#his surprise at his popularity makes me feel all 🥹

[lorelilly]

Spencer: “I don’t think I have imposter syndrome.”

Also Spencer:

[pencil-n-pen]

I’M STILL TRYING EVERYTHING

⋆° 𐙚 ₊🧦☕🧸₊°⋆ ೀ₊°⋆

previous | kofi | masterlist

post prison!spencer reid x fem!reader

₊ ⊹

I'm still trying everything to keep you looking at me.

-mirrorball, taylor swift

₊ ⊹

summary: you’ve never had a date or a relationship that either didn’t work out or end in disaster. now that you have spencer, you’re determined not to let it happen again

cw: referenced bad past relationships, very very vaguely referenced past domestic abuse that honestly could be taken a different way, referenced child abuse (readers parents are STILL not it) again this is a criminal minds fic so references to graphic violence

tags/tropes: hurt/comfort (do i even need to say this? you all know who i am) insecurity, like one line of misogyny and it’s in the past and not brought up again, spencer being soft n worried, HEALTHY COMMUNICATION, spencer is just as gone for reader as she is for him honestly he's just a sap

a/n: back by popular demand !! seriously guys, you have no idea how much the support and comments and reblogs and asks means to me 🥹 the overwhelming amount of love for the first fic made me so happy when people started asking about a sequel i knew i had to !!

read the crossword on the collage for a surprise :)

this one goes out to all my girlies who’ve ever felt like they needed to be less in order to get a boyfriend or keep one. we’ll have our soft love just the way it was meant to be

⋆⭒˚.⋆

Spencer is a really good boyfriend.

Like… a really good boyfriend. You’re not sure if this is how having a real boyfriend is or if Spencer is just like this.

He’s so good to you. He’s just so- so him. You can’t explain it. Can’t put it into words.

He’s very patient with you. You’ve never explicitly stated it, but he’s picked up on your previous relationship experience- or more accurately, your lack thereof. The morning after you’d gone home with him, night consisting of nothing but easy sleep and warmth, he’d asked you out for real. Asked you if you’d go on a date with him, and you’d agreed, a giddy smile fixed firmly on your face.

But you still worry.

All it takes it one conversation with your parents to push things over the edge.

“Yes, dad. He’s very good to me.”

A laugh crackles over the line. “I tell you, your mother and I never thought we’d see the day.”

The words twinge uncomfortably in your chest. “Hey, I’m not that bad. I’ve just been focused.”

“More like uptight.”

“Dad—“

“You know, you still haven’t come out to visit your poor old parents since getting this so-called cushy job. And now you’ve got this boyfriend. You’re too young to settle down. Don’t you think we should meet him?”

Sometimes conversations turn so quickly they leave you stranded— scrambling to pick up pieces of what you thought was going to happen and piece them together to make something new. Something for the new route the conversation has taken.

You couldn’t hold back your sigh if you tried. “We haven’t been dating for that long dad, I don’t want to spring this on him—“

“Sweetie, if we don’t meet him now, why might never meet him. Who knows how long he’s gonna stick around?”

(Sometimes, in moments like these, for just a split second, you wonder how a father could say something like that, to his daughter. You wonder why, wonder what you did wrong. And then, you imagine Hotch saying those same things, and you can’t, and it almost makes you feel a little better.)

Your blood runs cold. “What could you possibly mean by that?”

“Well, you know how things have ended in the past. I’m just saying I’d like to meet him before he’s gone."

You don't dignify his words with a response.

"Come on, honey. I'm just joking with you."

"It's not funny."

"Don't be like that--"

"Goodbye."

You hang up, snapping the phone shut with a sigh.

The older you've gotten, the more conversations with your parents end up like this. You suppose it's the way you 'wasted your potential' or 'never made something of yourself.' They've always held resentment ever since you decided to become an agent. So you know not to take what they say to heart, because their words only come from a place of disappointment and displeasure. It's not a reflection of who you really are or what you've really accomplished.

Or at least, that's what Hotch told you when he'd overheard one of your phone calls. It meant more than you'd let on.

But your Dad's words linger in your head. They're irritating and sharp where they claw around in your head because they're true.

You can count on one hand the amount of romantic endeavors you've had. And from those, they all ended horribly. Your parents lost sympathy towards the end of your attempts, muttered words of needing to try harder to keep them, that you should be satisfied that somebody wanted you at all, that you should try to be less... you.

Try to be less... you, dear. The books and the facts- nobody wants those. Put some more effort into your appearance. Otherwise you'll end up all alone.

You'd tried to take their advice, of course. But the relationships that were fathered your parents direction were not loving. There was nothing soft or gentle or warm about them. You'd never felt more unlovable.

So when the incident with the shooter happened and you were lying on the lecture hall floor, blood coloring the carpet deep scarlet, you'd vowed to never let it happen again. That you were going to use your intellect and wit and passion for what you wanted to do- you'd promised yourself that if you survived, you would try to make your life your own, one step at a time.

This, of course, is easier said than done.

It's easy enough to refuse to let yourself get involved with men who are clearly only interested in your for your badge or your body --though the latter happens so rarely you really don't have to worry about it-- because you don't care about them. They're blips on your radar.

But Spencer? Sweet, sweet Spencer who makes you hot-cocoa and binge watches Doctor Who with you, even the later seasons, which you know he doesn't like as much but you love. Spencer who always has a grounding touch to offer, or a quiet command when you need him. Spencer who puts you first.

But there's a limit to these things, right? As far as you've seen, romantic relationship's are transactional, or conditional. Sometimes both. He can't just... keep doing this forever. It's too kind. Too sweet. It'll come to an end soon. Like, like the honeymoon era in early relationships. That's all it is. Plus, he's older than you, and you have no illusions about your unavoidable impulsiveness and naivety.

You've been told that your standards are too high before. "Struck by the hopeless romantic's arrow," your brother had said once, back when you were still in school, crying over a boy who'd told you that he didn't want to date you because you were too smart for a girl.

"That's not being hopeless romantic. There's no such thing as being too smart for a girl."

"There isn't," He'd amended, "But you're not going to have an easy time finding a guy. You of all people can't really afford to be picky."

He'd been right, in the end. So you're just... having a hard time figuring out how genuine Spencer's actions are. Guy's don't really act all romantic in the context of you. You've been told your whole life to be happy with what you get, and what you've had in the past is decidedly not lining up with how Spencer treats you.

It's a nasty little thing in your ear. Is it real? Does it matter as much to him?

When is it all going to end?

--

Rossi make's an offhand comment during a mission that you talk a lot when you're excited about the subject at hand.

JJ agrees. "It's a little unnerving when the subject is the bruising patterns of strangulation."

That little voice comes back.

Too much too much too much too much too much--

"It's useful," You protest, mouth dry.

JJ snorts, "I'm not sure about that. We need to know that the victim was strangled, not what happens to the body during blunt-force asphyxiation."

You'd grown quiet then, let the chatter and musings of the rest of the team wash over you.

Is that something Spencer finds annoying? You have always found things other's view morbid and disturbing fascinating. But JJ is right. No one wants to hear about that.

You brush the comment off, square your shoulders, get back on with the case.

Be better. Try harder.

You don't seen the furrow of Spencer's brows from where he's been watching you, or the quick look he shares with Hotch.

--

You'd never really thought about how clingy you can be before Emily makes an offhand comment about it while the two of you wait in line at a coffee shop. There's a couple in front of you, the girl all over her partner, kissing and giggling and hugging them close.

"Ugh," Emily groans once the two get their coffee and move on. "I could never understand the appeal of all that. I mean doesn't it feel stifling?"

A little stab of ice in your stomach.

"I don't know. I think it's nice."

"No, thank you. If I were her partner, I'd feel smothered."

You think about that conversation every time you take Spencer's hand or lean into his simple touches. They're invasive little things, the thoughts. It's not hard to pull back on all the touching. You never really ask for them in the first place- always too nervous to come off clingy. But you suppose just taking, taking, taking is just the same.

