shot up her spine. She slipped down into the basement and hid herself within the darkness.

She needed a second.

“Get it together, Liyah…”

Aaliyah picked up a shorty bottle of Paul Masson Peach and took a long swig. She recapped the drink and scrunched her face from the burn. Aaliyah shook out her hands to stop them from trembling. How was she going to show her face in class on Wednesday?

All she would be able to think about was the shock on his face. There was no turning back. Aaliyah drank some more. She needed the liquor to get her through the rest of the night. The door to the basement opened and Keisha appeared. She had a look of concern on her face.

“Li–Li. You okay?”

“I’m fine, Keisha. Go back up. I was just feeling a little queasy that’s all.”

“Some shit was about to pop off. Did they touch you without your consent?”

“It’s cool. I’ll be up…”

“Don’t lie to me Li–Li…”

Aaliyah gave Keisha a reassuring smile.

“No reason to lie, mamas. I’m feeling better,” Aaliyah pushed herself up, “C’mon…”

——

Frozen.

When that door pushed open and she crept out like a sex goddess, he almost spilled his cognac.

Aaliyah?

The small hairs across his arms stood on end. Desire rushed in the moment the initial shock faded.

*clap clap clap*

Gahdamn…

He knew it. He fucking knew it.

That body outta be in a museum. This fine ass woman held a confidence so powerful he could bend at her will.

Terry Richmond sucked in a breath when her eyes connected with his.

He saw the power drain from her like Superman to Kryptonite. Terry’s chest grew tight. She drew in closer, his mouth unhinged. The glitter on her skin and the smell of her sweet fragrance made the big boy between his legs react.

Down boy…

He fought the urge to palm his bulge because it was growing out of his control. He didn’t know where to look first. Those titties sat up round and perfect. That ass was so fat he wanted to sink his teeth in it. Leave his imprint on that thick fucking shit. His eyes still lit up like Miracle on 34th Street from the glow emitting from that asshole.

Freak nasty.

He was speechless. His star pupil is a Stripper.

The biggest plot twist.

Terry wanted her even more. He wanted to tell her that it was going to be okay and she didn’t need to feel embarrassed or afraid. He could sense she was trying to avoid him as she moved around the room.

Terry needed her to know that he liked what he saw.

They weren’t in his classroom. It was okay to free her inhibitions and show him what Liyah Allure is all about. He found her popping ass and talking shit.

“Tip me, daddy…”

“You want it?”

“Don’t just stare at me. Spoil me…”

Honeyed voice as smooth as silk. Terry drew in closer and allowed himself to be consumed by her.

The glitter on her skin looked edible and if he could lick every single fleck off with his tongue he would.

The dip in her spine leading down to a full ass with hips and thighs to match told him she could take it deep and it would be a warm, tight, wet paradise.

He did say he wanted to escape somewhere tropical…

Those two braids would be anchored around his hands while he drilled deep with every goddamn stroke of his fat dick.

Unh…Unh…Unh…

Make her weep on his dick.

Professor…Professor…Don’t stop…

There she was.

Those eyes focused on him again and he saw the hint of shyness.

“I wanna pull that pussy part…”

Something primal and predatory sparked within him. Aaliyah stroked her lower lips with a single finger and shoved that finger against Darrell’s nose.

Darrell tried to take it too far.

Terry was quicker.

He wrapped his large hand around Darrell’s wrist with a vice grip similar to a boa constrictor. He would knock the daylights outta Darrell and leave him slumped over if he so much as put that finger in his mouth.

Darrell was stunned by Terry’s strength and the fact that he couldn’t break free. Weak ass nigga…

She disappeared.

Mike came over to settle down the growing altercation and with a pat on Terry’s back, he walked away in search of Aaliyah. She was nowhere in sight.

Terry waited for about ten minutes and then she resurfaced from the basement with Keisha. She probably needed a moment to gather her thoughts and energy. His presence stumped her.

Aaliyah scanned the room until she found Terry.

She got down on her hands and knees and popped ass in a split. Nobody else in that room mattered. She locked in on him from across the room. Terry sipped his drink and watched her.

“Who wants a private show?!”

Keisha pointed at Terry.

He gave a quick nod of his head. Keisha was about to be let down. He ain’t want nobody but Aaliyah. She was getting the rest of his money tonight. She deserves it and so much more. And when Terry gets his hands on her…

“I’ll take one. But I want her.”

Aaliyah saw the cash in his hand and smiled.

“Only if she ain’t scared.”

Aaliyah couldn’t believe he just said that.

“I get the impression she likes to tease…”

Aaliyah walked up to Terry with a seductive look in her eyes. He held onto her gaze with his money on display.

“Your call, beautiful.”

Aaliyah stared at him for another moment before taking him by the hand and down into the basement.

——

Terry allowed her to guide him. They headed towards the sofas, silence hanging between them. Aaliyah turned fully to face him before Terry took a seat. Without taking his eyes off of her, he placed his cup on the table and settled back into the cushion. Terry spread his thighs and with one hand over the top of the couch, the other smoothed down his left thigh invitingly. Aaliyah dropped her eyes to his lap and with a faint smile, she took a seat where his hand once was.

Aaliyah watched him spread his money out across his other thigh. She parted her glossy lips a fraction, eyeing nothing but one hundred dollar bills. Her eyes lit up. Terry looked up at her with low, lust filled eyes and a sly smirk. He removed his glasses with one hand and folded it against his chest before sitting it on the table, all while staring at her.

She looked at him.

He looked at her.

“…I don’t know what to say…”

Aaliyah’s eyelashes fluttered as she blinked away from him. Terry used his thumb to gently pull her attention back towards him.

“I should be embarrassed right now…”

Terry was trying to keep his composure but her breasts in his face was melting his cool exterior.

“Aaliyah…I don’t want you to feel embarrassed. I’m not judging you…”

She giggled nervously, “maybe not…but this was so unexpected, ya know?”

“Very. How long have you been doing this?”

Aaliyah stared heavenward shyly while deep in thought. He liked seeing her like this. It was another side to her he enjoyed.

“Well…this in particular…it’s my second time. Stripping…I did it for about five years before I quit Crazy Horse a year ago…now I just film content and work Verizon part time.”

Her eyes connected with his again.

“So…what do ya want me to do? A lap dance? What?”

Terry trailed his eyes down her body.

“Do whatever makes you feel comfortable…”

Terry’s hand molded into her back. Aaliyah shivered. The feeling of his hand on her skin was exhilarating.

She stood, facing Terry. He placed his money beside him, and his hands out of the way. Aaliyah straddled him, bracing herself on his shoulders. She looked down at him with a slow blink and the erotic smile she gave him forced his hands into fists.

“Have you ever had a lap dance before, Professor?”

“…Call me Terrence.”

“…Terrence…”

“Once. It wasn’t memorable.” Terry responded with a hushed tone.

He reclined his head back slightly and stared up into her eyes with practiced restraint.

Aaliyah gave him a mean whine over his crotch. Her chest would graze his goatee ever so slightly. He had to stop his tongue from poking out to drag between those titties.

“Ooh, that’s too bad…is this okay?”

That melodic voice…

“You’re doin’ just fine, Miss Aaliyah.”

Terry flexed his fingers. Aaliyah looked down at his hands.

“Can I admit something?” Aaliyah asked with a sultry smile.

“What’s that?”

Aaliyah tucked her chin and giggled softly. She blinked away briefly before her eyes met his again.

“What?” Terry pushed.

“I think about you every day…”

“Enough to stick around after class?”

Aaliyah’s bottom lip sat between her teeth. Terry smiled.

“Why did you turn me down?” He questioned.

Aaliyah dragged her hands down his chest and stilled her hips. Terrence rested his hands on the sides of her thighs. He couldn’t resist. Aaliyah didn’t protest.

The feel of her against his hands. The heft of her on him. The images he pictured in his mind…

“I’m not an easy girl, Terrence. You gotta work harder for me. I wanted you to…”

“Chase you.” Terry concluded with an elevated brow.

“May seem silly but…it turns me on.”

“I wonder what else turns you on…”

“That brain of yours,” Aaliyah trailed her fingers through his short, soft curls, “Your passion…expressive hands…your voice…those eyes…”

Terry licked his lips, “I would have chased you and went along with your lil’ game. If that means I get to play with you in the end…”

His eyes dropped to her lips.

“You do this…tongue bite thing…I like that…” Terry said.

“What else you like?” Aaliyah asked softly, doing exactly what Terry liked. Displaying the tip of her tongue between her teeth. Moving it back and forth…

“Everything about you…you’re so damn sexy…the way you look at me just…Aaliyah, you’re aware of your beauty. That confidence lights a fire under me, baby…”

“I’m baby?”

“Mhm, the prettiest baby…”

Aaliyah played with his Cuban link. Terry’s right thumb stroked the beauty mark below her lip.

Terry groped her thigh with his free hand and glided it up to her waist. He used his thumb to trace circles into her soft skin.

“I don’t like how you put your finger on Darrell’s nose.”

“You wish it were you? Darrell didn’t get a lap dance…”

Aaliyah lifted from his lap and turned so that she was grinding against his tent with enough pressure to rub her pussy over it. The hard bulge against her fat, lower lips caused her to moan.

Terry threw money over her, his ears enjoying the way her moans sounded so angelic despite her naughty actions.

After all, she is The Dark Angel.

“Aaliyah…”

That signature look back would have had him busting a fat ass nut in his jeans.

The way she moved her hips on him.

“I want you so fuckin’ bad…”

“I know.”

She smiled.

Aaliyah stood from his lap and Terry groaned deep.

“Times up.”

He glared at her with lust and frustration. Aaliyah leaned over him with her hands on the back of the couch. Their eyes connected and her glossy lips feathered over his.

“Until next time…I think I’m free for that lunch on Wednesday…”

She brought her lips to his cheek and with her jeweled tongue, Aaliyah dragged it over his ear tantalizingly slow. She pushed away from him and Terry stood from the couch. He fixed his attire while Aaliyah stared up at him with faux innocence and her hands crossed behind her back. She swayed back and forth, parting her lips to rest her tongue in the corner of her mouth.

“It’s a date.”

@theereina @bombshellbre95 @planetblaque @trippyscotch @megamindsecretlair @uzumaki-rebellion @thesweetestdrug @theblulife @hotgrlcece @blackerthings @deja-r @helloncrocs @hearteyes-for-killmonger @kaylabuggggg06 @skyesthebomb @blyffe @gwenda-fav @beenathembo @blackpinup22 @novaniskye @melaninhawtie @urfavblackbimbo @avoidthings @rose-bliss @xo-goldengirl @kinginwithbreezy-blog @mysecertdiaryofableedingheart @sirenmouths @creartivefairy @soulfulbeauty19 @therealmrsrhodes @hrlzy @nayaesworld @gg-trini @brattyfics @flydotty @writingsbytee @shiania @browngirldominion @notapradagurl7 @madamzola @kismet83 @aristasworld @sl33p-deprived-princess @erynnnn @itssbrie @melaninangel @withoutmusiclifewouldbflat @sweettea-and-honeybutter

[hometoursandotherstuff]

You KNOW there's no HOA here, so be free, purple lovers. All I can say is wow. 2004 contemporary home built in Eugene, Oregon has 4bds, 4ba, asking $1.85M. I know house prices are out of control, right now, but I swear this house looks no more than $765K, tops.

In this aerial view, it shows the house painted white on top, so which is it? Love the purple barn.

The large front porch. Purple doesn't go well w/some colors. I don't care for it w/black, too much, but I really don't like it with this brown floor.

The front room has the typical oak stairs with balcony. Is that a built-in cabinet in that weird little niche?

Not much of a grand living room for $1.85M. Oh, look, there's a shelf above the bump-out- you can put shit up there.

Very awkward layout. Interesting place for a fire extinguisher and bathroom, but it looks like someone is sleeping here.

This bath goes straight thru to the primary bedroom, so there's a share situation.

But, first there's a relatively small walk-in closet.

The primary bedroom has double doors that open to the front porch.

Open concept family room/kitchen. There's a wall of windows that open to a deck.

The kitchen's not bad. I wonder if the wisteria over the sink conveys.

Off the kitchen is a laundry room/pantry.

This area would serve as the dining room, since there's no other formal space for it, and you can see it opens to the deck.

There's a guest powder room. I like the sink.

Pretty big secondary bedroom. Looks like there's trap door access to the attic, in the ceiling.

This would be bath #2, with fish decals everywhere for an oceanic theme.

This bedroom is larger and has 2 mirrored closets.

This room is open to the mezzanine. It looks like it has a door and it does have an en-suite.

Quite a large en-suite.

And, finally, bd. #4.

There's a large family room space up in here. Look at the cubbies along the wall. You could probably sit in there, too.

The porch and wrap-around deck on the back of the house.

That's the Willamette River going by.

This is cute. Looks like a chicken coop. I hate when they put the dog house so far away, though.

There are 12.27 acres of land, so the description is calling it an estate. (The Poiple Manor House.)

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/85627-Dilley-Ln-Eugene-OR-97405/48457156_zpid/?

[moonstrider9904]

Isn't it just so pretty to think...?

Chapter 2 of Le Coeur

Series Masterlist | Read on AO3 | Next chapter (coming soon!) | Previous chapter

Chapter summary: Thoughts of the striking Vastayan enforcer keep Nea distracted during another day of work.

Tags/warnings: Steb x Original Female Character, other OCs are in the fic as well. Canon divergence, flirting, pining, crushes, teasing, fluff.

Word count: 4.9k

Music: dorothea, invisible string, since you came around

Of all the coffee brewing techniques known to her—and that was, by definition, all of them—the one known as Moka Pot brewing was the most challenging to Nea. It had taken her over a year to brew a single pot where the ground coffee hadn't been burned or the liquid coffee hadn't sputtered or splashed, or even a pot that had yielded the full portion of water she used. But after a lot of practice, Nea had reached a point where nearly all her Moka brews were of the highest quality and the flavor was smoothly robust, and she had come to realize that the key to a Moka coffee of this profile was simply patience. Yet another metaphor coffee brought to her life was the value of taking things slow, enjoying the process of brewing the cup as much as the cup itself; it was not about the caffeine or the rush, but the opportunity to take a step away from the rush to enjoy the little things that often mattered more.

In her apartment, taking things slow and enjoying a cup of coffee almost seemed easy. The walls themselves would invite anyone to do so. It's been established before that the Coffeewick's second story held two little apartments. Nea's apartment was on the west wing while Blu's was on the right, and both apartments consisted of a living room, a small kitchen, a bathroom, and a bedroom with a little closet. While it would seem to any Piltovan who belonged to a large, prestigious house that such apartments desperately lacked in space, Nea and Blu had turned the little apartments into the very definition of home. Light cream colored walls and warm lighting, potted plants on the balconies, cozy couches and armchairs covered in knitted blankets and patchwork quilts with lamps beside them for reading and knitting.

The decor, while very similar for both apartments, reflected Nea and Blu's roles and how they naturally complimented one another. Nea's kitchen, to no one's surprise, was best optimized for brewing coffee, with two different machines, two types of presses, and a collection of mugs in one of the upper dark oak cabinets. Aside from the coffee, Nea had a decently sized stove top for cooking, another one of her passions. Meanwhile, Blu's apartment had a smaller stovetop, a large chopping table fit for a Yordle, and a wonderful oven where she could bake up to three cakes at a time. Blu also happened to own different kettles for boiling water and a whole assortment of jars containing teas and dry fruit infusions for the days and nights that simply called for a nice cup of tea. Due to her size, all the furniture in Blu's apartment stood shorter, and when comparing both apartments, Blu's contained more shades of lavender and wine tones while Nea's apartment had earthy greens, browns, and grays.

