#everyone look away i'm goin through some stuff

[sluttyhenley]

So the whole game is fixed by the will of Gramps on His throne while we're down here for what? His entertainment? That makes us chumps and God's a sadist. And either way, I got no use for him.

THE PACIFIC Part Five

[thexsilentxwordsmith]

Simon "Ghost" Riley x Fem!reader

Fandom: Call of Duty

Character(s): Simon Riley, Reader

Summary: While on deployment far away, Simon takes a little time one night to video call you and talk you through you touching yourself to the sound of his voice.

***I'm giving something new a go. This is strictly through Simon's point of view as if he is directly talking to you; he is the only one speaking***

Word Count: 5.6 k

Warnings:

The jingle plays repeatedly until the video call connects and the image of you pops up the screen, laying on your side propped on your elbow as you seem to be just waking up for the day. A few stray rays of sunshine creep in from the side of the picture and shimmer through the strands of your hair so that even in your sleepy, disheveled state you still look like a painting. Simon keeps his camera off for the moment, but his voice comes through clear as day over the speakers; the connection is actually decent this time around. 

“Well ‘ello there gorgeous. Surprised to hear from me? It’s been a fuckin’ minute, hasn’t it? I know it’s pretty early there, but I finally have a bit of time now that everyone’s asleep and I wanted to see ya.”

Simon keeps his voice low and hushed, trying not to draw attention to himself as he lays in his cot in the dark, the only light coming from the screen of his phone. His earbuds are plugged in so that he can hear everything with keen precision while keeping the others in his team from listening, just in case. 

“You been doin’ alright there, luv? Keepin’ it all togetha for me till I get back? I know this time it’s been a bit longer, but it ain’t gonna be forever. I’ll be back before ya know it and then you’ll have me all to yourself.”

There’s a look on your face, something he immediately notices. A glint in your eye, a twitch of the corner of your mouth, a shift of your body as you adjust yourself under the sheets. Your texts to him over the past week, wondering when he would have time to actually call, were getting more and more desperate sounding and now reading your body language through the camera he is able to put it all together.

“Somethin’ on your mind, sweetheart? Care ta tell me what it is? Or should I guess? Cause I think I ‘ave a pretty good idea ‘a what’s goin’ on.”

He watches you bite your lip as you look away, a heat blossoming in your cheeks that flushes throughout your face. There it is, the sign he’s looking for. There’s only two reasons why your cheeks flush like that and you aren’t known to be drinking this early in the morning.

“Are ya missin’ me real fuckin’ bad, is that it?”

You look back up into the camera and give a distinct nod. He understands it well, as he has been pining for you since the day he left. That’s the other reason he has been trying to find time to make this call: he’s been missing his girl real fucking bad and needs some special time with you and only you, even if it’s just for a short video chat now that he is on the tail end of his assignment and he doesn’t have to put as much focus into his work.

“Trust me, you ain’t the only one, sweetheart. It’s been a few weeks since I’ve been able to fuckin’ see ya and there’s things I’ve been missin’ too: that pretty face a yours, wakin’ up next to ya layin’ in bed, the sound of your hummin’ comin’ from the kitchen as ya make breakfast…”

He trails off a moment with his thoughts as he lowers his voice until it’s barely above a whisper, leaning his lips into the microphone built into his headphones just in case any stray ears are listening in. Simon thought he’d be able to get through a bit of small talk before starting in on this stuff, but it seems like your need for each other cannot be contained once you’re in proximity. 

You get him riled up without even trying. He clears his throat and continues the thought. 

“...and if I’m real honest, I’ve been missin’ other things too. The more intimate things like you naked underneath me, the sensation of your legs wrapped ‘round my waist, makin’ those sweet little sounds whenever I hit the right spot. It’s been fuckin’ eatin’ me alive out here, not been able to take care of it. I swear every goddamn time I’m away from ya it’s like I can’t help thinkin’ about ya nonstop. Can ya blame me? I mean, look at ya, luv. You’re a goddamn dream. Christ, I’ve been gettin’ hard just thinkin’ ‘bout what I’m gonna do to all those gorgeous curves the fuckin’ minute I get back.” 

He can hear your already staggered breathing hitch and it makes him smile; it’s cute the way you are always so down bad for him. Just bringing up a few stray thoughts and a mention of his cock and you are already burning. But maybe you were burning a little before that too.

“That’s what you’re missin’ too, yeah? Havin’ me there with ya, doin’ what we do best? Ya don’t have to tell me, I know my sweet girl gets fuckin’ needy when I’m not ‘round to keep her satisfied. From the way you keep messaging me, trust me I know. Bet it’s been fuckin’ lonely there all by yourself; betcha been achin’ for somethin’ to help ya get some relief. I know ya don’t like usin’ your toy all the time…Is that why ya wanted me to call?”

You stutter out some objections, hoping not to sound too desperate as you don’t want him to think that’s the only reason to answer his call. Simon isn’t bothered by it one bit; he can tell you need something to take the edge off. He can always tell… and he wants to help.  

“Ya don’t have to hide it from me, luv. It’s clear as fuckin’ day; I’m already makin’ ya flustered, I can hear it as ya talk. Don’t think I forgot whatcha told me a while back. How ya like the sound ‘a my voice. Ya said it makes ya wet. Is that what ya need now, baby? Need me to talk ya through it and help ya get off?”

You squirm again under the covers, clearly trying not to make it obvious that you are rubbing your thighs together. Simon has barely started the dirty talk and already your body is responding to him in that most primal way. Who is he to deny his sweet thing of what she needs? 

“Yeah, that’s what ya want, isn’t it? To listen to my voice while ya touch yourself? Cause I really fuckin’ wanna give my pretty girl some extra attention right now. Make sure she doesn’t go without me even when I’m away. And if this is the only way I can do it, I wanna make sure ya come. I need to hear it again ‘fore I forget what it sounds like when ya orgasm ‘cause of me.”

Goddammit, Simon’s getting worked up just from talking about helping you get off, so much so that his cock begins to twitch in his pants and he has to adjust himself in the bed with a deep, muted grunt, pulling at the fabric at his crotch to give him more room to grow. He watches you get more excited at the prospect of having his attention, even if it’s only for as long as it takes for you to climax. Any bit of his attention makes you feel like the most gorgeous thing in the entire fucking world and that’s why he gives it all to you.

“But I need ya to do somethin’ for me in return. Somethin’ to help me help you. Can ya do that for me, baby?”

He watches as you nod your head up and down into the camera with enthusiasm, not even waiting to hear what it is he is going to ask you to do. Clearly, you would do anything for him, all he has to do is name it. God, he loves you needy for him, let’s him know that he is treating you right.

“I need ya ta sit up, push your computer to the edge of the bed, and angle the camera down for me. Lower. A little more, that’s it. Good girl. Now, take off the blanket and let me see whatcha got hidin’ under there.”

The computer is pushed further away so that your body is in full view and the camera is now pointed directly into your lap as you remove the blanket hiding your lower half, complying without a single word. Once free, your tank top catches his eyes as it hugs tightly to your breasts while your tiny, cotton sleep shorts leave almost all of your thighs exposed; Simon is eating up every last pixel that he can see. 

Those thick, juicy lower limbs of yours are his absolute favorite and if he could be there now he would already be between them. This is definitely a good idea.

“Wanna be able to see that you’re enjoyin’ listenin’ to me. Ya want me to see it, yeah? Wanna show me how much ya miss me, don’t ya? Course ya do, sweetheart. You’re too fuckin’ good to me. Always makin’ sure I get my fuckin’ fill of such ya; my pretty girl.” 

Simon puts a little extra breathiness into his voice, accentuating his gravelly tone to make you blush like crazy as that wetness gathers at your core. He’s gonna pull out all the stops tonight to make sure that you will be content… at least for the next few days. 

“I think we need a bit more, yeah. Get a real good view. Take off your pants and spread your legs nice and wide for me. Let me see that beautiful little pussy that I’ve been dreamin’ of. Just like that. Little wider; there ya fuckin’ go. O-oh fuck, looks like you’re already drippin’ for me.”

The light catches a faint glistening from the slit between your satiny petals and he can hardly find the air to fill his lungs as his mouth begins to salivate. Acting off of pure instinct, your hand travels down between your legs and almost reaches your cunt before he comes to his senses and scolds the action by snapping his fingers into the mic. 

“Ah, ah, I know you’re achin’ bad, but no touchin’, not till I fuckin’ say. Does my voice turn ya on that much ya can’t even wait for me to really get it goin’? I’ve barely even started and you’re already unable to stop yourself. I wanna make this good for the both of us, but I can’t do that if ya get ahead of yourself. Just breathe a minute.”

An idea pops into his head, fueled by the intense throbbing in the crotch of his pants. He hadn’t thought that he would be getting involved like this, it is risky given his current situation, but his body is saying otherwise. There’s no stopping him when you are giving him such a feast for his eyes to devour.

“Maybe ya just need an incentive to take it slow. Somethin’ to keep your ass in line. I got somethin’ for that, baby.”

The metallic sound of a zipper being undone and a sharp hiss of air between his teeth is heard over the call before the camera is turned on. Simon points the phone at his face for a moment and pulls up his mask slightly to give you a quick smirk before bringing it down to rest on his thighs as he points it straight at his lap. Through the dimness that surrounds him, the focus adjusts and through the opening created at the top of his pants that big fucking dick comes into full view on screen. 

A rush of adrenaline floods his limbs as he hears you inhale sharply, a stray ‘fuck’ escaping your lips at the sight of it throbbing into the palm of his hand. It is swollen at the tip and jumps with his pulse.

“This is all for ya, darlin’; no one else gets to have this fat fuckin’ cock all to themselves, ‘cept you. Have ya missed it? Missed seein’ how fuckin’ big I am? Yeah ya have; I bet your droolin’ over yourself, aren’t ya? Mmm… my horny little princess, always so hungry for me. Are your lips itchin’ to wrap themselves ‘round it now that ya see it after all this time? You remember how well ya gag on it, yeah? My hand on the back of your head, pushin’ ya down as far as ya can go, your spit dribblin’ from the corners of your mouth, can hardly catch a breath as ya choke...”

Simon has to stop and reel himself back in or risk getting too worked up and he can’t take care of you if he’s out of his goddamn mind. That imagery has you quaking and he can see your body vibrating as you are itching to touch yourself and that’s when he knows exactly what he is going to do to get you off. Taking a deep breath he clears his throat, putting the control over himself to the forefront of his thoughts and starts again.  

“Well, if ya wanna keep seein’ it, I need ya to behave for me and follow my direction. You and I are gonna play pretend for a bit.”

Now more settled he gives his length a stiff stroke up and down slowly, making sure that the camera is glued to his movements. You can’t look away; those big doe-eyes are locked on as if you are wishing you could reach through the screen and touch him with any part of you that you could get to it first. It takes you a couple of minutes to notice anything other than the object of your desire, but as you look up Simon’s dark gaze meets yours through the shadow. 

“Ya like this, yeah? Me strokin’ my cock like this for you to watch? Ya know what’s gonna be even better? How fuckin’ good it’ll feel havin’ it buried deep inside ya again, fillin’ ya to the brim. Ya wanna be full of me again, don’tcha sweetheart? Come on, show me, use your fingers and let me see how much ya miss this fat fuckin’ cock stretchin’ ya out.”

You insert a finger through the lips of your pussy, thrust it inside your entrance, and begin rhythmically stroking against that sensitive bundle as you keep your eyes fixated on the screen to watch Simon stroking it right along with you. He gives you a minute to get started before he speaks again.

“That’s not enough if ya wanna pretend it’s me, pretty girl, I think ya need another two fingers in there at least.”

Simon is trying to stay calm, but it is taking every ounce of his willpower to watch you touch yourself and not immediately blow his load while grunting loudly at the feeling of coming so fast; still, he tries to keep his voice down so no one near can hear him. Slowly you insert another digit and then another so that your first three fingers are now resting just inside your hole, but again that isn’t enough for him. He wants to make this as real as he can. 

“Ya need to go deeper, all the way to the knuckles. Ya know I like to fuckin’ have it down to the base until ya can’t take another inch. Need this to be accurate, like I’m really there with ya.”

You comply, pushing up inside you until the entirety of your fingers are gone and you cannot get anymore in. Simon moans deep in his chest, pleased at how well you are following his orders. It takes some force, but the stroking of his hand sticks to a steady rhythm as he sets the speed for what’s to come. 

“Good girl, that’s it. Now slow it down, keep it steady, and listen to my voice, ya got it? We are gonna do this together. I want ya ta picture me crawling into bed and movin’ right up against ya. My hand turns your head towards me so I can start kissin’ those fuckin’ sweet lips of yours. So warm, so soft, the longer I kiss ya the more I need until I run my fingers through your hair so that I’m holdin’ the back of your head in my grip as I shove my tongue nearly down your throat. I’ve been starvin’ baby and soon I have our mouths pressed so tight together ya can hardly breathe. Just eyes closed, tongues tasting each other, gettin’ absorbed in the way they feel until our mouth’s are fuckin’ raw and burnin’. Only then do I start goin’ down your jawline and neck, so much deliciously smooth skin for me to taste.”    

The sound of tiny, breathy moans hits his ears and his heart thumps heavily in his chest. He hadn’t lied when he spoke about how he misses your music and the sound of it now has him in a goddamn stranglehold. Mix that with the live feed of you thrusting your fingers in and out of your tight hole as the natural lubrication starts to drip down your fingers with each stroke and he has to bite the inside of his cheek hard to keep himself sane.

“Gotta make sure you’re whinin’ and beggin’ me to give ya more before I move on. I’ll pull your top over your head so I can get at those gorgeous tits of yours. Fuck… gonna smother my face between them as I give them the care they need, kissin’ and bitin’ all that soft flesh to leave marks where I’ve been. Each one is gonna be in my mouth so I can use my tongue to flick ‘round your nipple as ya run your fingers through my hair to egg me on until ya can feel it in your clit.”

As he speaks he watches you fall back against the pillows and lift up your t-shirt to expose half of your chest. From this angle he catches a glimpse of the underside of one of your breasts, the edge of your nipple just within view before you cup it in your hand to massage the tissue against your palm and pinch the nipples as if you are trying to make his words come to life. 

“Can ya feel it baby? Can ya feel my hot fuckin’ mouth all over your tits? Christ, I swear I can taste them now; I want ‘em in my goddamn mouth so fuckin’ bad. Got my mouth waterin’.”

He has to swallow hard to stop himself from choking on his own saliva as his lips tingle, recalling the sensation of them against your skin as his hips begin to snap his cock up into his palm harder. 

“Ya know I’m gonna be so worked up that your not even gonna know what’s happening as I shove ya onto your back so that I can move down the bed and rip ya outta your fuckin’ pants. I need ya completely fuckin’ naked so that I can spread your thighs wide open. Gotta make sure I can get between them; wanna have plenty of space to play.”

Again you mimic his words, opening your already spread legs even wider the same way you’d have to do if he were to get in between them. If Simon’s heart thumps any faster it’s going to burst out of his chest; watching you act out this made up scenario is more erotic than he could have dreamed it would be.

“Imagine the feelin’ of my lips kissin’ up the length of those gorgeous thighs. With how much ya been missin’ me they’d already be so fuckin’ sensative that you’d be squirmin’ as soon as I make contact with my mouth. Maybe I’ll even give them a nibble, just for good measure. Ya always do look best wearin’ all my marks everywhere.”

His grip around his cock tightens as he listens close and catches your hummed reply before it sounds like your mouth falls open so that you moan a bit louder as your movements on screen begin to quicken and your hand switches positions to your other breast. Your fingers are starting to furiously pound into you, the pace picking up with each passing second as your desperation spills over at the sound of his voice describing all that fucking pleasure. But Simon is there to reel it all back in.

“Ah, ah, look up at me princess. Slow it back down there. That’s it, nice and steady for me. Don’t want this to be over too soon. Keep your eyes on my hand and follow my pace. We’re gonna get there together, alright?”

Picking your head up so that you can see the screen, your eyes focus on his hand and your strokes settle back to match his, though it does not go unnoticed how you do that little whimper of protest. It’s not easy being the bad guy in this situation, but Simon knows the more denial now, the harder you’ll come and the longer you’ll stay satisfied. And if there is one thing he will never stop doing is making sure his baby is satisfied. 

“You’re doin’ so fuckin’ good for me, sweet thing. I promise we are almost there, just a bit more. Now, where was I? Oh yes, teasin’ those gorgeous thighs of yours. See I can’t move on until I’m happy with my work and I want those little red and purple blotches to be coverin’ all that pretty skin. Ya like when I claim ya like that? Makin’ it obvious that you’re mine? Anyone who sees that is gonna know that you’re bein’ taken care of.”

An open-mouthed moan and a nod of your head is all he’s getting now as you are too out of your mind to form words anymore at this point. Your half-lidded eyes gaze back at him as if you are trying to will him to come through the screen and pound you into the mattress; goddamn he’s going to fuck you so good when he gets back.

“Since I’ve decorated those beauties, I think they’ll need to be displayed and I can’t think of a fuckin’ better place than perched right on my shoulders. Besides, ya know what’s comin’ dontcha? That goddamn sweet little pussy has been callin’ to me since I got down there and now it’s finally time to give it the attention it deserves. Such a pretty thing, those soft petals of yours. You know I’m gonna have to give them a few kisses for good measure.”

Fuck, he wants to taste you so bad now the tastebuds along his tongue prickle as tries to capture that specific sweet, tangy taste in his memory. Why in the hell do you have to be so goddamn perfect?

“You will be pleadin’ with me, callin’ my name over and over until ya feel it. My warm tongue pushin’ itself against your lips and spreading them apart to move in between them. God, that first fuckin’ taste of ya is always my favorite, sweetheart…like goddamn honey. Gonna drag my tongue up the entire length of your cunt to make sure I get as much of ya in my mouth that I can. Then I reach your clit and that’s where I stay. I’ll be suckin’ and lickin’ to my hearts content while you buck against my face all you want; I like it when ya get rough with me. Nothin’ is gonna get me off of ya though, I got ya fuckin’ secured to my face with a tight grip that isn’t gonna let up no matter how ya move.”

The sound of you whimpering fills his ears and it makes his head feel like he’s floating. Your hips are bucking against your hand desperately and he knows you want to go a bit faster, but you are sticking to his set speed like a champ. He takes a couple of minutes to just watch you, wanting to etch this moment permanently in his brain, before he continues.

“I’m waitin’ for it, that moment ya go silent. That’s when I know it’s about to happen and I brace myself to feel your thighs crush against my head and block in my ears like a vice as ya come on my tongue. Do ya know how much I fuckin’ love when ya do that? Bein’ locked to your pussy like that, I would fuckin’ suffocate on ya and not even think twice. Keep me strapped to ya as long as ya want, baby, I’m gonna sit through it all until ya have nothin’ more to give to me. My tongue don’t tire easily, as ya already know.”

Your head falls back, but Simon can still hear you clearly repeating mindlessly your enjoyment of everything that he is talking about with moaned ‘yes’s and whined pleas to Jesus. 

“Can ya picture it? Me sittin’ back up, your cum all across my face? I will probably look like a wild beast with my mouth shimmerin’ and sticky, but I don’t fuckin’ care. Ya make me feral, so deranged that nothin’ else matters ‘cept you. Everything will go faster then: me gettin’ to my knees, pullin’ your hips onto my thighs as your legs still sit on my shoulders, my tip pressin’ against those damp petals covered in my spit and your cum. Eatin’ ya out gets me hard enough there’s no need to wait. Imagine the way it’ll feel when I’m pushing my tip through the threshold and stretching ya out completely. You’ll be cryin’ out as I help ya fit me all in…right down, all the way, fillin’ that cunt.” 

He’s panting now, the vision created in his mind so vivid that as he stimulates himself it feels too real. Of course his hand would never compare to your pussy, but with everything happening it is as if his brain is being tricked into believing that he is fucking you.

“Ya know I ain’t gonna waste anytime, not when I get ya wrapped ‘round me. It’ll be so wet and tight that I just begin poundin’ and poundin’ so hard that it has our bed squeakin’ underneath us from the fuckin’ force, slammin’ into the wall, makin’ your tits bouncing up and down as I go all in, your eyes waterin’ as get so fuckin’ deep it’s almost painful. Goddammit, baby, I want to see your eyes roll back in your head as it overwhelms ya.” 

His abs are clenching, simulating the act in real time as his limbs begin to feel heavy and the coil inside his stomach tightens. Heat is now rushing through his veins like hot water, making him warm from the inside out and it only fuels his imagination more.

“Or maybe I flip ya over and help ya up onto your knees, pullin’ outta only long enough to get ya situated holding onto the wall. Visualize me tuggin’ your hair in my fist to make your back arch so I can thrust right back in. Ya better make sure ya got a steady brace cause I’m gonna reach ‘cross your body and down the front of ya to that swollen clit, strokin’ it with my fingers as I thrust into ya from behind and I need ya to push back onto me. I wanna be able to whisper in your ear all them filthy things like how no one else can make my cock feel this good and how this pussy belongs to only me.”

It’s too much, too much buildup that he is not going to be able to hold off for very much longer. This is going to have to end one way or another and soon it is not going to be a choice anymore. His hand picks up the pace. 