A quick shake of your head, not leaning in, a quiet "I'm fine." and that little nagging fear of smothering begins to quiet. It doesn't leave, but it does get quieter. For a little while, at least.

--

The hard part is trying to be less without noticeably being less. Spencer's smart- and he's a profiler. If you pull back too much too quickly, he'll notice, and you don't want to talk about this yet. You just need to make sure he'll stay. That things won't—

That you won't find out too late that you don't mean as much to him as he does to you.

That's the kind of thing that can't happen again. But ascertaining his true feelings and desires is difficult, because this is all kind's of new territory for you. You want to believe it's real. You really, really want to believe it's real.

But it's never been real before, so why would it be real now?

--

You've asked around (subtly and carefully, of course) about the type of girl Spencer's dated or drifted towards in the past. You know he said he wanted something soft and sweet, but you can't help but think that you're not really either, nor are you in line with his type. All things considered, you're a mess. Something tired-eyed and hollow is how you feel most days. Some sort of creature perhaps? You're honestly not sure what you are. You've spent your entire life being singled out or otherwise othered- always too smart or too different or too weird or too much or too loud or too quiet or too shy or too, too, too. Always too something. You have never been called soft or sweet. In a demeaning way, sure, but never with the quiet reverence that Spencer said it with that night.

It feels like a balancing act, a bit. Holding all those too much parts so close to your chest with one hand and shoving the ones you think Spencer wants with the other hand.

You could probably drop the one hand. The one holding the bad parts. But you're just not convinced he'll stay. You're not sure that he won't look at them with some form of disgust or pity or something else terrible.

You know the balancing act isn't sustainable— you'll fall eventually, and everything will come crashing down, but until then, you just keep trying. Trying to see if he'll stay, trying to see what to do if he won't. How to ensure he will, if that's something that's possible.

--

The act does not hold up for as long as you hoped it would. It comes crashing down with a glass. Literally.

You and Spencer are in the kitchen on a rare weekend off, cooking and drinking wine and swaying to some little old love song.

It should be perfect, except you're worrying that you look ugly while you're dancing, and you're probably singing off-key, and he maybe wants you to shut up so he can hear the song or dance in peace.

He reaches towards you and you just— your brain shrieks for a moment, all senses going into overdrive and you jerk backward, and your elbow knocks into your wine glass, and it falls, shattering behind you with a deafening crash.

Your entire body tenses, waiting for yelling or sighing or something, because you broke the glass, there's crystalline shards everywhere, the wine red and it looks like blood, maybe it is, maybe you're bleeding because the glass was really close to your foot when it fell but you're not sure because you can't really feel your feet or your fingers or—

"Don't move," Spencer says, voice serious, and tears well in your eyes, because this is when it all ends isn't it? "I don't want you to— honey?"

"Yes?" You croak.

His eyes are swimming with concern as he takes in your hunched shoulders, shallow breaths, and scared expression.

Understanding flickers in his features, and you resist the urge to hold your breath.

"Nothing is going to happen to you because of the glass, okay? Everything is fine. We're fine. I'm not mad. See? I'm not mad. I just don't want you to cut your feet on the glass. I'm going to clean this up and get your slippers, okay?"

"Okay." You breathe, voice hoarse. You wring your hands nervously as he leaves to retrieve the necessary supplies to clean the mess, heart beating so fast and so hard you're shocked you can't see it through your shirt.

He's not mad. He's not mad. You're not in trouble. Your parents aren't here. You're not grounded. You're not in trouble. He's not mad.

You're silent while he cleans, focused on getting your breathing under control while he babbles quietly about the history of glass making and the significance of types of wine glasses. The facts and history wash over you in steady waves, easing the tension in your shoulders bit by bit.

"I didn't think you were going to hit me, Spencer."

He continues cleaning. "It's okay if you did. I would never blame you for that."

"But I don't," You say, suddenly desperate, "I know you wouldn't, I've never been hit, not like that."

He's quiet for a few minutes. "Does this have something to do with how you've been acting recently?"

You freeze. "What do you mean?"

He looks up, leaning back on his knees. Making himself smaller, you realize. He's trying not to scare you again.

"You're dating a profiler. Also, I speak fluent you, and you've been chewing all your hangnails again. You only do that when you're stressed and pretending like you're not."

Your finger's twitch at your sides.

His hands come up slowly, and he rubs the length of your waist and hips. "We don't have to talk about it right now, but I think we should soon. I don't want you hurting all by yourself. You've had enough of that. That's what I'm here for."

He finishes cleaning up the glass, and finishes cooking dinner- he'd assured you he'd turned off all burners when the glass hit the floor, so nothing's burnt.

Once you've both eaten, he steers you towards the couch and wordlessly puts on Doctor Who.

The Pandorica is just about to open when you finally decide that if you don't start talking, you never will.

"My parents think you're going to leave me."

Spencer makes a wounded noise in his throat. "Why do they think that?"

"Because it's happened before. I'm, um. I'm not very good at getting into relationships. Or keeping them."

"But that's not your fault."

You sniff hard, rubbing your face with your sleeve. "It is though, isn't it? At least a little. I know I can be a lot. I know I'm not easy to—"

You cut yourself off, but the words hang in the air anyway; unsaid.

I'm not easy to love.

"Anyway," You say, pushing through the lump in your throat. "I just thought. I don't know. I was worried that you'd get fed up with me."

"No," He whispers, voice raw and full of something a lot heavier than fond. "No, no baby. I like that you're clingy and you ramble when you get excited, because it means that we get to talk about something together."

He shifts on the couch, sitting criss-crossed, ducking his head down to catch your gaze. "You know what else I like?"

You scoot over, mirroring his position. "What?"

"I like that you always know when I need you. Even when I don't think I do, you're there. Because I do need you. This isn't a one-way street."

His words hit you straight in your chest. "Oh."

He smiles, brows a little scrunched, brown eyes a deep pool of fondness and a splash of concern. "Yeah. And I'm thinking you need me a little more than you want to let on."

The seam of your pajama pants suddenly becomes the most interesting thing in the world. Amazing, the wonders of a sewing machine.

"Maybe."

"Mmm," He hums, "So if I need you, don't you think that you're allowed to need me?"

Your fingers pick and twirl a loose thread around. "...Yes?"

A large, firm hand covers your thigh, giving it a quick squeeze. "Yes. Not only are you allowed to need me, I want you to need me. Cause you know how you're always worried about being the best girlfriend? Well, I'm always worried about being the best boyfriend."

That makes you look up. "Really?"

He chuckles again, a little puff of air fanning your face. "Yes, really. I assure you, contrary to your past experiences, this is one of those bare minimum things in a relationship."

"That does not," He continues, immediately catching the brief flicker of doubt and shame on your face, "Mean that it is your fault at all for how you were treated in the past. You wouldn't expect me to suddenly become an expert in veterinary medicine just because I've been to the vet's office a few times, right?"

"When did you go to the vet's—"

"Shh, I'm being a good boyfriend," He holds up a hand, lips quirking up when you can't suppress a tiny giggle, "But seriously. You had no frame of reference, right? And you were being told it was your fault. But it wasn't. You didn't deserve that."

He lets his words hang in the air for a little while and allows you time to process this new information.

"What do I do now?"

"Well," He leans in, brushing his nose against yours, curls tickling your forehead, "You've got a pretty sweet deal here. Just three things. You have to keep letting me need you, let yourself need me, and one last little thing."

"What?"

You're so close your breaths are mingling.

"Let me show you what this is supposed to look like. How a man is supposed to treat a pretty girl. His pretty girl."

"Oh, well," Heat rushes to your cheeks, your stomach doing flip-flops, "That sounds pretty hard. I don't know how I'll hold up."

His hand comes up to hold the side of your face, his thumb sweeping strokes under your eye.

"You say that now, but I know what happens to you when I get romantic. You swoon."

You laugh. "I do not swoon."

"You will."

He leans down, capturing your lips in a soft, gentle kiss. It isn't a kiss-kiss. He's kissing you just to kiss you; just to let you know that he's here, that you have him.

