#finished up her design i think with some flats and showed my younger sister who is apparently a big fan

[nearltheradiant]

flat colors.

[fenheart87]

Blue Changes

We had a fun little challenge, we picked a prompt and had 3, 15 minute sprints to write something for the prompt. Then 24 hours for light editing to finish sentences if needed, grammar etc. This is my take on the the prompt "Has anyone ever told you just how adorable you are Because you really are." Dedicated to @verfound 🧡

“Marinette, where is my favorite designer at?!” Jagged burst into the studio, Fang trotting happily next to him on her leash and Penny multitasking between her phone call and tablet. Technically he was supposed to be on a plane to New York, but decided to swing by Paris on his way because he had an idea that just could not wait and wanted to check on his unofficial niece anyways. There was only one speed bump in that plan, the studio was completely empty. The chaos of fabric strewn about and pieces half cut with scissors still mid snip definitely screamed someone was working hard or trying to at least, the mannequin with a half-pinned design and ripped fabric seemed to lean toward the latter.

“Looks like she’s not here… Must be taking a break. Penny, why don’t we order from my favorite bakery and make sure something extra special for Marinette. I’m glad we came here before the next stop on tour.” Jagged poked around at the sketches laying in abandon on the desk, some half crumbled on the floor and more stacked on a sketchbook.

“Seems like she is having some massive creators block… We should treat her when we have a break on the tour.” Penny suggested, already on the phone with Tom and trying to insist they would pay for their order.

Some of the sketches were brilliant but had marks of black throughout them, others were completely marked out and you could not even tell what the design was to start with. It hurt to physically see what pain Marinette was going through, most of the ones with the darker markings were of the same style. He could clearly see the thought of Adrien in the suits and matching dresses for Marinette, the anger of the marks showing something had happened or changed. Sighing heavily, Jagged gathered the papers, Fang batting the ones further away with her tail over to her owner. One paper had him blinking in surprise.

“Penn! Pen! Lookie here! D'ya see this?!” jagged shouted, shoving the paper into his assistant’s face, not even minding when she sighed and pushed it to a proper distance. It was a one-of-kind leather jacket and a custom hoodie drawn to match it. Either could be worn seperate or paired together. The colors were a contrast of electric blue and smokey turquoise, the theme was music and snake. Jagged recognized it as a rough sketch due to the lack of color or material notes along the edge that appeared on her finished drafts.

“Why was this crumpled up? It’s a really great idea!” Penny wondered aloud, noticing that the eccentric rockstar she commonly felt like she had to babysit was scheming. “Jagged no, whatever is it the answer is no.”

The door opened and in walked the designer they were looking for, Marinette seemed stressed and a bit run down. Her hair was thrown into a messy bun, one sleeve was pushed higher than the other and her shirt was wrinkled where it was tucked into her pencil skirt. Flip flops clacked along with her steps, another sign she was worn out if the basic shoe was more preferred to her custom made and very comfortable flats. An energy drink dangled from one hand and her design tablet occupied the other. Both guests watched as she made it all the way to her desk without noticing they were there.

“I have no idea what I'm going to do! I don't have anyone that fits that one or the orange one… I could make it a dress but who would wear it?! Ugh! I’m going to fail at this rate and then I won't graduate and I'll never design again, who would want something made by a failure-” Fang chose that moment to nudge her head onto the petite woman’s lap, startling her so bad she screamed and fell out of her chair.

“Well I reckon that I would love to have exclusive rights to all designs made by my favorite niece but we all know that’s not fair to the rest of the world. Now I know you are in a pinch and you’re stuck like a boat in the desert, so you’re going to take a break, spend some time with uncle Jay and make sure that you show poor Fang some love, she was all excited and you just screamed right in her poor face. C’mere my poor baby, Marinette is so mean I know.” Jagged showed the croc in love through pets and scratches. 

“When.. How, why?” Poor Marinette was lost and couldn't believe the rockstar was in her studio when he should've been halfway around the world for the next stop on his tour. 

“Okay, the only thing we’re doing right now is leaving all this behind for a much needed break for food and maybe a nap in your case. Time to relax and stop stressing for a minute." Penny authoritatively stepped in, stacking the papers on the desk, handing Marinette her purse and phone and with the help of Fang scooted the younger woman out the door.

Marinette protested "Wait I need to finish, it has to be done! I can't take a break, I just did!"

"Negative, now it's time for chow, and you need a shower, at your parents then we need to have a little chat. Ladies first!" Jagged gently shoved the designer into the car with cheer, allowing Fang and Penny to enter before him. 

"So my little brilliant niece, we have some great news and a rock and roll deal for you! Can't tell you what is until after you've taken a break though." They grinned as Marinette grumbles as she gave fang the attention she wanted until they pulled up to the bakery.

Getting out of the car first, Marinette sighed at the smell of her parents baking, the smell melting off some stress like butter melting on a fresh from the oven croissant roll. Her stomach grumbled and she opened the door for the other guests, sneaking an excited Fang upstairs to not scare the other customers. Deciding to take a refreshing shower, Marinette went to her bathroom and put on some zen meditation music before getting in the shower. Quick ten minutes later and she was feeling much more alive and hungry. On a whim she grabbed a random outfit that she had made but never worn, pleated plaid skirt with a red checker pattern offset by the off the shoulder fitted top in a burgundy color, and threw it on before joining her guests. 

"Oi looking good! One of yours?" Jagged shouted with his mouth full, causing Penny to smack his arm as a reminder to use manners. 

"Sure is! Never worn it before but decided change can be a good thing and sometimes you have to start the change instead of waiting for it to happen." Grabbing her favorite pastry and a croissant because you can't just smell one and not eat it, she missed the concerned look her adopted guardians shared.

"So your studio was, well, you seem to be having a hard time." Pen tried to be gentle but made a face at her words.

"Yeah… Life is… Changing." Marinette mused, picking at the pastry.

"Marinette, what can Uncle Jay do to help?" Jagged's serious tone drew her gaze and his heart broke at the sight of unshed tears.

"I uhm well. I- That is, we-" With a huff, she calmed down and a look of determination shone on her face. "Adrien asked me out, on a date date in this really elaborate way. I turned him down. I have no idea what I was thinking but when he asked me I was so happy and then all I could think of was blue and how soft its is and it can be so calm or so chaotic and it’s always changing like the ocean but yet it's always the same and there this feeling of calm and I just couldn't say yes."

The quiet settled into a slightly awkward silence, Marinette was ignoring it and Penny was having nonverbal argument with Jagged on what to say next. With an eye roll that spoke louder than her shouting at him, the assistant took the lead once more. Quietly she rose from the chair she was occupying and sat next to the young designer smoothing out the crumpled sketch she had taken from the studio.

"Is this the blue you're talking about?" 

"Yeah… That’s my blue." A gentle smile touched peach lips briefly, blue eyes going soft.

"Is this the skater kid?"

"Skater kid?" Marinette blinked in confusion.

"Nah Pen it's the boat kid."

"He has a name you guys!" Marinette broke down into giggles, looking much more like herself and less like a zombie just waltzing around and going through the motions. "His name is Luka, yes the one who went me skating with Adrien and Kagami, yes the boat kid who has a heart way too big for just his mom and sister. And now me…"

"Sounds like you made a change?" Penny prompted smiling widely.

"A blue one yeah, I did."

"Has anyone ever told you just how adorable you are?" Jagged shouted, picking up the younger woman and swinging her around as she shrieked. 

"Okay Jagged, let's not take over her whole day. We did have a reason to show up here after all." Penny handed the tablet to Marinette after he relinquished his hold. "This is what we're looking at for a surprise concert once we are back here in Paris. There's some issues I'm ironing out but I wanted to see what you think and if you would take lead on the design aspect."

"Wait, lead designer for your show?" Blue bell eyes swiveled between ocean blue and hazel sets, wide with disbelief and building excitement.

"Yup, this tablet is yours by the way. I do ask you to keep just business on it for the show, if you want more traditional sketches that's fine but once it's done it needs to be uploaded on here." Jagged explained, clapping a red clad shoulder.

"Oh you need an opening act? I've got that covered." The sparkle was finally back in her eye to match the mischievous grin.

"I agree with Jagged, are you sure no one has said it before because you really are adorable."

[obsessive-ego]

Younger me screwed current me over

Beetlejuice finds you clothes from a phase you had back in high school (a legit phase I personally had and I blame anime)

Musical beetlejuice x reader

sorta nsft???

Back in your early college years and laye high school years, you had a style phase, black and white stripes, anime was to blame, it started out as just the stockings, but kind of escalated to other articals of clothing.

As you got older the phase died down, you would wear them still, but to a lesser extent, you still loved them, but newer style choices took over. You still kept them of course, buried deep within your dresser, most of with you forgot.

Forgetting these clothes turned out to be a blessing in disguise, shortly after you finished college you up lifed yourself and moved out to the same town as your aunt Delia, long story short, you were her ex husband's sister's daughter, but Delia enjoyed you since you studied the art, and humored her views on crystals and such, you enjoyed her excessive positivity.

Delia was more then thrilled to introduce you to her new family, Charles seemed nice, and Lydia was quite interesting, of course you were introduced to the Maitlands who were very sweet. Then there was beetlejuice, lydia planned off the bat to introduce you to him as a quick scare, which ended with you sucker punching the demon, and just like that the ghoul was into you, no one had the balls to ever do that before.

Beetlejuice had worked his way into your life, shortly after your introduction he begged you to summon him whenever you wanted, and was thrilled it didnt take much convincing for you to bring him to your little flat, the ghoul got into the habbit of hanging around your place when Lydia was at school or busy. He would even hang around your place when you were at work stating you had better movies then the Deetz, but let's be honest he wanted to snoop through your stuff.

You told beetlejuice you had to pick up some misc groceries, and would be gone for an hour or so, tonight was gonna be your guys movie night, so aside from necessities you were also getting snacks.

He waved you goodbye with a bright smile, but the second the door closed and locked behind you, the smile dropped to a lecherous grin. It's been awhile since he was alone in your place, so he wasnt gonna let this opportunity pass.

You were never the type to have any REAL secrets, so blackmail was never really an option for teasing, instead beetlejuice normally took this time to roll around in your bed, smell your more delicate laundry items, and just take care of his sexual urges. Unknown to you, the demon had quite the crush on you, how could he not, you were kind, funny, basically gave him free reign, and had quite the cute behind, he adored spending time with you, and of course he wanted to pound you so hard into the mattress that you wouldn't be able to walk the next day, but you were clueless and took his advances as jokes, he'd crack you one day, but until that, messing around in your stiff was fine.

Unfortunately for him, your dirty laundry basket was empty, so no freshly used panties, he decided to just dig around through your dresser, nothing much of interest, until he spots a bit of white, in the sea of black shirts, pulling it out, he smiles, ot was a form fitting sweater, black and white horizontal striped, with a neon green trim, it was like beetlejuice designed it himself.

"How long have you had this sugar?" He purrs to himself, he sets the shirt aside before moving to his favourite drawer, inside was where all your lacy unmentionables hid, the demon couldnt help himself, smelling the croch of a few, and licking the croch of a few more, even the faintest scent or taste was enough for him. As he dug around he spotted a few unseen treasures pushed to the back of the drawer, a lecherous smirk crosses his face as he pulls out a black and white striped bra and panty set, along with a pair of matching thigh high socks. He could have came then and there, the tough of you in such a get up drove him wild, he started to palm himself through his pants at the idea of you wearing that cute little get up for him, he was snapped out of his little day dream by the sound of the front door opening.

"I'm home" you yelled, beetlejuice always appreciated this warning you gave him, not that you knew, that was just how you always came back when you lived with your parents.

In a flash the demon was before you, you flinch at his sudden appearance, obviously not expecting that, he chuckles at your response. With a snap of his fingers you bags were delt with.

"Oh! Thanks, you didnt have to do that" you greatly appreciated BJ's help since it was a rare thing, but it always felt weird when he made things disappear on you.

"Not sweat babes, since your free, how bout we have a little chat?~" his gravely voice drops to that unsettling tone that ment he was up to no good. Stating back at him you dont respond, but the ghoul continues as if you did "so sweetheart, you would say you're quite the stylish gal right? Right, I was thinking, maybe youd like a hand or two when i comes to dressing, as a change of pace~" he flashes you that unsettling smug grin signaling he WAS up to no good.

Before you can protest or do anything, beetlejuice snaps his fingers and you were now wearing the form fitting sweater he found earlier, black short shorts with black suspenders that hung around your bum, and the black and white striped thigh highs.

Something clicked in you mind, when you felt the tightness around your chest, you were no longer wearing the sports bra you slipped on today, but rather a tighter, more padded number, in a panic you pull the shorts away from you waist seeing your underwear was different too.

A mixture of anger and embarrassment fill your chest, the clothes changing, not am issue, bit the underwear, that was a step too far. "BEETLEJUICE!"

"Looking real good there sugar, had no idea we had the same taste~ how bout you you shimmy out of those clothes and show me how the panties look too~?" He purrs while walking circles around you, taking in his master piece of fashion.

"Where are my other clothes?" You huff

The demon laughs "dont worry about it, they're in the laundry" aside from your panties, there were in the ghoul's pocket.

You sigh looking at your reflection in the window "I guess this DOES look good, bra's alittle uncomfortable, but it looks like high school me vomited on current me" you turn back to the demon, who was ecstatic that you came around.

"So? Am I your fashion consultant now?" He says grabbing your hands.

You sigh "on occasion sure, just dont swap kit my underwear while I'm wearing them please"

"Wouldn't dream of it doll"

[inkribbon796]

It’s Not Rabies, It’s . . . Ch. 3

Summary: Lunky gets to meet some more of the family.

A/N: This was a suggestion-request from the anon Nightfall on AO3. Which resulted in this story and since this one was getting a bit long it inspired a bit for the Visitation Day on Sunday which will be a lot less angsty.

Chapters: 1, 2, 3

Chapter 3: Meet the Family

Bim was on stage when, apparently, Dark had contacted Wilford, saying to come to the Manor when they both finished up at the studio.

Which Dark tended not to do unless it was something serious. Usually he ordered Illinois and Yan to jump at his command.

But Wil took him home and they found Dark’s office empty. Which was strange because all his important meetings with them were in there.

There was talking in the living room and Wil quickly poked his head out of the room and let out a delighted gasp.

“Now who is this delightful little configuration of being?” Wilford threw open the door and Bim followed more hesitantly.

Bim stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Dark with a child in his arms. He looked at that kid and he could feel his hackles rising.

“Hello,” Wil leaned in close to the child, bracing his hands on his knees. “Are you lucky number seven?”

The spawnling screeched at Wil.

Wilford chuckled, absolutely delighted. “Is that so?”

The madman looked up at Dark with a huge smile, “Their hiss sounds a bit like your echo, Darky.”

“They’re Kay’s child,” Dark told Wil. “Their name is Lunky.”

“Really?” Wil’s enthusiasm didn’t dampen, he clapped his hands on his knees and stood up to look around. “Where is that boy?”

“Hey dad,” King smiled and waved at Wil from where he was sitting in an armchair.

“Congratulations my boy,” Wil moved to his side to clap his hand on King’s shoulder. “Who’s the lucky partner I’ve never met?”

“No one,” King told him. “I got stabbed by a soul splitter and almost died. It gave me a kid instead.”

“That sounds fake as shit,” Bim told him.

Lunky made a little screech.

Wilford roared with laughter, “Learn quick, don’t you?”

King surged up, “Are you teaching my kid to curse, I have to deal with that later.”

“Kid’ll learn sooner rather than later when Anti shows up,” Bim defended with a huge smile on his face as King stomped over to him.

Before King could shake or punch his younger brother, Dark spoke up, “Let’s not Kay.”

The animal magnet threw his arms up in the air, and glared at Bim, “Next time I get you alone you insufferable brat.”

Bim gave him a sharp toothy smile, “Try it Dolittle.”

“Bim, if you keep antagonizing him, you might not win,” Dark warned.

“So to clear the air, this is my nephew?” Bim asked, walking over to the spawnling who maintained eye contact with Bim and both of them began a low warning growl as Bim approached.

“Bim,” Dark warned, shielding Lunky with his aura. “They’re not competition, leave them alone.”

“That’s not why I’m growling,” Bim growled defensively.

“Then why are you growling?” Wil chuckled, leaning his elbows on the back of the couch and resting his chin on the palm of his hands.

Bim glared at Wil before huffing in frustration at Lunky.

“To answer your earlier question, no Lunky is not your brother. You were, to quote Beauregard, a “creation of pure science” and since I killed the other scientists it’s not happening again anytime soon. Besides there are already six of you, and you are all grown adults. Having another child would serve no purpose.”

“I could get a sister,” Yan called as she ran from upstairs with a binder of colored squares and started holding the colors up next to Lunky’s face. “What’s a girl gotta do to get some quality girl time around here?”

“I don’t control that,” Dark reminded her, neither he nor King moving Lunky away from her.

“Come now Darky, we’d get to have another angel running around the house,” Wil pouted.

“That’s what grandchildren are for,” Dark reminded.

“Yes but we have to give them back,” Wilford frowned sadly. Then he seemed to think about that. “We could not give them back.”

“Dad, I am right here,” King reminded. “We don’t live here.”

“A shame,” Wil commented, then he held his hands out. “May I hold them, pretty please?”

“Just don’t kidnap them,” King allowed.

Dark passed Lunky over to Wil, Lunky made an unhappy screeching cry and tried to hold onto Dark’s coat.

Wil chuckled, “Don’t worry, I’ll give you back to him.”

Lunky was suddenly very quiet, going completely limp, their eyes large dark orbs as they started devouring Wil’s aura.

“What a little delight,” Wil smiled. “Can they talk to animals too?”

“No, it’d be so much easier if they could,” King sighed.

Dark walked over and lessened the spells keeping Lunky 3-D and they popped back into their actual form. Wil almost dropped them but Dark caught the spawnling.

Lunky quickly stretched onto the wall and started investigating the room.

“Huh,” Bim commented, “weird gift, do they sleep on a drawing of a bed or an actual bed.”

King let out a bubbling, uncomfortable laugh, “They don’t.”

“What? Sleep?” Bim asked.

“Yes,” King answered. “I’ve barely been sleeping.”

Dark pulled a scroll from the Void and passed it over to King, “This is what I used to use on all of you.”

Looking Dark dead in the eye, King said, “You are the best, if this even works half as well as it did on me.”

Dark smirked at him.

The conversation kept going and Bim went off to hunt again and Wil raced off to the attic with Yan to find something. Leaving Dark, the Host, and King alone with Lunky in the living room. The spawnling seemed to be resting but King knew it wouldn’t last and he would actually go to sleep.

Lunky was resting against Dark’s shoulder, still a flat image, and Dark was just sitting in one of the armchairs, watching them rest.

“You know,” King commented. “When they’re like this, I kinda forget they can be an absolute nightmare.”

“Hopefully that spell works for you,” Dark replied.

“How long did it take Bim to start talking?” King asked. “We came in when he was already talking and walking.”

“We got Bim when he was eight months old, he was walking before he started talking. Wil accidentally said the word “fuck” and that was his first word. I was furious. He started talking when he was almost two. Lunky is a little bit more developed than Bim was. However, Bim was completely artificial.”

King made a face that showed that he wasn’t too reassured by those words. “Okay so should I be doing something?”

“The Host should suggest that there is a strong possibility that Lunky could never be able to fully speak,” the Host warned.

The room went quiet.

“Is that caused by something in their aura?” Dark asked.

“It is something within Lunky’s nature,” the Host reported. “There is a possibility that the Host is wrong, but the Host doubts that.”

“Okay,” King said.

Dark frowned, “A large portion of the heroes can sign, you and Illinois can sign, so can I, Wilford seemed to be able to read his mind. Communication shouldn’t be an issue. It would be a shame if we wasted their time and sanity trying to push them to communicate in a way that makes them uncomfortable.”

“Yeah,” King was very quick to agree, taking in a huge breath and nodding, looking more resolute by the second. “I can talk to birds and dogs. Humans are just another animal, right?”

“Some more so than others,” Dark offered as a barbed comment.

King looked nervous as he looked at Lunky, “I just don’t want to hurt them. I want them to be happy and safe.”

“You’ll do fine,” Dark reassured.

“Because you raised six kids?” King tried to smile.

“Well experience certainly helps,” Dark smiled. “But I meant to say that you won’t be trying to raise this one in secret like I did with all of you.”

“How did you manage that, anyways?” King asked. “We went to Disneyland one year. Dad broke an entire rollercoaster and killed fifteen people.”

“I used the Anomaly to perfectly replicate areas we wished to take you,” Dark answered. “I even replicated police involvement to keep your father entertained.”

“You absolute ass,” King cursed. “You took us to bootleg Disneyland?”

The Host chuckled at that.

“I will have you know it took a full year to investigate the entire park, including how character actors and crowds reacted,” Dark defended. “Did you expect me to bring Wil, Bim, and Arthur to an actual theme park and have nothing happen?”

“Fair,” King grumbled, and then groaned as he checked his phone. “Alright let’s get back to the base.”

“Before you leave,” Dark held up his hand and a necklace with an eye design on it. It swirled with a myriad of colors. “Something I had to learn the hard way. Spawnlings require aura to survive and grow. Like physical activity for a human. Their own will not feed them. So you have a choice: human or demonic aura.”

“To eat?” A pit formed in King’s heart.

“Yes, a new spawnling can strip all the aura from a human and render them a hollow, dry husk, matured demons have more control over it,” Dark warned. “What would you like to feed your child?”

“Uh, how do I get demon aura?” King asked apprehensively.

