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[dreamersolacey]

Tim and Bernard have joint ownership of that grey hoodie

[smol-and-grumpy]

EUPHORIA - Chapter 12

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Summary: He’s Dean Winchester, owner of a shady night club. She’s a journalist who has been asked to write an article to expose the indecency and debauchery that’s going on behind closed doors. But he’s also Dean Winchester, the boy who sat next to her in class. The boy who was too cocky for his own good.

Chapter Warning: Flangst, NSFW

WC: 4922

A/N: This chapter fills my ‘dom/sub’ square for @spnkinkbingo​​ Please share your thoughts with me, I’d love to hear your feedback.

Beta’d by @deanwanddamons​​​​​​​​​ <3

This series is more than two weeks ahead on patreon!

Series Masterlist ~ SPN Masterlist

Become a Patron ~ Buy me a coffee

Her cheeks burn up from Dean’s promise. Tugging her bottom lip between her teeth, she nods at Dean and he places a kiss on her forehead before he extends his hand for her to take, helping her down the bar stool, “Come on, I gotta say hello to some people. I wanna get this over with,”

“Okay,” She agrees, and lays her hand in his.

Dean introduces her to so many people, she can’t keep up with all their names. While he makes small talk, she scans the room.She doesn’t really know what to expect, but maybe she was hoping to see a familiar face. She spots Claire walking around, wearing a beautiful gown and carrying trays of champagne flutes. Tonight she’s really just waitressing, then.

When Dean’s finished, he guides her through the dance floor where people are mingling. Cas was standing with people she didn’t recognize. One of them she does though. It's Carmen from the boutique. 

Before she can dwell on it, someone comes around to greet Dean and they talk about things she has no clue about so she excuses herself to go to the bathroom. 

Two women come out and Y/N stands off to the side to make way for them before she gets in. She stands by the sink, checks her own reflection in the mirror. She actually didn’t have to pee, but she just needed a break. 

Washing her hands in the sink, she hears the flush of the toilet, and then the door to a stall opens to a tall beautiful woman strutting out.

Carmen.

Ugh. 

She doesn’t really want to meet her and there’s no place for her to hide or run away. She doubts that the floor will open up and swallow her, so she has to do what she thinks she should — smile and nod.

“Hey,” Carmen greets her with a wide and white smile. The woman walks forward to wash her hands in the sink next to her, and Carmen looks up, “The dress suits you. Cas was right,”

“Thank you,” Y/N answers politely, “You look good, too.”

Carmen smirks, “I know,” She tucks her hair behind her ear, “It matches the earrings Dean bought me for my birthday,” Carmen tilts her head, shows them into the mirror and their gaze meets.

Y/N’s heart thumps in her chest. She feels like throwing up but she keeps herself together. She smiles but she doesn’t know how convincing it looks, “They look lovely,”

“Thanks,” The other woman dries off her hands and walks out, leaving Y/N standing there perplexed. 

She locks herself into a stall and sits on the closed lid, trying to calm herself down. There’s really no reason for her to have all these feelings. She’s being very unreasonable, and she knows it. It’s just— she can’t fucking help it. 

After a long while, she gathers herself together enough to face the crowd again. She walks out onto the dance floor, and sees Dean talking to Carmen. The woman has her hand on his arm, laughs at a joke he probably told her.

Dean’s eyes are on her when he notices her walking out onto the dance floor. He pulls his arm away from Carmen’s hand, walks towards her to meet her. 

There’s a frown on his face and she knows that it’s maybe because she looks like she does not want to be here anymore, “You okay?”

“Fine,” She answers short and she looks at Carmen who has a smug grin on her face. 

He bends down a little, whispering in her ear, “Seriously, what is it?”

“Uh,” She starts to say, doesn’t really know why it matters, “I got this dress from the boutique Cas took me to. Carmen was there and she was visibly upset that you weren’t the one with Cas. I just met her in the bathroom, is all.” 

Y/N sees him looking back to Carmen, notices Carmen smiling and waving at Dean. Clearly not at her.

Dean presses his lips into a thin line but he’s grinning, while he raises one eyebrow, “Yeah, she’s our seamstress. We always go to her if we need new clothes for employees,” He explains, and then he adds, “Are you jealous by any chance?”

Is she jealous? Well, she doesn’t know? It’s just, Carmen was clearly expecting Dean and she looked so upset which makes Y/N think that maybe Dean had something going on with her? And why did the woman have to rub the gift in her face?

“She told me that you bought her the earrings that match her dress,”

Dean’s eyes widen before he starts to laugh, “Honestly, she gets presents from us every year. Cas usually organizes it. I have no idea what she got.”

Oh.

He pushes his thumb and forefinger underneath her chin, tilts her head up and bends down to kiss her lips, “You’re jealous,”

“Nah,” She says, shaking her head.

He’s laughing as he kisses her again, “You’re cute.”

“She’s wearing the dress she wanted me to wear at first.”

Dean takes another glance over and he has to grin, “Well, I’m glad you didn’t. You look much better in this dress.”

“She looks good too, though,” She says, because it’s true. Carmen accentuated her cleavage perfectly. Her legs are long and to die for. They are wearing the same colored dress, which should be weird but she doesn’t really mind about these things anyway. It’s just seeing the dress on Carmen, she thinks that maybe she should have shown some more cleavage as well? Maybe Dean does really like that? Her dress is very modest, compared to Carmen’s.

“Eh,” Dean’s arm sneaks around her waist. His hand drops lower, squeezes at her ass cheek and she looks around perplexed, hoping nobody notices, “I prefer you like this, don’t need people to see what’s mine,” 

  To Dean, the evening feels like it’s dragging on. He’s anticipating the moment that he’s going to be able to slip out and take her upstairs. 

She’s cute when she’s jealous, though. He never thought she would be, and now that she is, it makes him kind of proud. Maybe he’s not the only one who feels the things he feels after all? Maybe she just needs more time to realize it.

However, she really doesn’t have to worry about Carmen. It’s true that he once took her out but that was before he even opened up the club. Since then, he kept their relationship strictly business, but he can’t deny that he knows Carmen wants more. And he’s sure that she can get more. Sure that Carmen deserves someone who pays her attention and cultivates her hunger for fame and status. It’s just… that someone is definitely and absolutely not him.

They are sitting together on the couch and Dean has an arm draped around Y/N’s shoulder. She leans into him, and they face the dance floor. Occasionally, Dean would whisper to her, would tell her about the guests secrets that he knows of. They would laugh and joke around and it seems easy. Cas is doing the majority of the work anyway, like they agreed to in the beginning of their arrangement. 

After a short while of silent people watching, Dean leans closer to her and nuzzles his nose against her temple, “Hey, you ready?”

And he likes that, likes how she looks back at him with knowing eyes. Likes the smile on her face and then she nods, her cheeks seem to pick up color. 

Dean doesn’t say anything, grins a little but other than that, he tries to keep his cool and fishes out his phone to text Cas. He quickly places his phone back and stands up, jerks his head to the back door, to let her know where he’s going. He goes first, waits by the door until she joins him.

They take the staircase up to the VIP part of the club, their heels echoing off the walls. 

All the lights above the rooms are red, as they should be because it signals that they’re not to be used tonight.

“Okay, what do you feel like?” Dean asks her but instead of answering, she tugs her lips between her teeth. Fucking cutest little thing, really. How can she even think that he would have eyes for someone else?

He decides to take the lead and takes her to the nearest door that he’s sure she hasn’t been in yet. 

The room opens to a setting of a dirty bathroom with holes in the walls of the stalls and everything. 

“Ewww,” Her nose wrinkles and Dean has to chuckle, “This is really someone's fantasy?”

“Oh, sweetheart, more than you think.” Dean tugs at her arm, pulling her out, knowing that this is not what she wants. To be fair, it’s also not really on his list either, it doesn’t even make his list. 

She walks ahead and takes a couple of steps to the next room. Dean decides to let her open them up herself, “Go on, you can take a look at every room you like.”

Y/N smiles, her hand reaches out to turn the knob on the door. Dean knows not to go closer because he knows what’s in there. She closes it immediately, her eyes wide before her face settles on a grimace. Dean has to keep himself from laughing too loud. 

“Before you ask, yes. That is something people pay for.”

“Tentacles? Really?” She hisses in disgust. 

“Go on, try another one. We’re not going anywhere until we find something you like.”

She chuckles, “It’s like playing the lottery here.”

He watches her walk to another room and she lets out a “Oh,” in surprise as soon as she has the door open.

Dean walks up beside her, “I mean, it really looks inviting but I wouldn’t go anywhere near that water.”

He means the hot tub in the middle of the room. Off to the wall is a steam room as well. Even though the room gets a major clean and the water is exchanged every day, still Dean doesn’t trust it. 

“Yeah, no. Not that I want to.” Y/N says, her nose wrinkling. Another thing that he thinks is awfully cute. 

They walk along the hallway and she’s playing eeny, meeny, miny, moe until she comes to a halt. She turns the door knob and opens up to a dark room. 

There’s minimal lighting. The ones in the corners glowing red. 

There’s a black leather examination table in the middle. There’s also a big bed off to the side. The table and the bed are both equipped with restraining cuffs on their ends. She goes in and Dean watches her opening up the closet next to the door. There’s a lot of sex toys on the hangers and a mini fridge which Dean knows contains ice. He closes the door behind him, sensing that she wants to stay. 

He watches her toying with the retraining cuffs at the table, her fingertips gliding over the leather. 

“You want to stay or try another door?” He asks just to be on the safe side, and follows her further into the room. 

Y/N takes her time in answering him, looks around like she’s deep in thought. After a while, she turns, and there’s a weak smile on her face, “You’ve never done anything in those rooms?” 

“No,” It comes out instantly, he doesn’t even need to think about it.

She nods, “You said in the beginning that I’m allowed to try everything in the rooms, right?”

Dean swallows. He can guess where she wants to go with it, “Correct,”

Her fingers trail along the leather of the table and she looks down, watching the path of her finger. 

After a while she starts to talk but she doesn’t look up at him, “So,” She says. 

He has to bite back a grin. 

“Would it be weird if you try it with me?” She finally says and squints her eyes close.

Dean acts surprised but he can’t hide the smirk on his face. She asks him if it’s okay for him to try something with her. It’s like she doesn’t know him at all. Which, to be fair, she probably doesn’t — yet. Of course he would like to try things with her. Of fucking course he wants to see her limits. He wants to know every fucking inch of her body, wants to know what makes her shiver and tremble. He wants her. Period.

“Would you want me to?” He asks instead and tries to show his best poker face.

She looks up, her eyes find his, and she smiles, bright and wide, “Yes.” 

Quickly, he strides over to her, picks her up to sit her on the table before he crashes his mouth on hers. It feels like fireworks, Dean thinks. He feels little sparks exploding inside of him, his heart is beating faster, his kisses grow hungrier. God, he’s been hard thinking about doing things to her since she woke up in his bed this morning. And it’s hard, so hard not to suffocate her with all the want he has in him.

Their tongues slide together and her taste intoxicates his brain. Her hands work on his suit jacket, shrugging it off for him before her hands work on the button of his dress shirt. His hands are in her hair, around her neck, on her back. Fingertips pressing into her flesh, drawing her closer, even though they are close already but it’s not enough for him. It’s never enough. 

His hands find the zipper of her dress, pulling it down but it gets stuck. Dean doesn’t care, tears the fabric from her body and she yelps into his mouth. He breaks the kiss to chuckle, “It was in the way,” 

Y/N frowns, but Dean quickly kisses her again, making her forget as he pulls his shirt out of his pants to drop it onto the floor. 

Dean steps back to let her get out of her torn dress and she’s only wearing a pair of fucking string panties that might as well not be there. She however skipped the bra and Dean thinks it’s good because he doesn’t know if he would have the patience to get her out of it without ripping it off. He hooks his hand into her panties, pulling them down and lowers himself to place a kiss on her clit. She moans and even though Dean only wanted to place a quick kiss there, he couldn’t help himself. Couldn’t hold his own tongue back from licking at her folds, eager for a taste. Her hand finds his head, pulling him closer and Dean chuckles against her wet cunt. He pushes himself up after a while because they need to get on with what he has in mind.

“Hop back onto the table and lie on your back,” Dean says, his voice a little strained, can’t help it. It needs everything in him not to just whip out his dick and pound into her senseless.

Dean turns his back on her and walks over to the closet. His hands work swiftly, rummaging through the things and finding the item he needs. 

“Look at this,” He holds up a harness, “It goes around your neck down to your thighs, holding them up and spread. Is that okay?”

“Yes,” Her voice is broken but it’s there. Dean grins, leans down to kiss her. His hand grabs her tit, kneads it and lets go of it with a pull of her nipple. She arches her back and whimpers softly.

“Good girl,” He praises, “Move up close to the edge with your head,” 

She does, moves up on the table until her head’s almost hanging off the edge. Dean secures the harness on the back of her neck and it goes around her shoulders down to her thighs. He puts the cuffs below her knees, so they would be pulled up when he tightens the harness.

He takes a step back to admire his work, and fuck, he’s so fucking hard at the sight of her all spread out, pussy wet and shining. 

Dean bends down, kisses her forehead, lingers there with his lips, “I don’t want to do anything you don’t want, okay? So, I want to make sure that you still know what to say,”

“Tomato,” The word jumps out of her mouth like a bullet.

Grinning, he pecks her forehead, “Good girl,” He stands up a little straighter, “Do you trust me, Y/N?”

Her eyes are dark, lids heavy. She nods but remembers instantly that she has to give a verbal answer, “Yes, I trust you, Dean.”

His heart takes a leap and he smirks with a nod. Standing up straight, Dean walks to where her head almost hangs off the table and positions himself there. His hands picking her up, one of his arms weaving through both her arms on her back, locking her in place. He nibbles and licks at her face, his free hand roams around her body, feeling her muscle flex, his hand rough on her delicate skin. 

Dean works his hand lower, alternates between both of her beautiful tits, fingers twerking her nipples, pulling at them, making her moan next to his face and he moves his face on hers until he captures her lips with his, kisses her rough and deep. 

His hands go even lower, until he cups her pussy in his palm, making her gasps into his open mouth. Dean sinks his teeth into her bottom lip, tugs at it before parting from her. His thick fingers threads through her slick folds.

“Jesus, look at you, you’re soaked, baby,” He kisses her temple as his fingers rub against her clit. She squirms and writhes and he tightens his hold on her. Dean slides a finger into her pussy, “God, you’re so tight,” His finger moves in and out and she lets out the cutest of sounds, “Can you take another finger, huh?”