It's sweet and perfect and exactly what you need.

--

Letting yourself need Spencer is marginally easier now that you know he needs you. Now that you know you're not going all in for someone who isn't.

He also starts needing you a bit... louder.

It's late evening, and most people have gone home except you and a couple other members of the team, all still working on paperwork.

Except Spencer, who's decided to drape himself over your shoulders like a cat, his chin resting on your head.

"Don't you have work to do?"

"Either finished it or it can be done later."

You shift your shoulders, smiling at how his grumbles vibrate against your back.

He moves his head, pressing his cheek to your head instead of his chin, heaving a deep sigh.

"Your hair smells good."

"Like what?"

"You're shampoo. Yours always smell better than mine."

You continue to work through your paperwork, Spencer a continuous and solid weight against your back.

"Is this even comfortable for your back at all?"

"Doesn't matter. Need girlfriend time."

He can't see it, but you're sure he knows how hard you blush.

--

Spencer's cooking the two of you a late breakfast in the kitchen of his apartment, hair still all mussed from sleep. He's quite the sight. You can't stop staring.

You're sitting on the counter, still dressed in your pajamas, legs swinging.

"You wanna know something cool?"

"You know it,"

"Butterflies and moths can drink blood and tears. There's nutrients in them. Purple Emperor butterflies are especially known for this. It's called mud-puddling."

"So you're telling me I should make sure I bandage any open wounds before I go to a butterfly house?"

"I guess. I can't imagine they'd be able to drink enough blood to actually cause any damage."

"Maybe we'll have to go to a butterfly house. For research."

"Should we get dinner afterwards?"

"We'll deserve it, you know, for all the hard research we'll have done."

"Hmm. Yes, I suppose so."

--

Spencer's bed is infinitely more comfortable than your bed. You're pretty sure it's a combination of the fact that it's the only thing in the entire world that smells so much like him and the fact that he spent part of his large FBI paycheck on a fancy mattress. Back support is very important to him.

You're doing a little reading before bed, shamelessly sprawled all over him while he does his own reading. You've got a leg hooked over his hips, the other tangled with his legs, and your arms and head pillowed on his chest. You move a little every time he takes a breath, and more than once you've paused in your reading, mesmerized by the feeling.

He shifts under you, setting his book down on his night stand and making himself more comfortable.

"Should I move?"

"No," he says, voice deep and gravelly with sleep. He wraps his arms around your waist, pulling you flush to him, face pressed to the crook of your neck. He breathes deep, scruffy stubble scratching against your skin. "Like you close. Good for sleep."

Even with the lamp on, and your book in your hand, you fall asleep soon after him.

--

It's an ordinary evening for the two of you. Discarded dishes sit on the coffee table in front of the teeth, neither of you paying them any attention, wrapped up in each other and eyes glued to the T.V.

You look up at Spencer who's watching Doctor Who with the focus of a man who's never seen it, even though you know for a fact he's seen it before, several times in fact.

"I want to know the things you like," He'd said simply, the one time you'd asked why he takes your nightly Doctor Who watching so seriously.

And tonight's no different. Tonight, he looks... well, he looks like Spencer. His face illuminated by the TV screen, his hair all mussed from you running your hands through it earlier.

And it just kind of all hits you at once. You know.

"I love you."

He looks down at you, his expression soft and surprised. When your words register, his expression is so sickeningly fond and happy you can't help but lean in, burying your face in his chest. He rubs your back consolingly, then presses a little kiss to the crown of your head.

"I love you too."

⋆⭒˚.⋆

taglist: @topsecret101 @slowdownpal @leeknowpegger @sunbl3achedfly @hiireadstuff @paige0103 @private190104 @beautyb1ade @coraline-jones353 @pleasenter-sandman @sttvrdustt @gluchie @thomasintheshadows @dessamira1001 @bbleeeeh @hufflely-puffly @bippityboppityboob1tch @buggys-space @redxfangirl @liauchiha147 @dreaming-potato @meandyoulollz @jobrosimp

[fastandcarlos]

My Favourite Alonso : ̗̀➛ George Russell

summary: after being introduced at last to some of your brother’s fellow drivers, one particular brit captures your attention…

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

liked by fernandoalo_oficial, landonorris and 1,492,262 others

georgerussell63: another awesome week on the track, disappointed with the result but the car is starting to feel real good 🩵

184,967 comments

username1: trust the process george, you got this!!

landonorris: notice how I’m closing the gap in the second photo??

georgerussell63: @/landonorris you keep telling yourself that my friend…

username2: imagine being such good friends with a legend like it’s nothing 😭

fernandoalo_oficial: proudest day of my life making it onto the grid of THE george russell

georgerussell63: @/fernandoalo_oficial: you’ve really made it in life now 😂

username3: have you ever met a more popular driver on the grid??

kimi.antonelli: it was awesome to be there and learn so much from you this weekend 🩵

username4: we’re always so proud of you regardless of the result 👏🏻

lewishamilton: great drive again my friend, we’re on the rise as we finish the season!

username5: how anyone can drive in those conditions is crazy to me 🤯

mercedesamgf1: another great race weekend george 🩵

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

liked by lewishamilton, carlossainz55 and 1,483,958 others

georgerussell63: you could be forgiven for thinking my summer holiday involved a lot of food, and you would be absolutely spot on 🥂

163,968 comments

username6: forget the food wtf is going on in that middle photo 🤔

charles_leclerc: damn someone’s really dressed to impress their girl over the summer break! 🔥

username7: not even food could distract us from that photo george

landonorris: the secretive post is such an ick btw 😂

georgerussell63: @/landonorris no one is as big of an ick as you are!

username8: I’m so happy to see you enjoying your not so single summer!!

username9: scrolling through socials to see if I’ve missed anything…

maxverstappen1: stop trying to be like the cool kids with your soft launch 🙄

lewishamilton: didn’t even tell your own teammate you had a girlfriend before telling the world 😭

username10: don’t think food was the only thing it involved a lot of judging by these photos 🤨

danielricciardo: stop trying to disguise your gf with food 😂

username11: you can’t just post something like this without telling us more 😫

fernandoalo_oficial: I feel like a proud dad 🥹

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

liked by georgerussell63, lancestroll and 59,472 others

ynalonso: he’s a little more soft launch than me 🥺

6,381 comments

username12: thank you yn for doing george’s work for him 👏🏻

landonorris: and this is why you’re the favourite compared to george, never leave us hanging!!

oscarpiastri: I knew it was you all along 👀

username13: now this is the sorta partnership I can get behind 😂

iamrebeccad: remember a couple of weeks ago when I asked you if anything was going on and you said no!?

ynalonso: @/iamrebeccad I’m sorry we just weren’t ready to share 😭😭

username14: now it makes sense why he’s suddenly become so much more friendly with fernando…

danielricciardo: george really do he making himself friendly with the alonso family these days 😉

username15: his summer was definitely more than just food…george is a liar 😂

pierregasly: a little bit!? you’ve just come at us outta nowhere yn!!

fernandoalo_oficial: I wanna act surprise but secretly I was rooting for you two all along 🙌🏻

ynalonso: @/fernandoalo_oficial best. brother. ever. 😘

username16: yn is already my best friend simply cause she hard launches!!

lancestroll: you can’t go abandoning your aston martin roots now you know 💚💪🏻

username17: I refuse to believe that there are two better drivers who could make the best brothers in law 🥺🥺🥺

georgerussell63: why did I try so hard to be secretive for the whole summer 😂

ynalonso: @/georgerussell63 I just enjoyed tormenting you 🥰

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

liked by lewishamilton, fernandoalo_oficial and 64,968 others

ynalonso: every half an hour I keep switching hats and hoping that no one notices 😂