That night at her apartment, with gentle acoustic music playing on a little speaker, Nea stood in front of the stovetop watching her Moka Pot work its magic. On typical days like that one had appeared to be, she would replay all the memories and moments in her mind as the coffee brewed. And yet, it dawned on her that as typical as that day was, it held a great outlier, and the image of aquamarine eyes softening as they made contact with hers was the only one that repeated itself out of all the other moments as though it was the only one that had to matter. The details of the enforcer's physique remained vivid, and she could hear the couple of phrases he'd spoken to her so clearly that it made her chest swell and squeeze, longing to hear that deep voice again. With all those thoughts and memories swirling, Nea counted on the Moka Pot in front of her to keep her tied to reality—a brewing method that required precision was the perfect tool for that.

When the image of the oceanic eyes next came to her mind, the dark coffee had just begun to emerge from the pot's small column. Swiftly, Nea adjusted the flame under the pot and lowered the lid, and the sound of his voice blended with that of the bubbling and steaming coffee inside. The two sounds harmoniously danced together until the pot ran out of steam and the apartment once again fell into silence, dragging Nea into the quiet present moment. She then turned the stove off and pulled her favorite mug close, pouring the rich and dark coffee into it and inhaling its aroma with a deep breath. She brought the cup close to her lips, blew softly to prevent burning her tongue, and took a little sip, smiling instantly upon tasting the coffee. Rich, robust, yet smooth. Flawless.

After enjoying a couple of sips, Nea heard a light knock briefly coming at her door. It could only be one person, so Nea didn't budge from her spot in the kitchen. As she'd predicted, Blu eventually opened the door and let herself into the apartment having used the custom doorknob fit to her height, an attaché her own apartment door had as well, and as she closed the door behind her, she took a deep breath and exhaled with a dreamy sigh.

"That smells great," Blu said with a little smile.

"Want some?" Nea asked. "It just finished brewing and there's enough for about half a cup more."

"Sure," Blu said as she walked herself over to the round kitchen table and climbed onto a chair, revealing a pile of about ten sheets of paper scribbled by her and setting them on the table. "I just finished working on the menu for next month, wanna see?"

"You know I do," Nea said, pouring Blu's cup. "The usual?"

"No cream, just sugar," Blu confirmed and arranged the sheets of paper in front of her. "Okay so, the poro cookies were a raging success today, so I'm gonna be baking more of those. I devised two plans, one considering daily poro cookies and another one three days a week. My heart wants to bake them daily but I also don't want anyone getting bored of them."

"Have you considered adding different glazes or toppings, or flavors to keep it varied?" Blu asked as she set Blu's cup in front of her and took a seat across the table.

"You're skipping ahead," Blu answered. "I'm trying not to go down the flavors and glazes rabbit hole or I'll spend the whole night there."

"Been there," Nea snickered.

"But I pretty much decided not to make the poro cookies daily," Blu continued, her eyes fixed on the notes she'd made. "I want all the emotions I can get from those googies and I have over a century of experience knowing that doing something over and over produces less emotions over time."

"The Yordle Emotion Conundrum," Nea added.

Blu rolled her eyes. "Literally no one calls it that, Nea, now focus!"

Nea giggled. "Sorry, please continue, oh Yordle pastry expert."

"That's more like it," Blu grinned. "So, poro cookies three days a week. One day a week, I want to make, and I know the name freaks you out, but-"

"Do we have to call them 'perilous' pies?" Nea knew where Blu wanted to steer the conversation.

"Yes, we do," Blu answered. "And they're not just perilous pies, they're almost perilous pies. Big difference."

"Almost doesn't mean a big difference," Nea objected.

"But it does mean that something nearly is, but isn't," Blu countered. "As in, this pie could be perilous, but it's not. People like that sort of thrill to what they buy."

"We're talking about coffee and pastries," Nea said.

"Oh, so you can sell triple shot espressos to caffeine junkies, but I can't bake fruity pies with perilous in the name?" Blu raised a brow.

Nea paused for a moment, thinking of a response. "Actually, yeah, that'd be the same thing."

"No it wouldn't be, because my pies, as nearly-perilous as they may be, won't send a person out into Piltover with high vibrations," Blu replied. "Your coffee, on the other hand, is actually dangerous sometimes."

Nea gasped with fake indignation, bringing a hand dramatically to her chest. "I will not have you speak those words in front of my Moka Pot."

For a second, the two of them looked at each other intensely, until they could no longer pretend and erupted into giggles. When the laughter died down, Nea gave an approving nod and met Blu's eyes.

"Alright, you've convinced me," Nea said. "The almost perilous pie can now be part of the Coffeewick pastry menu."

Blu clapped her hands together and rubbed them in anticipation. "Yay. Okay, so with that done, the rest is fairly the same. Berry and chocolate muffins on the daily, chocolatines, and gluten-free scones."

"Excellent," Nea nodded. "You've done it again."

"Always do," Blu said as she downed her cup of coffee in one gulp and hugged herself after setting it on the table.. "Mmh, now I'm all warm inside. I'm going to your couch."

"Help yourself," Nea said, getting up at the same time Blu did. "I'm just gonna clear this up."

Blu walked herself over to the comfy couch at the center of the living room and climbed on, pulling a little blanket over herself. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah, I was hoping to read for a while or maybe even knit," Nea said as she rinsed out the empty cups and placed the used ground coffee in a jar, saving it to reuse as plant food later on. After that, washing the few dishes that were left didn't take her very long, and when she made it to the couch, Blu looked like a little teddy bundled up in a blanket as if a child had made that scene before leaving their house for school. Blu's eyes were barely open, and she lifted herself up enough for Nea to be able to sit down on the opposite side, resting her weight on the armrest. Wordlessly, Blu curled up at Nea's side and brought the blanket with her, and Nea reached for the book on the end table, turned on the lamp, and got to reading.

Lost in her book, Nea lost track of time and reality, and what brought her back was the sound of Blu snoring softly at her side. With a little smile, Nea realized it was probably very late, and with careful movements, she got up and went to turn off all the lights. She then gently picked Blu up, trying not to wake her, and took Blu over to the room. Nea set the Yordle down on the bed near the foot of the mattress and replaced the blanket over her, and she could almost giggle at how deeply asleep Blu was, unbothered by the movement or any shifting noises.

Nea prepared herself for bed as well, dimming the lights, removing her chunky sweater and changing into her nightwear, and she finally climbed under the covers. Before turning off the lamp on her bedside table, Nea took a small look around her bedroom. It was small, but she couldn't think of anywhere cozier, or a single place she loved more than that one, and with a little smile, she finally turned the lamp off and curled up in her bed. In those last few moments of consciousness before sliding into slumber, different thoughts drifted through Nea's mind, eventually finding their way back to the pair of aquamarine eyes. With her own eyes closed, she smiled softly, finding it pretty to think about the next day being as lovely as that one had been.

Of course, when the sunrise finally came and she found herself working the Coffeewick with Blu, focus eluded Nea. Orders came in, drinks were brewed, pastries were heated and enjoyed, but Nea's normally unwavering concentration was replaced by her gaze constantly drifting past the windows of the Coffeewick in search of the aquamarine eyes. Failing to find them with each glance, Nea had no choice but to return to the queue of orders from her loyal customers, but in the corners of her mind, she was ready to set aside time to make a latte to go and deliver it outside just as soon as she spotted him.

To her dismay, the hours wore on, and the ocean eyes were nowhere to be found. Her heart did leaps when she finally noticed a blue enforcer uniform in the distance, but her heart settled in place and maybe even slowed down when she noticed it was a different enforcer from the one she wished to see. Perhaps they rotated posts, or perhaps her longing would be answered by the sight of the handsome Vastaya arriving afterwards, being just a little late. The possibilities were endless, but that could easily become a burden.

The spiraling thoughts threatened to become a permanent distraction, and she had to make all of her movements that much more deliberate. Now I steam the milk, now I pour it into the espresso. Twist the wrist like that, make the round shape. Deliver the drink. Narrating in her mind seemed to help, but whether or not she could keep that up the whole day was still a question. She tried so hard to keep that focus that her surroundings began to blur, and it took her longer to notice a customer lingering at the end of the counter silently watching her movements.

When Nea looked up and made brief eye contact with him, she directed a little smile—she wouldn't mistreat a customer regardless of how many what ifs were bouncing around inside her—at the middle aged man in opulent clothing. He wore a black suit the same shade as his hair, and the edges of the fabric had an intricate pattern embroidered in silver thread that matched the buttons of the blazer as well as the poofy tie around his collar. The white shirt he wore contrasted with the black suit, and on the blazer's chest, Nea noticed an elegantly designed A on the breast pocket woven in that same silver thread and resting on a dark golden hexagon.

"Huh," Nea said quietly and met the man's hazel eyes. "House Ascroft, right?"

The man perked up slightly at the mention, giving her a slight smile. "Why yes, that's right. Well, I'm glad we're making more of a name for ourselves around Piltover."

"I've seen your emblem a couple times in the newspapers in the past month," Nea continued brewing—she welcomed the conversation, as she always did while brewing, and it certainly helped control the urge to look outside the windows yet again.

"I presume it would be in the progress and technology sections, yes?" The man spoke, and even his accent marked him as an erudite.

"Yeah, it was," Nea said. "I read about the conference you just gave on upcoming vehicle technology at the Academy. I graduated from the Academy myself, you know."

"I've heard of you," he said. "You are this place's owner, correct?"

"In the flesh alongside the Yordle over there," Nea replied.

"Why of course, your story still comes up around the halls of the Academy," the man complimented. "Designer of your own master machine to produce coffee in at least four different methods."

"Five," Nea corrected with a bright little smile.

"Professor Heimerdinger talks of the first designs you pitched to him," Mr. Ascroft continued.

"Oh, those were very rough drafts," Nea said with a smile. "Aw, Heimerdinger... I should give him a call."

"He spoke greatly of those drafts, rough as they were," said Mr. Ascroft. "He knows potential when he sees it, and from the looks of it, that potential bore fruit. You picked an astounding place for a coffee shop. For anything, really."

"Thanks," Nea said as she set her current beverage down on the counter and finished the next. "I had my eye on this building long before we turned it into the Coffeewick."

"I can see why," Mr. Ascroft looked around it with undeniable covet. "Do you struggle to keep the place?"

"Not at all," Nea said. "Business is great and we have a solid lease, so we're here for the long run."

"It's not entirely yours," Mr. Ascroft assumed.

"Not yet," Nea replied. "But that's the next step."

"How far is it?"

"Now, now, the Coffeewick needs to keep some things a secret," Nea chuckled, finishing up the next drink in a disposable cup. "Dark roast cappuccino?"

"That would be mine," Mr. Ascroft said. "I expect it to be a distinguished cup of coffee."

"I sure hope it is," Nea handed it to him. "Enjoy."

"Thank you, and," Mr. Ascroft took the cup and looked around the Coffeewick once more, "take good care of this place. It's truly great."

Nea nodded in acknowledgement. "Always do."

Mr. Ascroft bowed slightly and raised his cup of coffee in a chivalrous gesture before seeing himself out of the Coffeewick, and so, Nea returned to her usual routine. Before doing so, she watched Mr. Ascroft walking past the door and making his way down the street, walking just past the enforcer, who was still not who she wanted to see, and still the only one in sight. Nea could almost feel the chemicals in her brain dimming down, and she figured it may have been time to come to the realization that he simply wouldn't be there that day. She gave a sad smile to herself, and she then returned to business as usual.

The rest of the day wore on. Intern cashiers changed shifts and left, Blu eventually brought in the last tray of pastries that would be produced, the after-work crowd came and left, and as the sun began to set, business also began to die down. With less than an hour before closing time, there was a lull in the day when Nea had no new orders to brew, and she leaned over the counter facing out at the window on a whim, with her gaze drifting from point to point, never settling down on anything in particular. Her mind drifted into far away worlds, and she hardly heard the quiet pit-patter of paws approaching her, much less did she see the little blue hand floating up past the counter, folded and moving in an open-close that imitated a moving mouth.

"Oh... where, oh where could my Prince Enforcer Charming be?"

The high pitched voice ripped Nea from her thoughts, but she couldn't help but laugh at yet another one of Blu's antics, one that was clearly aimed at cheering her up no matter how Blu would disguise it as pure mockery. Blu lowered her hand and, without looking at the Yordle, Nea heard Blu pushing the stool towards her other side and climbing back on it to raise her hand again, this time making her voice deeper.

"I think I'm so subtle but I've actually been sighing all the yanky-doodling day! I'm sure nobody, not even my trusted and super talented Yordle partner knows what's happening, but the truth is I miss him oh, so much!"

Nea chuckled silently through closed lips and looked down at Blu. "Having fun?"

"You looked out that window 47 times today and sighed 31," Blu replied.

"How did you count my glances and sighs when you were in the kitchen?" Nea raised a brow.

"Donnie did and reported back to me," Blu giggled and walked off towards the kitchen again. "You are smitten, my friend. Smi-tten."

"What? Nonsense!" Nea followed after Blu and stopped just in front of the cash register as the Yordle faded into the kitchen. "Don't you disappear ominously on me!"

Having Blu bring up Nea's feelings so shamelessly brought a rush of heat over to her cheeks, and she was so focused on her own blushing and the lack of response from Blu that she didn't even hear the Coffeewick door opening. Instead, Nea's hands rested on her hips, and her eyebrows furrowed together as she kept glaring at the kitchen door. Blu had heard the door, and she popped out from the kitchen looking at Nea. The Yordle then laughed in a manner that was only slightly evil.

"What's so funny?" Nea asked, still frowning.

"You have a customer, you absolute cream puff," Blu glanced past Nea's shoulder.

Nea turned around in a swift movement, her eyes now wide in embarrassment, and when she faced the customer in question she froze, and the world around her disappeared and only left her to see a pair of beautiful, aquamarine eyes. Her parted lips curved into a soft smile, and her chest heaved subtly with the little pants she gave, and when he smiled softly in return, Nea genuinely feared her knees would stop holding her up.

"Hi," Nea said, her voice light and airy.

He wasn't in uniform, and the clothes he wore looked quite comfortable and perfect for the ever-cooling air approaching with the Piltovan twilight. He wore dark trousers secured around his slim waist with a belt and a light brown button up shirt with the first button undone, and a dark green double-breasted coat open down the middle whose hue made the tone of his skin stand out. Now that he'd lost the helmet of his uniform, Nea was able to observe his thin eyebrows and the stripes that stemmed up from them, framing the sides of his forehead, until they disappeared under a head of teal hair neatly combed backwards and faded at the sides. He, in turn, also managed to take in the details of Nea's outfit from her white, loose turtleneck sweater with the sleeves rolled up below her elbows to the black apron she wore and all the little stains it had, finding them endearing. After observing her in a brief second, he subtly smiled back at her.

"Hi," he replied.

"I, um..." Nea stuttered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Can I- what can I get you? Uh—welcome to the Coffeewick."