“Go a little faster. That’s it, faster, baby, faster. I’m about to fuckin’ blow and your gonna come with me. Come on, come on… f-fuck… you’re so beautiful like this. No one looks better a fuckin’ mess than you do. And I wanna make ya so goddamn filthy baby. Where ya gonna want me to come, hmm? On your face, on your tits, your stomach… or maybe I won’t pull out at all. Stuff ya full until it’s drippin’ outta ya and I can watch once I’m done. You just imagine it where ya want it most, sweetheart.”

His hand is furiously stroking around his cock with an iron tight grip, running from tip to base, coating his hand in precum so that the next stroke is even smoother than the last. Faint whines escape his closed lips as he tries to stifle the sound by clamping his mouth shut. The entirety of his chest feels like it’s on fire and setting the phone down a second he rips the damned t-shirt he still has on up off his torso and over his head, only releasing his cock for the split second it takes to throw it off that arm and onto the floor. Quickly he grabs the phone and sets it back up. 

“You’re close, yeah? Ya got this, just keep lookin’ at me with those pretty eyes and stay with it. All ya gotta do now is just let go. Good girl, that’s it, let go for me. Come for me, baby, let me hear it.”

Simon watches your thighs shaking and toes curling into the mattress as you call out his name in a pitiful cry and your entire body vibrates, nearly shooting off the bed as you come and come hard. The welling of pressure deep inside him reaches its peak and with the sound of your cry it causes his body to clench, sending him rocketing over the edge violently as a muted grunt echoes in his chest. He angles is cock upward towards his stomach as the warm ejaculate pumps out of his tip, coating the muscles and hair along his abdomen as he milks himself through it until he has no more cum left to release.   

Vision hazy, legs vibrating, cock still twitching as his grip loosens, Simon takes a few minutes to simply breathe. The phone gets ignored for a moment as it lays resting on his thigh. Once he is able to calm enough to function, he picks back up the device and stares into the screen. You are laying flat on the mattress now, chest heaving up and down. Your legs are still splayed open and he can see the glorious product that he helped create catching the light as it coats the outside of your lips.  

“Fuck, ya did so well for me, sweetheart. God, that was fuckin’ fantastic.”

You roll to your side and look into the camera with a crooked, sleepy smile and he mimics it with one of his own. That should be all, everything that he had wanted to happen had in the best way, but there’s one thing he has left to do, one thing he wants to see before he lets you go. One last thing to replay in his mind to give him something to daydream about along with the rest.

“Bring the camera up closer, wanna see your beautiful face all flushed. There’s my sweet girl. Looks like I’ve made a mess of things for ya, but I don’t think ya mind much. I do want ya to do one more thing for me, though. I need ya ta clean up since I ain’t there to do it myself. Nothin’ too strenuous, just take your fingers and stick ‘em in your mouth; get all those juices off with your tongue. There ya go, lick ‘em clean, don’t ya waste any of that fuckin’ goodness.”

You do exactly as he says, using your tongue to pull your fingers between your lips where you suck and lick with gusto until they come back out completely clean and you show them to him with a smile. In that moment you are a goddess, the most gorgeous being he has ever laid his eyes upon, and Simon can only stare on at you in awe that he is so fucking lucky to have such a creature all to himself. 

“Fuck, I’m one lucky bastard,”  he says, barely audible.

There’s a bit of rustling that he can hear now coming from somewhere close and he knows his time is up. At least he got to finish what he started giving you everything that he can, though he does desperately wish he could stay on the call with you a bit longer, but he knows if he doesn’t end it now he might never do it and he doesn’t want to risk anyone seeing you like this. Gotta pull the bandaid off quick or else. 

“Hate to end this here, but it seems like our time is up. Wish I could stay, but ya know how it is. If I don’t go now I ain’t ever gonna do it. We’ll talk again soon, promise. You have a good day, pretty girl, alright? Dream of me later tonight, yeah? Cause I’m fixin’ to be dreamin’ of you.”

You blow him a kiss and with that the call ends; he is left back alone in the silence of the night in his bunk- alone. He grins to himself as he puts his phone away and cleans himself up, thinking about you laying back in bed exhausted, but content, all because of him and his efforts. And he wonders if maybe, just maybe, he’ll get the chance to get you off like this again before his deployment ends. 

God he fucking hopes so.

[nethhiri]

Siren Charms: Chapter 6

Zoro x Siren!Reader

Warnings: None

Of The Ether

It was dark when you opened your eyes. You were in a room by yourself, in a bed, with some kind of weird dress on. Did I forget sneaking on to a ship? One of your favorite ruses was to let yourself be captured, then have a little nighttime buffet while most were asleep. If they put you in a tank as a mermaid, you shattered it. If they put you in seastone, thinking you had a devil fruit, you broke the chains. You systematically went through the ship, indulging as much as you wanted before slipping away into the dark of night. But you didn't remember doing that this time. 

There was a pang in your side. Moving the fabric aside, you saw that your wound was finally healing. There was some kind of salve put on it. You don't know why anyone would be so stupid as to heal a predator among them. You looked around the room for your things. Your clothes were there, but your weapon was not. You slipped onto the deck after changing, hoping to locate your sword and get out of there. There was another problem. A lot of your energy was used to process healing. You couldn't transform until you fed again. The safest bet would be the blonde one, but that would require you to sneak around longer than you would like. 

"Lookin for somethin?," a somewhat cheerful voice said from behind you.

You turned quickly in a defensive stance. "Where's my sword?"

He ignored the question and pointed to your wound. "That doesn't look good. You should rest some more." 

You narrowed your eyes. "Why are you helping me?" 

"Felt like it." He shrugged. He continued to stare at you with round, kind eyes. "You should join my crew." 

It was unsettling. His eyes never once looked away from yours to look at your body. How could you not have any effect on him at all? "Why would you want that?"

"You seem strong. And your wings are really cool. Could you fly me around? That would be awesome." He rattled off a string of thoughts as they came to him.

How odd. "I don't think your friends would like that." You grinned a toothy grin. "I did try to eat them."

"They'll get over it." He smiled wide. "Robin and Franky tried to hurt some people on the crew once, but now they're good. Everyone does bad stuff sometimes but that doesn't mean they're a bad person." 

You never considered your actions as good or bad, simply seeing them as survival. This was confusing. Maybe you were having a fever dream. It was hurting your head. Sirens were solitary creatures by nature. You had never considered what it would be like to live or work with others. Almost shyly, you inquired further, "And if I did, what would my job be?"

He thought for a second, with his finger tapping his chin. "Oh! A scout! You could fly ahead and see what's goin on when we get to an island or somthin." 

"And what if I don't like being on a crew?" 

"You'll like being on my crew. Don't worry." He grinned widely again. "I'm Luffy and I'm gonna be King of the Pirates! Who are you?"

"I'm..." You thought for a moment. The name you had been given was a gesture, a hand sign. It was easier to communicate under the water with hands, not words. There was no need to tell anyone your name before, now realizing that you couldn't say it out loud. And the things you werecalled out loud ranged from "witch" to "monster" to "mermaid" to "vampire", etc. "I'm of the ether." You tried to explain your domain, thinking he would get it. You didn't know that your culture was not common knowledge, closer to a myth actually, though that would explain why no one ever called you a siren. 

"Ether." He said, testing it out. "Welcome to the crew, Ether." 

You opened your mouth to correct him, but shut it. It's not like you had another name to give him instead. Ether. A faint smile touched your lips. It sounded nice. "Now what?" It was hard to refuse him for some reason. Some kind of magnetism. A thought brushed your mind: you would get to see more of the green one.

[vintagepresley]

Pretty Baby

Chapter Three: Is It So Strange?

Pairing: Elvis Presley x OC Reader

Word Count: 10, 753 words

Warnings: 18+ Honestly there isn't anything too crazy. Tons of flirting, cursing, smoking, tons of fluff and cuteness, tiny bit angst towards the end and hint of smut. Typical Elvis stuff.

Author's Notes: Hi besties! So, I want to start off by saying this was way longer than intended that I actually didn't get to the very angsty parts I wanted to. So, I'll be adding that to the next chapter which will be drama filled and angsty. If you think that by the end of this chapter that these two will be together.. Well, I'm sorry to break the news.. Not quite yet. But I hope you enjoy this chapter of Elvis being super cute and tons of flirting and will they/won't they situations. I'm sorry once again for the slowburn of this story. But trust me when I say, the smut WILL be worth the wait! As always possible spelling errors! (Since they're in Vegas figured I'd change the cover art for this.)

Pretty Baby series

“Holy shit!” Rebecca thought to herself as she walked onto the Lisa Marie. She had never seen an airplane like this before. There was no doubt in her mind that his plane belonged to Elvis Presley. It seemed so surreal that someone was flying in such a style, but it didn’t surprise her at all with the way he dressed. Elvis and the guys couldn’t help but laugh amongst themselves as they saw the look of shock and awe on Rebecca’s face as she slowly walked into the main cabin. Elvis followed behind her with a smile and placed a hand against her lower back and she turned to face him with the same shocked expression which made that hiccuping laugh escape Elvis. 

“You wanna little tour?” he asked. 

She smiled at him and nodded. “Please?” she hummed. Elvis gave her a small nod and now slipped his arm around her waist and began to lead the way for the tour of his plane, starting with taking her to the cockpit to meet the pilot. Rebecca couldn’t help but notice that no matter who worked for him or who he met he was always so personable with everyone and they all seemed to really love him. She admired that and only furthered her comfort around him. After speaking with the pilot Elvis continued on with the tour, showing her the dining room and lounge area. She couldn’t believe that his airplane was basically a mini house and all she could think about is what Graceland looked like. Once he showed her the bathrooms she went right over to the gold sink and she looked at him as she touched it. 

“Is this real gold?!” she asked. 

Elvis laughed and nodded. “Sure is, honey.” he beamed. 

She laughed and stood back by his side and shook her head because only he would have a gold sink. Elvis grabbed her hand excitedly and led her toward the last part of the tour; his private bedroom. She looked around the room and then up at him. 

“Only you would have a bedroom on a plane.” she giggled, rolling her eyes. 

“My home away from home.” he uttered softly. 

She smiled at him and went over to the bed and plopped down onto it and bounced up and down slowly curious as to how comfortable it was. Elvis just smiled at her. He loved seeing how impressed people were with his things. “Comfortable enough for ya, honey?” Elvis teased. 

“It feels pretty comfortable.” she responded. 

“Good.. It’s yours to sleep in since it’ll be a few hours until we’re in Vegas.” Elvis smiled. 

“Thank you.” she said softly as she looked around the room spotting some records and she stood up and walked over to them and began to sift through them. Elvis walked up beside her. 

“Anything in there you listen to?” he asked curiously 

She shrugged and shot him a small grin. “I may see a few things.” she hummed before taking her attention off the records and deciding to head back out with the rest of the guys, but Elvis grabbed her hand before she could go anywhere. 

“Wait a minute, baby… Where ya goin’?” he furrowed his brow. 

“I don’t want your friends getting the wrong idea if we’re in here too long together, Elvis.” she replied, rolling her eyes at him calling her baby now.

“Don’t worry ‘bout them. We’ll keep the door open if that’ll make you feel better?” Elvis suggested. 

Rebecca exhaled softly and nodded at his words. “Okay, fine.” she mumbled. 

He smiled. “Good. I want you to listen to a song I recently recorded. I want your opinion on it.” he said as he searched through the small crate of records, finding the 45 he was looking for and putting it on the turntable. Rebecca raised an eyebrow as she sat back down on the bed, wondering what the song could be that he wanted her opinion on. He carefully placed the needle onto the groove of the record and the small hum and crackles of the record began to play before the soft sounds of Elvis’ voice rang through the speakers as he sang ‘It’s Midnight’. 

Now Rebecca had heard his music in passing from her parents and other people of his generation, but she never actually sat and listened to his voice because she never cared enough. People her age didn't really listen to his music. She didn’t dig it. She always heard his mainstream songs and they just never spoke to her. Even as they’ve gotten to know each other she still hadn’t really listened to him. So when she heard him singing this song she perked up a bit and it was as if she was hearing him for the very first time, truly hearing him. The bravado of his voice, the small cracks of it, the emotion he had put into the song and it struck a nerve with her. Elvis stood watching each expression of her face, she was always hard to read but he could tell that she was completely lost within the song. He knew if anyone was going to be completely honest with him, it was her. As it came to an end the two of them sat in the silence that fell before them for a moment the chattering sounds of the guys talking muffled in the background as Rebecca and Elvis stared at one another. 

“Well? What did ya think? And be honest.” Elvis said. 

“Hmm… Can you play it one more time for me?” she muttered with a smile. 

Elvis nodded and flashed her a smile back as he restarted the record and now Rebecca got comfortable and slipped off shoes and climbed further onto the bed, sitting up against the headboard. She needed to hear it again to really take it all in. Elvis followed her lead and since the door was open he knew she needn’t worry as he climbed into bed and sat beside her as they listened to the song once more together. She glanced over at him and didn’t say a word, she trusted him and knew there wouldn’t be any funny business, so she got a bit more comfortable sitting beside him as she focused on the song even more, closing her eyes as she listened to the lyrics closely. 

Funny how things have a way of 

looking so much brighter in the daylight

I ought to go to bed 

To try and straighten out my head 

And just forget you 

Oh, but it’s midnight..

And I miss you.

Rebecca opened her eyes and glanced up at Elvis with a curious look upon her face. “Did you write this? Who is this about?” she asked softly. Elvis chuckled softly as he scratched his face gently, shaking his head. 

“I didn’t write it.. No. It’s not about anyone or anything to do with me personally.” he answered. 

She nodded slowly. “There’s just… There’s so much emotion in your voice when you sing it, that it sounds as if you’re singing it to someone in particular. It’s beautiful. It’s sad, but beautiful. I-I didn’t know you could sing like that. I love it, I really do. I’m impressed.” she hummed with a grin which made Elvis chuckle. 

“Well, I do think that is the first time I’ve impressed you and the first time you’ve given me a compliment.” he laughed. Rebecca rolled her eyes and nudged him with her elbow. 

“Don’t get used to it. Wouldn’t want you getting a big head now.” she teased. 

“It’s too late for that, baby. So.. You really meant what ya said? You love it?” he smiled. 

“Mhm.. I meant every word, Elvis. It’s a beautiful song and you’ve got a beautiful voice.” she hummed. That brought a wider smile to his face. 

“Thank you.” he mumbled as the song once again came to an end and Rebecca quickly got up to play it for a third time and climbed back into the bed to sit beside him and two of them sat in silence just listening to the song together. It was pretty late on the east coast and Rebecca didn’t realize just how tired she was and as the plane was finally taking off she began to feel the heaviness in her eyes and her head slowly tilting to the side and resting onto Elvis’ shoulder as she began to doze off to the sound of his voice. Elvis looked down at her and smiled to himself as he watched her nuzzle into his shoulder and her eyes fluttering shut and a few strands of her hair falling in front of her face. Elvis carefully slipped an arm around her and he held her carefully and with his other hand he reached up to brush the small strands of hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear. The soft crackle and hum of the needle hitting against the record played over and over once the song had ended and Elvis just watched Rebecca sleep, studying her face as he did whenever he would catch himself staring at her. Her soft features became even softer as she slept that he couldn’t help but graze the pad of his thumb against her rosy, supple cheek which caused her to move a bit and nuzzle even more into him and slip her small arms around his arm. Elvis beamed happily. 

“You are by far the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid my eyes on..” he whispered under his breath as he began to hum an old song he sang way back when. One line of the song leaves his lips in a hushed tone as he continues to caress her cheek. “Is it so strange, to be in love with you?” He exhaled softly, the months that he had gotten to know her began to stir up feelings in him that he hadn’t felt for anyone in a long time. But he wasn’t sure how she felt about him. She was always so hard to read and when she constantly referred to him as a friend it only made things harder to read from her end. Does she really just think of me as a friend? Or is that just her way of hiding her true feelings? Either way, he knew what he felt and there was no way to get rid of it. He wanted her and he’d do anything to get what he wanted. 

His gaze slowly fell to her lips that were the shade of the light pink lipstick she always wore that he loved. Thoughts of kissing her at the end of each of their dates always had crossed his mind, but he knew all too well that she’d slap the shit out of him if he tried. Which made him chuckle just at the thought of it. But now those pesky thoughts of his lips against her ran through his mind and he hesitantly leaned down toward her and got close enough that his lips hovered over hers that he could feel the warmth of her breath blowing against his lips and then he carefully, slowly pressed his lips against hers giving her the gentlest little kiss and he pulled back feeling content and his smile beaming because of how badly he had been wanting to do that. He tightened his hold around her waist as he tilted his head back against the bed frame and closed his eyes in hopes of maybe getting a few hours of rest himself. 

Unbeknownst to Elvis, she was a light sleeper and his constant caressing of her cheek had woken her up a bit that she heard all the words he had whispered to her and felt the kiss he left on her lips. She opened her eyes and slowly tilted her head up to look at him. She had a puzzled look on her face, trying to process what she had heard and what she had felt from that little kiss. One of those feelings being that he had the softest lips she had ever felt. The other feeling was confusion or maybe confliction as she pondered those last words he mumbled. Love? He couldn’t possibly be in love with me.. We’ve only known each other for a few months.That’s insane. 

She had never been this close to any man, one that wasn’t gay anyway. She had never trusted someone as much as she trusted him or opened up more than she had with him. She felt close to him. They were similar but different in so many ways. There was no denying there was some chemistry between them, but she didn’t want anything more than a friendship. Anything more scared her because she didn’t want to lose what they had as friends. He was someone she could confide in and have deep conversations with and she was someone he could share parts of himself that he never had before. Someone who didn’t sugarcoat things with him. Who always said what was exactly on her mind even when he didn’t ask for it. 

Rebecca continued to stare at him with the same puzzled look on her face as her thoughts ran wild. But decided rather than dwelling on these feelings, these thoughts that she’d just try to get back to sleep. As much as she tried she just couldn’t silence her thoughts enough to sleep. By the time she finally had gotten herself back to sleep she was suddenly being woken up again by the sound of his voice and him lightly shaking her awake.

“Rebecca, honey, wake up.. We’re here, baby..” he whispered softly. 

She tiredly opened her eyes to the sight of him staring at her and she rubbed her hand against her tired eyes, forgetting that she had mascara on. “W-What? Already??” she asked groggily. Elvis chuckled at her sleepy words. 

“Yes.. C’mon..” Elvis hummed as he helped her out of the bed and she let out a soft groan as she swatted at him. 

“I can get out of bed on my own.” she said in a sharp tone, wanting to make things seem normal and pretend as if she didn’t hear him profess his love. 

Elvis smirked and held his hands up in defeat. “Okay, okay.. You freshen up and I’ll wait out in the main cabin.” he said with a smile before he headed out of the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. She took a deep breath as she was fully awake now, soothed out her dress and slipped her shoes on and headed into the small bathroom he had in the bedroom and seeing how smeared her mascara was she quickly washed her face and tried to wipe some of it away so that she at least looked decent for the drive to the hotel; until she could really freshen up. She quickly fixed her hair and headed out of the bedroom and toward the main cabin where she saw Elvis and the guys standing preparing to unboard from the plane, she walked up beside him letting out a soft yawn. Elvis smiled when he saw her and slipped an arm around her small waist. Rebecca folded her arms over her chest and tried to slip out of his grasp but he had a tight hold on her and now she began to tense up and her mind going back to what happened just a few hours ago. She felt that if she distanced herself from him maybe those feelings of his for her would go away. Elvis noticed how tense she suddenly was and he raised an eyebrow as he glanced over at her. 

“Everything okay, honey?” he whispered to her. 

She looked up at him and nodded slowly, putting on a smile. “Everything is great.” she hummed. He nodded and returned a smile and now he took her hand as they began to unboard the plane, some of the guys walking out first while the rest followed behind the two of them. Rebecca looked around and inhaled the fresh air of Vegas and felt the change of temperature that she certainly wasn’t used to and now she wasn’t really worried about what happened and more focused on the excitement she felt of being in Vegas. She couldn’t wait to see the famous Vegas strip and some of the casinos. Once they got down the stairs Elvis took her hand once again and the two of them walked toward the fancy Cadillac that waited for them as their bags were being loaded into the two other cars behind it that some of the guys were getting into while Joe and Jerry shared the Cadillac with the two of them. She rolled the window down as they began to drive off to the International so she could get a better view of everything and she happily stared out the window and Elvis chuckled to himself seeing her excitement which he thought was cute. 

“You’ve really never been to Vegas?” he said softly. 

“Nope. Never.” she responded as she stared up at all big flashing lights that beamed throughout the strip and lit up the night sky. “I thought New York was amazing.. But this is a whole other level.” she said with a soft laugh. Elvis shook his head with a smile.

“It sure is somethin’ when you see it for the first time. Some of the guys' wives and girlfriends will be here. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind takin’ you out on the town.” Elvis muttered. Rebecca turned to look at him and she smiled warmly. 

“I’m guessing it’s not going to be easy for us to go anywhere here, huh?” she questioned.

