#have we forgotten etiquette here?

[aramblingjay]

not-so-friendly reminder that leaving comments on a WIP demanding an update is the fastest way to never see the next chapter

[genshingorlsrevengeance]

How would someone like Miko, Ei, and other high ranking officers react to an S/O with a long list of titles like Settra the Imperishable, King of Kings,-

(Genshin Impact) Yae, Ei, Sara, Kokomi, Furina, Jean, and Xianyun's S/O with an absurdly long list of titles

I've been building and painting a lot of Bretonnians lately, so dear readers, you will now become aggressively French.

By the Archons above, nothing was worse to Yae than having to be so serious during a ceremony,

Of all the things she could be doing, literally anything would be better than having to listen to some stuffy noble read their title.

So it was by chance S/O had to be present. She recognized their title was of Fontaine descent.

'The Red Hand of Brionne', 'The Red Duke', Something something Red.

...Wait, their titles were still being read off?!

(Yae) "My goodness, just how many titles with the color red can one have?"

Yae internally sighed as the list kept going. And going. And going.

All the while S/O stood perfectly still and respectful, not even batting an eye at the list of titles that probably would stretch from the top of the shrine all the way to the bottom.

Yae's head looks up to the sky momentarily, wondering how of all the people in the world she could have as a lover, it was the one who had to bore her to tears.

No doubt there were interesting stories of how the titles came to be, but this is not the way she wanted to find out.

And here Yae thought Ei had a lot of names to go by...

(Yae) "...Why is it still going?!"

Ei doesn't react too much at the titles being read off for S/O's form of address at first.

She had to deal with similar situations of people reading off her own titles, so it was only proper etiquette.

"Water-Knight," "The Holder of Secrets", "Keeper of the Way"

(Ei) "...Hm."

It was only now she noticed that the list actually exceeded her own titles.

Which surprised her more than anything.

As far as she knew, S/O was just a mortal. How many feats did they achieve in Fontaine during their short life?

She made a note to ask later, but now the list was starting to become a bit absurd.

...Maybe she should implement a law where only the most notable of titles are read off, because they would actually be here for eternity if this continued.

Sara gets jealous fast.

Not because S/O has more titles than her, she couldn't care less about that.

What really irked her, was they had the gall to own more titles than Her Excellency, the Almighty Narukami Ogosho!

Sara masks her annoyance well as she keeps reading off the list.

Line after line, name after name.

...Okay, who the hell even gave her this list, this was way too many!

(Sara) Leader of battles...? What kind of title even is that?!

She made that comment in her head as she droned on with the names.

With every single title read off, Kokomi's energy drained.

She loved her S/O dearly, but by the Archons, how the heck did they get that many titles while living in Fontaine?!

(Gorou) "Lionheart, The Lionhearted, High Paladin of the Breton Court-!"

As far as she was aware, there wasn't even any Knight Houses like this in Fontaine!

...Then again, this was Fontaine she was talking about. They did have their theatres.

Kokomi doesn't mention anything about their stupidly long list of names until after the formal ceremony.

She drops her head onto their shoulders, sighing loudly.

(Kokomi) "S/O...why did we need to have all your names read out...?"

The AUDACITY S/O had!

To have more titles than HER, FURINA?!

This transgression would never be forgotten!

...But they were some pretty cool names, she did have to admit.

'The Golden Paladin',' 'Lord of the Lance', 'Roi Breton'

(Furina) "Hmph, and where exactly did you acquire such names, S/O? More importantly, how does it nearly rival my own?! Hmph! Perhaps I should read all of mine so that we are on equal footing!"

Honestly, some of those were starting to sound like stage names, which wasn't fair at all!

If they could do that, then so could she!

Needless to say, the ceremony the two were attending dragged on for way too long.

By Barbatos, those were some extra titles.

'The Green Knight', 'Knight of the Glade', 'Heart of the Lion'

Though, she only had a few titles under her own belt, the sheer number S/O had was honestly staggering.

But it was also admirable.

It made her want to keep up, and wondered if she could ever live up to Vanessa, and apparently S/O.

Because at this point she was wandering in her mind, the list was still going, and probably outnumbered Vanessa herself.

(Jean) Well...I suppose we did say we were to refer to all forms of address...Maybe we should revise that.

Xianyun was no stranger to titles.

She did indeed go by many, but S/O seemed to go by even more.

Which both impressed, and honestly annoyed Xianyun.

How did a mortal go by more names than Rex Lapis?!

'The Sacremor', 'The Soul-Killer', 'Duke of Couronne'-

(Xianyun) "One has to wonder why you must have all your names read aloud? We could be doing something much better right now..."

Granted, she did recognize a few of these titles, but that was no reason for dinner to get cold now!

Xinayun pouts, adjusting her glasses as she tries to get comfortable as the reading continued.

One found this situation inane...

[teaboot]

Looking for advice on etiquette from folks with visual disabilities

When I'm at work at this one location, I try to nod or wave or smile at employees I'm friendly with as we pass each other.

One employee has a vision issue of some kind and uses a guide cane, and I figure they frobably don't have much sight at all cause their eyes are usually closed.

When I pass them in the hall, I usually say "Hi, [name]" and wish them a good day.

It has just now occurred to me that they know more people here than I do and when I say hello, there is a chance they may not know which person I am.

It doesnt matter that much I guess, but is this a legitimate concern? Should I say who I am at some point in case they've forgotten me or don't recognize who I am, or does it not really matter much? Would that just be presumptive and condescending? Should I assume we're all good until they voice an issue?

Then again, I'm kinda faceblind and I usually just assume someone I don't recognize is someone who knows me from wherever, and shrug it off until the answer reveals itself.

Im not dead set on cementing friendships here but they're really nice and fun to talk to so I wouldn't mind being work friends if that's on the table

What's good sighted person / non-sighted etiquette? Am I overthinking this?

Blease

[mister-tom-a-dildo-lover]

I think a certain amount of etiquette is lost on people in fandom nowadays.

Just in general, but specifically I'm focusing on Tomarry/Harrymort right now because it's relevant my present issue.

I follow Tomarry/Harrymort content on here and Twitter. I am not always active, and I'm not always reacting to every single thing I see. But I see a lot of things and I keep my mouth shut most of the time.

In these past couple of months on Twitter, it's become really annoying to witness this particular subset of the fandom because people make posts that are not-so-subtly shading Tomarry/Harrymort writers every day.

People are so obsessed with how much they love the character and how much they love fanfiction that is true to the character, where they sound just like their canon self and don't seem any different, that they spend their days tearing down depictions of Harry Potter in fanfiction, that dare to stray away from abused, snow-white-angel, Quidditch-obsessed jock.

Many people seem to have forgotten that in the actual story, Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort would not get together. We ship two crack ships. They are things that have no hope in hell of ever happening in the canon story. To even write for Tomarry/Harrymort, we either have to change a few details, leave out a few details, or try to rework the existence of some details so they hit differently and make the pairing make sense for each individual fic.

This fandom purity nonsense has ended up with a lot of recent posts dogging on different kinds of HP tropes over the years and affecting authors.

A few weeks bacl it was 'the era of creature fics was cringe'. And then it was followed by a long list describing certain scenarios in certain stories that used these tropes, and I could immediately pick out which fics inspired these descriptions. There were people in the replies and the quotes land people who took screenshots to post to their own accounts to say shady things(including naming fics specifically!) without others being able to easily access them from the OG post itself.

I, personally, have outgrown creature fics in HP, and I'm not interested in reading them anymore. But I'm not sitting here making lists attacking the tropes involved in them. I'm not sitting here saying that they were stupid and corny, and they were the most unHarry Potter-like writings ever. And I'm not the one out here making the people who wrote those stories and get to see these kinds of comments coming from people in their fandom, feel bad.

IDK, but when So-So sees people bringing their 6-year-old fic up in a post dragging tropes in Tomarry/Harrymort fics, and they suddenly get the urge to just delete their fics entirely and not bother with the fandom anymore... maybe y'all need to learn how to word things better. It's really not that hard to say you're not into a specific thing anymore without having to drag other people down.

[withahappyrefrain]

did we ever get a follow up on that night with bob? the 7th date one where he ate us out twice? pls my brain is short circuiting i need to know if we get to fuck him💔

Not only did we fuck him, we also learned another surprising thing about Bob: he has a raging size kink. Aka Full of Surprises Part 2: Electric Bugaloo

Warning: fem reader,  language, unprotected sex, Bob has a huge dick, Bob is also a sweet precious bean, size kink, fingering, multiple orgasms, squirting, overstimulation, creampie, slight dacryphilia (depends on how you look at it) just wrote 3.8K of porn, don't look at me

Being with Bob Floyd was the closest thing to euphoria.

When you were with him, you felt at ease and as light as a feather.

All he had to do was look at you with that sweet lopsided grin and joy would pulse through your veins.

It was why you didn’t mind pausing as you two both recovered from your previous activities and just laid in bed, kissing one another before continuing. 

“I love kissing you,” Bob whispered before pressing another kiss to your cheek, then the tip of your nose before moving down to your lips. 

A giggle escaped as you weaved your hands into his hair, fingers gently grasping at the now soft, ungelled curls, “Could have been doing it a lot sooner." 

"I know," Bob groaned, shaking his head, "I wanted to, like really bad. But I didn't want to make you uncomfortable." 

Of course he didn’t. Even after making you fall apart on his mouth twice, make sure you were at ease was still at the forefront of Bob’s mind. 

"Well," your fingers traced the soft skin of his broad shoulders, "I think it's safe to say we are now very comfortable with each other." 

He grabbed your hand, bringing it up to his lips. How was this man real? More importantly, how was he in your bed? 

That was something to figure out later. Right now, you were too busy soaking in the sensation of his body on top of yours, lips attached to your neck, and what just brushed against your thigh? 

Your hunch was confirmed when he rolled his hips against yours again. 

It shouldn't have been a surprise. Out of all the things you learned tonight about Bob, this one shouldn't have come as a shock.

He wasn't short, far from it. You barely came up to his chin. When he cupped your face, his thumbs would rest comfortably along your jawline while the rest of his hands covered your whole neck. He was able to lift you up like it was nothing, for crying out loud. 

So out of all the things you learned about Robert Floyd tonight, the fact he was well-endowed shouldn't be a surprise.

And yet, here you were, mouth open and eyes wide as saucers when you saw just the tip of his cock peeking out from his boxers, resting against one of his pale thighs. 

That was just the tip?

Was it even going to fit?

"You okay?" His voice was full of concern. His cerulean eyes never left your face. 

"I um….y-you're big." You mentally kicked yourself as soon as the words came out of your mouth. 

A hand flew up to the back of his neck, rubbing the warm skin, "Uh yeah I…that's why I wanted to get you used to my fingers. We um, we don't have to-" 

"No! I mean, that was a 'no' to the idea of us not doing something. Sorry it's," you sighed, bringing a pillow to cover your face, "it's been a while and I've forgotten what's proper etiquette but I know exclaiming that you have a big dick isn't it." 

Bob couldn't help but chuckle, though there was no malicious intent behind it. Usually he was the one rambling and getting flustered. As nice as it was that the tables had turned for once, he didn't like that you were hiding. 

"Don't hide that beautiful face from me, darlin'," it wasn't meant to be a command. But the way his voice was low and raspy made your thighs clench. 

He gently pulled the pillow away, revealing your flustered face. There wasn’t any hint of ego on his face (despite having a very big reason to). Instead his face was sweet, a soft smile adorning his handsome face. 

"I'm sorry," you blurted out. 

Bob shrugged, "For what? I mean, it's kinda….well, hard to miss. Can't exactly hide it, y'know." 

You giggled, instantly feeling more relaxed, "Do you normally talk about your dick size in bed or should I feel very special?" 

"You should feel special," Bob's hands cupped the sides of your face, bringing your lips to his for a brief moment, "because you're absolutely incredible." 

His lips trailed away from yours, moving down to your neck, past your collarbone, until they reached your chest. Your back arched as his mouth took one of your nipples, his teeth gently grazing against the sensitive skin. 

"R-Robby," you gasped when his fingers traced your entrance. 

The way you moaned his name was addicting. Bob had to stop his hips from rolling against the bed, knowing now just how easily he could come from watching you fall apart on his fingers. 

Instead, he watches, memorized by how your cunt stretches to accommodate his thick fingers. His cock twitched at the thought of how it would feel, desperate to have a turn. 

He knows you like him, and he's ninety-five percent positive you're the one for him. Which is why he doesn't want to rush things. 

A groan escapes your lips, your hips buckling up to meet his fingers, despite shaking your head, "I'm-I'm gonna come if you keep doing that." 

Bob chuckled, leaning over so that his face was mere inches away from yours, fallen dark blonde locks tickling your forehead. 

"Ya say that like it's a bad thing, darlin'." Prior to tonight, you had never seen that smirk on his face. It was the closest to cocky that Bob had been and you really shouldn't find it fucking hot but here you were. 

"W-wanna come on your cock," you whined. It wasn’t that you didn’t like his fingers, you loved them inside of you. But now that you knew, you were desperate to know how his cock felt. 

His blue eyes widened as his hand stilled its movements. Bob opened his mouth as if to speak, and then promptly closed it, your words replaying over and over in his brain. 

Fuck. 

Once his brain came back online after short-circuiting, Bob found himself quickly removing his boxers, tossing the undergarment somewhere on the floor of your bedroom. He could pick it up afterwards. 

A joke about being eager was on the tip of your tongue. Though it died as soon as Bob wrapped his arms around you, picking you up and placing you on his lap. 

For someone lean and lanky, he was deceptively strong. 

Any and all thoughts left your brain when his cock slid through your slicked folds. Bob couldn't help but smirk; the person who sought him out, who asked him out, now a moaning mess from just feeling his cock against you. If he had more stamina, he would continue; brush his hardened cock against your clit, drawing out high-strung moans until you made a mess with your own cum. 