“Well now that depends, either an older, more experienced demon can donate their aura to a younger one, helping that spawnling grow stronger,” Dark explained. “Or you could kill a lesser, weaker demon and take all their aura to make oneself more powerful.”

That alarmed King instantly. “Demons can actually die?”

“Not from a single hit or even a volley of hits, killing a demon is a drawn out process but if the lesser is significantly weaker and the other demon is significantly stronger the fight is almost not fair. I have to kill some upstart every couple of months who tries to wander into Egoton thinking they can just take over. Typically I can just run them out and if they’re smart they won’t come back, other demons not so much. Why not put all that energy to good use?”

“O-Okay,” King allowed.

“I figured you would side with the humans so I took the time to mix my own aura with another demon’s that I recently subdued,” Dark told him. “At Lunky’s current appetite this should last him a couple months.”

King moved to put on the necklace but Dark stopped him. “Try to avoid putting it on, we wouldn’t want Lunky to associate you with food, now would we? You have far less aura than I do.”

“Right,” King pocketed the necklace and King took Lunky back who was upset to leave Dark’s arms and aura, but was quieted when they were given the necklace to chew on. Wil and Dark said their goodbyes. The Host took Lunky and King back to the base.

A calm settling back over the city.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #421

“hunted by hundreds and never to be caught  /  descent to wander, bring terror and take 'em all beyond”

Which do you prefer, donut holes, jelly filled donuts or normal donuts? Normal donuts. When you get old, are you going to make a will? I mean probably. Ever made your own definition for something on Urban Dictionary? No. What do you call your grandparents? "Grammy" and "Grampa." Do you like weddings? Not especially because I'm a bitter fuck. Do you want to live in a dorm in college? I never wanted to, so I never did. Have you ever had your tonsils taken out? No. Are you single/taken/crushing/confused? Single/confused. Is your best friend single? Yes. Is your first real best friend still there for you? I mean we have one another on Facebook, but that's the extent of it. Do you still care for your first love? Very much. I hope he's doing okay since his mother passed. What color is your blanket? Navy with black swirls. Are you listening to music right now? Yes. I am obseeeeeessed with Alissa White-Gluz's cover of Powerwolf's "Demons Are a Girl's Best Friend." Have you ever felt as if you lost your one true love? I feel like that all the time. But I should add that I don't believe there is JUST ONE person designed for you. There are way, way too many people on this earth to have just a single, perfect match. Which do you like better: Bowser, Mario, Luigi, or Princess Peach? Well I mean I always picked Luigi in Mario Kart, so I got a bias, ha ha. How many tattoos do you have? Six. Plenty, PLENTY more to come, though. Would you ever consider getting a mohawk? No. What do you like to do most in your free time? Do random shit on the computer. What’s your work title? Unemployed. Do you pay rent? I don't. What was the reason behind the last time you wore a bandage? I cut my finger opening up a cup of yogurt. Yes, I'm serious. What music artist have you listened to a lot lately? Powerwolf, lately. And Motionless In White. Who is taller, you or your best friend? Me. When was the first time you ever listened to your favorite music artist? Well, as a little kid, Mom would play some Ozzy in the car occasionally, and I actually loved "Perry Mason" so much that I would ask for her to play it. Growing up I'd obviously heard "Crazy Train" through random things, but I never truly listened to him until I got into middle school and went through my mother's CD case, discovering new music as I got into rock and metal. Do/did your siblings cause trouble? Nah, not really. If your siblings are old enough, what do they do for work? I honestly don't remember my half-siblings' positions, but my immediate younger sister is a children's social worker, and my older sis is a mammographer. Have you ever been jealous of your siblings? Jealous, no. Envious, extremely. They know what the hell they're doing with their lives and making shit happen. Do you still live with your parent/s or do you live alone/with a partner? I live with my mother. What feeling do you have the most difficulty in expressing? Jealousy. How do you think you would handle yourself in a crisis situation? Freeze up and probably die lol. Does any particular season make you happier than others? Why/why not? Yes, autumn. It's not hot as fuck, the air always feels so fresh to me, and I love the many colors of fall. It's just... chill. Can you adapt to change easily? Any examples? FUCK. NO. Do you see yourself as worthy of love? Why/why not? This answer can change from "yes, because I'm a good human" to "fuck no because I'm worthless" in 0.5 seconds. Do you think you are competitive? Do you really dislike losing? Not in general, but I can be in some areas. What would you be famous for? Fuck if I know. If you had to, would you rather dye your hair red or black? Red. I loved my hair when it actually took red dye well. What do you typically do on Easter Day? Go to my older sister's house. Have you ever viewed the moon through a telescope? No. Do you normally finish one book before starting another? Always. If you were given the chance to be immortal, would you take it? Heeeeeell no. Would you pierce your nipples for $100? Almost certainly yes; I mean that's $100 for something I can just take out if I don't like it. Have you ever dated someone who had a child? No. Would you ever consider adoption? Even if I wanted a child, no. I know I would need either the blood connection or for the child to be my partner's that I truly love. Do you tend to go for guys/girls with certain eye/hair colors? No, I really don't care how you look on the outside. Do you know anyone who plays guitar? Yes. Do you live within an hour of the ocean? More like two hours. What are you currently sitting/laying on? My bed. Have you ever dated a friend of one of your siblings? No. Did you have an imaginary friend as a child? An imaginary wolf, yeah. Which parent do you look most like? My mom, I think. Ever failed a test? Yes. That's all I did in algebra during my last college attempt. Do you have any friends who are famous? No. Your most recent ex breaks down and tells you they love you, what do you do? Well I know she loves me as a friend, but idk if she still does romantically, but either way, I'd tell her I love her too and ask if I can do anything for her. You and your last ex: who should hate who? Neither of us. We have a perfectly fine relationship. Do you believe you pick who you fall in love with? Definitely not. Last thing you ate? I had a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast. Are you obsessed with someone? *discreetly eyes Markiplier* If you had to write a brief message on a dollar bill that many people would eventually see as the currency circulates, what message would you write? I'd have to think longer on this, but definitely something about not putting so much worth into the money and not allowing greed to rule the individual. What serves as the greatest motivation for you in your daily life? The hope for a happy, prosperous future. If you were a multimillionaire, what do you believe you would be doing at this very moment? Well, it's morning and this is my prime time to really just chill and do my first scope of the Internet, so I'd probably be in a beautiful house in the woods of the mountains by a beautiful waterfall. I'd have the windows down to listen to nature, make sure via AC if necessary that it's cool... Damn, that sounds nice. If you could have a cookie jar full of anything you wanted, except money or cookies, what would it be full of? Hm. Perhaps a very motivational quote that I'd draw each day, kind of like fortune cookies, but actually good and applicable, ha ha. If someone were looking for you in a bookstore, in what section would they be most likely to find you? YA or fiction. If your ex came up to you and asked you to take them back, what would you say? Anyone but Jason or Sara would be an automatic "no." Jason would have to really prove himself. Sara, I'd be willing, but would ask her if that's what she really wants given our positions right now. Do you think Ke$ha is annoying? I don't know anything about her personally. I actually liked her music back in the day, even when I was all about metal. Last time you were hit on? No idea. Do you ever write in pencil any more? I always do if I have that option. I don't like that you can't erase with a pen. If you HAD to get a piercing (not ears) what would you get? At this current time, my right nostril again. What do you wish you had more knowledge about? Politics. Would you ever get someone's name tattooed on you? Noooo. Do you have a lot of scars? Yes. I scar very easily. Have you ever had stitches? Twice. Have you ever dealt with a divorce or parents fighting or any kind of abuse at home? Before my parents divorced, there was a lot of fighting. Do you remember the person you first kissed? Of course I do. Have you ever kissed someone you weren’t dating? No. Who was the last person you fell asleep with? Sara. Have you ever listened to music you hated just to fit in? "Hated," no. I just tried to get into bands that I just couldn't, but didn't hate. Ever been called babe? Yeah. What is your favorite Pop-Tart flavor? Chocolate sundae. Have you ever made your parents cry? Yeah, sadly. Do you wear glasses? Yeah. And yet I'm still blind with 'em. Have you ever made out with somebody on a bed? Yeah. Are you tan? Most definitely not. How did you meet the last person you texted? She kinda like, gave birth to me. Next big event? My nephew's fifth birthday. Ugh, how is he getting that old. Do you think you have to be skinny in order to be beautiful? Fuck off, no. There are some gorgeous/attractive plus-sized people. Have you ever made out on a couch? Yes. Has the last person you kissed ever seen you cry? Oh god, she witnessed me sob once. Would you ever get gauged ears? I want very small gauges in my bottom earlobe piercings. What is your favorite sushi? Ew. Have you ever been in a school talent show? What for? Noooo sir. What were you like at 17? Oh god... so sad and yet so happily, madly in love at the same time. I both love and hate that era. Tell us about your worst date. Haven't really had a bad one. I had one with Tyler that was an adventure that most would consider awful (flat tire, had to walk in the whipping wind), but I had fun, ha ha. What should be illegal that isn’t already? I dunno. What’s the song you most wish you had written? Probably John Lennon's "Imagine." What is the worst break up you have experienced? Y'ALL KNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW. Do your parents wish you were more successful? Oh, I am CERTAIN they do. They'd never admit it, I'm sure, but I know I'm disappointing. I had so much promise in school. Has a significant other called you unattractive before? WOW, no. Has a significant other ever called you by the wrong name? omg no Have you ever caught someone doing something bad? Cheating on their bf, yes. Has a dentist ever screwed up on anything when working on you? No, I don't think so. What is the worst birthday you have ever had? My 16th. I felt very, very unloved. I don't even like going into it. Have you ever been spit on by a llama? No. Have you ever locked yourself out of your car/house? The house, yes. With my elderly dog with arthritis, in the middle of winter after a good snow. I was freezing, sitting on the front porch and eventually crying. My phone was inside so I couldn't reach my mom, who was at work. As night came, I finally broke and went down the street knocking on my neighbors' doors, and probably the worst fucking one opened. With a gun in his hand. He was apparently an ex-sheriff, and he clearly didn't trust me. He was kind enough to let Teddy, who was incontinent and marked territory, inside (thank fuck he didn't pee in the guy's house), and he gave me a jacket, but Christ, we played 20 goddamn questions to see if I was legit, I'm assuming. I was beyond thankful when Mom finally got there when I used his phone to call her. And as it turned out? The door wasn't even fucking locked, our old dog just jammed the hell outta it by jumping. I was so, so pissed.

[cloudrecession]

My Lonely Heart Calls 

Wei Wuxian needs a distraction from everything Yanli's wedding makes him feel. Luckily, he finds a certain handsome stranger among the guests.

~3600 words | AO3 Link | modern AU

_____________________________________________________________

Wei Wuxian felt the exact moment he’d had too much to drink. He’d made it through the ceremony alright, mostly, but everyone teared up at weddings, so it was fine, and he’d made it through Yanli’s first dance with her husband, and even his own dance with her. But now, as he finished his he-forgot-to-count-th glass of wine, he felt the threat of crying in earnest building in his chest. Yanli was so happy, and so beautiful, and she was dancing with Jin Zixuan, who didn’t deserve her, but he made her happy so maybe he did, and Yanli deserved to be this happy her whole life, and--

Wei Wuxian put his glass down. No. He needed a distraction. He’d expected that he’d have MianMian to hang around with, she was always good for a laugh when Wei Wuxian had to be around Jin Zixuan, but she’d had the audacity to bring a date. Nie Huaisang hadn’t come at all, which Wei Wuxian found to be a bit of a slight even knowing that Huaisang’s brother had shipped him off to some corporate boot camp halfway across the country that he couldn’t get out of.

There was always Jiang Cheng, who stood making pleasantries with his mother’s family and barely concealing his pained expression. But Jiang Cheng would probably just yell at him for drinking.

Someone else, then. There had to be someone fun on their own in this crowd. Any of Zixuan’s family were right out. That narrowed the selection significantly, given how many half-siblings and cousins he had. It took Wei Wuxian a long moment to spot his target-- a particularly handsome man in a sharp but simple suit standing at the back of the reception hall, nursing a glass of what looked to be plain water-- perhaps he, too, had already drank too much, and the two of them could commiserate.

Wei Wuxian knew of the man vaguely. He was Zixuan’s brother’s definitely-not-boyfriend’s brother. Yanli never participated in such gossip, but MianMian did with gusto, and Jin Guangyao’s relationship status was always a topic of interest. So Wei Wuxian knew that this was Lan Wangji, the younger brother of Lan Xichen, but not much else. 

“Hey,” Wei Wuxian said. “What a party, eh?”

Lan Wangji barely glanced at him, and did not answer.

“You’ve hit your limit, too, I see.” Wei Wuxian tapped the glass of water in Lan Wangji’s hands. “Problem with an open bar, happens to everyone.”

Lan Wangji took a step back. “I do not drink.”

“Really? How uptight!” Wei Wuxian laughed. Lan Wangji did not. “Maybe that’s good. You can be my designated driver, but like, for life tonight. I already have a ride home, don’t worry. I just need someone to help me not make a fool of myself.”

Lan Wangji looked at him from the corner of his eye as though to say, not possible.

“Hey, it’s not as hard as you’d think.” Wei Wuxian put up his hands. “I just need a little company, that’s all. If I keep to myself, I’ll just keep drinking, and I don’t want to make a scene.”

“That is your problem.”

“And now it’s yours too.” Wei Wuxian nudged him. “Come on, I’m fun to be around, everyone says so. Everyone’s just occupied with…” he gestured vaguely at all the couples on the dance floor. “...their own lives.”

“Then be occupied with yours.”

Wei Wuxian could not tell if he was teasing. There was no quirk of a smile on Lan Wangji’s face, but he did not seem malicious either. Wei Wuxian chose to smile. “Maybe I’m trying. Maybe I’m hitting on you.”

That got him full eye contact. “Are you?”

He hadn’t thought about it. He wasn’t not hitting on him, but it hadn’t really been his intention either, not consciously at least. He glanced Lan Wangji over. He was indeed very handsome, with sharp cheekbones and his hair cut just so to draw attention to them. His suit was tailored perfectly to show the slender lines of his body, its deep navy color complimented by the powder blue of his tie. Wei Wuxian suddenly desperately wanted to loosen that tie, undo that top button… God, he was drunk, wasn’t he?

“You shouldn’t joke about things like that,” Lan Wangji said, misreading Wei Wuxian’s silence.

That was probably for the better. Wei Wuxian did not much feel like being rejected at the moment. He didn’t say anything more for a while, unsure he could without something stupid tumbling from his mouth. Lan Wangji at least didn’t walk away, even though he could now without being impolite. 

Wei Wuxian watched the Yanli dance with one of Jin Zixuan’s cousins, a child young enough that he could barely reach her hands without her bending down. She picked him up and spun him, laughing. Zixuan came to her side and the three of them danced together. It was easy to see the two of them forming the sort of family Yanli had always wanted. Wei Wuxian had to smile a little, wondering how soon they’d have kids of their own. Yanli would be the perfect mother. And if she got to smile like this at her own little one everyday, that was exactly the life she should have. Wei Wuxian wanted to be nothing but happy for her, but there was a melancholy he couldn’t shake. She wasn’t leaving him and Jiang Cheng, but she also was. Their lives were changing, whether they all were ready or not.

Wei Wuxian thought very seriously of going to get more wine, or something stronger.

“Your sister is very happy,” Lan Wangji said, so suddenly Wei Wuxian jumped. Lan Wangji looked directly at him for only the second time.

“Yeah. She deserves to be the happiest in the world.”

Lan Wangji watched him a long moment. “You are not happy.”

“I am,” Wei Wuxian said quickly. “I’m the second happiest in the world, see?” He flashed his very best smile. “It’s you who seems to be the unhappy one. Why so grumpy, huh? It’s a wedding, not a funeral. Lighten up!”

Lan Wangji did not rise to the bait. “You are not fond of Jin Zixuan.”

Wei Wuxian was unsure whether it was something Lan Wangji had known before, or something he could tell from Wei Wuxian’s attitude about him that day alone. “Sure, but that’s got nothing to do with how I feel. If he makes Yanli happy, I’ll hold my tongue. Mostly.”

“Then…?”

“Then nothing. Don’t be nosy.”

Lan Wangji looked away, his whole body shifting slightly further from Wei Wuxian. Without thinking, Wei Wuxian grabbed his arm to make him stay, wrinkling that perfect suit.

He withdrew his hand quickly. “Sorry.” Lan Wangji was going to come away from the night with an awful impression of Yanli’s drunken belligerent brother. Wei Wuxian should have chosen anyone else to bother, but he couldn’t make himself walk away. He felt desperate to keep Lan Wangji’s attention. “You’re not being nosy. I’m just a mess.”

“Mn.”

“You’re supposed to disagree there.” But he made himself smile. “My feelings are trivial, anyway. It’s a happy day, so I’ll be happy.” He could not read the look Lan Wangji gave him. “Honestly, don’t worry. Assume I’m just afraid I’ll end up like Jiang Cheng instead of Yanli.” He leaned in very close to whisper conspiratorially, “Madam Yu is very worried this is the only wedding she’ll get to plan.”

“That’s not what’s bothering you,” Lan Wangji said slowly. “But I am sure you will find someone who makes you happy.” He spoke with such certainty, Wei Wuxian could almost believe him. He could almost feel it was romantic. But, of course, it was only their first real meeting. He was only being kind.

“I’m sure you will too.” He pushed Lan Wangji’s shoulder lightly, to show that he wasn’t reading into it too much. “Handsome guy like you can’t have much trouble, right?”

If Wei Wuxian didn’t know better, he’d swear Lan Wangji’s ears had gone pink. “Perhaps,” he said, in his particular flat tone.

Wei Wuxian looked at him, trying to puzzle him out. There was something about him Wei Wuxian quite liked, even besides the obvious good looks, even given that he seemed largely inscrutable. “Tell me something about yourself,” he said. “I feel like you know more about me than I know about you.”

“Such as?”

“What do you do?”

“I am in medical school. Entering my final year.”

Of course he was going to be a doctor. Wei Wuxian almost wanted to laugh.

“And you?”

“Ah well.” Wei Wuxian crossed his arms and took a breath. “Nothing so glorious as that. I did intend to do the grad school thing, and still do, but you know…” He waved his hand. “I needed to save up after undergrad, but something always happens, so, you know. I just do computer repair work.”

“Just?”

“Yeah, you should hear the fits Madam Yu throws, says I’ve wasted the family’s investment in my college education. Says I should work harder and get on my way to doing something respectable.” 

“It is respectable,” Lan Wangji said with the same certainty as before.

“Well, it pays the bills. Mostly.” 

“Mn.” Lan Wangji’s face barely changed, but Wei Wuxian got the impression that he was frustrated. “I understand very little about computers. As, I imagine, does Madam Yu.”

“They’re easy enough to get the hang of. It’s just—“ He paused. “Either you don’t want to hear this, or you’re trying to trick me into saying something smart so you can say I told you so.”

“Perhaps.” The corner of Lan Wangji’s mouth ticked up the slightest bit. Holly shit. If he was handsome with his neutral, slightly grumpy expression, there weren’t words for what he was when he smiled. “Please continue.”

Wei Wuxian humored him for a while, explaining what he knew had to be boring details of how computers worked, throwing in what human interest bits he could. He worked in a shop called Wen’s with his buddy Wen Ning— Wen Ning’s family ran it. Wei Wuxian hadn’t meant to stick around, he had just meant to fill in for Wen Ning when he’d been in that accident their senior year, because he was a quick learner and the Wens needed somebody, but then he was good at it and had needed the money and had stayed, and did Lan Wangji know how much of an up charge there was if you took your computer to the manufacturer’s endorsed repair company? Wei Wuxian did not mention that the reason he needed money in the first place was that he’d stretched what he’d had thin helping get Wen Ning back on his feet. He had Jiang Cheng and Madam Yu to tell him he was a fool, and he was starting to like Lan Wangji too much to set him up to ruin it. 

“This must bore you,” he said after explaining the time he’d fixed Jin Zixuan’s computer, and how Zixuan hadn’t realized he’d gone to where Wei Wuxian worked until he popped out of the back room. “Please stop me.”

“I enjoy listening.”

“But not talking, it seems. You were supposed to be telling me about yourself, and you turned it right around.”

“There is not much to say about me.”

“Sure there is. You’re in med school, there’s got to be some interesting stories. What sort of doctor are you thinking you’ll be?”

“Pediatrician.”

“Really? You seem the surgeon type.”

“I’ve been told.”

That was a sore spot, then. Wei Wuxian smiled. “That’s nice, though. You must care more about helping people than being the sort of hot shot all the TV dramas are about.”

Lan Wangji’s mouth set in a line. “That should be true for everyone.” The image of him fighting with other students on the matter flashed in Wei Wuxian’s head. He seemed so reserved, and yet Wei Wuxian would believe that he’d said these same words through gritted teeth in another circumstance.

“Well, I’m glad it’s true for you.” Wei Wuxian flashed a smile at Lan Wangji, and was amazed to see Lan Wangji’s face relax. It made him feel a whole host of things, and he was getting to the point where he couldn’t blame the wine. “We should dance,” he said before he could stop himself. Feelings were even more dangerous than alcohol.

Lan Wangji’s mouth opened slightly— he’d stopped just sort of blurting out a no, hadn’t he, and was now trying to find a polite way to say it. But Lan Wangji’s eyes focused on Wei Wuxian’s face a long moment, and then— “Okay.”