Elvis gave her a small shrug. “That’s the price I pay being Elvis Presley. If I could I’d love to take you out ‘round town myself if it weren't for us possibly being mobbed.” he said softly.

Rebecca couldn’t help but feel a bit sad for him because he couldn’t go out or do anything like normal people do or have fun the way normal people do. He always had to either pay to get a place to himself or go after hours. She couldn’t understand how he could deal with that on a daily basis. She studied his face for a moment and she could see the sadness on it. She reached over and placed her hand over his and gave it a gentle pat. “Hey, it’s okay, I’m just excited to be here and actually see an Elvis Presley concert for the first time. I hear he’s a riot!” she teased trying to cheer him up and it did because a crooked little grin formed on his lips. 

“I hear he does alright..” he smirked. As she went to move her hand away he grabbed it quickly and held it tight and the two of them looked at one another and shared a smile. He appreciated that it didn’t upset her that they couldn’t do normal things together as much as he wanted to. She turned her attention back toward the window and studying this whole new world that was Las Vegas as they approached the hotel they made sure to park in the back entrance as the two other cars followed behind and as they got all the luggage situated as Joe and Jerry got Elvis and Rebecca inside and onto the elevator. Rebecca couldn’t help but notice that pictures and flyers and merchandise of Elvis were everywhere. If you had any doubt who was in town the hotel would be sure to remind you. This was the first time she was experiencing the stardom that was Elvis and being in his element. As they got onto the floor of his suite Elvis led the way with Rebecca by his side keeping her close. She was so busy looking all around that she hadn’t even noticed him holding onto her hips. They stopped once they approached his suite door. 

“So, where’s my room?” she asked as she raised an eyebrow. 

“I figured you’d just stay in the suite with me, honey.” he said nonchalantly. 

Rebecca scoffed and furrowed her brows as she pulled away from him and placed her hands on her hips. “Nice try.. Just because I fell asleep next to you on the plane doesn’t mean I’m sharing a bed with you, Elvis.” she said sternly. 

Elvis chuckled and shook his head.

“Now who said anything about us sharing a bed, baby? There’s an extra room for you.” he said with a smirk. 

Rebecca felt embarrassed now and could feel her face turning red because of her assumption, she quickly cleared her throat and crossed her arms over her chest as she watched the guys snicker. “Oh.. Well, I-uh.. That’s okay, I guess.” she mumbled, feeling so stupid.

Elvis laughed and opened the suite door and they all walked inside. “Holy shit, man..” Rebecca blurted out as she looked around the suite. She never saw anything like it. She thought the plane was fancy but it had nothing on his suite. Elvis grinned at her reaction and he grabbed her bags from Jerry. 

“You guys can go. Lemme know when the Colonel gets in, will ya? I’ve gotta talk to that fat sonofabitch.” Elvis muttered. The guys nodded before they headed out and Rebecca raised an eyebrow wondering who this Colonel guy was that he was talking about. 

“Who’s the Colonel?” she asked curiously. 

“Just my business manager, baby. I wanted to introduce you to him, but he can be an ass.” he shrugged as he began to walk past the living room and toward the bedroom Rebecca would be staying in. She furrowed her brow at his answer and the way he spoke about him which gave her an idea that he probably wasn’t great but she just shrugged as she followed behind him. Elvis sat her bags down and turned on the light, smiling. Rebecca stepped inside the room smiling because it looked like it’s own little suite and had its own bathroom. She was still in awe and she turned around toward him. 

“Where’s your room?” she asked. 

“Right across there. So, if you’re still thinking about sharing a bed, I ain’t too far away.” he smirked.

Rebecca gave him her usual look when she wasn’t having his shit and she playfully slapped his arm. “Oh, you wish. Now get out because I want to shower and get some more sleep.” she said in the sassy tone of hers. 

“Sleep? It’s only 9:30.” he replied. 

“Some of us are still on New York time and it’s midnight there.” she snapped as she began to playfully try to push him out of her room causing him to laugh and he played along stumbling backwards out of the room and before he could get another word out she had shut the door in his face. He stood there shaking his head with a smirk and he could hear the faint sounds of the shower starting. 

“Well, uh.. I guess I’ll see you in the morning then!” he shouted before heading toward his own room to get cleaned up and into his pajamas even though he had no plans of sleeping just yet. He ordered up some room service and got himself some food but also a plate for Rebecca just in case she got hungry, setting it on the little dining room table and leaving a little hand written note for her before he took his food into his room. He got settled into his bed and decided to read one of his books all the while thinking about the beautiful girl just in the other room. He was hoping they could spend some time together now that they were completely alone but of course she found a way to get out of that. 

Rebecca was grateful to have a bit of peace away from Elvis even if it were just for a night. She had a lot on her mind, mostly him on her mind and what he had whispered to her when he thought she couldn’t hear him. She wouldn’t dare bring it up, but she had wondered if he would. After a long hot shower she felt so much better and slipped on a pair of panties and an oversized t-shirt and she flopped down into the bed letting out a satisfying sigh of relief because of how comfortable it felt. She laid there with her face planted into the pillows and she could hear her stomach growling at her, with all the excitement of this trip she hadn’t really eaten much else since they went to dinner hours ago. She climbed out of the bed and tip-toed over to the door, pressing her ear against the door trying to see if she could hear him but it sounded like he was in his room. She figured he probably had the fridge stocked with some sort of food. She carefully opened the door and quietly slipped out of the room and she saw a plate sitting on the table with a bottle of coke and she slowly made her way over, seeing a note addressed to her and she raised an eyebrow curiously as she picked it up to read it. 

To My Honey, 

In case you get hungry, I got our favorite meal…. And if you get lonely that offer still stands for us to share a bed.

– EP.

As she read the note she rolled her eyes because he knew how much she hated when he called her honey, but then she felt her face growing hot from how hard she was starting to blush, that even a small giggle escaped her from the last part of the note. He was never going to let her hear the end of that assumption she made about them sharing a bed. She sat down at the table and stared over at his bedroom door where she could hear the television now playing and then she looked back over the note, shaking her head and smiling as she took the lid off the plate of food to see it was their usual dinner they shared with one another, a simple cheeseburger and fries. She smiled even more as she began to eat her food, rereading the little note as she did. She hated how somehow through months of trial and error he’s able to make her feel like some stupid giggly girl. She was trying to shake the feeling of things that had been lingering within her for some time. They were feelings she had been suppressing because she valued their friendship more than anything and she was determined to keep it that way. He was like the straight version of Paul and that was how she was trying to keep seeing it. But she found herself staring at his bedroom again and when she finished eating she got up with the note in hand, folding it up and sticking it in between the waistband of her panties and walked over to his bedroom door, knocking lightly. “Elvis?” she said in a quiet tone. 

When Elvis heard her light knock and her voice which made him smile widely and turned the volume of the television down. “Yeah? Everything okay?” he responded. 

“Can I come in?” she asked. 

“Course you can, honey.” he answered. 

She grabbed a hold of the door knob and turned it slowly before stopping. “Wait.. Close your eyes first. I don’t have pants on.” she laughed and could hear him chuckling. 

“Do I have to? I’ve already seen you naked.” he asked. 

“Yes! Or I’ll go right back to my room.” she said sternly.

 He exhaled dramatically and closed his eyes. 

“Alright.. They’re closed!” he shouted. He could hear the doorknob turning and the door creaking open as she stepped inside and closed it behind her. Elvis, being cheeky, opened his right eye just to get a tiny peek at her and he smirked when he saw her in just a t-shirt and panties and the note he left her sticking out the waistband of her panties. She marveled at his bedroom as she climbed into his bed and quickly got beneath the blankets to cover herself. “Can I open my damn eyes now, woman?” he laughed. 

“You can.” she hummed. 

Elvis opened his eyes and looked over at her smiling. 

“Well, well.. What happened to “We’re not sharing a bed, Elvis. Some of us are on New York time, Elvis.” he mocked. 

She rolled her eyes at him. 

“We aren’t sharing a bed because I’m not sleeping in here with you. But I don’t see anything wrong with us hanging out for a bit while I’m wide awake. But if you’re going to be an ass I will go right back to my room.” she said as she pretended to get up to leave. Elvis grabbed a hold of her to stop her. 

“Well, just hold on now I don’t mind it one bit.. You are always welcome to hangout here with me.” he smiled. 

“Good. But don’t get any ideas. Actually..” she hummed, grabbing one of his pillows and putting in between them as a barrier. “That’s better.” she beamed. 

“Really?” he chuckled and raised an eyebrow at the pillow barrier between them. 

“Mhm.. So, what are we watching?” she smiled. 

“The Carol Burnett Show. You ever watched it?” he asked. 

“I’ve seen a few episodes. She’s funny.” she said with a smile as she leaned back against the bed watching the television. A small silence fell between them as they both watched the screen. Elvis glanced over at her for a moment. 

“Sooo.. You got my note?” he grinned. 

“I did. Who knew you were such a poet.” she said sarcastically trying to make it seem as if that note didn’t have her blushing and giggling just moments ago. 

“Do you always have to be a sarcastic little shit?” Elvis laughed. 

“Yeah, because you love it..” she teased, grinning at him.

“Mm..” he hummed, shaking his head.

The two sat there in his bed with the pillow barrier in between them and watched television together until midnight and by this point Elvis had eventually fallen asleep. When Rebecca noticed he had gone to sleep she smiled and reached over for the remote, shutting the television off and climbing out of his bed and going over to him. She stared at him for a moment and she reached down to run her fingers along his handsome round face and she let out a soft exhale before leaning down to kiss his cheek and turning out the light before she made her way out, carefully shutting the door and heading to her room and getting into her bed, keeping the small lamp on. She grabbed a cigarette and lit it as she reached down to take the note out of the waistband of her panties and she unfolded it and read it a few more times. Once she finished smoking she laid down and continued to read it until she fell asleep with the piece of paper resting on her chest. 

The Next Day - 12:00PM

Rebecca had woken up to the sounds of Elvis shouting angrily at the guys about something to do with this Colonel fellow. She yawned softly as she stretched her body out against the bed and placed the note that laid beside her now on the bedside table. She was curious as to what was going on that had him so upset but she chose to just stay out of it and then she heard his bedroom door slam and the front door of his suite close. She furrowed her brow and slowly climbed out of the bed letting out another yawn as she rubbed her hands over her eyes, and walked out of the bedroom tiredly, looking around the empty living room and hearing Elvis swearing angrily to himself in his room. She walked over to the door and knocked on it before opening the door and peeking her head inside to see him dressed in usual get up. “Elvis? Are you okay?” she asked in her sleepy voice. 

When Elvis heard her voice something inside of him suddenly forced him to calm down and he took a deep breath before he turned to face her. “I-I’m good... Ah hell, I woke ya up, didn’t I? ‘M sorry, honey.” he mumbled. 

She shook her head at his words. “Oh no, you didn’t.. It’s okay. Are you sure you're okay? Is everything okay with the show tonight?” she asked. 

“Oh yeah, everything is fine. Just some business, that’s all.” he said with a small smile. But that was an obvious lie. Elvis had plans of introducing Rebecca to the Colonel because of his connections in Hollywood and he was still determined to fulfill her dream of being an actress. But the Colonel refused to help her or even just meet her just to see she’s got what it takes. He flat out told him no. That he only had time for Elvis Presley. Elvis was never one to argue with the Colonel and that’s why he’d have his outbursts of anger and take it out on others. He didn’t want to fail Rebecca or disappoint her. So he lied. 

“Oh okay. Are you hungry?” she asked. 

He shook his head. “No. But feel free to order whatever you like, baby. I’ve got to rehearse for the show tonight. I made some arrangements for you and some of the wives to go out and shop or do whatever. I want you wearing the prettiest dress for me tonight.” he smiled. 

She furrowed her brow and leaned up against the door frame. 

“I’m surprised you haven’t picked the dress out for me then.” she mumbled. 

“If I had time I would have. They’ll be coming up in a bit.” he smiled as he grabbed his glasses and slipped them on. She watched him finish getting ready and as he stepped out of the room he grazed his hand against her waist as he walked by. She had gotten used to his ways of always wanting to touch her even if it was a small caress. Touching seemed to be his way of affection with women and after a while it stopped bothering her that she sometimes didn’t notice. She followed him to the front door of the suite and she couldn’t help but notice just how handsome he looked today that she caught herself staring at him and looking away when he would glance over at her. 

“What time is the show tonight?” she asked. 

“The first show is at 8pm and then there’s a midnight show.” he smiled. 

“You do two shows a night?” she raised an eyebrow. 

“Mhm..” he nodded. 

She thought that was unusual considering he was performing almost everyday and now she furrowed her brow a bit with concern. But he’d been doing this for a while so she assumed he must know what he’s doing to be overworking himself like that. Elvis leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I’ve gotta go, honey. I’ll see you tonight. Jerry will bring you down to the show.” he hummed before he headed out of the room where the guys were waiting in the hall for him. She smiled a little and locked the door behind him. Now she felt so much pressure to look her best tonight because of him wanting her to be dressed just for him and usually she would’ve told any guy who said something like that to fuck off, but she actually wanted to look good for Elvis. She didn’t know what had gotten into her but even she was annoyed with herself for letting this man make her feel these stupid feelings of wanting to look good for a man. She could just imagine how the day was going to go with this group of women. She had no idea what introductions he’s made to them  or if his friends mentioned to their wives how she and Elvis met and what line of work she was in and that made her nervous. She didn’t know what she was walking into. Would they think she was his girlfriend or friend? Or some pornstar he’s just showing off? Maybe they had all been gossiping about them already and assuming the worst. If that was the case she would be ready to set them straight with the truth. 

Rebecca opted for her usual look: a pair of dark denim bell bottoms and a halter top and a pair of black platform heels. She brushed her hair out and kept it subtle with her makeup just wearing her usual light pink lipstick and mascara. As soon as she was ready she heard a knock at the door and soft voices, it was the ladies. She took a deep breath and went to answer the door and when she did she was surprised to see how much older they were compared to her and how different they dressed compared to her. The first woman to introduce herself was Joan Esposito and then Jerry’s girlfriend and Sonny’s wife. 

“Rebecca, right? Wow, Elvis wasn’t kidding, you really are beautiful.” Joan asked. 

Rebecca nodded in response to her question and then laughed because he was constantly going around bragging about her looks which always annoyed her. As they all made introductions with one another Rebecca felt that they seemed nice enough and no one was giving her any judgmental looks so she assumed they had no idea how she met Elvis or what she did. After getting acquainted with one another they headed out where a driver in Elvis’ caddy was waiting for them and they all got in excitedly. Rebecca was quiet for most of the ride smiling and nodding at their conversations as they were being driven to the nearest boutique. Then suddenly Sonny’s wife Judy turned her attention to Rebecca. 

“So, how did you and Elvis meet?” she asked which now had the whole group's attention. 

Rebecca hated being put on the spot like that but now she had no choice but to speak because they were all staring. 

“Uh, he was in New York and we met on set.” she answered vaguely. 

“On set? Are you an actress?” Joan chimed in. 

Rebecca wanted this conversation over now because she hated when she had to lie about what she did because she never knew how people would react. But she was relieved Elvis didn’t say anything. 

“Um, yeah, I uh.. I do commercials..” she lied with a smile. 

“Oh, anything we may have seen?” Judy asked. 

Rebecca laughed softly, shaking her head. 

“I don’t think so.” she hummed. 

“Well, there must be something special about you because he couldn’t stop talking about you. Are you two… together?” Judy asked, curious and prying. 

“No, we’re just friends.” Rebecca answered and she could tell they were all giving her a look that said “Yeah right.” But it was the truth they were just friends and it was going to remain that way. But she could tell none of them were buying it. 

After sometime the conversation finally shifted to something else other than Elvis and Rebecca was so thankful and even more thankful when they arrived at the store. She just wanted to get a dress and get out. She didn’t know how many more questions she could take. 

She followed the women inside the cute boutique and they all scattered around looking at different things and Rebecca sifted through some of the dresses, trying to decide what Elvis would like best and rolling her eyes as she did because of how ridiculous she sounded. She finally found a dress she liked. It was a red slip dress with a plunging neckline and she fell in love with it and quickly took it off the rack to go try it on in the dressing room. Once she had gotten undressed she slipped the little dress on that hugged every inch of her curves and she filled it out well as the plunging neckline left little to the imagination when it came to her breasts and showed just enough of her thighs. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled happily at how good she looked in it. This was the one. Elvis wanted her to look good and she certainly would be turning heads in this dress. After giving herself another look in the mirror she took the dress off and got dressed and grabbed her new dress, not even having to look for heels because she had the perfect heels for this dress. As the other women were still looking Rebecca went to check out and the owner telling her Elvis made sure everything would be paid for. She didn’t like that and being so stubborn she refused and decided to pay for own dress anyway. She didn’t want his money or for him to buy things for her. She didn’t feel right about it no matter how rich he may have been. After paying she decided to wait out in the car for the other women and lighting her first cigarette of the day as she stared out the window just taking it all in as she sat in silence. 

Later That Day - 5:00PM

By the time they got back to the hotel Rebecca was completely exhausted, she thought they were just going to one store but they had gone to multiple. Some of the women didn’t find anything and then they stopped for lunch and took Rebecca for a little sightseeing. Which she appreciated. Before she headed back up to the suite she thanked them all for a fun day and she couldn’t have walked quicker to the elevator feeling relieved to finally be back and alone from all the gossip and cattiness. Once she got back into the suite she noticed Elvis was still out and she was glad so she could start getting her outfit together. She headed into her room and grabbed her bags, searching for the heels she pictured for this dress and successfully finding them. They were gold platform heels that complimented the pretty shade of red her dress had been. She set her heels down and laid the dress out on the bed. It was nearing 5:30 pm now and she decided to get a headstart on getting ready. She took a long hot shower and washed her hair and once she was finished she wrapped herself up in a towel, wiping the condensation from the mirror and brushing her teeth, doing her skincare routine and blowing drying her hair and curling it before she got started on her makeup. She wasn’t one for heavy makeup so much like her everyday look she kept it simple and just added some blush and mascara and a darker shade of lipstick. She walked back out into the bedroom still in her towel and checked the time and an hour had already passed. Shit.

She unraveled her towel and let it drop to the floor and she opted out of wearing panties with this dress since she already wasn’t wearing a bra and she slowly slipped the dress on and walked over to the mirror with a smile. She really did fill the dress out well that she’d probably have more than just Elvis’ attention tonight. She walked over to sit down and slip on her platform heels and then took a look at herself again and much like she guessed the heels were perfect. She did a few last touches adding earrings and a necklace and she began to feel anxious to see this show. She didn’t know what to expect. Just as she was fixing her hair one last time she heard a knock at the door and quickly headed out to answer it and seeing it was his friend Jerry. He did a double take as he looked her up and down. But knowing how Elvis was about his girls he didn’t say too much about her appearance. But she could tell he liked it. 

“Hey, Elvis wanted me to bring you backstage before the show starts.” Jerry said. 

“Oh okay, uh, let me get my purse.” she said nervously as she hurried back to grab her little clutch purse that matched her dress and returned to the front door where Jerry was waiting and the two of them headed out and she locked the door behind her and they headed down to the showroom where Jerry led her backstage. She looked around seeing how many people were already crowding into the showroom she never saw anything like before. Jerry kept her close as they made it through the screaming crowd and backstage where Elvis and some of the guys were along with some friends Elvis wanted to introduce Rebecca to. When they got to the room she could hear Elvis laughing with a few other people and then as she approached he became dead silent when he saw her and he nearly hopped out of his seat and wolf whistled at her. 

“Well, I’ll be damned.. Honey, you sure fill out that dress! Let us get a look at ya.” he grinned as he took her hand and made her spin around for all the guys who were now staring at her tight fitting dress. She shook her head and let him have his moment showing her off like he loved to do. “Ain’t she pretty? Boy, I tell ya, I know how to pick ‘em.” he laughed. Rebecca shot him a look and rolled her eyes. 

“Are you all done gawking at me now?” she said sharply. 

She made them all laugh and especially Elvis who slipped his arm around her and whisked her away to another corner of the room and grabbed a hold of her hands and stepped back so he could get another look at her. “You’ll be the prettiest baby in the room tonight.” he grinned. She smiled and just laughed as he couldn’t stop staring at her. 

“Now hold on, let me get a look at you.” she said with a smirk as she stepped back from him and gawked at him in the same way. But there was no denying that he looked good. In fact, even better than when he left earlier this afternoon. He had changed and was dressed in one of his famous jumpsuits; a navy blue two piece jumpsuit with blue armadillo and scallops on the shoulders. His hair was perfectly styled in place and his lashes dark with mascara. Now she was the one who couldn’t stop staring. He was a vision. “You look pretty good yourself.” she teased. 

He smiled and soothed out his suit with a grin. “Thank you, baby.” he beamed. Now with the show closer to starting and the fans almost in their seats Elvis quickly introduced Rebecca to some of his friends she hadn’t met yet. One of those friends being his good friend Tom Jones. As he introduced her to everyone he kept a strong hold around her waist keeping her close to him the entire time and showing her off like she was some prized trophy. After some time he had to get ready to get onto the stage, but not before taking Rebecca to the side. “Jerry’s gonna take you to your seat. I made sure you got the best seat in the house just so I can see you. This is gonna be a great show. I can feel it because you’re here.” he smiled. 

