#but yeah. someone please be on my wavelength here

[transmascxielian]

hey. hey. is this xie lian. hear me out

specifically with thoughts towards mu qing and feng xin. getting older and mature and accepting what you used to be and what you are now

[0nlythrowharrybeaux]

With Discretion - Part 2 **

Part 2 is here! We'll get to learn more about Harry's side of things and be exposed to a bit more of the mess Caleb is in, and of course...the reconnection of Y/N & Harry! I hope you guys like it! I think there will be a 3rd/final part to this fic:) Read Part 1 HERE & find my masterlist HERE.

Warnings: verbal argument, dirty talk, oral (f-receiving), hand job, p in v (unprotected), creampie, breast play, infidelity,

WC: 14.2K

… SIX MONTHS AGO …

When Harry saw your smiling face at the bar, asking him about some fictional business trip to Tokyo, his lips involuntarily turned up in a smile. He hadn’t forgotten about you because you had dropped a huge bomb on him when you revealed to him that his CFO was married. He didn’t care too much about his employees’ personal lives, but after learning that he started to notice how big of a flirt he was around the office. Those observations then led to him dedicating the occasional thought to you and how you might be fairing. He was pleased to see that you seemed to be doing well.

But there was also a part of him that felt sad for you . He thought that perhaps the knowledge of yet another lie Caleb had told you would weigh heavily on you and surely break you but he was surprised that as the night carried on you were the most composed out of your friends. You didn’t seem like you were upset in the slightest even as you drank, which was what usually drew the emotions out of people. You were having fun and singing and dancing, talking with everyone as if your life was a dream. Harry wanted to get in your head and see for himself what it was that you were thinking; he couldn’t stop looking at you…you were too beautiful to not draw his gaze so he kept looking until you were looking back just as much. And after an hour he was planted beside you, talking to you and flirting a bit and it didn’t seem to bother you. You were flirting back and he was having a lot of fun getting to know you. You were smart and kind and so much fun to be around! 

What he was enjoying the most was that you seemed to be on the same wavelength internally and that was rare for him to find. Harry was great at connecting with people on the surface, but it was special for him to meet someone who made him feel like they got him. And you seemed to get him really well, he could feel this pull…an attraction that he hadn’t felt to another person in far too long, and it was electrifying and it was keeping him on his toes. He knew that there was nothing he could do to fix your situation with Caleb, but he wanted to go out of his way and shower you with kindness and chivalry while he could and maybe something in your head would click and make you leave that sorry son of a bitch, Caleb. “Harry?” You said as you came up to him.

“Yeah?” He asked, placing a hand at the middle of your back as he leaned his ear down to your mouth.

“I think I’m gonna head out. Cecilia is way too drunk, I want to get her back to the hotel before she blacks out on me somewhere and I can’t do anything about it.” You explained, “But thank you for including us tonight, it was so kind of you!”

“S’not a problem! And look, I have a car waiting around the block, I can help you take Cecilia to her hotel. Are you also staying there?”

“Yeah, we all are! But don’t worry about it! Stay and enjoy, have fun!” You assured him.

“Don’t know how much fun I can have after you’re gone, love.” He flirted and you smiled bashfully and looked away for a moment.

“Sure, sure…”

“I’m serious and also about taking you guys! I’ll feel better knowing I left you both safe and sound, alright? Please, s’no bother at all.” He said over the music and you sighed.

“OK, alright. I really do appreciate it, Harry.” You said with gratitude drenching your expression.

“Not a problem. Alright, let’s get to it.” He said as you started to get your things together.

Of course, there was a bit of traffic, even at 1am, and he watched as you ran your fingers through the top of your friend’s hair before gently massaging her scalp after she had laid down in your lap. He wanted to feel you like that; to be close to you and to smell your perfume and feel your fingers in his hair as he dozed off. 

He continued talking to you, this time asking if you worked or if you had any projects you did in your spare time. And well, he learned that you ran your own event planning company, you had two masters degrees, one in Business Strategy & Leadership and the other in Finance & Accounting. You also enjoyed music, cooking, swimming, and traveling. Between the two of you, you had a lot in common, talking made the drive go by way too soon. But when you arrived at the hotel you two were in stitches as you tried to get Cecilia out of the car. 

“I wonder if they have a wheelchair? Or maybe they’ll let us use one of the little luggage carts the bell boys use?” You asked through your laughter and he sputtered out a laugh.

“Unlikely. I ummm, I’m positive I can carry her.” He said to you.

“Oh my god, no. You’ve done more than enough tonight, Harry-”

“Just let me show off a bit, alright Y/N?” He teased and you giggled.

“Don’t think you need to carry Ceclia for that, but alright…” you smirked and he chuckled. 

He was careful as he pulled her out of the car and well, he asked you to ensure the skirt of her dress wasn’t ridden up before you made your way inside. He noticed how friendly you were with the staff as well and that put a another good feeling about you in his chest. He wanted to know…to understand… to be able to rationalize Cal’s infidelity because from everything he had seen so far you were an angel in the flesh. Sure, some people were totally fake and had this dark side hidden within them. He’d fallen victim to that since he was young because of his family’s money and well, now his own money, so he could tell those people apart with ease now and if you were one of them he was none the wiser. 

Before he knew it you guys were in the lift and you were looking through your friend’s bag for her room key. You looked relieved to find it and then shared a story about how one time in university the “responsible friend” was given the room key but lost her purse at some bar, so you all had to wait to get a replacement at the front desk. However, they had all been quite drunk so it complicated a fairly simple plan and a few of them ended up blacked out in the hallway and you and another girl had to drag them into the room when you got the replacement key.

“Are you the put-together friend, then?” Harry asked and you giggled.

“After my undergrad, yes.” You said and he chuckled.

“Why’s that?”

“Well, I was the only one who was going to grad school. I got into the Marshall School of Business on a really good scholarship, I couldn’t do anything to risk losing that. I had to have my wits about me at all times. The USC network is just so extensive, especially in LA, so I would probably run into another alumnus randomly at a taco bell at midnight. They’re very gossipy as well so while in school it’s good to just be on your best behavior.” You explained to him. 

But soon enough you were leaving Cecilia in her room and he just wasn’t ready to leave you yet. So he offered to take you up to your room. Yeah, he’d been thinking about possibly kissing you or more throughout the night because there was chemistry between the two of you. The electricity was buzzing and he wanted so badly to see what would come of all of that attraction in an intimate setting, but you were married…to his CFO nonetheless! And well, he just had to ask you about what the deal was between you and Caleb. And he was shocked to learn that you’d been married to him for seven years though because Caleb had never once mentioned a wife and had always brought other dates around for parties or work outings and he felt angry at Caleb now. He wanted to tell you that this one affair wasn’t the only one, but that wasn’t his business to share. But it was shocking to him…he didn’t know how you kept your composure when you knew about his infidelity…he mentioned something about getting revenge on Caleb and he got a bit worried when your expression changed, maybe he had pushed you too far? And he was awaiting your response.

“I mean…thankfully, I don’t think I need that validation from anyone else.” You explained. Harry’s lips turned up in a smile as soon as he heard the words leaving your mouth, “I know who I am and I am happy with who I am, in every way. And not to sound arrogant, but I know what I bring to the table as a partner and if that’s not enough for someone then… their loss.” You said with ease.

Harry was absolutely blown away. He felt like his world had come to a screeching halt at your response. If he didn’t already like you before, he did a whole heck of a lot more now. He’d never met a person more put together than you and it was like a breath of fresh air. He had done a lot of challenging and painful work on himself in therapy, so he often found that most people lacked in self-worth or had no self-awareness, but you did. You were at his level mentally and emotionally and in truth, he had struggled finding partners because there was never really anyone out there who seemed to be on his level as well. If you’d been on a date he would’ve proposed to you then and there. 

“You’re absolutely extraordinary.” He said without a single hint of inhibition. 

And well, next thing he knew you were kissing ardently and then he was making you come over and over, showing you exactly how you deserved to be loved on. He was showing you how he would love on you if he were your man. And just getting to sink into you…he hadn’t had an experience that pleasurable in years. He was infatuated with your body and how it reacted to his. He wanted to ask you what felt good because he needed to make sure that he was doing exactly what you liked so that you could get off with intent. And hearing his name dripping from your beautiful lips was otherworldly. Everything about you was perfect and he made sure that he was treating you as such. You definitely needed the fuck, but you needed his tenderness and romancing just a little bit more. You needed to feel appreciated and seen above all else and he was going to give that to you while it was his chance to. Because as much as he was enamored with every part of you and longed to get lost in you, he knew that this was a first and last. A mere fluke of luck in his insignificant existence on this earth.

After everything he did to you, you had passed out almost immediately after he had cleaned you up. You were tucked safely into his side, cheek smushed against his brawny chest. His right leg was tucked securely in-between yours and his hand was smoothing up and down your lower back and just a bit of your bum. He couldn’t sleep without experiencing you like this for a bit. He wanted to see your soft and delicate features up close without alarming you in anyway. He wanted to get to smell you long enough to figure out what that perfume you were wearing was. He wanted to imprint in his memory what your skin felt like bare against his. 

Harry was infatuated in a way he hadn’t been since he was 12 years old! He used to get sick to his stomach with adoration for another person and he felt it now, that everything was stirring up inside of him. He’d always felt things very deeply, but he hadn’t felt something so big in quite a while. It could be overwhelming to feel so much, to be so vulnerable all the time, he’d been hurt so often in his youth due to the heart he so proudly wore on his sleeve. So he learned to toughen up, mastered stoicism, and became the level-headed tycoon he was today. He taught himself discipline, routine, predictability…so that he wouldn’t ever be caught off guard again. But then, there’s always someone who’s just so perfectly honey-sweet that they get through the cracks. And you were exactly that. Even after your first meeting he thought of you often…another pretty picture that lived in the gallery of faces in his brain. But yours always stood out. He did hope he’d see you again, and it seemed that fate was on his side because there you were resting safely, with total trust in his arms…

The stoicism returned the following day because he didn’t want to risk perhaps being a toy in a game between you and Caleb…because if you asked he would be there for you again however you wanted him. He’d be at your beck and call if it’s what you wanted. But even still, you were kind and assured him that he was right, that this couldn’t happen again and that was that.

…ONE WEEK AGO …

  Harry had imagined that it would be a while before the impression you’d left on him would fully wear off…that he’d stop fantasizing about you eventually…but here he was, six months later and feeling his irritation swelling as he watched Caleb flirting a bit with Tamika, his intern. Tamika was great. She was the top undergraduate business student at NYU. And yes, Tamika was a beautiful young woman, but he had boundaries unlike some people, and she was also gay. Maybe Cal didn’t know that, or perhaps he didn’t care…after his encounters with Y/N he started to realize just how much of a flirt he was. But as long as people weren’t complaining or Cal wasn’t wreaking havoc amongst his employees there was nothing Harry could really reprimand him about and that kind of pissed him off.

“You’re crazy, Cal!” Tamika laughed as she came up to his office door and opened it up the rest of the way, “Give me just a second and then I’ll leave you guys to it.” She assured him. “Harry, Dr. Dopico’s assistant called, her meetings are running about an hour late. I called Dean Sundaram and he said he’s flexible to what you decide. So do you want me to push your dinner plans or reschedule the meeting with NYU?” She asked him.

“Depends on what Caleb’s here to tell me…” Harry said as he smiled at Cal. He had been working on landing this potentially huge account that would be the thing that pushed him into billionaire status by the end of the year. There was some suspense in the air, but when Caleb started to grin, Harry chuckled knowingly.

“We got it.” Caleb confirmed and Harry was elated. Tamika was screaming, jumping up and down because she had been involved in the investment proposal writing and service planning that was presented to this client. This was huge for her resume and CV for grad school. Harry liked hiring students because he felt it was important for them to really apply what they learned in class, like he had. His dad was a beast in business and now Harry was too and he wanted to give others the same opportunities to learn and grow in a real world setting. But more importantly, being a billionaire would help him to launch forth tons of charitable and educational projects around the globe, like the one he was meeting Dr. Dopico for. He wanted to do more and be able to help more people and now, he could do it at a scale that actually made a difference.They all hugged briefly in celebration of what this meant for each of them.

“I’ll push your dinner reservations and update your talking points for the meeting with Dr. Dopico.” Tamika said before hurrying out of his office. 

“Excellent job, Caleb! This is great news.” Harry was beaming despite his internal irritation towards his CFO. And then his smile dropped a bit as he wondered if Caleb would be sharing his big news with you tonight or someone else?

“Man, we all put in our piece. I’m glad we understood the client and them us, that’s what it came down to.” He smiled happily.

“Great work leading the team for this account though…ummm, I know I’m more reserved at work but I think this calls for a celebration with the team that made this possible.” Harry said, as his mind shot back to you. He wanted to see you.

“Oh no Harry, don’t worry about that-”

“No please, I insist! This is huge, I just want to properly thank you all for your dedication. Nothing wild, just a dinner? A nice formal one at my home up in Quogue, we can do it there. Everyone can bring a date and I mean, as you know, I have plenty of guest rooms if anyone gets a little too drunk, there’s room for everyone.” He said and Caleb smiled.

“If you’re really up for it I’m sure the team would really go for it.” Caleb assured.

“Cool. I’ll get something together tonight and send you guys an invitation. Plan for next Saturday, alright?” He said.

“Sounds good, thanks Harry.” Caleb said before heading out.

… PRESENT DAY …

Harry wanted to see you again, that’s why he had planned this dinner. He knew that the chances of Caleb bringing you tonight were next to none, but he just needed to take the shot in the dark because he was losing his mind thinking about you and not knowing. And maybe seeing you on your husband’s arm would be the thing to snap him out of this infatuation he had over you. Harry was a bit nervous as he had just run off for a moment to make a quick phone call to his dad that he’d been putting off for the last hour since he was awaiting Caleb’s arrival. He hoped to God he didn’t miss you making your entrance if Cal did bring you along.

“Yes dad, we have exclusivity. Alright…yes, bye.” Harry mumbled and hung up before shutting off his phone, no more work, he deserved to celebrate tonight.

“Mr. Hargrove has arrived.” Gerard came up to him informing him, like Harry had requested he do earlier.

“Oh, wonderful! Ummm…did he… bring anyone with him?” Harry asked and Gerard nodded, “Anyone you recognized?”

“No, but ummm, sir. He’s…married? He’s brought his wife.” He said and Harry couldn’t even suppress his smile.

“Are you sure?” He asked he asked with a pounding heart.

“Yes. He introduced her as such.” Gerard shrugged.

“Was she the most effortlessly beautiful woman you’d ever seen?” Harry asked, twinkles of adoration were already visible in his eyes.

“I couldn’t say…the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen is my wife.” He said and Harry grinned.

“That’s really good, mate.” 

“Thank you, sir.” Gerard smiled timidly.

“Alright, I’ll go say hello.” Harry said and headed back to the large, bright dining room. He tried to be slow about it so that he could spot you first but you weren’t there. But he did see Caleb lingering near the bar, his eyes fixed on something else. He was alone, so he decided to approach him first. “Cal!” He called out to Caleb, who then turned quickly and immediately smiled. “It’s great to see you.” Harry stated with a bright, charismatic smile as he extended his hand to shake Caleb’s.