“Okay.” Wei Wuxian laughed a little, from relief, and maybe, maybe, the bit of nervousness beginning to curl around his throat. He was more Jiang Cheng than Yanli, he knew that. Worse, even— he was Wei Wuxian. He couldn’t hold romantic notions of what this meant. Even if it went perfectly, and Lan Wangji was not just pitying some sad sack who couldn’t handle his sister getting married, then what? They’d have a few dates, and then one of them would forget to call, and then it would end the way everything else did. 

Another slow song started as they made their way to the dance floor, and Wei Wuxian’s face felt warm. “We don’t have to…”

Lan Wangji put one hand on Wei Wuxian’s back, right at his shoulder blade like he was leading him in a waltz-- Wei Wuxian knew, because Yanli had practiced for her first dance with him plenty over the past several months. His touch was firm, his hand strong. Wei Wuxian put his own hand on Lan Wangji’s shoulder, half afraid he might swoon if he didn’t steady himself. “You know your way around this sort of thing, huh?” he said, trying to keep it light.

“I have had lessons.”

“Well, I’ve practiced quite a lot with Yanli, so I can give you a run for your money, I bet.” 

“Mn.” Lan Wangji took his free hand.

They only swayed in place like everyone else-- it wasn’t a waltz, or anything else Wei Wuxian could recognize-- but dancing with Lan Wangji felt like something with complicated steps, something Wei Wuxian had to focus immensely to do right or else he’d trip right over his own feet. Though if he did, Lan Wangji certainly felt strong enough to catch him. Mm, he needed to not think about that. Or how close they were, the stiff fabrics of their jackets pressed together, giving only the ghost of touch to the skin beneath. 

Lan Wangji’s eyes locked on Wei Wuxian. That was a dancing thing, Wei Wuxian knew. Yanli had been chastised many times by her instructor for looking down at her feet. Still, it didn’t help with anything he was feeling. He had to look back, to show he knew he was supposed to. Lan Wangji had such nice eyes. And… lips. Wei Wuxian bit down on his tongue. 

“Are you… alright?”

“Yeah. Definitely. You’re just a very good dancer.”

The slightest crease appeared between Lan Wangji’s eyebrows. “If this isn’t…”

“It is.” Wei Wuxian turned his hand to lace his fingers into Lan Wangji’s. It wasn’t proper dance form, but he needed to hold on. “I’m just being weird.”

Lan Wangji’s fingers curled around the back of Wei Wuxian’s slowly, but then the tightness of his grip matched Wei Wuxian’s. His thumb stroked the side of Wei Wuxian’s hand. Wei Wuxian both relaxed and felt every nerve in his body light up. Did Lan Wangji know what that did to him? Was it maybe on purpose? His face remained unreadable. Wei Wuxian stepped in to press a little closer, just to see what he’d do. Not shamelessly close, though plenty of other pairs were toeing that line, including Jin Guangshan, who unsurprisingly was not dancing with his wife.

Lan Wangji did not pull away. If anything, he pressed a little harder on Wei Wuxian’s back. Either Wei Wuxian was completely out of touch on the dating scene— entirely possible, given the last few years, or…

MianMian caught his eye from over the shoulder of her date across the floor. She made a pointed look at Lan Wangji, and then a very unsubtle thumbs up. Wei Wuxian rose his eyebrows in response, trying to convey a confidence he certainly didn’t have.

MianMian grimaced— was he that obvious? Or... oh no. She meant—

“Wuxian, who is this?”

Wei Wuxian turned to see a very irritable Jiang Cheng. He had, it seemed, also been drinking quite a lot to deal with their family. A half empty ball glass was clenched in his fist.

“Ah, Jiang Cheng,” Wei Wuxian said with his best anger-diffusing smile, pulling away from Lan Wangji. “This is Lan Wangji. His brother’s the one that Jin G—-“

“Yes, I know that,” Jiang Cheng snapped, even though he had asked. “What are you doing with him?”

“We are dancing,” Lan Wangji said, so clearly annoyed that Wei Wuxian had to wonder how he’d been inscrutable just moments before.

“It’s a party, A-Cheng, we’re supposed to have fun.” He threw an arm around his brother’s shoulders. “You can’t have fun without me, can you?”

Jiang Cheng grunted, but Wei Wuxian knew he needed attention. He took the drink from him and handed it to Lan Wangji. “Will you get rid of this? I'll be back, I promise. He just needs… me.”

Lan Wangji nodded, and Wei Wuxian herded Jiang Cheng to an empty table. “And here I thought you were going to yell at me for drinking.”

“I don’t like that guy.”

“Come on, they’re married now, we have to stop—“

“No, that guy.” Jiang Cheng made a flailing motion with one hand towards the dance floor. “He seems stuffy. Why would you hang out with him?”

“Well, you were busy.”

“And you didn’t think of rescuing your dear beloved brother? You left me to the wolves?” He picked up a glass from the table, realizing only just in time that it was both empty and not his. “Do you know how many times someone offered to set me up? You could have at least split their focus.”

“Please, half your mom’s family still can’t handle that I’m--”

“That doesn’t matter,” Jiang Cheng huffed. “You could have…” He shut his mouth very tight. Wei Wuxian sighed and hurried him to the bathroom, waiting outside a stall for him.

“I thought I’d be the one doing this,” he said, handing in a paper towel when Jiang Cheng had finished. Then again, Jiang Cheng always had the lower alcohol tolerance, and if he was feeling the same things Wei Wuxian felt, neither of them should really be surprised.

Jiang Cheng took the towel but didn’t rise from his spot on the bathroom floor. “I might have killed you if it was.”

“If you didn’t, your mom would have.” Wei Wuxian plopped himself on the floor next to Jiang Cheng, leaning against the stall door frame. “You okay?”

“Yeah.”

“We’re not losing her.”

“I know,” Jiang Cheng snapped, but he grabbed Wei Wuxian’s wrist and held it tight. “Zixuan really doesn’t deserve her.”

“Yeah, but neither do we.”

It sat in the air a long moment. Wei Wuxian wanted to say nothing would be different, they’d all been living on their own anyway, but it would be a lie. Yanli would always take care of them, but they couldn’t lean on her the same way. And if they could, it wouldn’t be right.

“Do you really like that guy?” Jiang Cheng asked, leaning his head against the toilet paper dispenser.

Wei Wuxian laughed. “I don’t think it matters. We’ve been gone a while, and I probably smell like shit now.” He put a hand on Jiang Cheng’s shoulder. “Besides, so what if I did? You think anyone would ever be dumb enough to stick with me? You’re the only one that stupid.”

Jiang Cheng snorted. “That’s for sure.” He rolled his head over to look at him. “But you’re the only one dumb enough to stay with me.”

“And I’m not getting any smarter. Just ask your mom.”

“Well. I’m not either.”

Wei Wuxian smiled, and then bit his lip. “If I ever was in a relationship, you know nothing would change, right?”

“Oh my god, you do like that guy! You’re going to abandon me for that guy, and do married brunches with Yanli while I sit at home!”

“How much did you drink?” Wei Wuxian laughed. “In what world would I suffer a meal with Zixuan without you?”

“A world where you have your own awful husband.”

“Never.” He squeezed Jiang Cheng’s shoulders. “I’ll always need you. Besides, god knows Yanli’s gonna have plenty of kids. Who’s gonna pay attention to them while we’re occupied with those awful husbands?”

Jiang Cheng’s face softened. “I’d have to be there for them.” He looked at Wei Wuxian with wet eyes. “You want to get back to your stuffy man?”

“He’s probably already gone.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine. The world is full of many handsome men, but only one Jiang Cheng.”

“Mm-- hey! Do you mean I’m not handsome?”

By the time they stumbled out of the bathroom, Wei Wuxian’s arm still around Jiang Cheng to steady him, the crowd had begun to thin. There was no sign of either Lan Wangji or his brother. It was probably for the better. He’d find some way to ruin it, and besides, he and Jiang Cheng were going to need each other more than they ever had. He’d choose Jiang Cheng over a potential boyfriend any day.

But later, when MianMian slipped a napkin with a phone number scrawled onto it into his hand as she said her goodbyes, whispering, “I’ve got your back,” he felt a spark of hope that maybe he wouldn’t have to choose.

[genuflectx]

Robot Butler/Reader CH 1

Ch 1 Length: 4,748 words

Full Story Length: 8,029 words

Main Kinks: Robots, risk of being seen/heard, public sex, creampie, fingering,

Other Warnings: Mentions of university, arguing with parents, former sex work,

1/30/2020: REPOST

(all images in aesthetic board are labeled for reuse with modification or are mine)

You took a bite of your chicken Marsala and cringed. It had been your mother's turn to make dinner, but she had never been a five star chef. You supposed she made up for that in her extensive mechanical skill sets. Where mother couldn't sauté, she could solder; where she couldn't bake, she could debug. And that was all well and good, but it did your family no favors at meal time, especially as you nearly choked. That was why, she declared, she and your father were going to be hiring someone else to do the cooking.

“You mean like... a personal chef?” asked your younger sister Lilly, on the brink of exploding with glee.

Mom smirked and tried to withhold her excitement. “A little more than that.”

“She means a new robot. That's what she means,” came your smug father.

Embarrassed, your mom's face reddened. Because she worked in a field that repaired damaged bots, she was greatly fond of them. Dad always teased her about her affinity with machines. Your three-story house already had two non-sentient cleaning bots, which sucked up dirt and debris on the floor. Mom had even named them: Debra and Deloris, the dust bunnies.

Your sibling was vibrating in her chair, eyes sparkling and grin ear-to-ear. It was obvious how she felt, but you were unsure. You were a college student, and felt that money was already spread far too thin to be hiring house staff willy-nilly, let alone one that needed a battery charge. The fact that your sister was to graduate high school in two years, before also heading to university, didn't help either.

You prudently let the fork rest, making no noise. “Can we afford a robot?”

At this, mom sat back and rose a brow. She wriggled a bit, as if smoothing a napkin in her lap. “Well. That's not the only announcement I have to make,” she glanced around the table, upping suspense. “I got a raise! An extra dollar an hour!” Then she added quickly, in a sing-song voice. “Plus he's discount, 'cause he's refurbished.”

“That's wonderful mom! But- he?” you squinted.

Lilly clapped softly. “A sentient robot!”

Through a full mouth, your dad nodded with a mumbled. “Eeeyup!”

The majority of household robots were considered non-thinkers, unable to form original thoughts or have emotions more complex than a slug. They were the robots in your phones, your appliances, the robots that could generate artwork or manufacturer small objects. You and Lilly had only interacted with free, complex-thought-driven robots a handful of times.

Sentient bots were more for the extremely rich, as typically only the rich could afford to hire and maintain them. They were stronger, more humanoid, and sometimes nearly indistinguishable from people. You loved bots, but you had to admit it. The idea of having a thinking one in your home frightened you just a little.

When time came for him to move in, you'd still been on the fence. You'd been expecting a thin, sharp-edged thing with a long, snooty face and cutting eyes. Instead, your mom led in a robot totally the opposite of the image of a butler.

He followed after her clumsily, turning sideways and ducking inside, and you could not help but see him as a sturdy Clydesdale trying to be somewhere he should not. He was in no way the delicate models designed to take up as little space as possible. Perhaps that is why your parents wanted to give him a chance, as who in their right mind would hire such a hulking thing to be their quiet, orderly butler? You found yourself blatantly staring.

You didn't think you'd ever seen a humanoid robot so big before. You wondered if his previous function had been in construction, or something equally as hefty. Everything about him was built for strength; with strong legs to move and strong arms to grasp.

He was tall and rotund. His shoulders were wide, not built for shimmying into the small door frames of your house. The arms were hard and stiff, perfect for lifting. Hands smooth and soft, square and flat, jointed together by middle mechanisms hidden in soft, flexible silicon. And his legs were thick and round, with built in shoes for feet.

The face was broad, with a strong brow line, and cheeks highlighted with sliced matte, the colors neon pink, yellow, green, and blue. There was no nose, ears, or lips. Instead there were five vertical slits in place of a mouth, where the speaker was located under the plates of his face. His eyes were big and just as neon as his cheeks, black pupils constantly dilated. Unlike the humanoid bots made now, he did not have a pseudo-skin scalp, and thus would need to wear wigs were he to want hair. Modernly, he was hairless, save for long, fake eyelashes. He was certainly a few years behind, as far as facial features went.

“And this is [Y/N], my apparently very quiet offspring. Can you say hi, [Y/N]?” Laughed your mom with good humor.

Lilly elbowed you in the side to grab your attention and you grunted, glaring at her. She smiled innocently as you craned your neck to answer.

“...Hi. Your name is?”

The bulky robot blinked his lavish eyelashes down at the two of you. “Designation: Ezra. I am enchanted.”

“Howdy enchanted, I'm Lilly! So, how much is mom paying you?”

Glare number two was shot her way, this time via your mom. Before she could scold her, your dad popped out of his study.

“Whoooops, forgot the robot was starting today. I wondered what all that hubbub was!”

You were increasingly embarrassed to be standing among these people who were, apparently, your family. As you and your parents showed Ezra around the house (Lilly tailing behind), you couldn't help but let your eyes wander.

Ezra wore a freshly ironed dark gray suit, with white underneath and a black tie. It was tailored perfectly, but looked humorous covering his wide shoulders. He was not a bot meant to wear clothes, but this get up was likely more appropriate for his new occupation. Nervous eyes snapped up when you realized you'd been checking out his butt.

He had his own room, which had previously been used for excessive storage. Now it was a carpeted resting room for him to recharge and enjoy his free time. It had a small book self, a comfortable loveseat, and a small television hooked into the wall. In one corner, near the loveseat, was an upright charging station with several thick, neatly organized chords. Sparse, but cozy.

He hadn't brought much to unpack; just a few books, a suitcase of professional clothing, and a small box full of extra parts for repairs, if job injury occurred.

Everyone left him to unpack in peace, but you were curious. You knocked at the door frame. “Knock knock! Just me, the 'very quiet offspring,'” you laughed.

Ezra's movements were jerky as he froze in the midst of setting down a book upon the self. “Yes? What may I help you with?”

You leaned against the frame, arms crossed and lips pursed. “Just wanted to say... welcome to the family, Ezra.”

He would smile if he had the means. “Thank you, I appreciate the warmth.”

After a moment of hesitation and a twirl of your hair, you shifted weight and went on. “I was wondering... mom said you were refurbished, right?”

He was keeping steady eye contact, hand still frozen inches from the bookshelf. “Yes, that's correct.”

“What did you used to be? You look like construction, or maybe someone who moves boxes,” you mused, head cocked and lips pursed.

Ezra finally set the book down and turned his body fully towards you. He was surprised by the question. His bright, ringed eyes stared forward, unblinking. “...Your mother hasn't told you?”

You shook your head.

Immediately, like ripping off a band-aid, he replied. “I was a sex worker.”

You stared, blank. He stared, blank. Really, it was terribly awkward. You felt blood rise to your skin and heat radiate from it in turn. A slight sense of panic set in.

“Oh. Okay. Well... goodnight!”

You shut his door and rushed, as quietly as possible, to your own room. You didn't even know why you felt so embarrassed, but you did. As you leaned back against your door, you realized that you'd perhaps been rude to pry. No need to drag up the past if he wanted to avoid it- not that he gave any indication one way or the other.

On the other hand... were you overreacting? It was just one little question, and he hadn't seemed bothered. Maybe you were just embarrassed about it because now you were thinking about him bending someone over and- you slumped to the floor. Holy shit. You just met him a few hours ago! Weren't you supposed to be nervous around sentient robots? But how could you be with those curves, and those eyelashes, and all those bright colors and, you sighed.

Clammy hands drug down your damp face. Deciding you needed to get your mind off of things, you settled in bed and pushed the thoughts away with a cute movie about dogs. After, you went promptly to sleep.

The next day Ezra got to work. Your parents left him a list of things to do, but told him not to fret about finishing them all since it was his first day. And, with Lilly locked in her room with her video games, you were the one who had to keep the robot in line. For example, if he needed to find a specific soap, or if he needed to know where certain dishes went, you were there to inform him. Luckily since it was summer, you or Lilly would always be around to help him adjust.

You idly watched some streaming while he tidied the living room around you. He was interesting. Very quiet; Ezra tended to do his work silently. He dusted the top of a high shelf with ease, not even needing to stand on tippy-toes to reach. You watched from the corner of your eye, secretly admiring the dip in his back and his tall stature.

He was the thickest sex bot you'd ever seen. As the thought unwillingly slipped into mind, you snapped your eyes back to the tablet screen in bashfulness. It was wrong of you to feel so attracted to someone who was obviously finished with that line of work. No doubt, he was made this way on purpose. Every straight edge, every curve, every flashy color had to be decided upon by a human. So perhaps even if you did feel some guilt, it was only natural to be at least a little attracted to him. It meant the designers did their job right.

Suddenly his pink-tinged frame was in front of you, and you jumped.

“I've finished the dusting. What's next on the list?”

You squinted at the paper in hand. “Mmm. Laundry. Know where the washer is?”

He nodded, and left the room without another word. After a few moments, he came tromping back up to you, a drooping pile of clothes in hand.

“Are these in need of washing?”

That was the pile of dirty clothes you'd had in a corner of your bedroom. A piece loosened as he adjusted, falling to the floor with a gentle whoosh. He squatted to pick it back up, and you blushed when you realized it was panties. You tried not to look embarrassed.

“Oh, yeah... Those are dirty.”

He noted your stare, and then he was gone again.

Ezra had actually been able to complete all the tasks on the list by the time your parents had come home. He'd even begun cooking a solid hour before hand. They were impressed with his ambition and praised him to high Heaven, giving all smiles.

As everyone doted on his cooking skills, your mom asked. “So, how did you feel your first day went Ezra? Did the kids give you Hell?” she joked, referring to you and your younger sister.

He was sitting at the table, though he didn't eat. Your mom had insisted. “Very well, mam. [Y/N] was a great help to me.”

“Were they now?” your dad's brow rose.

“I just read from the list, that's all,” you shrugged. “If you could call that a help.”

The robot continued. “Yes, and it sped up completion by exactly five minutes. Dinner would have been a little late, otherwise.” Sounding very genuine, he punctuated softly with “Thank you.”

You leaned on your hand and smirked, feeling fuzzy. It made you feel silly to be so happy that he'd openly appreciate you in front of your family, but that was how you felt. It was nice. You twirled the fork in your pasta, then nibbled quietly.

“What about me?” groused Lilly.

Like an expert salesman, he soothed her irritation. “You kept to yourself, which gave me much room to work. Thank you too, Lilly.”

She nodded and continued to eat sloppily, appeased.

After dinner you offered to help Ezra clean up. He'd rejected the idea at first, considering this was what he was being paid for. But you suggested he could take up cleaning the kitchen, and you would take the dining room. He reluctantly allowed this.

As you wiped off the table, removing any trace of being eaten on, he side stepped behind you a little too close. His pelvis gently brushed against your rear. You squeaked and your face went red.

“Is something the matter?” He asked innocently, stopping in his tracks.

Unable to face him, you shook your head no. “I just- I thought I saw a mouse! That's all.”

He hummed beside you, leaning with one palm flat to the clean table's surface. “I see. Then I shall put 'mouse traps' down on the grocery list.”

You swallowed and nodded, scolding your body inwardly. Ezra seemed satisfied, slowly sliding his hand off the table and walking to the kitchen with half the dishes. He returned soon to get the rest, leaning over you to gingerly grab them. He could have walked around, but no. At the very least he was tall enough to do this without pressing against your back.

“What are you doing?” you stammered, twisting around to glance up at him nervously.

He stacked the plates in one hand. “Getting the dishes. [Y/N], if I may... you've looked like you've been burning up all day.” The back of his hand felt your forehead, then your cheek. “Shall I fetch a thermometer?”

You were too stunned to speak, your poor body reacting from the close quarters and his gentle touch. The silicone of his hands were warm. For a moment you stared up at him, brows furrowed and floundering for words. It didn't help that you were pretty much being forced to press against the table to keep the distance. But would it be so bad if the distance closed?

Your throat found words on its own, without your brain. You turned back around, slumping somewhat with hands to the table, tense. “N-n-no, not necessary, I'm fine!”

He processed your reaction. The plates were set down fastidiously, so as not to clink. Then he placed a palm to your back, in the location of your heart. You tensed in further, breath nearly stopping as he went on.

“Are you certain? Your heart rate has picked up significantly, as well,” he said smoothly.

Deep breath. You let it go shakily. “...You know what you're doing, don't you?” you asked, barely above a whisper.

He chuckled.

You let that response sink in. Of course he knew, he'd been in a line of work that required him to comprehensively understand human physical reactions.

“I'm sorry. I'm embarrassed.”

His hand slid down a few inches, towards your side. You shivered involuntarily and dropped your head, ashamed of yourself.

Ezra chuckled again. “That's alright. Did you want this?”

You took another breath, glad he could not see how your face and ears and hands were burning. You gave a nod and arched, ass bumping against his body. With that confirmation to yourself, you could feel the blood rushing low.

“Did you want this?” you parroted back, unsure. Worry gnawed at you.

He hummed, bringing hands to lightly grasp your hips. He enjoyed the way his fingers wrapped around your body. With a slight buck, grinding against your ass, he replied. “You're very interesting.”

“Ha. That's what I've been thinking about you. Funny. U-um, we should go upstairs.”

“Why?”

You peeked over your shoulder to give him a pointed look. “Cause someone could walk in?”

He ground against you harder, using the grip on your hips. You couldn't help but bite your lip and breathe hard, already getting worked up. Suddenly he was pushing a palm against your shoulder, forcing your elbows to buckle and your head to lower against the table. You grumbled, and struggled a bit. The hand didn't budge.