Y/N nods almost frantically, “Uh-huh,”

“Yeah?” Dean takes his finger out and smacks her pussy twice. She yelps up, sinks her own teeth into her bottom lip to stifle her own voice, “Use your words, Y/N,”

“Y—yes,” It comes out throaty and the color rises in her face. The color traveled down to her cleavage. Dean’s sure it’s not only from the red light in the room.

“Good girl,” He whispers next to her ear, licks up the shell of it before he plunges two fingers inside of her, hooks them up just right to feel her writhe in his grip and the sound she makes goes straight to his straining cock.

He fucks his fingers into her deep and hard, rubs the pad of his fingers against her wall, hits her sweet spot that makes her want to trash around but she can’t because she’s bound. The heel of his hand rubs at her clit at the movement of his hand.

“Dean, I—” She groans, “Fuck—“

“Come, baby, come for me,” He whispers low, licks at her jawline.

Her hands wants to grab at something, because he feels her fingers scratching at his dress pants so Dean lets her go. Instead, he locks his arm around her chest and cradles her face with his hand, “Come,” He says again, and there it is, he feels her squeezing around his fingers. Her hands come up, fingers scratching at his bare arms. 

Jesus, he almost creams his own pants picturing his cock inside instead of his fingers.

“Shitshitshitfuck,” She mumbles as her whole body quivers and convulses. She comes with the arching of her back.

“That’s it,” He whispers, “Good girl, such a good girl,” He takes his fingers out of her, smacks her sensitive wet cunt and she jolts at the touch. Dean chuckles, “Taste yourself,” He trails a wet trail up her body with his fingers that’s been inside of her, and holds it to her mouth. She eagerly takes his fingers in, sucking at them, and moans around them. Dean has to bite back a growl. She’s absolutely nasty about it and it turns him on — so fucking much.

Dean sprays kisses along the side of her face and lets her down gently so she’s lying flat on her back again. He watches her chest move up and down. Her eyes are closed, she’s panting hard, trying harder to catch a breath. 

Leaning down, he places a kiss on the tip of her nose and then she opens up her eyes, she sees him and starts to laugh. He chuckles with her. 

“Now you,” She says playfully, her hands shoot up to play with his belt.

Jesus, she’s insatiable. Dean absolutely does not mind.

Her hands brush against his cock while she toys with his zipper and he jerks up a little which prompts her to giggle. He’s so jumpy around her, it’s almost embarrassing. 

Dean takes a step back and lets his pants pool around his ankle, toes off his shoes and steps out of them. Next he takes his underwear off. His dick slaps wetly against his stomach and he can see her watching him, sees that she’s trying to turn around but that’s pretty hard when she’s still bound like that. After a while she stops trying and Dean chuckles when he takes his socks off. 

He’s standing up straight again. He spits into his palm and begins to work his cock, moaning low at the relief he feels. Dean watches her licking her lips when she looks at him, her neck craning to the maximum and she sees him upside down.

Walking up to her, he bends down to kiss her. The upside down kiss feels different, it’s not bad. Not bad at all. 

“Do you want my cock, huh?” His one hand goes down her body, smacks her pussy and her whole body trembles. 

“Fuck! Yes,”

“Say it,” He smacks her pussy again. It sounds wet, she’s soaked, her juice drips down onto the leather. It’s the fucking hottest thing, “I want you to say it,”

“God,” She groans at another smack to her cunt, “I want your cock, Dean. Please?”

Chuckling, he grabs her around her shoulder, moves her down so her head is hanging off the edge of the table. 

“Good girls say please and thank you, Y/N. You’re so fucking good, ain’t you?” He says, all cocky and bravado while he grabs his dick by the base of his shaft and rubs his cock over her sinful lips. God, those lips that look so fucking good wrapped around his dick. Her tongue darts out, eager for a taste.

Jesus, she looks so goddamn beautiful when she’s so desperate for his dick.

“Open up your pretty mouth for me, baby,” Dean coos. His hand is around the base of his shaft, applying pressure so as not to fucking come all over her face by just the sight of what lays before him. 

“Stick your tongue out,” He commands, and taps his dick on her tongue as soon as she does. She’s moaning below him at the feel of his heavy dick on the tip of her tongue. 

Dean slides it up and down her tongue, “You won’t be able to say the word but if you want me to stop, at any time, tap out, okay? Tap on my thighs, my stomach, tap on the table, just tap.” 

“Yes,” She swallows the drool accumulated in her mouth and Dean grins. 

“‘K,” He manages to say before sliding the tip into her open mouth and she immediately seals her lips around his girth, making him groan out loudly. 

It’s wet and hot and it feels so fucking right. Dean’s heart is beating heavily in his chest, his cock twitches inside of her mouth. 

“I’ll go in further, okay?” He’s almost out of breath already, has to fucking compose himself. 

Y/N can’t really answer with his dick in her mouth, he knows that, he just wants her to know what he’s doing and she knows that she can tap out anytime so he dares it. Dares to go in deeper. The angle with her head upside down is right for both of them, her throat opens up to him more easily.

His hands are now on both her tits, squeezing and kneading as he starts to thrust his hips into her awaiting mouth, going in half an inch, out a quarter, deeper and deeper until he feels resistant. He stays there for a fraction of a second longer, has to groan out at the tight squeeze before he pulls his dick out and she gasps for air, a string of her thick spit connects the tip of his cock to her lips. He rubs the slick around his dick, jerks himself while he gives her time to recover.

He lets her cough and catch a breath before he asks, “You okay to continue?” 

She blinks her tears away, nodding with enthusiasm, “Yes, please,” 

Dean chuckles. Such a fucking good girl indeed.

Sliding in again, he can feel that she slowly gets used to it. Used to his cock hitting the back of her throat and she still can’t take it too deep, because he knows that it could go deeper, but that’s not the point of all this. It’s perfect the way it is and Dean wouldn’t want to have it any other way.

He leans forward, plays with her sensitive clit while he thrusts his hips a little faster and she squirms, moaning while his cock fucks into her mouth. The vibrations on her tonsils tickles him and Dean smacks down on her clit, making her shriek as he pulls his hips back and his dick out again. 

Y/N begins to licks at his balls, swirling her tongue around it and sucks like she fucking means it. It’s a hard tug, the right side of painful, something that makes him want more, while Dean plunges two fingers into her soaking cunt, fucks her deep and hard with it, his other hand plays with her sensitive clit. And sure enough, she’s coming around his fingers again while she has one of his balls sucked in her mouth.

“Christ, you’re so fucking perfect,” He coos and works his own fist around the tip of his dick, waiting for her to be ready again. 

When Dean slides in the next time, he concentrates on the image of the bulge that’s forming on her throat. He goes in deeper, sees it bulging some more and he lays his hand on it, feeling his own dick and goddamnit, he’s so close. 

Pulling out abruptly, he releases the strap on her thighs and yanks the harness off of her. Dean pulls her up into a sitting position and jerks her forward so her ass balances on the edge of the table. He positions his dick to her entrance and slides home in one smooth motion.

They both groan in unison, her hands are on his shoulder and arm, holding herself up while he has one hand pulling at her hair making her expose her throat to him before he sucks and licks at her skin. 

He soon let's go, places his hand steady at the back of her neck. His other hand thumbs at her clit, making her moan and writhe. 

“Dean,” She gasps, “I don’t know if I can come again,”

“Shhhh,” He claims her mouth, kissing her as hard as he fucks her, tasting himself on her, “You can do it, baby, come for me,”

“Oh god,” She moans, lets go off him and braces her hand on the table and leans back a little. He quickly kisses her, fucking her with wild abandon and then he feels it, feels her pussy constricting around his cock, feels her gushing and it’s getting wetter. 

He leaves his forehead on hers while she has her eyes closed and as she squirms, her face twists in beautiful agony. 

“Fuck,” Y/N breathes out when the moment passes and Dean chuckles, kisses her gentle, soft. A wild contrast to how he fucks her. 

“Love it when you come on my cock,” He whispers. His voice is broken, he knows. 

She’s still so tight around him, and he still rubs at her clit. She’s already getting tired, he feels it, knows that he has to hurry but that’s not really a challenge because fuck, if he’s going explode any second now. 

“Can you come again? Come with me?” He asks, leaning forward to kiss her nose, her cheek. 

“I dunno,” She says, her eyelids are heavy when she blinks. 

“You can do it, baby. Be a good girl, come with me,”

She nods, which prompts him to kiss her harder. God, he’s never going to get enough of this. 

“Come on,” Dean urges, rubs his fingers just right around her nub and he changes the angle of his thrust slightly, making his cock rub differently inside of her wall. Her thighs are trembling and she gets tighter, “Fuck, I’m—”

Y/N comes before him, and he follows suit, pushes himself inside as deep as he can go and she wraps her arms around his shoulder, nails clawing into his back as he groans into the crook of her neck. 

Chapter 13

[fullyellowsun]

Subtle | 8

Practice:

I do not own the picture, credit to the owner.

This is my first series so please cut me some slack but also I welcome constructive criticisms! This is in Korean so for those of you who can read Korean and English, go ahead! I will post a full English version link to the Wattpad story in the masterlist!

Pairing: baekhyun x reader

Genre: kpop group collaboration!AU

Word Count: 945 words

Description: Baekhyun and Dayeon's minds are still lingering on the questioning of their relationship yesterday.

Disclaimer: I have no idea how any of this works. I’m just going off of the little info I DO know so please bear with me as I try to fill the chapters with what I think (or what I just make up) on how to make an album and the other kpop things.

Masterlist

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8." Was all that was going through my head. I was dancing with Baekhyun trying get the dance down. I trip Baekhyun again and he falls on me, pinning me to the ground.

"Sorry... I'm having a hard time focusing right now."

"It's fine, wanna take a break?" He gets off of me and helps me get up.

"Yeah, sorry." The other members were too busy to notice my mistake. I sit on the side of the room and Baekhyun come sit next to me.

"Is there something you want to talk about? You know, something on your mind?" He asked.

"Uhh, well- what am I supposed to say? The thing on my mind is how yesterday, the others were talking about how we seemed like a couple and for some reason, it's bothering me and getting into my head."

"Oh, really?" He says. I cover my mouth.

"Did-did I just say that out loud?"

"Yup. That's bothering me too."

"Wait, I actually said it? You're not joking right?"

"Nope, you said that the thing on your mind was that yesterday when-" I cover his mouth before the others can hear him.

"I believe you." I whisper. He starts licking the inside of my hand. I let go of his mouth. "Ewww.... you're so weird." I wipe the saliva on his clothes. "I don't know why it's bothering me so much."

"Me too. If it's bothering you so much, I can sleep on the couch and use the guest bathroom and stay 1 kilometer away from you at all times." I laugh.

"That won't be necessary. I don't think that's the problem. It's THEIR words, not yours."

"Then should choke them to the point where they can't talk?" He smiles devilishly.

"NO! Then they won't be able to breathe and you might go to jail for murder and have no job after you get out... if you get out."

"It was a joke." He giggles. "You take it so seriously."

"Sometimes I can't tell if you're joking or serious... just making sure you know all the consequences."

"You feeling a little bit better now?" He could see that because I talked about my issue, by accident, I had less weight on my shoulders.

"Yeah... thanks to you and my big mouth." He laughs and we walk back to the group.

"How was the make-out session?" Chanyeol teases.

"Huh? What make-out session?" I look behind me but see the empty practice room. "Are you talking to me?" He nods. "What are you talking about?" I turn to Baekhyun, his face red. "What is he talking about?"

"He's saying that we were making out." My face turns red.

"Why? We weren't!"

"Oh my gosh, 언니, you're ruining another joke!" Suah says exasperated.

"What joke?" I say. "I'm so confused."

"Because we were taking so long, he was saying we were making out." Baekhyun whispers to me. I open my mouth wide in understanding.

"Ooohhh... haha funny 오빠."

"Let's just dance." D.O. says after the awkward silence. We dance for the rest of the day, me trying to stay focused. As we leave, Baekhyun drags me aside.

"야..." he puts a finger to his lips motioning me to be quiet. "What about going home?"

"We can get a taxi, just look at this." He points to the full moon. "예쁘지?"

"어, but why did you call me out here?" He sits me down and then takes a seat next to me.

"Because, it's pretty and I wanted to share it with someone."

"You could'v-" I start.

"I could've brought the whole group but then it wouldn't be as meaningful as just sharing it with one person, besides, someone's gonna make a joke or be loud and ruin the experience." I nod. He was right, this experience was a lot more meaningful since it was just us two. I lean on his shoulder since I'm tired from practicing.

"So this is what it's like not being recognized and enjoying life... I wish I could do this everyday."

"I know... but this is what we chose, we have to deal with the consequences of what we chose. Besides, our life is also great." I nod. Who knew Baekhyun could get so sentimental? *buzz buzz* I pull out my phone.

"It's Suho 오빠." I pick up.

"야! 어디야! Did you guys not get on the van?!" I pull the phone away from my ear before I become deaf.

"Hello to you too."

"Come back home." He says exasperated. Baekhyun takes the phone from me.

"형... 미안, 내 잘못이야. Don't yell at Dayeon, I asked her to come here." Suho 오빠 continues to yell and Baekhyun just sits, his head down. "알았어요 형, 집에 갈��에요." He hangs up. "Let's go, apparently this wasn't a good idea." He smiles weakly.

"I think this was a good idea. I really enjoyed this 현아, thank you." His face brights up a little more as he grabs a taxi. We get home and get yelled at by Suho 오빠 again. We wash up and go to sleep. "현아?"

"응?"

"Thank you for today... whoever's going to be your girlfriend or wife will be soo lucky. Heck, I'm lucky that I was paired with you." Although my back was faced towards him, I could tell he was smiling and that he was going to sleep well tonight.

Masterlist

[hedwigstalons]

SpaceBear - bit 4 (end)

So this has finally reached the end (for now).  I will probably return to these precious babies at some point because the SpaceBear ship is just glorious.

Huge thanks to @willow-salix for naming this ship and for massive amounts of help in pulling this to some sort of conclusion.  

Bit 1 is here, Bit 2 , Bit 3

Bit 4

The shamefaced pair trailed down to the kitchen after Scott, like condemned prisoners following behind their jailor who led them in stony silence.  As if having big brother walk in on them hadn’t been bad enough he had stood there, tall and imposing in the doorway, waiting while discarded clothes were found and reclaimed.  Despite all the times he’d changed in front of his brothers Alan had never felt more naked and exposed even though he had still been half dressed.