“Hey, likewise! Thanks for having us over.” He said as he shook Harry’s hand quickly. Harry smiled a bit brighter as he pulled his hand back, he didn’t miss the detail of Caleb thanking him for having “us” over. Maybe you were here. 

Harry was about to respond when a bright color in his peripheral vision diverged his attention from Caleb; he turned in it’s direction and he swore that the earth stood still as he saw you descending into the dining area. You were a vision. Your beauty and confidence commanded the attention of the room, he swore everyone grew silent as you looked around with a kind smile on your lips, eyes darting around to find a familiar face. Finally your eyes met his and he was fighting against every instinct that made him want to rush over to you with a smile so wide it hurt.

Harry felt the air being stolen from his lungs at the sight of you in that gorgeous gown and the way it framed your body. You looked sensational and his fingers were itching to get to touch your skin again. He longed to trace all of the spots that were exposed on you with his lips, kissing at you delicately and with reverie. He had no idea how he would be able to not just stare at you all evening long, it would certainly be a challenge. He was already shaking off the sinful thoughts he was having of you as you approached.

“Ah, perfect timing!” Caleb’s voice called him back down to reality, “Harry, this is Y/N, my wife. Sweetheart, this is Harry Styles, CEO of the firm.” Cal introduced you two. You were smiling up at him cooly, but he could see the sparkles in your eyes as they met his own once more. And oh…? Were you using the triangle method on him? Harry couldn’t help but gently bite down on his lip as his eyes glanced down to yours briefly.

“Mr. Styles, it’s wonderful to finally meet you.” You said to him as you extended your hand and he was gentle as he took your hand in his and gave it a shake.

“You as well, Y/N. Call me Harry, I insist.” He said with what he imagined was a polite smile, but to you he looked like a kid who was trying too hard to keep a secret to themselves. You wanted to hug him and it was almost cruel to have to pretend like you didn’t know of each other.

“Alright. Thank you, Harry.” You said and he smiled and nodded.

“Can I offer you guys a drink?” He asked and you were the first to nod.

“Please.” You said quietly, but with zeal.

*********

You nearly had a cardiac event when you saw that Harry was already with Caleb when you walked in. You were hoping to at least have something to hang on to prior to interacting with Harry. It excited you that he was so excited to see you, or so it seemed! You were just as thrilled to see him, even just feeling the warmth of his hand in yours made you start to spark up from the inside out. Your throat suddenly felt dry and you needed a drink, so you were quick to accept when he offered to head to the bar. 

“What can I get you, Harry?” The man at the bar asked with a smile.

“Just a whisky highball for me-”

“Make it two, please.” You spoke up and he glanced to you with a small smile.

“2 whisky highballs and for you, sir?” He asked Caleb.

“A scotch, neat.”

“Coming right up.” The guy said and turned to start on their drinks.

“Well it’s good to meet some fellow whisky lovers.” Harry said, sparking up some conversation. 

“Right! I got lucky with this one! Usually women can’t handle whisky.” Cal added and you saw how Cal’s mildly sexist statement made Harry furrow his brows a bit.

“I don’t think it’s so much a sex thing, it’s just the flavor is definitely one to train your palate for. Everyone struggles with it a bit at first.” Harry said and you nodded in agreement. “I mean, in my experience, women handle their liquor far better than any men I know.” Harry added and you smiled.

“I have to agree with Harry. Don’t see too many women forgetting to be decent human beings after a drink or two.” You said and Harry chuckled, but you could feel Cal’s unamused glance on you for a moment. “Well anyway, your house is gorgeous, by the way. Can’t wait to see it in the daylight.” You complimented and he nodded.

“Oh, so you two plan on staying tonight?” Harry asked with an arch in his eyebrows, his eyes quickly finding yours until Cal spoke up.

“Yeah, we’re staying. I want to let loose tonight and I do not trust her driving my Quattroporte.” Cal chuckled and you let out a fake chuckle, but Harry didn’t miss as you rolled your eyes.

“Well I hope you’ll enjoy the stay. I mean, if you’re early risers, the sunrise is definitely something you don’t want to miss.” Harry said, his eyes meeting yours briefly. 

“Here is the scotch neat.” The bartender said and when Caleb leaned forward to grab his drink you and Harry smiled at each other briefly, “And the two whisky highballs.” He added, causing you both to turn and also reach for your drinks. You all took a moment to try your drinks and you hummed.

“This is excellent. Thank you so much.” You complimented the bar tender.

“Thank you, enjoy.” He said before turning around to clean his area a bit.

“Well, now I know who to invite to the whisky bars.” Harry said with a charming smile and Cal chuckled.

“Definitely! We do know some pretty great ones in the city, don’t we sweetheart?” He turned to you and you nodded.

“Yeah. Haven’t been in a while but I’m sure they’re still stand up places.” You assured.

“What do you mean? We just went right around easter!” Cal looked at you incredulously and you knew that wasn’t true because he hadn’t been around consistently until the summer.

“Maybe you’ve gone with someone else more recently.” You said to him and his eyebrows furrowed, “A client or a friend perhaps, we haven’t gone there together since…at least a year ago.” You pointed out and he frowned a bit.

“Oh, you’re right…yeah, I think I went with someone else. Sorry, sweets.” He said and you smiled and shook your head.

“S’alright. You deal with lots of people so the outings blur together, I’m sure.” You assured him and he chuckled and nodded.

“Yeah. Ummm, I’m gonna go to the bathroom real quick, can you hold this for me?” Caleb asked you and you nodded.

“Sure.”

“When I’m back I’ll introduce you to everyone else.” He assured before he excused himself to you and Harry and then hurried off. As soon as he was gone you put down Cal’s drink on the bar top as you felt the tension between you and Harry becoming palpable. You turned around to say something to him when another woman walked up to both of you.

“Excuse me, Harry?” She said and he turned his attention to the young woman who had walked up.

“Hey, Tamika! Glad you could make it!” He greeted her happily with a hug. She then proceeded to introduce her girlfriend, Giselle to Harry as well.

“This place is incredible, thank you so much for inviting us.” Giselle said and he nodded with a smile.

“Of course, happy to have you guys here! Ummm, let me also introduce you guys to Y/N, Cal is her husband.” He said and Tamika’s eyes widened.

“Oh wow! I didn’t know Cal had gotten married. Congratulations! I’m Tamika, this is my girlfriend, Giselle.” She greeted and you smiled.

“Oh yeah, thanks! Nice to meet you Tamika and Giselle.” You said, extending a hand to one and then the other.

“Tamika is my intern/assistant. She’s the top business student at NYU and she’s just finishing up her undergrad.” Harry bragged and you smiled.

“Oh wow, congrats! Are you thinking about grad school?” You asked Tamika, who nodded.

“Yeah! Applications are due soon and I’m just trying to narrow down my options.” She explained to you.

“You know Y/N, Tamika is interested in USC…” Harry mentioned to you with a small, suggestive grin and your eyebrows arched up.

“Are you really?” You asked as you turned back to her and she nodded.

“Yeah, but it’s so competitive so I’m keeping my options open.” She explained.

“Well I ummm, I actually went to Marshall for my MS degrees. So I have connections, I still keep in touch with a lot of the faculty there. I can certainly put in a good word for you if you decide to apply.”

“Wait. Are you serious?” She asked with shock in her eyes and Giselle was just as shocked.

“Completely serious! I mean, if Harry’s working with you I’m sure it shows a lot of promise and potential. USC would be lucky to have you.” You said with a smile.

“Yes, she’ll take any help you can give her. I’m going there so please anything to help us reunite!” Giselle cut in and you all chuckled.

“I’ll give you one of my business cards before you leave, that way you can reach out to me when you apply. I’m sure I can set up a little meet and greet with someone on the admissions board.” You said to her.

“Wow, yes I would love that. Thank you so much.”

“Yeah, of course. What about you Giselle?” You asked her and then she went on to explain that she was actually also going to USC but to the Thornton School of Music, it was her first semester. This gave them all something more to talk about before Cal returned. Caleb seemed to have good rapport with Tamika, which aided in allowing you and Harry to continue stealing glances of each other as they spoke. 

But soon enough Caleb was excusing you both from Harry’s side and taking you around introducing you to a few others. He wasn’t really flaunting you like he said he wanted to though, something was off with him. You couldn’t put your finger on it, but he seemed distracted even, leaving you to do most of the talking to his coworkers while he just darted his eyes around the room. It was hard to focus on the people you were meeting when you could feel Harry’s gaze burning into you from across the room. It was making it hard to focus on the people who kept asking you questions about yourself and trying to hide their surprise as Caleb introduced you as his wife. Obviously, you knew about Cal omitting this information from Harry and from Gerard earlier, but it was getting to you the more it happened.

“Hey Cal, nice to see you!”

“Hey Amir! Likewise.” He said shaking the man’s hand.

“Thanks. This is my son, Louay. He is interested in business so I brought him along to show him how we reap the rewards of it.” He chuckled, smiling at the young man with pride. “And who’s this lovely lady on your arm?” Amir asked and Cal turned to you for a moment.

“Uh, this is my wife, Y/N.” He said and you politely extended your hand out to him. But Amir’s eyes rounded out as his eyebrows arched up in surprise.

“Oh wow! I had no idea you were married!” He said with a bright smile and shook your hand. You felt Cal’s wary gaze on you but just continued smiling at Amir as you greeted him and then his son. But Cal knew you well enough to notice the anger and frustration that were radiating off of you. You made some small talk with Amir and Louay and were interrupted by one of the staff announcing that dinner was about to be served. You glanced towards the table and your eyes met Harry’s who quickly glanced at the seats nearest to where you were before looking back at you. He wanted to sit beside you…but how? Unless you or him sat in the middle…which just wasn’t going to work.

“Cal, project leader, come here man.” Harry called and Cal grabbed your hand and pulled you along. You bit your lip as you thought of something and then slipped your hand out of his and he turned around and your eyes met.

“What’s the matter?” He asked and you gave him a look of irritation.

“Why’re your coworkers so shocked to meet me, Cal?” He sighed.

“Not now, Y/N.” He said lowly, pleading eyes on yours as you crossed your arms stubbornly.

“I don’t want to sit beside you.” You said and he sighed.

“Fine.” He accepted before he turned around to walk the few feet to the table, but you sped ahead of him.

“You can sit beside him, Harry.” You said and then took a seat beside a woman named Andrea. She’d been a bit shy, but you felt better knowing Harry was beside you and Tamika was settling in across from you. As soon as he scooted his chair in you felt his thigh brushing up against yours; it was a tight fit around the table, so you were all a bit close. Your lips twitched up in a smile when he glanced at you quickly. He spread his legs further and you nudged at him a bit, trying to keep a straight face. Caleb was distracted talking to the person on his left and so Harry reached off to the side, as if he was going to grab his chair, but then you felt his fingers just graze the outside of your thigh. The slit on your dress leaving your skin exposed and available for him to touch. You let out a breathy giggle and his lips twitched up in a small grin. When you glanced up at him through your lashes he bit his lip for a second.

“I wish I could have you as my main course.” He whispered with a smirk and then placed his hands back on the tabletop. Your body tingled as a chill passed through you, you wished that you could touch him at the very least. Every now and again your thighs would brush, but he was mostly talking to Caleb and you were just focused on your food because if you looked at Harry you would end up doing something stupid in front of all these people.

When the first course was brought in you smiled excitedly at just how beautiful and delicious the starter looked. It was a miso citrus salad, your mouth watered at the fresh scent emanating from the dish. And then you felt a gaze on you and you quickly looked up and your eyes met with the girl sitting at Tamika’s left, as soon as your eyes met her gaze flitted off to something else. Over and over it was happening, you kept making awkward eye contact with her. Finally you got the chance to look at her while something else had her attention; you wanted to see if maybe you knew each other from somewhere. you observed the slightly pained look in her eyes and the small frown on her lips. So you followed her line of sight and stopped at Harry, but he was leaned down eating his food. And when you leaned back a bit and saw Cal mirroring this woman’s expression the realization hit you like a ton of bricks. That was her! His mistress. Suddenly you lost your grip on your fork and it clanked against the porcelain plate loudly several times, causing everyone to look at you. You blinked a few times and forced a smile.

“Sorry, butter fingers.” You excused and everyone chuckled before they resumed their previous actions. You look down at your plate of food and suddenly felt disgusted by the fish and vegetables that had been unbelievably appetizing just moments before. Harry cleared his throat and you turned to him.

“Are you alright?” He asked lowly

“I ummm…I think so. I just…” you started and then just shook your head, “Never mind.” You smiled and forced yourself to have a bit more food. Thankfully, there was a nice break between the main course and dessert and so you took that time to go to the room and grab a business card for Tamika from your purse. You were just putting your wallet away when you heard the bedroom door open. You had hoped it was Harry, but when you heard the door click shut behind you quietly you knew it was Caleb. 

“Are you upset at me?” His voice was soft and had a hint of caution to it.

“You’ve been seeing someone else and she’s here tonight, isn’t she?” You said instead as you turned around, hands on your hips. You just wanted to know how much there was to it. You were ready to face this right now.

“Y/N-”

“She’s the only person you haven’t introduced me to, but she keeps looking at me from across the table and I saw how you two looked at each other-”

“She didn’t know I was married.” He said immediately and a sardonic smile came onto your lips.

“No one did! Apparently.” You said with irritation as you threw your hands up in irritation and he came closer to you.

“Look, we can be rational about this-”

“I think I’m responding pretty rationally to this situation, Caleb. Everyone thinks we’re fucking newly weds when I’ve given almost a decade of my life to you! We’ve been married seven years and you’ve been hiding it from people for three years?! Do you have any idea how this makes me feel? Why did you even ask me come tonight?” You questioned him and his lips dropped into a small frown. 

Maybe you didn’t love him like before, but having to hear over and over that no one knew about you was embarrassing and it was shaking your confidence to some extent. Why had he hidden your marriage so vehemently from everyone? Was it really just to be able to fuck around or was he ashamed of you for some reason? The not knowing was clawing at you horribly.

“I’m sorry. I just like to keep my personal life as separate as possible from my work and-”

“OK, that’s complete bullshit! Why would you do something as personal as fucking a coworker if you wanted to keep the personal and professional separate?” You challenged his rationale and he ran his hand down his face, a physical sign of his stress weighing him down.

“Y/N, I don’t think this is the time and place to talk about this.” He said cooly.

“Then I’d like to leave so we can discuss this at home.” You said with finality.

“I don’t want to go yet, Y/N. And I know I’m in no position to ask this of you, but I’d like to get my thoughts together before we talk about this. It’s…it’s a lot.” He said and you rolled your lips together as you felt your eyes starting to well up a bit as your simmering anger started to reach its boiling point.

“Fine.” You said softly and just walked past him and out of the bedroom. 