Rebecca smiled at his words and ran her hands over the fabric of his suit fixing it a bit. “Well, I can’t wait to see it and see you in action. I’m sure it’ll be great.” she hummed as she leaned up to kiss his cheek which made him smile more before the two parted ways. The anticipation to see him perform had been building and she didn’t know what to expect from it. As she got to her seat Jerry sat beside her with his girlfriend. Elvis wasn’t kidding when he said he made sure she had a good seat. She was front and center it felt like with the perfect view of the entire stage. She took a deep breath, smiling widely as the lights grew dim and the beginning of See See Rider began to play and the crowd went wild as he strutted out onto the stage. She was amazed at how crazy the crowd was already acting and he hadn’t even started singing yet. But once he did everyone lost their minds. 

That powerful voice of his rangout and his body was wiggling and moving all about and the sweat was already pouring from his face. Rebecca sat there in awe of him watching him up on that stage singing old songs and new songs and just listening to how incredible his voice was and how he had the ability to move the audience. His stage presence alone had her impressed. She had never seen anything like it. He was like a god up on that stage and she was completely mesmerized by him that she couldn’t keep her eyes off him. She could feel things within her building as she watched him. She was nearly sitting at the edge of her seat. She was truly speechless. She watched as the women nearly worshiped and kissed the ground he walked on as they fought to get to the stage just to get a touch of him or a scarf and kiss. Which he had no qualms of giving out like candy.  It was the greatest thing she had seen in her life. It was a rush. 

There was no time in between the first show and the midnight show for her to go back and talk to him and she was so excited to congratulate him on a great show. But she had no problems sitting through another that was just as great as the first even if she could tell he had been a little tired by the time the midnight show happened. As the late night was finally coming to an end and the show to a close the crowd was roaring with excitement and the women shouting his name. Jerry quickly got up and escorted the small group and herself out and backstage to Elvis who was dripping in sweat and his perfectly brushed hair was a mess and he had a towel draped around him to catch the sweat. He was so amped up that his leg was still shaking like a leaf. Rebecca stood there just staring at him talking to his friends and feeling herself getting hot as she couldn’t stop staring at him and he smiled when he caught a glimpse of her and waved her over. She cleared her throat and tried to get herself together now, smiling happily as she approached him and before she could say a word Elvis was already speaking at a mile a minute. 

“What did you think of the show, baby? Did you like it?” he beamed as he wiped the sweat from his face. 

“I loved it, Elvis! It was amazing. It was truly an experience to watch you up there. I’m impressed.” she teased, smiling. 

“Thank you, baby. That means a lot.” he smiled and kissed her cheek. 

She smiled and let out a soft yawn. It had been such a long day and she still wasn’t adjusted to the time difference. Elvis noticed her yawning. “Did you wanna go up to the room?” he asked. 

“If that’s okay? I’m a bit tired after all the fun today.” she giggled. 

“Of course, honey. I’ll have Jerry take you up.” he said. 

“That’s not necessary, I know where the room is.” she said. 

“I insist.” Elvis replied as he gestured for Jerry to come over and asked him to walk Rebecca up to the suite for him and he was happy to do so.

“I’ve told you, I’m a big girl.” she huffed. 

“Don’t I know it, baby.” he smirked, looking her up and down and giving her dress another look. 

She shook her head at him and playfully hit him before she went off with Jerry who kindly walked her back to the suite. 

“Elvis should be up soon.” he said with a smile before he left her. 

She exhaled sharply and let out another yawn as she slipped off her heels that were now hurting her feet and she went to her room to get showered and get into more comfortable clothes. Sporting her usual bedtime look a pair of panties and a t-shirt and she threw her hair up into a bun. She couldn’t get over Elvis’ performance and she was a little mad that she never gave Elvis a chance when her mom would try to get her to like him. But she just never knew just how talented he was; she just assumed he did terrible movies and sang about a hound dog. He never failed to surprise her and now she was thinking back about the plane ride there and the song he showed her. Now all she wanted to hear was that song again. She smiled to herself and grabbed one of the books he had given to her to read; his favorite, The Impersonal Life. She took the book and sat down on the couch as she waited for him. 

Not too long after she had come upstairs he had followed suit 30 minutes later and he walked into the room with that towel still around him and a smile on his face when he saw Rebecca on the couch reading his favorite book. She looked up and smiled widely at him. 

“I thought you’d be asleep by now, darlin’. he hummed. 

“I wanted to wait for you. I figured we’d catch another episode of The Carol Burnett Show.” she smiled.

A warm smile formed on his tired face and he nodded. “I’d like that. Let me get showered first and then I’m all yours.” he replied. 

She smiled and nodded watching him go to his room and sat back against the couch and continued to read her book until he was ready. About 15 minutes had gone by and he was showered and dressed in his pajamas and he stood in the doorway of his room. 

“Ready when you are, honey. I’ve got the pillow barrier set up so they’ll be no funny business.” he teased, laughing. 

“Better not be.” she laughed as she stood up and set the book down on the coffee table and headed into his bedroom where they both climbed into his bed sitting the same as they did last night and she climbed beneath the blankets and the television already on the same channel as before and the two of them watching television and sharing small glances at each other. Elvis grabbed the remote and turned the volume down and Rebecca furrowed her brow and glanced over at him wondering what he was doing. 

“Can I ask you a question, baby?” Elvis said softly. 

“Yeah, sure. Shoot.” she answered. 

“What did you think of the show?” he asked. 

She raised an eyebrow at him. “You already asked me that question, Elvis.” she laughed. 

“Yeah, I know. You gave me the answer I wanted to hear because everyone was around. I want your honest opinion of what you thought of the show. Please?” he asked. 

She chewed at the inside of her cheek and took a deep breath. She loved the show, there was no doubt about it. But there were some things she personally wasn’t all that into. She wanted to be honest with him but didn’t want him to be upset. But she knew that her being honest with him is what he loved the most about their friendship. She bit at her bottom lip and nodded. 

“Well.. Like I said earlier, I loved it. I really did, Elvis. I never knew what a stage presence you had. I knew your voice was incredible when you played that song for me. But actually hearing it in person like that.. wow. I was blown away, truly. You are an amazing singer, performer and I couldn’t keep my eyes off you. You have the potential to do so much more with your voice and your talents. Why don’t you write your own songs? You put so much emotion into singing other people’s songs, I can only imagine how you would sound singing something of your own.” she said. 

He smiled and reached over to place his hand on top of hers and gave it a few gentle pats. “Thank you. I really appreciate you saying that. I mean it.. It means a lot coming from you. I don’t know.. I’ve tried to write songs, but it's not for me. I just want to sing.” he shrugged. 

She nodded and took his hand into hers and held it. 

“I’d love to read those songs you tried to write. I bet they’re amazing.” she smiled. 

He shook his head and intertwined their fingers together. “I-I don’t know about that. But I’m sure I’ve got them scribbled down somewhere..” he hummed. 

“Well, I hope you think about maybe finishing those songs you tried to write. You’re so talented I wouldn’t be surprised if that was just a hidden talent of yours you just haven’t discovered yet.” she smiled. 

“Maybe. We’ll see.. Who knows.” he smiled and squeezed her hand in his as he stared at her. “You know I’m not the only one with talent in this room. You’ve got more potential than what you give yourself credit for, honey. You could be doin’ more. I still want to help you do that, y’know.” he spoke softly. 

She smiled warmly at him and neither one of them even noticed that they had slowly moved closer to one another and that the pillow in between them was almost nonexistent now. 

“I appreciate that, Elvis. But don’t worry about me. Whatever happens will happen. You’ve got your own career to focus on.” she hummed. 

“Stop.. I’ve been at this for nearly 20 years.. Yours is just beginning, honey. You are special. You’re beautiful, funny, kind, well.. Sometimes.” he laughed. “And you are wasting all that beauty and talent on porn when you could be up on the screen and becoming the next Jane Fonda or Ann-Maragret.” he said. 

She laughed. 

“Don’t be silly, Elvis.. Now you’re just trying to be nice.” she said, looking away from him and letting out a sigh. He reached over, his thumb placed beneath her chin to make her look at him. She stared up at him with those big green eyes of hers, staring into his soft blue eyes that stared right into her soul. Now they were closer than ever as their bodies practically brushed against each other. 

“I’m not. I mean it.. You’ll be a star. You’ll see.” he whispered. 

“You’re sweet for believing in me the way that you do..” she mumbled. 

“You believe in me.” he whispered as their eyes were completely locked on another and their faces slowly inching closer and their breathing hitched that the sound of the television was muffled by the sounds of each breath they took before their lips were hovering over one another. She felt her heart racing that it felt like it was going to beat out of her chest and then suddenly that anxious feeling washed away when their lips crashed together in a deep passionate kiss. Elvis grabbed the pillow that was in between them and tossed it to the side, slipping his arms around her small waist and nearly pulling her into his lap. She let out a soft whimper as they continued to kiss deeply, their bodies rubbing against each other and his hands squeezing and groping her thighs as he lifted himself up and flipped them around so he was on top of her. Rebecca slipped her around his broad shoulders and her thighs wrapped around his waist. The weight of him on top of her only made her body desire him more. As much as her brain was telling her to stop this her body just wasn’t responding the same way. Her body wanted him. Yearned for him and had for quite some time. But her mind always fought so well against those feelings.

Elvis let out a soft groan against her lips as they began to trail down her neck and he left small kisses against it and his hands slipping beneath her t-shirt and squeezing her breasts which caused a gasp to escape her parted lips as her head tilted back against the pillows and soft sounds leaving her lips before he kissed her deeply once again. Now she felt his hands wander down to her panties, his fingers caressing the soft fabric of them and just as he was going to slip them off that’s when she snapped herself back into reality and started thinking like herself again and how she didn’t want this to happen. She placed her hands against his chest and tried to push him away and she pulled back from their kiss. But he didn’t get the hint until she yelled.

“S-Stop.. Stop!” she said shakily, pushing him off. “I-I don’t want to do this.. I..” she stuttered frantically. 

Elvis quickly sat up as she continued to push him away, he furrowed his brow in confusion. “W-What’s the matter? I’m sorry.. I thought.. What’s wrong?” he asked. 

She sat up in the bed and fixed her clothes and shook her head. “I don’t want this. We.. We’re friends. This isn’t supposed to happen.” she answered. 

“Friends? Rebecca, baby, I know you feel something for me.. I felt it when you kissed me.. Would ya stop calling us friends! We aren’t friends!” he said, annoyed. 

He couldn’t understand her. Why did she have to make this so hard? He knew she felt something for him. He was sure of it.. He could feel it. The way she smiled and flirted with him, the way she looked at him and held his hand. It didn’t feel like a friendship to him. He was in love. He wished she had been awake when he confessed it. 

She scoffed and climbed out of his bed and Elvis grabbed a hold of her hand. “Where are you going? Stay. ‘M sorry. We’ll just watch tv.. I’ll put the pillow back. I didn’t mean to upset you.” he said as his voice grew softer. She snatched her hand away from him and shook her head.

“It’s late. I’m tired. I think it’s best if I go to my room now..” she mumbled as she walked over to the door. 

Elvis sighed, looking up at her. “Fine.. It’s been a long day for both of us.” he muttered. 

She nodded as she opened his bedroom door and before she walked out she turned to look at him again and he was still looking at her, those blue eyes now a pool of sadness as they shared a longing look with each other. Saying so much more with their eyes in those small moments. Now she thought back on what happened on the plane and what she heard and so badly hoping that it wasn’t true just so this wouldn’t be real. “Well.. Goodnight, Rebecca.” Elvis mumbled. 

“Goodnight, Elvis..” she replied before she left his room and shut the door behind her. As she stood on the opposite side of the door she let out a long and shaky exhale and she could feel her heart racing again and as she stood there trying to calm her nerves, she knew in that very moment that any ounce of a friendship they had was completely doomed when they shared that kiss. The truth is she did feel something for him and it was having to come to the realization of those feelings she had been trying to suppress and pretend didn’t exist that scared her. But what scared her the most was being in love..

Being in love with Elvis scared her even more.

Tagging: @18lkpeters @peaceloveelvis @iloveelvis @elvispresleygf @wanderingelvis @richardslady121 @dkayfixates @jfkkenndy @doll-elvis @kendralavon7 @honey6578 @azzawrites @marie73ep @wanderlustingtomboy @powerofelvis @lindszeppelin @angelborn-alyssa @literally-just-elvis-fics

[serendertothesquad]

Seren's Studies: The Odd Squad UK Promo

Now, before reading this, I need everyone to give a middle finger to Firefox for repeatedly flashbanging me throughout this entire followup whenever I went to take a screenshot. This has never happened before. I don't know why it's happening. I do know that I am inches away from throwing that inflamed vixen in the trash and moving to SlimBrowser instead.

Okay, so now that you've done that, let's discuss this 30-second promo that someone on Discord was very polite enough to dredge up. (Since there's a lot of...sensitive stuff that happens in that server -- in an "inner workings of a television network" kind of way -- I will refrain from naming names. If you see this, you know who you are, and thank you.)

At the time of this writing, there are no teaser images, nor have all the expansive synopses been released yet. It'll take a while for TVO to get through all of them, BBC doesn't have any expansive synopses, and my other sources are...dead in the water.

I don't think I need to say this, but I'll say it anyway: there are spoilers abound in this. If you haven't seen the promo yet, it's best if you view it here before proceeding with this followup.

Let's dive in below the break!

The only reason I'm putting this here is because the plehn started in Arlington and it's goin' to the United Kingdom and to Britain.

Because PBS's Headquarters is in Arlington.

MOUNT VIRGINIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-

Am I fuckin' trippin' on some shit or are we inside Big Ben? Because I mean the clock to the left there is confusing my pea brain. And if we are in Big Ben, some agent is going to go clear through these doors and wind up doing the Peter Griffin death pose but...y'know...they're dead. So.

On another note, I see we're ditching Apple computers and going straight for Microsoft. I know what iMacs look like. I have Google. Those are not iMacs. Sorry, Cook, but you're not cookin' in the UK.

We can also see the breakroom that was spotted in the gadget competition briefing video, which...kinda makes all my cracks about the shitty editing age poorly. (The video editing, mind. Not the audio editing. Those cracks stay. There is no excuse.)

So there's a lot to take in here -- and I mean it's a disgusting amount; I have to go frame-by-fucking-frame -- but let's focus on Captain O and Ozzie specifically. We have Captain O holding a letter of some kind, while Ozzie himself is still in his Department of Help uniform. The letter could be something along the lines of "congrats, you're hired", but who's to say. Hard to tell from a simple zoom-in and an "attention, everyone!"

Me, I just wanna know what the knitting needles on Captain O's jacket are for. Watch it not be answered in 12 episodes and then I'll be staying up Googling when I have a car to drive and cry in.

People in the Odd Squad Discord server are, by general consensus, not happy with this British-fied Odd Squad logo. And really, I don't blame them. This is pure "graphic design is my passion and I get paid for it handsomely, motherfucker".

Look, I liked it better when it looked like a sun. The sun, at least, is symbolic from a certain standpoint. This is just making it British because we're in Britain, and it's not funny.

Pure excitement written all over that girl's face, right there. He's gonna be the poor schmuck just being dragged around everywhere in town.

Kind of like the guy who was my "boyfriend" in high school and then literally dragged me through the halls showing me off like he got the most valuable plushie in the world. (Yes, that actually happened. Yes, the quotation marks are intentional. No, you don't want me to elaborate, trust me.)

Only the guy is a tourist, I'm the poor schmuck who has to help the tourist, and the guy probably can't drag me because I outclass him by about a hundred pounds.

It took them ten years, but we finally have magic effects for when agents combine gadgets.

Oscar is shedding a tear of joy somewhere. He's never been able to make that happen, but a tourist and a Brit somehow made it work, and he's so proud of them.

I could've sworn I've seen this structure as a filming location, but I can't for the life of me figure out whether it was in the Season 3 days or if it was last year. My memory's trying to make me think the former.

Taken out of context, though, this is a monster that sees Orli and whom I have to assume is either Onom or Orwell as two fresh-blooded meals. Which ups the danger ante of the entire franchise considerably, because there is a line between "I'm going to hurt you" and "I am going to kill you".

This octopus...thing is just...more direct about the latter.

In the medical industry, that would be classified as a brain disorder.

...In the real world.

Here in the Oddverse, you can have electricity shooting out of your head and it's as much of a minor inconvenience as an item being out of stock at the store.

(Also, someone mentioned that this guy sounds like TomSka, and...I mean, I'm inclined to agree. Not exact, but it's pretty close.)

This is William Ocean's brother, who finally emerged out of the depths of Monty Python. Good for him!

I'm sorry, I just noticed this...but they have a steel rotating door?

Like...like a captain's ship...like it's...

And it's automatic...

I'm sorry, but I'm just so damn used to seeing metal doors that seeing one in a completely different color, material, and shape is sending me for a whirlwind. Holy cheesin' Jesus.

"I wanna be a cooowgiiiirl, baby!"

"Heeeell yeah!"

"I wanna be a coooowgiiiiiirl, baaaaabyyyyy!"

(Or, alternatively, Smoothest Bitch in the East.)

And finally, we get to my favorite part: the gay triangle villain. Gay villains, if you want to count the one on the left, but since they don't speak, it's hard to tell where they fall on the LGBTQ+ spectrum.

I could make an entire Seren's Study on Odd Squad and LGBTQ+ representation, and I probably will one of these days, but I need you guys to understand something for a moment.

So in the aforementioned Discord server, there was talk of an episode of Season 1 of Alma's Way called "Say I Guess to the Dress". It involved Alma struggling to figure out what dress to wear to a party she's attending. It was meant to air in January of last year, but got mysteriously pulled and replaced with a different episode, and hasn't aired in the US since.

You might think this is not normal fare. You'd be right.

But in one scene of the episode, Lucas, one of Alma's friends, models a dress that -- and I am going off of the Wiki here -- was worn by Julia, his late cousin. Only for one scene. Only for a bit. Nothing more, nothing less.

This led to speculation that the episode got banned, hence why it hasn't aired yet. In Australia, it aired fine. However, we are on Season 2 of the show, and all we've gotten is pure crickets. We don't know for sure what happened, but with PBS, it's a minefield -- since they get a lot of money from donors, adding in an LGBTQ+ major character would sap up a good financial origin because people would be too pissed off to donate. So they relegate it to tiny sprinkles.

I'm not sure what the BBC's rules are on LGBTQ+ people in kids media. They could be strict, they could be lax, who knows. I still need to do some research on that. But for how much PBS is trying to make Gay Triangle Villain straight...he's not. He's really not.

Because let's be honest here: they're called the Triangle Sisters. That already says enough on its own.

Oof...didn't wanna make this super long-winded. But I'll discuss this at length later in another Seren's Study, once the episode airs.

I really might as well come out and really say it: I'm really not really a fan of the "really" gag. For a really short episode spanning really 11 minutes long, they really don't have time really for something of really this long and really painful.

...Really?

Really.

*distant ding*

Ahaha...ahaha...haha...aaaaaaah...

Mmm...

Cute. Real cute. Fuck you. But real cute.

And also, fuck PBS Kids execs for only putting out promos of new episodes of shows the day of. Remember when they used to put out promos earlier than that? Pepperidge Farm remembers, and for how much my memory sucks ass, so do I. Those were the golden days. Now we get stuff like these, because not a day goes by where they're stuck under the feet of Netflix and Hulu. Big competitors. Target and Walmart kind of rivalry.

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

Overall, not a lot of beef to this promo. I wasn't expecting anything mindblowing like, say, the trailer for the first movie (and that was epic in its own right), but it's pretty standard as far as PBS Kids promos go. I'm fairly positive CBBC will put out something far better that pulls in viewers, though I can't attest to how great their promos are because the last I saw one was...whoof, a long time ago.

But hey, look at it this way: Odd Squad UK and Pokemon Horizons will air on the same network, which means I can be an insufferable "Seven Degrees of Kevin Bacon is my life" bitch all I want.

As for the contents of the promo itself...aside from gay triangle villain, there wasn't really any spark that caught my eye. Nothing to make my jaw drop or make me go "wowee kazoo". At this point, I'm watching for two reasons: curiosity, and to give them another chance at making a franchise going stale a lot better. And also the fanfic ideas. Lots of fanfic ideas.

I doubt I'll put out another Seren's Study before this one (my PBS Kids one isn't done yet), so the next one will come sometime after the first batch of episodes releases and will be an episode followup for "Odd Ones In". Once that's done, I'll work on followups for the other episodes.

Thanks for reading. Seren out.

[madefate]

Loona used to think Blitz underestimated everyone else - that he thought, maybe, that everyone was too stupid to see through his bullshit, the veneer of confidence and bravado, the veil that covered the stuff he never talked about. But she's spent too long with him to not understand what it really is : the person that Blitz underestimates is himself.

She's seen it in action and word too often. She sees it every time he steps in front of her - in front of all of them - to shield them from danger. She sees when he's chasing the bottle or hooking up with people with no intention of seeing them again, or even not hooking up when he could go out and have fun. - Fuck, they're sitting on the goddamn couch he sleeps on so she can get the bedroom.