Entering the lower level of the villa they found the table all set, Virgil and Gordon already seated and staring hungrily at empty plates.  The warm smells coming coming from the kitchen module were actually pretty good for a change although Alan wasn’t too sure he had much of an appetite any more.

“You’re late, boys.  Now hurry up and wash your hands then you can help me carry over the dishes, I made the others wait for you.”

With a quick chorus of “Sorry Grandma” and “Sorry Mrs Tracy” the pair hurried over to the sink to get washed up while Scott headed back to his place at the table.

“I really shouldn’t have to send Scott to fetch you, you know,” Sally scolded.  “I’d have thought after spending all day at the Expo you would have had enough of playing games.  Never mind, you’re here now so we can get started.”

She hustled them about, setting them to ferrying the serving dishes over to the table where they were eagerly pounced upon by Gordon and Virgil.  Scott was more reserved but she put it down to a tough day in the office, TI business was a necessary evil for him and he was often a little bit muted after a day stuck in a suit.  

Once everyone had had a chance to load their plates, and the initial babble of conversation between those who weren’t privy to the scene in Alan’s bedroom had faded as eating took priority, Scott finally broke his silence, his words falling like lead.  “So, when were you going to tell us?“  Walking in on his baby brother had come as something of a shock, Alan had been his responsibility for so long it was sometimes hard to accept that the kid he had taken custody of was growing up.  It probably didn’t help matters that the other party was Brandon.  He tolerated Brandon’s presence, mostly because he had been persuaded how good it was for Alan to have a friend outside the family, but the vlogger was definitely more worldly than his brother and preceded by a reputation that Scott did not approve of.  His protective instincts had been ignited and right now he was wishing he’d followed his gut and kept Brandon away from the island.

Alan shifted uncomfortably in his seat.  He’d barely had time to come to terms with things himself and he and Brandon hadn’t actually got as far as defining what they were before giving in to their physical wants.

"Tell us what?” Virgil put down his fork and looked between his oldest and youngest brothers, Scott was radiating animosity and Alan looked nervous as hell.   

“Alan and Brandon here have been getting a little up close and personal." 

"Lighten up Scott, it was one kiss.  You make it sound like the end of the world”

Scott had been expecting an answer but he hadn’t been expecting it to come from Gordon.  “What do you mean ‘one kiss’?  It’s a damn sight more than that."  

Confusion reigned supreme on Gordon’s face.  "No, it wasn’t.  I saw the footage.”

“What footage?  What are you on about Gords?”  The question was low and threatening and Gordon found himself swallowing nervously despite having a pretty clear conscious for once.

“The Expo of course, what are you on about?”

“I just caught these two,” the words were spat with more force than was strictly necessary as Scott waved vaguely in the direction of Alan and Brandon, “fooling around in Alan’s room.  Now what’s this about the Expo?”  The pair in question were subjected to the full force of the Commander’s stare; Scott knew he was coming across as intimidating and probably overreacting but after a day spent examining share prices and and listening to market forecasts he was in no mood to be dealing with unexpected surprises. 

“That was all my fault, Scott,” Brandon stammered.  “I kinda got carried away with all the cameras there and surprised Alan, he…he had nothing to do with it.”

“Hmm,” Scott frowned, not missing the slight shift in movement that suggested Alan had grasped Brandon’s hand under the table or the grateful look Brandon shot him in response; it was a show of unity he hadn’t expected.  “That doesn’t make it any better.”  He reached up and activated his comm “Come in Thunderbird Five, I’ve got a job for you.”

“What is it, Scott?” the missing sibling popped into being via the nearest holoprojector, looking puzzled at being summoned.

“I need you to go through the footage from the Expo Alan went to.  You might need to do some damage limitation.”

“Uh, okay.  Are you going to give me a clue what I’m looking for?”

“Oh I think you’ll know when you see it.”

“FAB.”  The slightly puzzled Space Monitor winked out of existence as the link was cut.

Knowing that John was dealing with whatever had happened at the Expo, and taking Gordon’s lack of concern over the footage as a sign that whatever had been caught on film wasn’t too major, Scott focussed his attention back on the unhappy couple.

“So is this serious between you or what?”  

The tension between oldest and youngest was palpable.  Alan licked his lips nervously, trying to work out how to phrase things and desperately wishing there wasn’t such an audience as all eyes turned towards him.  Was it serious?  Was Brandon his boyfriend now?  He certainly knew what he wanted it to be.  

“Yeah, yeah it is.”  Brandon had cut in before he had the chance to answer, giving Alan’s hand a reassuring squeeze at the same time.  This time it was Alan giving Brandon the grateful look; he knew how hard it was to face up to Scott when he got like this.  

"Well I think it’s great, honey,” Grandma stepped in, giving Scott a brief warning look that clearly said the interrogation was over before turning her attention on the new couple.  “Hey, maybe you can come on a double date with me and Kip.”  She knew Scott had to get whatever concerns he had out of his system but his attitude needed keeping in check.  This was meant to be a nice family dinner after all.

“Ewww, Grandma!” Alan exclaimed.

“Don’t worry, I’m only messing with you.  I wouldn’t want any of you boys along anyway, it might cramp my style.”  She winked at Alan, causing him to shudder.  “Now will someone pass me those bread rolls, I’m hungry.”

The meal passed in relative normality after that although the oldest and youngest brothers ate barely a fraction of their usual portion.  Alan’s stomach was still in knots and he could only pick at his food while Scott was obviously still brooding but with Grandma giving her seal of approval any further discussions of Alan and Brandon’s fledgling relationship were clearly off limits.  

Mostly off limits.  Alan knew the silence from Scott was too good to last.

“Virgil, I’m going to need you to have a talk with Alan and Brandon after dinner.”  While he might not like the idea of his baby brother having anything that even remotely resembled a sex life he had to accept that this was a likely progression.  He would be failing in his duty if he didn’t make sure the couple went into this with their eyes open but same sex relationships were outside his personal realm of experience, hence calling on his next in line.  

“Huh, what about?”  Virgil looked up from his plate, he was far less bothered than Scott about the whole situation and wasn’t too sure what else there was to discuss.

“Alan.  And Brandon."  Scott gave his brother a pointed look. 

Virgil’s brow furrowed in confusion before realisation hit.  "Oh, right, couple stuff.  Really though Scott the rules aren’t any different just cos it’s a guy, but sure I’ll talk to them."  

Alan wanted the ground to swallow him up and he could feel the rising blush creeping towards his ears.  He could not believe this was happening.  He wasn’t completely clueless on the facts of life and Brandon definitely wasn’t.  To make matters worse Gordon was grinning like a Cheshire cat at the prospect, probably thinking up his own contributions Alan suspected.

"Really, it’s okay, we’re good.” Feeling the discomfort radiating off of Alan, Brandon tried to ward Virgil off.

“Oh no,” Virgil smirked, although to Brandon the look seemed vaguely reminiscent of a shark circling its prey, “if you intend to be involved with my little brother we are definitely going to talk.”

“Grandma, is this really necessary?” Alan tried to appeal to the one person who he thought he could count on as an ally.

“Actually dear, I’m with your brothers on this one.  Now if everyone’s finished I’ve got some jobs I want to do.  Gordon, can you give me a hand please, I’ve got some boxes I want shifting.”  She knew she wouldn’t be able to persuade Scott to leave but she could at least take some of the pressure off the situation.

The aquanaut grimaced but knew better to disobey.  Much as it would have been fun to watch Alan squirm he knew his Grandma was deliberately giving the others space; two big brothers was more than enough for Alan to be dealing with and Virgil would stop Scott from going overboard.  Anyways, he could impart his worldly wisdom any time he fancied grossing his brother out.

With Gordon and Grandma out the way a heavy silence settled over the table.  Scott was still radiating animosity and the attitude was starting to bug Virgil.  So what if Scott wasn’t a fan of Brandon?  Alan obviously was and if the feeling was mutual who was he to get in their way.  He took a sip of his water and waited for Scott to say something but Scott had evidently decided it was all on him now.  He cleared his throat.

“Now I don’t know what the pair of you have been getting up to, and to be honest I don’t want to know, but if you two are now an item there are some ground rules you need to follow.  Alan, you have a lock on your bedroom door, I suggest you start using it.  Brandon, whenever you stay over there will be a guest room for you as normal; it’s up to the pair of you if you use it but it’s there.”

“Now I don’t think…” Scott tried to butt in but Virgil cut him off.  If big brother was going to pass the buck on anything that wasn’t strictly hetero then he could keep his mouth shut for the moment.  And anyway, Virgil thought, Scott was a hypocrite.  He could well remember Scott’s own early forays into the world of dating which had started far earlier than Alan’s.

“No, Scott.  Alan not a kid any more and neither is Brandon.  I don’t want them to feel like they need to sneak around and neither do I want to barge in on anything.  Or have you forgotten how many times I had to cover for you or come up with some excuse to keep Dad out of wherever you’d chosen to mess around with your latest squeeze?”  Once he was satisfied that there would be no more interruptions he turned back to Alan and Brandon. “Now judging from the way Scott here has decided to drag me into all this I guess things have already started getting pretty physical between the two of you.”  Alan didn’t think it was possible to sink any lower in his seat but he tried.  “Now there are only two rules but they are absolutely non-negotiable.  Firstly, if you choose to go that far, you always use protection.  You have no excuse not to, there is always a stock in the cabinet in the infirmary, just make a note on the pharmacy order if supplies are running low.  And secondly, you do not do anything that you aren’t both wholly comfortable with.  You always check the other person is happy and if either of you want to stop at any point you stop.  Oh, and Brandon, if you dare hurt my little brother I personally know of at least 6 ravines where you could have a very convincing accident.“

Once Virgil had said his piece Scott launched in again, mostly about not broadcasting everything about their lives to the public or splashing it all over the vlog.  It was a request the pair happily agreed to; Alan wasn’t keen on the idea of navigating life with Bradon in front of millions of viewers and Brandon felt like he would have agreed to anything if it meant being able to get away from the combined force of Tracys one and two.

When they were finally released from their lecture Alan and Brandon fled back to the sanctuary of Alan’s room.  Alan clicked the lock into place behind them; still a bit shaky after the ordeal at dinner it wasn’t that he was in the mood to continue where they left off, more that he didn’t want to be on the receiving end of any more rules or advice from the family, well meant or otherwise.  

Brandon climbed up onto the bed and sat up against the wall, resting his forearms on drawn up knees.  “Man, Scott was like, so intense and boy I do not want to go piss off Virg, I used to think he was the soft one but I kinda think he scares me more than Scott.  Are your family always this extreme?”

“Yeah, sorry, they can get a little over protective sometime.  You do know Virgil was joking about the ravines, right?” 

“Right,” Brandon looked like he wasn’t wholly convinced though.  “Just as well I like living life on the edge.  Always be extreme and all that.”

“Were you alright with what they said, about not putting stuff about us out on your vlog?”

“Well clips with you or your brothers in already get 30% more views, think of the ratings.”

“Brandon!”

“Relax Alan.  No cameras, no clips.  I don’t have to put everything about me online and I don’t want to.  The media, well, you’ve seen how it can chew you up and spit you out and I don’t want to do anything that could hurt you.”  

Brandon patted the bed and Alan responded to the invitation.  He climbed into the gap between Brandon’s legs and settled his back against Brandon’s chest, feeling a slight thrill as warm arms circled round him in a gentle hug.  This was a side to Brandon that was rarely seen, a softer, gentler, more serious side that was at odds with the carefully curated persona of the Bear.  

As Alan’s weight settled comfortably back against him, the smaller form cocooned by his own slightly taller frame, Brandon felt luckier than he had done in a long time.  Alan wasn’t what would normally be considered his type, not if the string of conquests behind him was anything to go by, but there was something about the young Thunderbird with his raw and open honesty that had Brandon craving more than a quick fling.  There was a connection he’d never felt with anyone else before and he made a sincere and silent promise to look after the man who had first welcomed him into his life and his family and then invited him a step further into his heart.

He didn’t know if this would be a forever thing but he did know he was grateful for the chance to try, the chance to prove that he could be more than just a jackass pulling stunts for the cameras.  There was something about Alan, nestled comfortably against him like a puzzle piece where he had drifted off to sleep half way through a movie, that gave him a feeling of deep contentment and he dropped a gentle kiss onto the slumbering head beside him.  Commitment had never been on his radar before, uncomplicated fun was more his usual style, but this was different; a relationship to be explored slowly at whatever pace Alan felt comfortable with and if that meant starting off with movie nights punctuated by tentative kisses, well, he was happy to go along with that.   

-FIN-

[mz-hide]

Mowing the Lawn - Chapter 3

Aka: a Dragon Ball Z AU slash fic.

Chapter 3

May I interest you in some morning after shenanigans?