You closed the door behind you and just took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly to calm down. You hated so much that you cried when you were angry, but the emotion was just not one you felt often enough to know how to deal with it properly. You squeezed your eyes shut for a second to will the frustration away, but you were absolutely humiliated. It was believable and even excusable for Harry not to have known Cal was married. One typically does not to talk about their personal business with their boss, but to blatantly lie to everyone else he worked with and communicated with day to day? That was something else. Once you were calm enough you made your way back to the dining area. As soon as you sat down you felt the woman from across the table looking at you. You just glanced up to her, catching her gaze for a few seconds and she went beet red before looking away. 

You could only imagine how she felt having to see you there. He lied to her too and by the looks of it, she hadn’t taken it well. Suddenly everything started falling into place…the reason for why two months ago out of the blue Cal was home more and loving on you even more and spending time with you…something had happened between them and ruined the relationship, if he had been with her this entire time. He could’ve been with multiple people to your knowledge.

“Is everything alright?” Harry’s voice pulled you from your thoughts and you turned your head to him and shook your head.

“Is there another room I can stay in tonight? Or even just a motel or something nearby? I don’t want to be here anymore, Harry. I need to be as far away from Cal as possible.” You said softly and he frowned.

“Uh yeah, there are bedrooms upstairs as well. But I can find out about a motel nearby if you’d prefer that.” He offered. You saw Cal returning to the room from your peripherals.

“I’ll let you know.” You said before you turned back to the table and grabbed your cocktail and drank the remainder in one go. 

Shortly after, dessert was being placed before you all. It was a gorgeous tiramisu, one of your favorites, but you only picked at it for a bit, not really in the mood to eat or to chat with anyone any more. Harry would’ve probably talked to you, but Cal was engaged in a never-ending conversation with Harry so that he could constantly keep an eye on you; you could feel Cal’s scrutinous gaze on you. You just felt like the odd one out and you wanted this night to be over. 

Even when you all migrated to a lounge room to chat you noticed that he had tried and failed several times to approach this other woman. After about the third attempt Cal just started ordering drinks with reckless abandon and eventually headed off with a couple others to the billiard room, or at least that’s what you heard from their loud and drunken conversation. Harry was busy bidding farewell to those who were heading home for the night. It looked like Tamika was getting ready to go and you’d been meaning to chat with her again, but the woman from across the table had been with her the whole time. But as of now, she was nowhere to be found so you approached Tamika and Giselle before she returned from wherever she had gone to.

“Are you guys heading off as well?” You asked the two.

“Yeah. I’ve got a big exam on Monday that I need to study for tomorrow.” Tamika explained.

“Oh OK, best of luck! Ummm here’s my card though. If you decide to apply to Marshall let me know and like I said earlier, I’d be happy to help you network with the recruiters and faculty.” You reaffirmed.

“That’s just really kind of you, Y/N. Thank you so much. If there’s anything I can do to repay you for this-”

“Oh my gosh, no Tamika! If you decide to go there just keep doing your very best, that’s all.” You said, “Of course if only to make me look good…” You joked with a giggle, despite your low mood, and Tamika and Giselle laughed along with you.

“You’re too sweet. I hope Cal brings you around more!” She said and you just nodded and smiled, “If he doesn’t I’ll badger him about it.” She added with a playfully menacing tone and you just chuckled.

“You guys are all great, I’m glad I was able to come along tonight.” You said genuinely. You were about to ask them how far their drive was when Tamika lit up a bit.

“Dani!” Tamika called out as she looked past you and waved at the person she was calling over. You turned around and saw that, that was the woman from across the table and she looked petrified, “Come here!” Tamika insisted and you swallowed thickly as she made her way over.  Her eyes darted around the room, probably trying to find Caleb, but he was drunk and playing pool in another room of the house. When she was finally within reach, Tamika dragged her into her side, “Dani, this is Y/N. She’s Caleb’s wife!” She informed her excitedly and you saw in real time how Dani’s face started to pale as she swallowed thickly, which could only mean one thing. You looked around, trying to act quickly before she puked all over you, her friends, and herself. Finally, you saw a garbage can near the entrance of the room and just grabbed her hand and dragged her over to it. You had just put it in her hands when she started to throw up. You looked away, starting to feel disgusted at the sounds of her heaving and Tamika and Giselle rushed over to her.

“Wow, good save.” Giselle said to you and you just nodded as you turned to Giselle with a relieved expression.

“Yeah, I’d know that look anywhere.” You said as Tamika rubbed over her friend’s back as she just spat the taste out of her mouth. Dani’s tearful eyes met yours and you just offered her a sympathetic smile. Poor woman.

“Thank you.” She rasped out and you nodded.

“Yeah, of course.” You assured her. Just then Harry walked in and his eyes widened a bit upon seeing you four huddled up at the entrance of the room. 

“Harry, have you got some mouth wash and pepto or something for Dani? She got sick to her stomach.” Tamika explained to him and he nodded.

“Yeah, of course! Follow me.” He said and they went off with him, trash can and all.

“If her boyfriend comes back can you tell him we’ll meet him in the foyer?” Giselle asked you and you nodded.

“Yeah, of course.” You said with a smile and a nod.

“Thank you. And it was so nice to meet you, thank you for being so kind.” Giselle said as she hugged you briefly.

“It’s no problem at all! Drive safe.” You said and she thanked you as she hurried off to catch up with Tamika. It was just moments later when the man who had been sitting beside the person you now knew as Dani, came into the room and glanced around. “You’re Dani’s boyfriend?” You asked him and he nodded. “She had something to take care of with Harry and Tamika, they told me to tell you that they will meet you in the foyer.”

“Oh, cool. Thanks.” He smiled before hurrying out of the room. 

There were just a few more people in the room you were in, but they were laughing and chatting amongst themselves, so you were once again the odd one out. You decided to head off to the bedroom you’d been given and just get the toiletries you had unpacked back into your bag so that you could be ready to relocate. A few light knocks on the door caught your attention and you hurried over to open it. You saw Gerard standing there with a polite smile.

“Good evening, Miss. Mr. Styles informed me that you wanted to change your sleeping arrangements?” He asked and you nodded.

“Yes, please.” You said and he nodded.

“Certainly. He mentioned that you wanted a bit of space. I can offer you a bedroom upstairs? I called the motels in town and they are all booked out unfortunately.” He explained.

“Upstairs is just fine.” You assured him with a smile, “Thank you, Gerard.” 

“Not a problem. Can I take your bag for you?”

“Oh no, it’s alright. Just show me where to go.”

“No Miss, I insist.” He said and you smiled at him as you grabbed your overnight bag and handed it to him and he smiled, “Wonderful, follow me.” He said and you followed him through the house. You could hear the absurd commotion from the billiard room and just rolled your eyes as you followed Gerard upstairs. The lights on the sconces were dimmed, but you could still see how beautiful everything was. “I’m going to give you the room that Mr. and Mrs. Styles stay in when they visit from England.” He informed you, “You’ll have a balcony and a lovely view of the water from it.”

“Oh wow, thank you. I hear the sunrises are to die for.” You hummed.

“They certainly are captivating.” He agreed with you. He opened up the door when you finally arrived and he switched on the lights. Your eyes widened at the beautiful, modern set up of the room. You swore you had seen this room on Pinterest or something. A king sized bed, all to yourself? Yes, please. You thought as you smiled.

“This is amazing.” You said as you looked around. Gerard had just set your bag down on the little bench in front of the bed.

“I’m glad it’s to your satisfaction. Now the lights can be controlled with this remote.” He explained, showing it to you and then placing it back down on the bench. “And your bathroom is through there.” He said pointing to a door in the far right of the bedroom, “There’s a small cabinet by the shower that contains extra towels and washcloths, you can just leave them in the hamper if you use anything. The closet is in there as well. And the balcony is just through those doors.” He said pointing to the double glass doors that were partially covered by some long, floor length curtains.

“Perfect, thank you.” 

“My pleasure. And, I am sorry if I contributed to any unpleasantness between you and Mr. Hargrove. I had no intent to stir up-”

“Oh my god, no.” you pouted at him in endearment, “Don’t feel bad about a thing, Gerard. Frankly it’s…been a long time coming. It wasn’t because of you.” You assured him, “I appreciate your help tonight.” You smiled at him.

“Is there anything else I can do for you before I head out for the night?” He asked.

“Can you just thank Harry for me? Just for, indulging me.” You said with a small smile.

“Certainly.” He nodded.

“Thank you, again for all your help. Good night.” You smiled at him.

“Good night, Miss.” he said before hurrying out of the room. 

Once you were alone you dimmed down the bedroom lights before drawing the heavy curtains and slipping out onto the balcony. You shivered for a few seconds as you adjusted to the slightly cooler temperature outside as you leaned against the railing of the balcony. The lack of light from the bedroom helped you see the starry sky even better. And you sighed in relief as you could hear the waves crashing into the shore not too far off in the distance. The peace and silence in your brain lasted for just a few minutes.

You just couldn’t stop thinking about Dani now…how she literally threw up at the sight of you. She probably felt awful and guilty and you wished you could just tell her that you weren’t angry at her. That you didn’t blame her. She had been deceived just as much as you had. What was frustrating for you was that you were completely in the dark about Cal. You thought you knew the man you were married to, but evidently that wasn’t the case. It didn’t even matter what you lost at this point, there was no way of moving past something like this. Your marriage was through…both of you had cheated now, so what was the point? 

The sound of a door closing startled you and you whipped around quickly and saw Harry leaning back on the bedroom door. He offered you a timid smile as he started to walk across the space, but it was contagious to see his smile widening the closer he came. He met you out on the balcony and as soon as he was before you he sighed in relief and grabbed your hands.

“You look absolutely divine. You’re exquisite. Literal perfection.” He hummed softly, “Been dying to tell you all night.” He complimented you. His voice was soft as he spoke to you and you smiled at him coyly.

“Thank you.” Was all you could say as every other thought in your head vanished as you stood before him. Finally.

“Want to talk about what happened?” He asked you.

“I probably should.” You said and he smiled.

“I’ll listen if you want me to.” He assured you and you sighed.

“So obviously no one knew Cal was married and like…I don’t know, it got to me. Like I just feel humiliated a bit. Like…I don’t know if he did it on purpose to just, push me over the edge? But like, how did he expect people to react? And I think…well, I know now actually, that he’s been sleeping with some woman named Dani.” Harry looked surprised, “I don’t know for how long or if there’s more. She’d been avoiding me all night and Tamika introduced us and she just…got sick. I mean, she obviously didn’t know he was married and god, she probably feels like the worst person, you know?” You said with a frown. “Like how could he do that to someone? Poor woman.” You shook your head.

“So you’re upset that the other woman is feeling guilty.” He asked with a small smile and you shrugged.

“I know how insane that makes me sound but like…she didn’t know about me. That’s not fair to her. And like, I’ve at least known for a bit and have made peace with it…but who knows how she found out that she was the other woman. From the way he’s been acting I’d say it wasn’t good.”

“So what now?” Harry asked. You knew that his question was a lot more complex than how he posed it. There were subliminal implications that were being addressed without him having to ask them directly and it made you feel just a little bit better about all of this. He still cared. Whether his interest in you was platonic, solely carnal, or even romantic, he was asking because he wanted to know what this could mean for you two.

“Cal said he wants to talk about it after he gathers his thoughts because “it’s a lot”, or something like that.” You responded as you turned back to the vast darkness ahead of you.

“Do you think he wants to end it?” Harry asked cautiously.

“I have no idea, but I want to end it.” You said with certainty and well, Harry had no business feeling happy about that (selfishly, of course) but he remained composed with a slight furrow in his brow as he listened to you, “I mean, what’s the point of this sham of a marriage?” You asked through a sardonic laugh. “He’s been unfaithful for who knows how long, I’ve stopped letting myself love him and have also…committed adultery. Thank you very much for that, by the way.” You added with a teasing grin and a side glance, he smirked in response.

“Happy to be of service. By the way.” He replied haughtily and you both laughed softly. “So you…you want a divorce?” He asked to clarify and you nodded.

“I first thought about it after we spent the night together.” You shared, “I just…realized how much of my own heart had been out of it to like…go through with what we did and not feel remorse or anything close to it. But then he started trying again and so I took that card off of the table. But now that I’ve learned he’s been lying to everyone and living a double life I feel like I’m married to a stranger. Like who was I kidding? This has been over for a long time. So stupid…” You sighed in disappointment.

“You’re not stupid. A marriage is a huge commitment. Of course you’re going to try if you see him trying. But hey, now you’ve seen all the facets of the situation and you’ve made a choice for yourself, yeah?”

“Yeah.” You responded softly.

“Are you…are you alright?”

“Yeah, I think so. Just…letting the reality of it all sink in.” You said before exhaling. The exhale felt cathartic, like all your troubles would be gone soon just like that little puff of air released from your lungs. The silence between you two was nice, only the sounds of the waves on the shore were detectable and it was perfect.

“Can I…hold you?” He asked, breaking the silence and you nodded up at him and he turned and stepped closer as he opened up his arms and you stepped into his embrace. You inhaled deeply as your head rested against his shoulder and his arms squeezed tight around your body, “What can I do to make you feel better?” He asked and you smiled.

“This.” You assured and he smiled, “This is perfect. I needed a hug after this shit show of a night.” You hummed and he smiled as he let his cheek rest atop of your head. A comfortable silence settled over you both before you spoke up.

“I’m sorry it sucked so much for you, but it was kind of perfect for me.” He shared and you smiled, “I threw this party just…hoping Cal would bring you along. It was a fucking long shot but he did!” he chuckled and you did as well, “And now you’re here and I couldn’t be more pleased.” He said happily. You could hear the smile in his voice.

“I didn’t know you were throwing the party until we were about to arrive.” You confessed and he chuckled, “He had said it was with a few work friends, so I had accepted because I was just excited to meet some people Cal worked with. He told me to look sexy so he could "show me off”. When I found out about this being your party I was scared that you’d think I was just trying to seduce you by showing up like this.” You said and he chuckled.

“I know we don’t know each other that well, but I know that’s not how you are.” He said and you smiled.

“Yeah, definitely not.” You assured.

“You do look sensational though, you definitely met the mark.” He said and you chuckled a bit before you both just settled into the comfortable silence. He felt like a friend you’d known for ages. He was a person who you could be your authentic self around. It was rare to feel so safe with someone.

“Harry…do you think there’s any left over tiramisu?” You asked randomly, “S’my favorite dessert but I couldn’t really stomach mine when they served it.” You explained and you felt his body shake a bit as he chuckled.

“S’my favorite too so I know they made extra if only for me to take it home.” He responded, the smile he was wearing made evident by the tone of his voice. “Wanna get changed or get down there like this?” He asked.

“I think change first. Don’t want to risk getting the dress dirty…knowing me, I eat like a child.” You said and he chuckled as he gave you a bit harder of a squeeze before he started to let go.

“Alright then. I’ll change as well and ummm, I’ll come by and get you, yeah?”

“OK.” You smiled. You walked back in with him and left him at the bedroom door before he was off down the hall. You watched him until he turned around and gave you a final smile as he disappeared behind the last door down the hall. 