6,973 comments

username18: you can’t have two favourites yn it’s forbidden 😂

georgerussell63: as long as you prefer the blue hat to the green hat idm 🩵

username19: I’ve got images of yn sprinting between the garages all weekend

landonorris: still don’t know why you could pick either of those when you could pick papaya 🧡

carlossainz55: @/landonorris or even better still pick ferrari red ❤️

ynalonso: @/landonorris @/carlossainz55 you’re both far too annoying for me 😂

username20: can’t wait to see fernando vs george to keep yn in their garage 🥊

lancestroll: every time you runaway and go to mercedes I’m sure I hear fernando cry 😂

ynalonso: @/lancestroll he’s always been the dramatic sibling 🙄

username21: their hats are bright blue and bright green ofc we’ll notice 😂

lewishamilton: we’ll give you whatever you want if you pick mercedes instead 😉

username22: this not a sustainable way of living yn 🙃

fernandoalo_oficial: just remember you’ve been green a lot longer than you have blue 💚

username23: you need a makeshift blue and green hat for best of both worlds!!

alex_albon: safe yourself the hassle and come and join lily at williams, she keeps moaning she’s lonely 😂

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

liked by landonorris, charles_leclerc and 67,593 others

ynalonso: just for all the people wondering how george and nando are such good friends, a collection of photos I’ve taken of the two of them over the years 🩵💚

7,138 comments

username24: for everyone saying these two weren’t close before yn…here’s your proof 👆🏻

georgerussell63: I look like I’m about ten years old in that first photo 🥺

ynalonso: @/georgerussell63 still just as handsome now you’re an old man 😂

georgerussell63: @/ynalonso still nowhere near as old as your brother 😝

username25: the friendship these two have had has always been special!

maxverstappen1: now I feel old looking at how old these two now are too

username26: I can imagine fernando being the one to set them up somehow 🤔

fernandoalo_oficial: don’t tell him this now I’m supposed to be the intimidating older brother…but he’s easily my favourite driver 🥹

ynalonso: @/fernandoalo_oficial you are the least intimidating person ik 😂

username27: look at baby george in the first photo 😫

alex_albon: someone explain please how fernando is only getting better with age!?

ynalonso: @/alex_albon it’s those alonso genes 🤩

landonorris: isn’t it about time that george got himself a different haircut!?

username28: fernando watching george grow up right before his very eyes 😭

danielricciardo: the kids grow up so fast 🤧

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

liked by alex_albon, lewishamilton and 1,293,068 others

georgerussell63: she’s not used to hugging tall guys 😉

168,492 comments

username29: not george calling fernando out like this 😂

fernandoalo_oficial: just because you’re dating my sister don’t think I’ll let you get away with height jokes russell!!

georgerussell63: @/fernandoalo_oficial I’m sorry fernando please don’t hate me 😭

username30: you can’t be mean you’re basically family now 😭

danielricciardo: you’re a brave man making a joke like that 👏🏻

username31: good luck yn dealing with these two together!!

landonorris: nothing wrong with being a little bit on the smaller side 🤨

username32: you’re supposed to get her family to like you george not hate your guts

oscarpiastri: not everyone has the pleasure of walking around like a weird giraffe like you!

username33: can’t believe he’s done fernando dirty like this 😂

ynalonso: he might be small but he sure is mighty, I’d watch your back russell 😫

username34: this dynamic is delivering more than I ever thought it would!

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

liked by ynalonso, landonorris and 1,294,067 others

georgerussell63: happy birthday to my love, turns out the alonso family know how to party too 💞🍾

48,492 comments

username35: this might be my favourite post of all time 🤩

oscarpiastri: happy birthday yn, thank you for such an awesome party last night!

ynalonso: I think it’s safe to say I’ll never forget last night, thank you for organising it all babe 💞

username36: who knew fernando and george were actually the double act we all needed

danielricciardo: now share the rest of the photos you have from last nigh!?

georgerussell63: @/danielricciardo if I shared many more of the photos I have I’ll probably get banned by instagram 😂

username37: I can’t stop thinking about this party and these photos 😂😂

landonorris: I can’t erase the image of fernando on the table from my eyes!!!

alex_albon: no one enjoyed themselves at the party last night more than fernando!!

username38: who knew fernando still had all those moves…

maxverstappen1: I don’t think I’ll recover from what I saw last night for a long time hahah

username39: at least now we all know exactly where yn gets it from!!

fernandoalo_oficial: remember what happens at the club stays at the club 😉

georgerussell63: @/fernandoalo_oficial I have a lot more respect for you after last night 🍷

username40: george you have no idea that you’re about to be part of the best family ever 🤩

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

[cherryredstars]

holy sbit i just read your actor!mig oneshot and i’m frothing at the mouthjfjfjdand it got me thinking

how would reader react if mig had to do a sex scene for a movie? i mean she’d be fine with outwardly but inwardly, understandably she’d be jealous asf, even though there is security in their relationship i feel like it would be difficult, how would mig react to her being insecure? or maybe jealous because of that🥹

(i saw ur requests were open and i couldn’t help myself, tysm for reading this and you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to i love your work regardless<333)

Pairing: Miguel O’Hara x fem!reader

Warnings: 18+, NSFW, Insecurity, Mirror Sex, Praise, Fingering, Oral Sex, Mentions to Breeding Kinks

Summary: Nothing but a good sex scene. 

Word Count: 2K (Not Edited)

Part 1

The internet sucks.

You know that, Miguel knows that, everyone knows it. Yet, here you are, hurting your own feelings as your phone feeds you countless posts about your boyfriend and his new movie. His new movie that also stars a really popular, really really pretty female co-star. Who he had sex with. Cinematically. In the movie.

Movie sex is not real sex. Miguel says and reminds you all the time. Most of the time, sex scenes only consist of the actors being shirtless and zoomed in shots of their upper bodies. Convenient things like a perfectly placed object or being under the sheets hid the fact nothing is actually going on. Miguel always assures you that, if the directors want a real sex scene, he’d be out of there in seconds. 

But still, all the edits and tweets and pictures that are filling up every corner of the internet make your skin raise and ache. It definitely looks real. It’s not really a surprise, Miguel and his co-star are wonderful actors. They’re so good at their jobs. It makes you feel gross. Especially when you can’t stop replaying the scene over and over again. It’s not hard to find it, the scene devours the internet like a wildfire. 

She looks pretty. No, not pretty, gorgeous. Hot and sexy and erotic. Nothing like you at all. Her skin is impossibly smooth, shiny and soft. Her lips are painted in a deep red that pops against her skin and draws attention to her perfectly sculpted face. Even if it weren’t for the lipstick, the calculated moans she makes for the camera draws your attention to her mouth. Her moans are perfectly pitched. They’re breathy and her mouth forms the perfect ‘o’. It makes you rub at your throat, an uneasy feeling getting stuck there. You don’t moan like that. 

Her facial expressions are amazing too. Brows furrowed in a way that perfectly showcases her pleasure. But they don’t look funny or distort her face too drastically. When her eyes roll back, her eyelashes flutter so nicely. She doesn’t look possessed or ugly. Your hand subconsciously rubs at your cheek. You don’t look so effortlessly pretty like that.

It ruins you. Why would Miguel possibly want to have sex with you if he has pretty, hotter co-stars? The thought sticks with you even with Miguel on top of you. Usually, you’d be on your back, legs spread and exposed for his viewing pleasure. But you can’t, not today. So Miguel has begrudgingly agreed to take you in a different position. Your ass is in the air, upper body pressed into the mattress. Your face is completely hidden from his view, something Miguel isn’t the happiest about. What’s even worse, he can barely even hear you. You’re pushing your face into one of the stupid pillows, muffling the minimal sounds you’re making. 

Usually, you’re moaning and whining uncontrollably under him. Your mouth never shutting as noise spills from your swollen lips. It drives him crazy to hear your verbal pleasure. The pleasure he gives you. Sometimes you’re babbling broken sentences or just calling out his name, but it's everything to him. So hearing almost complete silence from you, paired with not being able to see your reactions, shoots worry through him. 

He tries everything he knows drives you crazy. He leans forward and pinches and tugs at your clit. It twitches in his fingers, but you don’t make your usual gasps. He spreads your legs wider and juts his hips into you with more force, hitter deeper against your wall. You don’t give him that beautiful, high-pitched scream of his name. You instead, shove your face into the pillow and hum. He leans in and whines into your ear about how tight you are. How he really, really wishes the two of you would throw away all protection so he can fill you up with his baby. Instead of begging and babbling, you wiggle your hips and push back into him. 