As Blitz talks, all of his emotions so fucking clear on his face that it's laughable he thinks he can hide shit from her, Loona's tail twitches. It's not aggravation - it's not frustration. It's ... restlessness. I say I'd die for you, but I'm not goin' anywhere. Bullshit ; Loona is sure that if he had to choose between them, she knows what choice he'd make.

The thought makes her heart clench in terror.

She takes the mug, careful with it despite the tension in her body, and doesn't drink from it. ❝ You can't fool me, ❞ she finally says, sharp and pointed, and refusing to look away from him. If he wants to hide, shrug it off, he'll have to do better than this. ❝ I know you, Blitz. It's been over five years - you think I don't see it? ❞

Loona sets the mug on the coffee table, then refuses to give him an inch or any breathing room. ❝ - Do you have any idea what you've done for me ? ❞ Her voice cracks a little ; she's never touched anything near this - anything in the seventeen years before she'd met him and gotten the fuck out of that shithole. ❝ I never thought I'd have this. A job, a life a - a fucking home. I never thought I'd be safe or have food to eat every day. You did that. No one else ever gave a shit about me ! And you - you give every shit. You give me everything ! ❞

There's a growl in the back of her throat ; she sometimes wonders if she'd be so vicious if life had been different. If it's - bad, how angry she is all the time. Angry when she's scared, when her heart is breaking.

Without thinking, Loona surges forward and grabs Blitz in a hug, pulling him towards her chest, curling around him like she can bite the jugular of some unseen danger that wants to take him. ❝ If you die for me, I'll never forgive you, never. You're not allowed to leave me, Dad. So if you wanna cry or break down or vent about shit, just do it. I'm not going to break. ❞

// @blitzbuckz & here.

[stealeroflemons]

eah thingy whee-ooh sirens everywhere I'm actually posting oml #19 (PART I)

here's some eah x tlou crossover headcanons where if the outbreak and such happened in our beloved eah universe because if I have to suffer watching tlou every sunday night then you all need to suffer with me in some way <3

---SPOILERS AHEAD FOR "THE LAST OF US"!!!!!---

The big outbreak would happen somewhere far away like in dwarvin kingdom or such

It would then spread like wildfire through the rest of Ever After

REBELS would be Fireflies, wanting to break away from the government structured way of living, fighting for their lives constantly

ROYALS would be the FEDRA people, trying to controle everything and squash the fireflies beneath their thumbs

Miss Raven Queen would be the crossover version of Ellie (let me explain)

+ Ellie was bitten by the clickers and survived without turning, ebing this annomaly that everyone is trying to find and figure out and use to benefit the rest of the world (i.e. using her to make a cure)

+ Raven didn't sign the story book of legends (at first) and didn't go POOF! as Headmaster Grimm said she would. And throughout the series people are constantly trying to pressure Raven into using her powers and to use her in general and scare her into doing what they want

Headmaster Grimm would be this story's David 100%

Faeries would have their own rural communes (like the one Tommy was in in Wyoming), taking care of themselves and sharing their resources amongst each other and only for each other unless someone inparticular comes by

Royal kingdoms would be QZs, their hildren being locked up and hidden way from the infected

Instead of clickers having the traditional fungus look in the game/show they would have more moss, red capped mushrooms, and maybe some bioluminscent magic-y stuff goin' on

This story's version of "Joel" I guess doesn't really exist since Raven fends for her own but Raven still has the people she becomes close with

The Wonderlandian's live secretly underground (think of where Sam and Henry take Ellie and Joel when running from Kathleen) and rather then being wiped out, they are very stable with where they live

Kitty would probably do supply runs for them using her vanishing to get in and out of places

Holly and Poppy are locked in their towers, disconnected fromt her est of the world, more so than the rest of the royals

Apple is kind of like Raven's Riley, but instead of her dying she turned more to the royal/FEDRA side on the hunt for Raven after they were both attacked by clickers in an abandoned shop in Book End

The Hoods/Badwolf's stay within their own itght-knit community with the other generations of their families and other wolf shifters, hunting and gathering for themselves and staying secret deep in a forest

How did the outbreak happen? For now I'm going to say that it was a mutation of fungus in the Enchanted Forest that spread like wildfire through animals and people who harvested mushrooms to eat (but that's just for now)

PART II will be up soon! But for now enjoy this brainrot!

[defaultfelix]

Something I wrote at the beginning of last year; a small snapshot from Bracey and Default's life together. (809 words; rated "R" for drug use, non-explicit sexuality.)

Whenever he walks in the door, it's like all the other troubles vanish from my mind.

I'm woken up from sleep by the jostle of keys, the creak of the door, and the familiar, "Yo, it's me."

"Bracey!" I pull myself up from the bedroom futon and run to greet him; Boxes, a cat that's really hard to see, is laying in front of the door, and I have to do a quick side-step not to step on her.

"Did you have a good day?" I ask once I'm in the kitchen. Bracey is already packing a bowl, and looks up at me. He looks tired, but in a good mood. For all of Bracey's complexities, it's not hard to get a read on his emotional state.

"Oh, dude, it was sooo dumb. You know that guy I was supposed to meet, with, like, the thing and shit? Get this - so he like, never showed up, and I waited out there for like an hour, and it was boring as fuuuuck, y'know? I had to smoke like eighty million cigarettes just to pass the time."

He must have caught some look of disdain on my face; it's so gross when he reeks of smoke and menthol. "Chill, yo…it's not like I'm not gonna' shower." He lights the bowl, takes a hit, and hands it to me - indicating with a nudge of his chin that it's still cherried. The smoke fills the space above us as he exhales, and he waves it away with his hand.

I'll give him that; whenever he's in his apartment, he turns into a total freak when it comes to getting all that stuff off. I take a hit off the pipe, and pass it back to Bracey, who places it on the table, and bends down to pet Furniture; Furniture is another cat.

"And it's like, whatevz…" He continues, stroking the top of Furniture's tortoiseshell head. "I still sold some stuff, and then I had one of those bam-beep things for lunch that Valeks was telling us about… it was okay. Oh, alsooo! I ran into Zebra at the bus stop, he's totally on my side with this weird noise that everyone's been hearing underground. That's gotta be getting some traction by now, right? In like… the news, and stuff?"

"Yeah, the news." I reply, waiting to see whether he'll pick up the note of sarcasm. "Definitely."

I know what he's referring to, though - there've been a number of acquaintances who've talked about hearing a sound like hoofbeats moving underground. Hearing a weird noise isn't exactly a remarkable occurrence within non-standard social circles, so neither Bracey nor myself thought too much of it – until he claims to have heard it in the subway station near us. It's hard to tell how dedicated he is to this conspiracy; he goes through phases.

"Hey, there might be!" There's a smile on his face as he pulls his t-shirt off. "Someone should call, like, Walter Crunkite. No, wait!! Walter Chronic-high…t." Bracey's voice trails off; I wait for 'Water Bong-height', but he seems to have lost interest.

"Weeird stuff goin' on, man. That's why, like, I've gotta have a little stress relief… right?"

He leans over, and I take a step back, out of reflex; before I know it, I'm pinned against the doorframe behind me, and he's got his hands under my shirt, running up my chest.

"Hey, I said I was gonna shower - I didn't say that I wasn't gonna feel you up…" There's a cold look in his eyes, as the tone of his voice turns low, and his breaths vibrate against my skin. "You are my little toy, right?"

I squirm to get away from the cigarette smell; in response, Bracey presses closer against me, and grabs my right forearm. I can't see his face; there's a warm pulse already coursing through my veins as he exhales against my neck, sending shivers down my spine. I'm pinned too tight to struggle much more.

And then he's off me, the shift abrupt. "Whatever…!" Like he's gotten distracted, or remembered something he was supposed to do. I'm disappointed, but, it's not a permanent denial. All I have to do is wait for him to get out of the shower.

"And uhh, order a pizza or some Chinese or something, y'know? There's money on the table by the microwave," I hear him call out from the other room.

Furniture is now rubbing against my legs. One of his ears is inside-out; he can figure that one out for himself. Instead, I reach for the pipe, flick the lighter, and take another hit. It smells skunky, but I don't mind. At that moment, I decided I'm feeling more like pizza for dinner.

I can hear the pipes jingle somewhere nearby, as the shower turns on across the apartment.

[beckyy055]

Meet me where it never closes... - Alex Turner one shot

WARNING: THIS LITTLE ONE SHOT HAS NSFW SCENES. IF YOU DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE, PLEASE SEARCH FOR OTHER!

1:52 AM

- Girls girls girls! - The guitar finishes with great style another gig at the Whiskey. The crowd is clapping as me and the band say goodbye and start packing our equipment. A weird looking guy is in the corner looking at me with a creepy face, but I don't care because if he messes with me, I have my switchblade on my high heels boot. My equipment is very easy to pack, so I don't take more then five minutes to get everything ready to go. As I finish everything, I take my bottle of Jack from the ground and take a swag, walking off the stage and towards the bar. My bestie and also rhythm guitarrist takes care of the payment, so for now I can just enjoy all the groupies. There are always a couple boys and girls looking after the frontwoman of the band, and I'm always willing to give them some fun if they're interesting enough.

When i sit on a random chair and open my Insta, a random account has sent a message for me. When I open it, it says: Alex's in town and wants to see you. Immidiately, I know what's the matter. Alex never plays a clean game. His game is dirty and it's almost as if he's playing hide and seek with me. I text back, saying: if he wants me, meet me on the back of the Whiskey. And bring that cigarette that I like.

I lay back comfortably, sipping my drink as I talk to some people who are complimenting my performance on the show. My bandmates come to me with all the packed stuff and sit to drink and cheer a little. We share the bottle until it's over and we're all drunkly laughing at everything. Around 2:46 AM, I receive another message from the same account saying he's here. I get up from my chair, holding on my bestie's shoulder to not fall back, and walk towards the back door of the place.

When I walk out of the Whiskey, I find myself on a dark alley. On a corner, just the silhouette of the man who called me here. I walk with a sly smile as I get closer, little by little being able to see him better, and saying:

- Well, well, well... Look who's here. Nice to see you again, Al.

- Couldn't pass through L.A. without seeing ya, honey. - He takes a drag of his cigarette and blows the smoke away, keeping a smile similar to mine.

- Did you bring my cigarettes? - I ask, a slight devilsh look in my eyes as i look into his eyes. My look is almost like a bullet to his heart, the look only a femme fatale could give so naturally.

- Hell yeah, darlin'. Here, take one... - He takes another drag as he gives me box of cigarettes. I take it, opening it and lighting one with my pink lighter. Quickly, I'm already exhaling some smoke.

- Now that's what I'm talking about! This is good stuff! - I take another drag, letting the nicotine inibriate me as i lay against a wall.

- So Jess, how's your band goin'? Still playin' on this place? You know that with a single phonecall I could make you a star by the night. - His eyes stare at me, taking my looks under the moonlight

I roll my eyes and look at him bored as I answer with some boredness in my tone:

- Yeah, yeah, you already said it a million times. You know I wanna make into the industry by my own merit, not because of what I can do with my mouth, Al. - I take a puff of my cigarette, blowing the smoke away.

- I know, sweetie, I know... I just can't stop thinking you're wasting your talent here while you could be already playing at stadiums around the world. Maybe even Wembley! Imagine! You said it was your dream! - He gets closer to me, holding me by my waist as he look into my eyes.

- And listening from everyone I only did it because I gave you a bl0wj0b? No fucking way. I prefer the harder path, the one I keep some of my dignity. - I take another puff as I let him come closer, my eyes on his.

- Speaking of that, darlin'... You know what I want, don't ya? It's not the first time we've been on this place... - His smile is sly as his hands trace along my waist and hips.

- Don't go so eager for the meal, indie boy. Pay me a dinner first and I can think if you deserve it. - I chuckle, taking his hands off me and holding just one of them in mine.

- Ah... You and your little games... Fine. We can go have dinner and I'll convince you I'm a good boy. - He says as he chuckles and holds my hand, taking me to his car, a beautiful Cadillac. He opens the door for me and I get into it, waiting for him to go to the driver's seat.

As he starts the engine, I lay back on the seat, taking a last drag of my cigarette before throwing it out of the window. He starts driving, one hand on the wheel as the other holds on my left thigh. The radio is playing some jazz, to which I respect but find a bit boring. The silence is broken when he turns to me and start talking with that english accent of his that he knows that messes with me.

- You look stunning tonight, darlin'. Is this a new skirt? - He pretends to not know just to make me talk to him.

- Nah, you know I don't have money to keep buying stage clothes. This is the same as last time and the other. - I pretend I don't care, although I feel awesome to be in this spot.

- Then you look stunning every gig. Ya know, you have a lot of stage presence. I was watching you the other time and damn, you're unique. - His hand keeps holding on my thigh, going up and down just as a sweet carress. The wind blows in my hair, making it fly and get more volume than it already has.

- Really? I just do what I feel like doing. I feel the beat and let it take my body. - I chuckle, just acting innocently and letting a nice and sweet mood be created between us.

- Well, then something is working. I particularly like the part where you move your hips to the ground while on the pole. It's not a coincidence the guys on the front row drool over you. - He smiles at me again with a sly look, trying to warm things up.

I chuckle and look at him, giving back his look, as i answer:

- I guess it's just something normal, I don't see a reason for them to get crazy like that. Just a normal girl doing pole dance, nothing extraordinary.

- Baby, everything about you is extraordinary. - He looks deepy into my eyes, making me blush a bit, as he gives a squeeze on my thigh.

I lose all my words for a moment and try to say something, unsucessfully. I slutter a bit before he interrupts me, stopping the car on a parking lot, getting off the car and opening the door to me as he offers me his hand.

- Now, would you give me the honour of your company during a dinner, milady?

I chuckle and take his hand, getting off the car and closing the door behind me. We walk towards the restaurant, which looks quite expensive, and he opens the door for me. I smile and enter the place, looking around to guess what kind of restaurand he took me. Quickly, he talks to a lady and she guides us to a table, where I sit and adjust my napkin on my lap. I might be looking like a mix between a rockstar and a h00k3r, but I have a good ettiquete. He sits on the opposite side of the table, looking at me every now and then through the menu.

When the waitress comes, I order a caesar salad without sauce as the entrance and a steak with some whole rice as the main course. He orders a tomato salad and some grilled salmon with white rice for him, as well as a good wine for us both. I thank the waitress and look at him, keeping my good girl composture. He smiles and teases:

- You look so behaved, doesn't even look like you're a wild cat.

- And you don't even look like you're a naughty boy. - I chuckle as I tease back.

- Tell me, Jess. Why so sarcastic and fatale? - He asks as he looks intrigued to me, his arms crossed as he stays laid back on his chair.

- Because it's who I am, Al. You know that. Ever since you met me, you know that's how I am. - I look at him with a smile, keeping my mask. I never let my real me show.

- You know, I bet there's other face of you inside. A face that you hide and only shows to the right people at the right time. I don't judge you though, you know I keep an appereance to the others as well. But you should let it show sometimes, darlin'. - He says as he keeps a toothpick on his mouth, playing with his fingers as he analyze each move I make.

- And who are you to tell me how I should act? You don't even talk to me directly, you send your friends to talk to me on your behalf. Alex, if you want to know me, I have to know you as well. - I lay back on the chair, my eyes locked on his as I sip some water.

- Fine, then it's a deal. If you let your real self show, I'll do the same. - He gives me his hand for a handshake and I do the same. We shake hands and he smile to me, this time, more warmly.

The waitress comes with our order and we both start eating the food, giving each other shy looks every once in a while. He sees that I can use the cutlerly properly like a like a lady does and we talk about foolish things during the dinner, like music and world news. When we finish our dessert, a sweet petit gateau, he asks the waitress for the bill, to which he pays quickly with his platinum Mastercard. We get up and he guides me to the exit, acting like a real gentleman towards me, not the bad boy he usually is. When we get to his car, I get in as he does the same. He starts the engine as he places again a hand on my left thigh, giving me a look almost like as if he's eating me with his eyes. He turns to me and asks:

- Your place or mine? Tell me I've earned my prize, baby. - He keeps that hunter look, his eyes almost shooting right through my heart.

- Last time was mine, so now it's your turn. - I wink and lay back on the seat, relaxing a bit. His eyes are red from being high, probably from before he picked me at the Whiskey. I chuckle and turn to him. - Are you high, baby? Huh?

He chuckles and look at me, his thumb rubbing my thigh.

- Just a bit darlin'. Why? Does it bother you?

I chuckle and nod in no, letting him touch me slightly.

- Nah. It's just that I wonder... Why'd you only call me when you're high, honey?

- Because I'm always high after 1 AM, baby! And also, you're always drunk as well! - He laughs and plays with my hair, keeping one hand on the wheel and one on me, as if he's showing who I belong to. I chuckle and just the enjoy the wind in my face and hair. The music is still boring me, so I look at him and smile.

- Darlin', could you please put something cool on the radio? I'll sleep with this slow music! - I chuckle as I wait for him.

- Sure! Put something you like on Spotify! - He smiles warmly and keeps driving. I take my phone and connect the bluetooth, putting on "Honey (Are u Coming?)" on the radio.

(I highly recommend to read the following parts while listening to the song!)

- Måneskin again?! You're always listening to them! - He laughs and looks at me.

- Why? Did you prefer the Crüe? - I laugh and smile to him. My smile is funny and slightly drunk.

- Nah, not in this moment. You should look for new bands, not listen to the same couple bands everyday! You don't even change the songs! - He laughs more as his hand keeps tracing my thighs. I sing for a bit of the song, to which he finds funny.

- I know, but it's just so comforting to listen the same songs on replay! It's predictable and I can sing along! - I laugh and keep looking at him as he drives. His profile is so hot, this man is all I want and more. The hair, the nose, the jawline, the neck, everything is perfect.

- Okay, okay, you have a point. But still, you should try new things. - He chuckles, noticing the way I look at him and giving me another squeeze on my thigh.

Minutes later, we arrive at his mansion in Bervely Hills. I've been here before, but I always get a bit shocked when I actually see it. He parks his car quickly and opens the door for me, helping me get out of it. As soon as we enter the house and he closes the door behind me, he pushes me against a wall and starts to kiss me passionately, holding my waist tightly. I look at him surprised, but don't try to avoid. Instead, I kiss him back as passionately as him, my hands holding on his shirt as he keeps me close to him. He pulls back a bit and breathe heavily, whispering to me.

- Remember the rules?

- No visible marks. - I answer, breathing heavily as well as my eyes look inside his.

- Good girl. Now, may we start our little one night stand? - His smile is naughty, as well has his look. His voice is hoarse and gives me shivers with each whisper. I smile and chuckle.

- It's not a one night stand if it turns into two, baby... - I chuckle again and pull him towards me, kissing his lips with lust. My teeth nibble on his lower lip and he presses me more against the wall. I can already feel his b0n3r against my thighs, which makes me feel hotter. His hands trace along my hips and sides, holding me close. His mouth starts to go down my jaw and neck, kissing and licking it. Then, he moves to my earlobe, biting on it and making me shiver more as I breathe heavily. His eyes are full of lust and his mouth kisses me as if I were a prey for him to hunt. I moan softly and he smiles widely.

- Already moaning, darlin'? Looks like someone's already hot in here. - He chuckles and keep kissing me as his hands reach for my belts, first unbuckling the leather one with chains and letting it fall to the ground, making a metallic sound of the chains, and for second the leoppard print one. Then, his fingers unzip my leather skirt, also letting it fall. Piece by piece, he undresses me until I'm left only on my panties and bra. He steps back for a moment to see me like this, taking every detail of my body before rushing to kiss me again, making my blood boil because of every touch and kiss. My hands run to his jeans, undoing them on an almost desperate move to touch his member soon. After his pants fall to the ground, he takes me in his arms bridal style, taking me by surprise. I chuckle and look at him as he takes me upstairs to his room, feeling excited for what's coming next. When we get there, he lays me on his king size bed before crawling on top of me and kissing everything from my mouth to my chest and collarbone. One of his hands moves to under my panties, rubbing my button slightly and slowly and making me moan, as the other holds my wrists above my head. My legs pull him closer, trying to make him put quickly inside me, but instead, his hand goes even more slow, just to tease me. I look at him, a bit frustrated, and complain.

- C'mon Al! - I say in a loud tone.

He chuckles and whisper in my ear, his smile is naughty, almost devilsh, as his look shows that he's getting off with this.

- You know that's not how it works, baby. Beg me to do it. - His look is lustful and I have to swallow my pride to receive my pleasure. I look at him with the most submissive look I can do and smile.

- Please honey! Please! Please fu©k me! Please 34t my pu55¥ and make me cum! I'm begging you darling! Make me get there!

He chuckles again and bite his lip, clearly enjoying my pleading. He gets closer to me again, his hot breath on my neck, and says:

- Look at you, you dirty little $lut, begging me to fu¢k you... Only if you act like a good girl and give your baby that magic you do with your lips, sweetheart.

I shiver and I can't help but feel excited by this. I nod in yes and smile as I look at him.

- Sure sweetie. I'll do whatever you like.