You proceeded to slip back into your own room and got your pajamas out of your bag. You also decided to get your makeup off while you were at it and were just toning your face when there were a few knocks on the door. You hurried over and opened it up to let him in.

“Just need to get my moisturizer on and then we can go.” You said and he nodded and followed you inside. He busied himself with closing up the balcony and just waiting for you at the foot of the bed. “Ready.” You said as you came out of the bathroom and he smiled and started guiding you down stairs. Upon making it down you guys could hear the muffled sounds of the others who had stayed in the billiard room. It was nearing 1am and they were drunk, so hopefully they passed out quickly. Harry guided you down a dark hallway before he pushed open a swinging door and switched on the lights. You had to blink a few times to adjust your vision, but then he switched on a warmer pair before getting the fluorescent ones off.

“God, I forget how bright these are.” He whinged and you giggled.

“This is like a proper restaurant kitchen.” You hummed as you looked around.

“Yeah, I usually use this home for holidays. Obviously, we don’t want to do the cooking then so we hire a chef for when we stay here. Or we do a lot of parties here as well, so again, it’s just convenient for how it’s used.” He explained as he headed over to the refrigerator and then he turned around quickly, “By “we” I mean my parents and other family.” He clarified and you chuckled.

“I figured. Gerard mentioned something to me about how the room he gave me is your parents’ favorite room to stay in or something?”

“Yeah.” He smiled and then looked through it to find the extra serving of the cake and he finally did and pulled it out. “Here we are.” He said and put it down on the counter before grabbing some forks, “Are we being civilized or eating from the container?” He inquired.

“Whatever you think is best. But be warned that I might feel like I need to eat it all if we have it in the container.” You joked and he chuckled.

“Plates it is…” he played along and you giggled as he just grabbed one from a nearby cabinet, “We can share.” He said as he came back over and you sighed as he started digging into the surface of the cake to break off a piece for you two.

“Fine…” you accepted dramatically and he smirked. Without even asking he just stopped and pulled his fork further back to make the slice larger, which caused you to laugh softly. “I was joking.” You clarified and his eyes drew away from his task and met yours knowingly.

“No you weren’t.” He said with a grin and you just laughed. Once he got that done he put the container back in the fridge and when he turned he found you already digging your fork into the cake. “Didn’t even have the decency to wait?” He scoffed jokingly and you grinned.

“It looks incredible.”

“Yet you wasted a perfectly good slice at dinner…” he quipped back and you groaned and tossed your head back dramatically.

“I’m sorry!” You croaked out and he laughed and instinctually reached his arm out to wrap it around you and pull you into him. You went with him easily and when you glanced up at him he was smiling down at you.

“It’s alright, I forgive you.” He said softly and your lips curled up in an easy smile.

“There’s like…a vibe between us right? Like I’m not delusional, right?” You asked and you saw him flush a bit but he nodded.

“Yeah, definitely.” He said and you giggled.

“To there being a vibe with us or that I’m delusional?” You asked and his smile widened as he realized what he’d said and he chuckled, his eyes darted away from yours briefly out of the nerves he felt tickling through his body. Then there they were again, those gorgeous green eyes meeting yours again. They were so vibrant despite his widened pupils, a tell tale sign of his attraction. You wondered how big your pupils were right now.

“The vibe.” He clarified meekly and you hummed.

“I don’t know, but it just feels like I’ve known you for a really long time. It’s really nice.” You said with a simple shrug.

“Maybe we’ve met in other lives.” He said quietly.

“That’d be pretty cool actually.” You responded with a pensive look on your face. “Am I allowed to kiss you?” You asked him and he instantly bit his lip as he nodded and started to lean down. You started to press up on your toes to meet him halfway. It felt extraordinary to feels his smooth, warm lips pressing into yours gently.

And when you pulled back the smack of your lips felt like it echoed and your eyes blinked open and then his did as well. This hungry look was exchanged between you, practically forcing you to kiss again. And again, and again, and again in quick little pecks. After the next one he just groaned and smeared his mouth against yours sloppily before pushing his tongue into your mouth. You moaned at the intensity at which he came into it. Your skin was littered in goosebumps and a delicious tingle shot down your spine to your toes and then flew back up to your core. You sighed in pleasant surprise as your pussy’s muscles tightened up and fluttered around absolutely nothing at all in response to his hands sliding up under your flowy pajama shirt, sliding up your back and then scratching down it with a bit of force.

Your hands fisted at his shirt almost as if the action tethered you to reality. You loved the place your mind went to when you were around him. Again, a feeling of safety came to mind and you kissed him back harder and reached for his arms and pushed them down to feel your bottom. As soon as he got there he took over, feeling groping, squeezing your butt like he’d wanted to all night. He also wanted to kiss that little sliver of your lower back that was peeking out of the cutout on the dress you wore. 

“Can I pick you up?” He mumbled and you nodded before huffing out a yes. He reached down to your thighs and picked you up before placing you on the counter. His hands were on your face holding you still as he licked into you slowly, savoring your taste just in case your paths didn’t cross for a while again. “Can I go down on you?” His deep voice rasped out, lips smearing against yours as he spoke into the kiss. Your widening smile interrupted your kiss, “What?”

“I’m just…so happy to hear you ask that. Been getting off to the memory of how fucking good you are at that. I came so many times I think I saw God.” You laughed softly and he grinned.

“Like that you think of me when you play with yourself. I do too.” He confessed. “One time I even…said your name when I was with someone else.” He said and you winced.

“Ouch…how’d they take it?”

“Not too good.” He chuckled, “When we slept together…it was way too good.” He said with a reminiscent grin.

“Yeah, like oddly perfect!”

“Right. Like you were made for me. We fit so well.” He said as one of his hands came off your face and rubbed over the crotch of your shorts quickly. You sighed and parted your legs further, giving him more access to your achingly needy pussy. “Do you have underwear on?” He asked and you shook your head. He smiled and slid his fingers into your shorts through the leg opening. He rubbed over your sticky and swollen crease before wedging his fingers into it and swirling around your clit in slow and steady circles. You exhaled slowly in satisfaction, grinding your hips against him, getting yourself even more wet for him, he loved hearing it almost as much as feeling it, “God you’re so fucking wet for me.” He smiled and you hummed.

“Mhmm…Ready for a taste?” You asked and he nodded, “Go on then.” You encouraged him and he kissed you once more before dragging your shorts down by the elastic band. You lifted your hips up to help him out and he just dropped them on the ground as he crouched down and spread you open wider before delving in without a second to waste. You moaned in satisfaction as his thick, warm tongue lapped over your sensitive clit, catching just at the top of your opening every time he licked up. Your toes curled and your fingers dug in his hair as the edge of your orgasm caught you by surprise, hitting you almost as quickly as a strike of lightening. “Oh fuck, don’t stop! Don’t stop! I’m going to…I’m going to come!” You gasped out as you pushed his head closer, you were desperate and impressed by just how quickly your yearning for him caused your undoing. Harry sped up his licks and after one, two, and three accurate and precise licks right to your throbbing little clit your thighs started to tremble and your breathing to hitch a few times before you just moaned out his name. He moaned into you, staying true to his mission as you ground your pussy against his face, drawing your orgasm out, shivering as he kept licking at your clit like that until you felt like you were on fire. You stopped breathing for several moments, the feeling stunning your existence into a pause. Harry’s breathy chuckles against you interrupted the pleasure.

“Breathe, baby.” He reminded and your inhaled sharply.

“Fuck keep going!” You demanded, he didn’t hesitate before delving back in, this time sucking at your clit until you were trembling again, moaning in ecstasy as that double orgasm swept you into an orgasmic oblivion. Your ears rung and your brows furrowed as those magnificent and addicting feelings coursed through every inch of your body. “Thank you! Fuck that’s so fucking good…” you praised and he hummed against you, making your tummy flutter as he started to reduce the intensity of his mouth on you as your orgasm started to dwindle. You swore there were little shocks randomly nipping at your legs and you started to massage his scalp after the hard grip you had on his silky hair. He kissed your clit before kissing your left thigh and pushing himself up to attach your lips together. You loved the taste of yourself on his tongue, it was erotic and made you feel so proud of yourself. “Mmm…wanna feel you inside me.” You mumbled and he sighed.

“Should we go upstairs? I don’t have a condom on me.” He muttered against your cheek before kissing you there.

“S’okay. Want it just like this, just you and me.” You said softly, your eyes flickered up to his so that he could clearly see your intent.

“Don’t tempt me like that, baby.” He shook his head with a devilish grin twitching his lips up to the left.

“M’serious! I got an IUD after I found out that Cal was cheating.” You shared and his eyebrows arched up.

“Oh…I mean, if you really want to. I don’t mind either way.” He assured you.

“I want it. Like really, really badly.” You grinned and he smiled.

“OK.” He stated decidedly. His lips pressed to yours once more and you started to tug at his shirt. He reared back to strip it from his body and he dropped it to the ground before reaching for the hem of yours. You raised your arms to aid him as he undressed you. He smiled and his hands went right to your breasts. He gave them a firm squeeze and you chuckled as he groaned in excitement. “Sorry, I just fucking love your body. Been dying to touch you again.” He breathed out and you smiled. His hands then slid down to your hips as you reached for his sweats. You needed him now.

You tugged at the white ties that were fastening the bottoms to him more snuggly. Once they were untied you tugged down on them until they just dropped down his legs on their own. Your mouth watered as his thick cock fell forward, bouncing a few times from how heavy he was. You immediately brought your hand up and spit into it before wrapping it around his tip, playing with it as he moaned in pleasure. You stroked up and dragged his foreskin to the tip before stroking down and sliding it back away from his thick and leaking head. He filled you up so fucking good, it was too good to be true…

“Please fuck me, Harry.” You begged, inciting an absolutely feral response in him and he nodded before he pulled you back down to the ground, turned your around, and guided his tip to your entrance. He rubbed through your sopping folds, enjoying just how aroused you got for him, he pressed himself against your entrance and you moaned in anticipation of being stretched open around his enviable girth. Your eyes were screwed shut as you waited for him to push in. He started to surge forward, opening your little hole up with his ragingly stiff cock. Once he got about halfway he reached into your hair with one hand and grabbed you tight at your hip with the other as he plunged the rest of the way in hard. You both moaned, shrouded in ecstasy at the feeling of him being inside of you again. You’d both been waiting, dreaming, longing to be connected this way again. He pushed you down into the counter to properly bend you over and you gasped as your bare chest was smooshed into the tiramisu, the ceramic plate scraped against the counter from the collision.

“The cake!” You laughed quietly and he chuckled, but proceeded with thrusting into you and started increasing his pace.

“Fuck you feel so good!” He hummed in delight, relishing in the feeling of your slick walls creating a feeling of suction and pressure around his pulsating erection. He’d been dreaming of having you again and this felt better than the last time because now he knew that you wanted him just as badly. He shifted a bit and then grinned as he heard you gasp when he plunged right against your spot; he couldn’t forget that. He loved just how easily you’d fall apart in pleasure when you were stimulated there.

“Fuck!” You exclaimed as he started to quickly thrust into it, making your legs feel like jello. You reached down and found your clit and you started to rub, making your eyes rolled back as a satisfied smile curled onto your lips. Your fingers were a blur as you rubbed tight little circles against your clit and your tummy started to clench up and then inevitably your inner muscles and walls started to contract around Harry’s cock. He choked out a moan and squeezed your hips hard as he started to thrust harder, you were seeing stars now, “I’m about to come!” You warned and he groaned.

“Come on then, baby. Cream all over my big cock. Show me how fucking good we are together.” He grunted markedly and you moaned a bit too loudly but neither of you had a single fuck to give as his filthy talk pushed you over the edge. You smiled and dropped your head back against his shoulder as you started to come undone. He held you up as your legs became all wobbly beneath you with the aftershocks of your orgasm. He wasn’t slowing down just yet though, his thrusts were getting harder and more erratic; you were impressed by the strength he had. “I’m so fucking close…shit!” He hissed and you tightened up despite your sensitivity and he moaned deeply, “Fuck…I’m right there, baby!”

“Come inside me.” You suddenly requested and he groaned, “Please, Harry.” You keened and he swore he was imagining it.

“Yeah? Want me to finish inside your delicious little pussy?” He panted and you nodded.

“Please. Want it all inside! Need to feel you coming inside.” You begged and he panted heavily.

“Fuck, I’m…oh fuck, I’m coming!” He mumbled quickly before surging his hips forward and then tugging your hips back against him. He ground his cock into you as you felt him twitching with each rope of come he was unloading deep inside of you. Harry swore he was about to lose consciousness from how hard his orgasm hit him. He felt his knees trembling and one of his hands came up over yours on the counter, interlacing your fingers while simultaneously gripping to the counter for support. His deep moans were vibrating deep into your soul, or at least it felt that way as his body was smushed right against yours.

You could feel his warmth filling you up until you felt a bit dripping down your sticky folds. Harry caught his breath as he held himself in you for a few moments before slowly pulling out of you. “Oh shit, s’a lot.” He muttered quietly, “Hang on to the counter for a sec.” he instructed and you nodded as he hurried to grab a hand towel from the counter behind them. When he returned he dabbed at your entrance.

“I swear I’m in another dimension.” You mumbled and he chuckled.

“Push a little bit for me.” He instructed. You did as you were told and he ran the towel over your swollen and throbbing pussy again, the fibers of it tickling you just a bit. You then felt him drag it down your right inner thigh, before he sunk to the ground and cleaned whatever had dripped down to the floor. “Good to go.” He said softly as he pressed a kiss to the small of your back, to that spot he’d been dying to kiss ever since he saw you. 

He then got up and you turned around and he chuckled, your tits were certainly smeared over with mascarpone and coca powder. You shrieked as he lunged you onto the counter again and you grabbed the edge of it and squeezed as his lips found your already pebbled nipple and sucked it clean before licking over your supple breast, cleaning it of his favorite dessert. He hummed contently as he sucked a little mark against the the underside of it before moving over to the other one. Your fingers raked through his curls and you tugged a bit when he sucked at your nipple too harshly, pulling it into his mouth forcefully before biting down on it a bit until you giggled in slight discomfort until it dissolved into a moan and he smiled and popped off of it loudly. He chuckled and then kissed up your sternum, neck, jaw, and then your lips again. Your smile was sincere as he rubbed his forehead against yours a few times, making the moment feel a lot more intimate.

“Alright?” He asked you.

“Yeah, just still coming off it.” You assured him and he smiled.

“Good.” He hummed before closing his eyes and you did the same, just basking in the intimacy you shared until a thought crossed your mind.

“Once again I did not get my cake.” You sighed and he chuckled.

“Well you got something…” he joked and you sniggered, “Don’t worry, we’ll get you a new slice.” He assured you before planting a kiss on your cheek.

“Ummm…do you want to stay with me for a bit?” You asked timidly and he smiled.

“Definitely.” He confirmed.

So after getting dressed and getting another slice of the tiramisu, you were both making your way out of the kitchen quietly. You guys could still hear everyone else down the hall laughing and chatting animatedly, though you could tell they were all plastered. You made your way up the stairs and Harry dragged you down the hall to his bedroom, well it was more like a suite, so you cuddled up on to couch he had in front of the TV and you shared your cake as you watched Friends re-runs for a while.