Summary: Mowing the lawn (in almost every sense of the term). Goku and Vegeta have a secret relationship. Turles has a cute dealer and needs someone to smoke his pot with. Raditz thinks the only thing hotter than the weather is his moms’ new lawnmower boy. Ships & Pairings: Son Goku/Vegeta, Raditz & Turles, Raditz/Turles, Gine/Seripa | Fasha, Bardock/Toma, Bulma Briefs/Yamcha, Brolly/Raditz, Brolly/Turles, Daiz/Turles, Daiz/Raditz/Turles, Bardock/Turles, Bardock/Toma/Turles         Contains: Gay Sex, Established Relationship, Casual Sex, Fuckbuddies, Recreational Drug Use, Alcohol, Blow Jobs, Secret Relationship, Everyone Is Gay, Alternate UniverseAlternate Universe - Human, Threesome - M/M/M, Threesome, seducing the pool boy, Dirty Talk, Smoking, Explicit Sexual Content, Resolved Sexual Tension, Open Relationships, Open Marriage, Age Difference, Sexual Roleplay, Friends With Benefits, Sexcapades, masturbation      

You can find the rest on my AO3 page (username: originalmonkeyhydes)

Yamcha had foul breath and wore the same smelly clothes from the night before. Nevertheless, there was a spring in his step when he made his way back to the hotel the next morning. He’d had a wonderful time the night before. Bulma was the kind of girl that made it hard for him to believe his luck every time she invited him into her bed. He had all but forgotten he hadn’t been the one winning the medal and the prize money at the tournament. He idly wondered how his room mate had celebrated his victory, after the unannounced meeting of the night before. If a fight had broken out, he would have heard something about it from Krillin or master Roshi. Surely, his friend handn’t just gone straight to bed. Even after so many years of acquaintance, Goku was still somewhat unreadable to him. If Yamcha had to guess, Goku had probably wondered off to look for some cheap thrill -or rather, what his version of a thrill was- most likely a place that served food late at night, because that’s what Goku did when he was in a good mood. He was somewhat of a hedonist in that way… As the elevator doors opened on his floor, however, the trail of his thoughts was interrupted. Yamcha couldn’t help but stare at the disheveled beauty that hurried past him to catch the elevator. His bewildered eyes followed her, duly noting her embarrassed, shifting gaze, the way her hair stuck to the back of her head, how the dress she wore and the high-heeled shoes that dangled from her hand didn’t suit the time of the day. Only when the girl’s eyes met his, he averted his prying stare. He was by no means an expert, but he knew enough to know what a walk of shame looked like. Then the elevator door closed and the vision disappeared. Yamcha didn’t quite know what exactly had clicked into his mind -maybe it was because the girl was dark and fiery-eyed- but he suddenly suspected he knew what door she’d come out from. Pursing his lips, he opened the door to his room. What he saw, seemed to confirm his suspicions. His side of the room was just as he’d left it. Goku’s side however… “Well… Who would have thought!”, Yamcha whistled, impressed, smirking from ear to ear. “Seems like Goku is not as innocent as he would have all of us think!” Beer cans were scattered here and there on he floor. The sheets on Goku’s bed were crumpled, the pillows in disarray and the scent wafting weakly off of the bed erased what little room had been left for interpretation. As it should have been expected, the faint sound of running water came through from underneath the bathroom door. Yamcha knocked, calling out loudly over the noise. “Hey, Goku, It’s me. I just came back to pack my bag. But I still have to get some stuff from the bathroom.” “Uhhhh… Can it w- uh… can it wait?” That made Yamcha smirk even wider. The alarm in his friend’s tone was proof enough to confirm his suspicions once and for all. Goku had never been shy about his nudity. He must have been in pretty rough shape… But the man had also just won a martial arts tournament, so Yamcha thought it wise to let his hand draw away from the door handle. The teasing would have had to wait. “Sure. Just make sure to bring my stuff down”, he let him know on his way out, showing his back over his shoulder, “We’re all meeting up in the lobby later. Check out is in thirty minutes. Don’t forget!” He left the room as merrily as he’d walked in. He couldn’t wait to tell Bulma what he’d just found out. Inside the bathroom, Goku was standing still under running water, pricking his ears. “I think he’s gone”, he finally let out in a sigh. “Good”, his lover hissed, irritated. The tiles of the hotel shower were hard on his knees. “Let’s make these thirty minutes count.” Goku stifled a groan. Vegeta's head had promptly sunk down and the two of them had resumed where they’d left off. Lucky circumstance indeed, that Goku hadn’t wanted to shower the night before, or Yamcha would have walked in on his friend writhing against his rival’s generous mouth.

“You know, waiting you directly at the train station like we’d agreed would have saved me a lot of trouble. What is so exciting that you wanted me to come all the way here for?”, Bulma complained, fanning herself with a hand. She’d received a cryptic text from Yamcha, summoning her to the hotel where he was staying quite urgently. He’d refused to tell her why. She’d had to walk quite fast to get there in time. The effects of her morning showers had already been defeated by the heat and the rush. Instead of smelling like her delicate, lily-of-the-valley shower gel, she was now sweaty, sticky and slightly out of breath -and patience, at the sight of her boyfriend looking childishly expectant when he saw her. “So, where’s the fire?”, she inquired, already unimpressed by the seeming lack of anything remotely interesting happening in the hotel lobby. “No fire. At least, not now. But some sparks definitely flew yesterday night”, Yamcha reported, leaning close, animated and conspirational like a teenage girl over some saucy gossip. For some reason, he looked and sounded very proud of himself. “Gosh, Yamaha, is this about last night? You know I was there, right? You better not had me come here just to-” “No no no, this is something better! Er- even better!”, he corrected himself, after catching his girlfriend’s glare. “How so?” “I saw the hottest chick when I was coming back to my room this morning. I swear, she was a vision. All ruffled and dark-haired and she had the skimpiest dress and a great pair of- Ouch!” “What part of this nonsense is supposed not to make me want to rip your face off, exactly?”, Bulma inquired in a venomous hiss, as she yanked her boyfriend by the ear, quite harshly, “Ugh, and you smell too! Weren’t you supposed to have plenty of time to shower?” “I was getting there!”, Yamcha complained, clasping his abused earlobe, “You see, this girl, she clearly looked like she had some fun the night before, right? And she got on the elevator on our floor. And, then, when I got to our room Goku was in the shower.” He paused, theatrically, waiting for a reaction. “… And?” Bulma wasn’t sure she’d understood where her boyfriend was trying to go with that absurd revelation. “Don’t you get it? Our good ol’ friend got lucky last night! With some stranger hottie!” Bulma seemed to consider the scenario for a moment. “That might not mean anything. Maybe she came from another room.” “Maybe. Maybe the mess on Goku’s sheets was just mayo, then. A whole jar of it-” “Ewww. Too much information!”, Bulma grimaced, swatting the air before her eyes as if to disperse the disturbing visual that had just been conjured up in her mind. “You see my point now? Goku definitely scored last night.” “Why on earth did you think I needed to know that? Or call me all the way here, for that matter.” “So that we could both be here for this moment.” “And what moment would that be?” “Oh, you know. It’s a very special moment in a boy’s life…” “Oh, please! This is not his first time.” Bulma’s remark sounded just a touch too knowing for Yamcha’s taste. This time it was his turn to frown. “Just what makes you sound so sure about it?” He’d always known Bulma had had a crush on their mutual friend. It had gone unspoken, but it had been clear as day for years. Bulma was the kind of girl who’s very open with her feelings and very direct with what she wants. Uncharacteristically, she’d never really come on to Goku -probably because she saw him  more as a little brother than anything else- but she’d never bothered to hide the way she looked at him, at times, when she felt significantly less sisterly towards him. Goku being younger, buffer and stronger than him, this crush of hers, albeit insignificant, never failed to make Yamcha feel insecure and, consequently, jealous. “Get your mind out of the gutter, stupid, it wasn’t me!”, Bulma retorted, returning the indignant frown, “I just happen to know some things.” “And you never thought to share this knowledge? I thought he was a virgin all this time”, Yamcha carried on, his sensibilities now upset by her secrecy. “Would that have been important to know, for your friendship? That he isn’t a virgin?” Bulma was visibly annoyed. That was yet another sore spot in Yamcha’s pride, and a strain their relationship: Bulma had been Yamcha’s first, but not the other way round. “Well, no- not really, I’m just saying…” “I swear I will never get you boys and your inferior logic”, Bulma sighed, rolling her eyes. In that moment, Master Roshi made his appearance, looking a lot merrier than someone who should be suffering quite a grandiose hangover. “Morning, lovebirds! Had fun last night?”, he inquired, eyeing the young couple ever so significantly. Bulma scoffed, turning her head the other way. She found herself wondering why she still hung around that old sleaze. “Master, I absolutely need to tell you about this chick I saw last night on the elevator”, Yamcha approached his master, grateful for the distraction and hopeful that he of all people would have been positively receptive of his story. He was halfway through describing said chick when Goku finally got down to the lobby. Yamcha turned to him as soon as he caught a glimpse of his signature orange sweater, ready to grill him about every raunchy detail with a toothy grin on his lips… A grin that died as soon as he laid eyes on the shorter, darker figure that walked behind him. “Hey guys, sorry I’m late!”, the young man greeted them as if there was nothing unusual about the situation, “Here, Yamcha, this is the stuff you left in the bathroom.” “Thanks, man”, he replied, drily. He eyed Bulma and saw his same confusion reflecting on her features. “We’re off to the station now. We’re running a bit late and Bulma has to buy her ticket, so…” “Oh, don’t worry, she can have mine”, Goku helpfully offered, fishing the piece of paper from his bag. “I won’t need it?” “Sorry, what?” The weider the situation got, the wider Yamcha’s eyes became. It was clear nobody was gonna address the elephant in the room, who was currently waiting a few steps away, burly arms crossed over the sculpted chest and an annoyed look on his face that was clearly directed at their group, despite facing in another direction. “I decided I’m not going back home just yet”, Goku said, simply, as if that explained anything at all, “I’ll see you soon at training as soon as I do come back. Have a safe trip!” “W-wait! So… where are you going?”, Yamcha stopped him as his friend started walking towards the entrance. “Dunno”, was the disarming -yet, frankly, not unexpected- reply. Equally disarming and less expected, was the expectant look the young man shot behind his shoulder. “To get breakfast”, the older man informed, heading for the entrance himself, “Before you get whiny.” “How does he know that about Goku? Since where those two hang out together without breaking each other's bones?”, Bulma whispered in her boyfriend’s ear, staring at the odd couple as they walked off together. Yamcha slowly shook his head. He’d barely registered what his girlfriend had said. His mind was too busy processing the stinging feeling that his nose had picked up a hint of the same pine-tree shower gel wafting off both men. Or maybe it had just been his imagination. “You don’t think they got into a fight?”, Bulma continued, “I thought I saw some bruises on Vegeta.” “Maybe. Or maybe he was the one that got lucky last night”, Yamcha wondered out loud, trying to remember seeing the man in their hotel at any point during their stay. “With the dark-haired hottie from last night you were telling me about earlier?”, Master Roshi butted in, “Like hell he did!” “What makes you so sure?” “Because I did.” “What?”, Bulma let out, slightly horrified. “How?”, Yamcha asked, not unimpressed, despite himself, “Goku and I were with you all evening and walked you to the hotel!” “Picked her up at the hotel bar. Took only a couple extra drinks too”, the old man gloated, toddling proudly ahead of them, “This old grandpa still got it!”

[momorabu]

Ensemble Stars! Event Story - Sincerely! Bitter Chocolate Festival / Chocolate Fes

Apologies for yet another hiatus in between the weeks as I’ve fallen sick a couple of weeks ago and I’m still in the midst in recovering *cough cough* I went to reread this event story during Valentine’s to get a feel of Valentine’s day~

It was actually quite short (8 chapters) compared to the event stories that I’ve been reading nowadays (16 chapters) so I managed to finish reading in between my resting break, and thus here is it! Happy Belated Valentine’s! <3

Anyway as always, the summary of the story can be found below. Translation may not be 100% accurate due to my poor Japanese skills~

Prologue - Chapter 1

One cold morning, Subaru was feeling sleepy on his way to school, as he thought about how he can understand how Ritsu must be feeling about wanting to fall asleep anywhere. But then he knew that if he ever falls asleep in class, Hokuto will get angry at him, and wondered if it’s better if he just took a nap at the sickbay if he begged Sagami Sensei to let him rest there.

Just then he saw “me” and Hokuto walking along the route to school, and wonder whether did Hokuto and “my” relationship has changed from “sending me back home” relationship to “going to school together” relationship. However, he could not think of a good reason why the two of us are going to school together and thus decided to just come and ask us. Turns out the reason is just a very and normal reason, we just met halfway along the route and decided to walk together since it’ll be very awkward to walk separately after saying “good morning” ^^;

Hokuto was amazed that Subaru was up early today though, and asked whether he was coming to school early in preparation for the “Choco Festival”. However, Subaru gave a blank face as he could not remember what is “Choco Festival”. (And so Hokuto gave him a very cold stare… How could he not know of this festival being an idol in the school? XD)

Since “I” wasn’t here at this time of the year last year, “I” had no idea what “Choco Festival” is. Subaru suddenly remembered what is it about and wanted to explain to me about it but the chance got taken away by Hokuto as he volunteered to give an explanation instead XD (It’s cute how Subaru started whining that Hokuto is sneaky and always taking the most “delicious” part - as in able always having the chance to always guide “me” / “send me home” etc? XD) Hokuto retaliated that he can’t trust Subaru is giving a good explanation, seeing how he can completely forget about the whole festival.

Chocolate Festival is a very large event where idol groups all over the country can participate, and in the school, idol groups will sing, perform and give out chocolate on that day to keep the visitors happy.

Even though “I’m” a producer, “I” won’t need to organise and set up the event for this event, as they’ll be handled by the school and student council instead. However, there’s still a very large possibility that “I’ll” be very busy with creating the outfits, goods and most importantly, helping the idols in creating the chocolate.

However, Hokuto is very confident in “my” skills in cooking, as he praised that the honey lemon slices that “I’ve” made last time for Trickstar were very delicious, and were even as good as his grandma’s. Subaru remarked that Hokuto talked about his grandmother all the time, similar to how he himself always bringing up Daikichi - his dog ^^; (Haha these two never shuts up about their grandma and dog XDD)

Anway, it seems that I’ll be supporting the idols in chocolate making. Subaru is looking forward to my help as he’s always more interested in eating it than making it XD Hokuto warned him not to rely on me too much since the most important is the feeling of the idols who are making the chocolate themselves, even if the outside of the chocolate may not look good. He also shared a story of how he tried to make rice based on the teachings of his grandma, and how his grandma said that it’s delicious even when he didn’t do a good job and the rice came out looking abit… not that nice ^^;

After listening to Hokuto’s story, Mao and Makoto suddenly appeared behind them, saying that actually they were there a while ago but could not find a good time to interrupt, seeing that Hokuto is so engrossed in his story about his grandma. Makoto showed up teary faced as he was very touched by Hokuto’s story TWT TWT

(It’s funny but yet so cute that the way that Subaru chooses to comfort Makoto is… a banana? Yes, he literally pushed a banana next to Makoto’s cheek XD What on earth is this boy thinking? XDD)

Talking about the Choco Festival, Makoto is curious about who am I planning on giving my chocolate to. (Hehe~ Why are you so interested, Makoto~? XD) He realised he may be asking too much of a private question though and was so sorry that he immediately kneel down in apology O.O Mao complimented that he kneel very well which Makoto will rather Mao praised his singing or dancing skills instead of his… kneeling skills XD

Thank goodness “I” seems to be neutral to guys who kneel randomly, saying that it really depends on the situation. (If not I would have dislike Makoto already, being a guy who kneel too easily in a situation like that ^^;)

(Look at Mao all hinting Makoto’s feelings towards “me” XD Saying that he’s actually behaving quite close to “me”, seeing that “I” managed to open his heart when he was bad at talking to girls ^////^)

Back onto the chocolate making topic, Hokuto said that Trickstar can’t rely on “me” too much as “I’m” everyone’s producer, and it’ll be better if they can find someone else from other units that are willing to guide them on how to make chocolate. (Since if I ended up supporting all the units on how to make chocolate, I’ll get overwhelmed by all the units =w=“….)