He looks proudly at me as he gets out of the bed and stand up. I also get off the bed, but I get on my knees in front of him. He takes off his boxers and look at me, excited for me to start. I take his member on my hand and start licking it, slowly at first, before putting it on my mouth and starting to give him a bl0wj0b as well as a h4ñdj0b, doing my best to please him the most. He closes his eyes and guides my pace with his hand, each time pushing my head more and more. He knows how much I can handle and he pushes me to my limits. His expressions and groans show me I'm pleasing him, so I continue, even though my knees hurt a little and my jaw is tired. I keep doing for more and more minutes, until he groans loudly and I feel his juices filling my mouth. But I know our fun isn't over yet. I swallow the liquid and he smiles as he pats my head. He pulls me up by my choker and whispers in my ear:

- Good girl... Now, let me give ya your reward...

He pushes me to the bed and starts to kiss me again, his hands taking off my bra roughly and squeezing my breast, his thumb playing with my sensitive n1ppl3 and his mouth everywhere on me. Quickly, his member hardens again, ready for another round. His hands move to my panties and take them off, leaving me exposed to him. Then, with a trail of kisses, he starts to go down on me. When his mouth starts touching my intimate area, I start to moan louder and my hand grabs on his soft brown hair. He stops and looks at me with a naughty smile before saying to me:

- Let's notch the fun up a bit, shall we darlin'?

I nod in yes and he chuckles as he walks to a cabinet and grabs a belt. He walks back to me and start tieing my wrists together until they're very well tied. Then, with the rest of the belt, he ties them to the headboard of the bed, making sure I wouldn't be able to move my hands. He smiles and appreciates the view before commanding me:

- Now babygirl, test it. See if it's loose or unties easily.

- As you wish, darling. - With all the strengh I have, i try to move my hands away and pull the belt, unsuccessfully. He chuckles when he sees me trying and talk.

- Good girl. Well, let me get back to where I stopped... - He moves back to my sensitive area, licking and sucking my button unlike anyone could do. I immidiately start to squirm and moan loudly, my whole body reacting to his actions. His hands squeeze both my b00bs as I feel my blood rushing through my veins.

- Damn boy... Ah! Fu©k! Yeah... You're so good... - I couldn't stop saying this kind of stuff as he was taking me to paradise with his tongue. After some minutes, I was almost getting there, to the gates of heaven. My whole body shakes and I scream obcenities to him. But then, he stops, making me fall into disappointment.

He pulls away and observe me, seeing my face of frustration. I breathe heavily as I try to ask him:

- W-why? Why did you stop?

He chuckles and whispers in my ear seductively:

- Did you really think I'd let you ©um without me inside you baby?! You're so innocent, babygirl... - He goes away before crawling on top of me and, on a quick surprise moment, burying himself deep inside me, making me moan loudly. He starts to thrust on me as he kisses my whole body, staying close to me all the the time. I moan loudly as we fu¢k like two animals, his hands and mouth all over me as I just feel an overload of pleasure. His member, hard, big and thick, goes deeper and faster with each thrust, pleasuring me as it touches my most sensitive spots. He bites me all along my body, marking me as his property. When he bites my n1ppl3, I let a little scream of pain and pleasure escape my mouth, which makes him groan. Soon, my peak starts to come, making me scream.

- SHIT BABY, I'M GONNA ©UM!! - My whole body shakes as my walls start to tighten around him.

- YES! YES DIRTY GIRL! ©UM FOR YOUR BABY! AH, I'M CLOSE TOO... - He says loudly between moans and groans, his hips going faster as one of his hands reach for my neck, chocking me as I feel my whole body reaching paradise. He controls my breathing, making my sensation stronger and lasting. Soon, I feel his juices filling me inside as our moans become a symphony of pleasure, almost in unison. He slowly starts to slow down, until he stops completely and lays by my side. I take a deep breath, finally being able to breathe freely, as he unties my wrists from the headboard.

With my wrists free, I can finally touch him, letting my fingers carress his pale chest. He smiles at me, the sweat falling from his face as he also breathes heavily, and says:

- Damn Jess... You always know how to make me feel alive. You're the perfect girl and a perfect rocket queen. - He takes my hand on his, carressing it gently.

- My pleasure, Al. You know, you also makes my nights better. A hurricane on the case of a shy boy. - I chuckle and get closer to him, letting myself enjoy being in his presence and even a little cuddle.

- Yeah, I guess so. But looks like you're quite the opposite. A shy girl on the case of a hurricane. - His hands pull me closer for a hug as we cuddle after a savage session of love.

- Maybe you're right. I think we would work together, you know? - I chuckle, blushing a bit. My eyes shine for him as I feel somehow loved and warm on his arms.

- Yeah, I guess so, but you know we couldn't. You know I still date you know who... - His expression is sad, but he smiles as he sees I'm opening up a bit, letting my real self show up. My smile fades a little, as I look at him with sad eyes.

- Please Al. Pick me. Choose me. Love me. - I say in a sad tone, letting a tear fall from my eye. He wipes this tear, trying to make me feel better.

- I promisse I'll think about it, okay? Now, let's get some sleep, it's almost 5 AM. Good night, my darling. - He pulls me closer, hugging me as we cuddle.

- Good night, baby. - I hold his arms as I close my eyes to sleep. In my dreams, all I can think is being his number one, not being the other girl anymore. I don't think it's fair for his girlfriend, for him or for me. But I guess this is the kind of thing we submit ourselves for love. I love him, even if he doesn't love me back the same way.

The End

Hope u guys liked!! ♥️♥️♥️

[woodlaflababab]

Listening to the song "If You Go Down (I'm Goin' Down Too)" and the general zukara vibes.

My favorite thing abt zukara is how gung ho they both are on violence and the way they support eachother in those endeavours. When they team up, somebody's ass gets kicked and I love them. 10/10 Power Couple.

Anyway, so listening to the song and it's fantastic and all about supporting your partner in crime.

However, there is one line that makes me laugh. I'm also a kataang shipper and very pro aang, but I'm still well aware of the part of the zutara fandom that's anti these things, so when the line "Hypothetically, if you ever kill your husband, hand on the bible I'll be lying through my teeth" came up, I immediately thought about zukara and a fun au came to mind based on the song

Some modern kinda dark au where Zuko or Katara are close friends and, like in the song, both end up having killed someone. They know about eachother's crimes, and continue to support eachother as they occasionally find other people they believe deserve to die.

(I can't see them as totally dark ToT I like to think most of the murders are misplaced righteousness, like the southern raiders would have been)

Anyway, Enter Aang, Katara's husband who's like, a cop or detective or smth. The kind of person where it'd be Real Fuckin Bad for him to find out, but he starts noticing things and gets closer and closer to sniffing them out. In this au, I like to think their marriage is kind of one of convenience. You know, childhood romance, everyone expects it of them, Aang's practically already adopted by Katara's family so the two of them are just like, sure, whatever, we'll get married for the benefits and whenever one of us falls in love, we can divorce. It just makes things easier.

Zuko has a repeated joke where he suggests Katara kill her husband. It's purely a joke bc of the cliche and he'll be like, "You need money? Kill your husband. Want people to give you free stuff? Kill your husband. Want a vacation? Kill your husband and collect life insurance."

However, Aang gets Too Close to finding them out and Katara promptly kills him. Not like, premeditated or angry, but just her finding herself in a corner and defaulting to murder jsbdjdndn

This scene comes to mind

Zuko looked down at the body, eyebrows raised. "Wow, I didn't think you'd actually do it."

A small grin graced him as Katara gave his shoulder a small shove. "Shut up, it's not like I had some ulterior motive. I just, well, I didn't have a whole lot of options. He was seconds away from putting two and two together."

Zuko put his arms up with a shrug. "I'm not judging."

"This was the kinder option. He'd be devastated if he found out." Katara continued to justify herself with a casualty in her tone.

Zuko nodded. "He can't be upset anymore."

"Exactly." Katara stamped the word into the air with a sense of finality. A few beats of silence passed as she stared at the corpse. "It's fine." She commented, not really directed at anything. "This is fine."

Zuko patted her shoulder in a tad awkward show of support. "It's fine." He confirmed for her.

Katara reached up to place her hand over Zuko's, their fingers lacing together over her shoulder.

"Hey," Zuko continued, "at least now you can collect life insurance."

Katara pressed her lips together to keep the small laugh from escaping.

"And it'll be so much easier if you uh, ever kill someone again. No sneaking around."

Rolling her eyes and bearing a smal grin, Katara pushed his hand off. "You're a bad influence."

An offended sound came from Zuko as Katara started moving to deal with the situation. "You're welcome, Katara, for dropping what I was doing to help hide your husband's body." He said dryly as he followed behind her to get supplies.

Their conversation fell away as they seperated to gather the familiar list of items, no communication needed between them.

When they came together to start cleaning, Katara paused for another long moment before commenting, "I'll miss him," a genuine sadness leaking into her tone.

"Yeah." Zuko dragged the word, tone unsure. "But uh, you don't have to divorce him now." The words hung in the air a moment before he continued, voice a little more questioning, "Saves you both a lot of work." He finished in attempted consolation.

Katara shook her head with a soft fond grin at Zuko's attempt. "Just help me move him."

"Okay." Zuko responded, visably relieved to be doing something easier than conversation.

Is it a little dark? Yeah, and they're both pretty ooc callous about it but I feel like they'd have to be to, you know, set a habit of murdering people. This is for comedy, not to be taken super seriously. I haven't done a voice study with them so idk exactly how they talk, just went off of what I remember, sorry if it's off.

I also like it for the idea of them stuck in such a cliche murder situation as they both now have to navigate investiagations. I feel like shenanigans would go down, some breaking and entering, Zuko and Katara answering questions at the same time but having opposite answers, that kind of thing.

"Oops, murdered my husband" au

[lu-dao-writes]

❝ [𝓑𝓻𝓪𝓽 𝓑𝓮𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓲𝓸𝓻 (𝐊𝐚𝐨𝐫𝐮 𝐒𝐚𝐤𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐤𝐢 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫)] ❞

【𝒮𝓊𝓂𝓂𝒶𝓇𝓎 】: He’s a brat and we all know it.

【𝒲𝒶𝓇𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔(𝓈)】: Very NSFW (so MDNI 🚪👈🏼), choking, BDSM dynamics, bratty/sub Kaoru/Cherry, dom Reader, name calling, ass slapping, bondage, no beta, maybe bad grammar.

【𝒜/𝒩】: I had to redo this because tags broke and I ain’t lettin my hard work not be shown. Reader is gender neutral and black coded, and no details are really there so that everyone can enjoy. I'm so sorry if it's awkward or shitty lmao. Also still just not used to writing reader insert stuff despite reading them often 🤪. Anyways! Apologies for my grammar and feedback is always appreciated! (Edited on 06/14/2022)

Kaoru got a mouth on him. You see the way he and Kojiro be goin’ at it?? He sassy as fuck and I rest my case 💁✨.

He very breedable too 🥴. Anyways.

It’s fairly obviously when Kaoru wants to play, it usually shows in his attitude and actions. He’ll be a bit clingy and needy, and you’ll establish your roles for the day. It’s cute as hell though since you’re used to Kaoru being so serious and professional, in control.

You wake up to pale, lean arms holding you close and soft lips pressing against your warm skin. A small, but sleepy smile appears on your face and you squeeze Kaoru’s arms, alerting him that you are awake now.

“Mornin’, Hon,” you yawn out, stretching your limbs.

“Good morning, my love,” your pink haired lover greets, pressing his face into the back of your neck, squeezing you a bit more before going back to giving your body more kisses.

You know what he wants, but you want him to tell you exactly everything that's in that pretty little head of his.

“Well, aren’t you being extra sweet this fine morning,” you coo teasingly, finally turning over to face him. His luscious pink hair is a bit of a mess, all in his pretty face so you push some strands away so that you can see those golden eyes. He gently grasps your wrist and rests his cheek against your palm, eyes fluttering shut as he hums a bit.

“Kaoruuuu~. Use your words, Pretty boy. I like hearing your voice,” you coo with a lovestruck smile.

He huffs and pouts a bit, eyes drifting away from you while a pink tint appears on his milky cheeks. “I’d like to be the sub today. I want to be spoiled and doted on,” he admits.

“Sure,” you agree, leaning in close and he looks so eager when he believes he’s getting a sweet kiss from you, but you ultimately end up kissing his nose, causing a slightly flat look to appear and you hold back a snort. “But you gotta earn it, Pretty boy~.”

Now onto his bratty behavior tho. Kaoru can be very demanding. Bold ass 😗.

Examples:

“Touch me.”

“Pay attention to me, would you?”

“Can you just fuck me already? Is this really more important than me?”

“(Y/N),” he purposefully calls smugly with an innocent smile, knowing he was supposed to call you with a more respectful title.

Besides being boldly vocal, he’ll also be touchy.

He’ll roam his skillful hands all over your body, definitely skimming across inappropriate areas.

While you scroll through your phone, you’re vaguely aware of Kaoru’s faint whining as he snuggles up against you, head rested against your chest. You were toying with his silky hair, giving him a crumb of attention and affection, but obviously it wasn’t enough. He squeezed you tighter, pressing his face harder into your chest and fussing more before finally growing impatient and takes it up a notch.

Slender fingers would eventually toy with your nipples, then squeeze at your chest before trailing down your stomach and towards your lap while his lips press against your jaw, neck, and collarbone, occasionally giving you a nip. It was difficult to hold back your sounds, only giving him soft sighs and very faint moans before eventually steeling yourself.

He’s cocky enough already.

Before his fingers could reach just there you grab ahold of his wrist and toss it back at him, giving him a look of faux disappointment.

“Doin’ too much now, Pretty boy.”

“Am I? You seemed to be enjoying yourself,” he scoffs with a smirk, reach back to touch you again, but you push his head back, smirking at his shocked and outraged look.

“Ah, ah! I think you’ve had enough now. Keep going and I’ll tie you up and leave you alone with a vibrator on the lowest setting.”

He only huffs and sits at the end of the couch, arms crossed and a pout on his face. It’s very amusing and yes, you get a few pictures in.

Some pet names for him. Kinda irrelevant kinda not.

Pretty boy makes him melt hard. Sometimes you call him Princess when he’s being fussy or demanding, and whenever he’s doing too much you’ll sometimes call him a Bitch baby/boy. Also likes it if you call him your Bitch.

Kaoru also will try to wear more eye-catching things and he hardly hides what he’s trying to do.

He’ll also strike poses and do mischievous things and then act innocent about it.

You damn near crash into Kaoru when he suddenly stops and bends down suddenly, his ass perfectly pressed up against you and you’re tempted to grip his hips so tightly that they’ll bruise.

“Whoops, silly me~!” he states innocently, but you can hear him grinning devilishly. He stands tall again and flashes you a sweet, closed eyed smile. “Sorry about that. Thought I saw something.”

“Right,” you drawled, smiling knowingly, the feeling of his ass still being fresh in your mind. You’re gonna tear that up later~.

Sometimes as a small treat- but also as a punishment- you’ll choke slam him into the wall, and he absolutely loves it. Gets him quivering and his dick all hard.

Go ahead and humiliate him too, it ruins him more, and that breedable look becomes more and more apparent~.

Then to make it funny- and if you wanna punish him- you let him go and you go on with ya business. He’s so incredibly weak and upset and starts showin out more.

Kaoru let’s out a sharp gasp as his back forcibly hits the wall and he doesn’t get to catch his breath due to your grip on his neck. His milky cheeks flushing pink and he feels his dick throb, marveling in your glare and the irritated twist in your lips.

“I’m gettin' real sick and tired of your bratty attitude, Bitch boy.”

"O-oh yeah? Then do something to fix it," he sasses back with a shaky grin, pupils blown out.

"Maybe I will~," you purr, gripping him a bit tighter and feeling a rush of joy as he trembles a bit more in your hold. Then you let him go, turning away from him. "But I'm not up for entertaining a desperate little slut right now."

Oh how wide your smirk is as you hear him sputter out nonsense, clearly frustrated and needy.

One last lil spicy thing 🌶🥵.

If you're down for it, Kaoru will go around and flirt with others to purposely rile you up. Nothing too overboard of course.

Just being more coy, lightly touching others, getting attention, etc, etc. And of course, that ass is yours and you wreck it the first chance you get~!

You revel in the sight of Kaoru’s naked and shaking form, ass in the air and all red from your striking, and beads of pearly liquid dripping down from the head of his throbbing cock and down onto his restrained wrists. His hair is an absolute disarray, and a bit of drool drips from the corner of his mouth, his pretty eyes all watery but filled with absolute lust.

He’s truly a work of art. A masterpiece if you will.

You smirk and reach forward, gripping those pretty pink tresses of his and make him look up at you, a small whimper escaping him.

“Think you learned your lesson yet, little slut?”

“Y-Yes… Y-Yes, (Dom Title).”

“So, you know now that this-,” you reach over and sharply smack his ass again- earning a beautiful cry the man below you- and tightly grip a redden cheek. “Is mine? That you are mine?”

“Yes..! Yes, it’s yours! I-I’m all yours!”

“That’s my good little Bitch~,” your coo, leaning down to give him a kiss, something he eagerly accepts.

Ain’t he just cute?☺️

But that's it! Hope you all enjoyed! Really tried to put meat up in this for y’all😳🥺🥴.

[not-so-unusual]

Coming out hcs? Like I'm sorry all of them are queer so how did they tell each other. I feel like ocean in particular has some internalized stuff goin on

YESS I LOVE ALL MY GAY CHOIR MEMBERS! I'm gonna go in order of who came out first :)

Noel Gruber

Noel didn't really have to 'come out' as much, everyone could already sort of...sense it in him.

There's even a part in the musical when it says his mum knew from a young age and that he was told to 'dial it back' so we can assume everyone always knew.

Ricky Potts

I feel like Ricky would be very open with his sexuality and wouldn't see it as something to be concerned about people knowing, especially his friends.

"It's just who I am"

I cant see anyone being extremely shocked over Ricky coming out, he was already extremely open regarding his romantic self (when people listen to him).

It was probably when he was around 14-15 when he found the term pansexual and was like "...yeah that's me." And subsequently told everyone the next day.

He was quite calm about it.

"Hey I'm pansexual guys"

Penny Lamb

Penny again is quite the blunt person I like to think. If she thinks something is right she will just downright tell you.

Hers came as more of a shock to the choir (mostly because hey forgot she was behind them)

She started looking into it after Ricly came put to everyone and subsequently found out that gay and straight aren't aren't only ones (so she was probably 15).

After a bit of digging and a bit of time for self-reflection, she blurts out an "I'm bisexual" in the middle of choir warm-up.

Mischa Bachinski

Everything changed when same love dropped for mischa. Suddenly homopobia was no more for him.

Ukraine (and most Eastern European countries) tend to be quite homophobic, so he always sort of hid his feelings regarding men when he was home. After coming to Canada however, he was more able to express and understand himself.

He felt sort of scared when he realised he was bisexual and poly , sure he had Penny but they never really talked.

It took a while for him to finally come out to the choir, but they were all there to support him.

Mischa: "I don't think I just like women, men are cool too...maybe I'm just a really big ally?"

Noel: "Mischa no"

Constance Blackwood

I feel like Constance would have realised when she was younger (I headcannon her as pansexual) but due to the environment of Uranium, she was...hesitant.

She quickly realised that she had a crush on Ocean, and that was terrifying. She saw how Ocean would look away awkwardly when Mischa or Noel would talk about their celebrity crushes.

It made her feel...shitty, and really hesitant.

Eventually, however, It just became too much to keep to herself. So when she got home after a long day of school, she just dropped a quick "I'm pansexual" in the choir group chat, turned her phone on silent and went to go and help her parents un the cafe.

When she got home later in the evening, she looked through her phone anxiously only to see the top message from ocean being.

"I'm happy for you, Connie. I love you 💛💖💙"

And she subsequently cried that night (of joy).

Ocean O'connell Rosenberg

Enternalised homophobia goes hard with this one.

She grew up with an open family, however the need to be like other kids made her become very...conservative to be likeable.

She always knew she was a lesbian, but she was sort of scared..of herself?

Literally scared of being gay because she already felt different and isolated, she just wants to be excepted by everyone.

Everyone already knows when she comes out, she sitts them all down, unfolds her peice of paper and sniffles out a

"I've known this for a long time now, and I'm sorry for treating you all the way I did. I'm a lesbian." And brakes down crying

Immediately hugs from everyone and reassurance that it's okay and that they knew she was gay already so they never took it to heart.

An instant "wait what?"

Noel: 'did you think we didn't know? The closet is glass, Ocean. We all waste how you look at Constance anyways😒"

Ocean:"I DONT LIKE CONSTANCE-well, I mean YEAH I do but not like that!-"

[eternal-armin]

this is home.

during one of your most stressed moments, jinx checks up on you- and you're finally able to talk to her. reader: male. [d/n] = dead name.

you had been through plenty of stressful situations. you were basically jinx's mini-me, you accompanied her everywhere, of course you'd been through a lot. but for some reason this... this confusion brought you so, so, so much more stress.

you'd been pacing for god-knows-how-long at this point. from your shoulders hung a baggy sweater, concealing your body. one of your hands rubbed the back of your head, up and down, feeling the shaggy, hastily-cut hair. jinx had been giving you weird looks about it ever since you took the scissors to it. even if she asked, you adamantly avoided the question.

why were you about to cry? what the fuck?

good god, you were a mess. the thoughts in your mind were so loud it just went right back to sounding like static. you desperately wanted to talk to jinx about all this because you always talked to jinx about stuff, but that just heightened your anxiety. what would she say? what would she think? you knew her well, but you also knew she was unpredictable.

obviously.