“We should get you to bed.” You heard his voice through your drowsiness and yawned.

“Good idea.” You concurred, but you nuzzled closer to him instead of making a move to stand.

“Want me to carry you?” He asked and you smiled.

“If you really want to.”

“Yeah, come on then.” 

But after attempting and failing a few times because you both couldn’t stop laughing or making a serious attempt he just had you hop on piggy back. You leaned on his shoulder and held on tight as he walked you down the long hall and to the other bedroom. He walked you into the bathroom to brush your teeth and waited for you in the room. When you returned, a bit more awake now after dealing with the cold water, you cooed as he had turned down the bed for you. 

“Thank you, you’re too sweet.” You said caressing his cheek and he tutted.

“S’nothing. Get in.” He said and you did just that. The bed was as divine as it looked, you wanted one like this for yourself. He sat on the edge watching as you got comfy and once you were, you peered up to see him smiling down at you. Harry traced the high point of your cheekbone with his thumb, such a sweet and comforting gesture. 

“I ummm, I just want you to know that this isn’t just a sex thing to me.” He said quietly, “Like I’m not nice to you with the intent to fuck you. I like what I’ve seen of you so far and I just want to be there for you, you know? I want to get to know you. And I know things could get a bit complicated if you and Cal end things, so ummm we can just be friends until you resolve that if you want?” He asked.

“I think that would be wise.” You accepted. “I like you too and I also want to get to know more of you and I just don’t want to fall into something complex that could…hurt you while I’m already in the middle of this mess.” You said with a smile and he nodded.

“Sounds good. And I mean, I’m sure it’ll be hard even if your hearts aren’t in it anymore, so you call me when you need me, yeah?” He asked and you smiled.

“I will.” You assured and he smiled as he reached for the bedside table and handed over your phone so you could unlock it. He put his number in before setting it down on the bedside table again.

“There it is. I’m sorry it started out as a weird night, but I hope I made it a bit better for you.” He hummed and you giggled.

“That’s the understatement of the century, Harry.” You pointed out and he grinned bashfully.

“Don’t want to be too cocky, you know?” He said humbly and you shook your head with a grin. 

“Well yes, you made it better. Thank you again for everything tonight.” You expressed your gratitude.

“Course, love.” He said and kissed your lips quickly before making his way out of the room. 

You sighed and rolled onto your back with a big smile; you were completely enamored and taken by his way of being towards you. Of course, deep down you were a bit nervous about the big tell-all with Caleb, but you knew you were going to be alright after getting all of the information from him. There was nothing left to fight for with Caleb. Your heart was already drifting in another direction and you didn’t intend to do a single fucking thing about it.

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[leonawriter]

First off: this guy's surprised because the first heist notice was made up. By him. And Kid's given him a real one - because he's done two cardinal sins.

One - faked a Kid notice.

Two - killed someone at a Kid heist.

(The grammar is odd because the natural localised flow would be "I've come here to uncover the truth!" but... the next thing the guy does is cut the notice in half, to just say "I've come! -Kaitou Kid" and pretend it's not a warning for him, which doesn't work if the word/phrase "I've come" isn't at the bottom.)

Shinichi knows this! Which is a cool thing because it shows that for all he and Kid are at loggerheads, Shinichi can tell what's up, and he's on the same wavelength as Kaito.

"Takagi" pointing out things about Kid and magic and in ways that Conan can use is, of course, because he's Kid in disguise. Which is easy to predict (it has to be him, Chiba, or Sato, and after a few interactions with him it's kinda clear which one Kaito chose).

The big and important thing here to me, is that Kaito actually did impersonate a police officer while trying to investigate a murder.

He wasn't just disguising as someone - he was literally taking on Takagi's role!

Even and in spite of the clear and present threat that Conan presents to him.

This... right here, Conan has already figured out that "Takagi" is actually Kid. But he isn't just telling the police "yeah, it's that one." Because the murder case takes precedence, and has not yet been solved. If he outed Takagi as Kid now, Kid would be hunted as a suspect of the murder, not as the thief he is.

Aside from that, Kid is also the only one who is most likely to be able to find the actual Seiran painting that had been hidden. He even says as much - that Kid, with his knowledge of how to break into places and steal, could retrieve something easily, as shown below.

Just like in the Magic Lovers Murder Case (F192-196), they're acknowledging how they needed each other in order to solve the case - and yet here, there's the added quantity of "Conan was also manipulating events so that he could try and make true his promise in past cases (esp. at the end of the Samizu Kichiemon Trap House (F475-578) where he vowed to catch Kid next time.

Thing is...

I admit I've got conflicting thoughts on how this ends, because on the one hand, there's this - Kaito begins by asking nicely and politely, "I 'd like you to let me off the hook today. I've only come to prove my innocence."

Which, like... that's the truth! He only came because he was summoned (uh, kinda like "be careful when summoning demons" but he's a magician in white, not a demon). His crimes here? Impersonation of a police officer on duty. That's... basically it. Because he couldn't just ask nicely "can I join an investigation to clear my name of murder, pretty please?" - of course not. He had to use underhanded methods.

And yet, two things then happen:

First, he threatens to use his card gun to remove Ran's clothes and have her show off her underwear - which turns out to be a trick purely so that he can distract Conan. He aims for Mori instead.

Second, Conan kicks a ball in his direction anyway, regardless of anything that's been said or done the past several hours, which actually hits (and must have hurt, we know those balls damn well hurt).

The reason I have mixed feelings is because...

On the one hand, Kaito asks nicely "can you just let me off, I didn't do anything" and Conan goes "No! Super-kicked ball to the stomach! Out into the trees with you!" and that. Seems kind of rude??? Kid just helped catch a murderer! He was on your side!!

But on the other hand? Kid finishes off his "I only came here to prove my innocence" with "I'm white as snow... just like her panties~" which is sure to piss Conan off. He was already anticipating that a polite "will you be nice and let me go since I've helped this time?" wouldn't work. Accurately anticipating.

So. On one side we have Conan's dogged pursuit of a non-murderous and non-suicidal criminal, who he can hound and hunt as much as he likes, and on the other side we have Kaito's Gomera-sized trust issues where literally everyone who knows about his double life other than Jii? They ALL want him in jail. His closest friends and those who feel like family.

And yes, I did just piece together why Conan hunts Kid so mercilessly; unlike a murderer or someone with a suicidally guilty conscience, he has nothing holding him back from doing what he did at the start of the series, before his character development - hunt until cornered.

I'm curious to see if, in the later cases with Kid, Shinichi eases off at all after getting to "know" him better, and if/how recent revelations (however that's handled in the manga) will change his attitude about things like this.

Would he still chase the fox into the den, if he knows that he, too, is a fox? Would he end up with a crisis (even a minor one) over having potentially endangered the life of someone he's related to, many times over? Because, while he still thinks they're complete strangers, he seems to think that this is acceptable... and I'm honestly curious how that's going to change.

[ryans-planet]

darlin, you keep talkin bout things you want to have be done to you. And I’m startin to think we share a damn brain.

Or maybe I’ll have a chick flick moment and say fate. But either way, since I’m legally obligated to tell you, I’ll be very southern and just tell you I’m crushing on you like an 18 wheeler. But god is it makin me wanna worship you.

I know I talk a whole lot about using you like a slut. But darlin, I just wanna live in between your legs. Wanna praise you, for hours. Wouldn’t that be a great ending to a week of edging?

I’d have spent the whole week teasing you, not letting you cum, fucking you everywhere I can, in my office, in my bed, god let me have you in the bathroom at a restaurant. I’d spend the whole week using you like a hole, only tell you how much I like your cunt. How you’re such a slut letting me fuck you whenever I want and not even being allowed to cum. Just being a whiny lil slut for me, whenever I want. Begging for me to touch your cock, but all I’d do is laugh a little, tell you how hot it is to see you all desperate for me.

But sweetheart, when I tell you I’d make you cum so good after. Treat you exactly how you deserve to be. Kiss all over you, leave bite marks. Suck on your cock, finger your holes. I’d want to make you cum over and over. All you’d have to do is ask for what you want, I could fuck you, or eat you out, or use toys on you. And I’d praise you the whole time. Such a pretty boy. You look so handsome like this. You deserve to be treated this good. I wanna treat you that good, so bad darlin. God I’d get so fucking hard. Might have to hump the mattress as I eat you out. Cause doin it for you would get me off enough.

Ain’t that a lovely idea, pretty boy? hope it gets you as needy and horny as it gets me.

- 🗝️ (from his office, maybe imagining fucking you instead of working on this case)

We are on the same wavelength…/silly

And I’ll be honest with you, I read this and Im so pent up and needy that reading the praise absolutely made my eyes water. Reading how much someone wants me, my god man. You’ll have to message me soon if you get the courage (I am begging you, please please please please. ) you can’t just say those things and not expect me to fall head over heels myself??????? I’m going a little insane over here 😭 (plus if you message me I get a lovesense toy tomorrow you’d be able to control at some point. if you’d like to of course.)

I just, god please, I wouldn’t know what to do with all of the praise, all of the touching, I’ve never been the center of full attention like that. It makes me fucking shiver to think about or imagine.

God, I want that so bad, be your toy, anytime you feel like I need it. Anywhere. The restaurant, the coffee shop, your bed, office, anywhere we go. I’d revel in how much you love using me. Yeah, I’d whine and cry and beg for you to make me cum, watch you laugh at me and let out a pathetic whimper.

I just Jesus Christ, are you a mind reader? Like you know I’d stumble through asking but I’d absolutely do it anyways. Watch me flush and whine trying get the words out. And if you were to say that I deserve to feel that good while touching me I’d start crying and cum so fucking hard probably. I’d love that you’d get off on eating me out, but god I’d do anything to suck your cock, give me everything for a week, just what I need up until I cum for you multiple times, I’d be crazy to not beg for your cock in my mouth.

[tyrantisterror]

"A third one of these?"

"Yes please," I say, taking the hot chocolate from the waiter and immediately licking all the whipped cream off like a filthy animal. "It's self indulgent, I know, but maybe it's what I need right now."

"Ok, you're going through something, so do what you have to do," said the twenty foot tall lady with the horns and the sharp teeth and whatnot. "But if this is going to keep going it might need a bit more thought put into it."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, is this a self insert thing? Like, we're all breaking the fourth wall here, but you specifically talk as if you're the writer, so are you actually the person writing this self indulgent fantasy in the reality of said fantasy, or a proxy?"

"I kind of think all characters are just facets of the authors who create them. When you break it down, they're all the author doing the 'what if' work of becoming someone else - a thought exercise, you know? 'What would have to happen in my life to make me this character?' basically."

"Yeah, sure, very philosophical." She took a sip of her own hot chocolate, which was served in a thoroughly rinsed out oil drum because she was, again, twenty feet tall. "But I'm thinking more about equity here. If you're the real world author, then you're just, like, a guy. No offense."

"None taken."

"Gender neutral guy, to be clear."

"I feel guy is more often gender neutral these days then it is gendered."

"Right, yeah, same wavelength and all, same author. Cool." she ran her clawed talons through the shimmering red-black locks of her hair. "But if you're just the real life author, just some guy, that means you have a name and a fairly mundane appearance. Meanwhile I'm this idealized, decidedly impossible standard of beauty. Like, you literally made me twenty feet tall dude."

"Oh, yeah."

"I've got horns."

"You sure do."

"So, like, is that fair?" Her green eyes pierced through me like lances. Not literally, this time I'm actually using hyperbole, just to be clear. "I mean, I can see how it's enjoyable for you if you're the author, and it's probably, like, morally fine more or less. Any person who experiences sexual attraction is going to fantasize about being with a person who represents their ideal of what's attractive, that's a natural thing."

"Yeah, but that's not super healthy to dwell on, right?" I take a sip of my hot cocoa. It's still warm, but cool enough to drink without burning my tongue. "Because no one's ever able to match an ideal, right? And yet I also think real people are often better than ideals. Like, what I find attractive in people, even just from a physical standpoint, has expanded as I've grown. There are things a younger me found to be imperfections that I now think are beautiful."

"Like big butts and love handles?"

"I mean, Mrs. Incredible set me onto big butts at a young age, I just didn't admit it till later."

"True." She sipped her own hot chocolate. "But we're off track. Are you the author or not? Because if you are, you have, like, a name, and I'm still just the big lady. That's not fair, is it? And I don't think it'd sit right with you if this was imbalanced."

"It does kind of ruin the vibe," I said. "I think I should be a character, then. Like, maybe a thinly veiled author avatar, like how George Costanza is pretty much just a slightly worse Larry David, or how Larry David is just a slightly worse Larry David."

"That's a start," she said with a smile. "So what do you look like, then? Are you idealized like me? What does an idealized author avatar look like to you?"

"...I don't know."

"First thing that pops into your head."

"...Jeff Goldblum?"

"Jeff Goldblum? Why is it always Jurassic Park actors with you?"

"I'm a child of the 90's - wait, plural? Who else did I mention."

"Bryce Dallas Howard," she said. "Oh, wait, that's Jurassic World, isn't it?"

"I think I only mentioned her because she's got a big butt."

"Right."

I shift in my seat uncomfortably. "I don't think I want to be Jeff Goldblum. I mean, I think other people might want me more if I was circa 1993 Jeff Goldblum, but I don't think that would fit me."

"That's fair. So what do you want to be?"

"...something like Vivi from Final Fantasy 9."

She stares at me for a moment. "What."

"You know, the little black mage? Big wizard hat, cool coat, clown pants, head is a black void with pinpricks of light for eyes."

"That's... that's a bonkers ass thing to say. No one wants to get with Vivi."

"Well yeah, he's like nine years old," I say. "Literally a child. But, like, an older Vivi, you know? Adult Vivi."

"So, like, a Black Waltz?"

"Yeah," I say. "Someone out there must want to fuck one of the Black Waltzes."

"Yeah they're pretty hot," she says before taking a sip from her oil drum of hot chocolate. "Kind of surprised you didn't want to be an animate suit of armor."

"I feel like an idealized version of me has to be goofy on some level," I said. "I know goofiness in real life is kind of a mood killer, romance wise, but it's essential to me. I'm a silly clown person."

"With a void for a face."

"And two prinpricks for eyes."

"Right."

She smiles, showing those sharp, railroad spike teeth of hers. "I can work with that."

Jack Black lands, back from his trip to the stratosphere. "Oh, you're doing this again?" he says with a wince. "Isn't that kind of unhealthy and weird?"

"To be fair, Jack Black," I say, "Can't you say the same about starring in Gulliver's Travels?"

"Fair point."

From across the street, Detective Munch looks at us and shakes his head. "Fucking weirdos," he says before turning to his wife, Muncher, and sloppily kissing her on the mouth.

[mc-lukanette]

Luka groaned into his pillow as his phone started to ring. Most rock stars would probably be up by now, but Luka was not one of them. He appreciated the sound of nighttime but not quite that much.

Blindly reaching for his phone, his fingers came across the familiar shape and tightened around it. He managed to just barely lift his face from the pillow so his voice wouldn’t be muffled, then tapped the 'accept call' button and brought the phone to his ear.