Another time. 

It felt exhilarating, knowing there would be more times in the future. You didn't even flinch when he laid you back down on the bed, a pillow now flushed against your hips. You raised an eyebrow, confused by the action. 

“It um…it helps with….y’know.” 

Bob was going to do this right. 

"Please tell me you have lube." It took a few seconds to process his words, as you were too busy registering the fact he was able to manhandle your body without a second thought. 

"Why would we-" 

"We're gonna need it. Makes it easier." The fact he said it with zero doubt, because he knew it was true and he wanted you comfortable, made your head spin. You were used to guys either treating you like a rag doll or as if you were made out of glass. 

But Bob Floyd treated you like you were made of starlight. One that was capable of thoughts, one that deserved having things explained, not to downplay your intelligence, but because you deserve to know. 

It was subtle and the worst part was that he probably didn't think anything of it. To Bob, this was how he would treat anyone he cared about.

But to you, it meant everything. So much that it made your heart swell. 

Meanwhile, Bob was frozen because while he definitely heard you say that you had lube in the top drawer of your dresser, his mind was on another thing that happened to be in his wallet, which was now somewhere on your bedroom floor. 

"I uh-I have a condom in my wallet. Not that I usually carry one around. I mean, obviously I do but like, I didn’t like, actively go out, buy one, and put it in my wallet. One of my buddies gave it to me as a joke and I figured y'know, it's good to have in case I or anyone else needs it. Not that I expect to, you know, it's just it's good to always be prepared just uh just in case. I was a boy scout and they always emphasize that part, being prepared. They didn’t relate it to having sex safely, the context for them was more about carrying a first aid kit and I really should stop talking about that and check if the condom hasn’t expired-"

"God, you're so fucking cute," you sat up, hands reaching out to grab his broad shoulders, crashing your lips onto his in a bruising kiss. 

"T-thanks," Bob mumbled, glad you found his rambling endearing, as well as that you cut him off before he began talking about his Eagle Scout project. 

"I have an IUD. I also wasn't planning on being with anyone besides you." Bob's eyes widened, but instead of regret or fear (the emotions you were used to receiving), there was joy? 

"R-really? Because I feel the exact same way but didn't want to assume anything or-" 

"Have I not made it obvious that I'm crazy about ya Robby?" 

A rosy tint dusted his cheeks as he looked down, "Didn't want to assume." 

"Well, you don't have to assume," you reached out, intertwining your fingers with his, "I like you a lot. So quit assuming I don't." 

“So it….wouldn’t be wrong of me to assume that like, we’re going steady? Like officially-”

“I want you to be my boyfriend, if that’s what you’re asking Robby.” You could feel the smile he had as he kissed you

He gently squeezed your hands, smiling at the reassurance, "Can I make love to you?" 

"I'd love nothing more, Robby." 

Love. 

It's like music to his eyes, hearing the word come out of your mouth. 

He knows it's too soon, and in the back of his mind, he's yelling to himself why did you pick that word don't scare her. But with that sweet smile of yours, it's easy to drown out that nagging voice, and instead focus on the fact he's definitely falling in love with you. 

"Um, where did you say the lube was? Got distracted by that smile of yours." Heat rushes to your face from his words, and you nearly forget to give him an answer. 

With a quickness you had never seen from him, Bob located and applied the lube. Yes it was rude to stare, but it was hard not to look at his dick when it was that noticeable. 

A large hand gently cupped half of your face, "You'll tell me if it's too much, right?" 

"Course," you mumbled against his lips, your hips brushing against his. 

The chuckle he let out made your heart flutter, "I know darlin', I'm excited too. Don't wanna hurt ya." 

You could never hurt me Robby was on the tip of your tongue. But it died upon feeling the head of his cock enter you. The stretch was a delicious pain that made you throw your head back. Your hands dug into his back, leaving half-crescents along his skin. 

Bob's head dropped down to your chest, his mouth taking in one of your hardened nipples. It was a tried and true method; distract you from the initial pain with something more pleasurable. His eyes never left your face, on the lookout for any sign of discomfort. 

The grip you had on him relaxed, your back arching as his teeth gently tugged on the hardened bud. 

"Robby." His name came out in the form of a strangled whine, your cunt still adjusting to the sheer size of him. 

"You okay baby?" He asked before switching to your other breast. 

"Y-yeah. You c-can move now, n-now that it's all-" 

"Darlin', I'm only halfway in ya." 

Fuck. 

"Wait, what?" How quick your voice changed from desperate to shock was near comical. 

Bob tried to stifle his laugh, instead just shrugging, "I….I told ya it was a lot." 

"I didn't realize, I mean, I know you said it was big, but I didn't realize it meant-" Jesus Christ.

"I get it, I know plenty of guys who have said they had nine inches when they really meant five." 

The comment was so unexpected from Bob, you couldn't help but laugh. He joined you, feeling at ease despite that he was halfway inside of you and you felt fucking incredible. 

He peppered your face with light kisses as he slowly inched more of himself into you. As the moments passed, your body began to get used to him. 

"Gonna start movin' now, 'kay?" You nodded eagerly, your fingers gripping the ends of his dark blonde hair. 

"Fuck, Robby!" 

"D-darlin." 

He felt incredible, making you feel a fullness that had your back arching. Had that ever happened before? You thought that was just some made up shit you read in-

All thoughts left your head when the head of his cock brushed against your sensitive walls. Without even thinking about it, your legs wrapped themselves around his waist. 

Bob was trying to think of everything under the sun that would keep himself from coming before you did, which normally wasn't a struggle. 

But you? You felt incredible.

Every sound that escaped your lips was enchanting. If you were a siren, he was diving head first to answer your call. It was mesmerizing watching you react to taking all of him; your lips slightly parted, your fingers grasping at the sheets as his thrusts increased in intensity. Your thighs trembled as he bottomed out once more, eyes widening as you process that he's finally completely inside of you and holy shit. 

Bob wasn't sure what he had done to deserve an angel like you, but he was fucking grateful for it. 

"R-Robby," your voice reduced to nothing but strangled whines, "S'big."

"Fuck, you were made f'me," Bob's voice was low and strained against your ear. His words, combined with the desperate panting that fell from his lips with every thrust, made the coil in your stomach tighten, threatening to snap at any moment. 

The only thing you could muster that resembled speech were longing whines. You wanted to tell him how good it felt, to be stretched by him, to have his cock brush against that sensitive spot that sent you tumbling closer to the edge. That no one had ever felt this good, had been this good to you. 

But that would require the ability to form coherent thoughts. 

"Ya gettin' close baby?" His drawl was thicker. Prior to Bob, you didn't think of Midwestern accents as hot. But his voice was addicting. 

You simply nodded, head now buried in the crook of his neck. 

"Don't worry, I got ya." He brought two fingers up to his mouth, coating them with his tongue. 

The sight had you whining. Call it being greedy, but you wanted all of him. 

"Ya wanna help?" You nodded your head, lips parting to allow his fingers into your mouth. 

"Such a sweet girl," He practically cooed, watching as you took the two digits up to his knuckle. 

The grunt he let out upon feeling your throat tightened as you gagged on his fingers was downright animalistic. It didn't help that Bob could feel how much it turned you on, your cunt clenching  around his cock at the sound. 

 His fingers left your mouth to trail down to where your bodies met and began drawing right circles on your clit. 

At this point, you were ninety percent certain that you were shouting Bob's name. It was hard to tell, between the bed creaking with every thrust, the downright sinful grunts Bob let out everytime he felt your walls tighten, getting closer and closer to the edge. All this, plus the sound of skin slapping against skin? Who could think about noise complaints? 

Your neighbors could get fucked. 

His lips captured yours in a bruising kiss, teeth all but clashing against yours as his tongue became familiar with your mouth. 

"W-wanna ride you," you mumbled against his shoulder, hips buckling against his. 

Bob simply shook his head,  despite how tempting your offer was, "Gotta get ya used to me, darlin'. Next time, 'kay?" 

Next time. Next time. You knew it would be at least a couple of days until next time, that you (and your cunt) would need time to rest and recover and you already knew that in itself was going to be torture because fuck, no one had ever made you feel this good before. 

But you couldn't wait for the next time. 

"C'mon darlin'. Wanna see if ya feel just as good comin' on my cock as ya do on my fingers. Think ya can do that f'me?"

Maybe you nodded. Perhaps you even gave Bob a verbal response. You weren't sure, as your brain had gone fuzzy while white hot pleasure overtook your body. 

Bob was surprised he could still thrust in and out of your cunt, considering how tightly it was clenching his cock as you came. The sight of your head thrown back, eyes closed, as the rest of your body withered in pleasure was enough for him. 

Your eyes opened upon hearing the most beautiful sound; a deep, guttural moan as Bob's hips stuttered before coming inside of you. 

There had to be other ways to get him to make those sinfully sweet noises. 

For the next few minutes, the only sounds in your room was your overhead fan and heavy panting as you and Bob attempted to catch your breath. 

Fuck, he came a lot. 

"Was that, um, was that-" 

"That was fucking incredible." Instinctively, you wrapped your legs around his waist, "Could go for another round if I'm being honest." 

Bob groaned in frustration, "I wanna be able to fuck you within the next few days, not weeks." 

You whined in response as he began to shift his body, the grip your legs had around his waist tightening. 

"Darlin', I don't wanna hurt ya," he knew you would be sore, even if you didn't feel it yet. Bob knew you would tomorrow, hell probably even later tonight. 

"No! Robby, please. N-need you. Need you s'bad." The idea of being empty, of being without him was awful. 

He didn't want to hurt you. 

But he could help wash your sheets. 

"Think you can come f'me one more time?" His voice was raspy as he pulled out. Confusion melted away into pleasure when you felt his cock drag through your soaked folds. 

He was thick and still hard, which baffled you. You were used to 'one and done'. You were used to men rolling over and falling asleep after they fucked you, not even bothering to check if you actually came. 

"You looked s'good, takin' all of me," He cooed. The praise made your head spin. 

Your hips jerk upwards, trying to catch him, but Bob sees right through it. His large hands are able to hold you down and you're honestly not sure if that was better or worse. 

"I told ya darlin', don't wanna hurt ya. Need to take a break," His gruff voice was stern. 

You gasped when the head of his cock dragged against your clit. Bob could already recognize the tall tale signs that you're close; your back arching, eyes screwed shut in pleasure, your whines increasing in pitch. 

He zeroed in on the swollen bundle of nerves, eliciting a near scream from you as you began to come undone on his cock. 

Bob couldn't help it, he tried not to curse that often. But the sight of you soaking his dick with your come caused his brain to go blank. 

What was definitely a scream came out from your lips when you felt his cock slip back inside your cunt. Your hands reached up, tugging at his hair, earning a near-growl from Bob. 

“I can’t get enough of ya. Feel s’fucking good,” each word was punctured by a thrust, “Look so pretty like this.”

As your lips parted, three fingers slid into your mouth. The sudden lack of oxygen, the sensation of his calloused fingers against your tongue, had you nearly gagging on the thick digits. 

Tears began to form at the corner of your eyes. In the back of your mind, this should be painful. Maybe you should tell Bob to stop, he would listen after all. 

But god it felt so damn good. You felt high off the immense pleasure you were experiencing, the big wave brought on by your previous orgasm having melded into small waves of pleasure. Small moans dribbled past his fingers, your hips weakly trying to meet his. 

In the back of his mind, Bob knew he should pause, should stop and ask if you wanted to still continue. But he also knew how much you enjoyed it, despite the tears. 

But that didn’t stop him from dipping his head down to your face, soft lips kissing away the tears. 

“Breathe. Breathe through your nose.” He directed. How did he know that? They certainly didn’t teach that in Eagle Scouts. Or maybe they did during the swimming badge?

His cock brushed against that one spot you swore folks were making up and your mind went blank. Amidst the deep haze, his fingers leave your mouth, hooking themselves under your chin, forcing you to look upwards so he could kiss you again. 

God, did he love kissing you. 

More than the fact you made him come now three times in one night. More than the fact you were currently soaking his cock, back careening off the bed as you continued to come. 

"Oh, R-Robby." 

But that nickname, that made his heart swell, that made him feel truly at ease, made him feel like himself -not Robert or Bob- when you called him that? 

That was a close second. 

Your arms wrapped themselves around his torso, your head resting on his broad shoulder as you began to recover from tonight's excursions. 

"Stay for a little bit. Like being full of you, Robby." 

Fuck, he needed to buy a ring tomorrow. 

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

@heartsforts @rhettabbotts @lt-bradshaw @thedroneranger @rae-gar-targaryen @abibliophobiaa @darkheartcherry @theharddeck @sebsxphia @hangmanapologist @dissonannce @sonofarathorn @cherrycola27 @girl-in-the-chairs-void @callsignspark @mrsrobertfloyd @bradshawsbitch @rae-gar-targaryen @ouralcohol @friendly-neighborhood-blondie @princessphilly @babyonboardfloyd @avaleineandafryingpan

[mauesartetc]

FREE PALESTINE MASTERPOST

Trying to keep this blog more art- and creativity-focused in general, so I'll be removing the Gaza-related reblogs that are about a month old. But I'll use this post as a permanent archive that will update periodically (some of this information will grow dated as the situation develops, but I think it's important to keep a record of just how fiercely opposed people were to Israel's actions from this moment forward). We should all continue to raise our voices about this, and refuse to support politicians who enable genocide. Remember, they work for us, not the other way around. Keep going.

October 2023

-Donation links

-Social media links

-US congress ceasefire script

-Decolonizepalestine.com (information, mythbusting)

-More donation links

-Ways to pressure politicians for a ceasefire

-HUGE resource list

-"Is there anything I can do to help Palestinians besides call my representatives and beg them to stop killing people?"