“Come on, I don't want my parents to see!” then you shuddered with disgust. “Or Lilly. Eugh.”

“Be still. They won't.”

You sighed, but found yourself complying. Something about the depravity of the situation was riling you up, and you could feel the dampness of your panties growing every time he spoke.

“Ju-just... try and be quiet,” you pleaded.

He nodded, lifting the hand that had been pinning you. Gray butler's pants were unfastened, and then feet were nudging yours apart. You pressed your forehead to the table, arms wrapped around your head to hide yourself away. But when something thick rubbed up between your still covered legs you jolted. Lifting from the table and glancing under yourself, you could vaguely make out the round tip of his dick.

“Oh,” you breathed, excited but a little nervous. “You're big... and pretty. It's a rainbow, like your cheeks!”

“And my arms. And my legs. I must show you my body, sometime.”

The implications burned you up. He was pulling down your shorts and panties with care, now. Spreading your cheeks and nudging your legs apart even further, he hummed with satisfaction.

“Beautiful,” his flat fingers went to your already sticky folds. “Wet.”

You shoved your head back into your arms and wiggled. “We don't have time for foreplay, someone could walk in at any minute Ezra! Just... put it in already. Please,” you sounded desperate.

That wasn't something he was used to hearing. Ezra was rather fond of foreplay, and was worried you would hurt with the girth of his tip. After all, the head of his dick was much wider than the base, and it was covered in symmetrically placed bumps. Without enough foreplay, it may be difficult to squeeze it all inside. But he also aimed to please, and would obey up until you started gritting teeth.

He rubbed his smooth cock through your folds a few times, enjoying the warmth and softness. You were obviously embarrassed as Hell, but he could tell you needed it so badly. The tip pressed against your entrance, then let up, then pressed again. He was trying to be easy.

You moved back the next time he inched forward. The tip stretched and burned as it slipped just barely inside, and you gasped.

“Are you alright?” he asked, soothing with a slow swipe across your lower back.

“...Just give me a minute.”

After a rest, he was slowly, slowly, enveloping himself in you. As expected it was taking some time, you just weren't used to the width or the knots. But oh, you were determined. If you were going to lean over the dining room table, risking being caught fucking the new robot butler, then by God you were going to finish getting fucked. Assuming he would ever hilt at all. The bumps were the hardest parts to slip inside.

When he finally did hilt you were ecstatic. It felt swollen and twitched inside of you, barely able to fit. But you were just so full. So amazingly, painfully full. You'd never felt so filled up in your entire life. No greasy college kid could ever compare to this, and you got the feeling there would be no coming back from it.

“May I?”

“God yes,” you whispered.

He rotated his hips, only pulling out a few inches. The girth made you grit your teeth and hiss, your body staying deathly still. In turn Ezra leaned over your back, his arm wriggling under your belly and smoothing over your clit. His weight against your skin was electrifying.

He rubbed you off while grinding into you at a slow pace. If he were human, you were sure he'd have already become erratic with the inability to multi-task. But he kept it up perfectly. You muffled a sigh with your arm. The budding pleasure helped your muscles relax, easing the removal of his cock.

Ezra slowly pulled out in one gentle stroke, and plunged in just as quickly. He began to rock methodically. You bit your arm to keep from making any noise, drool oozed down your skin.

“So tight,” he whispered, pressing the flat pads of his fingers against your clit a little harder.

You hummed quietly in approval. Suddenly you wondered something in the back of your mind. Could he feel pleasure, too? Or was he doing this simply because he still had it programed in his coding? Releasing teeth from sore arm, you asked. “Does it feel good?”

“Yes,” he breathed, shoving in particularity hard.

You squeaked and slapped a hand to your mouth. Ezra laughed dryly and swirled his fingers before violently thrusting. Your ass smacked and clapped loudly against his pelvis, filling the room with the sounds of sex. You nearly had to suffocate yourself in your arms to keep from involuntarily moaning from the sudden, intense sensations. To make matters worse, the stacked plates at your side clattered and clinked noisily. Just as quick as he began, he slowed again.

You caught your breath, legs shaking. “Don't do that! That was so loud!”

The robot nodded. Coyly, he decided to jerk you off intensely instead. You became a gasping, shivering mess bent across the table. He listened to the beautiful sound of your heart racing, felt the way you began to sweat and buck. As you started to come around his rainbow cock he stopped fucking you, just letting you whisper harshly into your arms with the pleasure.

“Mmm. So nice,” he praised as you twitched.

You came down from the high and panted as quietly as possible. Ezra had stood back up, stroking your back sweetly with affection. He slowly removed himself from your tight wet walls, strings of slick connecting the two of you.

“What are you doing?” you asked, still rather breathless.

“You have finished.”

Looking back over your shoulder, you rose a brow and pursed your lips. “You haven't, though.”

“Correct.”

When he didn't say anything more, instead staring at you with confusion, you continued. “Don't you want to cum?”

He titled his head and blinked those long, pretty eyelashes. “Typically sex is for the enjoyment of the customer.”

You straightened and turned to face him, shorts and panties around your ankles. “I'm not a customer, and you're no longer in sex work.”

This seemed to confuse him further. “But you are my employer.”

“Listen,” you bit your lip, thinking a second. “You can feel pleasure, can't you?”

He nodded.

“And you can cum?”

He nodded again.

With a slight jump you settled your ass against the dining room table (sorry mom and dad) then leaned back against your arms, legs spread. “Then fuck me, Ezra.”

His cock leaped, and you couldn't help but notice the slight temperature rise from the space between skin and metal. “Yes,” he agreed, voice cracking.

His hands grasped the fatty part of your thighs and pushed them away even further, putting your dripping pussy more in the limelight. You should have been much more bashful at that. But after he made you orgasm so well, and after treating you so sweetly, you just wanted him to have his own fun. Poor bot probably had blue balls! Besides that... sex working robots couldn't get you pregnant, and you had never been cum inside before. The thought thrilled you.

You watched him line the tip of his round shaft up with your hole again eagerly. He was nearly shaking. Hot air was fanned out of his body as it pushed inside for a second time, slowly settling in. It slipped inside much easier this time around. You sighed, loving the fill.

“There you go,” you whispered, sliding so you were on your back and he could hold your lower body up.

He fucked you moderately, but rhythmically like a metronome, head tilted back and eyes closed. Your warm pussy was so amazingly small around his soft silicone cock. The suction was nearly unbearable. Almost no one let him fuck them to his completion during his time with sex work, outside of those who got off to sucking his thick robot dick.

Ezra pressed your feet together and set them against one shoulder, further compressing your walls against him. He groaned quietly, the first time you'd heard him give any verbal indication of pleasure.

“Where shall I cum?” He asked politely.

You gently felt yourself up and smirked naughtily. “Inside of me, Ezra. Just let go.”

“Ahhh,” sighed the robot quietly, his movements becoming small. Soon he was pushing your legs back, lifting your ass from the table, and hilting himself deeply into your folds.

You squished yourself against him the best you could to be helpful. Ezra's legs rattled as he fought to keep upright, the load he'd suppressed for months pumping generously into you at a lovely angle. As his wide legs slowly regained their stability, you noticed the hour hand upon the clock. It hung there mockingly; the only eye that had witnessed your copulation.

“It's late,” you whispered, with Ezra still holding your ankles against his shoulder and his dick pulsating inside, as if organic.

Finally, the colorful rings of his eyes were visible again. He stared down at the place where your bodies connected, happy and fulfilled.

“Did you hear me?”

Dark pupils shifted up to yours. “Yes. I apologize. Here,” he answered quietly, slipping his dick out.

Faux-cum dribbled onto the table. He helped you off like a gentleman and hastily refastened his wrinkled pants. The two of you just stood there, tense. Ezra suddenly became shy and glanced off to the side, his hands hidden behind his back.

Still shorts-less, You half-smiled and stood onto your tiptoes, where you pressed a soft kiss to the side of his pink chin.

Ezra expelled hot air, and wished he could smile back. “I will finish the dishes and wipe the table, now. You should sleep. Eight hours is generally the amount humans need.”

You nodded while clumsily shimmying your underwear and shorts back on over exposed hips. Yanked on them a bit when accidentally giving yourself a wedgie. There was still cum inside of you, and the wetness from your lovemaking was rather uncomfortable.

“I'll clean myself up, then phew-” you slumped. “I think I'm gonna pass out. Think anyone heard?”

He turned his head slightly, as if listening. A few second went by. “No. I don't hear anybody nearby. We are safe.”

A sigh of relief. “Then I'll... see you in the morning, Ezra,” you pat him on the chest gingerly.

He looked as if he wanted to say something else, but eventually lowered his head and straightened his back. “Yes. Sleep well [Y/N]. I will be here,” he picked up the stack of plates automatically.

With one last look, you padded silently out the door. A sweep of the room revealed dark emptiness; Ezra was right, no one had been around to hear. Thank goodness. So you crept on through, up the stairs, and to the bathroom for clean up. Then, once you were satisfied with the job, crawled languidly under the covers and had the best sleep of your life.

[szopenhauer]

it seems that the average survey-taker is a white american female, aged 15-19, who has a car, a cell phone, and an extensive social circle. is this true for you? I’m a white female but not from America and I’m much older, have no car nor friends, just cellphone

have you seen any silent films? I love Buster Keaton 

would you rather be an actor, director, or soundtrack producer? actress and director

have you seen nbc’s ‘hannibal’? thoughts? (if you haven’t, do you want to?) no and don’t want to, yuk

on websites where you’re permitted to change your username, do you do so often, or do you keep the same one for long periods of time? I usually change after a few months

does your computer have a name?  I didn’t call this annoying piece of shit anyhow but maybe if I had a better computer...

are you eager to see how far science + technology will advance, or do you prefer an older way of doing things? do you think we are better off with these advancements, or not? I wish we had choice, I would like the world to be balanced, a bit of this and a bit of that, some advancements are necessary, some are cool but some are awful

what is your favourite comic book or graphic novel? does your favourite novel come in comic-book form? (if not, would you like it to?) I don’t read comics but from those I ever tried my fav manga was Doubt, webcomic (those I saw several but I forgot most of the titles by now) - Lackadaisy and I am fan of Aldebaran and Betelgeza 

Any friends who are constantly venting about their boyfriend?: it was common - me listening complains about my crush’es exes or current boyfriends/lovers/crushes

Have you ever been ice-skating?: once, in high school, didn’t like it

Does the sound of rain at night help you sleep?: yeah

Did the end of Public Enemies make you sad?: I didn’t finish the movie

Do you obsessively apply lip-gloss or lip balm?: ewww, not at all

Do you think you’d have what it takes to shoot someone if you had to protect yourself?: I believe

What’s your most noticeable flaw?: ugh...

Have you ever walked into a massive cobweb? yes and that was awful because it was full of dead bugs

When you can tell that someone’s lying, do you call them out on it?: often

How many other blogs do you follow on Tumblr?: more than 300 

Does it ever scare you how fast time can go by?: could say so

Have you ever replied “OK” when someone confessed they liked you?: possibly :x

What does your grandma call you?: sigh...

What would you do for immortality and infinite youth?: dunno, definitely wouldn’t sell my soul or kill an innocent person but I would do some stuff for immortality 

Would you rather have a pool or a hot tub?: neither

Have you ever worn a nipple tassel?: haven’t

Ever played hide and seek in the woods on horseback at night?: wow, that’s weirdly specific and now I want this somehow :o

Have you ever held a baby chick?: wild bird’s babies and I regret that because it’s not helfpul for them actually

Do you think wine tastes like rotten fruit? yep

Have you ever felt the need to hide something about yourself?: sometimes, from certain people, I should be myself most of the time tho

Do you think pearls are attractive?: umm...

Have you ever wished you had a different name? Which name would you choose? but I like male ones more or non polish

Have you ever customised an item of clothing? I designed and my mom helped me, made changes for me

Do you prefer drawing or painting?  prefer to draw but look at paintings

Are you saving up for anything right now? What? if I could/had money to save then I would save for a bike, laptop, my own apartment etc.

Do you own any figurines?  cats, dogs, elephants, clowns, horses and others

If you have any siblings, how much rivalry is between you all? it’s complicated

When did you last have itchy eyes? recently

Is it dark outside right now? it’s getting darker 

Do you prefer framed photos or just sticking photos straight onto walls? I prefer them in an album, takes less space 

What’s your favourite type of cake? used to love sękacz the most

Have you ever woken up from a dream and believed it to have been real? I was confused 

If there’s a bug in your room, can you sleep or do you need to get it out? it depends on how annoying/dangerous it is

Do you prefer travelling alone or with people? I like to travel with my dad

What was the last baby animal you saw? pic or irl?

Do you give people high fives or hugs more often? hugs

How long have you known the last person you kissed? I knew her 10 years ago for awhile then we lost contact until this spring

When angry, do you get loud or quiet? depends

What do you currently hear right now? my parents talking

Who of the opposite sex has seen you at your worst? dad

Last person you saw? parent

Did you have a nap today? nope

Are you easy to get along with? am not

When was the last time you were told you were cute? recently my gf called me cute and I’m like Catra about it

Have you ever forgotten to put on an oven mitt before you took something extremely hot out of the oven? not over, just hot pot

Do you own one of those airwick things that automatically sprays every few minutes? hell no

How many light bulbs are on in the room you are currently in? 3, one doesn’t work 

Have you ever had your phone taken away at school before? almost, teacher heard it calling but before they found out who’s phone that was it stopped ringing and I was safe

Do you look better with or without glasses? I’m always ugly 

What is your favorite type of bird? chicken, owl, flamingo, crow, barn swallow...

Did you go fishing a lot when you were younger? Do you now? I hate fishing, never been nor will go

Do you like more flowery scents or more clean scents? no scents, thank you Do you own a manual or electric toothbrush? manual, electric are horrible Preferred brand of toothpaste? m current is Meridol  Piece of make-up you cannot live without? I can live without it

Do you prefer heels or flats? flats are more comfy but I know how to walk in heels, just don’t like to

Do you eat meat? yep Do you still watch cartoons regularly? I recently started watching She-ra with my gf but before that I didn’t watch any animated shows for a long time (just fragments/episodes maybe) Do you leave the TV on and sleep to it? never Ever considered cannibalism? r u serious?... this is scary, I’m gonna puke :x Ever licked a battery? I’m not stupid What does your name mean? lily which was also going to be my name Do animals go to Heaven? hope so Babies are… irritating

When was the last time you saw a doctor? it would be easier to say when I didn’t because I see them too often Do you know anyone who is a firefighter? used to What was the last wedding you went to? my sister’s

What’s your favourite alcoholic beverage? blergh... Do you “binge-watch” tv shows? two episodes a day max What is your opinion of clowns? love Did you wear a necklace today? not today How old are your parents? about 60 What’s something odd you do when you’re anxious or nervous? personal Have you ever received a compliment from a stranger? I have, more than one time Is your wardrobe big enough for all your clothes? it’s not Do you plan ahead when it comes to your outfits? nah Have you ever shaved your face? I shaved my eyebrows (not whole)  What colour is your front door? silver with white paint coming off  Do you take the stairs or the elevator? stairs  Would you ever try herbal medicine as opposed to conventional medicine? I tried  Do you wear open-toed shoes? I despise those Have you ever been to a petting zoo? yeah, I was petting a raccoon <3 and chinchillas are so surprisingly fluffy  When was the last time you wore a button up shirt? weeks ago How many times have you consumed alcohol? once Do you often forget what you were just about to say? ocassionally when interrupted What’s your opinion of Australia? wouldn’t go there Do you own any striped sweaters? absolutely :) Have there ever been any forest or grass fires in your area? as every summer, also trash burn quite often

What color is the trash can in your kitchen? yellow What does the cover on the last book you read look like? it has two people sitting in front of each other Do you wear green on St. Patrick’s Day? I don’t celebrate this holiday, I dislike it Are you even Irish? not even partially Have you ever gotten a wig? What did it look like and what was it for? I have a bunch of wigs  How often do you use a shower cap? What does yours look like? I don’t own any If you wanted to get a cat, would you adopt from a shelter or buy from a breeder? Why? but I don’t want a cat What’s the shortest you’d be willing to cut your hair? almost bald? What do you do when you find a spiderweb in your room? leave it be or clean it

[1dffexchange]

The Teacher Pact

To: Jess @thefangirlingbarista

From: Christa @wild3flow3r​

Summary: Wren Wright never had much luck in finding love. Residing is such a small town, there are very few pickings for a good boyfriend as most of them are already taken. She tells herself she’s happy. She’s young, she has such a great job as a kindergarten teacher, a wonderful relationship with her parents and younger sister. These things should make her happy, yet she feels that something is missing.

Enter Niall Horan. He traveled to an entirely new continent to take care of his sick grandfather. He took the first teaching job he was assigned-- a kindergarten aid. And he just got out of a long-term relationship that was going absolutely nowhere. Niall wants a fresh start away from the people who have known him his entire life. With his irish accent and bright blue eyes, he’s the talk of the town, but there’s only one person here that he wants to notice him.

a story about outrageous temper tantrums, apple juice dates, and maybe finding love in places you would least expect it.

The day started off as any other day for Wren Wright. She got up, got ready for work, stuffed some food in her mouth as she drove her way over to work, and made it to the local elementary school an hour before the kids started to shuffle into the building. Other teachers nodded their greetings to Wren as she walked to the Kindergarten wing, her heels tapping against the floors. She reaches around her purse to pull out her classroom keys, but as she approaches the door she sees that it’s already slightly ajar. That’s when she knew that this day would be slightly different.

“Hello?” Wren calls out as she pushes the door open. Her eyes immediately latch onto Rebecca, an older secretary who works in the main office, and a brunette man who she’s never seen before. Both turn away from her desk immediately after they hear her voice.

“Wren, hello,” Rebecca’s face grows into a grin as she takes the woman in. “How are you?”

“I’ve been well. Is there something I can help you with?” She smiles politely as she walks over to the two of them. She sets her bag onto her desk and shrugs out of her jacket.

“I’d like to introduce you to someone! This is Niall Horan. He’s been assigned as your aide for the remainder of the year now that Mrs. Bird has started her maternity leave.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Niall rumbles out in a thick Irish accent as he sticks his hand out in greeting. Wren raises an eyebrow at the sound of it, it was very uncommon to hear someone without a southern drawl in her small town in North Carolina. She shakes his hand nonetheless with a small smile playing on her lips.

“Likewise.” Wren takes a step back after their handshake.

“I was hoping you’d be able to show him the ropes, Wren,” Rebecca starts. “Give him a tour of the school and get him familiar with his duties.”

“Yes of course.” Wren nods towards the two of them. “It would be my pleasure.”

“I’ll see you two later then. Good luck Niall.” Rebecca smiles at the two of them before exiting the room.

“You nervous about your first day?” Wren asks him once they’re officially alone. She hangs up her jacket on the coat rack behind her desk and reaches for his as well once she spots that he’s still holding his.

“Eh, just a little,” he admits. “I was a proper teacher back in Ireland, so I think I’ll be able to handle the kids well. Although I’m more used to handling ones that are a bit older.”

“The kids in my class are angels,” Wren promises with a light laugh. “Most of the time anyways. They’ll probably ask loads of questions about your accent though. We went on a field trip to an aquarium a few weeks back and our tour guide was British. They were more interested in his dialect then the exotic fish we got to see.”

“Hopefully they won’t pick on me too much then,” Niall shakes his head in amusement.

“Come on. I’ll give you a quick tour before the kids start piling in.” Wren nods towards the door before heading that way herself. She can hear Niall following close behind her. “So what brings you to our neck of the woods anyways?”

“My grandfather retired here some twenty plus years ago. It’s getting a bit harder for him to live on his own, but he refuses to move into a home where others can take care of him. So I promised I’d come and do it. Plus, I really felt like I needed a fresh start.”

“Oh? Why’s that?” Wren glances over at him and immediately regrets asking. The happy-go-lucky face he was supporting before now turned into a beaten down one with tired eyes. Almost like a mask was ripped off of his face. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to answer that.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Niall nods as if to reassure himself. “I was in a long-term relationship that didn’t end on the best of terms. We both hung out with all of the same people, so everyone knew everything about our relationship and what happened. It just got too much that everyone knew all of my personal business. So my grandfather asked me to move in with him a few weeks ago, and I jumped at the opportunity.”

“Well, I’m sorry it didn’t pan out the way you probably planned,” Wren squeezes his shoulder. “Good luck keeping your personal business to yourself here though. You’ve moved to a very small town, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Rebecca was texting all of her friends this instant about the new Irish teachers aide.”

Niall laughed good naturedly. “I already saw her doing that as we were waiting for you. Apparently a woman named Martha wants to set me up with her granddaughter. Another, Lula, wants to set me up with hers.”

“You’ll have all the single women in this town with overbearing grandmothers knocking on your door by the end of the night. Now let’s start this tour so we can make it back to the classroom on time. Now this is the multi-purpose room.”

***

All twenty-two kids were in attendance for Wren’s class on this day. All twenty-two of them kept on asking questions about Niall and his accent, and burst into laughter when he danced a little jig for them. They all warmed up to him very quickly and wanted him to read the designated book for storytime. Honestly, Wren had to admit that Niall was a huge upgrade from Narla Bird. Narla never really understood the ‘aide’ part in teachers aide. She’d rather sit in the sidelines and watch Wren struggle with lessons.

Niall, on the other hand, was able to keep the kids occupied while Wren could complete other work that she usually had to bring home with her. Niall helped to keep the kids in line while she was teaching a lesson. And he also helped there from being the typical glitter explosion that overtakes the room on Monday’s during their arts and crafts time.