"H'llo?" he mumbled.

"Luka?" the female voice on the other end called in reply. "Wha—were you napping?"

"'M in America," he responded, only semi-coherent at the moment.

"Huh? Then—wait, I woke you up!" the voice panicked. "I'm so sorry! I wanted to call to see how you were doing, but I didn't realize that you'd be in another timezone! This is a disaster, I should go, I—!"

Something clicked in his head, triggering him more awake as he registered the familiar way of rambling. "Marinette?"

She stopped, confused even as she confirmed, "...Y-yes?"

His body protested, but he pressed his hand into the mattress to push himself up. "It's alright. I'm up now anyway, and I always have time to talk to you."

"Are you sure?" she asked hesitantly.

He pulled the phone away, staring at the giant 2 AM on-screen in big white letters. Throwing care to the wind, he threw the covers off of himself and got up out of the bed, assuring, "Let me just get something to drink."

"Oh... okay, I'll wait."

She stayed on the call as he headed into the kitchen to start up the coffee machine. It was a minute after the fact when he realized that it wasn't fast enough, so he opted for a glass of cold water instead, hoping that it might hold him over until the coffee was brewed.

"Marinette?" he called into the phone, checking if she’d hung up or not.

"Mm?"

"Okay, I'm not dreaming then. I had to make sure." He was only half-joking.

She giggled. "Yeah, I’m here. Still, I feel a little bad. If I knew it was so early for you..."

"Don't worry about it, really. It's just—it's been so long. I'm happy to hear your voice again." He paused, considering, "Sorry, is that weird to sa—"

"No, not at all! I mean, if it's weird, then at least I'm also weird? Because I'm happy too!" She took a breath to calm herself down. "It's... nice to be on the same page. I don't really have anyone else like that."

He almost blurted out 'what about Adrien' but bit his tongue to stop himself. He knew better than to so randomly bring up Marinette's husband at a time like this, as well as question what she says. He could understand and acknowledge the idea that she could have a stronger wavelength with someone she was friends with rather than her spouse.

"Me neither," he admitted, leaning against the counter and pulling the phone away briefly to hide his yawn from her. "So, how have you been?"

"Better than I have been in a long time, but I'm still tired. I only just got a moment to call you after all the chaos settled down." She sighed, but he could tell that she was smiling. "What about you? How has music been?"

He chuckled. It was adorable that she referred to "music" as if it was a good friend of his. "Do you mean the tour?"

"Not exactly? Just—" She whined. "Never mind. It's a silly question."

"No, please. Go on," he urged gently. He really wanted to know.

He could almost sense the pout on her face.

"I guess... is it still as important to you as it was before? You used to play music for the sake of music, but now it's your job. It—it's not like I'm doubting your choices or anything, of course! I just... I worry about you."

That coffee really needed to get done. He wasn't awake enough for this.

Face flushed pink, he turned away from the counter and paced, trying to focus on the rhythmic sound of his footsteps.

Marinette continued, "I never said anything because it didn't seem like my business, but music's such a big part of you—" She halted. "...Luka?"

She must've heard him.

"I'm okay, sorry." He cleared his throat. "It's... different. I like it enough, but there are deadlines and contracts, so there's pressure that wasn't there before."

And I wish I was there with you, he didn't say.

"I know what you mean," she said sympathetically. "Things change."

"Yeah. What about you?" he questioned in return.

"Me?"

"Your career was really taking off around the time I left," he recalled. "I remember it being a lot too. Did you get used to it?"

"Oh, yeah! I got used to... it."

There was something unspoken there, but Luka could sense that it wasn't something that should be explained in a call at such an early hour.

"Honestly, compared to that, the move was nothing," she said idly, "but I had other things to deal with so I still couldn't call you until now."

"You moved?" That was news to him, though not in a surprising way. They hadn't caught up in so long, after all. "When?"

"A while ago? I mean, I realized that the house I used to be in was still too close to everything after the divorce, so I wanted more distance."

Luka stilled. He ran that sentence over in his head, then again, then once more for good measure. The coffee had finally finished brewing, so he took a large sip whilst ignoring the way it tried to burn him.

Nevertheless, his comprehension of the word - divorce - remained the same, and it was only when he realized how long he'd been quiet that he managed a weak, "W-whose divorce?"

"Mine, of course." There was a pause, after which she said, "Wait, Luka, you—you didn't hear?"

"No." He'd heard nothing of the sort. He didn't have a lot of friends back in Paris, much less ones who would talk about something like this, and the news hadn't reached America. "When did you...?"

"A couple months ago," Marinette replied casually.

Months. Luka gulped down the rest of his coffee in sheer disbelief, making a hissing sound when the heat was still a little much. Setting the cup aside, he admitted again, "I really had no idea."

"Good to know that you're not perfect and not as observant as you thought," she said with a chuckle. "Anyway, it was a long time coming. I had to get out."

He was silent, waiting for her to elaborate while his brain was rebooting.

"It was... stifling. Suffocating. I couldn't handle the paparazzi and everyone just seeing me as Adrien's girlfriend while he was practically basking in it. Maybe it seems weird that I didn't notice for a long time, but when I really thought about it, it made sense. Back when I was a teenager, everyone was pushing for me to get together with him, and after that, everyone started pushing for us to get married. Then, after that, there was no next step, which is what being with Adrien had always been about. We were married, we were living together, but then I finally got to take a look around and realized that I wasn't happy."

"I—" His throat felt dry. He had no idea she'd been feeling like that, and he hadn't heard about it or been there either. "I'm sorry that happened, Marinette."

"No, I needed it. Now I can focus on myself and..." She swallowed audibly, adding in a softer tone, "the people I hold the closest to me."

He was torn, happy to hear her again yet upset at everything she'd been through to make such a heavy decision. He'd never imagined the actual pressure in such a relationship, having the eyes of everyone on her and knowing that breaking it apart would mean “wasting the efforts” of all who tried to make it work.

He tried to find comfort in the knowledge that she was at least alright now, not wanting to drag down the mood further.

"...Luka," Marinette uttered, as if she’d been mulling something over, "maybe it's weird to say it now, but—"

Though still recovering from their previous topic, Luka put on a smile even if she couldn't see it. "Now I'm curious. You can't leave a string unplucked when your hand's already on it."

She snorted in amusement. Good, he'd brightened the mood. "Just... I missed you."

Ah. Luka almost criticized her, wondering how it was fair to call him in the middle of the night, tell her that she was single, and casually throw out an 'I missed you' like it was nothing.

"I missed you too," he said instead.

"I'm glad. Not that I'm glad you've been missing me, because that would mean you've been sad, but—" She groaned and it became clear that she'd been trying to lead into something. "What I meant to say was... do you think—or, I don't know how busy you are, but..."

"What is it?"

"Would it be okay if I called more...?" she asked hesitantly. "You'd have to let me know whenever you change timezones, but—"

"Why wouldn't it be okay?" He spoke perhaps a bit too quickly to be casual, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He'd blame it on the coffee (that clearly wasn't doing its job anyway) if he had to. "I'd love to talk to you more."

"I'd be keeping you," she said as if it was a bad thing.

You can keep me forever. "I'm not busy enough where I can't talk to you, and I don't get that many calls from anyone else."

"But what if they were frequent? So I called you all the time?"

"What do you mean all the time?" he wondered, still not understanding the problem.

"...D-daily?"

He nearly laughed, stifling the noise he made with a hand and being glad that he’d set his cup down earlier. He might’ve dropped it otherwise. "Daily sounds great. I can even call you instead if you want."

"Oh. Oh!" She gasped excitedly. "Yes! Yeah, that'd—that'd be great!"

Conversation from there went smoothly, Luka's brain constantly buzzing from the sheer joy of what was happening. There was music coursing throughout his entire body, but he settled for jotting down notes over playing his guitar, not wanting to risk waking the whole city up. He didn't consider himself a needy person, but he was already craving those future calls with her.

And if they went on talking for over an hour, neither minded.

[aro-geo-turtle]

Malevolent Part 40

ahhhh im so hyped. ok lets do this. oh this is going to be so long

plans going pretty well so far, the masks all being unique probably isn't great if someone figures out that arthur and noel aren't the people who are meant to have those masks

arthur showing off his genius smart brain! go arthur! and noel gets to be a little clever too i suppose

you're putting in "getting to know oscar" as a whole??? thats way too big! what if you completely forget he exists?! ohhhh and it makes john realize just how much oscar means to arthur :((((((

damn this is a really big organization. and this leader guy really sucks. why is his voice so annoying? I don't know what i expected but of course this organization is fully of generally shitty people

new leader is definitely larson. yep.

YELLOW!!!! :DDDDD MY GUY! Murder that random shithead who i almost thought was oscar for a split second! you can act as high and mighty as you please, i know what you're really like

at least channeling yellow wears larson out, that's a weakness

i really don't want to know where larson intends to take the order

Arthur, John doesn't want to kill Yellow! that's another version of him!

"I wonder who is playing who?" larson's almost certainly playing yellow

John :(((((( come one buddy

omg is yellow stealing john's memories?????? uh oh. that's...bad.

"a large bizarre looking object" very helpful John. Automobile sized??? damn that is big. fucked up space machine???

uh guys? have you forgotten that the vizser can HEAR john??? Ok direct confrontation. let's hope this goes well.

OH NO. he's about to reveal john's identity to noel oh shit.

oh boy super smart brain helmet. ok. elder? ...and they serve the great old ones. ohhhh they're going to release yellow. hmm. but does this mean that this could give john his own body?!?!??

...dying? is...that happening to arthur and john? oh no.

actually that's a good point, they might be able to get the cult members on their side.

oh no reckoning time. ok i can't decide if they've been saved or doomed.

larson being awful awful larson as usual. oh hi butcher. fancy seeing you here.

...why do he want to separate John and arthur?...maybe Yellow would absorb the rest of john

mutual friend??? Larson you never fucking met him.

ahhhh repeating the words from part 12. fuck.

can't delay him finding out any longer. echoing part 12 once again.

oh ok, multiple fallen stars, this group has the gray one, so the black one is probably another one somewhere else. so the grey one is an artifact of the Beholding then.

"...or it can show you where you left your keys." PFFFFFFF

"allow" them to return to the dreamlands, please. we know you have no intentions of letting that power go. yeah me and john on the exact same wavelength

arthur you're kinda the last person who Yellow would be convinced by.

"a pet" OH DAMN! YEAH YELLOW COME OUT HERE AND SPEAK YOUR PIECE. arthur buddy if you want to get him on your side, insults are not the way to do this.

poor noel has about 10% of the context to understand what is happening right now.

the truth is that arthur's sorry. come on arthur say it say you're sorry. come on. YESSSSS yep that it that's it arthur! he actually did it he actually apologized :,)

come on noel come in clutch. ive been pretty sus of you but if you can save us now. aw damn noel taking this leages better than i expected but he's also absolutely about to sacrifice himself, this is a death speech for sure

noel im sorry but this is not the king who tortured you. he has no clue who you are

WHAT. Butcher???? OMG twist of the century!!! what the fuck! no way! fuck yeha!

"Till the end" yepppp

arthur it really really might kill john tho. you don't know how this works, john's the one feeling it.

shut the fuck up larson. and this fight is bringing back some s3 arthur energy oh boy

oh no john oh no john he's lost again. no no no no his name!

noel... is this it?

omg john projected!!!!!! john projected!!!! they're fighting!!!!! they can talk face to face oh my gosh he sounds so cool.

yellow baby :(((((

the undefeated :,)))))))))

...and there it is. goodbye noel. rest in peace

you have to let this thing with larson go arthur. its the only way to forgive yourself.

one part of me is saying that if they leave larson alone to get the stone he's going to do something bad, but the other part is saying arthurs needs to leave larson be for character development

now time to see if my theory about why john cares about the stone is correct. i think i am. he's desperate to get it. i have a bad feeling about this. touch it???? that seems bad.

arthur? did kayne freeze time again? yep. yep yep yep. did they run out a time limit?

oh interesting. ha john's grown beyond his beginnings! yes! he can't fit anymore! ohhhhh shit. he sent him back to the dark world????? oh shit.

choices choices choices. it all comes back to choices.

i don't trust how happily ever after Kayne is making this sound.

john you've got to tell him right away. you can't put it off. he'll be mad but you'll get past it like you always do.

ohhhhhhhhh. oh boy. damn Kayne. i mean arthur you obviously knew he was hiding something, i he wasn't at all subtle about it. this is honestly probably better than the alternative of John trying to get up the courage to confess for ages.

pointing a gun at Kayne is a terrible idea. OH GOSH. welp. ok then.

excuse me are we getting kayne lore???? the crawling chaos? a spawn of Azathoth? Damn i don't know how to spell that but people called it???

ok apparently i can agree with Kayne on one thing and that is that larson sucks. and i can agree with larson on one thing and that is that i do not get what kayne's saying either.

ok than blind him! go for it! yellow and larson trip to the dreamlands? What did he do to noel? "Maybe Spain"????

yep a test, of course. uh oh. what is this?

damn. I have no idea what this means. where are they going? what will next season bring?

[queenofbaws]

I know I said my previous request would be my last one for the cable car series, but with each prompt fill being better than the last, I can't help but come back for more. I've been eatin' good so far, so I'm gonna double down and ask for dessert - a fifth and final part to the saga! I'd love to see a post-kiss heart-to-heart/true confession from Chris and Ashley. Something that dialogue-heavy might be a bit much for six sentences, though, so maybe save it for one of those long prompt weekends?

not-quite-six sentence weekend :P

(once upon a time, in a cable car not so far away...)

"So," they somehow managed to say at precisely the same time - Chris and Ashley, Ashley and Chris - neither the cold nor the heights nor the earth-shattering reality of what had just happened in the dimly lit cable car proving enough to override the wavelength they so often shared. The moment led to another (both telling the other to go ahead), led to another (both saying no, no, no, you first), led to another still (averted eyes and vague hand gestures, half-formed words that all sounded suspiciously like giggles). Then the cable car was quiet.

For a moment, anyway.

"So," Chris tried again, "how about this weather we're having?"

Ashley groaned, or sighed, or did both at the same time, it was hard to parse. Still, she found it within herself to sit up straight, all her earlier worries about this trip long forgotten. "Really, Chris?" she asked, keeping her voice playfully flat. "Really?"

"Really! I mean, check it. It's really, uh, weathering out there. As far as the eye can see."

"Sure is."

"I mean, someone should call the news. This weather? This right here? I mean...someone's gotta report on this stuff, Ash. It's not every day you see something like this." It took him longer than he would've liked, but he scrounged up courage enough to glance her way, feeling his insides do the usual flip-flop as he watched her shake her head, roll her eyes, laugh. It bolstered him enough to swallow that last bit of anxiety down, and that, along with the memory of her lips warm against his, ended the crummy joke. "Also? That was, uh, nice."

Ashley nodded slowly, waging a very similar war inside herself. "Yeah. Yeah, it was."