Nea could only imagine all the things Blu would say to make fun of her after such a scene. The bright red tone on her cheeks wasn't aided either by the graceful smile and aura with which he stood, and Nea noticed his ocean eyes drifting toward the side for a moment before he looked right at her again.

"Yesterday, I had a coffee from here," he said with that beautiful, thick accent of his. "I would like one just like it. Please."

"Oh, you're in luck," Nea played along. "I was actually waiting all day to make one just like that."

"Ah, interesting," he said.

"I was planning to make it free of charge as a token of appreciation, actually," Nea raised a brow.

"Whoever would receive it must be very lucky," he replied. "But he would have insisted on paying for it."

Nea giggled. "Well, that just means he has a solid moral code. I won't object to that."

He gave a soft chuckle.

"Will you have it to go, or will you drink it here?" She asked, hoping he would answer the latter.

"Uh, to go," he answered. "Please."

Nea tried to hide her disappointment as she reached for a disposable paper cup. "And... to what name will I put your order?"

His gaze softened and he bashfully met eyes with her again, and if Nea was correct, she picked up a faint hue of purple appearing across the bridge of his nose.

"Steb," he pronounced.

Nea took the little marker and wrote his name—she was proud of herself for finally knowing it even if it was part of her job—on the cup with her delicate handwriting, setting it all aside. "Will you have anything else? Can I interest you in a pastry?"

"Not now, but thank you," Steb replied.

"Alright, coming right up," Nea said.

"How much?" He asked before Nea could retreat into the counter to brew.

Nea stopped herself and stumbled back to the cash register. "Right. Um..." She felt her blush intensify at the idea of charging him. "Two silver cogs."

She completed the transaction and, directing one last tiny smile at him, Nea finally went and brewed the drink she'd been hoping for the entire day. Meanwhile, Steb waited quietly in front of the cash register, at times sneaking glances at the pretty barista as she worked in her domain, watching her hair bounce with her movements, and then he'd look away, not wanting to risk being presumptuous or worse, making her uncomfortable.

"She grossly undercharged you."

Steb couldn't control his little startled jump when he heard the little, high-pitched voice coming from below. Looking down in its direction, he noticed a short Yordle with blue fur, brown hair, and a cozy sweater looking up at him, her expression unsettlingly blank. However, her words rang with him, and he couldn't help but smile softly.

"I suspected as much," he answered.

Blu pointed up at the jar next to the cash register. "There's a tip jar."

Steb nodded slowly. "I will use it."

The Yordle seemed to nod, but said nothing more. She walked backwards, moving away from him, her big brown eyes unblinking as they remained fixed on him. She disappeared behind the counter and, for a moment, it was as if she'd never manifested in the first place. While Steb was puzzled, a small laugh inevitably vibrated in his chest.

From the other end of the counter, Nea had just finished up the latte. To her surprise, her shaking hands hadn't caused any disasters while brewing, but the next challenge appeared when she realized his back was turned on her—she noticed the fin running down his nape and disappearing under his clothes—and she would have to call his attention to her. With another trembling breath, Nea prepared herself to enounce.

"Steb?"

The sole syllable of his name spoken in her voice rang through his ears, which flickered in her direction just before he turned around. When he laid eyes on her, he smiled gently at the way she offered the cup to him, with a napkin and pack of sugar placed exactly the way they were the day before, and the way her eyes sparkled at him made his smile widen.

"Thank you," he said as he took the cup from her hands.

"Thank you too," she blushed. "Um... will you be visiting us again?"

"Yes," he said. "Not sure when, but... yes."

Nea's smile widened. "Well, I'll be waiting."

Steb chuckled softly. "I have a question."

"Yes?" Nea's eyebrows perked up at the endless amount of possibilities of things he could ask her, from her name to a date to her hand in marriage—she was just a girl who could fantasize.

"There is a Yordle here, right? You've seen her?" He asked, his expression clouded with concern, but no less amused.

Nea laughed richly and musically. "Yes, you're not imagining things. That's my business partner, Blu. She's... she's a delight."

"Well, then I'm not insane," Steb nodded.

"Heavens, no," Nea giggled.

"And now that I know your partner's name," Steb began, "may I know yours?"

With her heart doing leaps inside her chest, all Nea could do was tuck a strand of hair behind her ear again and grin until her cheeks ached.

"Nea," she answered.

Steb's gaze softened at her name. "Thanks."

The two lingered on one another's gazes until he gave a final nod.

"See you," he said as he began making his way to the door, putting in a tiny handful of silver cogs in the tip jar.

"Bye," Nea replied, unable to hide the sigh in her voice. Steb then opened the door of the Coffeewick and closed it behind him, and he looked in through the window one more time and smiled subtly before continuing his way down the sidewalk and disappearing from Nea's view.

She stood in silence leaning over the counter, finding herself once again pining for his arrival. And now, she knew what his name was, and she had reason to believe she'd see him again. She smiled at herself, figuring overall it was a good result. She was so dazed by the recent encounter that she didn't hear Blu approaching her, and she too was startled by the little Yordle when the latter tapped on her knee with her paw.

"Blu," Nea sighed.

Blu was smirking at Nea and wiggling her eyebrows.

"Oh, shut up," Nea rolled her eyes and looked away from Blu.

"Nea's got a crush," Blu sang.

"Blu!"

The Yordle laughed. "Wow, you're adorable."

"Oh, hush," Nea dismissed.

Blu clasped her paws together and held them dramatically over her forehead, swaying from side to side. "Oh, Handsome Prince Enforcer Charming Steb, please come in and get another coffee and sweep me away!"

"That's it, go to your room," Nea couldn’t help but laugh, her cheeks bright and redder than ever.

Blu walked off, triumphant in her banter and making kissing noises until she disappeared into the kitchen.

When Nea was finally alone and no other customers seemed to be approaching the Coffeewick, she figured she'd spend her last half an hour on duty brewing a nice cup of coffee for herself. A rush of emotions as beautiful as the one she was having was worthy of celebration, and she figured there was no better way to settle in for another night. That night, much like the last one, she'd find herself pondering on how pretty it would be for the next day to be like that one.

Thanks so much for reading! Please reblog to help me get out there!

Next chapter ->

[starvu]

Crosswords and Cuddles || s. reid

where you and spencer spend some quiet and peaceful time together after he comes home from work

pairing: spencer reid x gn!reader (if something doesn't seem right to gn, please let me know)

genre: pure fluff

content warnings: none

word count: 1,8k

a/n: my second fanfiction, we're on the right track!! still sorry for my not so good english, i'm struggling not to repeat myself too much and use different adjectives, but i'm having a bit of trouble with that for now. anyway, i hope it won't bother you too much, have fun :))

You and Spencer loved spending time together and tried to spend as much time together as possible. Even though he spent most of his time working for the BAU on new cases and your job was demanding. That's why after two years of being together, you moved in together so you could share as many small, mundane moments together as possible.

Spending time together, you didn't even have to exchange much conversation. Your mutual presence was enough in most cases. The awareness of each other's warmth and care, a feeling that was clearly felt in the air, even if it was unspoken. You simply loved to accompany him in everything, and he loved having you around.

This evening was no different. Spencer didn't have any demanding cases this time. He could work with the team at Quantico. They didn't have to fly anywhere far, so he could come back to you every evening. You never knew when he would fly out again, so you were always happy when he could be home. Your peace was never certain. They could always have a new, demanding, brutal case that would cause him to disappear to the other side of the country, neglect sleep, drink more coffee than usual, and give no signs of life.

You were lying on the couch in your dark apartment. The apartment smelled of old books and coffee. This was the smell of your home now, it reminded you of the place you returned to and lived in. Your coats hung next to each other on the hangers in the hallway, your shoes were lined up neatly on the shelf, and your mugs were waiting in the kitchen cabinet. Your cup of coffee, which had way too much milk in it, stood on the dark brown, oak coffee table, accompanied by crosswords books, pens and scientific books from many fields from the library.

You two had brought those books by the kilos in canvas bags a few days ago. You couldn't even carry that many books from the library and you just made gooey eyes and a slightly bribing smile at the old lady librarian. This poor old woman, after so many of your visits, was already giving in to you. Spencer even tried to go above and beyond for you and just put some books away, but you fought for them. You were absolutely happy to have them in your bags, sitting on the subway, and riding home. Okay, actually you both were really excited to read all of these books.

You were wrapped in blankets, slightly sleepy the couch, even if the living room was lit with warm, not too bright light from a lamp. You had probably done everything, you had cooked dinner, you had read, you had done crosswords and looked up nonsense on your phone, you had even rearranged the books on the shelf, but not enough to disturb Spencer. You simply couldn't wait for him to finally come home, You yourself came back from work earlier than usual, so you waited a while, and the afternoon without him seemed so long.

As you were slowly dozing off with one eye, you heard the sound of a key turning in the lock of the door. You got up from the couch, still a little sleepy, but your expression brightened when you saw Spencer walking in front of the door. After he quickly hung his brown leather bag and navy coat on the rack and took off his sneakers, he wrapped his arms around your waist and hugged you tightly, resting his chin on the top of your head, feeling at peace after the whole day. He finally breathed a sigh of relief as he felt your closeness and your familiar, calming scent.

"It's good to see you." He mumbled, adding nothing more. That was enough for you to understand how his day had gone. It had gone hard.

You smiled as you rested your head on his chest, you were glad he was finally around. You didn't ask about his day right away, you didn't want him to have to deal with it even at home, in his quiet place.

"It's good to see you too." You said quietly in a sleepy voice.

He recognized your sleepy, tired voice immediately, and he pulled away slightly but still held you close, running his fingers through your hair. “Did you sleep, sleepyhead?” He smiled warmly.

"Uh no, no. I was just waiting for you. Tired after a whole week of work, you know how it is." 

He just nodded slightly in understanding, leaned down slightly and kissed your forehead. “Don’t overwork yourself, please.”

His concern always warmed your heart, you appreciated the care like nothing else, but it also worried you a little. It worried you that he always worried about you more than himself.

"You really shouldn't worry so much, I'm fine, Spence." You always repeated the same words, trying to reassure him and make him not worry so much, focus on something else, something less worrying.

He just sighed quietly in disapproval of your words. He knew perfectly well how you felt about his concern. He also knew that you were strong and could handle yourself perfectly well, and yet he wanted to make sure that everything was okay.

You quickly disappeared into the depths of the apartment, accessible, undemanding conversation, occasional laughter and the sound of forks clinking against plates filled the silence that had previously reigned throughout the apartment, only broken by the ticking of the clock in the living room.

Empty plates sat on the edge of the coffee table, even if it irritated Spencer in some way. Your coffee had long since gone cold, and you fidgeted a bit as you lay together on your completely too-small couch. That was the way you spent your time together without words. You were lying on opposite ends of the couch, buried under blankets, each of you with your own crossword puzzle and pen in hand, although sometimes you just preferred to glance up and watch Spencer concentrate, maybe stare a little. But that wasn't a bad thing, was it? Especially when he seemed oblivious to your actions. Sometimes you would nudge him in the ribs a little with your foot.

You really enjoyed these moments, sometimes when you relied on Spencer's intelligence and wanted to get a hint for your crossword, you had to pay a price for it, in the form of a quick kiss or a peck. You weren't even sure which of you preferred this way of rewarding for a hint more. In truth, Spencer always believed that if you put in the effort, you would find the answers to your questions yourself and that you were capable of more, but he didn't argue with you much. Instead, he would often start blabbing about the topics you asked about, telling you more about them, and you listened devotedly.

This time, however, Spencer noticed that you weren't very active on your crossword puzzle and paused his own for a moment. Well, you were just tired and your brain wasn't working at a very high level anymore.

"Hey, is something wrong, are you okay?" He asked with genuine concern and warmth in his voice. "You seem off."

You shook your head. "No, everything is still fine." But instead of staying on your end of the couch, you put the crosswords and pen on the table and, fidgeting a bit again, turned completely the other way. It's very possible that you'd crushed Spencer's side a bit with your leg in the meantime. Now your head was right on his shoulder, you were lying on the same side. He smiled slightly.

"Oh, you’re really clingy."

You just looked up, giving him a slightly exaggerated, scowl, even if you weren't mad at him for saying it. He raised his hand, letting you rest your head on his chest. He still held the crossword puzzle in one hand, the pen in the other, but he kept making sure you were comfortable. You felt at peace when you felt the warmth of his chest and the familiar rhythm of his heartbeat. He felt the same way when it came to your closeness. He slowed down his pace of solving the puzzle, letting you answer the words you already knew the answer to. 

He usually solved crosswords as fast as he could, beating his previous results, but this time it was about your peace. Even when both of his hands were occupied, he held you close and tight, kissing the top of your head with every clue you knew the answer to. And sometimes with a clue he knew the answer to. You suspected that he was just looking for an excuse to some extent, because he actually kissed the top of your head when you were thinking about the answer, or for no reason at all.

After solving a few more sheets, he put what he was holding on the table. He wrapped his arms around you and you didn't protest in any way, you let him. You knew that sleeping on this couch wasn't good for either of you, your backs and well-being, but everything indicated that this was where you would be sleeping. After a moment, he snuggled up to you even tighter, shifted slightly and put his head in the crook of your neck, placed a few lazy kisses there, drawing patterns on your back with his fingers. At that moment he was more laying on top of you with his whole body, but careful enough not to crush you and put his whole weight on you. With each situation like this you felt like you loved this man even more.

That didn't stop you from teasing him a little, referring to his previous comment. "Who's the clingy one now?" You smirked.

He raised his head slightly, staring at your face, even secretly admiring it, although he remembered every detail it hid, every mole, eyelash and freckle. He wanted to defend himself somehow from your words, but in the end he lowered his head and went back to holding it in the crook of your neck. "Okay, maybe I'm guilty." He admitted, but he didn't loosen his grip around you one bit.

"Yeah, you are."

"Is it bad?"

"No." You even replied a little quieter than usual.

It wasn't a bad thing, you loved his clingy moments. You slowly raised your hand to run your fingers through his messy, slightly overgrown hair. He didn't have to ask for it, you knew it would ease his tiredness after the whole day and he would fall asleep faster without the agony he often had before going to sleep. Somehow you felt his growing calmness and sense of security as you made all these little gestures.

[akronus-writes]

The dragons eclipse chapter 2: Investigations into the unkown.

Hallowed knew that the Occult detective would take a while, and decided to requisition a room for which to work on the case from. returning to the front of the motel, He walked into the empty reception, its decor was a relic from the 80's, with dark oak display cabinets filled with old sports trophies flanking a large desk made of the same wood; the back of an old computer peeking up from behind the desk. approaching the golden bell next to the computer, Hallowed noticed a silver key attached to a black diamond shaped key charm with the golden number 15 emblazoned on the middle, sitting on a note next to the bell.