Something awful hits his chest. Did he do something wrong? Are you upset with him? Are you not feeling well? Does it not feel good?

He instantly stills, all the arousal he once had disintegrating. He pulls out slowly, not wanting to hurt you. You turn to him in confusion, brows furrowed from over the pillow. He flips you over gently, turning you on your back and dragging you close to him. You still have that pillow pressed to your lower face, arms wrapped around it. You look like a damn vision, naked before him with your hair spread out on the bed. You look like an offering with that white pillow covering your face and chest, leaving him to only focus on your big doe eyes and the fact your legs are spread to accommodate his body. Innocent and cute and sexy. 

His hands land on your outer thighs, warm and big as they rub up and down your skin. It makes you melt into the bed, a sleepy look masking your eyes. Miguel’s heart sings at the pure content on your face, but it doesn’t drown out his concern. He can feel unease in the air and his hair stands on end. Slowly, you pull the pillow away from your face as you realize he isn’t going to slip back inside of you.

“Why y’stop?” you call out shyly to him, a small pout on your lips. You seem nervous and Miguel’s hands tighten on your thighs. 

“You’re acting differently. What’s wrong?” He counters. 

You grow bashful under him, pulling the pillow up to hide your cheeks that are colored in shame. You simply shrug, turning away from him as you slowly start to close your legs. He doesn’t stop you, but he doesn’t take his hands off of you. He helps you sit up when you make the move to, his hand moving to grasp both of yours. He gives them a comforting squeeze and a kiss to your forehead. Your eyes flutter shut, breathing in the comforting clean scent he carries. 

“What’s wrong, mi vida?” He asks again. 

You don’t respond. But you don’t have to. Miguel looks at you like he knows. He always knows. Tentative and caring Miguel who always knows. His kiss to your forehead is rougher, more pressure behind it before he pulls away. The way he carries you is effortless, like he’s carrying a bag of feathers. He moves the two of you to the opposite side of the bed, directly in front of the wall of mirrors that make up the walk-in closet. He sits down first, maneuvering you to sit on his thigh with your back pressed to his front. 

Your eyes are glued to your reflection, naked against Miguel with nothing but a fluffy pillow hiding you. His face nudges at your jawline and neck. He places soft kisses along the skin, distracting you as he takes the pillow from you. He places it to the side, still within your reach. Your fingers itch to grab at it again, but you resist. Instead, you close your eyes and focus on the way Miguel’s fingertips glide over your warm skin and make you shiver. You lean back into him, head resting against his shoulder. His hands travel down, and you bury your face into the crook of his neck to hide your gasp. His fingers caress the lasting stickiness between your thighs, his own leg moving to widen yours. You peek at the mirror from beside his neck, eyes falling to the glistening between your thighs. Your cheeks heat and you nuzzle your face into Miguel as a way to hide. He hums against you, hand still moving and collecting your juices on his finger. You whimper when he pushes it in, thumb swiping gently over your clit.

“Shh, taking it so well, mi hermosa. My pretty baby.” He coos gently into your ear, curling his finger inside of you. 

Your hips buck instinctively, another whine leaving as his finger grazes your walls. His other hand comes to massage your hip and your eyes catch the movement in the mirror. Miguel is looking at the mirror too, studying you. His touch is soft, his finger pumping in and out of you slowly. You moan into his neck, eyes fluttering when he adds another. They scissor inside of you, meeting together to curl. Your hand comes up to hold his, taking it away from your hip and squeezing it tight to stabilize you. 

He hums into your hair, muttering soft praise into the strands. His fingers continue curling, going to the knuckle so he can press onto the gummy spot inside of you. You can’t hold in your moans anymore, giving them freely to him. It makes him smile, kissing the crown of your head. 

“That’s it, singing so prettily for me, yeah?” He asks, letting go of your hand to grab your chin. 

He removes your face from his neck, making you face him. Your eyes are droopy from pleasure, and your lips are parted slightly so soft moans can escape. It makes his cock jump, but he ignores it to give you a sweet kiss. It’s soft and passionate. His lips opened and slanted against yours. His tongue is warm as it slips into your mouth, caressing your own until the both of you are moaning into each other's mouth. It makes your head foggy and you forget all about what you were scared about before. 

When Miguel pulls away, he turns back to the mirror and groans at the sight of you. You’re slick is dripping down his fingers and your skin fucking glows in the reflection. His fingers speed up, his thumb pressing into your swollen bud. 

“Been thinking about you so much, y’know that. Was fucking fantasizing about you during that whole movie. Imagining doing all those things in the script to you drove me fucking crazy. Had to take care of myself in my dressing room thinking about your cute little noises and the faces you make. Mi hermosa nena.”

The little whimper you let out paired with the tightening of your walls is fucking precious. He pulls you into another kiss, quickening his fingers until your whole body is twitching. You have to pull away from the kiss, your hand clawing to his arm and nails digging in as your moans get louder. With a hard flick to your clit and the curling of his fingers, your body is shaking with an orgasm. Your toes curl, head thrown back against his shoulder as he finger fucks you through your orgasm. 

“That’s, that’s my beautiful girl. Ride it out baby, I got you.” He mumbles against your shoulder, pressing kisses along the curve of skin. 

He only stops pumping into you when your hand pushes him away. Your body is heaving with the effort of breathing, and Miguel watches every second through the mirror. When you finally compose yourself, you nuzzle into his skin. It makes Miguel smile, kissing your hair again before gently lifting you off of his lap and laying you down on the bed. You watch hypnotized as he sucks his fingers into his mouth, humming around them before popping them back out. You whine softly at him, and he chuckles down at you. 

He leaves you on the bed, vanishing into the bathroom before coming back with a towel. It makes your brows furrow, leaning up and your elbows as he begins to clean you up. 

“But… What about you?” You ask, eyes trailing down to his prominent hard-on. 

Miguel follows your line of sight, shaking his head when he looks back up at you. “Don’t worry about it baby, all I care about right now is you.”

His confession makes you melt, letting yourself sink into the bed. His touch is gentle as he cleans you, and he throws the towel to the floor when he’s done. He hovers over you, leaning down to kiss you softly before resting his head against yours. 

“Te amo, mi amor.”

And you know. He always lets you know.

[mzxixi]

SUPERSTAR

──────────────────────

𓍯𓂃Sakusa Kiyoomi x model!Reader

after years of being outshined by his teammates Sakusa Kiyoomi needed a solution. The solution? Its you. Y/n L/n a model who is gaining popularity daily is just the perfect opportunity for him to get his name on the headlines. Will she be the root to his success or will she be the cause of his down fall?!

Tags/warnings: nothing much other than drinking

Note: this took so long cuz I’ve been rlly busy lately. Don’t mind any grammar mistakes English is not my first language🥹.Let me know if you want to be added into the tag list

──────────────────────Masterlist ~ next chapter ──────────────────────

It wasn’t new to him. Seeing his teammates on the news and all over social media except for him. It’s not like he has never received any attention but compared to his teammates he felt out of place. What can he do to get his name out there? Why do they get most of the attention?. Sighing as he put his phone down. “Hey Omi-omi you’re still here?” A blond setter sat next to him which irritated him even more. He thought he could finally be alone in the locker room but no.

“When’s your flight?” The blond asks. Sakusa did not want to answer him or even talk to him he let out a sigh “ 4 in the morning” his tone of voice was enough to let the other man know he wasn’t in the mood for a conversation. Atsumu got up grabbing his things from his locker before leaving Sakusa alone. “Have fun in new york”

“Thanks” he knew it was going to be the opposite of fun

What was there to like about bunch of models walking down the runway probably half naked

5 in the morning. It was too early for him to be waking up but there he was boarding his plane half awake and was reading to sleep throughout the whole flight. Luckily his seat was comfortable enough.