"The kind of nice," he continued, feeling a little bit like one of those bomb defusers crime shows loved using for some reason, "thaaat I could...get used to. I-If you also could...get used to...it, I mean."

She dropped her face into her hands for an instant, still laughing, still nodding, and when she sat back up, she forced herself to meet his eyes. "I could also get used to it, yeah. Super used to it, in fact."

"I - oh! Well. Neat! I guess - "

Which was of course when the slow jams Josh had been piping in over the hidden speakers suddenly cut out, giving way to the evil emcee himself. Whatever he'd used to hook the things up, the connection wasn't great, so there was a staticy, old-timey radio quality to his teasing that only made the situation feel that much more surreal.

"Heeello again, ladies and gents. This is your captain speaking, informing you that you will be reaching the summit - and the scenic Blackwood Pines estate - in about three minutes. Please be sure to dispose of all garbage in the designated receptacles, keep your hands and feet inside the ride and all times, and for the love of Christ, if you haven't already had some gross Hallmark movie moment in there, you better get that shit out of your combined systems NOW, before I have to deal with you for the whole weekend.

"Quick notes to help that process along: Ashley, I'm sure you're wondering whether I found all those darling love poems in the notebook you accidentally left at my place last week. Yes. I did. You're probably also wondering if I have the balls to read them out loud. Yes. I do. And Cochise. Sweet, precious Cochise. This is my reminder to you, my man, that there are appropriate and inappropriate things to say to a lady before, after, and during a romantic embrace. Appropriate things include but are not limited to - wow, you're gorgeous; I've wanted to do this for such a long time; and it's you and me against the world, baby. Inappropriate things, as we've been over many, many times, include - but again, ARE NOT LIMITED TO - hubba hubba awooga; aw geez; and neato!"

Ashley snorted so hard she startled herself, jumping in her seat.

Chris, on the other hand, was less amused. "...I mean technically 'neat' isn't the same as 'neato,' sooo..."

"Now, I didn't think to rig this shit up to be two-way, so I can only assume you're both saying 'Okay Josh, that makes sense Josh, you got it, Josh,' over and over again in there. When you get to this station, God as my witness, there better not be one iota of romantic tension left between you, or - "

The speakers squawked once and died out as they hit a slight bump in the line, but where there had been panic the last time that happened, now there was only relief. Chris turned to Ashley, Ashley turned to Chris, and while their faces were still much too red for how cold it was inside the cable car, things felt absolutely, undoubtedly, utterly perfect.

...for a moment, anyway.

"So...love poems, huh?"

[lonelylonelyghost]

OK, why the hell was I not aware of Doom Patrol until like literally 2 days ago??

I'm on episode 7 now and it's so good???

The general premise is quite familiar to any lover of superhero stuff. Basically due to some circumstances several people somehow attain unusual powers and are gathered in the huge-ass house (the energy bills must be insane) by a mysterious Chief. And then weird shit starts happening.

I think in regards to general set-up it's a bit similar to Umbrella Academy, but in smaller details and characterizations it's a completely different thing.

The characters? - They are actually good people. Flawed, yeah, definitely, some of them did pretty messed up stuff in the past, but they're constantly trying to do better, be better. Deeply human, despite their supernatural abilities. I know that complete irredeemable assholes are quite popular with the public nowadays, but for me personally I like characters that have kindness in them, someone I could actually root for, and with at least some semblance of a moral compass.

The dynamic? Great! Everyone there is with their distinct quirks and loads of trauma, somehow culminating into a messed up but highly entertaining to watch found family. Also, at least for now - no romance within the group! Yey! Praise the gods, honestly, because you've no idea how annoyed I would be otherwise (a lot of media is ruined forever by adding a completely unnecessary romance subplots imo. Hollywood can't grasp the concept of love like 99% of the time). But with the way it's going and what kind of dynamic people there have with each other, any romance between them seems highly unlikely.

Humor? Oh yes! I'm too lazy to look for specific quotes, but because the characters are so different from each other, from their personalities and experiences to time periods, their interactions and reactions to the same events are hilarious.

The meta from The Narrator aka Mr Nobody is also top tear. I quite like meta things in media in general, and it's not easy to do it well, but here it's executed just right. The interesting thing about this running commentary on the events happening is that despite the seemingly omniscient perspective it's clear that The Narrator is biased and you can't really take his every word and opinion as absolute reality.

Also, one thing that I personally appreciate - even though there is a fair amount of graphic violence and gore, it's actually manageable and not crossing the "violence just for the shock value" line. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy some on-screen dismemberment every once in a while, but not when it starts to get gross. No way near the level of the Boys (please don't kill me, I like their memes).

Overall, this particular mix of scifi and magic, tragedy, comedy, heartfelt moments and good plot managed to resonate with my brain's wavelength. So here we go. Enjoy

My favorite flavor of absolute bonkers happening all the time

[sixosix]

back by unpopular demand, it's me(that deadman aether anon, that's just my name now i guess)! here to poke the newest chapter a few times until it gives me answers

imma just hit this right off the bat since the chapter just came out- a little crazy? A LITTLE?? man's taking after his 'father' more than he realizes, no wonder he is next in line to be 'king'.

seriously tho, the mental/emotional range lyney has this chapter is wild to me. he's so happy and giddy but even though that doesn't necessarily go away he flips a switch to serious mode when lynette questions him.

he's just?? constantly planning? like here he is, acting almost lovesick over thawed!reader but he keeps hyperfocused on any information she drops to store for later use. worrying over her using her old weapon from her time at the house? already planning on how to get her the perfect weapon as a gift and asks her about childe's methods. 'idle' conversation? instantly mentally notes what topics she is avoiding. she questions him about what the house is doing? i'd bet real money he noted that as well, not to mention wording his answer so that he didn't fully lie to her(after earlier mentioning that she would know if he was lying to her face??? lsafdkjfsa).

Like! Literally, his first words after their little spar date were “She’s hiding something”. sjklsflaljf, like yeah??! She is!!! About a lot of things my guy! Just wait until you get the full picture and not just the flawed info you got right now.

SPEAKING OF WHEN THAT LAST SCENE THO-

Behind Lyney, the moonlight scatters all over. It is a little hard to tell what face he’s making. “I’m doing this exactly because I’m trying not to drive her away.”

This. This snatched my focus. Lyney (and by extension the rest of the fauti trio) are playing chess while Aether and Thawed!Reader are playing checkers!

this is getting long so i'll cut myself off because i know I'm gonna barge in with more random thoughts later- just please know I'm absolutely gonna be re-reading this for the next couple days.

HI DEADMAN AETHER ANON!! always a joy to see u here. that being said,

WHAT THE FUCK!!!! how did u get it so quickly ??? i was literally just talking about it w my friend earlier where i was saying that i wanted lyney to play into the role he said he never wanted 😨‼️ its incredible u got it right off the bat! i thought itd take a few chapters before it sinks in to the readers (including the actual reader)

lyney doesnt bother hiding his expressions w lynette bc she could tell if he plasters on a fake smile anyway—and thats probably way more disturbing for her 😕

yeahh lyney is a bit 😝😝😝😝😝 rn bc lets be real… thawed!lyney and reader are not emotionally stable…… as art naosaki once said in our dms, “Reader needs to learn how to stay and lyney needs to learn how to let go.”

the !!! analogy!!! thats so genius!! i love that :D

thank you somuch once again for sharing your thoughts!!! its like meeting someone on the same wavelength as me!!!!! its so cool to read what u have to say

CANT WAIT FOR MORE OF UR WONDERFUL THOUGHTS!!! ❤️❤️❤️ your observations are OUTSTANDING as always

[hyperray]

Just watched the finale and...

I almost feel nothing. I feel weird. I am both excited from the cool moments, and dissapointed by the cringe moments. Its like the cool matter and cringe matter met and they annihilated eahc other to zero. My mood swings about the finale is comparable to the infrared wavelength. Actually let me visualize this by showing the peaks as + and cringe moments as - +Vox laughing at the hotel's preparation -Vox swearing (Actually I'm giving a minus to all the swearing, which OH MY GOD!! There is so much of it, I have an extremely hard time to find this cool and interesting. Viv, STOP IT, PLEASE!) +General Pentious +Charlie's speech +The whole scene where everyone is enjoying themselfes before the fight -Besides Pentious expressing his feelings for Cherri (Which I do ship) the whole concept is rushed, she only appeared one time and when they are eye to eye the ship thing if forced quickly, and she only starts considering him after Angel tells her that he might have two dicks. Like, hmm, that would make it a very one sided relationship -The Charlie and Vaggie song having the same style as the Charlie and Lucifer song makes this all feel somewhat incestious. Am I the only one who feels that way? -Lute is being uncharacteristic with how she is swearing, feels a bit like the Striker treatement +I love everyone's battle outfits! I think Charlie's shield might be a reference to that one christian folklore how someone was using a shield made by Lucifer himself which later broke from another holy weapon +Alastor's shield -Yeah it is pretty weak how the angels can be killed with their own weapons, though I also find this interesting, maybe their own weapons can kill them not out of holyness, but from power-level essence, you get me? +++Besides the swearings and the Lucifer vs Adam fight, this battle was AWESOME!!! Especially Adam vs Alastor -Vox' hard on, or his entire appereance in the episode and Alastor swearing. I really hoped Al would be outside the swearing curse --"Vagatha!" "Not my name" I really feel like this is Viv's spiteful way of saying "Fuck you guys, the way I name my characters is completely fine and stop whining like there is anything wrong with it." +Angel Dust protecting the Egg Boi ++Pentiou's build up of attacking Adam and manning up to kiss Cherri ----------Pentious being casually whiped out by Adam in one pew and everyone imemdiately mourning for him. Seriously WHAT THE FUCK!!! That was the most UNDERWHELMING SHIT I've ever seen! +Razzle and Dazzle becoming Dragon and Vaggie vs Lute fight, as well as her speech to humiliate Lute +Charlie and Adam's fight and interaction +Lute ripping her arm out --The entire Adam vs Lucifer fight and interaction. Okay I expected there to be a large power gap between those two, it is Lucifer after all, but it felt too one sides, and I got second hand embarrasment for Adam by being so casually humiliated by all these silly animal transformations and insult ---Also did Lucifer really sleep with Eve too? That makes the whole view on the Morningstar family relationship so wrong. Luci and Lilith supposedly were deeply in love, but if Lucifer must've slept with Eve too it must've been soon after he met Lilith too, and Luci was trying to be a sort of prometheus figure to Eve, what a massive downplay on so many things! Though I hope he wasn't serious about it and just wanted to get under Adam's skin ----Lucifer saying "I'm going to fuck you" to Adam was the MOST VRINGE INDUCING thing here! --Adam's true face. Look I don't care if this is suppose to reflect his actor's face, why is he this white boy hill billy? Jeez, does Viv even care about the Bible lore and trying to make it more accurate than just the surface level stuff?Would it have been so hard to just make him more lore accurate? I'm seriously starting to think Viv might have a kink on that.

[mountainofhistory]

If your muses had pokemon types, what would they be?

So this one was a bit of a doozy. Lots of muses after all. I'm still not wholly satisfied with all the type combinations - feel free to comment if you think any don't quite line up.

Youmu: Steel/Ghost - Steel is obvious, as is Ghost. It's worth noting that I wanted to put Normal in here somewhere as well, but I just couldn't justify removing either of the other two. Why Normal? Because to me, Normal in Gensokyo suggests a human connection, and Youmu is human, at least in part.

Keine: Normal (EX Keine: Normal/Fighting) - It's hard to assign any type other than normal to Keine. None of the other ones fit. However, in EX Keine form, I think it's pretty fair to give her Fighting.

Reisen: Psychic/Fairy - Who says Fairy type is only restricted to yousei? Psychic is, again, obvious. Mental manipulation, playing with wavelengths, etc. Fairy is, aside from literal fairies, something playful, legendary - if you ask me, a moon rabbit kind of fits.

Eiki: Defined by Plate - Okay, I'll confess. This one's kind of a cop-out. I just couldn't think of a type that would fit Eiki. But the plate system used by Arceus allows us a way out, I think. Especially since Arceus' signature move is Judgement, a move whose type depends on the held Plate. Pretty nice for Eiki I think.

Shizuha: Grass/Poison - Ah, the type combination that is just all over the damn place. As a nature spirit, her connection to the Grass type is obvious. And as a goddess of decay, her connection to Poison equally so. Nothing special here.

Momiji: Steel - pure, unblemished steel. Nothing else really makes sense. Though she'll get access to some Dark moves with Bite and Crunch.

Sanae: Normal/Flying - Normal is, again, because she's at least part human. As for Flying, she's a wind priestess - it'd be odd if her typing didn't show her connection to Wind, wouldn't it?

Parsee: Dark/Poison - Parsee is a dirty fighter. Dark is the type you want for dirty fighters - or just hellish connected people in general, but here we want the dirty fighting connection. Poison is because jealousy often acts like a poison, killing a person emotionally from the inside.

Satori: Psychic - Psychic, but probably not very useful as far as a Pokemon goes. It would be cool if she was weak, but having her out would let you know what move your opponent has selected. Yeah.

Orin: Fire/Dark - why Dark? This time it's the other side of the Dark type we want, the hellish connection. I shouldn't have to explain the fire.

Nue: Dark - Dark is easily the type that best fits Nue in my opinion. She's all about the fighting style that Dark implies and brings up. However, if Pokemon had a mechanic that would allow her to have a random second type, I would opt for that. Something that changes every time you throw her out.

Futo: Fire/Water - Look, I can't ignore Futo's affinity for Fire. As much as I worry people focus on it too much when thinking about her, the fact is it's there. The water is, of course, because she also uses water element attacks. She uses Earth and Wood as well, of course, but there's only so much we can fit in.

Kagerou: Dark - Gonna be honest. I'm not pleased with this one. I mostly just chose it because Dark is where you find your biting and crunching attacks.

Momoyo: Poison/Fighting - Poison, easy. Momoyo is highly, highly venomous. Fighting, just as easy. There's nothing she loves more than a good, fair scrap. Even if the stakes she really likes are higher than most people are willing to accept (reasonably so!)

Now, for the semi-OCs:

Udeki: Dark/Fighting - Fighting for much the same reasons as Momoyo above. Dark, however, because unlike Momoyo, Udeki is perfectly fine with pulling dirty tricks. She's not about to lie to someone, but she also isn't going to 'fight with honor' when she can do something crude and below the belt to win. Unless, that is, she's facing another oni. She still has enough pride for that.

Narikon: Fire/Fairy - kitsune, like moon rabbits, are 'close enough' to fae that I think you can justify them being in the fairy type. Fire is for similar reasons - her use of foxfire to mimick a Master Spark is one of her defining attacks in battle.

And lastly, the actual OC:

Kuromatsu: Steel - Just like her boss, Steel is the type that most makes sense for Kuromatsu. Bound heavily to her weapon, it's what characterizes her in a fight more than anything else. She might be less inclined than Momiji to learn biting moves, though.

[canonical-transformation]

Okay, now I have a need. Please entreat a humble mutual with some autistic Shinobu headcanons. Just a morsel to get me through.