-"We are isolated now"

-Palestine and landback

-210 PAGES of dead people's names.

-Bail money for Palestine Action

-Article list

-US action items

-Boycott info

-Grand Central Station shut down by protestors

-Message to white American citizens

-UK ceasefire petition

-How YOU can help Palestine (regularly updated!)

-"Please try amidst all this fury and grief to still have faith in the common people." (+donation links)

-Reminder about protest etiquette and privacy

-Prints for Palestine

-"We have no communication with the outside world. They are using their military might to harm us. We have no power but the power of God, no one but God. Please, pray for us." (spoken over mosque speakers)

-DAILY donate button + more donation links

-"Doesn't Israel have a right to exist too?"

-Script for US Congress calls

-Queerness under apartheid

-Sudan is also at war

-Hundreds of thousands of protestors in London

-Half a million.

-Tips for folks with phone anxiety

-This comic got real

-European and Canadian ceasefire scripts

-"The people of Gaza see the protests. That is reason enough to come even if nothing else." WE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN YOU. WE ARE HERE.

November 2023

-More genocides than just Palestine

-How to buy e-sims to circumvent Gaza's internet blackout

-"Occupying territories is illegal. Resistance to occupying forces is legal."

-MASSIVE resource list

-"For decades now the media has told us Muslim men are savages, terrorists, wife beaters and everything in between. I want you to challenge this trope the next time you see it in the media. Let these photos serve as a reminder."

-"Don't stop talking about the Palestinian genocide. IT'S WORKING."

-UN resignation letter

-Israel won't allow Irish or Brazilian citizens to leave Gaza

-"Palestine must never be forgotten. Promise me that." (from the documentary "Children of Shatila")

-Gifs of pro-Palestine rallies around the world

-Support Palestine's last kufiya factory

-Protestors flood the streets in Washington DC

-Explanation of why calling representatives is a numbers game

-FREE ebooks on the history of this conflict

-Petition to screen films by Palestinian directors

-Call to boycott Gal Godot's work

-Indigenous activists block weapons shipment to Israel

-If you're attending a protest, DON'T TELL YOUR GOVERNMENT SHIT. Y'know, friendly advice.

-Links to support Palestine Action and Palestine Legal. Get in the way.

-Parallels between Israel and the surveillance tactics used by NYC mayor Eric Adams

-Don't spiral into doomerism. Persevere.

-Want a different strategy to contact your representatives? Try faxing them!

-Florida rep Michelle Salzman calls for the death of all Palestinians

-"The phone doesn't stop" :)

-Indian trade unions call on the government to scrap deals with Israel

-An overview of Israel's human rights violations, and two major political groups that have exacerbated Zionism in the US

-Israeli man explains why he's protesting

-"Whoever stays until the end will tell the story. We did what we could. Remember us."

-US House of Representatives votes to send billions of dollars worth of weapons to Israel

-Canadian email campaign and petitions

-"Canada's First Nation standing with Palestine"

-"Freedom is infectious as it is just and no one is free until they ALL are."

-Israeli forces invade al-Shia hospital

-Leaked list of weapons the US has sent to Israel

-Only 32% of Americans believe the US should support Israel

-Cop City action demonstrates how to protest effectively

-Refugee grandmother "doesn't have to imagine a multicultural and integrated Palestine- she remembers it".

-Protestors block the Bay Bridge in San Francisco (plus bail fund)

-Israeli forces attack schools in northern Gaza. SCHOOLS.

-Journalist shares an update from an Indonesian hospital and pleads for others to spread it around as it "may be the last video we are able to send"

-Scottish Parliament votes overwhelmingly to demand a ceasefire

-Sobering texts from a friend providing humanitarian aid in Gaza. "They have been distributing guns to the civilian settlers and allowing them into the West Bank to terrorize people" "We have been given option to leave. None took it"

-"the absolute bare minimum in this situation is 1) a complete ceasefire and immediate humanitarian aid in Gaza, 2) complete halt of all military foreign aid to the Israeli government, 3) the Israeli government being prosecuted for its war crimes in the International Criminal Court, and 4) land back and reparations for the Palestinian people. free Palestine means free Palestine, not just temporarily stop carpet bombing Palestine."

-"It's important that you keep posting and speaking about the ongoing genocide. This 5 day agreement isn't the end of things."

-Boosting the incredible, FREE daily donate button again

-Protests at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

-"REMINDER THAT ANTISEMITES AREN'T WELCOME HERE AND WON'T BE TOLERATED"

[fuck-customers]

Had my co worker help with a return and Lynn (frequent customer, talks a LOT and is nice enough but sometimes we just don't have time) misgendered her and then argued with her over her gender and made her cry and then after j left i was like hey Lynn thats not a very nice thing to say. And she's like omg I didn't mean anything by it!! Tell her sorry! And I'm like yeah I could tell you didn't mean it maliciously at all, but its still not nice.

Then I told her I was trans cuz fuck it. And gave her resources. She asked whats in my pants and I said that's also not okay to ask and she's like ohh I see why.

Like genuinely didn't know trans etiquette, had no ill intentions. I gave her resources to learn, and it ended up okay. I could tell she really just didn't know.

And I bought j chocolate. Just cuz I usually pass now doesn't mean I've forgotten how much it hurts. I still have those nightmares. Have to feel my beard is still there to go back to sleep.

Next morning, I wake up to a text in the manager group chat saying she is banned. For this and many reasons, but this transphobia was the last straw.

She's also just generally annoying, talks to everyone, buys 3 things but spends 3 hours here, argues over returns, everything that's just annoying. We are all relieved.

In the year of our tormenter 2023, you should know basic etiquette enough to not argue with someone's gender or ask what's in their pants. Get with the program.

Posted by admin Rodney.

[cripplecharacters]

Hello! I hope you having a good day, I just had a question that I hope is ok.

Is there any condition that would make it difficult to walk long distances (sometimes using a wheel chair, sometimes crutches) but doesn't affect the hands/arms at all? I'm working on a concept for a character and was wondering about making him an ambulatory wheelchair user since it's not something I see often in stories, but he's also a musician mainly playing stringed instruments and I don't want that to become painful for him.

But I wasn't sure if that was something that could exist and I wouldn't want to write it that way if it's not

Hello lovely asker!

So here is a list of conditions that don't (or sometimes don't) affect the upper body and can be ambulatory conditions.

Conditions that physically effect the lower back/legs:

Lower extremity amputation

Congenital lower body differences - Foot, ankle, knee etc. (Club Foot, Miserable malalignment syndrome etc.)

Sacral Agenesis

Monoplegia

Leg injuries

Cartilage Damage/Injuries

Spina Bifida

Arthritis

Incomplete Paraplegia

Leg length difference

Ankylosing Spondylitis

Multiple Sclerosis

Hypermobility

Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia

Posterior tibial tendon dysfunction

Complex regional pain syndrome

Conversion disorder

Brain Based Disorders:

Epilepsy (drop epilepsy, myoclonic epilepsy etc)

Diplegic Cerebral Palsy

Narcolepsy (often with cataplexy)

Chiari malformation

FND

PANDAS

Tourettes/tic disorders

Autoimmune Encephalitis

Heart/Respiratory/other etc.:

Vertigo/POTS/other conditions that cause syncope/dizziness

Respiratory Conditions (COPD, etc)

Heart Conditions

Conditions that affect balance/increase fall risk

Post polio (and other diseases)

Psychosomatic Paralysis/Pain/other ailments

This is just a rough list of what we could all come up with, there are many others that have gone forgotten, but that's for you the writer to do more research on too. One thing is a few of these conditions can affect the hands or eventually progress to effecting the hands, arms, and/or even the upper or lower back.

Depending on what type of instrument they play will also factor in. Playing posture is different with every instrument, as well as the weight. And some instruments like the Viola Da gamba does require leg strength. If the character is classically trained also, it makes a difference in etiquette. I am (was technically) classically trained and if you have pain of any kind you're told it doesn't matter, you're told to play through the pain and keep going. To suffer for your art is still the prevalence in the classical world. Excruciating pain? Keep going. Cut open your finger on something? Keep going. It's not good, but it is the reality of it, unfortunately.

Also I will mention that don't be afraid to choose another condition that does affect the character's upper body. A lot of disabled musicians have a variety of conditions and simply exist and play music. But also even though the character might have a condition that mainly affects the legs, if pain is common with the condition you choose, this still will affect the character playing. Being in pain even if it's not in your arms or back can be very distracting and will throw you off.

And one last thing! Please don't write this character "Overcoming" their disability to play music. I would research disabled musicians (Itzhak Perlman is the first one that comes to mind for me) and even—if called for—adaptive technology for instruments or how people have adapted their instruments/music to them for more accessibility.

Alrighty! Happy writing! I hope this helps some!

~ Mod Virus 🌸 (and a very thank you to Mods Sasza, Rot, Bert, & Patch for helping me with the research on this)

[donutsbagels]

I talked about this very recently on my Twitter, due to a less than favorable interaction I had here not even an hour ago. But since the issue occurred on tumblr, I will address it on tumblr. Now I will start off by saying that the love I received on Trini Miku has been overwhelming in the best of ways. To anyone that shared warm comments and reblogs on her— I appreciate all of you wholeheartedly. To anyone you sent me kind and formal dms about their appreciation for her, I appreciate you wholeheartedly. And to all the artists that went above and beyond to make their love for my other work known, which they found through the post— some of which I even became mutuals with, I appreciate you deeply. All of y’all’s kindness will not be forgotten. BUT— I’m going to be real right now, and I will ONLY say this once:

I DO NOT care what your idea of internet etiquette is, I will ALWAYS be a formal person when conversing with strangers. I don’t care if you’re an overly casual person by default, and I don’t care if a skill in formality is something you lack. Again, if we are mutuals/aren’t but you shoot a kindhearted dm/ or want to— this isn’t towards you. This is towards ANYONE who thinks that just because they followed me, that that automatically makes them entitled to being my friend. I am a stranger online, so are yall. NO ONE should be shooting me a random ass ‘yo’ in my dms, and being overtly casual with me, just because you follow me. Just because you follow me does not mean we are friends, and it doesn’t mean I want to be. Some of yall DESPERATELY need to remember what it’s like to converse socially like a normal human being. Just because you follow me does not mean you get to dm me ‘what’s up’ and try to pry how my day is going/how I’m doing— out of NOWHERE like you’re my fucking aunt. And it’s ESPECIALLY a new level of entitlement, to get pissy with me and catch an attitude when I ask for it to stop. That is some parasocial ass behavior, and BELIEVE me when I say— I am not the one. I will not tolerate it, I will not engage in it— and anyone who thinks they are entitled to my friendship because of a drawing and a follow button, will be met with the swiftest reality check/block— I PROMISE you. I am a grown ass 23 year old, who has full authority on who I choose to engage with on my own damn page. Again, if I’ve replied to your asks, your dms, or if you’re a new mutual of mine and we’ve had nice interactions— this ain’t about you. This is towards all who have, and plan on trying to cross a boundary.

[ahgasegotarmy116]

The Art of Etiquette Part 8 | Jeon Jungkook

Summary: Finishing up your shopping trip goes off without a hitch but Jungkook reminds you of what's going on between you two Pairing: f!reader x Etiquette instructor Jungkook Word Count: 4k~ Warnings: Explicit and suggestive language but nothing crazy lol a/n: This took me literally forever to get out and I'm so sorry but I hope it was worth the wait. I wanted to wrap up this trip quickly and move on but I like the thought of them shopping together so I hope you guys do too! p.s. barely edited as always lol Start from the beginning

After finishing our lunch and finally finding the perfect dress for the event, Jungkook and I head off on our next adventure, bidding adieu to Genevieve once again. 

"So, what's next on the list?" I question after he starts the car and pulls out of the parking lot. "Well what's a beautiful girl in a beautiful gown without a beautiful pair of shoes and jewelry to match?" he teases and continues on our journey to wherever he has in mind. 

"I guess you're right" I say, sinking into my seat and trying my best not to melt from his compliments. 

He hands me the aux again giving me free reign of the soundtrack of our journey and I play some random choices that have been my current favorites which also happen to be some of his as well. 

"Seems like we're a lot more similar than I thought we were" I laugh after having sung along to boyfriend by Ariana Grande. "What makes you say that?" he says turning down the volume a bit. "Well we like some of the same music, we like the same foods, we both hated a majority of those dresses I tried on" I list off leaving him chuckling a bit at the last one. 

"Can you blame me? You looked like a glorified ballerina in half of those and the others just looked way too painful to wear for a few minutes let alone a few hours" he says and I respect his honesty. 

"I'm glad we found 'The One' eventually" I say in quotations, still not 100% sold on it yet. "You didn't like it?" he asks, looking genuinely concerned. "If you didn't like it we could've talked to her and seen if she could've ordered a different one" he says, quickly showing me that there's time to change things if I'm still unsure. 

"No, no the dress is fine it's just...well I haven't ever worn a gown like that before. The closest thing I could think of would be a dress I wore to a school dance but that obviously was no where near as expensive as that one" I ramble leaving him chuckling at my nervousness. 

"What's so funny?" I ask, furrowing my brow and demanding an explanation. "It's just that you look adorable" he chuckles leaving me groaning and sinking back into my chair. "Hey I'm serious you looked very beautiful in the dress and I promise you're gonna look stunning at the event as well" he assures, trying to lift my spirits and it does the trick thankfully. 

'Who am I to doubt a gorgeous man's words of praise? I just I- What? I- Okay I need to stop thinking about him like that but it's hard not to when he keeps on calling me beautiful and gorgeous and ugh I'm doomed' I scold myself, leaving me averting my vision from him to take in the beautiful view outside my window, just now realizing in how truly gorgeous it looks out here. 