At the end of his first day, Wren was not loathing Mondays as she usually does on her walk out to her car. She actually felt refreshed and like she could actually do something in the evening that didn’t have to do with her work.

“Hey, Wren!” Niall calls out somewhere from behind her.

Wren was only a few feet away from her car, the keys in her hand ready to unlock the door. She turns around to see Niall jogging out of the building to catch up to her, which he did in only a few seconds flat.

“Is there something you needed?”

“I just wanted to say thank you.”

“For what?” Wren ticks her head slightly to the side in confusion.

“Well, truth is I was a lot more nervous then I let on this morning. These last few weeks have been really hard for me, but you really helped put me at ease here. I’ve been alone with just me gramps since I’ve moved in, but it’s nice to know I have a friend here.”

Wren smiles a bright gleaming smile. “Yes, of course. If you ever need anything never hesitate to ask.”

Niall nods with a smile in his eyes. “Thanks, again. Have a goodnight Wren.”

“You too Niall.”

***

“We keep our hands to ourselves, right kids?”

“Yes, Mr. Horan.” All of the students in Wren’s class repeat back to him.

It’s been 4 weeks since Niall started his job as Wren’s teaching aide. The two of them have gotten on very well. Often times they would eat lunch together when they kids went off to do their extra activities like gym class or when they went to the library for an hour twice a week. He was funny and charming, but he also knew how to properly look after all the five year olds in their class.

“Now get back to working on your math problems. Ms. Wright and I will be walking around shortly if anyone needs any help.”

Niall walks over to Wren who was sitting behind her desk. A small argument had broken out between two boys just a few minutes ago, and one decided it would be okay to pinch the other. The boy who had done the pinching was now sitting at Wren’s desk, and the one who had been pinched was being escorted to the nurses office by another classmate.

Matthew, the boy who had pinched, was now crying softly at Wren’s desk. He apologized to both Benjamin, the pinchee, and Wren for his actions. As per school policy, Wren had to write a note to send home with Matthew about his actions. She just finished signing her name when Niall reached them.

“Put this in your bag and give it to your mommy or daddy to read when you arrive home, okay? And go get a drink of water from the fountain. It’ll help you calm down,” Wren smiles reassuringly at the upset boy.

Matthew nods before scampering away from the two of them, and Niall sits down where Matthew had just been. Niall stares at her for a moment, and Wren only responds with a raised eyebrow.

“You’re very good with them.”

Wren’s cheeks heat up slightly. “That’s sort of my job."

“Well you picked the right career then.”

Wren clears her throat, her cheeks reddening even more, before focusing back on the papers in front of her. Niall carefully glances at them for a moment, and then his eyes flit over the classroom a few times to make sure that everything is in order.

“Are you doing anything tonight?”

Wren’s pencil instantly stops against the paper, stopping so fast that the point even breaks off. “What?”

“I.. um…” Niall stutters. “It’s just, I’ve been stuck in the house the last few weeks with my gramps. And you’re really the only friend I’ve made so far. I really just want to get out of the house, so I was wondering if you’d like to… I don’t know… get a bite to eat? You don’t have to if you don’t want to, I just-”

Wren lets out a quiet breath. “Yes, of course,” she agrees with a smile before he can ramble any longer.

“I’ll pick you up tonight then. Six O’clock okay?”

“Yes that’s good,” Wren replies quickly before standing up and walking over to a student with their hand raised. She glances over to Niall momentarily as she helps a few students with their math problems, and he continued to sit in the chair for a minute before he seemed to snap out of some trance and start to walk around the room himself.

They were going to have dinner tonight. As friends.

***

“Are you sure this isn’t a date?” Wren’s mother, Alice, asked her daughter for what seemed like the hundredth time over their group facetime call. Her younger sister, Jessa, was also included in this call.

“You should make it a date if it isn’t. So many girls in this town are so ready to pounce on him, and soon enough he won’t be available anymore.” Jessa chimes in and sticks her tongue out in concentration as she paints one of her nails.

“It’s not a date,” Wren sighs to herself, although she knew her words fell on deaf ears once again. “We work together, very close together, it would be completely unprofessional for us to even think about starting a relationship. Plus, I’ve never even thought about him that way.”

“You’ve never thought about him that way? Really? I mean look at him! You can’t tell me that you haven’t thought about him-”

“No I haven’t!” Wren cuts her sister off before she can finish her sentence. She did not want to know where she was going to take it. “I barely even really know him. I mean, sure we have some laughs together in the classroom, but I don’t know anything about him other than the fact that he lives with his grandfather.”

“Well then take tonight to get to know him, and if you like what you see then snatch him up.” This time is was her mother who spoke up. Jessa makes a small noise of agreement, and Wren only rolls her eyes at the two women.

“I have to go,” Wren announces before they could speak anymore nonsense. “He’ll be here soon, and I’d like to be ready by the time he arrive,” she lies. She already was ready, she was just tired of talking to the two of them.

“Call me tomorrow, love. I want to hear on how it goes. Love you.”

“Yeah, I love you guys too,” Wren responds before pushing the end call button.

Wren sighs as she looks herself over once more in the mirror. She dressed casual for her night out with Niall. Getting a bite to eat was casual, right? At least that’s what Wren was worrying about when she heard her doorbell ring.

She takes a deep breath before walking to the door and opening it wide. Niall stood on the other side, wearing casual clothing, Wren thanks god, and a huge smile on his face. He hands her a bouquet of flowers before either of them can speak a word.

“I hope you like tulips. The flower shop by me gramps house was only selling those right now. At least that’s what they told me. Now that I think about it, they were probably lying. Flower shops are supposed to sell more than tulips, right?”

Wren can’t help the giggles that pass her lips. “The tulips are really lovely, I promise. Let me just go put these in a vase, and then we can go. Come on in,” she invites him to go past her.

He waits in her opening hallway, his hands in his pockets, and glances around the place carefully as she goes to the kitchen. When she arrives back, she spots him glancing at a picture Wren had framed on the wall. It was of her and her sister when they were children visiting the Grand Canyon, their hair all frizzy and some type of ice pop dribbling down their faces. Jessa hated the picture, but Wren always held a certain love for it. But as Niall looked at it with an amused smile on his face, Wren couldn’t help but for her cheeks to heat up to a deep red.

“Are you ready to go?” Wren asks to grab his attention.

His head snaps around to meet her. “Yes. After you,” he goes and opens the door for her. Wren thanks him before locking the front door behind them.

“I was thinking we could head to the pizza place over on 4th avenue. What’s it called? Gino’s? Joe’s?” Niall asks as they both climb into his car.

“Tony’s.” Wren says as she buckles up. “And that sounds great. They have a really good chicken parmesan pizza special there! Or, ohhh, their eggplant heroes are also really good.”

“I was hoping so. I’ve been dying for some good Italian food.”

“You’ve picked the perfect place then.”

***

“I don’t believe you,” Wren snorts as she stares at the brunette dubiously.

“But it’s a true story.”

“I do not believe that you fell into the lions entrapment at the zoo and live to tell the tale.”

“I could call my mother up right now. Well, no I couldn’t because it’s nearing midnight where she is, but I could call her tomorrow and we could ask her together about the heart attack I almost gave her when I was eleven when I fell in.”

“You didn’t end up going to the hospital at all?”

“Well I did, but not for me. My mother fainted and bumped her head, so we had to go to make sure she didn’t get a concussion.”

A breathy laugh falls past Wren’s lips. “Oh my god, you’re crazy. I feel so bad for your poor mother.”

Wren had to admit, being with Niall was easy. Maybe it was because they had already spent so much time together at work, but Wren really did like spending time with Niall. Maybe a little too much. Dinner was so nice, especially to go out with someone who knew how to act like a proper human being.

“Oi, don’t feel too bad for her. She really laid it to me when we got home that night. Would have rather fought against the lions than her.”

Wren only shakes her head in response as Niall pulls his car up in front of her house. Both of them get quiet for a minute, and then they try to start talking at the same time.

“You first,” Niall nods to her as he leans back in his seat. His head tilts towards hers and a soft smile tips on his lips.

“I had a really nice time tonight. I’m really happy you decided to stumble upon our town. You’ve really made work so much simpler for me, and you’re honestly just a great person to be around.” Wren’s face heats up at what she’s just admitted, but she means every single word of it.

“I’m happy I came here as well. Things here, living here, it feels like I belong here. Much more than I ever did in Ireland. I love my home, but I’m more excited to set down roots here then ever moving back. We should do this again sometime.”

“Yeah, I’d really like that,” she replies before biting her lip. Then her mother and sisters words run through her head. Niall really is a great guy, a guy she is stereotypically attracted to. She’s never given it much thought before, but now that she is she really does like Niall. More than maybe she had anticipated. And by the way he’s looking at her right now, she’s thinking that maybe he really likes her too.

Or maybe he doesn’t.

Wren leant in, she’s not sure why or what possessed her, but she did lean in for a kiss. Her eyes shut and her face tilted upwards and she thinks he’ll meet her halfway there. But she’s met with nothing. Absolutely nothing. Her eyes snap open and she sees Niall with his eyes wide and mouth open in shock. He was even farther away from her that he had originally been when she first shut her eyes.

Wren’s never felt more embarrassed. She’s so dumb, she curses herself. She pulls back immediately, the back of her head nearly hitting her car window behind her. Her breathing picks up and her entire body is ringed red in mortification. She mumbles out a few dozen sorry’s before opening the door behind her and jumping out. She doesn’t look back as he calls out her name, and when she thinks that she’s heard his car door open she picks up her pace towards her house. Once she’s inside and she’s locked the door she doesn’t stop moving until she’s reached upstairs and collapses in her bed.

“What have I done? What did I just do? Why did I do that? You work with him, for fucks sake. You’ve gotta face him on Monday morning and pretend like nothing happened. You have to act like nothing happened, like you didn’t just give yourself enough embarrassment for a lifetime. Fuck, what have I done.”

***

When Monday morning rolled around, Wren wasn’t quite ready to face Niall so she called in sick. She knew she couldn’t hide forever though, so she took that day to prepare herself for Tuesday. Now that Tuesday had arrived though, Wren was ready to completely quit her job.

She arrived at the absolute last minute she could, which was definitely not like her but it gave her the least amount of time possible she could be alone with Niall. Also, none of the other teachers questioned it because they all believed her to still be sick from the day before. It was, after all, the first time she called out in nearly three years.

“Good morning, Wren,” Rebecca calls out as soon as Wren enters the front doors. “How are you feeling today, love?”

“Much better than yesterday, thank you for asking.” Just then Niall walks out of the Main Office’s doors, stopping in his tracks as soon as he spots Wren.

“You look a little flushed dear, are you sure you don’t want to take another day?”

As much as she would have loved to, she knew that she couldn’t. “I’m fine, really, Rebecca. I’m just a little tired, but other than that I feel fine.”

“Well don’t hesitate to leave anytime you need to. Niall did such a great job substituting your class yesterday that I’m sure he wouldn’t mind doing it an extra day. Isn’t that right, Niall?”

“No, of course not,” he bursts in as he steps towards the two women.

“Thanks for your concern, but I should really get to my room now. I want to set a few things up before the kids start piling in. See you later on, Rebecca.” Wren leaves without another word. She doesn’t need to hear that Niall is following her, she already knows.

“You’re feeling better?” He asks as soon as he catches up to her, their feet hitting the floor at the exact same time.

Wren nods slightly. “Mostly.”

“I’m sorry about-”

“I’d rather not talk about that, thanks.” Wren cuts him off while taking the keys out of her purse and unlocking the classroom door.

“I just want to explain-”

“There’s nothing to explain. I misread the signals. There’s nothing more to it. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable, but I’d really appreciate it if you wouldn’t bring it up anymore.” Wren sets her purse down on her desk before hanging her jacket up.

“It’s just-” Niall starts, and just then she finally looks at him. He takes in her beaten down demeanor and the broken look in her eyes, and he shuts his mouth. Both of them stay silent as they stare at one another, and thankfully it isn’t long before a few kids start hustling into the classroom.

Wren finally looks away from Niall and forces a huge smile on her face. “Good morning Grace. Good morning Luca. Why don’t you put your bags in your cubbies and take out the homework that was assigned to you, yeah?”

“Yes Miss Wright,” They both reply and head towards the small closet that was designated for the children.

“I’m sorry,” Niall whispers so the kids couldn’t hear.

“Yeah, me too,” Wren sighs before moving the help hang up the students jackets.

***

The day was going fine. Everything was going along smoothly, and Niall and Wren were able to stay out of each other's way for the most part. But when you’re running a class filled with twenty-two five year olds, something always goes slightly awry everyday. Today, though, Wren experienced the worst temper tantrum she had ever seen in all of her years as a teacher.

“I don’t want to take a nap!” Jason, the most disobedient student Wren had in her class this year, screams at the top of his lungs. The other students stare frightfully between him and their two teachers.

“Jason,” Niall warns using a tone of voice that usually sent the other kids straight in line, but not this young boy. “We’ve discussed this before. Naps are only for forty minutes, and if you don’t at least try to take one then you don’t get any time to play during recess.”

“But naps are for babies! Nap time should just be extra recess time!”

“I’m only going to ask you once more to lie down Jason, or else Miss Wright will have to speak with you out in the hallway.”

Wren was busy settling the other kids for their quiet time. It was required by the school that the youngest students get some downtime to just relax and reboot for the last three hours of the school day.

“I’m not laying down and you can’t make me!”

Wren sighs before standing up and heading over to the two of them. “I’ve got this from here. Why don’t you check on the other kids and I’ll speak to him.”

Niall nods before Wren escorts Jason out of the classroom. Nobody else was in the hallway except for a security guard down the hallway by one of the emergency exits. Jason stood there glaring up to Wren with his hands on his hips.

“I won’t take a nap.”

“Okay,” Wren responds simply.

Jason opens his mouth to immediately argue, but then shuts it. He stares at her curiously. “So then I don’t have to?”

Wren shakes her head. “This is your third strike Jason. We discussed last time what would happen if you started acting up in the class again.”

Jason tilts his head to the side before his eyes widen in fear. “You’re going to send me to the principal's office? But she’ll call my mom!”

“Do you want to go to the principal’s office?”

“Of course not!” he squeaks out.

“Then I want you to apologize to Mr. Horan for your misbehavior, and then lay down on your mat and take your nap.”

Jason nods his head while his bottom lip wobbles. “Okay Miss Wright. I’m sorry.”

Wren carefully brushes the hair out of his face. “It’s alright. Now go on,” Wren opens the classroom door back open for him.

Jason scuttles in and walks towards Niall who was now standing by Wren’s desk. All of the other kids had dozed off in the last few minutes. “I’m sorry for yelling at you, Mr. Horan.” He looks back to Wren, and when she nods in acceptance he walks over to his mat and lies down.

Wren shakes her head uselessly before slumping down in her chair. Niall sits at the one next to her desk. He stares at her in what she thinks might be amazement, but as she’s learned she’s shit at telling what he’s feeling so she doesn’t even bother to think about it.

“I’ve got you something,” Niall announces in a whisper as to not to disturb the other students.

She eyes him carefully as he pulls out two apple juice boxes. He carefully hands her one before moving to poke his open with the supplied straw.

“And what’s this for?”

“You missed Taylor’s birthday celebration yesterday. I couldn’t save you a donut, well because the kids ate them all, but I snagged the last two juices before the kids could get their grubby hands on them. I wasn’t paying attention to their sugar intake, and boy am I glad that I only let them celebrate in the last 30 minutes of class. They were bouncing off the walls.”

Wren shakes her head, not being able to hold back a small laugh. “Yeah, I remember my first classroom birthday celebration. The students parents went all out on snacks, and I decided to do it at snack time. Had to push nap time back by an hour for when they all finally crashed.” She takes of the apple juice.

Niall smiles at her, the crinkles in his eyes deepening. “I wanted to kiss you back, you know?”

Wren freezes, her grip tightening on the juice box just enough that some spilled over on her hand. Any words she wanted to stay got caught in her throat.

“I was going to do it to, but then I chickened out and now I feel like a proper ass. I really like you Wren, I really do. It’s just, after my last relationship I didn’t think I’d want to be with anyone else for a while. But there’s something different about you. You give me feelings that I didn’t even get with my last girlfriend.”

“I don’t know if it’s the proper time to talk about this,” Wren mumbles under her breath. It was her turn to freak out now, but Niall didn’t seem to mind.

“I know it’s not… It’s just… I didn’t get to tell you earlier, but I don’t think I would have been able to hold that in any longer. I just wanted you to know.”

“I’ve got to… I’ll be back in a few minutes. If the kids wake up before I get back then just start their snack time.” Wren stands, not taking a chance to look back and she leaves the classroom.

This was proper fucking crazy. A few days ago she had never even thought of Niall in a way other than a friend, and then she realized that okay maybe she did like him a little bit. But then to find out that he had been feeling that way for a little while now? This was all too fast, she knew this was entirely crazy.

Wren walked over to the bathroom. What could she do? What was she going to do? Something that probably should have been so simple weaved its way to be as complicated as the five hundred piece puzzles she had never figured out as a child. She didn’t even know if she really liked Niall like that. There was an inkling of butterflies when she thought of him. He made her laugh. He was kind to her. She needed to know more about him though. But this thing of jumbled feelings that they were doing right now, it needed to stop.

Wren strutted back to the classroom after throwing some cold water over her face and drying it off. As she stepped in she could see that the students were just starting to arouse, but she still had a few minutes before they officially woke up and needed her full attention again.

Niall looks shocked to see her so soon after, but his face quickly neutralizes. He stands as she nears him.

“Tonight,” she begins whispering. “Tonight you’ll take me out on a proper date, and if it goes well and I want to, then we’ll go on a second one.”

Niall takes on a look a mixture of relief and happiness. “I’ll pick you up at seven.”

“And next time I try to kiss you, if I try to kiss you again, then you will not back away, correct?”

“That’s correct.”

Wren feels a pull in her gut let go at their solid plans. “That’s a deal then? We have a pact?”

“We have a pact.”

[viragoseries]

95 for Valentina, please? ^^

Thanks for the ask my dear. I decided to do a little flashback with Valentina and her sister Annabel (belonging to the amazing @susiesamurai ) and it ended up being her meet-cute with Dick... oops. Without further ado here it is under the cut.

95. “Have I mentioned, I fucking hate Halloween.”

This was the first night ever for a fourteen-year-old, walking house to house in the fancy cul de sac was pure hell. Thankfully she had convinced her Mother she didn’t need to wear a costume. There’d be no coming back from that embarrassment. She wasn’t the only one from her group out and about, she could see her friends all lined up for the haunted house at the end of the block.

“Come on Annie go knock on the door,” she told her little sister voice full of false cheer.

the seven-year-old blonde bounced up to the door, mini poodle skirt and pigtails bobbing the whole way, “Trick or treat!” she called out as soon as the door opened, smile bright and showing off her shiny new tooth that had finally grown in.

“Oh! Look how cute you are!” the woman at the door cooed before looking up at Valentina in one of her usual designer outfits, “and what are you dressed as?”

“Snotty bitch Mom in training,” Valentina wanted to say, “I’m not dressed up, just taking Annie around Mrs. Baxter,” she smiled like her etiquette lessons taught her.

Mrs. Baxter placed a full sized chocolate bar into Annabel’s bucket before pinching her cheek, “have a good night girls,” she smiled.

“What do you say Annie?” she prompted.

“Thank you Mrs. Baxter,” the cute little girl continued to beam at the housewife.

Valentina took the girl’s small hand before leading her away, “okay a few more houses and then we’re going down there,” she pointed to the line up of teens.

“Lenny? I don’t like haunted houses though,” the girl’s voice suddenly sounding much younger than her age.

“I promise it won’t be scary and I won’t let go of your hand,” she leant down and winked at her sister earning her a giggle.

“Pinky promise?” she asked holding out her tiny pinky.

“Pinky promise,” Lenny confirmed locking their fingers together.

It took another half an hour to finish all the houses and by that point Lenny was totally done. Annabel was dragging her feet at each house on purpose. That should have clued her into the little girl’s nerves but she was a selfish teenager who just wanted to be with her friends. They finally made it over to the line and found her friends still waiting.

“Have you gone yet?” Valentina asked still holding onto Annabel’s hand as the little girl looked up at the dark house.

“No, we were waiting for you,” the snotty self-imposed leader of their group Gemma told her, “didn’t realize you were going to bring your baby sister as an excuse though.”

Lenny immediately dropped the small hand she’d been holding, “I don’t need an excuse,” her chin immediately going up and her Mother’s etiquette lessons blaring in her ear, “nothing I can’t handle.”

Annabel looked up at her sister equal parts amazed at her bravery and hurt at the thought she might be holding Lenny back, “I’m not a baby,” she pouted under her breath.

“Too bad you don’t have a boyfriend to take you,” Gemma and her sidekicks giggled. 

Valentina hated that her Mother told her she had to be nice to these girls. Right now all she wanted to do was punch Gemma in her surgically straightened nose, “I don’t have anything to prove to you. I’m a Kane,” she felt her spine go ramrod straight, if only they knew the true meaning of that.

“Oh! We forgot! Are you going to throw money at the fake monsters and tell them not to scare you?” Gemma simpered.

Valentina was ready to drop-kick this girl into next year when something niggled at her brain. She looked behind her but Annabel was gone. Lenny flew into an immediate panic thinking back to what she was supposed to do in this situation. What if it was something to do with her Dad? Or hell even her Mom’s job wasn’t excused from kidnapping. Her heart rate ratcheted up when she heard a tiny scream come from the house.