Autistic Kuki Shinobu

barely even headcanons

Rules and systems

Character story 3 is about her getting really annoyed about superstitions and pointless rules. Classic "I can't believe these so called experts betrayed me" arc.

She's not against rules and systems, though. She did a law degree and not even to get a job in law.

“Huh? Why are [the Arataki Gang] willing to follow my rules? Because both my words and my fists are very persuasive.”

The "autists socialise different" trope

Highly qualified woman gravitates towards found family full of misfits, because she absolutely sees herself as an outsider

“I've learned how to read people based on their expressions and body language. Besides, nine times out of ten, it's the gang getting in trouble. I don't mind putting on a face to get us out of a sticky predicament, but I still prefer not to smile.”

She can do social niceties but hmph.

She hates smiling and it's pointless and why does everyone ask her to? Here have a mask you assholes.

Also her view on accreditations is adorable.

“Come find me if you ever suddenly want to become certified in anything. I'll lend you all my notes for the exam. Believe me, my notes are detailed enough to help anybody pass.”

...i.e. she has a system and it works and maybe it's a hyperfocus but shh

“...I'm still not certain about a Vision's assessment criteria.”

*pats gently on head* I'm sorry but I'm not sure even Celestia is clear on this

(I mean. I have my own theories, specifically, "you made such a stereotypically Raiden Ei mental move that someone was like 'yeah, Archon material". But that's not a set of rules and my own hc annoys me as much as it would annoy Kuki.)

“How can there be lines of work where you can find employment without the right qualifications? It boggles the mind.”

I'm torn between (1) "Shinobu, please understand that there are other forms of signalling which work just as well, like, say, prior work experience", and (2) "allists hire on Vibe and they invented unconscious bias(*) and I hate them"

(* autists also experience unconscious bias. Autists are not a magically enlightened superior subrace, no matter how tempting that is to believe when I'm annoyed.)

I suspect that, unfortunately, Kuki shares Ei's gullibility on certain fronts and the word "certification" is a weak point for her critical thinking. She'd get a life coach certificate, pseudoscience or not. Or, uh, a Kissing With Tongue certificate.

Other headcanons

Sara and Yanfei are some of her best friends because they are the sanest, most normal people

She learned all the ninjitsu backflip stuff when she was younger and thought that being named Shinobu meant she had to know that stuff

Miyuki is pretty neurotypical and they're both trying really hard to stay in touch but they're on really different wavelengths

(side note: I loved the Shinobu+Miyuki reconciliation in the ends justify the beans)

Shinobu wasn't there for the Itto character quest because she'd just gotten her Vision back and was renewing her nidan in kusari-fundou.

...and she has no idea why people joke about the electro chain whip. It's light, flexible, and deadly in skilled hands. What's so funny?

(yes even after Sara asked her to hit her with it "to better understand what weapons I may encounter on the battlefield", and then moaned)

[decepti-thots]

chromedome and hobbies ?

Hmmm. Chromedome seems like the kind of person, to me, who has two modes when it comes to hobbies.

The first mode is that his work is very much his passion and he is bad at separating out work and leisure. You know how sometimes people who do something they're really passionate about as a job will like. Go home and just start doing the same shit they do all day at work for fun? And sure that's great and all but also, sometimes you are like 'jesus christ you need to take a break for just ONE afternoon PLEASE'. Yeah, I feel like that's him. How that translates to his work… you know, in the Institute, I actually always think of him as someone who has quite a lot of friends among his coworkers? Maybe not very close ones, but a lot of people he works with and gets on well with and is liked by. So I can imagine in that context, he's doing a lot of extracurricular discussion about this or that bit of research, he's getting involved in Brainstorm's less-than-approved 'side projects', that sort of thing. He's finishing work and hanging out with the same people on his shifts, and they're mostly talking shop.

(Also, this is for sure one of the things Prowl saw in him during all that; he's like 'excellent, someone else who lives for work, I approve', lmao. Except Prowl is not necessarily mixing leisure with work as much as he is doing 20 hours actual unpaid overtime a week, so they're not quite as on the same wavelength as he thinks there, I feel.)

Anyway, all this means that when he's separated from that- because he stops being involved in what used to be his life's work, basically- I figure he might end up sort of… bereft. Chromedome liked what he did and organized a lot of his identity and social circle and such around it. I imagine if you work for the Institute, that pretty much is your life. Every part of your day-to-day is so classified you can't even tell people 'what I do is classified', it's not supposed to even exist. Functionally, YOU probably are not supposed to exist outside your job.

So mode number two is probably that he goes along with what his spouse- for our purposes here, Rewind- is interested in. Or any friends he has, but by the time we reach the present day that's mooooostly just Brainstorm I feel like, haha. So Chromedome's hobbies are 'enjoying time with Rewind, doing what Rewind likes'. If nothing else because I mean, we see that by the time Rewind and CD meet, CD is having profound issues with depression, which in my experience very often means lacking the energy and motivation to so much as come up with stuff to do. Following someone's lead can be a big relief there. But of course, it also means he's playing into that kind of codependent, Rewind-is-everything dynamic that both keeps CD going and is also not actually sustainable in the long run. So.

As for what those hobbies actually are, I mean, we see that a lot of it is related to Rewind's archival work- when it's movie night he suggests old PSAs he has for historical purposes, he and CD talk about his old field recordings. I bet Rewind drags him out to see stuff and take recordings all the time. I'm sure he's happy to infodump at CD for three hours while they wander around taking recordings of alien planets or doing interviews or whatever. Rewind is almost the inverse here of CD back in the day really, where he makes his passion into a full-time calling.

So now CD also has a lot of knowledge about all sorts of random things, but he always prefaces this with a brag about how smart his husband is. This is probably both cute and annoying after a while.

[linagram]

[ 𝚎𝚒𝚔𝚘'𝚜 𝚝𝟷 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚖𝚊 ] 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎

eiko's voice drama is here!! it's her, the ultimate girlboss dhjskskssl

i like her character a lot actually? she's so chill compared to kei and writing her vd turned out a lot easier than i imagined it to be, it felt like a nice break from whatever kei's drama ended up to be. doesn't make her any more sympathetic though

anyway, i'm very curious to see how her trial will go! it took me a lot of time to figure out her canon verdict too..

(divider link)

(sounds of footsteps)

Miki: Eiji-san.. Are you okay?

Miki: The last interrogation.. wasn't the easiest one.

Eiji: I'm fine. As long as you let me vote him guilty, I will be fine.

Miki: But are you sure this is the right decision?

Eiji: No matter how much you try to make me change my mind, Kei is the only prisoner that I will still vote guilty. Maybe I will give other prisoners a chance, even though that possibility is small, but Kei is someone I will never forgive.

Eiji: Wouldn't you do the same if you had to judge the person who had ruined your life?

Miki: .. I was that person.

Miki: But out of all the people in this prison, I'm the only one who truly doesn't deserve to be forgiven.

Eiji: .. Don't say things like that.

Eiji: I don't know what you did, but I'm sure that you're not like those sinners.

Eiji: You wouldn't be chosen as a guard if you were just as unforgivable as them.

(door opens)

Eiko: Hiiii!~

Eiko: Wow, you two are even more cute than I've imagined you to be!

Eiji: Ugh, she's just like him.

Miki: Eiji-san, if you need a break..

Eiji: It's fine. I'm fine.

Eiko: You look so tired though.. Interrogating all those scary people all day must be so hard..

Eiko: Don't worry, I'm not like them at all. Actually, I don't think my crime can even be called a crime.

Eiji: Well, that's for us to decide.

Eiji: So you are.. Prisoner 006, Yoshioka Eiko, 23 years old.

Eiji: And you also were a model before arriving here.. You and Kei really would be a perfect couple.

Eiko: Haha, yeah, me and Kei are really close! He's so funny and I have to say, he's kinda cute.

Eiko: You look cuter than him though.

Eiko: I like how these bandages look on you. Sure, maybe you're injured, but it also means you were strong enough to survive all that.

Eiji: ...

Miki: Eiji-san, are you.. blushing?

Eiji: I'm not.

Eiji: A-anyway, about your crime-

Eiko: Oh, you want to talk about that first? So straightforward, I like your style.

Eiko: Keep acting like this and maybe you'll be able to impress us.

Eiji: .. Who's "us"?

Eiko: ...

Eiko: Haha, nevermind. I'm probably just tired, I mean, I did have to wait for you two to come visit me.

Miki: W-we're sorry for being late! The last interrogation was just..

Eiko: You don't have to apologize. Kei's interrogation was a nightmare, wasn't it?

Miki: How did you-

Eiko: Kei is attractive, I have to agree. He's fun to talk to and we're kinda on the same wavelength.

Eiko: .. But I don't think he's "perfect" enough for me.

Eiko: He can be really annoying sometimes. And I don't think our relationship would be as deep as I want it to be if we actually start dating. It's obvious he's just interested in me because of my looks and nothing else.

Eiko: So yeah, I can imagine the last interrogation was hard for you both.

Eiji: .. Finally, someone gets it.

Eiko: Hm? Did you say something?

Eiji: No, I didn't.

Eiko: Okay then. So.. you want me to tell you more about my murder, right?

Miki: Y-yes, please!

Miki: Um, only if you're comfortable with that, of course..

Miki: If you tell us more about your crime, maybe we'll be able to save you!

Eiko: .. "Save me"?

Eiko: Ah, you mean voting me innocent.

Eiko: Well, to be honest.. I don't really care about all that.

Eiji: Really? That means you're okay with me voting you guilty?

Eiji: It's not like I care about your opinion, it's just nice to hear that you won't try to resist.

Eiko: *laughs* If you're the one who comes up with all the punishments, I'll be okay with anything~

Eiko: But also, I just don't think either option is.. how do I say it.. "good enough" for me? I just can't imagine a perfect outcome.

Eiko: If you vote me innocent, that will just mean that you want me to depend on you more and start seeing you as "my knight in shining armor", because wow, you've saved a pretty girl, even though she's a murderer just like all other prisoners, how kind of you!

Eiko: And if you vote me guilty, that will mean that you want me to remember that you're the one who rules this place. Maybe you won't even think that hard about it, because it's so tempting to just make a girl like me beg you to forgive me.

Eiko: Or maybe you just want an excuse to do all kinds of things to me, haha.

Miki: Eiji-san? Um, can you hear me?

Eiji: ...

Eiko: Oh no, I think I broke him.

Eiko: Haha, looks like he's not used to talking to women as beautiful as me.

Eiko: Then you can be the one asking me questions, Miki-chan. Oh, by the way, are you okay with me calling you that?

Miki: Y-yeah, sure.

Eiko: Great. So, what questions do you have for me?

Miki: Well.. I can't exactly ask you to tell me about your victim, can I?

Eiko: Why not? I'll gladly tell you about that liar.

Miki: I knew it- Wait, what??

Miki: You'll just tell me everything like that??

Eiko: Listen, I have nothing to hide. I mean, I do have my secrets, obviously, but they're not related to my crime.

Eiko: So I'm not scared of telling you everything about it.

Miki: Oh.. then, can you please tell me more about your victim? And why did you call them a "liar"?

Eiko: Well.. let's see. That man never kept any of his promises, he lied to me about every single little thing and in the end he turned out to be someone completely different.

Eiko: I knew that a person can be different from their "online self", but still..

Eiko: That difference was just too big.

Miki: Did he turn out to be a bad person?

Eiko: I wouldn't say that. It's not like he was a bad person, it's not like he was evil or anything like that..

Eiko: He was just too "imperfect". He had too many flaws. He was not good enough for me.

Miki: "Imperfect"..

Eiko: Oh, sorry, that probably makes me sound like someone who always expects too much from others.

Eiko: Even though I will admit, my expectations can be a little bit too high sometimes.

Eiko: But hey, I just know that I deserve better! What's so bad about that?

Miki: No, no, I just find it weird how often you say this word.

Eiko: What word?

Miki: "Perfect".

Miki: "Perfection", "imperfect", "good enough"..

Miki: I didn't expect you to be such a perfectionist, Yoshioka-san.

Eiko: .. *laughs*

Eiko: You're right, Miki-chan, I really say words like that pretty often.

Eiko: It's just that I was taught to never accept anything that's not "perfect" or even "good enough".

Eiko: I know, I'm not the most sympathetic prisoner here. Sorry about that, I guess.

Eiko: But I'm sure your partner will have fun coming up with a punishment for me.

Eiji: .. O-of course, I will!

Eiko: Oh, so you can still talk!

Eiko: By the way, I just can't understand the kind of relationship you two have. Are you a couple or-

Eiji and Miki: WE'RE NOT!

Eiko: Haha, okay, okay. You two get along well though.

(bell rings, machinery sounds)

Eiko: I wonder what my video will be like.

Eiko: Oh, it will be a music video too, right? A lot of people have told me that I have a beautiful voice, so I hope you like it~

Eiji: I don't care about all that. Your crime is the most important thing.

Eiko: Hehe, okay then. I hope you have fun watching it anyway.

Miki: But isn't it scary? I mean.. What if we see something that we weren't supposed to see?

Eiko: .. Then I will simply have to accept it. You can start, Ei-

Eiko: Oh, sorry, I meant to say Guard-san.

Eiji: I don't need your permission.

Eiji: Prisoner 006, Eiko, sing your sins!

═════════•°• ⚠ •°•═════════

[malleleothreesome]

FELLOW ALMOST DYING OF LAUGHTER IS EVERYTHING TO ME ACTUALLY

I saw it clearly on my mind, the mix between the wildest laugh and the look of someone who's about to commit a crime. Perfect. Chef kiss. 100/10. Mwah.

Also the way he talked to ace was so... kinda... y'know... twirling my hair yeah

- ur fave fellow simp anon 🕺

Wait... not me having so many unanswered asks in my inbox from you??? Pls forgive me precious anon bestie

Okay so like 2 weeks ago or whenever you sent the ask about the laughter... I wanted to draw you another artwork 🥺👉👈 so I drew this but it was literally so fucking cringe that it caused me to become reclusive and go on a brief internet hiatus. like truly I'm haunted over the fact that I created this monstrosity. Anyway here. Now you have to live with it too. I am no longer alone in my plight.

Okay to ACTUALLY answer your talking points:

GOD TRULY I AM SO GRATEFUL THAT YOU APPRECIATED THE PREVIEW OF FELLOW HONEST DRUNKEN CONFESSION!!! You may be pleased to hear that I have 13 pages of that fic now, and I've sent them off to my editor to be edited. It's still not done so who knows how many pages it'll be when I'm finished... but I'm loving it so far.

LITERALLY TWIRLING MY HAIR TOO okay #confirmed you're me from another dimension

Awwww stop you're so sweet I'm blushing so much????? ILY bestie 🥹🥹🥹 I've been sooo slow with writing this past month... it weighs heavy on me but you make me feel better. Thanks so much for that! I've got soooo much Fellow writing in the pipeline it's unreal, but I'm so excited about all of my WIPs!

Yes PLEASE keep showing up and PLEASE SEND ME FIC RECS. WE ARE OBVIOUSLY ON THE SAME WAVELENGTH SO YOUR WORD IS MY GOSPEL.