"Everything okay?" he asks, noticing my clear shift in demeanor and I quickly try to clear things up without making things even more awkward. "Yeah no I'm fine. I feel like I never really looked outside my window on this drive since I was sleeping the first time we came here" I explain, hoping he'll accept that as an answer and although he looks suspicious he lets it go. 

"You know, I've been out here so many times that I've forgotten to look around as well. It's a nice drive for sure" he agrees and we sit there for a while, going down the highway and listening to the slow hum of my playlist in the background.

~~~~~

As we get closer to the city I realize that I still have no clue where we're going to get these accessories he had mentioned but I didn't think we would be going to a little couture boutique that I've never bothered setting foot inside. Simply knowing for a fact I would never be able to afford anything. 

"You sure we should start there? I mean I'm sure there are a lot more affordable places close by" I say, trying to back my way out of it but he gently guides me inside and nods his head politely in greeting to the sales women there as we walk through the doors. 

"James wants you to have the best of the best and feel confident at your first outing so he wanted us to start at the top. Just take a deep breath and don't look at the prices alright" he coaches before leaving me to wander around in search of the perfect shoes when unbeknownst to me he's already gotten one of the ladies headed to the back to grab a few pairs that might match the dress. 

"You're size eight in heels correct?" he asks, putting on an heir of sophistication since we're no longer alone. "Correct" I answer as I look at the various colors, styles and flashiness of all the items around me as I make my way further and further into the store. 

"Mr. Jeon?" the woman calls for him and he leads me over to where she's placed the various pairs that he thought might've been suitable for the occasion. 

"See any you like?" he asks, watching as I observe the array he had chosen and I pick a plain black pair to start. "These seem nice" I say as I try it on for size and notice they're a tad too tight. "You think they would match the dress well though?" he questions and when I think back to it I realize that we should probably keep looking.

~~~~~~ 

After trying on a dozen more I feel as though we'll never find the right ones until I notice a pair that's on display in the front window. "What about those ones?" I ask, pointing to them and he waves the woman down that had been helping us and she nods before going to retrieve them for me. 

"You're in luck Miss, these are the last pair we have. They are a half size small but go ahead and try them on" she says, placing the box down on the bench beside me.

When I go to take them out Jungkook places his hand on top of mine and I pause, looking over at him to question his motives. "Allow me?" he offers and I nod my head, caught off guard but letting him do as he pleases. 

He takes off the last pair I had just tried on and slips the first shoe on with ease, almost as if they had been made for me. Once he's gotten the other shoe on as well he steps back and holds out his hand, asking me to stand up and walk around in this last hopeful pair. I do as I had done time and time again this but lose my footing as I take my first step. 

"Woah there" he says, letting me fall into his chest, avoiding any further injury for the day. "Are you alright?" he asks and when I lean back to respond my breath catches in my throat, nudging my nose against his. 

"I- um yeah, yes I'm fine" I stammer after having stared at his lips for a beat too long, stepping back and again losing my footing leaving him having to grab me by my hips to steady me again. "Maybe we should take a break from the shoes for the day" he chuckles and I look down at my feet with an excuse of checking out the heels like I had before but noticing that these might actually work. 

Taking a closer look in the mirror I watch myself walk up to it and notice that for once I don't look like a baby gazelle learning how to walk for the first time while also realizing that the color and style matches somehow perfectly after having seen them up close. 

I turn to look back at Jungkook and see a satisfied smile, knowing that we've found the ones. "Those it?" he questions, still leaving the choice up to me and I smile and nod, loving the fact that our efforts were not in vain. 

He makes a nod at the sales woman, asking her to ring them up while he walks up behind me. Looking at our reflection I notice that although these heels are a tad bit higher than my usual ones he's still taller which makes them even more perfect.

"You tired?" he asks, placing a hand on my hip after taking in the sight of the both of us and guiding me back over to the bench so I can finally put my own shoes back on, leaving me thanking my past self for wearing boots instead of some sort of heel as well.

"A little" I say after having slipped my feet back into the boots, standing up and yet again losing my footing, this time only giving Jungkook the chance to grab onto my hand as I thankfully sit right back down on the bench instead of landing on the floor.

"Tried on one too many huh?" he laughs, holding my hand to now aide in steading my balance from the start making me smile awkwardly in thanks for him yet again saving me from my clumsy self. "Yeah maybe" I laugh, picking up my bag and we slowly make our way over to the counter where he pays without bothering to ask for a price.

"How much were they?" I ask, trying to look over his shoulder to see if I could catch sight of it but before I'm able to the transaction has gone through and they're holding out the bag for one of us to take and Jungkook swiftly receives it before taking ahold of my hand again and thanking the staff as we make our way to the next store. 

"Don't worry about it" he says and guides us aimlessly towards the place I could only assume is to find the jewelry to pull everything together. "What do you mean don't worry about it? I'm sure they were really expensive" I argue but that gets me no closer to getting the price than if I would've stayed silent. 

"The invoice will be sent to Matthew and will be charged to James so don't worry about it" he says, assuring me that although he paid this isn't coming out of his pocket. "Fine" I huff and follow him blindlessly before stopping in my tracks in front of the next store. 

"What's wrong?" he asks, looking back at me as we've still got our hands connected leaving him stopping as well. "Jungkook this is Cartier like Cartier the luxury jewelry brand" I say, stunned at even the thought of owning something as expensive as what I might find there. 

"I am aware. Would you prefer to go to Tiffany instead?" he asks, pointing out the Tiffany blue store just a few doors down. "No! I mean no, it's just that this is all so expensive I feel like I could get away with wearing something a lot less pricey than this" I say, trying to explain my way out of adding another dollar to what I assume is the already exorbitant total. 

"Like I said, James wants the best for you and I'm sure your mother is going to enjoy looking at the pieces you've gotten as well" he says placing a hand on my lower back and guiding me in again were we're met with an overwhelming amount of silver and gold and everything in between all enclosed in glass cases. 

"I think these would be perfect thank you" Jungkook says after we've agreed upon a set that would again match the dress but isn't too crazy flashy so it couldn't be used again.

"Are we all done?" I question, not being able to think of another thing that we could possibly need. "We just need to make one more stop" he says and I nod my head, going with the flow since against my best efforts I haven't been able to convince him to stop spending more and more money on me. 

"I thought we were done with the jewelry shopping" I say, as we walk towards the Tiffany store he had mentioned before. "James wanted to get you one last thing as some sort of a thank you for being a good sport and going through all of these lessons or something like that. Anyways he already ordered it so we just need to pick it up" he says and I nod my head, following him in.

Wandering around the store while he talks to the employee about said gift I find myself staring at one necklace in particular and being fascinated by it's simplistic yet elegant look. "Find something you like?" Jungkook whispers in my ear leaving me flinching and taking a step back bumping into him in the process. 

"Stop doing that" I groan and he laughs before leaning in and checking out the case trying to follow my line of sight. "Excuse me, can she try on this necklace?" Jungkook asks, calling the man over that he had spoken to earlier and he nods and makes his way behind to counter we're standing at.

"I was just looking" I try to deny him but he nevertheless nods when the man points to the silver necklace with the small teardrop shaped diamond pendant. He hands it to Jungkook and I look down at it in his hand and see that it looks even prettier up close. 

"You sure you don't wanna try it on?" he asks with a knowing smile and I give him a bashful one back before he nods his head towards the mirror sitting on the courter. I turn around to face it while moving my hair out of the way so he can put it on for me and I immediately fall in love with it.

 He watches my eyes light up in the reflection and nods to the salesman to ring us up for this one as well before even giving me a chance to refuse. I look at the necklace for a while longer, taking in how it looks at different angles and am shocked at how much a small little diamond like that could shine so bright and before I'm able to say a word to him about giving it back he's asking me if I'm ready to go. 

"Let me just give this back and I'll be right there" I say, reaching around my neck to take it off but he walks up and takes my hands down and shakes his head. 

"No, James already got me something from here. I couldn't possibly get another piece as well. I feel as if I'm taking advantage of his kindness" I say, feeling more and more guilty as I imagine how many zeros have been added to the total for this stupid ball. 

"You're not taking advantage of it I promise. Trust me, if anyone else in your position was given free reign to get whatever they thought they 'needed' for one event they probably would've maxed out the card before leaving the first store" he jokes and I smile at his efforts, still feeling incredibly guilty. 

"Okay" I mouth silently and he holds out his hand, leading me out of the store again.

"Jungkook" I call for his attention, curious about something. "Yes?" he answers, stopping so he can look at me properly while I speak to him. "Why have you been holding my hand so much today?" I ask him, leaving him loosening his hold but me tightening mine in response making his worried expression that was once there disappear. 

"I just thought it would be easier for you to follow me especially since it's been a bit crowded today. I didn't want to lose you" he says, looking down at our conjoined hands and smiling, seeing how I have no intention of letting go. 

"Well it's not crowded anymore" I say, looking around at the path we had once traveled. "Sorry I guess it was just a reflex of mine I did not mean to-" "It's fine. I was just teasing you" I say, squeezing his hand, switching roles and leading him to where his car is parked. 

"We're going home right?" I ask and without realizing it the simple words had made his heart flutter a bit leaving him clearing his throat before responding. "Yes, I assume your mother is waiting for you to come home for dinner so I'll go ahead and drop you off now if you'd like?" he asks, leaving it open ended as if he wanted to spend more time together. 

"Oh was there something else we had to do?" I ask, curious to see if he had something in mind. "No nothing, I just thought you might've wanted to get a coat or shall of some sort since the weather is still rather cold these days" he says, no doubt coming up with an excuse to cover up his motives. 

"Sure, I'd love that" I say, smiling up at him and notice how red the tips of his ears have gotten, making me even more happy I said yes to staying with him a while longer. 

He smiles in response and leads us to the first store he can think of that might have something I'd like and as we go through rack by rack we get to talking more casually and before we know it the stores are about to close.