They went through several names (all from Knights though… seems like most of Knights all know to make sweet treats ^^): Sena, who made chocolate for Makoto last year, it tasted great but having Sena saying “ahhh” and trying to force feed him gave Makoto a bad aftertaste… Ritsu, whose candies are delicious, but the designs of them are badly needed to go through a revamp by Sena in order to go on sale since it’s practically required to close one’s eyes to eat it to avoid looking at it =w=“….

In the end, they decided on Arashi, who has “girl power” and thus able to cook and make sweet treats just like a girl ^^; (I’m a girl but I can’t really do these things… guess I don’t have much of a “girl power” when compared to Arashi… Orz)

Chapter 2 - 4

And so Arashi became the lecturer and tutor for the chocolate making class that happened later on, thanks to Mao for contacting him and asking for his help. (Since they’re classmates and gets along fine like that ^^)

Mao felt weird that Arashi said that “as a big sister, I’ll be on the side of the girls in love”, since well… they’re guys, and wonder if they had become “girls in love” the moment they start doing chocolate XD Arashi amended and said he did add an “I’ll also be on the side of the boys in love” after that so it won’t sound so weird? ^^;

Arashi can’t help but to overhear what Mao and Makoto were happily talking about as they were preparing the ingredients and seeing how enthusiastic Makoto is, Arashi wonders if there’s a particular “her” that he wanted to give his chocolate to. That flustered Makoto as he confessed that he just wanted to thank “me” and it’s nothing like “I’m” the particular “her” that Arashi is talking about. (Denying to the full extent but it’s so cute how Makoto got all flustered ^^;)

Mao in the end has to swipe in to rescue Makoto by explaining that Makoto only doesn’t get nervous around “me” as “I’m” a producer, but once he sees “me” as a girl, he gets all nervous again ^^;

Mao was all excited and asking Arashi what chocolate they were making that day, but Arashi asked me to just wait awhile longer as the Ra*bits kids haven’t arrived yet. It’s a lesson for both Trickstar and Ra*bits members that day as the other units aren’t free, and with both of them having a performance live at the first part of the day, it’s been decided that the class will teach them first since the other units can still have a chance to practice at the later part of the day later on.

They went onto talking about how Knights and UNDEAD will be having the same class later on, and Ritsu will be grumbling how terrible it is to be in the same class as his brother, Rei XD

Just then the Ra*bits members all rushed into the kitchen, with Nazuna breathing heavily as he struggled to catch up to Mitsuru’s speed.

(Aww~ Look at how Mitsuru dives into Arashi’s chest when he saw him there. These two really have a cute relationship as Arashi is so happy to have such an adorable junior <3)

Finally, the chocolate making class can finally start! This time, Arashi decided to teach everyone how to make truffle, as he said it’s one of the easier chocolate treats to be made. Makoto was very excited when he realised that the recipe was written by me XD

The class commerce and Subaru was having difficulty getting his truffle in a nice round sphere, where compare to Hokuto who was doing it easily as his hands are cold and thus easy to mould the chocolate with them. Subaru ended up disturbing Hokuto again by touching him with chocolate covered hands (ewww~~ Subaru~~) Hokuto, of course, scolded him and said he’s going to end up dirtying clothes like that ^^;

Seeing Hokuto is so serious, Subaru went off to play with Makoto, by touching his cheek with his (chocolate covered) hands =w=“ That gave Makoto a shock as he asked to knock it off (imagine someone touching your face with chocolate hands suddenly =w=“) Subaru, disappointed that even Makoto is getting serious this time, said that he thought that the two of them are going to debut as Aho-Combi, and thus won’t allow him to drop out this way ^^; (And Makoto got all confused since as much he likes Aho-Combi, really debuting as one is abit… =w=“)

In the end, Mao has to ask all of them to stop fooling around and to learn from the Ra*bits boys, which are doing a really good job. Hajime came and shared with them some of the truffles that he made, which had very sparkling toppings that made Subaru wanted to add some onto his truffles. (But… ultimately got stopped by me since they’re far more advanced bakers~) (I’m terribly afraid that Subaru might end up destroying all the truffles if he did something funny with them ><”)

Even though the Ra*bits’ truffles are coming along smoothly, there’s one guy who is facing trouble with the chocolate he is making - Mitsuru. He ended up burning the chocolate that he was melting and got really frustrated. Tomoya wanted to lend a hand to him but Mitsuru said it’s okay and he can handle it on his own. Tomoya insisted further on and Mitsuru got really defensive and shut him out, making Tomoya shocked as this seems to be the first time he ever sees Mitsuru being so stubborn. Turns out that Mitsuru even rejects Hajime’s help when he approached him earlier on too. Seeing that “I” had seen this scenario, Tomoya requested me to help out Mitsuru as he really seems to need help and will probably open up to me instead, as Mitsuru admires me as much as Nazuna.

“I” went to Mitsuru and asked him about what he’s doing, he got sad knowing that he has made “me”, Tomoya and others worried for him. Mitsuru decided to reveal what he’s making to “me”, on the condition that I keep it a secret from Adonis and Arashi. Mitsuru’s plan was to make chocolate to give to Arashi and Adonis to thank them for all the care they’ve given him for the past year. “I” decided to chip in and help Mitsuru with making the chocolate, and the two of us decided to meet up after class on a day to make them.

However, instead of truffles, we’re going to make nama chocolate, since it’s even easier than truffles so that Mitsuru can even make it as ease~ ^^ “I” showed Mitsuru how to do it once and after that he learnt it and decided to continue doing it, as “I” watched him by the side.

(Mitsuru is so cute when he finished the first step successfully and ask for a praise XD)

The next step was melting of the chocolate, which Mitsuru felt really unsure of as he burnt it the last time. But this time however, he felt more at ease knowing that “I’ll” be next to him looking over him ^^ Mitsuru completed the melting process successfully and we pour the chocolate into the moulds and all that’s left to do is wait for 2 hours for the chocolate to set~ While waiting for the chocolate to set, we decided to have lessons and practices together to pass the time.

Mitsuru bumped into a “wall” in the kitchen and realised that it was Makoto. He explained that he was initially having lunch on the terrace when he saw the two of us heading towards the kitchen. Curiosity got the better of him so he decided to tail behind and see what we are up to. (Makoto…. that’s quite a stalker move actually =w=“ I guess the good thing is that at least he knows that he’s guilty of it? ^^;)

Mitsuru sneakily asked Makoto a question on who is he going to give his chocolate to, making Makoto flustered once again as he gave alot of answers: people who supported them (Trickstar), people who watched their lives etc. Mitsuru just sees it as him being firm and not giving the real answer XD (Kind of amazed that he can be quite observant here XD)

He went onto explain the reason that he’s making chocolate with “me” to Makoto, saying that he’s giving chocolates to Adonis and Arashi. (Look at him “confessing” once again that how much he likes them XD Mitsuru is seriously so adorable here~ *pinches cheek*)

Mitsuru ended up inviting Makoto to come help and do some chocolate tasting when they are set after 2 hours. The two of them exchanged numbers before they departed and Mitsuru and “I” went off to have lessons. Contacting Makoto after two hours, all three of us returned to the kitchen and tasted the completed chocolate. It’s a success as the chocolate was very delicious~! ^^ Now all Mitsuru had to do was to wrap them up and give them to Arashi and Adonis on the day itself.

Chapter 5 - Chapter 6

On Trickstar’s side, Hokuto requested both Makoto and Subaru to come and help them with the wrapping of the chocolates during the practice break, as there’s too many of them that with just him and Mao, it’s impossible to finish wrapping them all before the event the next day.

(Hokuto is cute as he admitted that he’s been relying on his grandma and “me” alot nowadays~ It’s nice to know that he felt safe by my side and thus gradually relied on me.)

Even though Hokuto asked Makoto and Subaru to help out, towards “me” he’s asking “me” to rest instead ^^ He even requested Mao to send “me” home at night later on, as it’s his turn that night. Mao smiled and said that he’s been always sending “me” home frequently to the point that he has become close and friendly with “my” family members already, and even stayed to have dinner with them XD (Future son-in-law? +W+) It’s a good thing for Mao as he gets to have some home cooked food as his parents are usually not at home and let the kids do whatever they want.

Makoto ended up glaring at Mao once he heard about it, as he envies Mao for getting the chance to even have dinner with “me” since he never gets an invitation. (Jealousy?) He wondered what he should do in order to get an invitation: having more of an appeal by showing a face that he wants to eat?, or by bearing himself from eating snacks so that his stomach will growl when he went to my home XD

Then he realised it’s hard for him to even get to know “my” family members as he doesn’t even dare to look at “my” mum in the eye… Makoto vowed to pluck up his courage to start a conversation with “my” family next time~ (Good luck Makoto!)

Chocofes had finally arrived in the day, and it was a busy period for “me” as I had to make the outfits, teaching on how to make chocolates to the units, as well as making goods for the event. On that day it was a really crowded day to the point that they need alot of staff to even control the crowd, seeing that there’s alot of units performing and they’re giving chocolates out.

(Interesting that there’s a system whereby the guests can choose which unit they’ll want to receive their chocolate +W+)

Mao is all fired up as he said that Trickstar will perform to the point that they’ll capture everyone’s hearts so that they’ll feel at ease even if other units perform after them. Subaru just wants to give out all the chocolates which they’ve prepared for the guest's XD (So cute!)

As Trickstar is performing, Tomoya came and watched their performance, and was awed by Trickstar’s charm. Hokuto was performing on stage and realised Tomoya has come to show support, by waving his light stick like a little fan XD Hokuto wished that they’re able to give out all their chocolates, as the worst outcome will be having to either eat the remaining chocolates themselves or having to burn them all. (I felt so sad reading it, burning and destroying all those chocolates? TWT TWT I won’t mind eating one per day for a whole year just to get rid of them seriously +W+)

Mao also noticed Tomoya supporting them, and he thought to himself that as a senior, he should work harder so he won’t show a bad side of him to them. He also noticed “me” watching them, waving a light stick in “my hand”, as “I’ve” finished what “I” was busy with of selling the merchandise.

(This part was heartwarming: Seeing that “I” was always being relied on by others, he wished that “I” would rely on him sometimes, since he would also rely on “me” sometimes too.)

Chapter 6 - Epilogue

Tomoya felt all pumped up after watching Trickstar’s performance and talked to Mitsuru that Ra*bits will need to work hard too to perform like them. But Mitsuru doesn’t seem to be listening and even runs off in the end, leaving a very confused Tomoya.

Mitsuru knew that he shouldn’t run around on the corridor, but today’s a special day as he wanted to find Arashi and Adonis soon before his own live starts. As he was running towards the practice room (since he believed that they might be there performing before the lives), Mitsuru accidentally bumped into Adonis and… ended up stepping on his own chocolate when the paper bag flew out of his hand.

Tomoya came looking for him soon after and he pulled Mitsuru away to prepare for their live show later on, and thus Mitsuru missed his chance to give his chocolate…

After the live shows had ended, Mitsuru was still feeling really down that Tomoya tried to cheer him up but still failed, as he doesn’t know why Mitsuru was having trouble about. Tomoya wished that Mitsuru would rely on him more since they’re friends and not keep his trouble to himself.

Noticing “me” looking worriedly at him, Tomoya knew that he can’t hide anything from “me” and thus revealed what that had happened, and that Mitsuru went all down after the live even though he was all happy and cheerful on stage.

“I” went over to Mitsuru when he was murmuring to himself that he can’t face “me” anymore, and ended scaring him when he realised “I’m” behind him ^^; He revealed to me that his box of chocolates was crushed and thought that it’s impossible to give out his gift now that the box was all crumpled up… He even thought of throwing the chocolate away in the trash bin as he believed that nobody will be happy getting a box of crushed chocolates TWT TWT (So cute yet so sad that Mitsuru is crying at this scene TWT TWT)

Just then Adonis and Arashi came rushing over, as they’ve noticed Mitsuru seems to be having some trouble and came to wish that Mitsuru will discuss any trouble with them.

Mitsuru decided to give his (though now abit crumpled) box of chocolate to Arashi and Adonis. Saying that even though it’s made with “my” help and also even though the box was crushed, Mitsuru shyly asked them to receive his chocolate.

Of course, both of them are happy to receive Mitsuru’s chocolate and even started eating them right away. Arashi even said it’s so delicious to the point they can make his cheeks drop XD (Too exaggerated XD) Mitsuru thanked them once again and confessed once again XD He also sort of “confessed” to “me”, saying that he’s thankful for all the help “I” gave him and also that he likes me just as much as the others as well.

And that wraps up this heartwarming event story~! I remember liking Mitsuru alot after reading this, who knows he can be so cute and adorable~ <3 I also enjoyed reading Mao’s, Makoto’s and Hokuto’s part as well~ Didn’t know Makoto can be jealous and even abit stalkish…. =w=“ Mao definitely sounds like a super good boyfriend material XDD

Most importantly for me when going through this event was enjoying Makoto’s little event scenes, he seems interested in what type of guys “I” would like ^////^

And he was also curious on who “I” was giving “my” chocolate to. Funny that he mentioned that he envies the person who would be receiving it, and turns out he’s the one XD

Mao’s scenes are pretty cute too, he actually ended up gifting “me” a chocolate he made I believe~

Last but not least, it was a super happy time for me to be able to make it to the event points to get Makoto’s 4* card~ I think it was the first time for me to be able to reach it after I’ve luckily get Hajime’s from a live drop on the Christmas carol event~

I really enjoyed Valentine’s outfit this time and ended up putting Tomoya and Makoto on my home screen for a long time~ (Still had Makoto on my home screen currently yet again in celebration of Valentine’s~)

Next up will be the current Valentine’s event story~ I’m looking forward to reading that so will be reading and translating that first~ <3

[nookishposts]

Digging Deep

My Beloved and I continue to sort through stuff, post-move. We have successfully excavated down through quite a few layers of strata on this archeological expedition and have been making donations of good used (and quite a few new) goods all over the place. It’s a fine balance between minimizing waste and making sure your stuff isn’t going to become some one else’s problem when you donate. It’s always a good idea to check online or in person with your local thrift store, library, clothing exchange or recycling station as to what they each can and cannot accept.  You have a responsibility to be fair and even if you hire someone to cart your stuff out for you, make sure you know it won’t be dumped on a roadside somewhere as happened in this area not too long ago. We can be grown-ups.