"we understand you might need a room to stay in while you investigate, and would happily give you one of our rooms for as long as you need." Hallowed spoke to himself, carefully picking the key up with his cybernetic hand and looking at the key, quickly scanning it with his cybernetic eye before walking off, looking for his room.

finding it on the other side of the motel, hallowed easily pushed the key into the lock and twisted with a satisfying click. pushing open the door and walking in, Hallowed found himself in a stock standard Motel room; with a king bed on the left of the room with a neat flowery quilt, two white pillows neatly placed side-by side under the wooden bed head, two oak bedside tables with pink lamps flanking the bed. on the other side of the room was a desk, a lone black lamp sitting on the far end of it.

closing the door behind him as he walked in, hallowed left the keys on the desk as he stretched, and began to undress. leaving his leather jacket draped over the chair under the desk, he left both his revolver and its holster, as well as his bandolier of specialized bullets on the desk. throwing the rest of his clothes, as well as the skull mask he normally wore onto the bed, he stepped into the bathroom. it was a small bathroom with only the bare necessities, its tiles were impressively clean for such an old building, a trait shared with the rest of the bathroom.

turning the knobs on the shower, Hallowed went to place his cybernetic hand below the stream of water before replacing it with his intact one. pleased with the temperature he stepped into the shower, letting the hot water wash over him. instead of the pleasant feeling he was used to, he instead felt a strange emptiness, the water washing over his cybernetics not even registering to him, the reminder of his wounds removing and semblance of warmth the shower could bring.

turning the shower off once sufficiently clean, Hallowed dried himself with a towel before walking back into the living room and beginning to re-dress himself. as he went to pick up his shirt, he noticed his reflection in the full body mirror in the corner. he looked almost the same as always, the same short Brown hair, the same well-toned muscles, but different in some places. the entirety of his right arm, shoulder down, was replaced with a metal cybernetic, his right eye and parts of the face around it replaced with a similar metal, the eye replaced with a dull red visor. pulling the rest of his clothes on, Hallowed slowly picked up his Fedora and skull mask, hesitant to put them on.

stomaching his own hesitation, he placed them on, the skull mask hiding all of his face but the metal eye, its eerie red glow growing in intensity. turning back to the desk he saw a familiar part-cat warlock sitting on it, tail laying lazily next to the occult detective.

"Akronus," hallowed spoke, used to the occultists tendency to appear randomly.

"Hallowed" The occultist spoke, re-adjusting the black face mask they wore.

the tense silence hung in the air as Akronus dropped down to the floor, pulling back their long black hair and cat ears with a gloved hand, letting the streak of red fall to the front of his face. the two stared at each other for a moment, Akronus' red irises dulled by the red glow coming from Hallowed's cybernetic eyes.

"I see you've become more chaste," Hallowed noticed, observing the pants Akronus had swapped their usual booty shorts with.

"why, you wound me! I just thought these pants would help my transition from villain to vigilante. plus, I kept my signature sleeveless shirt! oh, and don't get me started on what I've been doing in my free time-" Akronus began.

"we don't have time for verbal recounts of your many supernatural partners, we need to investigate the disappearances," hallowed quickly interrupted, both wanting to stay on task and avoid the topic of Akronus' sex life.

"fineeeeeeeeee, what's the thing you need me for?" Akronus responded, annoyed at their allies seriousness.

"I found shadows in the alleyway behind the motel one of the disappearances happened in," Hallowed matter-of factly responded with.

"ok, so did it stick to your body, exist with the sun shining on it, or try to eat you?" Akronus asked, treating the topic as a normal occurence.

"existed with the sun shining on it, any ideas what it is?" Hallowed replied, drawing his notebook from his jacket.

"ah, possibly shadow demon residue, I'll go run some tests on it to confirm that," Akronus answered after a few seconds, leaning forward.

"good, you do that and I'll go look through the first victims room," Hallowed responded before walking out the door.

"on it!" Akronus walked off to where the strange shadow was.

on the other side of the Motel Hallowed approached the room the Mexican drifter had lived in, reaching a hand out to the door, he twisted the handle to find it unlocked. Walking into the room, hallowed quickly noticed the first signs of something being off.

the bed looked like somebody had been sleeping in it, but was yet to get up, the quilt was laying on the mattress, messily covering most of the bed, and both the pillows and the mattress still had the imprint of what looked to be a 20-25 year old man of about 5"8 height.

on the other side of the room the lamp on the desk was unplugged, papers messily spread across the desk haphazardly with a duffle bag thrown up against it. approaching the bathroom, Hallowed opened the door to the bathroom to find a relatively normal shower, the only difference from his own bathroom being the soap and shampoo bottles, a common brand, most likely from a nearby store.

walking back to the papers, hallowed reached to turn on the room lights to illuminate the papers, only to find that flicking the switch did nothing. Crouching down and plugging in the lamp, he found it didn't turn on either.

Standing on the bed and puling the light bulb from its socket, Hallowed saw that it was completely fine. Rushing over to the lamp he carefully pulled out its bulb, and found the exact same was true with the lamp.

Activating the X-ray system of his cybernetic eye, Hallowed followed the trails of the wires that connected to both the power socket and the lights, looking for any breaks. Following the wires around the room, Hallowed found no discrepancies in the wiring for the room until the point that all of the wires in the room connected and began to join the rest of the motels power network, where a quick scan showed a strange energy radiating at the wires, seemingly blocking the electricity.

Quickly collecting the files on the desk, Hallowed put them in his jacket before standing up on the handrail, and pulling himself onto the roof. Carefully walking down one of the crevices of the valley like roof of slanted red tiles. Hallowed approached where the wires would be corresponding to the location of the roof.

Crouching down, Hallowed saw the source of the energy, a small square piece of white paper with a strange, almost runic symbol on it, radiating that energy. Picking the paper up and taking a photo of it with his eye as a precaution, Hallowed noticed through his eye that the Drifters room had gained power.

As he walked back to the edge of the roof, Hallowed heard the sounds of somebody running nearby. Pulling himself up onto the top of one of the peaks, Hallowed saw a figure wearingin a shadowy cloak holding a double-sided sword, face covered in shadows, standing on the nearby chimney.

"I'm guessing you aren't here for a chat?" Hallowed quipped as he drew his revolver. But as he did the figure leapt towards him at superhuman speeds, slashing at Hallowed with his sword mid-draw.

part 1 part 3

@f4y3w00d5 @gobodegoblin @monsterfucker-research-wizard @anyone else who likes my writing

[werecat1234]

Revised Merging Timelines Chapter Twenty Six

Horror woke up with a headache pounding through his skull, the pain emanating throughout his head, and he groaned. The last time he had a headache that bad was when Undyne stole his damn eyelight, who had he pissed off enough to cause this?... Horror finally opened his eye sockets, seeing some light streaming in through what was probably a window, and he was met with an unfamiliar light gray surface, and the fact of being somewhere he didn't recognize was enough to fully jolt him to awareness. His eyelight snapped around the room, ignoring the pain and dizziness as he sat up, hands gripping the admittedly soft blanket that was covering him.

His breathing grew quicker, and he threw the blanket off of himself and onto the side of the bed, making sure he wasn't struggling with that if there was a fight, and when he saw nothing coming towards him with malicious intent, he took a moment to try figuring out where he was. He was sitting up on a decent sized bed, the blanket he'd discarded a fluffy crimson color, and the sheets and pillowcases were dark gray. Horror checked that he wasn't bleeding anywhere and he hadn't caused the blankets to turn that color, and he wasn't, which was a good thing. The walls of the room were dark gray, and it was lightly furnished, containing a dark brown wooden bedside table on either side of the bed, each with a turned off lamp, and the bedframe was made of the same material. There was also a dark oak wardrobe and a small table off to the side, and there was a crimson recliner off to the side, a small table in front of it, and there was a door straight across from the bed. It was white and wide open, light spilling in from outside of the room.

"sans? dust? killer?" Horror muttered under his breath, seeing if any of them responded, but there was nothing but silence. Damnit.

Horror got off of the bed, the mattress creaking slightly, and he summoned a sharp, curved bone into his hand, gripping it tightly as he silently walked towards the door. He poked his skull out of the opening once he reached the doorway, his red eyelight glancing back and forth, checking his right side before his left because of his blind spot. To his left, there was three other open doors, and Horror was about to investigate them when the smell of food caught his attention, his eyelight flicking back to his right. He started silently walking that way, his nonexistent stomach growling at him, sending sharp pains through his nonexistent stomach.

How long had it been since they'd eaten? Horror's steps were slow, silent, and cautious, not liking how well-lit the off-white hallway was, feeling exposed and open to an attack, the talking up ahead putting him even more on edge. His jaw was clenched and his grip on the bone grew tighter, and he tried remembering what had happened last. His skull ached at the action, but he could faintly and blurrily remember Dust getting hit with something after a psychotic human tried killing them, and he was still on guard. If this was a trap of some kind, Horror would be ready for anything to happen so he could deal with it, and then he would focus on the others. 

Horror eventually reached the end of the hallway, looking around a corner, sharp fingers gripping it as he poked the left side of his skull around the corner, checking for the source of the voices. He saw the human sitting on a white stool at a counter, some others like it also there, and Horror wasn't sure if it was Frisk or Chara in control. The counter was part of a kitchen that had white cabinets along the tops of the walls, and the counter had a white base with a light gray marble top. There was also an extremely large fridge, oven, a small box that looked like an oven, and a bunch of other appliances he wasn't familiar with.

"kid?" Horror questioned, and the human almost jumped out of their seat, whipping around to face him, and he chuckled a bit at the fear on their face, the closed eyes telling him it was Frisk.

They took a deep breath, calming themself down, and they sighed, "Horror, you just scared the crap out of me..."

"heh, sorry." Horror apologized with a smirk, not at all sincere, but he did get rid of the sharpened bone he'd summoned before.

Frisk sighed again, and they asked, "How are you feeling?"

"tired and a killer headache... what the hell happened?" Horror responded, moving into the room further and examining the kitchen for food so this body could eat.

He found a box containing packs of food labeled 'Pop Tarts', and he grabbed one of the packets. He used one of his sharp fingertips to slice it open while grabbing a plate, pouring the contents onto the plate, and grabbing one of the pastries. It was some kind of... it wasn't a cracker, but it was something baked, and it had frosting on top, bits of filling visible from the sides. Horror sat down on another stool next to them, and he took a bite of the Pop Tart-

"Well, Killer blew up the military base." Frisk answered briefly.

-and almost spit it out. Horror coughed, hand over his mouth to keep the food in as he looked at Frisk in shock, eye sockets wide and the pupil of his eyelight shrunken to a pinprick. He swallowed the food, putting the rest of it back on the plate before asking, very calmly...

"he what?!" Horror asked in shock.

"We still don't know how he did it, all we know is it went up in flames... There's also, umm... there's something you should know about..." Frisk trailed off, looking over his shoulder.

Horror swiveled the stool, seeing Dust looking around the corner Horror had come from, and he looked back at Frisk, questioning, "wait, you can see him?"

"why couldn't they see me? i'm in control of the body." Dust asked.

"no, i am..." Horror told him, holding up the plate with the pastries on it.

"That's... actually what I was going to tell you..." Frisk trailed off, and Horror swiveled the stool again to look back at them, extremely confused, "Killer, he umm... he broke the Reset button when Chara went to Reset, and there was this big flash of light. When it cleared... there was uh... you guys were unconscious on the ground..."

"wait wait wait wait wait, killer did what?!?!" Dust asked, and Horror looked over to see his eyelights lit up cyan and red, a purple flame coming from his left eyelight.

"Yeah..." Frisk sighed.

"they also said he blew up the military base..." Horror added.

". . . i'm going to have one hell of a talk with him..." Dust muttered, fingers balled into fists.

"GOOD MORNING, BROTHERS!" Papyrus called out from by Frisk, Horror looking the other way again to see him walking towards them from behind a corner on the other side of the kitchen. 

Papyrus looked like he was in a good mood, despite being worried, and Horror saw a large black stain on one of his shoulders, some of his scarf also stained.

"hey, uhh... morning paps. are you ok?" Dust asked, trying to sound much calmer than he actually was. 

"I AM ALRIGHT, THANK YOU! KILLER KEPT US ALL SAFE WHILE WE GOT AWAY! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" Papyrus responded.

"i mean i have a headache and i'm pretty sore, but uh... otherwise i'm ok?" Dust replied.

"same here." Horror sighed, taking another bite of the pop tart after picking it up again.

"what happened to your armor?" Dust asked, and Papyrus and Frisk exchanged a look.

"MONO, UMM... HE WAS UPSET..." Papyrus replied, looking off to the side.

"He had a breakdown, Papyrus, you don't need to word it gently..." Frisk sighed sadly.

"wait, seriously? is he ok?" Dust asked, "and you guys know about him?"

"YES, KILLER TOLD ME ABOUT HIM PREVIOUSLY, AND THEN I INFORMED THE OTHERS ABOUT HIS EXISTENCE WHILE YOU WERE ALL ASLEEP." Papyrus answered.

"he's gonna be pissed..." Dust sighed.

"yup." Horror agreed, finishing his food before asking, ". . . what happened after dust got hit?"

"WELL, I ASSUME WHILE YOU WERE FIGHTING THE ROBOTS, ROBOTS CAME OUT OF THE WALLS OF THE WAITING ROOM AND ATTACKED US, BUT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, PROTECTED EVERYONE WITH A BONE SHIELD WHILE UNDYNE REINFORCED IT WITH HER TRIDENTS UNTIL KILLER ARRIVED AND DEFEATED THE ROBOTS, AND THEN LED THE ESCAPE OUT! FIRST UNDYNE HELPED HIM IN A FIGHT, AND THEN I WAS ABLE TO AID HIM! HE WASN'T PLEASED EITHER TIME, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE I PICKED HIM UP AND CARRIED HIM INTO THE ROOM SO HE COULDN'T SHUT THE DOOR ON ME, AND WE FOUGHT VALIANTLY! HE EVEN SAID HE WAS IMPRESSED!" Papyrus grinned.

Dust and Horror exchanged surprised glances. Killer being nice to Papyrus? Without threat of any of the three of them beating the crap out of him? Damn...

"ANYWAYS, AS I WAS SAYING, FROM THERE WE WERE REUNINTED WITH CHARA, ASGORE, AND RAPHAEL, WHO HAD EMP GUNS FOR FUTURE ROBOTS, NOT THAT WE NEEDED TO USE THEM! KILLER GOT A KNIFE FROM CHARA, THEN GRABBED ANOTHER KNIFE FROM AN ARMORY, AND-"

"wait, hang on a second, why the hell would you let him near an armory?" Horror questioned.

"He was going to grab an axe for you, and he wanted to look at backup knife, and he found one. He also grabbed you a cleaver, I think it's in one of the drawers in the room you were in. Chara umm... accidentally gave him a flashback when Chara gave him the first knife when you guys met back up..." Frisk said.

"well that explains how he blew up the base. he probably found explosives in there." Dust sighed.

"Probably..." Frisk nodded, before saying, "Then more robots came, and everyone saw how Killer fights. Killer umm... he had fun..."

"I HAD NO IDEA HE WAS SO ACROBATIC! BOTH IN THE BATTLE I HAD WITH HIM AND THE ONE HE HAD OUTSIDE OF THE ARMORY, HE WAS EXTREMELY AGILE!" 

"yeah, that's killer for you..." Dust said.

"After that, though... Chara started a conversation up because they were trying to undo some of the damage the Chara in his timeline had done, and Killer.... He freaked out..." Frisk looked down.