5 hours into the flight. He woke up to see his cousin reading a Magazine. Why did Komori had to follow him and why were they on the same flight. “I can’t believe this chick lives in Japan?” Noticing Sakusa was awake he tried to make conversation. “I don’t even see her on the front cover of our magazines” Sakusa hummed before closing his eyes again.

11 hours. They landed in New York . After arriving at their hotel all Sakusa wanted to do was rest but komori had other plans. “Let’s go grab dinner”. Right he wasn’t alone on this trip. Thankfully he doesn’t have to share a room. Feeling hungry himself he agreed.

They did not make reservations beforehand. They were told They had to wait 20 minutes before they were seated. Waiting outside Sakusa was getting impatient. He was about to leave until he was cameras flashing. They were all pointed towards a black sedan. Exiting the car was a face he had never seen before. The cameras flashed rapidly with some paparazzi desperate trying to get her attention. “She’s even prettier up close” he heard his cousin whispered. “That’s the girl I saw on the magazine. The one I showed you”

“Y/n can I take a photo with you?” a girl beside him asked. He wasn’t exactly judging her but why does she have to be so excited about meeting some unknown celebrity on the streets of New York . He did not notice he was eyeing the both of you until your gaze met his smiling at him.He did not even return your smile.

What’s so interesting about this girl?

──────────────────────

To say you were nervous was an understatement. You were excited and anxious. This is your first fashion show outside of Japan who would’ve thought you’ve made it this far. Certainly not you. But with your parents being highly respected individuals you weren’t surprised they probably bribe someone to get your name out there. But it doesn’t really matter to you because as far as you know today you will be a model for Dior.

“I met a guy yesterday” you said to your manager. “Y/n sit still and let emmy do her job” your manager pointed at your hairstylist. Emmy chuckled “no it’s ok. Continue miss y/n”. Your manager rolled her eyes before letting you continue. “I did not actually meet up with him” you started “we just crossed path and he happens to be standing right next to a fan I was taking photos with” you couldn’t really remember much other than his attractiveness. “But I smiled at him and he doesn’t seem to like me much” you express.

“So he’s a total stranger” your hairdresser spoke up before Akiko could. You were sure you are not going to see him again so you brushed it off and changed the topic. “I wonder what dress I am going to wear” you haven’t seen your outfit yet and you were excited to see it. “It’s beautiful” your manager says as she took a sip of her coffee. “So beautiful it’ll make that guy wish he had smiled at you back” you let out a laugh at your manager words.

She wasn’t lying when she said the dress you were wearing is beautiful. The dress you are wearing is a black lace dress that will surely capture the eyes of your audience. “Am I old enough to wear a dress this short?” The dress was surely too short but who cares.

You were beyond nervous Scared that you will mess up and ruin your whole career. In a few seconds you were about to make a name for yourself.

Walking down the runway wasn’t so bad. You just had to mind your step and make yourself look presentable. You could tell the audience loved your dress looking at each one of them you were happy they were pleased by how you looked but one particular audience caught you off guard.

It was him. The guy you saw the other night. Same curly hair and stoic expression.

You nearly messed up when you saw him. Who was he? Was he some kind of celebrity you don’t know off? What ever it is you were surely going to find out who he is.

“You did so good out there darling” your mom greeted you with a hug. “Be more careful next time I saw you nearly mess things up” she said strictly. Did she come here to praise you or lecture you. You messed up because of a guy but you weren’t going to tell her that.You weren’t in the mood to deal with all her lectures “it’s my first time and I got nervous” you cleared things up. Your mom had always been strict with you. Always wanted you to be a model and even having a strict diet for you which you had to obey majority of your life. She always find a way to push you way past your limits and you were growing tired of her

“Whatever I’ll see you at the hotel” she kissed ur cheeks before leaving.

──────────────────────

New York felt like a dream come true you couldn’t believe how this city can be so bright and full of life even during the late hours. You wanted to have some fun here but the problem is your mother. You hated how she won’t even let you have some time for yourself here.

You couldn’t believe you were here with someone like your mother. Dragging your feet along the hotel lobby you stumble upon someone familiar. A model who you met earlier. Amelia Martinez. “Y/n,surprised to see you here” you were surprised too. Surprised she even noticed you. Amelia was a senior with much more experience than you. She was tall,beautiful and had the perfect characteristics to be a model. Who wouldn’t be jealous of her.

“Amelia” you forced yourself to greet her. To tired to even deal with anyone right now. You noticed that she was all dressed up ready to go out. Out of curiosity you gathered up the courage to ask her which to your surprised she answered excitedly “I’m just heading to the club down the street” she answered cheerfully “do you want to come with me? It’ll be lonely if I go there by myself” was she really inviting you to hand out with her?

This was the perfect opportunity to enjoy your time here in new York and to get away from your mother for at least a couple of hours. Without thinking twice you went with her in what ever clothes you were wearing.

Amelia turned out to be better than you expected. She was open minded and out going. “And that’s how I became a model” her story made you feel a wave of jealousy rush over you. She had always wanted to become a model and had all of her familys support while you never had anyone’s support and all you got was a pushy mother who wanted “the best” for you. “You’re off to a great start y/n” her words sounded genuine and you liked how she praises you. As the night goes on you and her were having the time of your lives. You will admit that you were a bit drunk.

Heading over to the bar. You noticed a familiar figure sitting all alone in the corner away from all the people. You had to look at him twice to finally remember who that person is.

It was him. The one you saw at the restaurant and during your show. Without thinking twice you approached him in your drunken state.

“Usually the prince is the one who goes searching for his princess but in this universe the princess is the one searching for her prince”

──────────────────────

Tag list: @miliondollagirl

[29625]

I just saw your post, I’ve been absent from tumblr the last few days. What are your favorite headcanons about Slider, Mav and/or Slimav? (You don’t have to do all three-just whatever tickles your fancy)

I hope you feel better soon!

Hii!! Thank you for the ask!! In fact, you are the first person to appear in my inbox and pardon my overenthusiasm because that meant a lot! I’m recovering day by day. Haven’t been able to write a substantial amount, but I’m trying! I wholeheartedly appreciate your kind words! 🥹

Out of all the somewhat popular headcannons I’ve seen, I suppose Rick Rossovich himself saying Slider is a pleaser is by far my favorite. Like—I can totally see that. I can see he is just…tender at heart, and his whole jokester attitude has the undertone of a caring, soft side of his. I also base my fics on the idea that Slider loves cooking and his love language is food which is just…something else. I was so surprised to know that Kronk, one of my favorite Disney villains (?) growing up, was created based on Slider! Tender himbo attraction runs deep I guess

And now that I’m talking about headcannons, sorry if it doesn’t really fit your original ask, but here are some random assemblies of my own headcannons about Sli, Mav, and Slimav!! Sorry the list is kinda long—had so much fun responding to the ask and finally getting to dump all the small things I think about them! 😫🫶

• Slider is the oldest child, while Maverick is an only child. Slider is usually the one to back down first in fights, and Maverick is usually the one to apologize first.

• Slider is a Virgo (like Rick Rossovich is) and Maverick is a Leo.

• Slider is originally from Orange, California, around the Huntington Beach area (where a lot of my favorite punk bands are from), but moved to Staten Island, New York to live with his nana when he was in middle school.

• Maverick is pansexual, and Slider is gay.

• Slider peels potatoes before boiling them, while Maverick just dunks them straight into the pot. Maverick once teased him for being delicate for his looks, and Slider just shrugged and told him that he just cared about the “proper” way of cooking.

• They both can’t draw for shit. They always insist the other is worse, though.

• Slider’s biggest fear is betraying others, and Maverick’s is abandonment.

• They definitely have tried to switch their perfumes. Let’s just say it didn’t really go well. Cute if Maverick’s cologne with marine notes smells like a sharp, synthetic, windex type of mess on Sli (when on his skin, it smells of something young and dangerous) and Sli’s woody cologne smells like a burned moss with a tinge of heavy incense and funerals and mothballs (when he smells nothing but a cozy, warm, welcoming scent when it’s on his skin)

• Slider’s all time favorite album is The Cars (self-titled).