She attempted to run straight for the house but Gemma’s jock boyfriend grabbed her, “what do you think you’re doing?” he laughed as he held her tight, she squirmed trying her best to get free all thought of her training out the window, “you should stay here and have some fun,” now he was breathing right into her ear.

She could feel her skin crawl as she got one arm free. She brought back her elbow about to break his nose when he was suddenly gone from her back. She looked behind her to see him lying flat on his back a smaller boy stepping on his throat.

“Didn’t you know that consent is sexy?” the dark haired boy asked with a smirk on his lips.

Valentina didn’t even wait to see what happened before running straight for the house, “Annie!” she screamed, desperation already tinging her voice, she was running from room to room while the actors continued to try to scare her.

Suddenly she felt the weight of a hand on her shoulder and automatically grabbed it, flipping the person onto their back. Lenny’s eyes went huge as the boy from earlier lay on the ground attempting to catch his breath, “nice throw,” he rasped while sitting up, “too bad Todd back there didn’t get the same treatment.”

“I’d say I’m sorry but I’m not,” she sputtered, “I have to go.”

She tried to take off before he gripped her arm, “the scream came from that way,” he pointed and she didn’t question how he would know before she ran off again.

He was still holding her arm, guiding her through the turns until the stopped in front of a closet door and she could hear a whimper coming from it, “Annie?” she asked.

The door slammed open and Valentina crouch down just in time for the tiny blonde to fill her arms, “Lenny!” she cried into her neck, “you promised,” she wailed miserably.

“I know,” she tried her best not to break down, “I’m sorry,” the panic coming down and the mix of the adrenaline crash was making her dizzy.

Before she fell and took both of them down she felt the warm weight of someone holding her up, “is this okay?” he asked quietly his break tickling her shoulder.

Unlike when Todd grabbed her there was no squirm under her skin, only a warmth at the kindness of this strange boy, “yeah,” she answered never taking her eyes off her little sister, “thanks.”

It took the small group another fifteen minutes to make it out of the house. Lenny was balancing holding Annabel while the boy her her steady. He guided them all towards an expensive looking care before opening the door for the sisters.

“It doesn’t really have a backseat,” he explained blushing.

“That’s okay,” Lenny smiled at him, “pretty sure she fell asleep.”

She sat down cradling Annabel close as he got behind the wheel. The ride home was silent other than the occasional direction from Valentina. Annabel woke up as the car crunched up the gravel drive to the house. She sent her little sister in side knowing she would run straight to their Mother. Putting off that talk for a while was worth it.

“Thanks again,” she smiled slightly at him.

“You’re very welcome,” he smiled back holding out his hand, “I’m Dick Grayson.”

“Oh shit! I’m Valentina Kane,” she laughed at herself for forgetting her manners, “and have I mentioned that I fucking hate Halloween?”

Dick laughed along side her, “no but I think after tonight it’s a given.”

Valentina tucked some hair behind her ear, “I should probably go get this yelling over with,” she started to get out of the car.

Dick leaned over so he was closer, “I’ll see you tomorrow at school?” he asked a sudden shyness showing through.

“Absolutely,” this time her smile split her face it was so huge.

“Good because I might need back up with that bad ass throw when Todd tries to get revenge,” Dick looked like a small guy but she was starting to realize he didn’t really need help.

“I think you’ll be fine,” she winked, “but I’ll be there just in case. I didn’t get to break his nose like I wanted either.”

Dick laughed and pulled away from the curb with a smile on his face. Valentina looked up at the house that was more imposing than the haunted house was and made her walk up the stairs. She knew her Mom as going to be pissed but maybe it had been worth it, just maybe.

Hope you like it @heirsoflilith! 

[dazzlingfantasiesblogs]

Sharp Side of The Blade P1

Dean x Reader

Warnings/Triggers: 18+ Only. If under 18, Kindely un-follow me. Cheating, cussing. 

Notes: Let me know what you think!

Tags: @trippinjenni @brokenhearted-littlegirl

Pics and Gifs are not mine

The shot-gun shell fell as the boys looked up from their imprisonment on who their savior was. The sight of blood was extreme, painted all over the walls. The person who took out a whole nest of rabid vampires had to have some sort of power. Dean squinted his eyes, had being in a dark room for a few days. Sams eyes went wide when he seen who it was standing there. Two katanas in hand and a shot gun strapped to her back. Wiping the blood from them with a handkerchief, you slid down your katana breaking the lock. Opening the door you didn’t say a word. Dean was sure he was seeing things. It had to be Cas.. or Rowena even that saved them.

Rummaging threw the papers and the internet you looked for anything that looked like a case. You need anything to keep you busy from the pain in your heart. It had been almost a year since you walked out from the bunker, never to return. Slicing your finger on a piece of paper you huffed out slightly annoyed.

“Vampires..” you mumbled writing down the city in the article. New Port, Rhode Island. Grabbing your things you headed in your dark blue dodge dart, sliding your katanas in the back seat. Hearing the growl of the engine you sped off.

“Get up and get out before I torch the place.” You grabbed your lighter out of your ripped jeans flicking it open, sparking it so there was a flame. “Y/N!” Sam ran out of the cage wrapping his arms around your short body. His grasp was tight, his face snuggled into your arm. “Hello Sam.” You clapped the tall Winchester on the back a few times with your free hand. He let go looking down at you. “I mean it dumbass get out.” You growled at Dean. Dean snorted at your usual attitude. He got out of the cage and took a step towards you. How badly he wanted to wrap his arms around you, to hold you. Taking one more step, he felt something sharp poke his leg. He seen you pushing the katana towards him as a warning. “Stay away from me. Since your taking a bit. You clean up the bodies.” You closed the lighter tossing it to him. Getting on your tiptoes, you kissed Sam on the cheek before walking away. Dean watched as your hips swayed as you walked, making his mouth water. “Y/N! Wait! Can we at least talk!” Sam ran after you, giving his brother the death glare.

“Dean.. I have tried everything. I can not find her..” Sam sighed running his hand through the silky strands. Just the letter you left, saying you where done with everything. Done with Dean cheating when he got pissed off with life. You even went as far to leave healthy food in the fridge for Sam when you left. Sam always being your weakness since he was like a brother to you. To him you where his sister and he hated how Dean treated you when you were a couple. “Keep trying.. CAS!” Dean yelled waiting for his trench coat wearing friend to appear to help him.

You walked out of the abandon house the now dead vampires took residence at. “Y/N!” Sam yelled, quickly catching up to you. You turned around in the gravel looking up at the younger Winchester. “Yes Sam?” You spoke gently to him. How you missed his company in the last year. The two of you often doing most of the research together for cases. Going on runs in the morning. Usually you were the one  complaining for the first five minutes, eventually Sam getting you pumped to run. “Can we talk? Or at least take you to a late dinner… to thank you?” His voice went up slightly in hope. You grit your teeth together knowing it was a bad idea. Your stomach giving you away. “Sam.. I cant with him around..” You nodded your head towards Dean as he walked away from the house that was starting to smoke. ”Please..” Sam looked at you with his bright brown eyes, begging you. “Fine. One meal. You both need to shower first.” “OH FUCK!” Dean yelled seeing Babys tire was flat. A knife stuck in it. He looked at the knife and seen it was the same one the head vampire had on him when he attacked him. Walking to your car, you popped the trunk and grabbed your tire changing kit. Walking it over to Dean you didn’t say anything. “Ill take Sam to get a shower. Sam text him this address.” Sam nodded as you gave him the address to the hotel you were staying at. “So your going to leave while I finish changing a tire?” Dean asked slightly annoyed. “Yup.” Was all you said with a pop of your lips. “You got this.” You shrugged going back to start your car. Sam chuckled at your swagger as he followed you.

“Holy shit..” Sam looked around the hotel room and seen how expensive it was. You set down your katanas and shot gun on the table. Taking a seat, you started to polish your katanas. “Towels are in the bathroom. Extra robes are in the closet. Sam nodded grabbing the robe, heading to the bathroom.

“I don’t wear tight pink fish net stockings you idiot!” you got into Deans face. He ran a hand down his face annoyed with himself. He knew he fucked up. He was drunk and you had been exhausted from a hunt not giving him what he wanted. He had just lost his mother again and he was not taking life well. Instead of just talking to you he decided to get lost in a body that was not yours. You punched him in the face, leaving him on the ground holding his cheek. Walking to another room, you locked the door till everyone was asleep.

Hearing a knock at the door, you made your way over to it. You seen it was Dean. Unlocking the door you opened it. Walking in he set a duffle bag of his and Sams clothes on the ground. “Sam I have your clothes.” He yelled out in his deep voice. Walking back to your table your continued to sharpen your katanas, examining them for any chips to buff out. Dean looked at you from the corner of his eye. Seeing how much you have changed since he last seen you.  Your face was withdrawn, tired. Your long hair was cut short and to him it looked a lot better like this. You had dyed it a darker color. You slid your sleeve up and he noticed the tattoos that now littered your arms. Sam walked out in the plush white robe seeing Dean look you up and down. “Damn these things are like fucking clouds.” He snorted rubbing the fabric. Feeling the silkiness under his fingertips.  Laughing a bit you nodded to him. “There is another one in there. You can use it.” With out looking to Dean you Just tilted your head towards him. “Sam go ahead and change. I’ll be in the living room.” “There is a living…” He watched as you slid two doors open expanding the room. You grabbed your hand guns and box of bullets from a black duffle bag, and started to etch demon seals in them with a file.

Sam walked out and sat next to you on the couch. He watched as you kept filing into the bullets. “Where have you been?” He asked with concern in his voice. “Oh you know.. spent sometime around the world. Was in hell for a bit.. all around the country killing shit..” you mumbled keeping at the task at hand. “Wait.. where did you travel…? In hell?..” you chuckled as he took a deep breath. “I spent time in Japan and in China. Only a few months. Bobby was right, there is some crazy shit besides just here. Crowley.. long story short, needed my help. Nothing too bad.” You shrugged as you put the bullets into the guns. Cocking them you aimed it at a random object and set them back down. “We tried so many times to find you..” Sam spoke sadly. “I didn’t want to be found. I started this alone years ago and I am doing it alone. I am glad I came when I did to save you though.” You smiled pinching his cheek jokingly. He grinned gently at you. “Yeah me too.. thank you.” “Well. I know baby anywhere. I was already there so it was just an extra step. Since most of them where hovering by your cage, it was easier to just take them all out at once.” Looking up at him, there was something that was off about Sam. HE sniffled slightly and you grabbed his shoulders bring him into hug you again. “It has been so hard..” HE mumbled. You never judged him when he let his guard down and the pessimistic side of him showed. “Shh.. it is ok. I am here..” you rocked Sam side to side as tears fell from his eyes. His huge statue, in your small arms.

After a few minutes Sam pulled away smiling at you. You wiped the tears from his eyes with your thumbs, wiping the wetness on your jeans. You looked down at your shirt and pants seeing blood from the vampires. “Shit I better change myself.” He chuckled agreeing with you.

Walking back into the bed room you slid your shirt off and went into the drawers to grab a new t-shirt. Walking around in a sports bra and your jeans, Dean opened the bathroom door to see you shirtless. He bit his inner cheek. He seen at least four new deep scars that littered your body. He wondered where they came from. Looking at your ribs he seen more tattoos. “Where did those scars come from?” You looked back to see Dean in the white robe you said he could use.  IT coming to the top of his knees, obviously designed for a woman. Barley fitting around his squared, muscular build. The worry laced from his voice. “Oh you know, hell.” you weren’t lying when you said that. Sliding on a new shirt, he seen you without a shirt was not an issue. You only slept with the man a few hundred times. Going threw your pajamas, you grabbed some flannel leggings, sliding them on. Your black shirt adoring them. “What do you mean hell..?” Dean asked walking close to you. “Shut up Dean. Leave me alone.” You shoved passed him and back to Sam. HE groaned, grinding his teeth together, you always knew how to get the best of him.

After the boys where dressed, Dean followed you in baby. Sam wanting to ride with you since he had not seen you in so long. He filled you in on things that happened to them. Normal end of the world stuff. You listened in and out to the conversation as you parked the car at a diner. Sam held the door open for you, letting it close on his older brother. Chuckling you sat down in the booth. Sam decided to sit next to you, as if he could not get close enough. “Hey y/n!” you looked up to see Mike. The man who helped you a few days in a row. He was the son of the owner you found out. Man did you want to see what was in those jeans of his. He was extremely handsome and deserved to be on the cover of GQ. “Hey darling. This is a friend of mine. This is Sam.” The men shook hands. He looked over to Dean and then to you. “And he is?” Mike smiled. “Nobody.” You smiled cheerfully back. “Dean..” Dean said curtly. “Nice to meet you boys. Are you going to have your normal?” you nodded closing your menu. “Do you still have nice bourbon?” Mike smiled a bit to you. “Cool. Let me get a bottle.” “Will do love.” He said with a grin as he walked away. Sam looked at you concerned. “A bottle?” Sam whispered. “Yup. I killed a whole nest of vampires.” You shrugged.

Mike set down your bourbon and three shotglasses. He opened the bottle for you. “Thanks hun.” You spoke calmly grabbing the bottle as you poured three glasses. Handing one to Sam and handed one to Mike. “You sure?” He asked looking at Dean. “My bottle.” You spoke up. Mike chuckled as you clinked glasses with him, swallowing in it one gulp. Sam doing the same, shaking his head. “Fuck y/n that is strong..” he chuckled choking slightly. “Ahh it is a good burn.” Smiling you poured another glass.

After finishing the meal you chatted with Sam. You sobered up a bit so you could drive back to the hotel. Grabbing the bottle, Mike gave you a hug goodbye. You winked at him and headed for the door. “So where you staying? Or you headed home?” you asked directed at Sam. “Not sure yet.” You waited with Sam as he waited for Dean.

 You looked in the window to see Dean talking to Mike. Jogging back into the diner you were glad it was virtually empty at this time of night. “Chill..” Mike held his hands up as Dean growled at him. “Leave her be. She may be my ex, but she does..” you pulled Deans shoulder back, shoving him. “Get out.” You yelled at Dean. “Sorry Mike. Ignore him.” You said. “All good Y/N not the first time.” He smirked at you. You grabbed Deans shoulder pushing him out the door. “Dean, go.” You said annoyed. “No.” he looked at you in the eyes. “Yeah.” You spoke up. He went to grab your arm and you moved back. “You don’t get to touch me. Glad to see your still alive, but don’t ever.. mess up a possible lay for me again.” You sauntered past him. Using what he did against him, he knew you were trying to get a rise out of him.  Dean sighed, a yawn also escaping his lips. “You boys can’t drive right now home. There is a another room in the suite. Ill take it since the two beds are what I have been staying at. “Really?” Sam smiled at you. “Yeah.” You nodded to him. “As long as asshole here leaves me alone.” Sam looked back at Dean begging him to listen. “No problem sweetheart. I can tell you have changed.” You smirked to yourself. “You have no clue.”

[mygiantesslove]

Christmas Eve at My Cousins Feet

Spending Christmas Morning With Bianca (17)

Christmas Night 11:37pm

You were Lucky (in a way). the thing you had been fearing the most was if Bianca’s feet would start to sweat horribly, but since it was December and it was so cold out, Bianca’s feet were only lukewarm. There was only a slight amount of sweat perspiring through her skin and that was when you stayed in one place on her foot for more than an hour.

Not wanting to be drenched in your cousin’s foot sweat you had to move to another spot on her foot every hour. You barely slept at all and when the first drop of foot sweat dripped into your mouth you immediately moved to another section in her sock. This included her heel, arch, the ball of her foot, and each toe.

Christmas morning 8:00 am

Bianca had woken up after a pleasant night’s sleep. She was dressed in her white pajamas and she had morning hair and even though it was all over the place, it still looked cute on her.

 "MMMMMMMMYEAHHHH. That was a great night’s sleep. Hey? My right foot is a little warmer than my left? Jake should’ve only warmed up the spot he was under but…..did he....?"

Bianca leans forward and speaks into her right sock.

 "Jake. WAKE UP. I have a question to ask you."

Jake heard the booming voice of his giant cousins orders and began to squirm in her sock hoping to please her foot and avoid being stomped on.

 "I want to know if you moved all around my sock and used your body heat to warm up the bottom of my foot for me?"

 "Yeah I did, I moved all over your foot because it was Swea…" before Jake could finish his sentence Bianca squeals happily and says

 "OOOOOO that’s such a good trick Jakey and I didn't even have to teach you it. You’re really going to be a Great footslave. One day when I know you’re completely trained and won't escape I’ll loosen my socks up so you can move to my other foot and warm them during the cold harsh nights.

Bianca wiggles her toes in your face and squeezes you softly and affectionately without hurting you. For some reason, you start to like this smooth, soft feeling of her toes massaging your face and begin to rub your face from side to side against the bottom of her toes.  Bianca feels your affection and says

 "That’s right tiny, be a good little pet and rub your face against your master’s toes."

As soon as she said this you realized how humiliating it was to be doing this to the bottom of your teenage bratty cousin’s feet and stopped immediately. It’s almost as if you’re getting too used to your new life as your cousin's slave, but you still want a chance to escape.

Bianca finished petting her toy and got up to get changed into a comfy pair of slippers. She took off her sock and dumped you out into a pair of furry white bunny slippers. You were sitting on the edge of the heel and looked up at your titanic cousin as she stood there like a god who had just gotten out of bed.

 "Since you were such a good foot slave last night I’ve decided to let you stay outside my sock while I open up my presents and eat breakfast. But if you disobey me or try to escape you’ll go right back inside them while I do a few hundred jump rope exercises. Now climb into my morning shoes, I want you to be at the top of the ball of my foot."

If you didn’t move now, you would be positioned under the full weight of her heel. you scrambled inside her slip on bunny slipper when you saw her barefoot rise above and begin to descend into its shoe home.

Bianca combed her hair and then walked into the living room where the large decorated Christmas tree stood with a mountain of presents under its branches. Trixie had already awoken and opened up some of her Christmas presents without anyone’s permission. Bianca noticed that Trixie was still wearing the same socks when she got here and thought about Trixie using Jake as a foot toy. Having your own little sister use you as an insole would be even more humiliating than a younger cousin, but Bianca wanted to use him for herself until her pet was properly trained. Trixie jumped in glee over her new cell phone. After a while, everyone woke up and joined the two youngest family members to open presents. (Actually, there were three people in the room).

From inside your white slipper prison, you can hear everyone talking in joyous, happy voices about the presents they got. You sulked, crushed under Bianca’s foot as the only present you received was smelling a giant smelly foot and being made into a bratty girl’s servant for the rest of your life. But a glimmer of hope lights in your chest when you hear these next muffled words.

Karen, Jakes mother says "Hey, has anyone seen Jake? I just went and unlocked his room and there was no one in there. He’s got a bunch of presents here; you’d think he’d want to open them?"

Bianca’s mother Michelle says "No I haven't seen him since yesterday when you grounded him, Karen."

Melanie opens up an expensive bottle of perfume and says "The little crybaby probably ran away after you grounded him, but don’t worry Auntie Karen if there are presents involved I’m sure he’ll be back to claim them later on."

Jake cried a little as he realized there was no way he was going to be getting those presents unless they discovered he was being used as an insole by his cruel, but beautiful teenaged cousins foot.

Bianca says "If Jake doesn’t show up can I have his presents."

Trixie shouts "No, I want ‘em"

Jennifer says "Girls calm down; I don’t think that Jake is going to not come back and get his own holiday gifts. Who would be Crazy enough to do that?"

The exchange of presents went on for a while and you couldn't stop crying for some reason no matter how hard you tried to fight it. you would've done anything to get out of her shoe and be opening up presents like everyone else.

Eventually, every present was unwrapped (except yours) and every person had a smile on their face. even grumpy old Uncle Mike who got a portable, self-cooling keg from his wife. your dad got an ear and nose trimmer, your mother received a new pair of earrings and matching necklace.  Aunt Michelle got a new pair of designer sandals and a new blouse. Jennifer got a new sturdy bra to contain her massive breasts and Samantha got a white winter jacket with matching leggings and boots.  Melanie got many unique bottles of perfume, nail polish, and lipstick. Since Trixie was the youngest she got tons of new clothes, toys, and candy but your mom quickly took the candy away to help save her daughters teeth from another trip to the dentist.

Bianca got the most expensive of gifts including a new MP3 player, an iPhone, new clothes, shirts, pants, socks, and underwear. but her favorite gifts were the new pairs of shoes she got. she looked inside the insoles of her sneakers, flip-flops, ballet flats and clogs and pictured Jake there squirming to get free but eventually accepting his fate and lying there waiting for her foot to come down on him.

 "I have so many shoes I want to try Jake in. I can't wait till everyone leaves then I can have some alone time with him. I wonder if my feet will still fit in my shoes from when I was only a preteen? it would be a tight fit, but I can't wait to see the expression on Jake's face when he sees he has to go inside my old shoes from when I was a kid hahaha."

Aunt Michelle says to everyone "Okay everybody lets get into the kitchen and I'll make everyone something tasty to eat."

From outside your shoe prison, you heard the sound of 8 pairs of feet trampling far away and then felt Bianca get up off the floor and take her first step into the dining room. because she was wearing soft slippers you could feel the hard tile of the dining room floor and preferred the softer feeling of the living rooms carpet when Bianca stepped on you. but this is just another thing you will have to get used to as the foot slave to Bianca the teen giantess who owned your life.

[carmenlire]

Higher than the Big Trees

Chapter one on ao3

Chapter 2:

Alec unlocks the door to his penthouse and is immediately confronted with a smirking Jace.

“So what happened last night, bro? I called you a few times after you left with that guy but you never called me back. I was getting ready to send out a search party.”