"THEN MONO GAINED CONTROL AND WAS UUPSET, AND I HELPED HIM THROUGH HIS EMOTIONS BEFORE HE FELL ASLEEP AND KILLER TOOK BACK OVER. AFTER THAT, EVERYTHING WAS TENSE... THEN WE FOUND CAPTAIN ALDERGRAVE AGAIN, WHO WAS REVEALED TO HATE MONSTERS BECAUSE SHE BELIEVED THEY KILLED HER SIBLING! LITTLE HAD WE KNOWN, THOUGH, CHARA WAS ACTUALLY HER SIBLING, AND IT WAS ALL A MISUNDERSTANDING AND-" Papyrus summarized, Dust and Horror cutting him off at the last part.

"wait what?!" Horror and Dust chorused in shock. 

"Yeah, so that was uh... an event. After that, we gave eyewitness accounts, and then a bit later when we were on a hill overlooking the base, Killer blew it up. Then Chara started freaking out because they wanted to do everything better, was going to Reset, and Killer threw his knife through the Reset button and shattered it. I can't summon it again, it's  just gone... Then there was a flash of light, and then you guys had your own bodies and were unconscious. Then uh... well, there's something else I didn't tell you yet..." Frisk trailed off.

"what is it?" Dust asked.

Frisk got off the stool, heading around the corner Papyrus had walked out from behind, leading them to a large living room. The carpet was a light gray with white walls, and there was a few dark brown wooden tables, chairs, and an entertainment center with game consoles, games, likely movies, and game controllers visible through the glass doored cabinets, and there was a large TV on top of it. There was also dark gray couches, Toriel sitting on one of the couches reading a book with a pale, dark brown haired human pulled against her side, Asgore on the human's other side. The human wore a yellow and green sweater, brown pants, and black shoes, and their cheeks were lightly flushed.

"wait, is that-?" Dust started.

"Chara? Yes..." Frisk summoned their soul, well, the half of it they still had, and they looked back at Chara, "They have the other half. They've been asleep since you guys have. I somehow didn't fall unconscious when everything happened, and it's been a massive emotional roller coaster..."

"holy hell..." Horror muttered before they walked back around the corner and they each sat at a stool.

"so a lot's been happening, huh?..." Dust questioned rhetorically, eyelights turning white again. 

"INDEED. I'M JUST RELIEVED YOU'RE ALL ALRIGHT. THE HUMANS ARE PROVIDING US THIS BUILDING TO LIVE IN FOR A FEW MONTHS UNTIL WE GET FAMILIAR WITH OTHER HUMANS AND CAN SUPPORT OURSELVES FINANCIALLY, BUT IN THE MEAN TIME, WE WILL BE HERE! ASGORE HAS ALSO DECIDED TO PAY SANS LIFELONG SEVERANCE, WHICH IS FAIRLY LARGE FOR JUST A SENTURY UNLESS MY PAY WAS INCLUDED IN THE AMOUNT, SO WE'RE JUST HERE TO HANG OUT AND GET FAMILIAR WITH THE HUMANS! THOUGH IT WAS REQUESTED THAT YOU, HORROR, AND KILLER AREN'T ALLOWED OUT WITHOUT ONE OF US AT FIRST."

". . . i can practically hear killer saying something snarky right now." Dust sighed.

Horror chuckled at that, smirking, "heh, same here." 

"OH, DUST! I SHOULD PROBABLY MENTION YOUR CLOTHES LIKELY NEED TO BE WASHED. THEY'VE BEEN MAKING A BIT OF A MESS..." Papyrus pointed out.

Dust looked down at his dust covered clothes, eyelights shrinking and turning red and cyan again as he requested, ". . . horror, can you get me a vacuum please?"

"on it." Horror nodded, getting down from the stool, before asking, ". . . where would one be?"

"I know there's one in the living room. If you want, you can wear some of Sans's spare clothes? We finished moving our stuff here yesterday." Frisk said.

"wait, yesterday? how long were we unconscious??" Dust questioned, Horror wondering the same thing.

"About a day and a half..." Frisk sighed, Dust and Horror gaping a bit, before they continued, "Like I said, you guys were out cold. Undyne carried Horror here, Papyrus carried you and Killer, and Asgore carried Sans. After that it was a bunch of moving, and Raphael and some of his friends helped out a lot, so that was nice."

"damn... i'll probably just get these vacuumed. i'm kinda attached to them..." Dust responded, and Frisk nodded in understanding.

Horror went to grab the vacuum, heading into the living room, and Toriel and Asgore looked up at him.

"Good morning, Horror. It's good to see you awake, we were starting to become worried." Toriel greeted him.

"yeah, morning..." Horror replied.

"How are you feeling?" Toriel questioned.

"me and dust have massive headaches but are fine. what about you guys?" Horror asked.

"We're alright. Killer was an extremely good ally to have, and protected us well. He seemed rather... upset most of the time though. I believe he was worried about you and Dust." Toriel answered.

"and here i was thinkin' he'd like being unsupervised..." Horror muttered.

"On the contrary; he was quite irritated. He seemed to enjoy fighting, though, from what I saw of him." Asgore informed.

"sounds about right.." Horror sighed, "y'know where a vacuum is?" Horror asked.

"A vacuum? What for?" Toriel asked. 

"just uh... gotta vacuum somethin' up." Horror replied.

"The dust on Dust's clothes, correct? It was getting everywhere from what I saw. Papyrus carried him here and it got all over him." Asgore guessed, and Horror nodded.

"It's over in that closet." Toriel informed, pointing to a white door to her left.

"thanks." Horror thanked her.

He walked over to the door quietly, opening it and picking up the cordless vacuum with one hand, closing the door again and ignoring their surprised looks. The vacuum didn't seem that heavy, but it probably was considering Horror was abnormally stronger than he seemed. Horror walked back into the kitchen, seeing Dust still sitting at the counter, Papyrus and Frisk sitting by him.

"ready?" Horror asked, briefly squeezing the trigger of the vacuum before letting it go.

"yeah, ready." Dust nodded, getting up and spreading his arms, Horror turning the vacuum back on and cleaning the dust off of his clothes.

There was a lot of it, and Dust wound up having to take off his jacket and shake it out onto the floor so Horror could just vacuum up the pile it formed. Then Horror had to empty it out before vacuuming the stool, the rest of the dust on Dust's slippers, the floor, the dust on the floor leading to the room Dust had been in like a breadcrumb trail, vacuuming the bed. The room was similar to the one Horror had been in, but with white walls, dark gray carpet, and purple blankets and a light blue recliner. It did have nearly identical furniture, though, but the wood the furniture was made of was a lighter brown. Horror brought the vacuum back out of the room, emptying it into the trash again before bringing it back into the living room and putting it back into the closet, and he went back to the kitchen. He sat down on the stool he'd been at before, and he saw Dust drinking a cup of coffee, Papyrus and Frisk gone.

"where's the brat?" Horror questioned.

"left to check on sans. you wanna come with me and see if killer's up yet?" Dust asked.

"yeah, i'll come with you." Horror nodded.

Dust finished the cup of coffee, putting it in the sink before heading to the hallway with the four rooms in it. They saw one room with a partially closed door, and Horror could see Papyrus and Frisk inside. Dust headed to the room Horror had been in, peeking inside before going to the other door, Horror following him in. Killer was sleeping sprawled out on the center of the bed, laying on black blankets, black pillowcases, and black sheets. The carpet was a dark gray, and the walls were a seemingly relatively recently painted darker gray. The wooden furniture was maroon colored, and there was a red couch in the room. There was also a red and black knife on one of the bedside tables, the blade having different patterns on it.

"that looks like his taste..." Horror muttered, and Dust nodded, snickering. 

Dust sat down next to Killer on the bed, and he gently shook his shoulder. Horror sat on his other side, looking at the sleeping skeleton and almost wanting to pour a bucket of water on his skull to wake him up before deciding against it. Who would've thought Killer would sleep like he owned the damn bed... then again, Killer did have a bit of an ego problem... yeah, he should've expected that.

"killer? kills, come on, buddy, we gotta have a talk about your arson tendencies..." Dust said, shaking Killer again. 

"can i pour a bucket of water on him?" Horror whispered.

"no, because then he would just retaliate. we gotta wake him up gently." Dust denied.

"you act like he's fragile." Horror rolled his eyelight.

"i act like i don't want a prank war to break out. especially when we have even less methods of keeping him supervised and we have physical bodies now and we can't stop him as easily." Dust countered, and Horror sighed, agreeing with him.

"killer, buddy, you gotta get up, ok?" Horror requested, tapping him on the skull before Dust swatted his hand away. "what?"

"just-" Dust was cut off by Killer groaning, eye sockets slowly opening.

Dust and Horror froze, briefly glancing at each other before looking back at Killer.

Killer blinked a few times, slowly waking up before asking, "ugh..... the hell happened?..."

"well, you stopped the resets, for one..." Dust informed, grinning at him a little.

"wait, i did?..." Killer asked, not yet realizing they had their own bodies, and he blinked as he seemed to remember, a grin spreading on his face, "oh yeah, i did!"

"yeah, but we need to talk about you blowing crap up." Dust sighed.

"i needed to explode something at least once, dust bunny! where's lucky, anyways?" Killer asked, "i'm surprised he's not out here with you guys yelling at me."

"he's still sleeping i think." Dust informed.

"of course he is... speaking of, you guys ok? i tried waking you up in the subconscious, but you were out cold." Killer asked, and Horror heard him sounding very faintly concerned.

"we've got small headaches and are kinda sore, but we're alright." Dust explained.

"weird, i don't feel that... how do you guys feel it? thought my inability to feel pain transferred over when i was in control of the body..." Killer muttered in confusion.

Dust smirked a little, putting his hand on Killer's shoulder. Killer looked at his hand, and shock quickly spread across his face as he realized what had happened. Horror chuckled a bit at the look on Killer's face, smirking slightly.

"wait, are you guys-?!" Killer started.

"yup. you broke the reset button and we separated. we have our own bodies, killer." Dust smirked.

Killer grinned widely, sitting up and lunging forward, Dust yelping and Horror grunting as they were pulled into a tight hug.

"we're free!! we're completely free! our own bodies, our own subconsciouses, and there's no more resetting!" Killer grinned wider, clearly excited. 

"yeah, just don't explode crap!" Horror chuckled, patting Killer's back.

"no promises~" Killer snickered.

"killer, if you want to see something on fire, just ask me to set something on fire! don't explode a damn building!" Dust chastised.

"sorry, boss~" Killer smirked, and Dust groaned.

"quit it with that!" Dust snapped.

"not a snowball's chance in hell, boss~" Killer grinned, and Horror pulled away from the hug, knowing what was coming next.

Dust tackled Killer off of the bed, the two landing in a wrestling heap on the floor, a mess of limbs, shouts, and laughs, mainly from Killer. Horror stood up next to the bed, watching the two roughhouse like absolute toddlers, and they somehow tumbled out of the room, Killer bolting away laughing maniacally, Dust chasing behind him. Dust tackled Killer from behind, the two rolling vertically for a bit before continuing to fight, Horror following them out of the room. Horror saw a door to their right open, seeing Undyne, Alphys, and Flowey in the doorway, Flowey wrapped around Alphys's arm, Undyne carrying multiple bags. Horror smirked, looking back at his fighting teammates, rolling his eyelight. Undyne and Alphys came to stand next to him, watching the two roughhouse.

"i mean it, killer!" Dust snapped, pinning Killer down.

"mean what, dustaroonie?~" Killer giggled.

"that's almost even worse!" Dust hissed.

"what's worse, musty dusty?~" Killer smirked, flipping them over.

"stop it!"

"stop what?~"

"quit gaslighting you little brat!" Dust snapped.

"what's gaslighting? does it involve fire?~" Killer snickered.

Dust let out an angry growl, flipping them over again, the two of them swatting at each other. Horror heard movement from either end of the hallway, seeing Frisk, Papyrus and a now awake Sans looking out of the room they were in, and on the other end of the hallway, Asgore and Toriel were watching them.

"they always do this crap. every. damn. day." Sans sighed, Dust and Killer too deep in their valiant and vicious battle to hear him.

"How did you manage?" Frisk asked, and Sans shrugged.

Horror noticed Sans seemed to be happy; probably because the three of them were no longer in his head, so he could have his mind to himself. Oh crap, the plotting boards... Horror's eye sockets widened slightly, his eyelight looking back at Dust and Killer before deciding to save the conversation for another time. Dust and Killer did seem to notice they had an audience, because they both froze, looking around. Dust pulled himself up at breakneck speed, brushing himself off, and looking off to the side nervously. Killer laughed at him, pushing himself up, and Dust used blue magic to send him back to the floor, Killer's target soul turning blue when he did so.

"hey!" Killer snapped.

Killer used blue magic on Dust's soul, summoning the, to everyone else's surprise and astonishment, bright red upside down heart, turning it blue, and sending Dust down to the floor next to him. They inevitably started fighting again, Dust's soul going back into his ribcage again as they roughhoused, and Horror and Sans both facepalmed. Horror pulled the two away from each other, grabbing each of them with one hand and pulling them apart, the two swatting at each other while held slightly above ground.

"you both are worse than a pair of temmies fighting over a damn bone in my timeline." Horror sighed.

"i still wanna see that!" Killer told him.

"you probably don't." Horror said.

"oh he probably does." Dust sighed.

"not more than the woodchipper i have in my backyard." Horror mentioned.

"you have a woodchipper?!" Killer asked with a grin.

"well, had. i can't exactly use it now, though." Horror sighed, actually disappointed about that.

"damn..." Killer sighed, also seeming disappointed.

"some of the best news i've had this whole time... wait..." Dust trailed off, "i'm not in sans's body anymore..." 

". . . yeah, none of us are." Killer nodded, and Horror saw where Dust was going with this.

Dust grinned, "you guys wanna get some alcohol?"

Horror saw Sans smile ever so slightly off to the side, and he sighed, knowing exactly what Sans would be trying next. It wasn't exactly Horror's place to stop him or complain, he'd done some questionable things too. That being hunt humans for entertainment and food for the other monsters in Snowdin, torture them, kill them in brutal ways, and do to humans what native americans did to buffalos when they didn't want to waste any parts of their kill- . . . That and Temmie fights.

"OH NO..." Papyrus sighed.

"oh yes! lead the way, my valiant... leader? crap that sounds repetitive..." Killer muttered.

"I DON'T BELILEVE THAT IS WISE... ALCOHOL IS BAD FOR YOU." Papyrus said.

"i can't die, dust has a crazy amount of hp, killer has even more, and we don't have livers. besides, it's a celebration. it won't hurt to get a little drunk..." Horror pointed out, "sans, you in or what?"

". . ." Sans was silent, but the look he was giving Horror was saying 'yes'.

". . . SANS, NO!" Papyrus snapped, seemingly picking up on the expression as well.

"i didn't say anything!" Sans protested.

"THE LOOK ON YOUR FACE SAID IT ALL, BROTHER! AND NO! NOT ONLY ARE YOU UNDER TWENTY ONE, YOU ALREADY HAVE A HEADACHE!" Papyrus glared.

"You're supposed to be the responsible one, Sans!" Frisk sighed.

"which is why i should be trusted to responsibly drink." Sans mumbled.

"How about this? There's a bunch of video games and movies, why don't you four punks just play games and eat a bunch of snacks?" Undyne suggested.

Killer looked between Horror, Sans, and Dust, the three of them smirking.

"bet you five g i can kick your coccyxs in call of duty." Dust told Killer.