"Let's get you home" he says walking us back to his car where he opens the door for me yet again before driving off.

~~~~~~  

"Thank you so much for all of your help today. I feel as though I would've been lost without you" I admit as we pull up to my house. "I am aware" he says, giving me a mischievous smile before getting out of the car to open the door for me again. 

"Hey! I was trying to be nice and then you go and act al-" "All what?" he teases, cutting me off as he helps me out of the car, leaning against it and trapping me, granting me little to no room to escape even if I tried. "All cocky" I say, lifting my chin up and being confident in my words, full well knowing I'm melting on the inside. 

"Is that so? I guess we've skipped the lesson of getting rid of that dirty little mouth of yours now haven't we?" he taunts, cocking a brow at me and it takes everything in me not to fall to my knees and suck him off right now. 

I nod my head and he tongues his cheek before glancing down at my lips and pushing off the car, giving me room to breathe only for a moment before pulling me into him, moving me out of the way so he can close the passenger door behind me. 

"Let's get you inside. It's past your bedtime Princess" he rasps in my ear before letting go of me and walking towards my house leaving me standing there speechless, leaving me standing there for a minute, trying to take in everything that just transpired. 

'Princess? Where does he get off calling me Princess and why the hell did it make me want him even more? I swear this man is trying to kill me' I think to myself before he calls after me telling me to hurry up. 

"Coming!" I say and mentally curse myself, 'Really? Out of all the things you could've said you said that?' and I can tell that Jungkook's thinking the same thing as he grants me with another cheeky smile before knocking on the front door. 

One of the maids answers the door and Jungkook asks her if there's someone who can get all the bags out of the car and she scurries off and grabs someone to do so. 

"Oh there you are! I thought you would've been back ages ago!" my mother says as she walks up to us, clearly more excited to see Jungkook than she is to see me. "She didn't give you any trouble did she?" she asks, giving me a once over before turning her attention back to him. 

"No, on the contrary she was itching to finish up sooner but I wanted to make sure we had everything she needed before bringing her home. It's been a pleasure spending time with her outside of the classroom and helping make sure she's more than ready for the ball" he says, merely glancing at my mother before looking back at me, my eyes going back and forth between the two of them, feeling shy under his gaze again. 

I swear he always does this right before he leaves because he likes to watch me squirm. What happened to the pure kind man that I had just been with today? Now suddenly replaced by the devilish tempter just daring me to make a move on him. 

After my mother has thanked him and tried to persuade him to come in for a while with him trying to refuse and I come to his aide and shoo my mother away.

"Mom I think I've taken up more than enough of his time today don't you? I'll walk you out" I say quickly, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him out while he says his goodbyes to her. 

"You trying to get rid of me?" he teases, amused by my hurried solution to ending the conversation. "No I just figured there must be something better for you to do than deal with my mother and her antics" I say and he chuckles in response only stopping when I've finished dragging him all the way to the driver's side of his car. 

"Thank you for everything today, really" I say looking down at the gravel under our feet, holding my breath and waiting for that cocky response again but it never comes. "It was truly a pleasure I assure you of that" he says, hooking a finger under my chin to bring my eyes up to him. 

My eyes dart back and forth between his and he leans in again just as he did last night this time giving me an almost featherlight kiss, hardly anything more than brushing his lips against mine, making my breath hitch, frozen and spellbound by his touch. 

"Goodnight Princess" he says against my lips, still barely there but enough to feel his touch as his breath warms my lips, feeling frozen once he's pulled away and sat down in his car. 

"G-goodnight Mr. Jeon" I let out, barely able to break free from the mental hold he has on me making him chuckle at my reaction before giving me once last glance. Dragging his eyes up and down my form before pulling out of the driveway, leaving me feeling utterly naked under his heated gaze.

As I walk back up I see my mother scurrying down the hallway, no doubt trying to hide the fact that she had been spying on us but I wouldn't expect anything less from her. 

No matter how much she tries to hide it at the end of the day she's really just a busybody that loves to gossip but I've grown tired of it. Not even bothering to care if she sees. With the way Jungkook and I have been playing this push and pull for a while it'll only be a matter of time before we end up together. 

Or at least I hope we do...  

prev / next Series Masterlist

Taglist: @jkslipppiercing @trina864 @kaitieskidmore97 @goddesofimortality @coolbluedude @00frenchfries00 @bangtans-momma @coralmusicblaze @pastelpinkjoon @joonwater @marvelbun @j3nni-rs @evidive @beomieboi @forevrglow @jesssssmaybankk @teugiie @chaconnelatte @whoa-jo @snehal @xumyboo @mindurbuzznezz @diorh0seokie

Join my Taglist!

Feel free to fill out the form or just comment on any of my fics to be added :)

[yorutsuki]

「 ✦ Isekaied Reversed Pt. 4 ✦ 」

↳ Its been a few days since the Yaksha, Xiao, came home. During his stay, you've been busy trying to teach him modern etiquette, technology and as well, fashion. Surprisingly he learns quite quickly although, at points his stubbornness can be an obstacle.

Tags:

──────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆──────

<; Day 1 >

The day after your fantasies became a reality, you decided it was time to teach him about the modern era. For the first day, you decided that it was important to inform him how bland this world actually was. For instance, visions, monsters and rulers. At first the usually all-knowing adeptus was quite confused and lost.

How could their be no Archons? Why didn't people own visions even though there was a God? If there weren't any monsters, why did they need excessive police?

So as a helpful world-guide, you informed him of all the answers to his questions and doubts.

"So in summary..you're world is overruled by a God instead of Celestia. Instead of seven nations, you have 195 nations..which then have uh..countries—Cities? And their ruled by different leaders who aren't Gods..?"

You nodded, scratching your neck tiredly, "Yep, but thats not even half of it all. Theres more politic factors that play into this world and it's system.." You sighed, already knowing that explaining all of it would be a pain. "—and not to mention, some of their systems suck a-" You cut your mumbling off, clearing your throat.

"Anyways, we can get into the deeper stuff later, today is just about the basics—like currency and some basic laws."

Xiao shook his head as he crossed his arms. "Tell me how all of this would help in returning me back?"

You eternally groaned as you had briefly forgotten about that problem. "Well, finding a way to send you back isn't an overnight project—it will probably take time. In the meanwhile, you need to know how this world works in order to er-fit in? And trust me, you'd want to cause right now, you stick out like a polar bear in the summer."

The adeptus gave you a questioning look but shook his head once more, deciding it would be best to keep his mouth shut.

< Day 2 >

When the second day arrived, you began to teach him about modern technology. You showed many examples such as cars, Tv's, microwaves, temperature remotes as well as showing how to use different devices. Seeing him struggle turned to be much more amusing than you originally thought to be.

"A computer...? So you're saying someone can just do...anything on it?" Xiao quizzed, inspecting the bright screen of the device. You nodded proudly, "basically, it's like the terminal akasha." You compared, thinking of the best possible way that would make sense.

"Anyways, yes, you can do anything on it that's virtual. Unless you use the device itself as a weapon then well uh.."

Xiao nodded, "I see."

...

You quite regretted showing Xiao the physics of a computer as you could hear it playing videos and random sounds all night. You would've scolded him if it weren't for the fact you remembered that adeptus' didn't need sleep much like humans.

Eternally groaning, you rolled over and stuff your face into the comfort of your pillow.

...

The next morning, you had a small mental crises on how horrendous you looked—puffy eyes, dark eye bags, frizzy hair..

Dear God..

< Day 4 >

Yay! You skipped a day! If you're wondering why then heres the summary;

For the whole of the third day you couldn't get the yaksha to divert from the computer or TV. When you eventually managed to persuade him away from it, he'd ignore your whole existence with a pout. So thus, you took the day off from teachings and let him do his thing.

However on day 4, when Xiao finally regained his sense of duty and why he was even here, you started teaching up about fashion which ultimately led to...Mall trip!

'Hah...my bank account's decreasing every day...'

"Alright err...Xiao?" Was it informal to address him by his name? Ehhh you'll figure that out later.

"Alright, we're at the mall. In summary, a mall is a big plaza with many stalls but more modern."

"Oh! And don't worry about spendings, it's on me." You smiled as the guardian nodded.

You sighed as your head looked to the ground. "-but you'll need to repay me with a fixed door." You muttered grudgingly.

Xiao merely nodded once more before starting to walk around the area, ignoring the minor judgemental and simpful stares that stray his way.

It wasn't long until a group of teenage girls with an array of cropped and baggy clothing came rushing towards the two of you—well, more towards Xiao.

You couldn't help but feel anxious—one could even say jealous, as you watched the adeptus get swarmed by the needy high school fangirls who were gawking over him.

"Can we get a picture with you? Your cosplay is slaying so hard-" One of them asked, smiling like as if she won the lottery.

Xiao furrowed his brows in discomfort. "No, sorry. I'm busy as at the moment." He retorted sternly, not wanting to be center of attention. "Oh my God! You even sound and act like him!" The same girl replied, ignoring his clear discomfort.

Not wanting to socialize but seeing that he'd have barely any way out of it as, concerningly, people are much more narcissistic and persistant these days.

Thus you went over towards the group, interrupting their one sided conversation as you cleared your throat. "I see the shop over there, we probably should get going." You pointed towards the modern silver font sign with the metal letters of, 'H&M'. The adeptus, seeming to get the que, nodded as he walked towards you, not sparing the girls one glance.

As you walked one of them just had to say something.

"Jeez, she didn't have to be so bitchy, kinda a pick me honestly..." one of the girls muttered to her friends who you faintly heard chuckle.

You just rolled your eyes, not wanting to continue the conflict. "Such cowards, can't even say it to my face." You huffed following beside Xiao.

The adeptus glanced at your irritated state though only shook his head. "You mortals are weird. Why should you care about their opinions, especially if it's one coming from a little shit?" He questioned, his gaze staying in front of him.

You paused, looking at him wide eyed.

The adeptus, noticing your absent presence beside him turned a slight and saw your shocked expression. "What?"

"You just sweared?" You stared dumbfounded.

Xiao looked confusingly before understanding, shaking his head. "well in Teyvat, we have will to swear and say profanities but many refrain from doing so, and i'm guessing the 'gum-play' and code? From this world may also be a benefiting factor."

You made a 'ah' sound before shrugging. "probably."

The two of you entered the store as your journey for clothing has finally begun.

'i'm officially going broke...'

...

After a few painful yet inquisite long hours in the mall, the both of you were heading back to your car, ready to leave.

Unfortunately, your hands were struggling halfway out of the mall as the bags' weight was started to wear down your strength.

Your hands felt quite sore and you swore you saw a finger turn a dark hue of magenta..

"Give one to me."

You looked over to your side as Xiao held out his hand.

You rolled your eyes, "nuh uh, you already have a bag. Plus, I offered to get this stuff so in courtesy. i'm carrying it." You informed, a grin etching your face but soon was replace with struggle.

While shopping, you may have gotten a bit side-tracked and bought more than what you needed—overall, ending up with the both of you having to carry 3 bags in total.

Xiao huffed, "it's not a offer, you look like you're struggling and it will only make you slow." He informed, his brows furrowing.

'thanks for the confidence.' You mentally rolled your eyes once more before reluctantly handing over one of the bags.

...

Finally arriving home, you settled your new buys down and offered to clean the yaksha's clothes. More or less because you didn't want him stinking up the apartment/house and dragging dirt throughout it.

He hesitantly agreed before trying to change into the new clothes. Keyword, trying.

Somehow he managed to tangle himself with the shirt and you having to help him, but of coarse, you averted your eyes away from the scene and gave him verbal instructions.

...

Setting down the plates, you then unfroze the left over foods in the microwave.

Once the food was hot and steamy, you set it down on the table as the adeptus stared at it, puzzled. "What is this?"

"It's called pizza." You informed him, taking a slice for yourself.

"Pi-tza?" He questioned, staring at the slice of cheese and tomato covered crust.

"mhm-" Your head shot up, "wait, can you even eat flour—tomatos or cheese? You questioned. In game the only food he could have, lore wise, was almond tofu.

(HELP- I haven't played genshin in so long, I forgot exactly if he couldn't eat other things or if he just was doing it by his own preference...Oh well for plot purpose)

The adeptus nodded a yes, before hesitantly picking the slice up—taking a bite.

It was nothing like he ever tasted—almost on par with almond tofu. Actually, it's been so long since he had something other than the same dish which was most likely why the food's taste was enhanced. Either way, he loved it, the sauce gave off a perfect acidity while the cheese creamed it down. The crust was cooked just right and the toppings just brought the whole thing together.

You felt quite happy as his eyes lit up, practically munching the whole thing down.

"Jeez, slow down, theres more slices, plus you can choke" You chuckled.

...

As the day came to an end, you couldn't help but realized how happy you felt. It's been a while since you had company over so the change was nice.

Looking over towards Xiao who was peacefully sitting outside, a small smile graced upon your lips. How you wished this feeling could last forever...

.

.

.

.

A/N: Jeez, I need to post more often :(..Sorry for not posting, i've been busy lately with being sick and then having missing assignments and then having a busy weekend after. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!! It was quite long :')

Please, if you have any, leave any feedback as it could really help me improve. And, especially if the stories going to fast or the relationship between the two is too quick, please let me know so I can try amking alterations.

With that being said, thank you so much for reading and have a good day/night! ^^

......

{ <- Previous Part }

......

[ Masterlist ]

[unexpected-character]

Butter Knife and Blake Time

Fallon Carrington x Reader

CEO!reader and Fallon meet after all these years, what do you think would happen next…

Warning: implied sexual themes, kinda toxic old relationship, rivalry (if you think there’s more, kindly tell me so I can it here)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fallon's pov

"Who are we meeting again?" I told Kirby while scrolling through my phone looking at news and articles about what people are saying with Dad's fiasco.

"For fucksakes Fallon! Do you even listen?! This is like the hundredth time. We're meeting Y/N Y/L/N. She's the CEO of Y/L/N Industries." I can feel her irritation but I ignored her. I know who we were meeting but I was bored and she annoys me so I annoy her even more.

"Fine. What time do we have to go then?"

"We have to leave in 30 and Culhane is ready."

I followed her to the car, closed my phone. Tried drowning out everything to try to make me relax before this meeting with y/n. I haven't seen her in years, and now because of my stupid father, we will see each other again. How can my father be such an idiot and announced to everyone in Atlanta that he’ll have a "Blake time" what the hell is it even about.

Ugh! The audacity of that asshole to fucking give up everything he built. He really is a selfish imbecile.

—————————————

Y/N's pov

Mean while in Y/L/N Industries, you were in a meeting with your own mother because she bought the Carrington Atlantics. It is now one of your subsidiaries.

"For godsakes mother! I told you I didn't want to do business with CA because of the scandal they have." I said to my mom, not even hiding how frustrated I am with her.

"Could you just calm —"

"Calm down?! How would I fucking calm down with this? I don't even see why you'd even want it." my secretary knocked on my door, signaling that my next meeting is in 5 minutes.