Unless of course we’ve mined our way down into the motherlode; the really good stuff, some of which we’d forgotten we even had. For my Beloved it involved many baby pictures of nieces and nephews, as well as keepsakes from key professional moments in her engineering career, and (what I deemed to be) truly nerdy textbooks. More than one was about Math for Pete’s sake! Ewww! Whereas MY books on theatre history and 1970s music are priceless. She read Einstein. I read Shakespeare. Together we can complete crossword puzzles with great (ahem)authority and style. My Beloved has a complete understanding of physics, whereas to me the theory of leverage applies mostly to wheedling my way into the last piece of angel food cake using degrees of warped logic. 

The things we’ve found. I had to go to a local Service Ontario Center today to renew both my driver’s license and my health card. You need one piece of ID from 3 separate categories, and I had 2 of them...what I didn’t have was a piece of government or public utilities mail addressed to me at our new location as proof of current residence; it’s just too soon. I’ve been waiting for one, so I could go do this stuff as I don’t qualify for online renewal this time; they needed a new photo. Well, digging carefully through a bin yesterday, don’t I find a whack of my childhood stuff kept for years by my Mum and  then off-loaded to me a few years ago. Among the baby books and kindergarten art, didn’t I find a Registration of Birth, which you can use as a substitute document for a few things. Our vehicle was broken into several years ago and among items stolen were my wallet with both birth certificate and SIN card inside ( we were travelling, and I learned my lesson) neither of which I’ve bothered to replace. I memorised my SIN in Grade 9 and have rarely needed my Birth Certificate to prove anything because one look at my parents and it’s all too obvious where I came from. Anywho...off we went to the right office in a nearby hamlet and (thanks Mum!) I was in and out in 15 minutes. Had I not been digging through the past, proving my legal status could have been much more problematic. And, in a couple of weeks time, I will get fancy official government mail in my own name at my own home and won’t have to worry about proving anything for a while.

Like everyone else, I have relationship history and a few small tokens of same. There are a couple of short stacks of love letters tied up with ribbon, from back in the days when people still did that sort of thing. When same-sex marriage became legal in Canada in 2003, I married my then partner; we’d been together 9 years at that point so it made  personal as well as political sense. The marriage ended 4 years later for the right reasons. But somehow I ended up with all the documents, the congratulatory cards, and the official Wedding Album. She was interested in none of it at the time, and I have not opened the box in 12 years. Despite the demise of the marriage, the wedding itself was amazing and the party afterwards so very much fun. An intimate ceremony at the top of a waterfall at sunset, followed by a casual backyard feast to which many of the 75 guests contributed, in lieu of presents. One friend baked a gorgeous wedding cake. Another created a CD playlist of dance music that would shuffle for hours. We’d built a dance floor under a home-made marquee tent, and our wedding planner, a dear friend who is a designer, “borrowed” a lighted crystal chandelier to hang from the trees above the revellers and then returned it unharmed to the show room the next day. It was a soft and magical informal evening with much warmth and merriment, that went on until about 3am. Inviting the neighbours meant nobody complained about the noise. It came as a great relief to me as I was excavating, that I could briefly revisit that time in my life and sample a little of the sweetness without any bitter aftertaste. That phenomenon has been a long time coming, and it felt very satisfying to let all but a couple of key items go.

I have the menu from the grand opening meal at the newly-built Northern Studies Research Centre in Churchill Manitoba (My Beloved had been part of the design/build team) and I remember that the executive director at the time had gone out onto the tundra that same afternoon to pick wild blueberries for the dessert. I also have the document I had to sign stating that if I went more than 50 yards from the centre without an armed escort and got eaten by a polar bear, it would be considered my own stupid fault and they would have no liability. I remember the quality of the sub-arctic light, both daytime and nighttime. Never seen anything like it. I took photos of an decommissioned rocket-launcher, and saw an abandoned Russian tanker sunken near the shores of Hudson Bay. It  also involved the smallest plane and the most expensive flight I’ve ever been on.

I haven’t come across the album with notes and photos from my solo trip to Australia. But just knowing I soon will gets my wistful little heart all a-flutter.

My Beloved sat across the room poking through her boxes while I pawed through mine. We crossed the room often, laughing, sometimes glassy-eyed, sometimes with expressions of wonder; “Oh Honey, look at this! You won’t believe what I’ve found!” Though we have been together 11 years, we’ve been getting to know a little more of one another’s formative development these past few days, carefully bringing light into forgotten corners and uncovering treasures to savour in the sharing. Sometimes, the expression in My Beloved eyes as she hands me a photo says way more about it than words ever could. We’ve done some sighing, lots of snickering in disbelief, and even blushed at cards and letters we have written between us. Its been such an enlightening and comforting time. There are so many ways to tell a story, so many stories to tell. Perhaps a few best left in the dust of yesterdays and lessons learned the hard way. My high school year books alone could be the basis of a coming-of-age memoir. Many of the characters that would be in it are still in my life 40+ years later, so I’d only sell 10 copies. Might be fun to write anyway. Though I’d likely make more profit from those who’d pay me not to.

Aren’t we lucky that time has a way of softening the sharper edges of difficult memories while buffing up the shine of happier ones. In the small velvet box that contains my grandfather’s WW2 service medals are also the remains of a dried rose bud, and a tiny square of cardboard with a blot of sealing wax pressed by a signet ring. I may never know the details, but I am reminded of how many many stories came well before mine.

[forkanna]

[AO3 LINK]

See also: @pankite​

Night had fallen, and the campers were gathered by the treeline to play a game of flashlight tag. Things were much better. After their brief nap, Anna and Elsa had walked hand in hand to the mess hall just in time for dinner. Many of the adults in the building gave them either curious or suspicious looks; they let go of each other's hands right away, embarrassed.

Of course, Anna knew her embarrassment was only because they were late but it made her flustered apologies to Aurora seem less genuine as a result. Thankfully, the blonde let it slide with a curt, "Don't let it happen again," and allowed Anna to make her way over to Rapunzel with minimum fuss.

Now Anna was pretty much buzzing with excitement at the brunette's side. When Rapunzel first mentioned the annual game, she had been looking forward to it and purposely made sure she wasn't one of the three counselors assigned to unfreezing the players so she could play herself.

"Okay guys," Aurora called for attention and most of the kids went silent as they turned towards her. "In about five minutes, the game starts. For those of you who don't know how to play, the rules are simple. You should all have been given one of two coloured glow-in-the-dark ribbons; either red or yellow. Well… the red ones glow pink. Anyway, the team who starts the game as 'it' will all have flashlights. When a flashlight is on you and the tagger says your name and 'freeze!', you are not allowed to move until one of the 'medics' — Elsa, Belle, or myself — comes by and you complete the task they assign to you to get unfrozen."

There was a brief pause as Aurora let that information sink in before she continued, "Since last year, it was the Yellow Team that started as it, Red Team begins this time. In thirty minutes, when you hear the bell, it's time to switch. We end the game after an hour has passed and then we all go back to our cabins for the night."

"Better not get tagged and let me find you," Elsa muttered to Anna out of the corner of her mouth. "I might make you stand on your head."

Anna raised an eyebrow and tried to keep her tone nonchalant. "Really, Sis? Stand on my head? You can't be a little more creative?" She hoped that Elsa didn't choose that particular task because she remembered how Anna couldn't do it no matter how hard she tried.

"You say that like I don't remember how hard it is for you to do." Hopes dashed. "But… maybe I'll think of something funnier that's actually possible, instead."

"Okay!" Rapunzel squealed from nearby, jumping up and down and clapping her hands. "Are we all ready to do this?!"

Anna was about to retaliate, her mouth open to say something when Aurora's voice rang out once more. "Yellow has one minute to run before Red is allowed to go! Remember to stay in camp boundaries! Go!" Then she was yanked away from her sister by Rapunzel and off into the trees.

Five minutes later, Anna found herself crouched behind a bush alone, holding her breath as several pairs of footsteps and a couple beams of light passed by. Her heart thundered in excitement. "That was too close!" she whispered.

"Yeah!" Rapunzel whispered back, trying not to giggle. "This is the best!" When Anna whipped around, Rapunzel shrugged. "What? You found a good spot!"

"How the heck did you get unfrozen so fast?" Anna hissed in surprise, "and how did you find me for that matter?"

"Aurora took pity on me," Rapunzel snorted. "Probably because I'm a counsellor. All she had me do was recite John 3:16. I mean, what a softball!" Then she looked around eagerly. "Do you want to split up?"

"Yeah… softball…" Anna inwardly groaned and kicked herself, making a mental note to try and avoid not only getting Elsa for a medic, but Aurora, as well. The last time she read the Bible all the way through was a very long time ago. She knew the more common passages and remembered several others that stood out to her when she was little, but she knew Aurora would crack down hard if she found out Anna couldn't remember the whole thing. She really didn't need another reason for Aurora to be annoyed with her.

"Maybe we should stick together for now?" Anna gave Rapunzel a nervous smile. "You know all the best hiding spots since you've been here before, right? I just got lucky here." What she didn't mention was that she fully intended to use Rapunzel as a shield if they got caught.

"Yeah, I know a couple! Though I should probably tell you… I'm not great at this game." With a nervous little laugh, she shrugged at Anna. "That's okay, right? I mean, you're not mad, are you? You won't leave, will you?"

Anna frowned at Rapunzel, "Hey Punzie, you okay?" she asked, placing a hand on the brunette's shoulder and feeling a tad guilty. "I'm not mad, it's just a game."

"You're right," she sighed, a relieved smile spreading across her cheeks. "You're the greatest, you know th-"

"Freeze!"

"AH!" Rapunzel yelped, starting to leap out of the way.

"Rapunzel! Anna! I said freeze!" A familiar slow voice reached Anna's ears and she let out a frustrated breath. Mark… the only kid of her group who refused to make nice with her. He adored Elsa though and Anna knew that he was probably just gleeful to know he had caught her despite the bored look he sported.

"Hey guys!" Olaf chirped happily. "Good job, Marshmallow!"

"Nertz, I tried to tell you," Rapunzel hissed at her, though she had obediently stopped moving when Mark reminded her that she shouldn't. "I'm such a dope!"

Anna let out a heavy sigh before smiling at the boys. "Great job catching us, guys," she praised them, pointedly ignoring Mark's grumpy glare in her direction.

"Thanks, Anna!" Olaf cheered. "Don't you worry about a thing! I ran into Elsa close by where we caught you so she should be here any minute — and I have the bestest task for her to give you! Come on, Marshmallow! Let's go find her!"

"Olaf!" Anna snapped after him, wanting badly to run after him as he ran away giggling with his "brother" in tow, "Don't you dare!"

"What did he mean by that?" Rapunzel whispered fearfully. "I hope it's nothing with like, taking off clothes! You know how boys are!"

"I highly doubt Elsa would make us get naked because a boy told her to, Punzie," Anna replied. "Besides, Olaf isn't like that. He's a good boy." Most of the time, she added to herself."Chances are he's going to ask Elsa to make us do something silly… like make farting noises or something." Or he could ask her to make me propose, but then… Elsa wouldn't do that. She would reprimand him and tell him how unnatural that is first.

"Ewww," Rapunzel giggled under her breath. "That's nasty. Oh, is that them?"

It was. Holding a larger lantern-style light aloft, Elsa's ghostly-white face came into view, with Olaf on her heels. He was whispering something to her, and she was shushing him. Around the time they could be overheard, she turned to him and said, "Alright, alright, this isn't any of your business. Go look for more campers to tag and leave these two alone or I'll be upset with you."

Olaf pouted at her. "I still think her kissing you would be the best task." He stated it so bluntly that it made Anna choke on a laugh. A quick look at Rapunzel revealed that the brunette was too busy fussing to herself to have heard him and she let out a quiet sigh of relief. "It's not that hard and it might help you on your way to proposing!"

"SHH!" Elsa hissed more harshly at him. Finally, he jogged away into the trees. She shook her head as she turned back to the others with a wolfish smile. "Well, well. Fresh meat."

"O-okay," Rapunzel whispered with a gulp. Obviously, she still believed Elsa to be cruel. "What… are you gonna make us do? Not get naked! I don't wanna get naked!"

That made the blonde blink in surprise, lip curling. "Why would I tell you to do that? Just… well, let's have you give me twenty jumping jacks."

"Oh." With a relieved smile, still nervous, she took a few steps away from the other two and began doing the exercises, huffing with each tiny hop.

Anna giggled at her friend. "Oh come on, Punzie, those aren't even real!" She teased, "You have to at least get your feet off the ground!" Then she got herself into position, thinking that she had to share the task with her friend. "Here, let me show you how it's done!"

"Hold on, now," Elsa warned her with a finger held up. "I was only talking to Rapunzel. Don't go assuming things." Her tone was obviously light and teasing, but the finger still made her seem serious. Not knowing her, one might think she was.

"Better… not… mess with her!" Rapunzel was panting as she tried to pick up her feet a little more with each jumping jack. Her eyes were wide and warning as she looked over at Anna.

Anna halted. "What am I supposed to do, then, Elsa?" She couldn't help but feel nervous butterflies in her stomach, equal parts from the intimidating position her sister stood in, despite the teasing tone, and from embarrassment as she remembered Olaf's suggestion. 'No way she would ever do that….'

"I'm thinking," Elsa teased further. Finally, Rapunzel finished her jumping jacks, so she turned to her and waved dismissively. "You're free to go."

"Okay!" Shrugging in apology to Anna, she took off into the trees.

"Traitor!" she called after the brunette, not really meaning it but feeling the butterflies increase in frenzy when Rapunzel disappeared out of sight and left her alone with her sister. Then, she turned to Elsa with a blush. "I hope you're not thinking of Olaf's silly suggestion."

"What, that I ask you to marry me?" Elsa laughed easily. "Maybe I should. Unless you meant the other suggestion of his."

Her heart stuttered and her eyes widened a fraction at the unexpected jest. 'She's teasing, you idiot! Say something before you make this awkward!' Anna forced out a small giggle, one that thankfully didn't sound too bad in these circumstances.

"Oh, I highly doubt you would make me kiss you like that," Anna teased right back, patting herself on the back for the accomplishment despite her nerves. "I know you're probably hoarding that for a special someone. Besides, I can barely kiss your cheek without you getting flustered. A real kiss might make you faint."

But the teasing worked a little too well. Folding both arms over her chest, pursing those luscious lips of hers, Elsa said, "Really? You think I couldn't handle one stupid kiss from my sister? Fine." She stepped closer. "That's your challenge. Do it, or you stay frozen. And if I faint… I'll make your bed for the rest of camp."