"and i bet you ten g i can kick your damn booty." Killer rebutted with a smirk, Sans and Horror snickering.

"you're on, killer." Dust told him, eyelights red and cyan, purple sparks coming from his left eye socket.

Killer chuckled, and the two of them raced to the living room, Killer following Dust into the room. Horror followed after them, and he saw Killer freeze once he saw the couch. 

"how the fuuuuuu..." Killer started, looking between Frisk and Chara, as they had followed the two of them in, along with Papyrus, who Killer had locked eye sockets with, and he froze. Dust sent a glare at him, and Killer finished, saying, "...uuuudge."

"good save." Dust complimented.

"thanks." Killer replied.

"I'M SORRY TO INFORM YOU, BROTHER, BUT I BELIEVE YOU HAVE THE PHRASE CONFUSED. IT'S ACTUALLY 'HOW THE FUC-'"

Silence ensued as Papyrus finished the word, before Killer burst out into a fit of hysterical laughter, Undyne and Flowey laughing in shock a moment later, and everyone else was horrified.

"killer what did you do?!?!" Dust snapped.

"i didn't teach him! i sweaherherherhahahahahaha!!!!" Killer laughed. 

"HE DIDN'T! HE TAUGHT ME HOW TO DODGE AND BLOCK ATTACKS, BUT NOT THAT WORD! I LEARNED THAT WORD FROM FLOWEY WHEN HE SAW THE FOUR OF YOU UNCONSCIOUS ON THE GROUND!" Papyrus explained.

"flowey!!" Dust and Sans snapped, and Flowey tensed up.

"It slipped out, you smiley trashbags!!" Flowey defended himself.

Horror was a mix of upset and humor, finding it admittedly funny. Sure, he was upset Papyrus learned the word, and then what Papyrus said seemed to seep in.

"he... taught you how to dodge?" Horror asked.

". . . UH OH." Papyrus muttered.

"killer...." Dust started slowly, and Killer stopped laughing, looking over at Dust with an 'oh crap' look on his face.

"yeah?..." Killer responded.

"when the hell did you teach him how to dodge and block attacks?" Dust asked. 

"uhhhh..." Faint outlines of eyelights appeared in Killer's eye sockets as he looked off to the side, avoiding eyelight contact; it looked like Mono was awake.

"when." Dust questioned, a bit firmer.

"the night before the barrier broke... i didn't want him getting killed up here! besides, it paid off, didn't it?" Killer explained.

"and you wouldn't have happened to tell him about the truth about his training with undyne during that time?" Dust asked, and Horror looked back at Killer.

". . . ummm..." Killer hesitated, trailing off.

"and then lied to me and said that you didn't?" Dust continued, and Horror could sense the raw magic building in the air.

"uh oh." Killer muttered, and he bolted past everyone, Dust right behind him, followed by Horror and Sans, and then everyone else...

Chara slept through the whole thing, and Killer got his coccyx handed to him in the five seconds it took for Horror and Sans to get him to stop. Killer of course didn't find it painful, and apologized to Dust about it, who still didn't forgive him... then Killer promised to secretly get him and Sans some cigarettes, and Dust dropped it, but Horror knew he would've dropped it after a while anyways. Dust and Killer were playing Mortal Kombat in the living room ten minutes later, Chara sleeping in another bedroom, and Horror wondered how big this place was. Horror and Sans sat behind them on the couch, watching them play as the two idiots were sitting on the floor for some reason.

Papyrus was off with Toriel helping with cooking or cleaning, as he definitely couldn't see this game being played, even if he wasn't as innocent as he'd been pretending to be. Undyne was there, though, rooting them on, mainly Dust because she was still pissed at Killer, and Flowey was watching from Sans's arm too. Asgore was off with Chara, looking after them, and Alphys watched them for a bit, before getting squeamish from the gore and leaving to organize her room. She came back after a bit, though, seemingly for Undyne, and the two sat on the couch together, Alphys looking away for the brutal parts, mainly watching Undyne when she wasn't looking, and Horror sent them both dirty looks every now and then, still not liking them. Horror saw blue magic get used on Undyne's soul when Undyne turned to look back at Alphys, and Undyne was tugged down, her face gently bumping into Alphys, and the two of them, after a moment, kissed.

"killer!!" Dust scolded him, glaring daggers at the other skeleton.

"what?! the romantic tension was killing me!" Killer whined, and Dust rolled his eyelights, mashing buttons even more as Killer did the same.

Horror rolled his eyelight, and Sans facepalmed, groaning. After the food Toriel and Papyrus were working on was done, the game was shut off while everyone ate, Chara waking up and coming to eat, Asgore carrying them with tears in his eyes, and Chara didn't struggle because it clearly made Asgore happy. After eating, the TV was turned to Mario Party, and things really escalated from there. All in all, it was a good start to life on the Surface... Until hell was unleashed when Dust was sleep deprived a week and a half later.

This is a one-shot that I'd made before the one-shot book, might move this there at some point. 

Dust hadn't been sleeping very well for a while. It all started when he had a nightmare two nights after they all woke up, and it had been a... particularly bad one. Dust had woken everyone up screaming bloody murder, Killer practically jumping over everyone to get inside, and he managed to calm Dust down after a while. Everyone stood back and let Killer calm him down, as there was several sharp bones in the room, and they couldn't risk getting attacked. Horror had been in there too, but had stood back, unable to help much. Dust refused to go into detail on what it was about, and Killer was annoyed about it. Not sharing nightmares had it's drawbacks, by the looks of it.

Since that incident, he hadn't made a peep at night, and everyone thought he was ok.... until they found out he wasn't even sleeping. Killer didn't really sleep either, despite being yelled at multiple times for it, and Horror ripped into him once or twice a day because Killer didn't want to eat anything. Sans was exasperated with both of them, and by the end of the first week, Dust started to get kind of... hyper. He drank coffee in the mornings, then some more, and everyone had caught him with a candy bar or energy drink at some point, and that wasn't going into the fact that Killer had indeed managed to get Dust cigarettes, and that had been a fun night when he'd been caught... by Papyrus out of anyone, but Sans had been lucky enough to hide the evidence of himself smoking before Papyrus had caught Dust.

All in all, everyone was fed up and just wanted Dust to take care of himself because even Killer had started taking somewhat decent care of himself. At least, he was eating food when Horror brought it to him, and he'd occasionally sleep. Dust meanwhile, was pulling an all-weeker, and then halfway through the second week, late at night when Killer was scrolling through his phone, as they'd all been bought phones by Asgore while they were unconscious and given to them the morning after their night of Mario Party. Back on track, Killer was on his phone, and he heard a knock on his door.

He turned his phone off and got out of bed, approaching the door, and opening it to see Dust's glowing cyan and red eyelight staring back at him, dark marks visible under his eye sockets. Killer's soul and Dust's eyelights faintly illuminated the smile on Dust's face, and Killer vaguely wondered if Dust's mind had finally snapped from lack of sleep.

"hey buddy, whatcha doin'?" Killer asked him quietly.

Dust giggled a little, and asked, smiling wider, "you wanna mess with everyone?~"

". . . mess with them how?" Killer questioned, looking him up and down, admittedly tempted. 

"follow me." Dust told him, grabbing his wrist and leading him to his room, bones vibrating from energy.

Upon opening the door, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but then Dust headed to his closet, which was filled to the brim with carefully stacked garden gnomes. Killer's jaw dropped, and Dust cackled quietly next to him, practically giddy from energy. Killer knew this would be good...

"why the hell do you have a bunch of garden gnomes?" Killer asked, not even questioning where the hell he got them. 

"to put outside everyone's doors, and then we can put the rest outside like a tiny army of toy soldiers." Dust giggled.

". . . how many energy drinks have you had, dusty?" Killer questioned, putting a hand on Dust's shoulder.

"about fifty, it's not important. what is important is the fact that i have more hidden outside, and i need your help. soooooo..." Dust trailed off. 

"count me in." Killer smirked, and Dust grinned at him borderline insanely.

In the next few minutes, the garden gnomes were in front of each bedroom door, on all of the countertops, as Dust somehow had a massive crate that Killer wasn't sure if Dust paid for it or not hidden outside.

Horror came out of his room, flinching slightly as he saw the gnomes, before asking Killer in a hushed whisper, "the hell is going on!?"

Horror looked up at the sound of Dust giggling somewhere in the house, and Killer replied, "pretty sure dust finally went insane from lack of sleep. i'm letting him tucker himself out and hopefully he'll pass out. he said he drank like fifty energy drinks."

Horror's jaw dropped at that as he cursed quietly, Dust dashing past the hallway, giggling and eyelights glowing with energy as he whisper shouted, "hi, horror! killer, come on! i wanna show you how to make a flamethrower!" before taking off running again.

"oh hell..." Horror muttered, heading to wake Sans up as Killer ran off after Dust. 

Dust was sprinting outside, grabbing the water hose, turning on the well, and putting an orange light on the inside of the hose nozzle, shooting temporally fiery water everywhere. Killer was watching him, speechless, before joining in, running over and helping him. The others ran outside, still in pajamas, and by the time they did, Dust was on top of the roof, spraying water everywhere, laughing like a maniac. 

"BROTHER! GET DOWN FROM THERE!" Papyrus yelled.

"no way! i'm on top of the world!!!!" Dust screamed back, laughing his coccyx off.

"NO, YOU'RE ON TOP OF THE HOUSE, AND YOU'RE SPRAYING WATER EVERYWHERE!"

". . . i'm still on top of the house, which means i'm on top or the world!!!!" Dust responded.

"NO IT DOESN'T!" Papyrus shouted back.

"yes it does!" Dust denied.

"HOW?!" Papyrus questioned loudly.

". . . bananas, that's how!!!" Dust answered, and Killer snorted, a hand over his mouth.

". . . WHAT?!" Everyone on the ground asked.

"oh my god..." Killer laughed into his hands, watching Dust in pure entertainment.

"dust, the hell are you even talking about?!" Horror questioned.

"it's the bananas! they said i was on top of the world because i'm on top of the house!" Dust replied.

"it's the bananas on the damn energy drink bottles..." Sans sighed from the ground, facepalming.

"He ever been like this before?" Undyne asked.

"nope." Sans shook his skull no.

". . . Great." Undyne sighed.

"killer, can you get dust the hell down?!" Horror requested, Killer giving him a thumbs down, and Horror's eye socket twitched in irritation.

Dust went sprinting further onto the roof, dropping the hose and grabbing Killer's arm, Dust laughing hysterically and madly as he got off the roof, and snuck away in plain sight, thinking no one could see them. He literally tried hiding behind a narrow tree, thinking he was hidden. Killer was snickering, trying not to cry laughing, but he was failing miserably.

"shhhh, they'll hear you." Dust hissed.

"WE CAN SEE YOU ANYWAYS, BROTHER!" Papyrus told him.

"crap." Dust muttered, teleporting himself and Killer away.

Killer looked around to see the two of them back at the now abandoned Underground, specifically in Snowdin.

"what are we doing here?" Killer asked.

Dust turned to him, and said with an innocent smile on his face, "arson."

Killer tilted his skull at him, and bursts of purple flames formed in Dust's hands, the sleep deprived skeleton grinning psychotically at Killer.

"dust, buddy... let me make molotovs from the alcohol at grillby's before you burn it down, yeah?" Killer requested.

Dust grinned at him, and Killer bolted into Grillby's, grabbing all the alcohol he could before racing out, seeing Dust holding some of Sans's old sheets. They made massive amounts of molotovs, lighting and throwing them everywhere before they ran out. The two of them sat on the limb of a large tree, near the top as they watched the flames. They both wreaked of smoke, alcohol, and Dust particularly smelled like bananas, but that was probably just his breath.

Killer glanced over at Dust, seeing him finally starting to get tired, eye sockets heavy as they slid closed, falling asleep against Killer's side. Killer looked down at him, smiling ever so slightly as he wrapped an arm around him, watching the blaze for a few more minutes before teleporting back to the house, carrying Dust in his arms. They were all in the living room, shooting up from their seats when they heard his footsteps.

"he's out cold." Killer told them, walking past them.

He carried Dust to his room, tucking him under the purple blankets, definitely not smiling when Dust snuggled into them, and Killer left, closing the door behind him as he went to his own room, falling asleep. Keeping up with a hyperactive, sleep deprived Dust was exhausting.

Discord server: https://discord.gg/wQfvxyEuvj

[critrolesideblog]

Caleb closes his eyes tightly and presses his thumb and forefinger against them in an attempt to allieviate the headache settling in behind them. It is 2:53 in the morning, and the dimly-lit runes and diagrams on the desk in front of him are beginning to blur together.

"Mrrrow."

His eyes fly open again to find the dainty, round face of his cat, Minka, mere inches from his own. "Oh, hallo," he chuckles, and she squawks at him reprovingly before leaning forward and brushing her cheek against his beard. He scratches under her chin and runs his hand along the length of her back. Her fur is comprised of splotches, daubs, and streaks of dark black, bright orange, light brown, and snow white that make her look as if she rolled around in Jester's paints. Her olive green eyes gaze at his a moment before--

"Mrrrp." She hops lightly down off the desk and trots across the study, her little paws picking their way delicately around the runes etched into the floor. The walls of the room are primarily occupied with a patchwork of shelves housing his physical collection of books, save for one wall that sports his desk, Essek's desk, a cabinet of spell components. A slate board on wheels is pushed to one side of the room, obscuring his battered collection of arcane primers, the worse for wear for their many stints in the hands of Wildemount Wildlings. Minka pauses in the doorway and looks back at him. "MrrOW," she demands, loudly.

"Hm? Was ist es?"

She meows again, even more loudly, taking a small step further into the hallway then turning around to see if he plans to follow.

Caleb glances back over the papers and books strewn across the desk and, feeling the ache throb behind his eyes, supposes a little break couldn't hurt. He rises from the chair, stretching a little this way and that, and shuffles across the study floor. "Okay, was willst du?"

Minka chirps as she rounds the corner and leads him the short distance down the hallway to the bedroom. The room itself is rather plain, as it mostly serves as a convenient place to set up the Tower, but it does contain a bed in a simply-carved oak frame, a matching chest of drawers, and an empty, pine wardrobe. The bed is topped with two pillows and a knitted blanket of variegated oranges and purples. He only sleeps here on the nights that he has exhausted his reserves with classes and experiments, but Minka counts it as a treat each time. She walked into his home one evening, inviting herself in as he arrived home from class, and saw fit to stay. But despite many intervening months and much coaxing, she still regards the Tower and the fae cats that live there with ample suspicion.

She hops up onto the bed and noses at the top edge of the blanket before meowing demandingly.

"Ja, ja, ich komme," he yawns as he shuffles across the bedroom. He lifts up the blanket for her, but she only meows again. He supposes he could rest his eyes for just a moment and slides under the covers, settling on his side. Minka follows suit, turning around and around under the blanket before lying down and placing her chin daintily on the pillow next to him, closing her eyes with a look of satisfaction. He reaches up to stroke the rabbit-soft fur behind her ears, which elicits an almost-silent squeak of a meow, and thinks, I will only rest my eyes for a moment, as he drifts off to the deep rumble of her purr.