"You have to go, mom. Let's talk about this at your home. I'll be there for dinner and will continue everything." I gave her a curt nod, didn't even look at her when she left.

I smoothen out the imaginary wrinkles on my suit and looked if my blouse was tucked well. I made myself presentable for my next meeting. I made them wait to the last second of the 5 minutes and pressed the intercom and spoke,

"Donna, show them in." You've been dreading to see her again after so many years.

The woman you didn't want to see entered your office as if she owned it. Still as beautiful and sexy as ever with her a redhead following her. You didn't even sat up your chair to greet them, not because you didn't have the etiquette but because it's Fallon and you just didn't want too. You looked at the red haired woman seeing as she's checking you out not as subtle as you may add. You raised your brows and got up and introduce yourself to her,

"Hello, I'm Y/n. To what do I owe such pleasure Ms.?"

You told the redhead completely ignoring the other woman inside your office who has been studying you closely and staring at you as if she wants to kill you. Jealousy ah green is a beautiful color on her.

"Anders, Kirby Anders, I'm Fallon's executive assistant among others." She told you, slight pink covering her pale face.

"Anders? Like Jo's daughter or something?"

"Yeah? You know him."

"Of course. He's an amazing man, very organized even the smallest of details."

"Yeah that's Dad." Before you were going to reply, the bubble you both had was burst by the ignored woman in the room.

"Have you both forgotten that I'm here too." She looked at you annoyed. If you didn't know her well, which you do, you wouldn't catch the small hurt in her facial expression that suddenly was schooled like it wasn't there before, bug you caught it. You look at her and raised your brow letting her know you saw it too. It's been years and she still thinks she had a claim on you.

"We didn't, we just decided we want to ignore you. What do you want Fallon?"

"I want to buy the company back."

"As much as I want you to have it so I don't have to see you. The contract stated you can't. I seriously don't know how your family sign such without reading the fine print."

"Well why didn't you?"

"I wasn't here you idiot. I gave mom the ropes as I had personal matters to attend to. She fucking accepted the deal. Hell, I didn't want what was written in it."

"Then give it back."

"I can't Fallon and you know it. I'd let hell freeze over before I'd work with you again, we both know that."

"What? Work together?"

"You didn't know? What happened to you? You just don't do stuff without knowing. Are you sick or dying?"

"Stop being dramatic, y/n! I'm trying to think. This can't be it."

"Well that's hopeful. You don't think, you scheme."

"Fucking shut up, Y/n! You don't know me!" She yelled. Kirby flinching as she haven't seen Fallon to be this enraged at someone other than her own family.

You clenched your jaw and looked at the redhead that's been standing awkwardly among you both. You walked around your desk and stop in front of Kirby and said,

"Ms. Anders, would you be a dear and let Ms. Carrington and I have a moment alone. You can ask Donna to show you around or get whatever you want." You smiled at the woman sweetly as if nothing is bothering you at all. You directed the redhead woman to the door. She nodded and smiled, leaving you both alone in your office. You locked the door after she left.

You studied the brunette woman facing away from you. Even after years of not seeing each other. She still has the same physique. Looking like a work of art. You admire her features. Maybe more defined ass but still the same old Fallon you know years ago. You approached her from behind. Your breath so close to her, her breathe hitching. It's been years but you still have that affect on her. She has an effect on you too but you know how to school yourself with all the years of practice.

"You still haven't change, have you pretty girl." you whispered close to her ear. She let out a breath as she felt you nibbling her lobe.b"Y/n..." she whimpered, trying to move away from your proximity. Yet you left open mouth kisses along her ear, neck, and jaw. The sexual tension in your office could be cut with a dull butter knife.

"Still bratty aren't you, love?" You put both your hands on her hips and gave it a hard grip. You heard her groan, finally having your hand on her body. Leaning her body over yours trying to feel anything to help her in her predicament. "Y/n, please..." she tried grinding her ass to your front. She was so frustrated and you can feel the heat. She needed relief and fast. She wants you. You both want each other so much.

"Be a good girl and bend over baby."

To the people outside, they thought nothing of it. As they thought that it was you getting frustrated due to your mother visiting you. It wasn't unusual for them to see your cold demeanour after being in a meeting with her or with old stupid men. Maybe you were angry again and the loud scream they heard and the banging that they can hear from inside was just that. Kirby on the other hand, knew what was going on. Her face looking like a tomato, knowing what's happening but a bit confuse on why it's happening now. Did you both know each other since back then?

[magicfootballstuff]

Strictly Unprofessional - part 1 (alexia putellas x reader)

Summary: You’ve just landed your dream job as a photographer at FC Barcelona Femení. The only problem? You hooked up with the captain five years ago and haven’t seen her since.

Part 1/9

Read other parts here.

———

Like anybody would be on the first day of a new job, you’re nervous. 

It’s your first job as a full time photographer. You’ve only done freelance or part-time work before - mostly events, some portraits, and one brief stint as an assistant to a photographer who specialized in taking photos of pets - but you were also waitressing in the evenings to earn enough to pay your bills.

Today you start as a photographer for the Barcelona women’s football team. You heard about the vacancy from a friend of a friend and applied, and finally all the hard work at media school and years of worrying when your next job would come in is worth it because they offered you the position.

There’s another reason you’re nervous. You actually met one of the players before, a random encounter with none other than the Barcelona captain Alexia Putellas while in Ibiza five years ago. Not that you knew who she was at the time. You met her at a beach party and though she told you she was a footballer, you were much more interested in letting her buy you drinks and going back to her hotel room later in the night. It was only later, when you returned home to Barcelona, that you took the time to look her up and realized she was actually quite good.

Since then she’s become a global star. It’s a little weird seeing the face of somebody you once had a meaningless hookup with on a billboard or on the front of a magazine. Sometimes you wonder if she even remembers who you are.

Well, you guess you’ll find that out today.

You nearly didn’t apply for the job because of Alexia. You haven’t had many one night stands and you don’t really know what the etiquette is supposed to be when you bump into them years later, but you eventually decided that the job itself was too good to pass up because of a bit of potential awkwardness between you and one of the players.

It’s been five years. It’ll be fine.

You decide to dress smart-casual on your first day, wanting to impress without going overboard, wearing a nice cream coloured sweater which you tuck into the front of your nicest pair of jeans. You pack and repack your camera equipment what feels like a hundred times, checking that you haven’t forgotten anything important, until you couldn’t possibly be any more prepared. 

You arrive at the Barcelona training facility where your new boss greets you and introduces you to the rest of your colleagues in the media department, then takes you on a tour of the facility. You meet a lot of other people along the way, including the coach Jonatan Giráldez, but none of the players. Maybe it won’t be so bad after all.

“So preseason actually starts tomorrow,” the head of media tells you, as she leads down a corridor lined with physio rooms and offices. “Most of the girls will be in tomorrow morning - we’ll want to get some shots of them all arriving for social media - and we should have a full team by Friday, but a couple of the more senior players are in the gym today. Let me introduce you.”

She pushes open a set of double doors at the end of the hallway and you follow her into a large air-conditioned room full of gym equipment. In the corner, two women are chatting while a third lifts weights.

You’re led over and introduced to them.

“This is Irene, Marta and Alexia.”

Your heart stops as you hear Alexia’s name. You give your name and shake hands with Irene and Marta, but your gaze remains on Alexia as she puts down the weights, wipes her face with a towel, then turns to face you.

“Hi,” she says, offering out her hand, which you tentatively shake. “I’m Alexia.”

Your eyes drift up from your joined hands to her face, which glistens with sweat from her recent workout, and your breath catches in your throat. She looks almost exactly as you remember, though slightly older, any softness that may have lingered from her youth gone and replaced by chiseled, more defined features. Her eyes are warm as she smiles at you but there’s not a single glimmer of recognition in them.

And that’s when you realise - she has absolutely no idea who you are.

It stings. You’ve spent the last few days worrying about this exact moment, worrying that one night five years ago could ruin your first day at your dream job, without even considering that it would actually hurt more if she didn’t recognise you.

“You’re the new photographer?” Alexia asks, finally dropping your hand.

“That’s right,” you nod, trying not to let it get you down.

“You’ve got an easy job with this one,” Marta jokes, gesturing to Alexia. “Alexia loves the cameras. She’s had lots of practice since she became a superstar.”

“Shut up, you make it sound like I’m a diva.” Alexia turns back to you, then says, “It’s nice to meet you. I’m sure I’ll see you around.”

“You too,” you manage to agree, before you bid goodbye to all three players and make your way towards the door to resume the tour.

“You’ll get to know the players really well,” the head of media tells you, as you leave the gym. “Lots of big personalities but they’re all great. And despite what they said, Alexia is a complete professional. She’s a big name, of course, but there’s a reason she’s the captain.”

You try to remember the Alexia that you met in a beach club five years ago but the memories that were a bit hazy anyway are already being overwritten by the brief encounter you’ve just had. Maybe it’s for the best that Alexia doesn’t remember who you are, to save your own professionalism being called into question if it got out that you’d had a fling with her all those years ago. But you also can’t deny that every cell in your body feels as though it’s been charged with electricity since you saw her again.

———

Your second day is even more overwhelming than the first. As promised, the rest of the team arrive for their first day of pre-season and you get thrown right in at the deep end, capturing photos of the players arriving and greeting each other, then moving over to the pitches to get some action shots of the first training session of the new season.

One of the other photographers, a guy called Hugo who has been with the club for just over a year, guides you. He introduces you to many more of the players and points out a couple of the new signings so you can make sure you get plenty of photos of them on their first day.

“We don’t play favourites, obviously, but it’s always a good idea to get some good shots of Alexia,” Hugo advises you. “The fans love her, and the social media guys love us when we give them content that’s going to give them a lot of engagement.”

You take his advice on board as you seek out Alexia and direct your camera towards her, taking a few action shots of her in the middle of a tackling drill.

Once the players all head inside after training for a team meeting, you return to the media office and check out some of the pictures you’ve taken. You delete a few of the bad ones while saving the good ones to your hard drive, until you stop on a photo you took of Alexia. 

It’s a photo taken between drills, one of Alexia standing with a ball tucked under her arm as she talks to Patri Guijarro, but both players are caught in the middle of a fit of laughter. It’s perfect in its candidness, an unfiltered moment between two friends and shows the Barcelona captain’s humanity in a way that you never get to see in any of the staged magazine photoshoots she does.

“Wow,” Hugo says, glancing over your shoulder at your computer screen. “Social media will love that.”

He beckons over the social media manager, who agrees and asks you to send the photo across, along with a few others.

When you see the photo on all the Barcelona social media channels later that day, you can’t help but feel proud that you’re already making your mark.

When Alexia reposts it on her personal Instagram, it means even more.

———

You’re just starting to find your feet when the real chaos starts.

“Photo day,” Hugo says, as if every day as a photographer isn’t exactly that, but you soon realise what he means. “Luckily for us it only happens on this scale once a year.”

Hugo talks you through the process. Between the two of you, today you’ll be capturing hundreds of posed pictures of every single one of the players in the new home and away kits. It’s almost like a military operation, two rooms set up with lights and green screens, a defined list of poses that each player needs to work through, multiple hair and makeup stations just down the hall.

You cast your eyes down the schedule for the day, split into ten minute slots with player names and which kit they’ll be wearing, and you’re not sure if you’re relieved or disappointed to see that both of Alexia’s slots are on Hugo’s list.

But then you’re thrown headfirst into the chaos, and by the time you’re thirty minutes in, you’re already starting to memorise the list of poses and feeling more comfortable.

It’s actually a great way to get to know the players individually. There’s time for a bit of smalltalk between poses or while you’re swapping out props, and you make the effort to remember names and get to know the girls a bit too. The better you know them, the better you’ll be able to capture them with a camera. 

You’re slightly ahead of schedule by lunchtime and you’re just about to leave to go and grab some food from the campus cafeteria, when you hear a knock on the door and look up to see Alexia standing awkwardly in the doorway, dressed in the new home kit complete with socks and boots.

“They’re running a bit behind in the other room and said I should come here to make up some time,” she explains. “Is that okay?”

“Yeah, of course,” you say, gesturing for Alexia to come in and take her place in front of the green screen.

You stay behind your camera, all of a sudden feeling a bit weird about being alone in a room with her, until you look up and realise that Alexia is struggling with her captain’s armband, the red and yellow striped band caught awkwardly on the sleeve of her jersey.

“Here, let me help,” you say, stepping out from behind the camera and crossing over to Alexia. 

Between the two of you, you manage to sort it out, straightening out the sleeve of the jersey and tucking it neatly so that the armband is on clear display around her bicep. You spot a glimpse of a tattoo on her inner arm and your fingers brush against the warm skin of her arm as you adjust the armband and step back.

“Perfect,” you say, as you return to your spot behind the camera. “Okay, first pose is square to the camera, arms behind your back.”

———

You get through the photos in record time with Alexia, who must have done this a million times before because she already seems to know the exact sequence of poses you expect from her. She also shows her professionalism by being the only player you’ve photographed so far today who doesn’t complain at the awkwardness of having to pretend to scream and celebrate into a camera lens.

Once the shoot is done, Alexia comes to stand at your shoulder as you scroll through some of the photos you’ve taken on the laptop wired up to the camera.

“I like that one,” she says, pointing at the screen when you hit a photo of her kissing the Barcelona badge on the front of her jersey.

“You should get copies of them all in the next couple of weeks,” you tell her.

“This might sound weird because you’re new, but have we done a shoot together before?” Alexia asks. “For a magazine, or something?”

Time seems to stand still. Your throat goes dry, the hairs on your arms stand to attention. Alexia must recognise you after all, even if she doesn’t remember where from. It’s now or never, if you’re going to remind her of what happened all those years ago in Ibiza, now is your chance. But if she doesn’t remember, maybe it’s best not to tell her. A clean slate without any awkwardness.

“No, I don’t think so,” you answer, your heart practically in your throat.

“I thought you looked familiar, but never mind,” she says, before she makes her way to leave. “Thanks again for squeezing me in. I’ll see you around.”

As she disappears around the corner and out of sight, you can’t help but wonder if you just made the wrong choice by not telling her.

[waytooinvested]

Forgotten, Not Forgiven - Chapter 21

This and previous chapters are also on AO3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was a man in Lena’s office.