• Maverick’s all time favorite album is Next Position Please by Cheap Trick—trust me, “I Can’t Take It” and “You Say Jump” is just…Maverick. The smooth awkwardness with a hint of assertiveness and dominance is just so on point!! Go Pete go!! Go and cage your love in your arms to devour him with your hungry fangs goddamn!!!

• Slider’s “sad boy hour” album is Power Corruption and Lies by New Order. (And he has a shirt from their tour, which actually makes a brief appearance in the ch. 4 of Just What I Needed. Small detail much! I know! “Age of Consent” captures how much a pleaser Slider can naturally be, and “5 8 6” is underrated yet a perfect representation of early/pre-Slimav.)

• Slider sings while driving, even to the songs Maverick has randomly chosen on the AUX.

• They are both very messy planners when it comes to traveling.

• Slider’s enneagram is 2w3, and Maverick is a 8w7. Like I said, Slider is a pleaser—that appears to be a stand-offish jokester at first! And Maverick? Yeah, let’s just say, a maverick

• They are about 3-4 years apart; my headcannon is Maverick was about 25 and Slider was about 28 in TG.

• Slider is of Eastern German origin; his nana and his mother emigrated to the US right after WW2. He speaks German fluently, but thinks he needs to learn formal and written aspects of the language.

• Maverick used to work at a Latino grocery store in high school and picked up some Spanish. He was a cherished chico among the aunties.

• Slider played baseball and was an ace pitcher up until he moved to his nana’s place. He then got into bodybuilding in high school. He still likes to watch the games, as well as soccer which he got into in the 1991 World Cup (wherein the legendary “World in Motion” by New Order was born. We are playing for England—En-g-land‼️‼️🗣️🗣️🗣️)

• Maverick was a track and field athlete and played sprints. Unlike Slider, he’s a motor sports fan through and through.

• Despite their differences in tastes in sports, they enjoy snuggling on the couch, cheering like a kid (mostly done by Sli) and talking shit about the play even though he doesn’t know the rules (mostly done by Mav).

[reallypleasanttree]

hiiiii! It’s been a while since I started reading your fanfic, and I’m literally addicted to Wedding Plans! (My entourage is getting a bit tired of me because I talk about it so much 🥲). I’m currently watching the Bridgerton series, and there’s a scene that kind of reminds me of Obamitsu—it might just be me being overly obsessed with them! It’s in Season 1, Episode 8, around 53 minutes.

I just wanted to tell you that your story is absolutely incredible 🥹

Thank you so much, Taissy! I know the scene you’re talking about where Daphne tells Simon he’s worthy of love.  

Daphne: I am tired of pretending. And I cannot continue acting as if I... As if I do not love you. Because I do. l love all of you. Even the parts that you believe are too dark and too shameful. Every scar. Every flaw. Every imperfection. I love you. You may think you are too damaged and too broken to ever allow yourself to be happy, but you can choose differently, Simon. Nope, you’re not being overly obsessed because these lines definitely fit Obanai and Mitsuri. Obanai’s self loathing and low self esteem make him feel unworthy of love and Mitsuri. If they had had the time she might have been able to convince him, but we’ll never know. That’s what fanfiction is for though

Please enjoy some Obamitsu from the “Wedding Plans” epilogue 🌕 I’m splitting it into two parts and it will mostly be domestic fluff.

“Ah, coming here was such a good idea,” Mitsuri said, looking at the shrine’s intricate details. This shrine was one of the most popular venues for the Tsukimi Festival. There were lantern lights hanging from beams of wood, artificial candles lining the decorative waist height walls, and families walking up on the stone steps.  “I’m surprised you wanted to come though.” She held her fingers to her lips, contemplating her words. 

“You didn’t want to spend the night alone, did you?” He asked. “I don’t like crowds, but I can’t avoid them for forever and having you by my side makes it easier.” Her lips pulled up into a smile making this all worth it. They were seated on a bench a ways off from the main shrine. A plate of tsukimi dango laid by his side on top of two empty plates. Mitsuri wore a white and pink kimono with sakura blossoms on the sleeves and a darker pink obi. He donned a dark grey kimono and stripes on the hemline. 

“Do you remember the last time we celebrated this festival?” She asked. He dipped his head. It was precisely the reason why he wanted to come here tonight. “The moon was beautiful that night, wasn’t it?” Mitsuri asked before she looked up at the full moon. It was a rich amber shade, perfect for the mid autumn festival. 

“Yes, it was,” Obanai answered.

Mitsuri was too enamored with the moon to notice him. He paused for a moment to take in the moment. She’d always been beautiful to him, but right now she looked like a goddess. The glow of the moon reflected in her emerald eyes. There was nothing he wouldn’t give to see the world through her hopefulness and light. 

Obanai reached his hand up and pretended to pinch the moon. Mitsuri looked between his hand and his face before laughing, the corners of her eyes crinkling. I hope we share this night in every lifetime.

[talk-danmei-to-me]

hiii! so glad to see someone giving yuwu the love it deserves 🥹🤍 meatbun is a pretty popular writer so i’m kinda surprised that yuwu is just so genuinely underrated [especially since i feel her writing in this has improved since erha] even bing an ben is more popular, i think. i’m on book 3 and i’m thoroughly enjoying it [though i’ll admit it took me a while to really warm up to gu mang, since i’d latched onto mo xi immediately like a koala on an eucalyptus tree so i was miffed at anyone who hurt him, even his love 😬]. nice to see someone spreading the word about this book 😅🫶

Convincing people to read Yuwu is my main tumblr mission! I’m glad you noticed lol.

I’m not really big into fandom outside of tumblr and dabbling in Reddit but I would say in my experience Yuwu is more popular than Bing an Ben. I love Bing an Ben, but talking about it is literally like shouting into the void.

I mean obvs 2ha is the most popular Meatbun novel which is fine, Mo Ran is one of my all time favourite protagonists. I think what I’ve noticed is that both Meatbun and MXTX got really popular at a similar time because they were the first to get licensed through seven seas. But then MXTX has an insane amount of adaptions to her name and I think that’s led to a skew in the Western fandom. More content leads to more fandom output. I want Yuwu, Bing an Ben and 2ha to have the same level of fandom shenanigans as tgcf, mdzs and svsss. But Meatbun didn’t have the Untamed doing the heavy lifting for her in Lockdown.

Meatbun adaptions are a fantasy in general. I mean I adore her, but nothing she’s written is getting through censorship at this point without ending up a pile of garbage. Just because of how she threads the romance through the narrative. It’s so good but if you take it away it just wouldn’t make sense.

And I’ve gone on a a tangent… BUT my point is that basically I’d love if Meatbun, or any other danmei writer tbh, could reach the heights of mxtx in the western fandom.

Now, back to Yuwu - Gu Mang gets you in vol 3 and then you will be as ride or die for him as Mo Xi! Cons of the memory loss plot I think. Although he had some solid scenes in vol 2.

I’m literally so excited for vol 6!

[pop-pop-pop-popculture]

WICKED: PART 1 REVIEW 🧹🫧

Oh my GOD. I...I actually... loved this????

Songs/Singing

"No One Mourns the Wicked" - I rate this song a 5/5

"Dear Old Shiz" - I don't really care about this song

"The Wizard and I" - I loved the sense of optimism and excitement in Cynthia's singing, which was important to me (and obviously the character considering the reason for Elphaba singing this), as well as her facial expressions. Honestly... this song ended up being cute. I rate this song a 4/5.

"What is This Feeling?" - I rate this song a 4/5

"Something Bad" - Peter is not the best singer but he's not the worst. Regarding the soundtrack, I love how context was provided before he proceeded to sing. Some of the lyrics and the setup of the song were changed, and I really liked it. Instead of beginning the song in class after everyone except Elphaba leaves, Doctor Dillamond is talking to the remaining animal professors, and that's when the song comes in. I love how eerie and dark it was compared to the Broadway version. I rate this song a 3/5.