————

A little ficlet inspired by own bossy girl who insisted on a little lie down this afternoon

[drades-lair]

12 Days of Kinkmas: Day 11 - Reindeer Role Play

Fandom: HelluvaBoss

Rating: M

Pairing(s): Fizzarozzie

Asmodeus released an exasperated sigh as he combed through stack after stack of paperwork that sat atop his giant oak desk. Hellmas eve was a time for partying in Lust except that is for the king himself emphasizing the term ‘no rest for the wicked’ much to his dismay. Turning momentarily to search for something in the filing cabinet next to his desk Asmodeus missed the door to the office being opened that is until he heard the sing song tone of his Fizzy.

“Oh Ozzie~” The imp sang walking slightly into the office to lean against the doorframe.

“That you Fizzy frog? What can I do for…?” Asmodeus trailed off as he turned to see Fizzarolli leaning against the doorframe clad in a sexy reindeer outfit. The outfit had a brown skirt with white fluff along the hem, a halter style top in the same shade of brown with a peek-a-boo window sapped like a heart, long brown gloves that had little hoof tips on the fingers as well as white fluff around the rims, a pair of brown individual stockings that connected to garters with more white fluff around their tops, a fake set of antlers that sat in front of his horn stumps, a fake red nose that glowed and a bell on a collar.

“Do you like it?” Fizz asked with a wide smirk on his face.

“Like it? I love it! You look incredible babe,” Asmodeus complimented standing from his desk to walk towards Fizz.

“Then what do you say we go celebrate Hellmas?” Fizz suggested, pushing off the doorframe to wiggle his ass at Asmodeus.

“You know what…fuck the paperwork, I’d rather celebrate with you any day,” Asmodeus stated, scooping Fizzarolli into his arms.

The duo headed for the master bedroom where Asmodeus placed Fizz on the bed, caressing his hands along Fizz’s body as they shared a deep kiss. Fizz purred slightly as Ozzie started kissing along his jawline, hands playing absently with the garters holding up his stockings. Pulling back to admire Fizz’s outfit a little more Asmodeus started pushing the skirt up revealing Fizz was completely commando underneath making him chuckle.

“Come on big daddy, I want you to breed me like the big, strong stag that you are,” Fizz teased, spreading his legs a little.

“Ha-ha, very well my little Fizzy fawn,” Asmodeus chuckled, pushing Fizz’s skirt up further.

Asmodeus leaned down to run his tongue along Fizz’s folds all the way up the underside of his cock, swirling it around the head making Fizz moan. Holding Fizz’s hips Asmodeus took the imp’s cock into his mouth, wrapping his tongue down the shaft as he started sucking liberally with a series of head bobs. Fizz gave a loud gasp as Asmodeus slid two fingers into his wet cunt, thrusting in a counter rhythm to his mouth on Fizz’s cock although he could tell the imp was tighter then normal causing him to pull off, glancing down as something caught his eye. Gingerly Ozzie flipped Fizz onto all fours, pushing his skirt up over his ass revealing a deer tail butt plug firmly situated in the imp’s ass.

“Hmm, you went all out I see,” Ozzie cooed, toying with the tail.

“Mm, Yeah, I wanted the whole…package…ugh…” Fizz explained with a deep moan as Asmodeus tugged lightly on the plug.

“Then I’ve got just the thing to complete this ‘package’,” Asmodeus stated, heading to the far side of the bedroom where he dug through their chest of gags before returning.

Fizzarolli opened his mouth immediately to allow Ozzie to place the gag in his mouth, wrapping it around his head it was just like the harness you’d see reindeer or hell steeds’ wear. Satisfied Asmodeus returned to his position behind Fizzarolli, sliding his fingers over the tail plug down to Fizz’s folds where he pressed them into him once more. Asmodeus rubbed against Fizz’s G-spot with every thrust of his fingers making the imp whimper past the gag in his mouth, juices drooling from both his cunt as well as his cock while his hands fisted in the sheets. Pulling his fingers free Asmodeus licked the delectable juices from them then bent down to replace them with his tongue, wriggling it all along Fizz’s insides as he thrust along his G-spot again until Fizz shrieked, body going ridged as he squirted straight into Ozzie’s mouth. Asmodeus promptly engulfed Fizz’s vagina with his mouth, sucking with his tongue still firmly wiggling around inside the imp causing him to squirm, caught between wanting to escape and wanting more. Fizz was just on the edge of a second orgasm when Asmodeus pulled away, snapping his fingers to discard his clothing allowing him to moments later press the head of his cock to Fizz’s folds. The imp chanted a mantra of yes’s from behind the gag as Asmodeus pressed into him luckily Fizz didn’t have a womb thus a condom wasn’t necessary, and the imp could live out his breeding kink fantasies all he wanted.

Asmodeus set up a quick, deep rhythm making sure to pull almost all the way out before slamming back into Fizz with each thrust causing the imp to pant and grunt. Grabbing the reins that connected to the gag Asmodeus pulled on them forcing Fizz’s head to crane backwards slightly, his pace getting faster as the sin neared his completion. Fizz’s hands clenched in the sheets with a whimpering cry as Asmodeus orgasmed, filling Fizz to bursting with his cum before pulling out.

“You wanted to be bred Fizzy, make sure you keep that cum inside you,” Asmodeus whispered into Fizz’s ear making him moan as he clenched his cunt.

Ozzie pulled on the reins to get Fizz up on his knees then reached around to start stroking the imp’s cock, holding nothing back as he brought fizz to his second orgasm this time cum spewed from his cock and his eyes rolled back in his head. Fizz was a cum covered mess, cum ran down the shaft of his cock while it seeped from his cunt at the same time. Asmodeus maneuvered Fizz onto his back again, removing the gag then he reached down to pull out the plug in Fizz’s ass, rubbing his still hard cock along Fizz’s hole.

“I should fill this hole too just in case,” Asmodeus crooned, slicking Fizz’s hole with the cum currently spilling from his vagina before pressing into him.

“Ah! Fuck! Yes, yes, breed me! Breed your little cum slut,” Fizz demanded.

Asmodeus chuckled as he pressed to the hilt then pulled back out about halfway, slamming back into Fizzarolli who groaned in ecstasy. Ozzie set a brutal pace this time bringing them both to the edge quicker then either expected causing Fizz to shriek in surprise as he came for the third time, cum spilling from his cock as well as squirting juices from his pussy. Asmodeus buried himself deep in the imp as he too spilled cum all along Fizz’s insides promptly filling him to an overflowing capacity as cum now leaked from Fizz’s ass as well as his pussy and cock. Both the sin and the imp sat for a few moments catching their breath, indulging in some warm cuddling and soft kissing until Asmodeus scooped the imp up to carry him into the bathroom. After a relaxing bath the two returned to a spotlessly clean room where they snuggled under the covers with Fizz atop Ozzie’s chest, purring happily.     

[xtruss]

The 9 Biggest and Best Kitchen Trends Now, According to Interior Design Pros

Interior designers share the latest kitchen styles—from exposed beams to ‘secret’ pantry doors and granite countertops (yes, they’re back!). Plus the trends that may be dating the most important room in your house.

— By Catherine Romano | February 21, 2025 | The Wall Street Journal (WSJ)

In her own kitchen, Ruth Webber, creative director at British tile brand Bert & May, opted for the company’s unpolished ceramics in a pale terra cotta. Photo: Kev Hiscoe

The steady drift away from lab-like kitchens continues, and the pendulum has swung toward decidedly organic colors. So concur many of the hundreds of pros who helped us identify today’s most in-demand kitchen-design trends. Beiges, soft browns and even dark wood, long considered dated, have crept back into vogue. “Mixed with more contemporary furniture and lighting, these finishes feel fresh and create spaces that are very intimate,” said New York designer Jennifer Weisberg.

Conclusively Out: A perfectionist vibe, which Tami O’Malley, a designer in St. Charles, Ill., notes “is being replaced by authentic, cozy spaces.”

Here, The Nine Kitchen-Design Styles Designers Deem Current, And The Looks That Have Seen Their Days Come And Go:

IN: Visible Means of Support

Photo: Haris Kenjar

“The use of ceiling beams, whether original or decorative, has likely become popular because they add warmth, texture and architectural interest,” said Sean Anderson, a designer in Memphis, Tenn. Anderson added struts to this kitchen in the Tribeca area of Manhattan as a nod to the neighborhood’s former industrial character.

OUT: Ceilings pocked with recessed down lights.

IN: Big Range Hoods That Blend In

Photo: Matt Kisiday

Marita Simmons, of Minneapolis’s Kipling House Interiors, says designers are establishing “cooking zones” by insetting the range and two flanking cabinets. “This allows for a large hood, with broad ventilation, to span the width of the niche and feel more integrated with the architecture.”

OUT: Strapped and riveted vents hanging from the wall like errant treasure chests.

IN: Earthy Neutrals

Photo: Beth Davis

Designers see a move toward organic tones such as terracotta and sand, “which bring a natural warmth to a kitchen,” said Ruth Webber. The creative director at British tile brand Bert & May clad this kitchen, her own, in the company’s Medina Raw Bejmat style.

OUT: Bright whites and grays with blue undertones, says Webber.

IN: Fabric Panels

Photo: Christian Torres

Julia Miller of Yond Interiors in Minneapolis predicts we’ll see more curtain-backed glass cabinet fronts, like those Brooklyn designer Jenna Chused included in this design for New York cabinet company Isla Porter. The fabric “transforms cabinetry into what feels more like furniture,” she said.

OUT: “There will always be a time and place for the iconic shaker-style cabinet,” said interior designer Athena Calderone, “but it’s really time to move on.”

IN: Long, Sculptural Island Lights

Photo: Arhaus

Designers are dangling a single, horizontal fixture, like this Remming Linear Chandelier from Arhaus, over kitchen islands. “I appreciate the uniform and consistent light [a long pendant] provides across the work surface,” said Arlington, Va., designer Erin Myers. New York pro Clive Lonstein has turned to these lengthy chandeliers for Manhattan projects where he sought a minimalist approach.

OUT: Said Toronto designer Sam Sacks, “The industry is moving away from the stereotypical arrangement of three pendants over a kitchen island, especially paired with a line of kitchen stools.”

IN: Wooden Hardware

Photo: Haris Kenjar

Though some pros still opt for spiffy metal pulls for drawers and cabinets—“the jewelry of the kitchen”—others are turning to timber details like the OH Knobs by Spanish brand Viefe. Anderson, who chose large-scale oak appliance pulls in the kitchen above, appreciates their amiable interaction with other natural components in the room, such as the stained cabinetry and reclaimed beams.

OUT: Bin pulls. Your kitchen isn’t Old Doc Wilson’s apothecary and feed store.

IN: Gleaming, Airy Bistro Racks

Photo: Carina Skrobecki

“We will continue to see wall cabinets replaced with open French shelving,” said Cyndy Cantley, a kitchen designer in Birmingham, Ala. Seattle interior designer Jessica Nelson deployed this particularly chic set because it doesn’t block the wall’s green tile, and the glass and brass shelving “really packs a visual punch.”

OUT: “We are moving on from the heavily veined marble backsplash with accompanying floating marble shelf,” said Calderone.

IN: Chicly Camouflaged Storage

In her own kitchen in Edina, Minn., designer Marita Simmons hid a pantry behind a cabinetry-like door. Photo: Matt Kisiday

Design pros such as Maria Zoe Vassiliou are tucking store rooms behind jib doors. “They make the entire kitchen feel cohesive,” said the Shrewsbury, N.J., designer. Simmons similarly disguised the entrance to a dry-goods pantry in her own kitchen, above, noting, “Everyone loves the surprise when they push on the cabinetry face to discover the hidden room.”

OUT: Everything, everywhere and in plain sight.

IN: Impervious Stone

Photo: Christopher Horwood

Angelica Squire sees hardy and robust granite returning to countertops. “A honed, matte finish steers clear of the 1980s look,” said the co-founder of London’s Studio Squire. In this cottage kitchen, the designer installed tumbled black granite, slightly rougher and more rustic than honed: “It’s a goody, with its slatelike appearance and bombproof attributes,” she said.

OUT: Dazzling, shiny but impractical marbles that cooking basics such as lemon juice can easily stain, says Squire.

[driftwork]

exiles - [1] an exiled old woman enters a room in hotel des'pirt on the 10th floor and [2] a younger woman leaves the hotel...

An old woman enters a hotel room

Long after the singularity, living deep inside the change. Predictably nobody noticed. Mostly the change was unnoticed...

Either way we arrived the early evening, booked into the hotel. Left the luggage in the room, and went down to the mezzanie restaurant and ate a last meal, I drank some white wine. [edit] [edit] [edit]

The front door, is covered in a matte finish pale wood eneer, it opens into a hallway of about 4 metres by 1.5 metres, on the left is a small unused kitchen, a minbar with  in a pale wood casing and shelves with some glasses and cups. On the right a wooden wall with a magazine and bookrack, shoe rack and luggage store. At the end of the kitchen is the bathroom and shower. The glass wall turns opaque when you enter the bathroom.  The room itself is about 8 metres by 8 metres. The floor is covered in machined wood with oak veneer. The walls are covered in a grey green grass patterned paper. A pale wood picture rail and band runs around the room at about 2.5 metres above the floor. A few abstract pictures are standing on the band. There is an inscription in hand written Kanji script, in a nice hand, in pale grey. I looked at it and wondered why I could not decipher it. A magical inscription perhaps. There is a table and a closet  standing against the wall, a luggage rack as well. All in the same pale wood colour, varnished in a gloss finish. There is a grey anglepoise lamp with brass springs and bolts, on the table. A power strip with plugs and USB and USB/C power outlets. There is a large mirror with bevelled glass and orange surround placed on the wall above above  above the desk.[edit] I remember studying my face in the mirror but have no idea how this was possible. It's a very nice mirror, I think, but how can I have looked at myself in the mirror ? Some mirrors reflect a cruel and dangerous image, he said, looking at his wet face in the the reflection. Under the desk a solid looking grey plastic wastepaper basket. Facing me, almost the entire external wall is taken up by the clear glass window, it faces south-west, the lower half has a blind that rises from the floor to about a metre, the top half by another matching charcoal blind.  The hotel is located in the west side of the city, it's 125 to 150 metres or more  in height, we are on the twentieth floor. The window looks out over the city. Most of the buildings are lower than this. Photons from the city lights illuminate the ceiling of the bedroom. On the other side of the room a large double bed, covered with a green, white and black duvet, in a restful pattern that it seems wrong to describe like the headboard itself which is I think grey or perhaps brown. With matching bedside cabinets or tables. Sealed bottles of water on the top. They both have drawers  and reading lamps. Our phones are plugged into white cables, ear pieces charging beside them. It's the last hotel room we will ever be in.