That in itself was nothing unusual of course, but right now the person who was supposed to be in Lena’s office was Kara, and dealing with whatever this was was going to eat into the half hour that had been set aside in her diary for their appointment.

She looked him up and down as discretely as she could, trying to place him. Was he an employee? A new business partner or trustee who would be offended if she didn’t recognise him?

But the man was holding a notebook and recorder, and his clothing and general demeanour screamed ‘press’ rather than ‘corporate executive’, so it seemed unlikely. She offered him a smile that was both polite and slightly frosty, finding a balance between letting this man know that just wandering into the CEO’s office in a major multi billion dollar corporation was not acceptable etiquette, while avoiding burning any bridges with whatever newspaper he was representing.

‘I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I don’t take walk in appointments, and I actually have a meeting about to start. If you could just go out to the front desk, I’m sure my assistant would be happy to schedule some time in for you later in the week, Mr…?’

The man returned her smile, his own unctuous and insincere in a way that set Lena’s teeth on edge.

‘That would be with me, Ms Luthor. William Dey, scheduled for 4pm.’

William Dey?

Lena glanced back at her computer screen, clicking into her calendar to check if she had somehow mixed up her appointments, though after all the conversations she and Kara had had about him, she knew she would have remembered if the name William Dey had appeared anywhere in it.

But there it was:

4.00 – 4.30pm, interview with Catco magazine

It didn’t actually specify that the interview was with Kara at all, Lena had just assumed it would be because it was always Kara. She tried her best to swallow down the bubble of disappointment that rose in her throat on realising that the pleasant half an hour with her friend she had been looking forward to all day was not going to materialise after all. If nothing else, this would at least be an interesting opportunity to get the measure of the man she had heard so much about for herself.

‘My apologies Mr Dey, I had assumed this appointment would be with my usual contact at Catco. Was Ms Danvers unavailable this afternoon?’

‘Would you have preferred to speak to Kara Danvers?’ William shot back without bothering to answer the question. He dropped a couple more points in Lena’s estimation, though she kept her own response neutrally polite.

‘Well, we have built up a working rapport over the years, yes. I've always appreciated the continuity it provided in my contact with Catco.’

William smiled again, but there was no warmth to it. It was the sort of look that suggested that she had just stepped into a trap he had set for her, and the edge of smug triumph to it reminded her disconcertingly of Lex. She was going to have to be more careful with this man than she had realised.

‘May I ask the subject of this interview?’

Again, her question was ignored, and instead William pushed ahead with what had clearly been his reason for asking about Kara in the first place.

‘You say that you prefer to work with Ms Danvers. That’s interesting. According to my sources it’s not that long since you had her barred from the premises, with a note that security was to escort her out the moment she arrived. I understand that that actually happened on at least-’ here he checked his notes, but Lena could tell the gesture was more to demonstrate that he had notes than because he needed a reminder of the number. ‘-Three separate occasions. That doesn’t sound like the kind of set up you would have for your favourite interviewer.’

Lena’s eyes narrowed and she straightened in her chair, her body instinctively switching into fight mode.

‘Did you come here to interview me about my working relationship with Kara Danvers, Mr Dey? Because I don’t see how that’s relevant to you or anyone else apart from Kara and myself.’

‘No, I didn’t. But I do find it interesting, and potentially pertinent to the subject I did come here to discuss with you.’

‘Which is what, precisely?’

‘What exactly is the nature of your relationship with Andrea Rojas?’

First Kara and now Andrea? Was this going to turn out to be some gossip piece about her sexuality? Was he going to bring up her visit to Violet’s next?

Slimy little man.

Lena glared back at him, dialing up the ice in her voice from crisp late autumn morning to mid-winter blizzard.

‘Excuse me?’

‘Andrea Rojas. A few months ago you sold Catco to her, very suddenly, without any of the staff knowing the sale was coming. Coincidentally, that was around the same time you barred Kara Danvers from the L-Corp premises. I wanted to know why you did that.’

About the sale then? Well that was fine. She was under no obligation to explain her personal reasons, and if he was looking for a business scandal he wouldn’t find one.

‘Andrea is an old friend and a business associate, and if you look into the matter you will find that everything about the sale was entirely above board and by the book. Now, please be so good as to tell me what exactly this article you’re writing is about, or I shall have to ask you to leave.’

William stood a little straighter, putting back his shoulders and meeting her eye as he answered, scrutinising for her reaction.

‘I’m investigating the disappearance of Supergirl. And I think you and Andrea Rojas know something about that.’

It was so far from what she had been expecting that if Lena had been anyone but a Luthor in that moment she might have let her shock show on her face. Instead she raised a sceptical eyebrow, falling back on years of social training to layer her tone with just the right hint of bored condescension, as if the situation demanded she be polite to someone who had told her in all earnestness that the world was flat (and indeed that it had become so because she and Andrea had taken a fly swatter to it).

‘Supergirl hasn’t disappeared, she’s in Argo City. I believe there was an interview with her on the subject before she left. I’m sure you could find it on Youtube if you missed it.’

‘Ah yes, the interview. That was interesting as well. It does seem to tie everything up in a neat little bow, doesn’t it? And yet something about it didn’t quite sit right with me. I thought maybe I was imagining things. Then I watched it back alongside other interviews Supergirl has given, and they don’t tally. Across the others there’s consistency, but in this one: her speech pattern, her intonation, even her stance, were all… off. To me that interview looks like a hasty after-the-fact cover up by someone who realised Supergirl’s absence had been noticed, and wanted to keep people from asking inconvenient questions. Perhaps even somebody who owned the company that invented the Image Inducer?’

Lena folded her arms, then wished she hadn’t. Did it look defensive, or merely annoyed?

‘Thousands of people own image inducers. I don’t see how you can suggest that the mere possibility of one being used to commit fraud – which is in itself a highly spurious claim – somehow indicates my direct involvement, or what any of this has to do with the sale of Catco.’

‘No? Okay, let me give you another example. Approximately eight days after the last confirmed sighting of Supergirl, you filed a flight plan for a jet registered in your name to a tiny air field apparently in the middle of nowhere. Do you remember that trip?’

‘I take a lot of trips.’

‘Of course. Well, I’ll refresh your memory. The only thing for miles around this particular air field that might have been of any interest was a bunker. A bunker that, through several layers of shell corporations, was formerly owned by Luthor Corp, as was. I thought that was a bit odd, and decided to pay it a visit. Do you know what I found there Ms Luthor?’

How the hell had he found out her flight plan, let alone the bunker?

‘I’m sure you’re going to tell me.’

‘Nothing. Or at least that was clearly the intention – the entire place had been stripped almost completely bare. But there was one thing I found curious. This was caught on what appeared to be an operating table, in a room that looked a lot like a cell.’

William pulled something from inside his jacket and laid it on Lena’s desk.

A ziplock bag.

At first glance it appeared to be empty, but when she looked closer Lena realised that it contained a single strand of long, blonde hair.

Kara’s hair .

He was putting two and two together and getting five, but all the same, he was uncomfortably close, and they had had no idea. As far as Lena and the DEO had known, their story about Supergirl’s visit to Argo City had been more or less universally accepted, and earlier panic over her apparent disappearance had seemed to settle down. But now this. Not only an investigation into the disappearance of Supergirl, but an investigation by Kara’s coworker. And one that had led him straight to Lena.

She wanted to have security come and escort him out her office so that she had space to take it in and think about what to do next, but as long as William was willing to keep talking, she needed to let him. He was giving her far more of what he knew – or thought he knew – than she was giving in return, and the more information she had the better equipped she would be to deal with him.

She leaned back in her seat, deliberately casual, and gave him a considered look.

‘You’re talking as though all these things you’ve just told me are connected somehow, but I don’t see it. Honestly, this all sounds like rather an elaborate conspiracy theory, and you still haven’t explained how exactly you think Andrea Rojas or Kara Danvers fit into this little picture you’re painting, let alone what it is you think I’ve done with Supergirl, or why on Earth I would want to… what, kidnap her? You seem to have done your homework, so you must know that I’ve had a very positive and well documented working relationship with Supergirl for years.’

‘That’s true, I found plenty out there about you and Supergirl. But then there was plenty to suggest that your brother Lex was best friends with Superman once, and we all know how that turned out. Perhaps the two of you share a family failing. Or perhaps you’re working together.’

Lena forced a laugh that she was almost sure sounded genuine.

‘You’re even more delusional than I thought if you believe I would ever work with Lex. You do know that my testimony was part of what helped put him in prison in the first place, don’t you?’

‘I do. I also know that he was granted a mercy furlough on the grounds that he was dying, then after a short time in your care he apparently made a full recovery, and yet he never made it back to prison. Then you made the decision to sell Catco to Andrea Rojas, who immediately turned it away from hard hitting journalism to pop fluff, just in time for her to have established a new precedent before the city’s most prominent Superhero goes missing and she chooses to speculate about potential sex scandals rather than reporting on it seriously. Add to that your unexplained jaunt to the bunker where I found what appears to be Supergirl’s hair in an abandoned cell and your strange treatment of the one reporter you previously gave open access to, and it all starts to look pretty damning. I don’t know yet exactly how the pieces fit, but when you put together you, your brother, Andrea Rojas and whatever you’re doing to manipulate Kara Danvers into telling the stories you want told… well. That’s one hell of a coincidence, and I don’t believe in coincidences. I am telling you all this to make clear to you that I have enough information to run with this no matter what you say. But, I thought it was only fair to give you the opportunity to tell your side of things first. So, Ms Luthor. Do you have any comment to make?’

Lena’s first instinct was, ridiculously, to push back on the claim that she was manipulating Kara into writing false stories. Clearly he didn’t know her at all if he thought that Kara Danvers could be so easily bought or blackmailed: she had demonstrated on more than one occasion that she would rather quit than compromise her morals when it came to reporting, and every word she had written about Lena had been her own. But as much as it rankled, the mark on Kara’s reputation was hardly the main issue here, and addressing it would be as good as confessing to the rest.

For a moment she allowed herself to imagine pressing the silent alarm on the underside of her desk that would summon security to remove Mr Dey from the premises instead. Given his accusations she would be well within her rights to do so, but as satisfying as that might be in the moment it would be counter productive. He had made it clear that if she chose not to comment he would go ahead with his version of the story, and she, Andrea and maybe even Kara would be implicated as part of a conspiracy. Even if it was swiftly debunked, just the suggestion of fowl play would be enough to restart the missing Supergirl hysteria and draw far more attention to all of them (to Kara) than would be safe or desirable.

She could tell him the full truth and clear her name beyond question , but she would never compromise Kara like that. William Dey was an unknown entity (and, in Lena’s entirely objective opinion, a smug asshole) , and there was no way she was going to trust him with the truth of Supergirl’s secret identity, or even enough of it to risk him putting the pieces together himself.

There was no time to come up with a watertight, fully convincing lie when he was standing there with his recorder in hand, waiting for her to say something.

There was only one option left.

She sighed, and beckoned him forwards.

‘Please take a seat. I’m afraid there’s more to this than you realise, and there are some people you will need to talk to.’

William sat and placed his recorder on the desk between them.

‘I should just mention, I have a fail safe set up, and if I don’t disable it within an hour everything I have on this story will be emailed to a dozen global news outlets automatically. Just in case you were thinking of doing anything to… keep me quiet.’

‘I would ask what exactly you take me for, but I think you’ve made that perfectly clear, so let me assure you that I have no intention of murdering you. Because no, I have not kidnapped Supergirl, nor am I conspiring with Lex, Andrea or Kara against her or anyone else. But… there is more to Supergirl’s absence than a vacation to Argo. I’m not at liberty to tell you any more than that without input from my… associates. If you wait here for a few minutes, I will call them to come and join in this conversation. Alright?’

‘I’d prefer it if you called from here.’

‘I’m sure you would. I’ll be back in five minutes.’

Lena made sure her computer screen was locked, and then left the room with as much composure as she could muster. As she passed Jess’ desk she leaned down to whisper ‘please keep an eye on the man in my office. Make sure he doesn’t start rifling through anything, and if he tries, or if you feel threatened in any way, have security come, but don’t let him leave. It’s of the utmost importance that we finish our conversation.’

Jess swallowed, alarmed by the ominous and highly unusual request, but after all the time they’d worked together she trusted Lena, so she didn’t question her or protest. She nodded and murmured in similarly hushed tones ‘yes Ms Luthor’, before getting up to stand watch by the office door.

Lena moved quickly after that, retreating to a seldom-used conference room a little way down the corridor and activating her auditory scrambler as she dialed Alex’s number.

It rang.

And rang.

Come on Alex, the one time I really, really need you to pick up...

Finally, just before voicemail was about to kick in, Alex answered.

‘Lulu? What’s up?’

‘Is Katie with you?’

‘Yep.’

‘Shit. Alex, we have a situation. Can you get away?’

‘One moment please.’

The line went muffled as Alex put her hand over the receiver and spoke to someone else, then the sound of footsteps and a door closing.

‘Okay, I’m alone. What’s the matter?’

‘I have William Dey in my office right now, with a story ready to run on the disappearance of Supergirl.’

‘Fuck, seriously? What about the Argo story?’

‘He doesn’t believe the interview was really Supergirl. He thinks it was an image inducer, and that I am behind it all, with the help of Andrea, Lex and, unwittingly, Kara. He says he will run with the story whatever I say, but is giving me the chance to tell my side. If he doesn’t report back in an hour, apparently he’s set something up to send what he’s already gathered to news outlets globally.’

‘Okay, I’m on my way right now, I’ll have J’onn meet me there too. Are you free to stay on the line so we can work out what to tell him or do you have to go back in there?’

‘Jess is keeping an eye on him, and will get security involved if he starts snooping or tries to leave. I have maybe two more minutes, but then I’d better get back or he’ll get suspicious. Well, more suspicious.’

In the background Lena could hear the sound of Alex’s running feet, then the slam of a car door and a motor starting up, before the phone switched from handset to earpiece and the ambient noise diminished.

They spent a hurried couple of minutes workshopping an explanation that would be sufficient to throw William off the trail – just enough truth to be believable, with enough fabrication to protect Kara’s identity and keep things as safe as they could in the circumstances. It wasn’t perfect, but there was no time for anything more, and they hoped that the presence of an ‘FBI’ Director would lend weight to their story that Lena alone might not have had. She kept an eye on her watch throughout, and as soon as the second minute was up she said a hasty goodbye to Alex and returned to her office and William Dey.