"heyy, honeybun?"

you stopped in your tracks at the sound of her voice. your body chilled. "y-" you cleared your throat, "yeah? what- what's up?"

"can i come innn?" she sang. you cursed under your breath. her tone was indecipherable.

how badly you wanted to say no.

"sure. come on in."

the door swung open. simply seeing jinx brought you some degree of comfort, though it didn't do much to make you feel better for real. your stomach still mercilessly churned and yelled at you. your head still screamed.

"hey, cutie-patooty! what'cha doing?" jinx greeted you, at first, with a big smile. though it quickly disappeared. "you okay? you look super stressed."

"i-i mean, i am," you forced a laugh. she narrowed her eyes at you, scrunching her nose slightly.

"why?"

that one word made you want to throw up. you looked away, crossing your arms tight across your bound chest. "i- i don't- i'm... nothing."

"that's just an obvious lie, toots! if ya don't wanna tell me, just say so, okay?"

"that's the- that's the damn problem! you're my girlfriend, i wanna tell you, out of everyone i should tell you, but i-i- i just can't, right now, okay? can- just leave me alone right now. please?" the moment you raised your voice, you flinched, shutting yourself up. you never liked even slightly raising your voice. it wasn't even that loud! but in your mangled mind it sounded like a scream.

"hey, hey, hey! woah, sweets, what is goin' on? hey, look at me, okay? look at me." her touch was so gentle. it immediately made your eyes brim with tears. jinx made you look at her, her eyes glimmering with a strangely worried look. it looked so strange.

"j-jinx, really, i-... i can't talk about this." your voice trembled painfully. each syllable was fighting back sobs.

"[d/n]-"

"don't- don't call me that right now!"

shock took over her expression. for a moment, her brows furrowed, confused and perhaps slightly weirded out by your behavior. "okay, okay! jeez, toots, what's goin' on with you? you chop off all your hair, throw out most'a your clothes, all the wrap bandages've gone missing- what's happening? no matter what, you can talk with me, y'know."

"how do i know that for sure? you know better than anyone that people... people lie! a-and i don't- i don't know if you'll lie to me!" though tears spilled down your red cheeks, the sobs stopped at your throat. it hurt like hell.

"i would never lie to you! i swear, i swear! i'll swear on whatever ya want me to! look in my eyes!"

your gaze met hers. the pure worry you were met with still confused you, coming from jinx. but it comforted you. not a lot, but maybe just enough.

"i won't ever betray your trust, sweetheart. okay? i promise. i swear. i vow on all the gods! a'right? so just tell me what's goin' on. i will help you." perhaps that worry was double-sided. what did she think was going on? your heart ached, making her fear this much for you. did she think you betrayed her, betrayed zaun? did she think you harmed yourself or someone else? well, you had done that.

"i-i... i don't, i don't feel right in this fff... fucking body. i hate it. i hate it so much. i'm not a goddamn- i'm not a girl! and i'm not [d/n]! i don't- i don't even know who i am and it hurts and i don't like this life anymore!" you found yourself rambling, breaking down. never before had you been this vulnerable with jinx and you didn't like it. you were bearing your soul to someone who could still hurt you upon seeing what it really was.

"hey, hey, it's okay, toots. it's alright. can- can y'breathe for me? breathe with me, okay? like you taught me to. in and out, yeah?" trying your best to keep from hyperventilating, you breathed with her, harshly wiping your tears with your sleeve.

"you aren't a girl. and that's- that's perfectly fine! you aren't a girl. you aren't [d/n]. why would i ever deny you that?"

those words made you wanna cry again. maybe you should've expected jinx, of all people, to accept you. yet you'd managed to convince yourself she wouldn't.

"i-i... don't know. i was just- i was just so scared that... i would tell you this and you would... hate me. or you would call me crazy." you sniffled, trying to fight back another wave of tears. jinx pulled you into a tight hug which you could barely return, gently stroking the back of your head with her fingertips, letting you cry into her shoulder.

"i don't think i have the right to call anyone crazy!" jinx joked. and you laughed. never before had she been so relieved to hear that heavenly sound, be it cloaked in stress and cries or not. "but this ain't crazy, sweets. this is you. you aren't a girl! so... are ya a boy?"

"y-yeah."

"nice! so i have a handsome li'l boyfriend! and i love ya just the same, i always will, no matter what you identify as. you're you! you're- uh... what's your name?" her words were lined with the bubbly tone you were used to. just that could heal your heartache. soften the blow of dysphoria.

"uhm... [y/n]." you answered hesitantly.

"[y/n]," jinx echoed. "that's a perfect name for ya." you hugged her a little tighter, and she could feel you smile against her shoulder.

"i love you, [y/n]. a'right? you're you, my precious honey bunny!" she cupped your cheeks, pulling away from you to be able to look at you. even when you looked stressed, tired, worried, all of the above- she still wanted to gaze at your perfect face.

"my precious sugar cookie honey bunny sweetheart pumpkin cutie pie!" she sprinkled your face and lips with kisses, trying and succeeding in making you smile and giggle. "i love you! always and forever, just like before, alright?"

"i love you too," you managed, sniffling for the last time. gazing at her, there was the familiar, overflowing love you were used to. it hadn't changed. maybe it grew a little.

"of course ya do!" she giggled, pulling you in for another tight hug. "so! how about we go see some'n to get your hair properly taken care of, huh? i mean, don't get me wrong, i love the uneven look. but my pretty boy deserves a proper first-time haircut!"

the pure euphoria.

"i-i mean, yeah. what- do you think anyone will... bother either of us for me being..." you trailed off.

"sweets, they won't have the chance. if anyone even looks at ya funny, i'm gonna see to it that they can't look at you again!"

you couldn't help but laugh a little. "thank you."

"it's the least i could do, [y/n]. you're mine, i gotta take care a'ya. and no matter what you need, i'll get it for you. okay? no matter who i need to bribe to smuggle it in." she pressed a few kisses to the top of your head, swaying you both back and forth.

"i love you so much. g-god, i'm lucky."

"i love you more, precious!"

[jujulebee]

"I'll just... try again tomorrow, I like... I don't have the energy for this right now."

So crushingly boring. But why? She'd been looking forward to this for like. Weeks. Her schedule was clear and she didn't have anything else to do so... why was even staring at the digital canvas trying to figure out how to sketch something up just so... boring?

Dolls and Jules are both fast asleep by now, surely, and Sam doesn't get off work for another five hours.

I'm not about to encourage Aurora to do drugs just so I can get a fix and abandon her halfway through the night to fuck some stranger. Diana is a hard no, I'm never drinking from her, not a chance. Johnny and Lily were never even options. Almost everyone at the Red Room is kindred, so it's not like I can drink from them. They'd need to drink from someone else first to get fucked up anyway.

Neri's kindred. Lyn's kindred. Noah and Sammy too. None of my online friends are options.

Maybe I can hit up one of my twitch mods? Probably not. I know Day's been sick for the past few days, I don't want to bug them. Fersen's too far away for this time of night, same with Darren. Audrey's a possibility but she's usually busy with work at this time of night.

Frustration finally boils over and she pushes herself away from the desk, dropping her pen in the process. She watches it uselessly clatter to the floor as she slowly slides across the floor, stopping when her chair wheels hit the fluffy carpet near her bed.

"I'm hungry."

There's no one in the room to hear her speak. She stays there for a few silent seconds before she groans out loudly in frustration.

"I'm so sick of being mopey! One day is, like, way too fucking long!" She stands suddenly and stomps towards the master bathroom, flicking on the lights and suffering a mini-final-death when the vanity bulbs burn away the darkness of the room.

If she can't drink off her friends she'll just party sober.

Dress how you want to feel Honey Bonnie Azrael. This mopey shit isn't you. You're a fucking ray of sunshine strong enough to be weaponized against kindreds!

It takes an hour but she's fixed up the quick slopjob she'd done earlier on her makeup. Another 30 and she's dressed, hair pulled up in a messy ponytail. She grabs her backpack and bat and stomps towards the door, pulling it open with every ounce of unpacked aggression in her body barely contained.

"Oh!" Lily stands, hand raised to knock, flinching back when the door swings open. Him living there is still so new for them both, it's not too surprising that that fact escaped her mind. They stand there blinking at each other for a moment before they both untense. He's the first to speak, quiet and reserved. "I uh... I d-didn't realise y-you were goin' out, um."

Damage control goes into overdrive and she flashes a bright smile, hooking her bat in her backpack so she can wave both hands, "Nah nah nah, not for anything important! What's up Lily?"

He narrows his eyes just a bit, almost imperceptibly, untrusting in her honesty. He watched her develop that smile. He knows when it's not real. He's the reason that smile exists, for better or worse. "... Do you want to check out the car show nearby? It ain't very far. I... heard they've got some cool neon stuff I think you'd like."

There's a panic that rises in her chest when she watches her little brother shrink in on himself slightly, unsure, reclusive. She doesn't hesitate to answer, excitedly accepting, "Yeah of course! That sounds supes cool!" He relaxes a bit at that, and she'd breathe a sigh of relief if her chest didn't feel too tight to make the empty motion, "Do you know all the cars that are gonna be there?"

"Y-yeah I think so!" He looks a bit excited by the question, following her as she moves past, "I-I don't think ya even need t'change clothes, really, t-the folks I saw online seemed t'be in that kinda crowd. A-an' if I do see a car that wasn't talked about on the website," He continues, grabbing a leather jacket she'd stolen from their Uncle years ago, "I'll definitely know it."

"Ooooh, Lily over here with the super cool knowledge of all things cars!" Honey says, her grin finally genuine, at least for the most part. "You're gonna tell me all about'em right?"

"Yeah! Absolutely."

She giggles and waits for him to don the jacket to open the door for him, following out behind and locking the door as securely as she can.

This is by far the better option for how her night could have gone.

[imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl]

I Need You

A/N: This was found on Pinterest, so if you're the owner, let me know so I can give you the credits.

Pairing: Daryl Dixon X Reader

Word count: 2 K

Requested by anons: 1- I'm like super in love with a certain Daryl Dixon and I was wondering if you could write about them getting into a big argument and they like avoid eachother for a while (super angsty if you care lol) and then Carol and Rick just kinda make yall talk and it ends fluffy? 2 - Can i request a daryl x reader where the reader’s been with the group since atlanta, maybe set during when they’re at the prison?? daryl realizes he has a crush on the reader and just p a n i c s ? and just really sweet fluff????

Summary: After you almost get bit, Daryl loses his mind and lashes out on you. Tired of the constant arguments, the group finds a way to out you two together to try and fix things up.

{The Walking Dead Masterlist}

×

“Yer almost got bit!” Daryl shouts, voice echoing through the prison. “Yer too damn stubborn, yer not goin’ on runs anymore.” He has his back at you as you follow him, struggling to keep his pace.

“I had everything under control.” You complain, ignoring Carol's questioning stare.

You, Daryl, and Maggie went on a run earlier today. Not too far, just to get some more formula for Judith. A walker fell from the roof, and it happened to be on a specific place Daryl told you not to go. The thing's teeth got a little too close to your arm, and Daryl shot an arrow through its head.

“Ya sure did!” He stops, turning around and pointing a finger at you. “If I weren't near ya, I'd be carryin’ ya back here with a freakin’ bite.” His voice gets louder, and you never saw Daryl so... Angry. So pissed. He's scaring you. “Or would ya have me cut her damn arm off? How does that sound?”

“Stop yelling at me!” You burst out, giving his chest a push.

“I'll stop yellin’ when ya understand how stupid and dangerous that was!” He steps forward, towering over you and you never felt so small.

“We needed those antibiotics!”

“Well, I freakin’ need ya. I need ya alive! Alive and well and breathin’.” Daryl shouts, right at your face. But the moment the words come out, he stops, stepping back. He seems confused, taken aback by something. “Screw that, I need a break from savin’ yer ass.” And then, he leaves, walking fast.

Huffing, you turn around, going to your cell.

You take the longest shower you can, washing the sweat and all the disgusting things the dead left on your skin. But most of the time, you were already done, dressed, and dried. You just wanted to be away from everyone. But eventually, you have to walk out. And of course, Carol finds you on your way back to your cell.

“(Y/N), I–”

“Daryl is such an asshole.” You say cutting her off and dropping on bed. “Did you see that? Did you see how he yelled at me? As if he has the right to do so.” Getting back up you pace around.

“I just think–”

“You know what? He can go to hell.” Throwing both hands in the air, you complain. “He and his crossbow, and-and his super hot stare and the stupid angel wings vest. And the bike too. All it. Straight to hell!”

“Aren't you just–”

“Uhg! Damn it.” Crossing your arms, you sigh. “Did you hear him forbidding me to go on runs?” With your hands now on your hips, you stare at Carol. “As if! Who the hell does he think he is? My boyfriend? To hell with him.”

“Will you let me talk?”

“Sure, go ahead.” Shrugging your shoulders, you nod.

But she doesn't say anything, she just takes a deep breath and shakes her head lightly. “Look, why don't you calm down first, and then we talk.” Carol gestured at the bed and you sit down, sighing. “Good... Try to relax and deal with it after a good night's sleep.”

“I could sleep a thousand years and I'd still be mad at Daryl.” You mutter as she leaves, lying on your back with your eyes closed.

You don't know where all this anger comes from, but it's always there, waiting to flow out. You do care about him, maybe too much, but it doesn't mean he gets to yell and boss you around like that. “Asshole!” You shout one last time, arms crossing as you drown in anger.

“I saw it,” Daryl exclaims, pacing around the guard tower, breathing and talking fast. “I saw her dyin’. I saw that thing bitin’ her, tearin’ her flesh.”

“She's fine, Daryl. You don't have to keep thinking about it.” Rick tries to calm him down, both hands raised at the archer.

“No, ya don't understand.” It's useless though. Daryl is a mess. He got into the shower as soon as (Y/N) got out, rubbing the walker's blood out of his skin. But after that, he went straight to Rick because he needs to vent. He needs to yell and understand why he feels so damn scared.

Why he feels like a switch was turned on, lighting up something that was there all along, but only now was brought to light.

Losing anyone from his group, from his family would hurt bad.

But he just found out that losing her would be far worse.

“I her dyin’, man.” He slows down, both hands on his head. “I saw her dyin’ and–”

“You love her.”

“What the hell, Rick?” He snaps, a hand violently gesturing at his friend.

“You might not want to admit it, but it's true. You know it.” Rick nods, a hand casually resenting on his holster. “We all know it since Atlanta. She loves you too.”

Daryl grunts, turning his back at Rick. “Yer crazy. And so is she.”

“You should sit and talk like civilized people.”

“I ain't gonna talk to her. Crazy chick.” He mutters, grabbing his crossbow a bit tighter. “She ain't goin’ on runs anymore. At least not without me.”

“Daryl–”

“Gotta go.” The archer cuts him off, leaving the guard tower at a fast pace.

He didn't like the ideas Rick put in his head.

“Rick wants to make a room for Carl and Judith on the second floor,” Carol says as you climb the stairs next to her. “So we're cleaning up the cells.”

“Alright.” You don't really want to help. Not today at least. The nap you took didn't help much with the last issue, and you're considering going out tomorrow, just to clear your head a bit. “What do you need me to do?”

“We're just setting things up.”

“Mmm.” You mutter, running a hand through your hair as you follow her pace. Carol takes you to the very back of the corridor, to a pretty isolated cell. “You gonna put the kids here? This cell sucks. It's too–” You stop talking when you see Daryl inside, eyes-rolling. “Look, I won't help if he helps.” It sounds childish, but you don't care. You're far too pissed at the man to be near him.

“Look, I don't care if you guys argued.” Rick walks over you, friendly touching your arm. “You two just have to get your shkt together.” And you're suddenly pushed, almost stumbling inside the cell.

“What the hell?” You shout, but the moment you move, Rick pulls the bars close locking you inside. “Rick, drop it. I'm not joking.” Holding the bars, you shoot him and Carol an angry stare. “Open up.”

“There are blankets and dinner will be brought to you,” Carol says, arms crossed. “We did that because it's the only way to force you guys to talk.”

“Yeah. You'll have the whole night to figure out whatever has you both always at each other's throat.” Rick adds, sliding the key into his pocket. “Have a nice time.”

And like that, both jerks leave, talking something you can't hear. Sighing, you lay your forehead on the cold metal bars, not wanting to look at your company for the night.

“Yer can take the bed.” He says after a while.

“Obviously.” You're quick to snap. “It's your fault we're here in the first place.”

“How's that?”

“If you didn't come back from the run making a hell of a show about something that didn't even happen, we wouldn't be locked up in here.” Turning around, with both hands on your hips, you stare at him.

“If ya had listened to me, ya wouldn't have–”

“And why in the hell do I have to listen to you, Dixon? I know my way out there as well as you do.”

“ ‘Cause I jus’ wanna keep ya safe.” He's yelling again, stepping forward.

“Stop acting like I mean anything to you!” With a finger on his face, you move closer to him. You wish you could look intimidating, but being so small, that's very difficult.

“Maybe ya do mean somethin’ ta’ me! How could ya know that if ya never ask!”

“Well, I–” The answer is cut short when your furious brain processes what he just said. Furrowing your eyebrows together, you shrug your shoulders. “What do you mean?”

“Nothin’.”

“Daryl, what do you mean?” Raising your voice again, you follow him as he moves further into the cell. “What would you answer if I ask?”

“I ain't gonna answer.”

“Daryl–”

“I ain't gonna answer!” He shouts again, turning around to look at you.

Taking a deep breath, you sit on the edge of the bed, folding a leg under you. “Do you hate me?”

“What?”

“Do you hate me, Daryl?” Your voice is lower now because you do want to know.

He remains silent for a while, those blue eyes locked on yours. “No.”

“Then why–”

“I can't lose ya.” He bursts out, eyes now looking at the floor. “At that moment back there, I... I saw it happenin’. I saw ya dyin’, and I... I can't lose ya. I can't see ya gettin’ hurt.”

His voice is so low you can barely hear it. You've never seen Daryl so... Scared. Vulnerable. “You can't protect me all the time, Daryl. Accidents happen.”

“I can. I can keep ya safe if ya listen to me.” You're about to protest when Daryl comes to sit next to you, eyes on the wall across the cell. “I know ya can survive out there. But my mind works in a thousand different ways ta’ get stuff done without anyone gettin’ hurt. I need ya ta’ trust me. Ta’ believe I can keep ya safe.”

“But I need you to believe me too. To believe I can do this.” Turning your body towards him, you friendly touches his arm. “Daryl, I... I like you... A lot. And I admire you, I trust you. You taught me so much and I need you to trust me. I promise I'll be more careful, but I need you to–”

“Don't go out there without me.” He suddenly says, voice heavy. “I trust ya. Yer brave and strong. But if ya go out there and I can't keep my eyes on ya... I'll lose my damn mind.”

“Alright.” Nodding, you sigh, smiling a little. “Just don't yell at me again, Daryl Dixon.”

“Yer almost died and I... Damn it, (Y/N), –”

“I like you too, Dixon.” Standing up to your feet, you smile, looking down at him. “You don't have to say if you don't want to, just... Let's get this over with. The world is a freaking mess and if you like me and I like you we should be together.” You can't believe you're saying this, after so long. But it feels good. You feel good, secure. “Just let me know what you want.”

“Ya.”

“Me?”

“Yeah.” He nods, blue eyes locked on yours.

“Alright.” Mirroring his head movement, you clear your throat, cheeks burning. After a few seconds of silence, you walk to the bars. “RICK! CAROL! Daryl and I are dating now, can we go?” You yell, and the low chattering downstairs goes silent.

“Would it be so bad ta' stay locked in here with me for a night?” Daryl asks, and you turn around, biting your lip to hold back a smile.

“Absolutely not.” Shrugging your shoulders, you slowly move to the bed, climbing on and lying down. “I'm actually sleepy and it's cold so it'll be nice to have someone to warm me up at night.”

“Don't push it.”

“I'm not.” Giggling, you feel as he lies down, close enough so his shoulder is touching your back. “Night, D. It was good to sort things out with you.”

“Good night, pretty girl.” He mutters and you smile, eyes closing and sleep easily overcoming you, thanks to the amazing feeling of having Daryl lying next to you.