Alec looks at him with an eyebrow raised and says, “You know what happened. It’s called a one night stand. I know you’ve been with Clary awhile but your memory shouldn’t be that faded.”

Grinning, Jace shrugs. “Yeah, well, you have fun with your flavor of the hour and I’ll just keep going home to the love of my life every night.”

With that Jace and Alec go in for a bear hug. They both lean into it, breathing each other in, and relaxing as their best friend-- no, brother-- is by their side for the first time in almost a year. They’d met at the bar last night but their hug then had been too drunk and messy. This embrace makes Alec feel like he's finally home.

“I missed you, you asshole,” Alec murmurs and Jace’s arms tighten around his waist.

“Yeah, you too dick. Now tell me, do you even remember his name?”

“Whose name?”

Stepping back, Jace points at Alec’s neck. “The vampire that left that thing on your neck. Or did you not even bother to learn it in the first place?”

Alec just laughs, unashamed. “I know he was a great lay. That’s all I need.”

“And they say romance is dead.”

If possible, Alec’s smile becomes even wider as he hears the clicking of heels after that deadpan comment. Turning to face the kitchen, he sees one of his favorite sights in the world-- his sister, laughing, walking towards him with two mugs of tea. Waiting for her to set the drinks on the table, he takes her in. Izzy is wearing one of her more formal outfits but it still has her risque touch: underneath the suit jacket she’s wearing nothing but a lace bralette. She looks stunning as usual and he can only imagine how many men sustained injuries walking past her this morning.

Giving her his trademarked Big Brother Hug, he lifts her off the ground, making her squeal with laughter as she demands to be down. Complying after a minute, the two just stand there, smiling at each other.

“It’s good to see you, hermano. It’s been a few months.”

“Yeah. How’d the shoot in Belize go?”

“It was one of the more inventive ones. I didn’t just stand there making pouty faces at the camera for two days. The other models and I got to go into the city and meet some of the people. Plus, I got a few other gigs from it so not bad at all. I was sad you couldn’t stay longer though.”

“I wanted to stay longer, too, but I could only carve out four days. But, I got to see you, so it was worth it.”

With a fond smile for her brother who had spent half of his brief break just traveling to and from Belize to see her, she gestures for the three of them to take a seat before asking Alec, “ How was the concert last night?”

The three of them sit down in the living room. Alec is in the chair closest the door, Izzy and Jace on the ragged couch they’d bought when they were seventeen. While they could buy a new couch that didn’t look like something a frat house had coughed up after rush weekend, it had been the first big purchase Alec had ever made and he was loathe to get rid of it. He knew he was too sentimental for his own good but until the couch actually broke, he just couldn’t see himself replacing it. Jace blustered and insulted the couch every day of his life, but he understood Alec’s reluctance and even shared a piece of it. Izzy, however, detested the couch and wasted no opportunity to tell them. But, even she had to admit that there was no better way to spend a lazy day then with a movie marathon on the run-down thing.

Taking a minute to settle in, Alec answered Izzy. “It was good. We sold the arena out and everyone went wild during the new material so that bodes well for the next album.”

Jace and Izzy traded guilty looks but Alec beats them to it before they can speak. “Don’t worry about not coming guys. You came to the opener last spring and you’re coming to the Good Morning America show next week, right? You’ve seen me perform a thousand times. It’s okay that you didn’t make it to this one.”

Jace nodded and added, “we wouldn’t miss it buddy. The chance to see you do your thing never gets old and I’m looking forward to seeing you deal with all those swooning teenagers.”

Izzy snickered. “Remember that time a boy actually passed out when Alec kissed his hand? I felt so bad for him!”

Groaning, Alec leaned back in his seat and looked up at the ceiling. “I paused the concert to make sure he was okay and so that he could get some medical attention but he turned it down flat because he didn’t want to miss a song. I let him backstage after and he gushed for fifteen minutes straight about how much he loved me. He was adorable but I just felt so bad that he’d gotten hurt over me.”

Reaching over to pat Alec’s shoulder, Izzy had nothing to say except, “poor you. People literally faint in your presence. How awful that must be.”

Alec glared at her but didn’t say anything else.

After Jace and Izzy’s laughter died down, the topic moved to their plans for the rest of the day.

“You guys still up for lunch?”

Alec nodded sharply. “Yeah, just let me grab a shower. Meet back here in half an hour? I have that acoustic show later this afternoon and I want to make sure I get there early.”

Jace scoffs while Izzy grimaces.

“You’ve been in the business ten years and party like it’s 1999 every damn night but you’re still freakishly early to every show. You’re such a nerd. When are you gonna trash a hotel room or, God forbid, show up to a rehearsal or concert--” Jace gasped in mock horror”-- on time?”

Alec was getting ready to offer a scathing reply when Izzy jumped in.

“Yeah, you really need a shower. I didn’t want to say anything, what with it being your first day back in town, but you smell like sex and coffee and that is disgusting coming from my brother.” She wrinkled her nose just to make it clearer how gross the whole thing was for her.

Alec glared at both of them before standing up and making his way to his ensuite.

“First of all, Jace, it’s called professionalism. I respect my fans and when you respect someone that means you put in effort for them and always make sure you’re punctual.” Opening his bedroom door, he called back, “Oh, and Izzy? It’s impolite to call attention to that kind of shit. You’re just jealous I’m getting some.”

With that, Alec shut the door just in time to hear Isabelle start cursing him.

After a long, hot shower using all of his favorite products Alec felt human again. He dresses in something a little more casual to fit the nature of the performance-- ripped black skinny jeans, his beat-up pair of combat boots, and a plain gray hoodie. While Alec had a costume designer for tour that came up with elaborate, stylish outfits, never to be worn twice during the course of the tour, he preferred to use his own wardrobe for smaller shows and the extra events he attended throughout the year.

Moving back into the bathroom, he takes out his sparse makeup bag. While Izzy was the Queen of Contour in the family, Alec had always enjoyed being her guinea pig. It was another creative outlet and a way for brother and sister to bond. Once he’d gone on the road, management had tried to dissuade him from wearing cosmetics in favor of carrying out their ideal image of him as a masculine heartbreaker of young girls’ hearts. How unfortunate for them that Alec was gay as hell and had a penchant for highlighter.

Taking out a simple black eyeliner pencil, Alec makes quick work of lining then smudging his eyes. He debates on adding anything else but decides against it. The vibe for this show is relaxed and he wanted to show the fans today the side of him that most rarely get to see.

Alec liked experimenting with his look but day-to-day he’s a pretty low maintenance guy and he wants to set the tone for the acoustic show as early as possible and the best way to do that is with his appearance. The show today is more chill hang-out than arena performance. He wants everyone who comes to feel welcome and relaxed and like they’re ready to make a friend.

He had received a lot of backlash in the media when, towards the beginning of his career, a picture had surfaced of him in a full face of makeup including contour, bright lipstick, and false eyelashes. He hadn’t quite developed the thick skin he was now notorious for and the online comments had devastated him.

It was Izzy who had shown him several social media accounts that had stood up for him, letting him know that they supported him no matter what he wore. He had never forgotten what those fans had done for him. The fact of the matter was that his fans went absolutely batshit when he wore makeup or had painted nails and he enjoyed the ritual and result of it all. Why not do a bit of fan service, have fun, and maybe let some of them see that there’s more than one way to be a man? Alec had built a career out of respecting and loving his fans and a lot of his effort was in making sure that these kids knew they could always be themselves with him. Whether that meant waving Pride flags during his concerts or having the courage to be their most authentic selves, Alec always felt the responsibility to be a positive role model for people in the same way he wished he’d had someone when he was younger and just starting to figure shit out.

Though today he was only wearing eyeliner, Alec knows the fans will love it.

So he plays up to the fans a little bit, so what?

Alec leaves his bedroom and finds Izzy and Jace talking in the kitchen.

“I’m headed out. I’ll see you guys later.”

Izzy throws the apple she had just finished into the trash can and grabs her coat. When Alec just looks at her she says smugly, “I’m going with you. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen you perform and I think the fans would love seeing the Lightwoods together, don’t you?”

Jace looks at Alec like he expects him to put up a fight. He should know that what Izzy wants, she gets, and Alec actually thinks it’s a good idea anyway. His fans love Izzy and she adores them right back. Alec just shrugs and turns to leave the apartment, Izzy on his heels.

Alec gets to the venue a little over an hour early. He likes having extra time because it gives him a chance to talk to the fans in line that have been waiting for hours to get a seat in the front row. Despite Izzy’s protests they took the subway, and when Alec rounds the corner and sees the line stretching almost two blocks he’s taken by surprise by the way his heart becomes both painfully light and dreadfully heavy.

He never gets used to it. People love Alec, love his music, and that is a hell of a double-edged sword for him. He feels immense responsibility and pressure to be the best performer, the best role model he can be to these fans, these kids and adults and everything in between that pay money and spend time on him. But at the same time he’s always buoyed by their never-ending support and unconditional love.

He has worked fucking hard to cultivate this relationship with his fans and its foundation is a mutual respect and admiration. Alec knows they have his back but will always hold him accountable and they know that Alec does everything he can for them to make every show, every Instagram video, every surprise as amazing as possible. Alec is very active online, constantly answering messages and replying to tweets, posting videos that show him behind the scenes, that offer glimpses of his real life off stage, and the fans appreciate the effort.

The fans also know of Alec’s tendencies to be early and it doesn’t take long before the entire street seems to fall silent as everyone turns around and takes in Alec Lightwood. No one has even noticed Izzy yet and Alec raises a perfect brow before smiling softly and walking to the people at the end of the line.

“Hey, what’s up?”

The two girls in front of him are obviously starstruck but they rally quickly, he’ll give them that. They’re teenagers wearing what looks to be handmade tie-dye shirts with the cover art from his latest album stenciled in.

“Just waiting for this guy to show up. I hear he can sing,” says the taller girl in a fit of bravado.

Alec just grins. “Oh yeah? Funny, I think I heard about him. I heard he’s got a surprise in store for everyone.”

The girls’ eyes bug out and Izzy snorts before elbowing him in the stomach. While he’s busy glaring she turns to the girls. “Don’t listen to him. He’s just trying to get a reaction. How are you guys doing today?”

The one who hasn’t spoken yet has a soft voice as she tells Izzy, “we’re super excited. We saved up for months to be able to come and we’re so happy we got to meet you.” She pauses for a minute, obviously internally debating something, before she turns to Alec and in a halting voice asks if they could get picture with him.

Alec readily agrees and he takes a few seconds to let the girls smooth down their hair and hands the phone to Izzy. He gives them a minute to make sure they’re satisfied with the picture and then throws them a soft smile and a “see you inside” before moving up the line to the next group.

The next hour flies by as he talks to every single person in line and takes pictures as requested. He’s always surprised, but overwhelmingly grateful, that everyone is quiet and waits their turn. He doesn’t know if it’s because they all know that he talks to everyone, or if it’s because he’s mentioned how anxious he can get in crowds, or if his fans are just more polite than others, but there are no riots or shouting or grabbing. Everyone is respectful and polite and it makes Alec’s heart sing.

When the doors open, everyone rushes inside. There’s only a hundred people in the small coffeeshop-- not Luke’s, because even if he loves his fans he’s not willing to compromise his safe haven-- and everyone has a centrally located seat. A few people wanted pictures with both him and Izzy, or just with Isabelle, and everyone notices her as she walks in behind Alec. There are people softly talking while his people finish getting everything set but everyone watches as Izzy takes a seat in the back and Alec makes his way to the small stage that had been hastily thrown together.

“Okay, I’ve talked to all of you just a few minutes ago but I want to make sure everyone is having a good day. How are all of you doing?”

There’s a rush of cheers and clapping and Alec grins as he slips effortlessly into his entertainer role.

“I’m glad to hear that,” he says as he fiddles with the mic. “If you guys are okay with it, I have some treats I’d like to bring out.”

As Alec had been talking, a few people came out from the back carrying trays of sweets or coolers of drinks.

“We have some baked goods because who doesn’t like a good pastry?” There’s a smattering of laughter as he continues. “We have something for everyone. There are vegan treats, some with peanuts and some without and we have something for people with other assorted allergies or sensitivities. Feel free to talk to the waitstaff about any questions or concerns. Their names are Karen and Daniel and they don’t bite. Promise.”

With everyone munching on their snacks, Alec moves into the real start of the event.

“If it’s alright with you, I thought we’d start with some guidelines. There are only three rules today. Number one, you have fun. If you’re not having fun, you tell me and we’ll see what we can do about it. Though, I have to say, if your issue is that I’m not funny enough, I don’t know what to tell you. This is about as good as it gets.”

Everyone cheers in what Alec supposes is reassurance that he’s not a comedic failure and he’s laughing as he says number two.

“The second rule is that everyone relaxes. Go ahead. Take a deep breathe. This isn’t a concert where you have to scream for two hours. This is you and me and us all together enjoying some music and conversation. And that brings us to number three. Rule number three might be the most important so listen up.

“Rule number three is that you be yourself. As long as you feel safe and included during this chat, then I’ll consider this a success. We’re going to play some tunes and talk about some stuff and we can only maintain this pleasant atmosphere if everyone feels unafraid. There are no stupid questions or awkwardness here--except if it’s coming from me.”

With a last round of laughter that Alec swears is part relief and part indulgence for his inane tactics, he starts the Q and A section.

The questions are all brilliant and fun. Someone asks Alec what his favorite historical period was and why and that devolves into a general group discussion about everyone’s favorite trivia facts. There's another question that sparks a debate between the best type of recording equipment and Alec learns something from one of the fans that he makes a mental note of to research once he starts properly writing for the next album. The last question, however, makes Alec swallow hard and really think.

The question is asked by a teenaged boy that looks as All American Football as possible. When he raises his hand, Alec calls to him immediately.

Looking nervous, the boy opens his mouth. “Hi, Alec, my name is Patrick and I have kind of a serious question for you. This past year I’ve started to come to terms with the fact that I might be gay and I don’t know what to do. I just feel like all of these people have expectations of me and I don’t know how to meet them when they think I’m straight. How can I still be the quarterback and one hundred percent myself?”

Alec smiles softly and says, “Well, thank you Patrick for having the courage to ask me that. It takes a lot of guts and self-awareness to realize that things you’ve thought your whole life might not be true. I’m happy you felt safe enough to ask that here. I have to say though that as your journey of self discovery continues, you’ll start to realize that it isn’t either/or. You can be the high school football quarterback and a boyfriend to an amazing guy. It seems hard as hell, probably impossible, but it can be done. I was in marching band but I was also captain of the soccer team in high school and my senior year after we won the state championships I kissed my then-boyfriend in front of the whole school to celebrate. I was scared shitless but I knew that the people who loved me wouldn’t care and I had to decide not to care about the people who wouldn’t be able to reconcile the two pieces of me.

“Is there anyone else who wants to offer any advice?”

There are a few people that have experienced the same or similar issue and Alec gives them the floor. After everyone’s said their piece, Patrick says one last thing to Alec.

“Thanks, Alec, for being a great role model. I know you have to get that all the time but I really mean it when I say that you’re an inspiration to me. You’re music has really helped me this year come to terms with everything and realize shit and plus, it just bangs hard as hell.”

Everyone laughs and with that cue Alec starts to sing a few songs. He has his old-ass guitar and he’s playing his most popular songs from all of his albums. Everyone cheers when he plays a few random songs that were never singles and it’s totally silent when he plays a handful of songs from what will be his sixth studio album.

When the last note rings through and everyone is clapping, Alec sits there with his guitar resting against his knee and takes a minute to soak it all in. When it starts to die down, Alec takes to the mic one last time to offer his thanks for everyone that came out and has supported him. He does have a surprise though.

“I told a few of you that there was a surprise coming your way tonight. Well, here’s the thing. I feel like we really got to know each other this afternoon and it just wouldn’t be fair of me to make you pay for friendship. So saying, if you guys check your bank accounts after the show, you’ll see that you’ve been refunded the price of admission for today’s event. I hope it was worth your money, but if not, at least it was free," Alec ends with a little laugh.

The room erupts with his speech and Alec gives a last wave to everyone gaping at him before nodding to Izzy and making his way out the front door.

Izzy is beside him an instant later, shaking her head. “You act all cool and shit but you’re really just a drama queen, aren’t you?”

Alec grins as he throws his arm around her shoulders and they make their way to the subway station. “Being dramatic never killed anyone Isabelle. It’s not my fault that the music industry just happens to be a little more dramatic than most."

Izzy rolls her eyes and laughs to herself. The streets are crowded as Alec plans his evening.

It’s time to blow off some steam.

[percontaion-points]

Let’s Play “Moments: Hottie For Hire” Part 1

Meet our latest protagonist, Lily. The story begins by telling us that she's lost her job and her boyfriend, and then because life wasn't awful enough, two different people asked her to be the maid of honor in their weddings.

Anyway, this is Lily. I got to design her appearance (well, pick her skin and hair), and I really like this combination.

The dress-maker tells Lily that she has good baby-making hips, which makes Lily self-conscious. And I've always felt like that's one of the most back-handed compliments ever. The person who says it never intends for it to be an insult, but the person that's it's directed towards is usually pretty offended by it and vows to go on a diet. Which is exactly what Lily does. She also is grateful that her mom is paying for half of the dress, because she doesn't exactly have a lot of money right now.

She bemoans that her cheating ex told lies to her boss and it ended up getting her fired. She worked as a pastry chef at some restaurant. She thinks that the only good thing going on right now is that at least her stomach looks flat in her bridesmaid dress.

Le mother.

She thinks that the dress looks good on Lily, and says that she could stand to gain a few pounds. Which Lily doesn't take kindly to. She apparently used to be “Fatty Lily” in high school... ouch. Kids are shitty. But she finished growing and lost a couple of pounds, and now she's more “normal”.

Anyway, Lily's little sister, Louise, is getting married, and finally leaving home. She's four years younger than Lily.

Louise. The only thing I have to say is that at least the game seems to take into account the skin color chosen for MC. They sometimes don't, and it makes MC look adopted.

Anyway, Louise comes out from the dressing room in her wedding gown, and Kathy and Lily are speechless. But Lily finds it hard to believe that her sister is getting married in just two weeks. She's also jealous because her relationships and jobs are insanely quick, over in only just months. She seems to blame this on some sort of family curse... rather than the fact that maybe she's just an awful person with no job skills? Sure Jan.

They gush over Louise. She then turns her attention to Lily and is about to say something about something (probably her inability to enter into a healthy relationship), but Lily glares at her until she stops.

And this is cousin Veronica. I'm not sure if she's going to be set up to be the mean girl, but here's hoping she won't be!

Anyway, Veronica shows up and gushes over how Michael will love Louis's dress. Lily also explains right then that Michael's family is very wealthy, and they're from New England. Michael also owns the Red Sox. What is happening, why.

Veronica asks about the bridal party, and Louise says that it's going to be in Rhode Island, at Michael's parent's huge estate there. For a week. Also, Kathy randomly hates “Vonnie” (game's nickname, not mine). Lily seems to think that it's because of “the huge stick up Veronica's butt”... which puts a point in favor of her being the cliched bitch. Ugh. Veronica then insults Lily's skin. UGH. When the seamstress goes to get Veronica's dress from the back, Veronica asks her to bring out a cocktail dress she ordered for the rehearsal dinner. She goes on to say that she's bringing a date, and wants to use the wedding to launch wedding ideas into her boyfriend's head. Kathy thinks that it's a good idea, and Veronica mentions the “family curse”. She then acts all mockingly embarrassed for Lily's sake, but then says that at least Louise broke the curse.... maybe. It's still two weeks until the wedding.

Lily then explains this curse. It's not real, but more of a family joke. They call it the WD-40 curse, because they're about as effective as removing men from their life as WD-40 is from removing stuff like rust from objects. Lily's dad left when she was seven, and her grandfather left when Kathy was in high school. There's four generations of this.

But obviously, Lily wants for things to be different for Louise and Michael. She also says that it only affects the first-borns. But that doesn't mean that Louise isn't superstitious as hell about the entire thing, and hates it whenever somebody mentions it. So Lily comforts Louise about it. Veronica acts all innocent, and mocks the fact that Lily's boyfriend dumped her. And her ex is apparently the best man. Because nothing says “I support my sister!” quite like having your fiancee ask your sister's ex to be your best man. Ugh.

Which Louise didn't want to tell Lily. And trust the residential mean girl to just rip that band-aid off... The news of this makes Lily feel physically ill. She doesn't want to spend an entire week in the company of her shitty ex. Veronica and Louise then start arguing about if the curse is real. But when Veronica says something about Lily, Lily kind of snaps.

She tells them that she has a boyfriend. (Oh boy, here we go...) Everybody's shocked by this. Louise asked when this happened, and she says right after she and Ryan broke up, she moved on quickly and fell in love. And then she just keeps word-vomiting about her fictional boyfriend, and everything she says just makes her situation worse and worse. Louise throws her arms around Lily in excitement, which shuts Lily up.

Veronica doesn't seem to believe Lily... which she's not wrong to doubt her, but at the same time... SHUT UP, VERONICA. She says that she didn't want to jinx her relationship. She says that they met at a party and really hit it off. She also can't think of a name when Veronica asks, so she says that they'll all meet him soon enough. But Lily also hates herself for having gotten herself into this hole.

She then quickly changes the topic and shows Louise a magazine article about hair. It works, and Louise starts talking about hair, too.