She felt more composed now that she had something resembling a plan, but i t was still a very long, very uncomfortable ten minutes while they waited for ‘Lena’s associates ’ to arrive. It turned out to be surprisingly difficult to make idle small talk with a man who had just accused you of conspiracy, kidnap and possibly murder, or at the very least willingness to commit murder to cover up the rest of it. It cast something of a pall over the meeting, and s ilence filled the room like a thick fog between them, oppressive and un dispersable .

William fidgeted with his notebook.

Lena pretended to be absorbed by something that wasn’t there on her computer screen.

Out in the wider office a phone rang and was answered.

Another minute struggled by.

When at last the door opened, Lena made eye contact with Alex and felt relief sweep through her like cool rain after a blistering drought. She wasn’t alone anymore.

‘Thank you for joining me on such short notice Director Danvers. This is Mr William Dey of Catco Magazine. Mr Dey, this is Direct Danvers of the FBI and her associate Mr J’onn J’onzz.’

Alex held up her ID card to prove her identity, her expression deadly serious.

‘Mr Dey. I hear from Ms Luthor that you have been investigating Supergirl.’

‘I have. I don’t believe she’s really gone to Argo, and-’

‘You are meddling in extremely sensitive matters of national security. It would be best if you were to drop this investigation immediately and allow us to do our job.’

William looked mildly daunted by the grim faced FBI agent in front of him, but he didn’t back down.

‘With all due respect Director Danvers, if something has happened to Supergirl, the people have a right to know. I would also like to know how Ms Luthor fits in.’

‘I told you, I didn’t kidnap Super-’

Alex held up a hand to stop her, and Lena subsided, allowing her friend to take the lead.

‘Ms Luthor is assisting us and was not involved in any attempt to harm Supergirl. However… it is true that Supergirl is not on Argo.’

‘I knew it! Has Andrea Rojas taken her? Or Lex Luthor?’

‘No one has taken her.’

‘So where is she?’

Alex sighed.

‘Mr Dey, this is all off the record, is that understood? We have a sensitive situation here, and the last thing this city needs is mass panic, or to be viewed as a vulnerable target by anyone looking to take advantage of Supergirl’s absence. Freedom of the press is one thing, but sharing this story recklessly could get people killed, and I don’t think you want that.’

‘So you’re asking me to cover this up. Is that what you’re saying?’

‘I am asking you to consider the consequences of your actions, and whether having a good story that will earn you some kudos at work for a couple of weeks is worth risking lives over, including Supergirl’s if this hampers our ability to do our work. There is a lot more than a story at stake here.’

William chewed his lip, considering.

‘Alright. Suppose I agree to hold this story for now. When Supergirl does return, I want an exclusive interview with her. As soon as there is no longer a risk to her or the city from the truth being out there, I want all the details, no holds barred. Is that a deal?’

‘Supergirl speaks for herself, I can’t promise you her interview. However, I can agree to give you an interview myself, along with the project team working to bring Supergirl back. And I will ask Supergirl if she will speak to you as well. Will that suffice?’

‘I suppose that’s fair. But I also want to know where Supergirl is now.’

‘I assumed you’d say that. If you’re willing to sign a statement agreeing to the terms we’ve just laid out and confirming that you will end any further investigation into this, I will tell you as much as I can at this stage.’

William was slightly more reluctant to put it in writing, but after a bit more back and forth he agreed, and Lena printed out the modified NDA form that Alex emailed over to her for him to sign. That done, Alex explained that Supergirl was currently on a parallel Earth, and while she was safe, she had so far been unable to return. Lena was working with the FBI to create a gateway that would bring her back, but in the meantime they needed to maintain peace in National City and avoid panic. It was not that far off the truth, and William seemed to buy it. Lena allowed herself to relax, just fractionally.

When the story was done he glanced guiltily over at her and opened his mouth as if to apologise for his accusation, but, confronted with Lena’s dagger-sharp glare, changed his mind.

Instead he turned to Alex.

‘Just one more thing Director. Danvers. Are you by any chance related to Kara Danvers?’

‘She’s my sister.’

‘And does she know about all this? She’s been helping me with my investigation, so I would have thought she’d have told me I was on the wrong track if she did, even if she couldn’t share the details.’

She’s been helping me with my investigation.

She’s been helping me...

The world shrank down to that single sentence, reverberating round and round, louder and louder until there was no room for anything else.

Kara had been working with William Dey?

After all those conversations they’d had about how he was arrogant, toadying, possibly evil, and now she was working with him against Lena?

Investigating her?

Suspecting her of kidnapping Supergirl?

With a sharp stab she remembered Kara’s ‘project’. How cagey she had been about it. How, now she thought about it, she hadn’t so much as mentioned William Dey since before they went rock climbing .

It was all Lena could do not to gasp with the shock of betrayal that punched her directly in the solar plexus as the truth sank in .

All this time...

Somewhere outside her bubble of pain s he could feel Alex glancing at her, but she didn’t try to meet her look. She stared resolutely at her computer screen, attempting to appear indifferent to the conversation going on in front of her even as tears tried to rise to her eyes .

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

How had she fallen into the same trap twice? Let herself trust the same woman, only to have her break her heart all over again?

She barely heard Alex tell William that of course Kara didn’t know, being related to an FBI agent didn’t give her inside knowledge of their work, but he would need to shut down the investigation at once and tell her that there was nothing to find out.

Lena let it all wash over her.

By sheer force of will she kept herself still and silent throughout the rest of the exchange, until at last J’onn escorted William out of her office.

She waited for Alex to follow them out so she could finally fall apart in peace , but she didn’t. She shut the door behind J’onn, waited a minute for them to get well clear, and then turned back to face the room .

‘Lena…’

‘Please go Alex.’

She spoke the words through clenched teeth and numb lips, barely holding her sob inside but determined not to let it out until she was alone.

But Alex didn’t go. She came round the desk and gripped Lena’s shoulders firmly, forcing her to make eye contact.

‘Lena. Listen to me. I know how that sounded, but we don’t know the full story. I am telling you, there is absolutely no way Kara would suspect you of harming Supergirl. Whatever this is, whatever is happening, that is not it.’

‘What if you’re wrong? What if she’s just been using me all this time and-’

S he choked on the rest of the sentence and had to stop to swallow down the lump in her throat before it stopped her breathing altogether.

‘She hasn’t. Lena, Kara loves you so much. She has never stopped believing in you. Not once. Not even when we had apparently irrefutable evidence that you had committed a crime. When every other person, me included, thought that you really were guilty, Kara never, ever did. She was in your corner every time, and I don’t believe that this is any different. We just need to give her the chance to explain herself.’

‘That’s not true. What about the kryptonite?’

Alex sighed.

‘Okay, yeah, she was freaked out about the kryptonite, because you were making the one thing on Earth with the power to kill her. That still doesn’t mean she thought you were plotting to use it on her, she just didn’t like the idea of any more of it existing, no matter how good your intentions were. But even then, she was pissed at you and she lashed out, but she wasn’t against you.’

‘But she might be, this time. Why would she be helping that bastard investigate me and not tell me otherwise?’

‘I don’t know. That’s why we need to talk to Kara and find out.’

A lex paused, taking in Lena’s clenched jaw, glassy eyes and tightly curled fists.

‘Before that though… I think maybe you need a bit of Lena-style catharsis. Want to go and blow some stuff up with lasers before we call her?’

‘Yeah… I really, really do.’

[greyspirehollow]

Vesuvia weekly ; The courtiers' Guilty Pleasures !

Pairing : The courtiers x reader Fandom : The Arcana visual novel Warnings : none. Pure fluff.

Volta :

I like to believe she loves dancing, like ballet, and the opera ; she loves the pretty dresses and the music,, and will secretly try and get some costumes custom tailored for herself, which she'll keep preciously in her closet and put on when she's alone, to admire herself in the mirror and imagine being on stage, amidst the crowd of pretty dancing people and musicians.

I'm pretty sure she would love to be able to fight. Being short comes with a lot of disadvantages,, I'm pretty sure she would like placing a few punches or kicks just right in people sometimes. Maybe she's already asked Vulgora to train her in the past, too.

Loves going to Portia's cottage. Loves Pepi. The flowers. The leaves. It's all so pretty ! And Portia's so nice !

She'll get all flustered and stutter if you ever ask about those secret hobbies of hers, but she'd want to share too, and even get a little frustrated by her conflicting emotions.

Vulgora :

I think they like being calmer and softer when no one's around, and to be treated calmly and with kindness (I'm sure they like being hugged, but you will never for the life of them see them admit it).

They like to play chess with the Countess, even if they loose systematically.

I have a feeling they'd love to go hunting too, with or without a falcon/dogs, or someone else's company.

I think behind their very loud and impulsive facade, they're a rather secretive person, not used to open up about things other than the plainly obvious, and so their little hobbies would be hard to discover unless you look into them a little, or generally get interested in them.

Valdemar :

I think they can play the violin, and some forgotten old instruments. They like how they have to make their finders dance over the instruments to make music.

They're a pretty manual person I think, and can craft little things here and there when they're bored ; pretty sure they tried embroidery even. Very steady hands (heh.)

and fashion. No one can convince me otherwise ; they have a sense of fashion and just don't exploit it. They don't dress often, if ever, or openly comment on people's outfits. but they COULD. IF ONLY THEY DID ARGH-

Secretive person as well. But you'd have no way of discovering any of that if they didn't want you to.

Vlastomil :

Always loved the sound a harp makes. He'd kill to learn how to play it, but he's never dared to take that initiative. It's just such a beautiful instrument, so calming, and it looks really nice to have it lean against you...

I think he'd also enjoy taking walks in the forest, and go lay down in some fresh and humid dirt, listening to the little river nearby, the chirp of birds, the leaves in the wind, the rays of sunlight peeking through...

We know how much he loves his worms, but what if he liked other things as well? what about isopods? tiny lil things.

You may surprise him indulging once or twice, but he'll always stammer a half-made-up excuse and shift the topic of the conversation quickly

Valerius :

Cat person. Loves cats. Wants cats just so he can sit in a big chair and have one on his lap and pet it menacingly while he sips his wine. Will not admit it.

LOVES velvet. Would wear velvet every day of his life if he could ; but he feels it's maybe a little too much in certain scenarios, so avoids it. He does have a cape in the back of his closet, which he wears sometimes when the halls of the Palace are desert.

Actually like to let his hair down ; thinks it gives him a mysterious charm (which yeah, if he styled it a little better), and one time you caught him mindlessly twirling his fingers into his strands.

He's not necessarily secretive, it's just he's learned court etiquette a lot, and so has taken the habit of hiding and bottling his personality down. That part at least.

[a-world-of-whimsy-5]

Hi! I was wondering if you could do a request (WHEN YOUR NOT BUSY) about prince nuada where he meets the reader at the station when the fighting is over and she’s like a beast tamer humming lullabies to tooth fairies and other dangerous things like that?? ☺️❤️

Hello! I'm not sure what sort of theme you wanted, so I stuck to a soft/fluff/kind of angsty at the begining enemies to possible lovers theme. I hope you like it.

The beast tamer and the prince

Pairing: Nuada x Fem. Reader (Parts human and elf | Beast tamer)

Word count: 823 words

Themes : Some angst, maybe | Soft | Fluff | Enemies to lovers

Warnings : None

Want to be tagged? Want to know the reader request rules? Read all here

If you like this, please consider giving it a reblog. Thank you!

p.s. the bit with the wife and tea and biscuits was inspired by a scene between Sheldon and Penny, on The Big Bang Theory. 

Nuada returns to his palace in an abandoned station after a brutal few weeks, helping Hellboy and the BPRD fight and defeat Nimue, the Blood Queen.

He’s completely exhausted, lost to the world, and not paying any attention to what is happening around him. Due to this, he misses the baby tooth fairies trailing him, looking for their first meal. Only when they take off and come after him does Nuada realize he’s been targeted as prey. He whips out his spear, ready to defend himself.   Except that nothing happens, save for someone singing in a language Nuada has not heard in over nine millennia. As this eerie, otherworldly tune floats through the tunnels, Nuada looks around, his ears twitching. The tooth fairies looked dazed, not moving, barely even breathing. It was as if they were hypnotized. When he demanded you show yourself, you do, armed with only a strange flute and your own voice.

He discovers you are half mortal and half elf, a descendant of a long-forgotten line of beast tamers who once worked for King Balor. Nuada is shocked, as everyone thought your clan was wiped out by the great wars of seven thousand BC, when the Golden Army marched against the armies of men. The tattoos on the inside of your right forearm showed otherwise, as only those who have proven their gifts to the clan elders could receive such tattoos.

Despite his reservations, Nuada assists you in capturing the tooth fairies and transporting them to an off-realm reserve where they will not harm anyone. He asks you to live with him as royal etiquette decreed such an invitation, as repayment for saving his life. 

The giant troll lives with him, Mr. Wink, takes to you in a heartbeat. Nuada, on the other hand, keeps you at arm's length. He is cold and aloof, as is his personality, and always high prince to everyone else. And he insists on being treated as such.

This infuriates you, and the two of you constantly butt heads and trade insults.  Usually, these insults revolve around epithets such as prig from your end, and wasp-tongued-viper from his end. Even after the two of you cooled off with the insults, bickering would follow whenever you were together. Quests to capture another beast or creature on behalf of the BPRD would always end up with the two of you bickering like an old married couple. At least, that's what Abe believes.

"If we were married," Nuada would say, "The wife would bring me tea and biscuits in the evening."

"You hate my tea," you'd retort. "And we have no biscuits."

"My wife would keep them on hand."

"Your wife demands a divorce."

"Wonderful," Nuada would say without missing a beat. "On the way back from the temple, could you stop by the troll market and pick up some Bethmoran rose biscuits for my afternoon tea?"

Epic huffs and eye-rolls will abound. Hellboy would ask if the two of you needed a room. Nuada would shiver in horror. You'd look at Hellboy like he had grown another head. The two of you would skulk off in different directions. 

In time, however, mutual respect blooms between the two of you. 

Nuada comes to appreciate your skills, for it means children of the old gods no longer have to be killed unless absolutely necessary. He starts fighting in your corner during BPRD meetings, backing you up against Manning and his orders. 

You come to respect Nuada's love for his family and his people, his willingness to go to great lengths to protect them and keep them safe.

The two of you have saved each other's lives more times than either of you can count.

Nuada comes to find your nicknames for mythical creatures all rather amusing. 

Tooth fairies you call: Teethcinerators. 

And dragons are called: Winged fire breathing danger noodles. 

Unicorns, on the other hand, end up being called: Rage ponies, given their violent and unpredictable nature. 

These nicknames end up being used by him and many others at the BPRD, much to Manning's eternal frustration.

You teach Nuada how to charm animals just by using his voice. He tries it on Mr. Wink. Mr. Wink ends up in a trance for two days, and you go through every book you have to get him out of it. 

Mr. Wink was naturally unhappy about it, and complained about it for weeks.

You realize Nuada has the most beautiful voice you have ever heard, and you come up with every conceivable excuse to get him to sing.

Nuada catches on to your tricks but finds them all rather endearing. 

"If you just want to hear me sing, y/n, you need only ask."

You go red in the face and flee his presence. 

Nuada decides to talk to his father about you.

King Balor approves, and insists on meeting the person who brought about such positive changes in his son.