"You do know what you're asking me, right?" Anna breathed. Her complicated feelings for Elsa made her feel both uncomfortable and elated in equal measures and the thought of actually kissing the blonde… Well, Anna had a feeling Elsa wouldn't be the one fainting when it happened.

Besides that, there was the worry that if Elsa kissed her and Anna lost control… As much as Anna despised hiding her preferences, she felt sick at the thought of Elsa hating her because of it.

"I mean, what if someone sees?"

Snorting, Elsa put her hands on her hips. "Why so serious, Anna?" To her surprise, that was delivered with a vague Heath Ledger impression; not one she put any effort into, but just enough to make the reference clear. Then she said in an undertone, "It's just a dare. Sounds to me like you're trying to get out of your challenge, Moondrop. But if you can't handle it…"

Anna's heart skipped another beat and for a moment she wondered if it would affect her health for how often it happened. However the husk that entered Elsa's voice from her attempt at the impression and the challenge that entered those glacier eyes did more to Anna than she cared to admit.

When Elsa challenged her outright, a mixture of pride and her own desire won out. With a low growl, she gripped Elsa's jacket and pulled her mouth down to meet hers, unable to hold back a faint, pleased noise at the taste of Elsa's lipbalm.

And Elsa didn't resist. Though she had expected the contact to be met with a disgusted outburst and shoving her away, or maybe laughter, she just seemed to have no response. The hands that had been on her hips went out to either side, unsure of where else to go. Then…

One of them found its way to Anna's waist. Just barely touching, only technically present. Her eyes slid closed after a few seconds, and even though she didn't quite find her way to pushing her lips back against Anna's, she didn't seem to have any intentions of fighting her off anytime soon.

Anna's head swam. Elsa's lips were full and soft against her own and even though they didn't move, they felt like a perfect fit. The crisp smell of fresh snow and mint, so subtle most of the time, was now flooding Anna's senses in the best of ways. The tang of Elsa's lipbalm just added to the experience and was like a cocktail to the brain; one that left Anna dizzy and lightheaded.

She had never been so completely addicted by a kiss before, especially one where her partner didn't even kiss back, and it took all of Anna's willpower to detach her lips from Elsa's and gently place their foreheads together.

Nearly a minute of gentle breathing passed, Elsa's eyes closed and the arms wrapped around Anna's back loose, before she could respond. Her pink tongue wet her lips, making them glisten as they had before Anna's saliva evaporated from the skin. Even then, all she whispered was, "W-wow…"

"H-how was that?" Anna asked, and even though she had said it as a joke, she fidgeted and watched intently for any signs of Elsa collapsing. "Showed you, huh?" She tried to ignore that her heart was beating a hundred miles a minute or that she could still taste those warm lips when she licked hers to wet them in response to Elsa's action.

"Right." Stepping back, Elsa pressed a hand to her lips for a moment, eyes closed. After a few breaths, she was able to open them, smiling back at her. "G-guess you did. I… that was my first kiss."

She stiffened at the confession. What Anna said about Elsa saving her first kiss had been another joke; knowing that she had just stolen Elsa's first made her stomach twist. Once again, though, Anna was frustrated to realize that she wasn't sure if it was in a good or a bad way. However, Elsa didn't look angry or disgusted and was instead smiling at her.

"H-how have you never been kissed before? You're gorgeous!" The words burst out before she could stop them.

There was a clear blush in Elsa's cheeks now. Whether it had been there before Anna made that comment was less clear. "J-just… never dated. Well, I'd go out with a boy, and it would be fine, but it just felt like hanging out with a friend. And there were no sparks, or…" Gulping, she slid fingers over her bottom lip, then cleared her throat. "Well. You definitely, um, performed the task, so if you want to go hide again…"

The comment was met with a clueless face for several seconds before Anna remembered the game that was still going on. "O-oh yes! I should go… you have others to kiss- I mean, unfreeze! Yep, go unfreeze all the kids and I'll just see you later!" With an awkward grin, Anna took off — leaving her dumbfounded sister behind.

This is getting ridiculous! the redhead cursed to herself. Whatever these feelings were, they were affecting her time with her sister and Anna didn't like it one bit. Every interaction felt like there should be more.

And then there was that kiss. Anna placed a hand against her still tingling lips. Elsa was her sister. Even if Anna was gay, she knew for a fact that people didn't kiss their relations without feeling some hint of disgust or wrongness. Yet that kiss had been one of the best she ever had, and it had felt so unbearably right that just thinking about it sent a delicious chill down her spine.

Resting her back against a large spruce, Anna closed her eyes, the game once again forgotten in the wake of her miniature crisis. She had to do something, or she was going to burst.

                                                     To Be Continued...

[commanderclexaarmy]

OK well this wasn't easy at all trying to pick what questions to ask because there's so many of them but for the relationship ask thing: 2, 14, 15, 20, 27, 31, 33, 39, 40,43, 45, 48, 61, 62, 64, 66, 70, 75, 77, 81, 83, 91, 94, 104, 108, 116, 118, 120, 122, 123, 132, 134, 136, 137, and 140. (You don't have to answer ALL of them it's OK) =)

2. Who made the first move? That’s a funny story. We had been flirting for a couple of weeks but we both weren’t sure whether the other liked the other so no one made a move. It was then that one her friends forced her to send me screenshots of their convo in which she had said how much she liked me and stuff, so after reading them and realising she liked me back I then asked her out

14. Do you share any of the same hobbies/interests/passions? Reading, clexa, our love for doggos, pizza (although she has pineapple on hers ewww), gaming…ummm there’s probs loads more but I can’t think of any @anxious-apples
15. What fictional couples would you compare yourselves to? Fuck idk, I’d probs say linctavia even tho that’s a straight ship. I really don’t know

20. Top 5 fav things about your partner. How can I pick 5? I love all of her but if I had to pick1. Her smile2. Her laugh3. Her face when she falls asleep4. Her eyes5. Her cute husky voice when she’s sleepy

27. List your top 3 turn-ons about your partner. Don’t really have any tbh, we’re not a sexual couple

31. Describe your partner’s eyes. Since I’m crap at eye contact I can’t explain in detail but they’re a lovely hazel colour with a hint of green. I see them light up whenever I tell her I love her.

33. Describe your partner’s smile. Oh god. She has thee most beautiful smile I have ever seen. She does her half smile which is really sexy. But when she properly smiles it lights up the room, I’m not kidding. When she smiles you can see her cute dimples and it’s just the most amazing thing.

39. Do you have cute pet names for each other? Yes. I call her P'sgettiO and she calls me pops o'clock :)

40. What’s one of your favourite memories as a couple? 28/12/16. The most amazing day of my life. We spent the day at her house, cuddled up watching scary movies. I also got to meet her 2 younger sisters who are adorable and it was on that day I realised I was dating someone who had pineapple on her pizza. It was also on that day that I realised I wanted the spend the rest of my life with her.

43. Do either of you get jealous? She’s got nothing to be jealous of XD but yes I do get quite jealous when she talks to *cough* certain people *cough*. But I know there’s nothing to worry about.

45. How do you both like to kiss? We don’t.

48. Are you an openly mushy couple or a reserved couple? On line we are one of thee most mushiest couples XD

61. Got any plans together for next week? nope.

62. What’s your favourite thing to share together? Memes

64. Where would you like to go on holiday together? Dunno never really thought about it. I would of liked to of taken her to our house in France but we don’t have it anymore. @anxious-apples anywhere you would partially like to go?

66. How would you comfort your partner on a bad day? How would they comfort you? Just by being there tbh. If I’m having a bad day, just knowing she there is comfort enough. And I think goes the same for her but idk

70. Has your relationship changed at all since it first started? Yes, we’re more open and honest about things and our emotions and all that shit.

75. How have you both made a positive impact on each other’s lives? She’s had a major impact on my life. She’s made me become more confident in myself and made my life so much more happy. She gives me a reason to wake up everyday. Again don’t know how I’ve impacted on her. @anxious-apples?

77. What are the everyday things you both do to show you care about each other? Send memes, photos. Tell each other we love you. Send morning and night texts and ask how things are going. Shit like that.

81. How do you relax together? Movie night. Ever Sunday we Skype each and watch a movie together.

83. Do you borrow each other’s clothes or other items? I had the chance to take her hoodie but she wouldn’t let me XD

91. Are you both introverted/extroverted or opposites? Yes we are both very much introverts, which is wonderful.

94. When are you both “in your element” together? When we’re Skyping each other but both doing different things.

108. What’s something that your partner does that annoys you? How do you annoy them? She tends to put others before herself, which is a good thing but sometimes you need to take care of yourself ya know? And also she doesn’t believe me when I tell her she’s beautiful. @anxious-apples what do I do that annoys you? ;)

116. What is something you hate that your partner loves? Pineapple on pizza.

118. Do either of you get too clingy? I can get very clingy yes, she doesn’t so much.

120. When was a time that your relationship was put to the test? I said some stuff that pushed too hard and she wasn’t ready…yeahhh.

122. Does your family approve of your relationship? Mine do yes. They love Charlie XD

123. What do your friends think of your relationship? well my tumblr friends thinks we’re cute but I don’t have any friends irl so yeah….oh but I did get told I was being ‘too extreme’ for missing her by an ex friend when she went away for a week :/

132. Quote something somebody has said about your relationship. “#goals” XD

134. What do you hope for the future of your relationship? just to be together, get a nice house, have a kid? Be happy?

136. Can you imagine what your ideal home would look like? It would be smallish but big enough we have space, looking over a lake or something. A master bedroom with an ensuite and walk in wardrobe, a spare room for guests and a room for our child.

137. Do you have kids/want to have kids? What would they be like? I would like to have a baby boy yes. Have no idea what they would be like tho.

140. Got any relationship advice? Be happy. Make compromises so you both are happy and content in the relationship

[dawnasiler]

Is Your Good Skin Nourishing Hot Cloth Cleanser A Dupe For Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser?

Is Your Good Skin Nourishing Hot Cloth Cleanser a dupe for Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser?

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know Liz Earle Cleanser has been a staple in my skincare routine for years. It cleanses. It exfoliates. It gets the job done without irritating skin. Could a cheaper cleanser really compete?

Curiosity got the better of me. I put it to the test to find out:

What’s In Your Good Skin Nourishing Hot Cloth Cleanser?

EMULSIFIERS

Your Good Skin Nourishing Hot Cloth Cleanser has no cleansing agents. Nothing like surfactants that helps oil mix with water and dirt so they can be rinsed away. So, how the heck does it work?

Emulsifiers.

Ingredients like Cetearyl alcohol and Polysorbate 20 aren’t sexy or popular but they’re what makes this cleanser work.

Emulsifiers bind oil and water together. They remove both water-soluble and oil-soluble grime, such as dirt and makeup. Plus, they moisturise skin to boot. Win win.

GLYCERIN

No matter how gentle a cleanser is, the cleansing process always has the potential to be traumatic for skin. If your skin feels tight and dry after a good wash, you know what I’m talking about.

Enter glycerin. This moisture magnet attracts and binds water to the skin to keep it soft and hydrated as all the grime is melted away.

Related: Why Is Glycerin In EVERY Skincare Product?

COTTON CLOTH

A box of Your Good Skin Nourishing Hot Cloth Cleanser contains two cloths made of pure cotton. I find them a little gentler than the cloth that comes with Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser.

It doesn’t scratch or irritate my skin at all. Plus, it provides a gentler exfoliating action that removes dead skin cells, too.

I personally don’t like to use washcloths every day because I prefer to exfoliate with salicylic acid (plus, I can’t deal with all the laundry). But it does help remove waterproof makeup more easily.

Related: Should You Use A Washcloth To Wash Your Face?

Texture

Your Good Skin Nourishing Hot Cloth Cleanser has a rich and creamy texture that spreads easily on the skin. It looks more like a thick body butter than a cleanser and is very hydrating.

Fragrance

The cleanser is fragrance-free (phew!), but it smells a little soapy.

How to use it

Massage a dollop of cleanser into your dry face and neck. Rinse the cotton in warm water, wring it out, and gently wipe away the cleanser. Splash your face with warm water.

Rinse the cloth after every use. Wash it at least every 3 days and let it air dry. Under NO circumstances, use a washcloth that’s not 100% dry. Bacteria thrive in wet environments. Ewww!

Your Good Skin claims you can use the cleaner morning and night, but I use it only to remove my makeup. Plus, I don’t think exfoliating twice a day is suitable for the most sensitive of skin types.

Performance & Personal Opinion

I use Your Good Skin Nourishing Hot Cloth Cleanser every night to remove my makeup. The creamy texture glides smoothly on my skin as I massage it in.

Then, I pick up the wet washcloth and start to gently wipe away at my face. Everything comes off. Long-lasting foundation. Waterproof mascara… It takes everything off in just a couple of minutes without irritating or drying out my skin.

I tried to use it with cotton pads instead of a washcloth (I hate doing laundry!) and it still does the job effortlessly.

Who Is This For?

Dry and sensitive skin that needs a gentle cleanser that can remove makeup effortlessly.

Who Is This Not For?

I wouldn’t recommend it to oily skin, just because it could be too rich and emollient for them.

Packaging

This cleanser is housed in a plastic squeeze tube with a flip-top cap that contains 125ml. The small opening lets out just the right amount of product, so that none gets wasted.

Plus, you get two cotton washcloths. You can totally use your own if you prefer, but it’s nice to have them included. Heck, most brands hardly give you one, let alone two!

Does Your Good Skin Nourishing Hot Cloth Cleanser lives up to the claims?

CLAIMTRUE?This indulgent lotion gently dissolves & wipes away makeup, excess oil & daily impurities.Yes!The pure-cotton cloth gently polishes & brightens skin.Yes!Proven to give you more good skin days. Yes. If you cleanse your skin properly every night, you’re less likely to experience breakouts.Suitable for all skin, even sensitive.Kinda. It’s too emollient for oily skin.

Price & Availability

$8.99/£9.50 at Boots and Walgreens

Do You Need It?

If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative to Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanse & Polish Cleanser or a cleansing balm that gets the job done quickly, this is worth a try.

Your Good Skin Nourishing Hot Cloth Cleanser has a rich texture that gently removes all traces of dirt and makeup from skin without irritating it. It comes with two soft washcloths that provide a gentle exfoliating action, too.