As they're looking at the magazine, an ad catches Lily's eye. It's for a matchmaking/escort service. Because of course it is. Obviously, Lily thinks that this is the answer to her prayers... and her problems. She makes some excuse and rips the ad out and shoves it down the front of her bridesmaid dress. Veronica's like WTF,  and Kathy asks if she's okay. She insists that she didn't want Louise to make a mistake by picking the wrong hairstyle. But she doesn't really remember the website URL, though. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THAT ONE. ALL SHE HAS TO DO IS GOOGLE/KNOCK-OFF GOOGLE BECAUSE WE CAN'T USE GOOGLE IT!!

Then, the game takes a weird turn and tells us that we're going to peek inside the male protagonist's POV. Neat.

His name is Trent (I did not pick it).

Kind of reminds me of Chris Evans from his douchey rom-com days.

Anyway, his cousin, Kennedy, wants to drag him into a matchmaking scheme. Whereas Trent is insistent that he own some gym... even though they're losing money. Like a lot of money. And he has no idea why.

When they said “Kennedy”, I kind of just pictured??? IDK, Trent 2.0? Not this little cutie.

Anyway, Trent is over Kennedy's bullshit, if only because she ALWAYS comes to him whenever she needs money for some scheme or another. But she says that she's really desperate, so he asks how long that this escort job is, thinking that it would be several hours at the most. She explains about the week-long wedding event going on, but that makes him OH HELL NO even harder. Kennedy says “But I need somebody handsome and fit. It's her sister's wedding. She's looking for a fake boyfriend. You're 'bring home to mom' material.” He continues to refuse.

Random CG of the magazine article Lily had used to distract Louise. Yes, that's Chloe from “Challenge Accepted”/a blonde Emma from “Bridesmaid Lotto”. I don't mind as much because it's supposed to be a random background image, and not actually a character in the story. (Probably...)

[bringmetolife-pwff]

Part One: Chapter Seven - Closer

"You know, I never realised how down-to-earth Prince William was," Sam told Evelyn the next day at work.

"I know.  He's not all stuffy which is nice.  He's quiet but nice."

"It's refreshing seeing that the Royal family is actually normal," her assistant commented.

The get-together the night before was real nice.  All of her friends were able to meet the prince and they all got on well which was a relief for Evelyn.  She figured they would but now she had confirmation.

"It is," Evelyn agreed.  "Now we must really be talking about work and enough about the prince."

Sam giggled in response to her boss as they all focused on the sales and the social media aspect of the brand.

***

"I was wondering if you wanted to come by my place tonight?" William asked her over the phone.

"Yeah, I can do that," she nodded her head.  "When you say your place do you mean -"

"Clarence House, yes," he nodded in confirmation as she sucked in a breath.  "You'll have to drive to the gates and tell the guards you're here to see me.  They'll call me for confirmation and then let you in."

He was in London for a couple of weeks having to do some royal engagements as well having a little break from the military to carry on with his royal duties making sure the two didn't coincide with the other.

"O-okay," she stuttered silently cursing at herself for not sounding more confident.  "What time?"

"Are you available at eight?"

"Yes, eight sounds good.  See you then."

They ended the call.  She had an hour to get ready and she was no where near ready yet.  Since she didn't have to go into work today she had the day off and literally wore only cosy clothes, hair up in a bun, almost little to none makeup as she wore her glasses.  She spent the day doing things that were non-work related enjoying her time cleaning the apartment and reading her recent book that she was trying to finish.

She first decided to do her makeup as she applied foundation, blusher to her cheeks, a wing cat eye liner and mascara to finish it off.  Deciding to keep her hair to minimal work effort she wanted to put down in loose waves.  Now was the tricky part -- what she would wear.  Evelyn stood in front of the clothes in her closet as she pondered on what her outfit should be.  She knew she should dress fancier then she was right now, that was a given.  Ultimately, she decided on wearing some nice jeans, wedges and a nice jumper as it was a bit cold out.

Evelyn felt as though it would be best to write a note to her sister

Went to William's for dinner tonight, don't worry.  Love you!

- Evelyn

***

Evelyn made it to Clarence House in her car as she pulled up to the gates, a guard walked up to her.

"Can I help you, miss?"

"Hi, yes, my name is Evelyn Bennett.  I'm here to see William."

"I'm sorry, ma'am but unfortunately the tours are not going on right now.  If you come back in August they will."

"Oh no, I'm not here for a tour.  I'm meeting with William for dinner."

"Just one second," the guard said making Evelyn nod her head.

She saw him go back to inside his booth as it seemed he was on the mobile, possibly chatting with William.

"All right, ma'am, you're free to go.  Sorry for any confusion."

"No worries, thank you."

The gates opened, allowing Evelyn to drive further into the residence as her car hit the gravel she marveled at the building.  Of course, living in London she grew up glancing at these buildings.  She really took it all in tonight.  The home was a large four-story, white stuccoed building.  Parking her car, she turned off the engine and locked the doors.  William had told her not to knock on the door, just walk in, so she did just that.

"You seem a bit lost, ma'am," she seemed to be a servant.  "Would you like some direction?"

"Oh yes please," Evelyn nodded her head.  "If it's no trouble."

"No trouble at all," the servant answered her with a kind smile to which she reciprocated.

She seemed kind, shorter than Evelyn as she also had black hair that was put up in a low bun.  Her outfit was a black skirt, tights, white shirt and flats for shoes.

"Follow me," the woman told Evelyn.  "Who are you here for?"

The servant knew that not just anyone would open the home late at night without permission.  She had never seen her before but she knew who she was based on the tabloid articles she had read.

"I'm here for William."

"Have you ever been on a tour of Clarence House, ma'am?"

"No," Evelyn shook her head.  "I've never been inside but it's beautiful."

"It is," the servant nodded her head.  "So full of history it is.  Did you know that it was built in 1825..."

She was being told a brief history lesson on the home as she looked around, her fingers trailing the walls as her hand glided against them.  Marveling at all of the ornate details of the inside.  How all the walls had intricate designs of their own and were beautiful in their own way.

"Can I just say?  I'm dreadfully sorry for your engagement ending," the servant told Evelyn.

"Oh," Evelyn replied shocked that she recognised her but felt as though it was a caring comment nonetheless.  "Thank you.  What was your name?"

Poppy knocked on the young prince's door not wanting to disturb him by walking in his room knowing he was in there.

"My name is Poppy.  I know that you're Evelyn Bennett.  I read all the tabloid articles about you and I love your clothing line."

Evelyn let out a laugh of relief.

"Thank you, Poppy.  That's very kind of you.  It was nice meeting you and thank you for the short tour and leading me to William's place."

William opened the door smiling at Evelyn as he had a rag over his shoulder showing he had been cooking.

"No problem at all, ma'am."

Poppy curtsied to William as they both let out a chuckle as she left in a hurry.

"Hello, you look great," William complimented Evelyn as he kissed her cheeks.

"Thank you," she blushed slightly.  "You should have seen me earlier I looked absolutely ridiculous.  You look great as well."

Evelyn looked around his rather large apartment as she walked in that was almost as if it were a house within a very large house.  It was rather normal.  With antique furniture, pictures on the wall and tables of him with his mum, Harry or his Pa, some family portraits.  William graduating university with a proud smile on his face as he stood next to his Granny.

"Are you okay with roast chicken and steak?" William asked.

"Yeah," Eve replied with a smile.  "I'd love some chicken."

"Perfect," he smiled back to her.  "Can I get you something to drink?  A glass of wine, water, tea?"

"A glass of wine would be fantastic, thanks."

"Sure, I'll get the glasses of wine and food if you want to sit down in the dining room?"

"Okay," she agreed and made her way over to the dining room table and sat down in the chair. William brought over everything and sat it down in front of her.  William ate his medium rare steak as she ate her chicken.

"This is so good," she moaned at the delicious chicken making him smile in satisfaction.

"Good, I'm glad you like it."

They ate dinner in silence as they sneaked glances at each other ever so often.

"D'you always know you were different?" asked Evelyn as she sipped on her glass of red wine.

"Not always, no," he shook his head as he leaned forward elbows resting on his legs.  "That was where my mum was different.  She along with my Pa wanted Harry and I to have as much of a normal upbringing as any normal person.  It wasn't until I started school that one of my classmates asked me 'do you know the Queen?' and I lamely answered 'don't you mean Granny?'  There was another time when I told my mum I wanted to be a policeman and look after her--my younger brother replied back with, 'you can't, you have to be king.'  Did you always know that your Pa was famous?"

"Not always," she shook her head.  "When I was younger, I knew he was gone a lot for work but it wasn't until I was thirteen that I understood to what extent.  It was then that my parents sat us down and told us the work he did.  I missed him whenever he was gone as his headquarters for his business wasn't always here in London and he had business meetings in other countries as well.  Even though he was gone a lot, we all remained close.  I'm chuffed to bits that we are still close.  Ya know?"

"Mhm," William agreed nodding his head.

"Whose your favourite actress or actor?  Or I guess favourite celebrity you've met." William asked her curious.

"My favourite actress would have to be between Audrey Hepburn or Julie Andrews.  God, I wish I could have met Audrey Hepburn.  She always seemed so classy.  As for actor, I just love Tom Hanks.  I met him when I was at a premiere and I was completely starstruck.  Whose yours?"

"I really like Joaquin Phoenix but I'm also really good friends with Samuel L Jackson.  So I dunno," he shrugged his shoulders.  "Is it bad?  To be a fan of your good friends work?"

She laughed at this finding it funny for some reason.

"I don't think so, no.  I think it's fantastic to be fans of your friends work, means they must be doing something right.  What's your favourite music to listen to?  Please do not say classical."

"What's wrong with classical?  Not a fan, hm?"

"God, no!  Don't get me wrong.  It's beautiful but it can be daftly boring!"

"Well then, you should consider yourself lucky seeing as I don't like classical music, no.  Mines varied.  I like rock, Linkin Park, Kanye West, Coldplay, and Eminem."

"Oh, I love Kanye West!  I also love pop and folk rock like Ellie Goulding and a new band called Mumford and Sons and Lana Del Rey.  I also just absolutely die for the classics like Frank Sinatra and Doris Day.  I have a bit of an old soul in me," she laughed lightly as she said this.

"Really?" His voice had a hint of surprise in it as his eyebrows rose.

"You sound so surprised.  Why?"

"I don't know," he shook his head as he leaned closer an arm resting around her on his couch.  "I never really thought of you as a rock girl is all," he laughed.

"Folk rock," she corrected the young prince.

"Ohhh," he joked back holding his hands up in surrender.  "My mistake."

She laughed shaking her head leaning in towards the couch more.  The closer they sat together the more she could feel her heart pick up faster and she wondered for a split second if he could hear it.  If he could hear how nervous she was the closer the were getting.  It was then that she knew she was in trouble.

"Right now I'm actually planning a concert for my mum with Harry to be held in July.  His girlfriend, Chelsy, will be there as well.  I was wondering if you maybe... wanted to come?  You could bring your friends and family if you'd like."

"I'd like that."

She didn't know what her schedule would be like in July but whatever it was that day she would make sure to clear it off so that she would be able to do the concert.  Just as they had come to that agreement William heard his front door open as a red head man appeared.

"Oh, you're not alone," Harry spoke so casually as he eyed the blonde hair blue eyed woman who was sitting dangerously close to his older brother.

"No, I'm not," William spoke as he looked at his brother both of them not expecting the interruption.  "Eve, this is my brother Harry, Harry this Evelyn.  She is the sister of Eric who is in the same unit in the military as me."

"Nice to meet you," Harry told her with a smile on his face as he looked at the blonde.

"You as well, Your Royal Highness," she spoke as she was about to stand up and curtsy.

"Please, don't and it's just Harry.  Besides there's no one here who would correct you.  Am I interrupting something?"

"N-no," she shook head furiously as her eyes grew slightly wide.

"We were just having dinner," William intervened which Evelyn was grateful for.  "Was there something I could help with?"

Just?  Maybe she had read into this whole situation entirely wrong.  Just when she was finally getting over Liam and having feelings for another man, it's just dinner for him.  She felt a bit hurt but she tried to not let it show.  She could have sworn that he was feeling something too and now she feels as though she were strongly mistaken.  Had she read everything wrong?

Were they getting closer?

Or drifting further apart?

"Well, I wanted to let you know that we weren't able to get Calvin Harris.  They said they had their plans solid booked," Harry shook his head.

"Blimey, are you only joking?"

"No, unfortunately am not.  Wish I was."

"Well, that's a shame.  Since you're here Harry, I invited Evelyn along to the concert and she was okay with it."

"Your coming?" Harry sounded shocked as he raised his eyebrows looking towards the girl.

"Yeah," there was no backing out now, Evelyn thought.  "Of course."

"Well the more the merrier, that's what I always like to say!  Glad to have ya on board.  Sorry to interrupt, I'll be on my way."

"Actually," Evelyn spoke up.  "I was just wondering..."

"Yes?" Harry asked as he turned around to face her again.

"Well, is your list set yet for the singers?"

Harry looked at Will for confirmation as the two brothers were having a silent conversation within themselves.  Evelyn recognised it as she often had those with her sister.

"No, I don't believe it is," Harry told the blonde sitting down now.  "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, I just thought, and please tell me if I'm overstepping.  There's a new band called Mumford and Sons.  Just started this year, actually.  Was wondering if you thought about calling them?"

The two princes were silent as they thought it over as Evelyn rambled again.

"If you think about it--it would be a win for everyone.  It would give more exposure to the band and it would fill the place of Calvin Harris."

"D'you have one of their songs we could listen to right now?" Will asked speaking up.

"Of course."

Evelyn opened up her mobile and searched for her favourite song by them which was Timshel.  It could be known to one as depressing but whenever she was in the mood it gave her all the feels.  The acoustics of the instruments started to play as she grew anxious for the prince's to hear it.

Cold is the water It freezes your already cold mind Already cold, cold mind And death is at your doorstep And it will steal your innocence But it will not steal your substance

But you are not alone in this And you are not alone in this As brothers we will stand and we'll hold your hand Hold your hand

"Can you pause it?" Harry asked making Evelyn do as told.

"That's perfect," William and Harry said at the same time.  "Harry, can you look up the bands management and give them a ring?"

"I'm right on it.  Thanks Evelyn.  Pleasure meeting you," he shook her hand.

"You as well."

"Hopefully I'll be seeing more of you.  See you at the concert," Harry winked at her and then he was off.

"Sorry 'bout that," William said to her as he shook his head.

"No, it's okay," Evelyn said as she looked at the mobile looking for an excuse to get out there.  "I actually should be off myself anyway."

It was ten o'clock at night and she had a busy week at work anyway.  Not tomorrow but William didn't need to know that.

"Oh of course, of course.  Is everything okay?" He asked noticing a change of tone in her voice.

"Yeah," she put a smile on her face.  "Thank you for dinner tonight.  It was really nice."

"Let me walk you out," he spoke up as he got up with her.

"Um, sure..."

They walked the corridors in silence as his hands were in his pockets, occasionally looking at Eve as she stared straight ahead.  Walking up to the door that led her out he turned to her stopping her by putting his hand on her elbow allowing her to turn to him and look up into his blue eyes.

"You sure you're all right?" He asked again.

"Yeah," she put out a strained smile.  "Thanks again."

He nodded his head not wanting to push her further.  He was struggling with himself trying to decide if he should or not but ultimately his confident side won and he bent down placing a kiss on her temple.

"Have a good night," he told her.

"You too."

And then she was off both of them having the inner turmoil struggles within themselves of what could have possibly happened that night.

And you are the mother The mother of your baby child The one to whom you gave life And you have your choices And these are what make man great His ladder to the stars

But you are not alone in this And you are not alone in this As brothers we will stand and we'll hold your hand Hold your hand

But I will tell the night And whisper, "Lose your sight" But I can't move the mountains for you

[justonemoreepisodeuk-blog]

Peaky Blinders

“If I catch this next train, I’ve got time for a Peaky Blinders when I get in,” said a colleague in the pub one evening, swiftly seeing off the dregs of a gin and tonic before grabbing her handbag and flying out of the place.  Picture the scene!  It’s not actually a true story though.  As we all know, whenever my workmates suggest a drink after office hours, I flat-out refuse so I can spend more time with my real friends: boxsets.  I also lost the ability to handle alcohol in 2014.  But there was a time a few months back when Peaky Blinders was the boxset of choice for all the folk back in my nine-to-five world, especially those in various stages of pre-married and married life, settling down buying homes in zone 17 and therefore commuting on timetabled trains (the best excuse for being late everyday there ever was).  Let’s unpick why people with stable, conventional lifestyles enjoy programmes about crime, shall we?

First, we must ask ourselves: what is a Peaky Blinder?  Well, my phone’s autocorrect would actually prefer that we called it a Pesky Blinder. You change one letter and suddenly it’s like you’re at the end of a Scooby-Doo episode when the villain is unmasked and revealed to be harmless.  In fact, I don’t even really need the letter change.  Every time someone in the show unleashes a hail of bullets and quips “Courtesy of the Peaky Blinders” I’m transported to a world of Hanna-Barbera animation for children.  I just don’t deserve good television, do I?

The Peaky Blinders are a criminal gang run by the Shelby family, with the first series joining their story in 1919.  The accents that the cast approximate are brummie, as the show is set in Birmingham. It’s nice to see Britain’s second city getting a bit of dramatic attention – it’s as if the place doesn’t get out much.  People claim it’s boring.  One of the very few decent talks I have been to in the media industry posed a good question about the city in light of billions being spent to improve its rail links to London.  Why not spend billions making Birmingham worth visiting in the first place?  It’s very unfair, as I once had the time of my life there at the Watch The Throne tour, including a night out at Gatecrasher that BEGAN with a bouncer throwing a clubber down the stairs after punching him.  Good times.

The Shelbys are big names thanks to their illegal activities.  Their services are very diversified.  They start with running unlicensed betting operations and racketeering, before branching into publicanism, owning and training racehorses, legal betting and various other forms of roughhousing.  In later series, there is legitimate trade as well as smuggling.  I even think there are some contract killings but things get very complicated so I just focus on enjoying the period scenery. As time passes, the running tension comes from the desire to do one last big job before finally going straight. So let’s see who these Shelbys are (focusing on those that are there at the beginning, as some relatives’ appearances constitute spoilers):

Tommy Shelby

Not the oldest Shelby brother, but he’s in charge due to having the largest face.  The large face comes courtesy of Cillian Murphy (star of my favourite film, 28 Days Later, even finding time to get his willy out in something about a ‘zombie’ apocalypse) and I would watch that face do anything.  He’s all about being so mad he might just be a genius, and his word is law.  I expect it was him that decided all the lads would have hipster haircuts.

Arthur Shelby

Tommy’s older brother, but he’s happier as a henchman (most of the time).  You can take a picture of him to the barber and come out with a really fresh fade.

John Shelby

This is the cheeky Shelby. Joe Cole plays him as if he is about to sneeze the whole time, but let’s remember that history was a dusty place, so it makes perfect sense.  He probably has slightly better hair than Arthur, but it’s a tough choice.

Finn Shelby

The baby brother who is just a boy at the start, but soon gets old enough to join in with the haircuts.

Ada Thorne née Shelby

Yes, women are allowed in the family too.  This is the Shelby sister.  She doesn’t do a lot of the crime, but tends to serve as a plot device as and when suits. Wears hats.

Polly Gray née Shelby

This is the Shelby clan’s aunt, played by the amazing Helen McCrory.  There’ll be a cigarette hanging out her mouth and she won’t take any nonsense, but there are moments of beautiful vulnerability with this character, while her relationship with nephew Tommy is at the heart of how the family is run.

It’s often those around the Shelbys that are the most interesting, though.  Chester Campbell, the antagonist of the earlier series, starts off sympathetically, but ends up a focus for all your hate, despite the most extravagant Northern Irish accent from Sam Neill.  Derby Sabini, the leader of an Italian gang in London is always a pleasure, while you feel there’s more to Esme Shelby (one of the wives) and Lizzie Stark (a former prostitute whom Tommy hires as his secretary) than you ever get to see.  Tom Hardy even pops in, but you know he’s having too much fun swearing and shouting for this to be one of his best parts.  Series four also has some big household names, but Netflix don’t have that yet so we can’t talk about it (and I forgot to watch it at Christmas).

In conclusion, it’s sometimes the background of Peaky Blinders that’s more interesting that the main story.  A lot of the show is made up of the gang walking along in slow motion, all period hats and manly swagger.  Who on earth are the ones in the background?  Maybe they do part-time peaky blinding.  These moments are triumphed, however, in the third season when the Shelby women go on strike and get their own slow-motion swagger with cool soundtrack.  The set design, though, is cracking.  You have a real sense of the grime in the period, though there does seem to be a factory that specialises in balls of flame, like some sort of hellfire manufacturer.

But this is stand-out British drama.  Each series of six episodes grows and builds the blinders’ peaky world, responding to real-life actual history.  The First World War’s conclusion precedes the show’s beginnings, bringing to life all that war poetry you did for GCSE (Dulce et decorum est, pro patria mori, anybody?). There’s a Winston Churchill (but a bit younger than the old duffer in The Crown).  There’s communism and the fight for home rule in Ireland.  In series three, loads of Russian aristocrats arrive fleeing the Revolution and cope with this loss by having lavish orgies which characters try and act in front of but you’re just watching the background in case you spot a bit of tit.

While it’s fun to be irreverent, I will finish by saying that this show is the peakiest of all the blinders.  It’s like Downton Abbey with indie music, only more happens. Go to work, come back on the train, do an hour of wedmin, pay a bill or something, then settle down to live vicariously through history’s best-dressed criminal family.  You’ll sweat buckets screaming at the telly and praying Tommy can pull off his latest heist.  Just don’t get distracted wondering where he finds the time to get his haircut done so often.