[f4liveblogarchives]

Fantastic Four Vol 1 #296

Fri Feb 4 2022 [08:41 PM] Umbramatic: that's a lotta pencils [08:41 PM] Wack'd: It's the 25th anniversary issue and they've celebrated by inviting everyone [08:41 PM] maxwellelvis: The fuck was goin' on over there-- ah [08:41 PM] Umbramatic: ooooh [08:41 PM] Wack'd: Before we get to plot stuff, have some commemorative essays [08:44 PM] Wack'd: Stan Lee: "Who amongus has not nurtured a secret desire to see Reed Richards stretch further than he's able? Who has not been tempted to shout 'it's clobberin' time!' when no one's looking? Who wouldn't love to have a fire extinguisher near at haand the next time Johnny Storm shouts 'flame on'? And what red-blooded American youth hasn't wished that he had met the stunning Invisible Girl before ol' Stretcho latched onto her?" [08:44 PM] Wack'd: sigh Never change, Stan [08:45 PM] Wack'd: Stan also requests that if you like the issue, praise him, and if you don't, blame Jim Shooter [08:45 PM] Wack'd: I don't think anyone has ever needed permission to blame Jim Shooter [08:47 PM] Bocaj: It’s easy and productive, as long as you don’t do it in person. Man is an actual giant [08:47 PM] maxwellelvis: "Hey, aren't you the guy who sank Ultra Comics and Malibu Comics?" "FE FI FO FUM!" [08:49 PM] Wack'd: And now, Jim Shooter's considerably shorter essay [08:49 PM] Wack'd: Mostly just about how he loves Marvel and Stan and how this issue made him realize what a great responsibility he has as editor in chief [08:49 PM] Wack'd: And now: comics! [08:50 PM] Wack'd: We open with Ben Grimm sullenly walking through the rain. In the middle of the road [08:51 PM] Wack'd: A car hits him [08:51 PM] Umbramatic: that poor car [08:51 PM] Wack'd: Indeed [08:52 PM] Wack'd: The driver steps out to berate Ben but Ben is in no mood. The driver is frightened. Ben tells him to leave but the guy can't drive away, the fender is crammed into the wheels. So Ben pulls the fencer off [08:53 PM] Wack'd: I do want to emphasize this is all…surprisingly quiet and understated? It's a funny situation but Ben isn't, like, quipping or loudly angry [08:53 PM] Wack'd: He's extremely terse [08:54 PM] Wack'd: Not really what I was expecting from a Stan Lee script at all

[08:55 PM] Wack'd: We go through the origin again. I won't bore you. I recognize enough issue #1 stuff to know that this isn't, like, a huge retcon or anything [08:56 PM] Bocaj: Did they all put their hands in the middle? [08:56 PM] Wack'd: Yeah, and Ben does "I'm what Susan called me--the Thing!" and Reed says "And I'll call myself--Mr. Fantastic!" [08:56 PM] Bocaj: That’s what I’m here for [08:57 PM] maxwellelvis: What we all came here for [08:57 PM] Wack'd: Ben mopes a bit about how he'll always be a monster [08:57 PM] Wack'd: And then, in a cutaway to later, charters a plane to deposit him on Monster Island, which he reckons is where he belongs [08:58 PM] Wack'd: When I say deposit I mean he literally jumps out into the middle of the ocean while the pilot begs him not to because he has so much to live for, so until that coastline comes into view it kiiiiiinda plays like Ben's killing himself???? [08:58 PM] Umbramatic: oh geez [08:59 PM] Wack'd: What the absolute fuck happened to Stan Lee between 1971 and 1986 [08:59 PM] Bocaj: That may have coincided with one of the times he went out to Hollywood and lost a significant chunk of everything [09:00 PM] Wack'd: Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Reed fires the 4 signal flare! Buy a beeper, Reed, gosh [09:01 PM] maxwellelvis: --- "Big" Bob Pataki [09:01 PM] Wack'd: Sue is about to give a speech at a charity fundraiser when she spots the flare, and declares to the crowd "I'll keep my message short and sweet: give til it hurts!" before turning invisible and rushing off [09:02 PM] Wack'd: Johnny and Alicia are at an auto show. The whole gang's in LA looking for Ben, but Johnny admits he's procrastinating because he feels guilty about Alicia [09:03 PM] Wack'd: Also Alicia tells Johnny that she "loves hearing you describe the autos," which is hilariously clunky [09:04 PM] Wack'd: Johnny and Sue arrive at…I guess Reed has rented a hotel room? But it's pretty spacious and he's cluttered it up with science junk [09:04 PM] Wack'd: See, Reed's tracked down Ben's pilot friend, who tells them about Ben's self-exile [09:05 PM] Wack'd: The pilot angrily tells them that it's all their fault he's exiled himself since they never sympathized with his plight and rubbed their good fortune in his face, and the best thing they can do is stay far away from Ben [09:06 PM] Umbramatic: i [09:06 PM] Bocaj: And then it was a short issue [09:06 PM] Wack'd: You joke but we get another timeskip and the entire gang has returned to New York [09:06 PM] Bocaj: … [09:06 PM] Bocaj: Welp [09:07 PM] Umbramatic: o h [09:09 PM] Wack'd: Hey, its our first real good look at 4 Freedoms

[09:09 PM] Umbramatic: that sure is a 4 [09:11 PM] Bocaj: I want a cutaway [09:11 PM] Wack'd: So do I [09:11 PM] Bocaj: What secrets does that 4 hold [09:10 PM] Wack'd: Inside, Jen and Wyatt are exercising and talking about how the original Four are so tight knit, and as a result won't let them in on what that old pilot said or what they're feeling right now. Wyatt wishes he could help, while Jen says she "loves them and respects them" for that bond [09:12 PM] Wack'd: Wyatt tries to segue from talking about the Four's familial love to his feelings for Jen, but Jen cuts him off [09:12 PM] Wack'd: "Hey! I thought heap big injun chiefs were men of few words." *siiiiiiiigh* [09:12 PM] Bocaj: Goddammit Jen [09:12 PM] Umbramatic: yikes! [09:13 PM] Bocaj: You’re a sex pest, you’re a racist. I don’t like these sides of you [09:13 PM] Bocaj: Speed run to being your best funny meme self pls [09:14 PM] Wack'd: She did get a funny meme moment earlier but it was immediately after the pilot bummed everyone out so it didn't land

[09:14 PM] Bocaj: Ha [09:15 PM] Wack'd: Johnny is off trying to break out of his own sulking by busting up a bank robbery, but it's too easy and he's immediately back to self-recrimination over how he's treated Ben [09:17 PM] Wack'd: Hi Franklin! It's been a hot second, huh? But now that the audience has been reassured you haven't been forgotten, it's time for you to go away again. Bye Franklin!

[09:18 PM] Umbramatic: -yeets the child out of the narrative- [09:18 PM] maxwellelvis: Why does Franklin look like a blond Alfred E. Newman? [09:18 PM] Wack'd: Blame whoever this page's artist is, I guess [09:20 PM] Bocaj: So that’s what the power pack powerpod power cast means when they talk about Sue and Reed neglecting Franklin so much that the power pack book absorbed him [09:18 PM] Wack'd: Sue I don't see how this is different from Reed's usual behavior

[09:20 PM] Wack'd: So Reed says if he'd only remembered this week was the anniversary of the rocket crash, he might've known to look for Ben at the crash site, and could've talked Ben out of exiling himself [09:21 PM] Bocaj: Ben: “That’s the last time he fergets our anniversary” [09:21 PM] Wack'd: And Sue comes to an absolutely bonkers conclusion [09:22 PM] Wack'd: See, Ben knew when he'd mope about being the Thing, it ate Reed up inside emotionally. Therefore Ben wanted Reed to suffer [09:22 PM] Wack'd: And the only thing to do is stop begging for Ben to come back every time he runs off and cut ties for good [09:22 PM] Umbramatic: wha [09:22 PM] Umbramatic: I DON'T [09:23 PM] Wack'd: It's some hot nonsense, yeah [09:24 PM] Wack'd: Sue's little speech somehow strengthens Reed's resolve to go to Monster Island and talk things out with Ben [09:24 PM] Wack'd: Johnny wants to come to because guilt [09:24 PM] Wack'd: And Sue wants to come because…???? [09:25 PM] Bocaj: It seems like everyone is taking the opposite conclusions and double negativing themselves into maybe good decisions? [09:25 PM] Umbramatic: as one does??? [09:25 PM] Wack'd: The dialogue may be more modern but here is the firm grasp on human behavior we all know Stan Lee for [09:26 PM] Wack'd: And so Reed, Sue, and Johnny take off without Jen, Wyatt, and Alicia [09:26 PM] Wack'd: Jen and Wyatt are cool with it [09:26 PM] Wack'd: Alicia is pissed [09:27 PM] Wack'd: Turns out she maybe has some stake in this??? Whoda thunk [09:28 PM] Wack'd: Reed, Sue, and Johnny arrive on Monster Island and are immediately beset upon by monsters [09:28 PM] Wack'd: Fight fight fight [09:28 PM] Bocaj: They should have used the Repel [09:28 PM] Bocaj: Only way to not be bothered by monsters pocket or otherwise while walking around [09:29 PM] maxwellelvis: Are you going to show us how these monsters have evolved since the Kirby days? [09:29 PM] maxwellelvis: Or are these all new monsters? [09:29 PM] Umbramatic: oh i love pokemon legends arceus [09:29 PM] Wack'd: They're all pretty boring looking honestly. Just buff dudes with slightly weird heads and off-spec colors [09:30 PM] Umbramatic: ah, machokes [09:30 PM] maxwellelvis: Where's Giganto? [09:30 PM] Wack'd: Not present [09:30 PM] Wack'd: Sue gets damseled immediately and needs Reed to explain to her how to use her powers to get out of trouble because of course [09:30 PM] Bocaj: Ffffffff [09:30 PM] Wack'd: NEVER CHANGE, STAN [09:30 PM] maxwellelvis: How can you go to Monster Island without Giganto? [09:30 PM] Wack'd: shrug [09:31 PM] maxwellelvis: He's just as iconic as the rest of these characters, he was on the cover of that first issue, not Mole Man or Dr. Doom [09:31 PM] Wack'd: This fight goes on for a while [09:32 PM] Wack'd: I think the monsters are deliberately vague to keep the dozen-odd pencilers and inkers and colorers from tripping over each other [09:32 PM] Bocaj: Nothing like action scenes to fill out the runtime [09:33 PM] Wack'd: Trumpy, you can do sonic things!

[09:34 PM] Wack'd: Anyway Reed, Sue, and Johnny are overwhelmed through sheer numbers, and taken to see:

[09:35 PM] maxwellelvis: Why did he steal Mole Man's glasses, tho? [09:35 PM] Wack'd: So he can keep track of visions in his eyes [09:35 PM] Umbramatic: oh no [09:36 PM] Bocaj: Somehow this look works for Ben [09:36 PM] Bocaj: I can't credit it [09:37 PM] Wack'd: Ben explains that he's not here because he still blames Reed. Or because he's angry about Johnny or Alicia. He's over all that now [09:37 PM] Wack'd: He's simply decided that he can't make it in the normal world anymore and he needs to be somewhere where no one looks at him funny or thinks he's a freak [09:38 PM] maxwellelvis: So go to (insert city with a reputation for lots of subculture folks in it), Ben [09:38 PM] Bocaj: That's sad [09:38 PM] maxwellelvis: Ah, this must still be before the superhero wrestling thing got started. [09:41 PM] Wack'd: It turns out Ben is Mole Man's heir apparent, as Harvey Elder is dying and needs a successor. Harvey is startled to see the the Richard/Storms here but Ben convinces him it's all cool and puts them up in a room for the night [09:42 PM] Bocaj:

"One day, Ben, all this will be yours" "What, the caverns?" "Yes. Everything the sun doesn't touches will be your kingdom"

[09:44 PM] Wack'd: Please enjoy this butler Moloid

[09:44 PM] Bocaj: I do [09:44 PM] maxwellelvis: What do you suppose it sounds like when Moloids talk? [09:45 PM] Wack'd: And this one-of-a-kind Monster Island monogrammed drinkware set

[09:45 PM] Bocaj: Amazing [09:45 PM] Bocaj: This is a great situation Ben lucked himself into inheriting [09:45 PM] Bocaj: Don't screw this up for him, Reed [09:46 PM] Wack'd: Johnny is worried Ben might be mind controlled and Sue is worried he's throwing his life away, so Ben takes them on a tour of the joint to convince them he's not only a king, but the king of a place worth living in [09:47 PM] Wack'd: Remember forever ago when Mole Man abducted ugly people so he could build an underground utopia? And then less forever ago when it turned out a Disney knockoff destroyed it trying to reheat the center of the Earth? Well Harvey's done some rebuilding

[09:48 PM] Bocaj: I don't know how to feel about this Uglytopia [09:48 PM] Bocaj: Or I guess about the people that are being highlighted specifically as too ugly to make it in 'normal society' [09:48 PM] maxwellelvis: Why's he got the cast of Spitting Image in here? [09:49 PM] Wack'd: There's some weird ethnostate, mass separatism vibes here, yeah [09:49 PM] Umbramatic: yeesh [09:49 PM] Wack'd: Krakoa but for uggos [09:49 PM] Bocaj: oh my god [09:50 PM] maxwellelvis: Guarantee if this comic were written today, "safe space" would be thrown into the dialogue here. [09:51 PM] Bocaj: oh my god [09:51 PM] Wack'd: So the "best part" turns out to be that Harvey has a giant machine working on terraforming a new continent in the middle of the Pacific so this new society can happen above ground [09:52 PM] Wack'd: Reed is skeptical and thinks maybe Harvey is making a weapon instead but Ben shrugs him off [09:52 PM] Umbramatic: but think of the currents! [09:52 PM] Wack'd: *shrug* [09:53 PM] Wack'd: Harvey is worried about telling the Storm/Richards the grand plan but Ben assures him everything is under control [09:53 PM] Wack'd: And then Alicia shows up [09:54 PM] Wack'd: Alicia is in a bad way since she fought her way down into Monster Island herself [09:54 PM] Wack'd: Which…man, wild, huh? It seems like women under Lee get to be cool so long as they're not Sue! I dunno what it is! [09:55 PM] Bocaj:

Stan Lee: "Do you know who I hate. Sue Storm." Someone, anybody: "But you co-created her." Stan Lee: "I dunno. I just. Man. She's the worst."

[09:56 PM] Wack'd: Pffft [09:56 PM] Wack'd: 1. Someone tell Alicia about polyamory 2. Man shit like this gets weird when you remember at this point in time she's a Skrull

[09:57 PM] Bocaj: Lyja Lazerfist has two hands, as many hands as she needs [09:58 PM] Wack'd: Ben tries to talk to Alicia about what's happened. Ben asks Alicia why she left him for Johnny and doesn't receive the answer "you voluntarily stayed on another planet indefinitely without reaching out to me," somehow [09:58 PM] Bocaj: YEAH [09:58 PM] Bocaj: THAT SEEMS LIKE AN IMPORTANT THING TO MENTION [09:58 PM] Wack'd: Instead Alicia says that Ben was too self-loathing and she felt like she was all give and he was all take [09:59 PM] Wack'd: Which…I dunno, you were pretty self-loathing too for a long while there, Alicia [09:59 PM] Wack'd: I guess their relationship ended because it was no longer PC to have a character regard themself as a monster for being blind [10:00 PM] Wack'd: Which is good! I am glad Alicia stopped doing that! And I can totally see how that might've unbalanced their relationship, had Ben not ditched her for space first [10:01 PM] Umbramatic: yep [10:01 PM] Wack'd: Anyway Alicia continues that Johnny has matured a lot and is thoughtful and sensitive and attentive [10:01 PM] Wack'd: And Ben's like "actually this sucks, why'd I come here" and fucks off [10:01 PM] maxwellelvis: NO! We are talking about Johnny, right? [10:02 PM] maxwellelvis: The guy who nearly endangered the universe by initiating a game of monkey-in-the-middle with the Cosmic Control Rod? [10:02 PM] Wack'd: I mean if anything in relationships up to this point he's maybe been a little too sensitive [10:03 PM] Wack'd: Thinking about Crystal and Frankie here. Coulda done better with boundaries and whatnot in both cases [10:03 PM] Wack'd: Sometimes comically so [10:04 PM] Wack'd: Uh [10:04 PM] Wack'd: Speaking of Johnny [10:04 PM] Wack'd: Eat your heart out, Dan Slott

[10:05 PM] Umbramatic: fleshy [10:06 PM] maxwellelvis: "Oh, that's real nice. Fuck you, Storm." -- Any of those people [10:06 PM] Bocaj: Geez Harvey [10:06 PM] Wack'd: Ben, wanting to avoid any more fighting and frankly just exhausted, gives the order for the Storm/Richards and Alicia to be evicted back out onto the surface [10:07 PM] Bocaj: If Johnny married Alicia and took her name he could be Johnny Storm-Masters [10:07 PM] Wack'd: Nice [10:08 PM] Bocaj: Just saying, he should consider putting a ring on that hyphenated name [10:08 PM] Wack'd: Reed determines that creating a new island the way Harvey intends will omnicide the entire California seaboard, so they need to go back and stop it [10:08 PM] Bocaj: "LUTHORRRRRR!" [10:08 PM] maxwellelvis: Reed, the Pacific is a big ocean. Just convince him to move his building site. [10:09 PM] Wack'd: Alicia asks Johnny to kiss her before he runs off into danger in case he doesn't come back but Johnny refuses, getting some of those old Ben "I'm a freak and I don't deserve you" blues [10:09 PM] Bocaj: Don't you love reruns [10:10 PM] maxwellelvis: Y'know, that's not why the Phantom of the Opera lets Christine go in the end. [10:10 PM] Bocaj: Oh god I just remembered that modern FF is still doing that with Johnny picking up Ben's character beats [10:10 PM] Bocaj: The more things change dot dot dot [10:10 PM] Wack'd: Like I said [10:10 PM] Wack'd: Eat your heart out, Slott [10:11 PM] Wack'd: Ben asks why Harvey did that to Johnny and Harvey claims he was spiting Ben's enemies for him, leaving Ben flummoxed and angry [10:12 PM] Wack'd: It's weird Harvey would see Johnny getting uglified as a punishment but whatever [10:12 PM] Wack'd: So Harvey has occasionally mentioned he needs to go get some sort of treatment in absolute private but Ben, at his wits end, barges in and demands to talk to Harvey [10:13 PM] Wack'd: Turns out these "treatments" are a holodeck where Harvey can pretend to talk to beautiful people at fancy parties [10:13 PM] Bocaj: Huuuh [10:14 PM] Umbramatic: wow [10:15 PM] Wack'd: Ben's faith is shaken now that he knows Harvey doesn't actually have any convictions and still longs for the approval of pretty folks [10:15 PM] Bocaj: I don't know that that follows necessarily but ok [10:16 PM] maxwellelvis: "Expressin' your fantasies in a healthy way that don't hurt nobody? Yer outta yer mind, Harve!" [10:16 PM] Wack'd: Yeah it's [10:16 PM] Wack'd: The politics are [10:16 PM] Wack'd: Whatever [10:17 PM] maxwellelvis: Alternative punchline: Now we know that Mole Man is part of the most oppressed group of all: Gamers [10:17 PM] Wack'd: Ben storms off and finds the rest of his old team busting up the island-making machine. He's shaken but he's also not 100% flipped back the other way yet

[10:18 PM] Wack'd: "What about that time you determined me bein' the Thing was psychosomatic and put me through a buncha phony-baloney tests so I'd think you were still tryin' to cure me?" "Lies by omission don't count!" [10:20 PM] Wack'd: Ben doesn't forgive Reed but figures he's probably not lying about this and switches sides. And then an army of monsters shows up to stop them. Fight fight fight [10:21 PM] Wack'd: In this fight Sue gets to do some cool stuff without being instructed. Shooting force fields like bullets, stopping a tank, rolling a buncha moloids in a big ball [10:22 PM] Bocaj: Stan: "GOD, FINE" [10:23 PM] maxwellelvis: Jim: "You got a problem with that?" Stan: "Maybe I do…. If I can find a ladder." [10:23 PM] Wack'd: The machine is destroyed but Monster Island's caverns begin collapsing! It's a mad dash for the surface! Ben buys Reed and Sue time to make it out, then stays behind with Johnny [10:24 PM] Wack'd: Harvey, knowing his perfect utopia is all over again, voluntarily fixes Johnny's face at Ben's request before heading towards…uh…something else, I guess. He's doin a thing [10:24 PM] Wack'd: Oh, he's gonna spend his final moments in his holodeck. Alright [10:25 PM] Wack'd: The waters are rough because an entire island sinking into the sea but Ben and Johnny make it out in time and swim to safety [10:26 PM] Wack'd: Aw, friends again!

[10:27 PM] Wack'd: "It's a three hour paddle home"

[10:28 PM] maxwellelvis: I don't know, Wack'd, do you think Stan's earned an "Excelsior!" on this? [10:29 PM] Wack'd: Uh. Objectively that was pretty bad [10:30 PM] Wack'd: There's the seeds of a good story in here but they do not grow into a tree at any point [10:30 PM] maxwellelvis: And he shoves She-Hulk and Wyatt Wingfoot off to the side to focus entirely on the family [10:31 PM] Wack'd: I mean, it's the 25th anniversary, I get wanting it to be only folks who were there at the beginning [10:31 PM] Wack'd: In general the commitment to just doing one story about one foe and finding ways to complicate that rather than cramming the whole of Fantastic Four history in somehow is a smart choice