Beautiful With Brains

PRO

Removes makeup and dirt effortlessly

Gentle, doesn't irritate skin

Provides a gentle exfoliating action

Fragrance-free

CON

Not suitable for oily skin

8.8 4.375 5

OVERALL SCORE

Dupes & Alternatives

Have you tried Your Good Skin Nourishing Hot Cloth Cleanser? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Ingredients

Aqua (Water), Caprylic/capric triglyceride, Glycerin, Cetearyl alcohol, Isononyl isononanoate, Butyrospermum parkii (Shea) butter, Tribehenin, Glyceryl stearate, PEG-100 stearate, Butylene glycol, Polyacrylamide, Betaine, Phenoxyethanol, C13-14 isoparaffin, Polysorbate 20, Tocopheryl acetate, Caprylyl glycol, Panthenol, Sodium benzoate, Ascorbyl glucoside, Ethylhexylglycerin, Laureth-7, Bisabolol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Citric acid, Potassium hydroxide, Camellia sinensis leaf extract.

Take The Guesswork Out Of Skincare Shopping

Get access to the “Pro Skincare Library” for exclusive skincare routine “cheat sheets” and tricks to help you navigate the beauty aisles jungle like a pro and immediately know what to pick off the shelves to achieve the gorgeous skin of your dreams - even when you’re drowning in an endless sea of skincare products.

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Is Your Good Skin Nourishing Hot Cloth Cleanser A Dupe For Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser? syndicated from Beautiful With Brains

[smol-and-grumpy]

Light My Fire - CH03

Pairing: CEO!Dean Winchester x Reader

Summary: She always thought her boss was an ill-tempered man, but when he presents her with a proposition she can’t quite deny, she gets to know him better. It’s not bad, right? Because all she has to do is being fake married to him for six months, sounds do-able, right? Right.

Warnings: There’s sweet fluff in this.

WC: 2738

Please share your thoughts with me, I’d love to hear your feedback.

Beta’d by @deanwanddamons​​ <3

SERIES MATSTERLIST

They enjoy their glass of wine in silence before her stomach starts to growl. It growls the loudest she’s ever heard. Maybe it’s because she hasn't had anything to eat since this morning, and her stomach rebels against the wine as it’s  the only thing in there. She should have known better.

Dean must have heard it because he starts to chuckle, “What toppings do you like? I thought we could share one.” 

“Sure, but don’t judge, please?” She says as she stands up, sees Dean’s eyes on her and feels the urge to cover up. He gets up from his chair and takes the towel she brought out with her, holds it up for her to cover herself.

When he looks at her again, he has one eyebrow cocked, “Why should I judge?”

 “Uh, because I quite like pineapples on pizza,” 

“I don’t judge,” Dean scoffs, and adds, “But I really think that should be illegal,” He laughs, but he doesn’t say anything more, and goes in to order their pizza. 

Y/N slips in while he’s on the phone and goes straight to her room, and changes into something comfortable. Now that she’s seen that he wears sweats, she’s happy to match him. It’s actually pretty weird seeing Dean like this because the only clothes she ever saw him in are suits, it makes her think that he even sleeps in them. She wonders if he has other clothes at all.

When the pizza arrives, Dean moves the glasses and bottle into the living room and asks her what movie she wants to watch, but she really doesn’t mind so she lets him choose. Dean zaps through Netflix and settles on Bird Box. 

While the movie starts, he hands her some napkins, and she’s wondering if that’s enough, because she’d hate to ruin the nice couch. He must have sensed her hesitation because he’s smirking, “It’s okay, you don’t wanna know what I managed to spill on this couch already,”

“Ewww,” She mocks, cringes her nose and he snorts out a laugh.

It’s easy, she thinks. It’s easy to let herself go. It’s easy to be here with him and just talk about anything outside of work. She comes to the conclusion that Dean’s not such an asshole after all. In fact, he’s a real gentleman. And that’s not really good, is it? It makes her feel things she shouldn’t feel.

She shakes the thought out of her head and takes a slice of pizza out of the box. It’s then  that she realizes that the whole pizza is riddled with pineapples. She frowns, “I thought you didn’t like pineapples on pizza?”

“I don’t,” Dean shrugs, takes a bite and pretends to wrinkle his nose before he grins with his mouth full and continues to eat. 

Y/N doesn’t think she makes it far into the movie because her eyelids are getting heavy halfway through. It’s the most illogical, most boring thing she’s ever seen, but she didn’t want to hurt his feelings so she tries to watch it. 

Last thing she remembers, though, is that she’s half leaning against Dean before she fell asleep. 

 ***

 Y/N wakes up in a bed. It’s clearly not hers. It took her an embarrassingly long time to realize that she’s in Dean’s apartment and that she’s in her bedroom. 

Oh no, she remembers eating pizza with Dean, remembers falling asleep to the stupid movie. He must have carried her to her bed. 

Her own fucking boss had to carry her to bed! If that’s not embarrassing she doesn’t know what is. 

She scans the room and her eyes settle on the clock on her nightstand. It’s already past 8am. She slept like a baby through her alarm but in her defense, the bed is so fucking comfortable, more comfortable than her own, and it’s only a fucking guest room. She wonders how comfortable Dean’s bed must be. How he can even wake up and get out of it every morning astounds her.

And then, the thought of being late for work crosses her mind before she realizes that she doesn’t have to go in. Realizes that she didn’t sleep through her alarm because she didn’t set one in the first place.

Grabbing her phone, she sees that there’s a text from Ruby.

 R: How was your first night? Did you consummate your fake marriage? *wink wink* 

 Then a text ten minutes later.

 R: Oh my god, it should have been a joke but you did, didn’t you? He’s in a remarkably good mood. Didn’t bitch about the coffee I brought him at all!

 Ah, Dean’s already at work then. He’s usually there before she turns up, and now she knows why. It’s only about a ten minutes walk from his apartment. 

 Y/N: Relax, nothing happened.

R: Ah, there she is.

Y/N: I slept in. The bed is so comfortable!

R: His bed I’d hope!

 She snorts out a laugh. 

 Y/N: No, I have my own room that’s bigger than my apartment.

R: Ugh, maybe I can come see you? Wanna see how the most not eligible bachelor lives. Or send me pics! Oh shit, he called out for me. I need to go. But I swear, whatever you’ve done to him. Do it again! I like to work for him when he’s not constantly yelling at people.

 She chuckles at that. She doesn’t answer Ruby though, instead she sends a text to Jack, telling him that she’s got another job that would secure him his degree and that everything’s okay.

Climbing out of bed, she decides to get coffee. It’s weird not having to go to work and she kind of misses it a little. 

Y/N walks out into the kitchen where there’s still a faint smell of his cologne and coffee in the air. A deadly combination for her brain apparently, because it makes her insides tingle in all the right places. She looks around and immediately spots a yellow sticky note left on the machine. 

It’s Dean’s handwriting. She knows it from all the scribblings he leaves on her desk when he already shut off his laptop and thinks about something that she must do for him the next day. 

 The machine is easy to handle. On, off. That’s it. I’m sorry I made you watch that movie. If you want to know, it didn’t get better after you fell asleep. Two hours of our lives, wasted. I’ll see you tonight, maybe we can watch something else — D

 She’s smirking. He really took his time this morning to write her a fucking novel. It really baffles her that he goes out of his way for her and it really seems like he genuinely cares to make her stay with him as comfortable as he can. Well, it does benefit him too, come to think of it.

 *

 After another round on the massage comforter, she walks into her room to find a message from Jack. 

 J: I hope you don’t sell yourself for my benefit. But I trust you. Miss you x

 She has to smirk and immediately types an answer back.

 Y/N: Just stay in college and make me proud, alright?

 Just when she’s about to put her phone away, it lights up with a call.

Dean.

“Hello?” She says, wondering if she should add sir to it at first but decides to drop it.

“Hey, you slept alright?”

She smiles, “Yeah, thanks. It’s the most comfortable bed.” She bites on her tongue so as to not ask him about him carrying her back to said bed.

There’s a light chuckle on the other end, “Good. Listen, I went over my schedule today because Ruby didn’t do it for me, and saw that I can’t have a movie night this evening like I wrote on the note,” He pauses to think, “You found the note, right?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“So, you maybe did know this because you arranged the invitation and you put it into my calendar, but I didn’t until about twenty minutes ago,”

She thinks hard about his schedule, remembers that there was something. An event. Some kind of gala. 

“But instead of watching a movie, what would you say to me taking you out?” He says, “I called them and managed to do a last minute adjustment to my invitation.”

“Oh,” She huffs out, knowing where Dean wants to go with that.

“Thought it’d be a good opportunity to show them my wife. Are you in?”

He still asks, even if he actually doesn’t have to? Because yeah, she obviously can’t be a fake wife in private. The world needs to see it. Amara needs to see it.

“I guess,” She mutters. She is actually not really sure if she can pull that off. Her heart beats faster just thinking about walking on a red carpet.

“Y/N, you don’t have to, you know,” It’s as if he senses her dread, “I don’t want to do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, but we should at least try to look like a happily married couple and we can’t pretend if you don’t want to.”

“No— I mean, it’s okay, I’ll do it,” Her voice is more firm this time. She wants to. Wants to show him that she can do it. 

It shouldn’t be hard, right? She’s been with a man before. She knows all that hand holding stuff. And Dean’s paying her double for god’s sake. What’s an evening of being flirty with him? It’s not like he is an old greasy man. Well, maybe that would be better? Maybe then she will not risk falling for him? Because that’s what is going to happen if she’s not careful, she just knows it. And then she’ll get her heart broken. Even though a broken heart is a little price to pay if it means that Jack can finally start his own future, come to think of it.

“Okay,” There’s a huff of breath, he’s smiling, she can hear it, “Good. I’ll get Gabe to drop off my card, you can go shopping for a dress. The card has no limit, just buy whatever you want, alright?”

She grins smugly, “I need shoes, too.”

“Buy all the things you want.”

“Alright, sir.”

“Y/N, stop calling me that. Unless,” He pauses and there’s a playfulness in his voice, “That’s what you like.”

She’s glad it’s not a video call, so he isn’t able to see that her face is burning up. She doesn’t say anything and Dean takes the hint.

“Right, I have another meeting, I’ll see you around 7pm. The gala starts at 8pm.”

“K, bye Dean.”

“Have fun.”

*

 Y/N’s standing in her room as she waits for Dean to come back. He’ll probably need to shower and get dressed too. 

Gabe came by to drop off Dean’s Centurion card and he walked straight into Dean’s bedroom to drop off Dean’s tux onto his bed. She never had such a card in her hands, it feels heavy, made of platinum, not like her cheap plastic one that she only uses once in a blue moon.

At first she didn’t know where to go because she hadn't been dress shopping for a gala before. She wondered if H&M would be a good choice but then thinks that it probably wouldn’t. While she was out shopping she looked into shop windows and came across a beautiful long sleeved sequin pattern dress in gold. 

She never knew gold would look good on her but the shop assistant was so nice, even though she knows it’s that woman’s job, she felt really good in the dress and it wasn’t over the top with the price so Dean should be okay with it. She couldn’t resist buying matching shoes, too. 

Later, she splashed out some money for lingerie that she could wear under it and hoped that Dean wouldn’t mind. He told her to buy whatever she likes, so.

And now, she’s nervously pacing around her room. Her pacing only stops when she hears footsteps approaching.

There’s a knock at her door, “Y/N, you okay?”

“Yeah,” She manages to say.

“Good, sorry I’m a little late, had to pick up something on the way. I’ll shower and get dressed. Meet you in the living room in thirty minutes?”

“Sure,”

She hears him opening the door to his room.

Thirty minutes. Ugh. She hasn’t even applied makeup yet. She’s so nervous.

After a last check in the mirror, she walks out into the living area, her heels clicking on the marble flooring. She’s not used to wearing such high heels, and prays  that she won’t stumble and fall flat on her face. 

As she rounds the corner into the living area, she sees Dean already waiting for her, dressed in a fitting tux and smelling so fucking delicious. He looks like he’s just stepped out of a glossy magazine spread and that’s not fair. She can already see the press giving them a caption for their picture together. It reads, DEAN WINCHESTER COULD DO SO MUCH BETTER. 

Y/N can feel Dean’s eyes on her. They’re wide and his lips part slightly before they curve up into a smile. It’s bright and white. She’s smiling too, can’t not smile when he’s looking at her like that. Looking at her like she’s the only one that matters. She’s not used to it at all.

“Wow,” Dean breathes out, “You look beautiful.”

She was already blushing before but now her cheeks heat up a little more, “Thank you. You’re not bad yourself.”

Dean has to chuckle and then all of a sudden, he runs back to his room, “I’ll be right back,”

After about a minute Dean reappears clutching things in his hand. One of them is a pocket square. He went in and picked out a color that matches her dress. She has to grin at that.

He places it inside his jacket but he seems to struggle, “Can you help me, I—”

“Of course,” She grins, and steps closer to him, arranging the pocket square so that I’d look nice. Patting his pocket, she leaves her hand on his chest when she’s done, feels his heartbeat underneath her palm. She can swear it beats a little faster than usual, not that she knows his resting heart rate. “All set.” She says and Dean grins at her. 

“Okay, now my turn,” Dean licks his lips and clears his throat, and she can’t help but wonder what he means by his turn.

She doesn’t have to wait long, because Dean opens up the little box he was still clutching and she can see the princess cut diamond engagement ring with a matching wedding band. 

“Dean, no.”

“Why, Dean, yes.” He chuckles, takes them out, and takes her left hand in his. “Y/N, will you give me the honor of being my fake wife for real now?” 

Y/N has to giggle at that, “Yeah, of course,”

He smiles, slips the ring onto her ring finger and to her surprise, they fit perfectly. She looks at Dean, raises her eyebrow, “Let me guess, Ruby?”

“Yeah,” Dean smirks, and then he shows her his left hand, “I have one, too. So, you ready?”

“Not really?” 

“That’s the spirit,” Dean places his hand around her waist, pulls her close and kisses her cheek softly. 

It does nothing to calm her down because she’s even more nervous now. 

“You gotta try to keep me from falling, okay?,” She says as he moves his hand to the small of her back, and guides her to the door. 

“I would never let you fall,” Dean shows her a small smile and they step into the elevator. 

In there, she eyes him up again, can’t quite take her eyes off him. He looks so good with the slight scruff and the freckles, the crinkles around his eyes deepen the longer she stares at him. 

“What?” He asks her, raises an eyebrow.

“You look good, Mr. Winchester,” She says with a smile.

“You too, Mrs. Winchester. Most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. And I’m not lying.” He leans in, places another kiss on her heated cheeks before the elevator comes to a halt. 

He helps her get out and Gabriel’s already waiting, holding the limousine door open for them.

CH04