{[open] [It's a simple story really, he had been her, she had been his, she had had him for decades, they decided to go together, they had gone out together, they had gone to bed together,  for longer than you have been alive, they had  been together a,  all this happened tomorrow. for her another was impossible,  she simply had not had for anyone else, that the other ones had died, so he had become her other, he had still not had anyone else no other,  that had not mattered to him, so they had remained, it did them good, it did them no good. as the terminal illness developed, the other wondered if she could live without him, too old she thought,  he has not yet ceased to be, her is her, he is with her, she is with him, she is him, perhaps others would  want something more, perhaps others have times for her and him, they don't, it is quite this.

she listens and regrets,  wonders  how it would have been if he hadn't been the one, lonely she thinks, and what if there had been another?  would he be hers again when they reincarnated? she smiles at his face i still have that thought about reincarnation she thinks. would she be his if he were to ask again she wonders,  would they be together again if her were to pull her backwards again,   would everything  she wonders begin again just again, probably he says, i hurt, i'm sorry, one of them could have vanished been sacrificed exiled fallen been killed, a simple story, couldn't it have been simpler still, still simpler? A love story she knows. ] [Close]}

His breathing is a little laboured. His lungs do not work properly any longer. The painkillers are wearing off. I'm sorry he says from the bed. I never expected it to end like this. It's all right. I let the sentences with there intense meanings, and crucially true cross the room. I;m sorry, he says again, I wish we could have lived differently, more banally, ordinary. I think he was hallucinating.  We couldn't. I culdn't, you couldn't, I said to him, holding his hand now. The universe allowed us to have children, grand children, friends, love.  He still looked grey, colour would never return to his terminally ill face. It's been a good life. Better than I deserved or could even imagine having. I regret nothing. I told him. He was feeling warm under my fingers. I have been happier than  I could have imagined when we first met. He says. So we are sitting in the hotel room, saying our goodbyes. I took off my clothes, closed the blinds put on a teeshirt. I put the drugs in their aluminium case, on the side table... we were both about, actually, no our age doesn't matter, suffice it to say we were both old old older than anyone. Descartes wold have been proud. Our children were not young anymore. I put the endnotes, the letters on the table. It hurts, he said. I know. I lay down on the bed and held him. The painkillers were completely worn off.  I injected him and then a few minutes later myself. It takes about 15 minutes to lose consciousness and die. I wrapped myself around his old and lovely body. That's so nice, he said. It's been lovely. It has, I told him. Amused at how romantic we sound. He died in my arms I could feel him stop and then felt myself stop me. It was selfish I know to die in the hotel. Two old old people unable to imagine living without the other. [edit]

exiles - [2] A young woman leaves the hotel

{edit] [edit] [edit] Ping. Ping. I'm awake, listening to the building, it sounds different, Ping, Wake up, ping, phil says. It is midsummer and I am, it is listening to the sounds of the hotel at night. The lift, people in the corridor, the unbearable soft hiss  of the air conditioning, laughter of people heading towards their rooms for sleep or sex, outside its noisy, music from suite to the side and the light from the always light corridor does not get through the solid fire door.  The room is almost identical to the room we entered. Almost a mirror image.

Wake up,  phil had said. What is it? I'm awake already. Get up, look out the window at the drone. Why ? she asked, I asked, it asked. I feel stiff. hot. weak. another room of the hotel, you were 82 years old, and whilst you were still beautiful, graceful and desirable. You left a note on the door for the hotel staff. They found you yesterday,  lying peacefully together, in the morning, having taken your lives, as you planned. Perhaps we can say you have vanished. He, in case you don't remember, had a terminal illness. I remember, I said. You cannot live without each other. Didn't want to, I said. I put on a teeshirt, it's shorter than I remember.. it has a picture of Mayakovsky wearing a hat and smoking a cigerette on her chest. I, She is standing in the window looking at her young hands in the moonlight. There is a tattoo of a dragon on her left arm, curling up and around her arm vanishing beneath the tee shirt and around her shoulder onto her back. I wonder how I know that. What the fuck? Why? What's this? she says in japanese.  We are sorry, phil says, but we need you to do something... I think I copied everything. Your taller. He's asleep. We'll need to speak soon. Wait a few minutes phil, just a few. I say to phil, she says, I say, it says. (should I speak of the shock? the surprise? no need you can imagine that) [edit] [edit]

In the middle of the night,  after 2AM and before  3AM.  She is standing in the window of the hotel room looking out at at the drone which is outside about twenty or thirty feet away. She, I have been watching the drone for a few minutes, and wondering how long it has been watching her.  In the quiet of the hotel. I can feel things sliding into place. Are you awake?  I ask him. Looking over my shoulder at him moving in the bed. So noisy, he says, how could I sleep through that. He sits up, puts his feet on the floor. Again? He says, again?  He is looking at the blue light from the ring on his young hands.  I am watching the  drone as it turns away and flies along the side of the hotel. What is it phil? Have we, I been edited? I asked. You may both have lost a few memories, unintentional, any questions you can ask me... What is it phil? He has turned on the bedside lamp and is looking at his young hands. The quantum ring glowing blue on his finger.  Why have you done this phil? We have been asked to stop a research project. To ensure another one takes place. We needed someone who could understand the issues,  and you have done it before,  phil said. That's a terrible argument, answer the question,  he said from the bed. I'm glad I'd miss you both, phil said. Look in the envelope.  Why us? I asked. Look in the envelope you'll understand that there is nobody else.

While he looks at the material, inspecting his passport, his new identity, everything a person needs to live this year, this decade, a black box of an identity. I watch from the window and then sit next to him looking at the black box. We look so young. He said to me. We are young. What are the pin numbers phil? Same for both of you 1968 or 196884, all real. He went to the bathroom, the sound of water running. I opened the envelope with my new identity, passport, licences, names, identifiers and codes.  There is a sheet of paper with details of my employment, our employment as precarious workers, contract workers for Hat. A meeting in London in two weeks. You are on holiday, you are newly employed permanent employees at Hat. House keys? The red set are for the warehouse apartment in London, I have an instance there. The car is parked there. There were train tickets inside the passport. I read the documents in the contract envelope. Seven days? that's quite short notice... Do you have details of the woman as well?  Yes.  If we miss we'll need them.

It's after 3AM when he comes out of the bathroom We have an early train to catch,  we should go soon.  I feel well again?, he asks. You are well, phil says.

Who are they? I asked phil now that he was back. They are scientists thinking things the universe does not approve of.  It cannot be allowed to become technology. Why not? It's a variant of Jevons paradox,  (an economic phenomenon) it occurs when technological progress increases the efficiency of resource use, this leads to increased consumption of the resource rather than reduced consumption, their work means planets and stars, eventually clusters will die. The universe is experimenting, with us, a homeopathic solution to its problem, phil said and stopped.  I could almost hear it sigh. It's ok phil, we understand this scenario. So is there anyone else? No one, phil replied. Just the three of us. It's  us and the Universe. Preventing the destruction of the planet with an asteroid. Preventing the destruction of stars.  We won't miss, I said.  We know.  It's lovely work but the Universe doesn't allow it. We are applying pressure to ensure that the Universe isn't harmed. We are applying  the laws of nature, a sentient species existing in this universe cannot be allowed to have that level of knowledge of the laws of nature. A natural contract, an experiment in homeopathy  to see if the species can exist knowing it must capitulate to the laws of nature, he said, to phil really but also to me. This law, we did not manifest itself before us, nobody could know about this before. Though it may not be an accident that Galileo ran into trouble with the church, that Bacon died from eating frozen chicken,  that our societies actively prevented women from studying science and technology, and Archimedes was killed by a drunken soldier. The law normally works by applying unbearable pressure on species, by extinction. We are the alternative approach.  Selectively  preventing some science from developing that would challenge the law of nature. For example this man, i tap the file with my finger, a child of his will enable matter to be removed from the universe,  it would enable devastating wars, extinctions, humans, moons, planets, suns, steller clusters vanishing from the universe... we will prevent this. Besides, phil said,  there is a billion years to go before this planet ends and there are better things to do than become extinct because of genocidal scientists, even if they don't understand what they are doing.

Does this mean the three of us and the universe against humanity and science? He said watching me get dressed. (It's my one skill, he said once, watching you get dressed and undressed. Well over 20,000 hours I told him.) Yes, phil said.   It used to be just the two of us, I said.  At least there are more of us now. I look young.  It's very romantic. We have lived together for about 90 years. For most of that we were agents for the law of nature. The idea of us being homeopathic agents protecting the universe pleases me. I wonder if we exist like this, in a hotel room across the multiverse. A multitude of Songs? I asked rhetorically. I would like that, he said.

We leave and stop off the mezzanie bar, seeing that it was open with a few late night customers, drank a shot of belvedere vodka and espresso. Charging it to the room. He is drinking the same. Eating some light food, poached eggs on toast and a small basket of chips. It's nice to see your young face again, i say to him. At our age the desire... I understand this is why he is standing slightly further away than he would have a few days ago. He looks slightly worried. I step closer to him, and allow my desire to be expressed with my hands, arms hugging him. I wonder what we look like. Song, he says, your name is Song.

Rather than the scientists we are the homeopathic solution to their searching for forbidden knowledge.

[joyner111]

How to create a cozy atmosphere with oak bedroom sets in your living room

To create a cozy atmosphere with oak bedroom sets in your living room, consider the following suggestions for wall color coordination:

White Background: White as a background color can cover 40-50% of the walls, interior doors, cabinet doors, and other main areas, creating a bright and comfortable atmosphere with oak bedroom sets.

Light Gray or Blue: For a fresh and natural feel, light gray or blue can be chosen as the wall color, which pairs well with oak bedroom sets.

Analogous Colors: oak bedroom sets tends to have a yellowish tone, so choosing wall colors in similar brown shades, such as light green, can create a soft and harmonious effect.

Complementary Colors: If you prefer a visually striking contrast, you can choose blue or purple for the wall color, which contrasts with the yellow tones of oak bedroom sets, adding visual impact.

Champagne Color: Suitable for larger homes, pairing with oak bedroom sets can appear luxurious, and it needs to be well-matched with lighting.

Beige and Brown: Warm and rich tones harmoniously combine with the bleached wood on the furniture front or floor. Here, you can achieve minimalist spaces and interiors full of contrasts.

Monochromatic White or Gray: Here, you can use off-white and cream-colored walls and warm choices of light oak, or add silver steel elements to the space in the spirit of Scandinavian country lofts.

Transitional Colors: When there is a significant difference between the floor and furniture colors, the wall color should transition between them, such as between dark, cool-toned floors and warm, light-toned furniture, where a gray-blue wall behind can make a good intermediate transition.

Black, White, and Gray as Base: Black, white, and gray as the background colors for walls and ceilings, with earth tones for the floor: white, black, gray, brown, yellow, falling on the furniture in nearby colors, such as wood, coffee, and tea.

By using these coordination techniques, you can create a cozy and harmonious environment with oak bedroom sets in your living room.

[seinterior]

Top 3 Sets Of Kitchen Interior Designs! – SE Interiors

When designing a kitchen, the style you choose sets the tone for the entire space. Here’s a look at some of the most popular types of kitchen interior designs, each offering a unique aesthetic and functionality. We are one of the leading Kitchen Interior Designer In Navi Mumbai, and today, in this blog, we will shed some light on the top 3 sets of kitchen interior designs.

1. Modern Kitchen Design

Clean Lines and Minimalism: Modern kitchens are characterized by sleek, clean lines, and a minimalist approach. Cabinets often feature flat fronts with little to no ornamentation, and color schemes tend to be neutral, with whites, grays, and blacks being common.

High-Tech Appliances: Modern kitchens often incorporate the latest in technology, including smart appliances, induction cooktops, and built-in ovens. These kitchens are designed for efficiency and ease of use.

Materials: High-gloss finishes, stainless steel, glass, and engineered quartz are popular material choices, giving the kitchen a polished and contemporary look.

2. Traditional Kitchen Design

Classic Elegance: These kitchens are warm, inviting feel, with a focus on timeless design elements. It usually has features like decorative moldings, raised-panel cabinets, and ornate hardware.

Rich Materials: Wood is a staple in traditional kitchens, with cabinets often made from oak, cherry, or maple. Countertops might be granite or marble, adding to the luxurious feel.

Details: Traditional kitchens often incorporate elements like crown molding, decorative corbels, and glass-front cabinets. The color palette tends to be warm, with shades of cream, brown, and deep reds or greens.

3. Contemporary Kitchen Design

Flexible and Evolving: Contemporary kitchens are similar to modern kitchens but are more fluid and can incorporate elements from other styles. They focus on current trends and innovations while maintaining a clean, uncluttered appearance.

Open Spaces: These kitchens often feature open layouts, with a focus on creating a seamless flow between cooking, dining, and living areas.

Materials and Colors: Contemporary kitchens may use a mix of materials, such as natural stone, wood, and metal. Bold color choices are common, along with the use of contrasting materials.

There are several other types of kitchen designs from which you can choose with the help of Interior Designer In Vashi.

Credit:- https://seinterior01.blogspot.com/2024/08/top-3-sets-of-kitchen-interior-designs-se-interiors.html

[elysh-k-letters]

Snippet from Joan (Chapter 17)

“Kath, I’m home!” Joan called, the apartment door closing with a thud I could hear from the other room.

Quickly followed by the sound of her key-chain, overfilled with countless keys and colourful charms, jingling as she hung on the hook in the entryway. I closed the case over the typewriter my parents bought me as a graduation present. After the ceremony in the stuffy school hall they took me to pick it out. They followed me into the dilapidated theatre in our hometown transformed into a bazaar of eclectic items where I found it. Leaving my desk covered in scattered paper held down by mismatched paperweights, ceramic mug holding long-forgotten coffee and the lamp still switched. Through the open door of my bedroom, I greeted her with a smile as she unzipped her boots. Long brown leather, she placed them next to my own lined in a row before the door. “Hey, how was it?” I asked, leaning against the door-frame. Joan shrugged off her tan coat, hanging it next to my leather jacket on the rack between the front door and where I stood. She made an unimpressed sound. “The lecturer is a bit of a bore. But I do love Raphaelites,” she responded. Still standing in the entryway, her hip was cocked as she threw her hands around animatedly. “Which theatre was it?” I rested the side of my head to the door-frame. As always, trying to map out her life in my mind. “Just behind the library,” Joan supplied because she knew exactly what I was doing. She struggled to remove her fingers from her grey gloves, opal ring catching in the wool. “Oh, the ceiling is very pretty in that one.” I said when I pieced it together. Joan smiled at my comment. Finally finished shedding her winter clothes, she brushed her hand over my shoulder as she made her way into our tiny kitchen. All oak cabinets with a large ceramic sink in the corner. A house plant wilted slightly on the corner of the bench propped up by a stack of old books. “Only, you would find a ceiling more interesting than the coursework Kath.” The smile was evident in her voice even with her face obscured by the cupboard she was rustling through. A matching pair of comically large mugs she unearthed from within, we had found them in an nearby op-shop. She set them down on the counter before reaching for the kettle. I finally my spot, following her I grabbed the box of teabags we kept on the third shelf of the pantry. “It’s not my fault that my professor is in love with Austen,” I defended, “if I have to sit through one more lecture on her, I’ll… I’ll probably just fall asleep.” I rolled my eyes at the thought, my back to Joan. She had fallen silent. Something familiar twisted in my gut. I whipped back around, the pantry cupboard closing sharply. “Joan?” She was standing in the middle of the kitchen, looking back at me with that smile I had only see a handful a time. A smile born in that old bed…in the final year of her life. Something cold seeped into my cotton socks. Flinching, I lowered my head. Muddy creek water dripped on the floorboards…

Once again, behind in my writing goals. I've done something dramatic to my knee so my soccer "career" is on pause for now--hopefully that means I can make some progress. This is from my project Joan. Once I have finally finished this third draft I will be seeking beta readers/critique partners for if anyone is interested in helping out! Thanks.