"Dancing Through Life" - Regarding the soundtrack, I'm surprised the 'What's the most swankified place in town?' conversation was cut. Anyways, this was such a joy to watch despite the song being almost ten minutes long! Jonathan's tone of energy while singing wasn't steady in my opinion, but that didn't make me like this song any less. His version was good! I rate this song a 3/5.

"Popular" - You know what? Ariana went hard with this one and I was pleased. Her singing was pleasant to listen to compared to how she usually sings as well, and I can tell she took inspiration from Kristin all the while adding her own spin. She clearly had fun singing this one. I rate this song a 5/5.

"I'm Not That Girl" - I don't really care about this song, but I still want to add this: Cynthia has such a beautiful singing voice. I rate this song a 5/5.

"One Short Day" - I like how it started slow and then the energy in all of the citizens singing gradually increased as well as the pace of the song. It's different from the Broadway version and I don't know which one I like better. Now, I simply cannot forget to mention the 'The Wise Ones' interlude during Wizomania... . My heart, man. My fucking heart. 🥹 I’m writing a separate post on the interlude, because it was a lot for me to take in. I rate this song a 4/5.

"Sentimental Man" - I don't really care about this song

"Defying Gravity" - OH. MY GOD. I can't even write out my thoughts on this one (maybe I will another time)... . For now, I'm just going to say that I rate this song a 5/5.

Cynthia and Ariana are good at singing, and they don't sound bad together. I still, and will always, prefer Idina and Kristin, though. However, they made a good duo. Surprisingly, I was impressed, and the two actresses plus the film in general exceeded my expectations. Also, regarding the songs, I have to applaud Stephen Schwartz for rewriting some (if not all) of them to fit the film.

Acting

Most everyone did a wonderful job at bringing their respective character to life! Everyone's chemistry, which truly felt authentic, transitioned well onto the screen. I honestly couldn't tell anyone was acting! It’s clear everyone enjoyed filming this, and you can tell in their performances. The only one whose acting fell a bit short was Jeff Goldblum. Ariana fell flat a few times as well, especially when it came to facial expressions, but she was still tolerable to watch. Her ability to be comical was not that bad either. She clearly took the role seriously and put her whole heart into it. Singing, dancing, acting, etc.

(I decided to write a short summary instead of point out every actor)

Other Notes

I still wish unknown, aspiring actors between 15-19 were casted since Elphaba and Glinda teenagers in act one, but, despite that, Cynthia and Ariana ended up being slightly believable college students

I like the idea of adding new content only if it helps move the storyline forward and/or clear up confusion from the original source, but some of the new content in this film adaptation was unnecessary

Regarding the previous bullet point, there's two that come to my mind: The hot air balloon scene that happens before "Defying Gravity", which literally felt like it went on forever but in reality was maybe 10 minutes at the most, and the part where Elphaba sees her younger self as she's falling. Both parts slowed down the momentum of the song as well as made it longer than it had to be. I'm all here for drama and build up in a song, especially for one like "Defying Gravity", but that was too much. I liked the moment between Elphaba and her younger self, but that should have been placed somewhere else instead of during the song.

Elphaba's outfits: Why was she wearing black the majority of the time? I did not like that. Where was the monochromatic blue outfit in the beginning when we first meet her? Unless my memory sucks, her outfits gradually become darker and then, by the end of act one, she's wearing the black dress. We first see the dress in "One Short Day", but in the film, I think she wore black most all of the time. In the stage production, there is definitely some sort of symbolism with her outfits in act one, but the opportunity was not seized in the film.

I loved Elphaba's hairstyles

Going back to Elphaba's outfits, in order to emphasize her age, which was 17 (as stated in the book), the costume designer should've had her outfits be inspired by things teenagers wear. What even did teenage girls wear in the 1800s, though? Anyways, I know Cynthia isn't a teenager in college and neither did she pass for one, but the CGI kind of (KIND OF) helped. Her outfits, though, did not.

Glinda's outfits: I disliked how the costume designer limited her color palette to just pink. This is Galinda Upland, dude, not Barbie! On Broadway, she wore different colors (my favorite one was the yellow dress, which is worn during "One Short Day"), and as she got older, the colors became less vibrant and more monochromatic, which symbolizes her growing up. Maturing. The second part of this film comes out next year, though, so we'll just have to wait and see if the costume designer recreated the Broadway outfits from part two or not...

Regarding the soundtrack, the original "Dancing Through Life" song is seven minutes long. The length of the one in the film is nine minutes. I'm sorry to admit this, but, eventually, I got bored...

As far as the lines go, the film actually stood pretty true to the script/lines of the stage performance, so that made me happy

Regarding the previous bullet point, a few lines were either changed up, "placed" at different times, or not in the film at all

After everyone was on the boat to head to the Oz Dust Ballroom, Fiyero's face lit up when he saw Boq and Nessarose coming, and I found that so adorable

Speaking of D.T.L., the entire part when Elphaba showed up to the party and everyone laughed at her almost made me cry. Glinda deciding to dance with her and then them two dancing was so intimate and beautiful. 🥺 Ariana and Cynthia really delivered on that part!

Me, whispering out loud under my breath during this part: "A bear raised Elphaba????" 🤨😶 They really should have had the novel character, Cattery, who was the Thropp's nanny, instead, and I know exactly who the actress could have been. Obviously, she'd be a hell lot younger (and prettier).

I appreciated the emphasis on where animals who can talk like humans stand in Oz. Spoiler Alert: They're not on the wizard's good side.

I like Joel Grey better

I didn't care for him too much in the stage performance, but I liked Doctor Dillamond in the film. What a sweet little goat.

The way the Oz guards just carelessly grabbed Doctor Dillamond by the antlers...

Madame Morrible gaslighting Glinda by telling her if she wants to prove her worth and be good (or something like that), then she needs to bring Elphaba back to her and the wizard

Madame Morrible hugging Glinda towards the end of "Defying Gravity"

The entire scene with the lion cub from when we first meet him to Fiyero leaving in the woods with him. So adorable!

Elphaba literally lifting her sister in the air…! I honestly had no idea that that was being insinuated on stage, so I'm glad the film made that part clearer for me.

The poppies Elphaba casted a spell on made the entire class fall asleep. That was such a clever idea and a nice homage to the 1939 film (The Wizard of Oz)! This is not what happened in the stage production, and I didn't mind. I like the film version better.

The part where the wizard was showing off the model was unnecessary and, if I'm being honest, slowed down the pace of the film

Jonathan Bailey can dance, man. Holy shit.

I loved Nessarose’s burning desire to be independent. Another detail I thought was a nice addition to the character was her not wanting anyone to touch her wheelchair without permission.

I love that Nessarose and Boq first met each other on orientation day instead of during "Dancing Through Life", because doing this allowed them time to become friends

I honesty can't wait to see how Marissa handled the transition of portraying a sweet and loving girl who wanted nothing more than to make friends to becoming an insufferable tyrant

The look on Fiyero, Boq and Nessarose's faces when they heard on the radio what Elphaba did was heartbreaking 😢

The way Fiyero and Elphaba met for the first time was great. "Get stuffed!" -Elphaba to Fiyero

Nessarose saying she couldn't watch her sister being laughed at. 😢 I wish, though, that Boq was scripted to say something supportive.

After Glinda said "That’s not fair, I told you a really good one.”, she flopped face down on her bed like she was pouting. What made me laugh, though, was the camera going back to her just for the audience to see that she was still in the same position.

Doctor Dillamond telling Elphaba she has one friend after she told him she doesn’t have any friends. Spoiler: It’s him 🥺.

Jonathan should've been more comically dramatic with the delivery of "...I happen to be genuinely self-absorbed and deeply shallow" and Ariana should've been more comically dramatic with her delivery of "The artichoke is steamed".

Although it was cool having a prince bring his horse to university, I still wish Fiyero's grand appearance stood true to the musical. It was honestly so iconic and on-brand for that scandalous, genuinely self-absorbed prince!

The way Fiyero got offended over Elphaba rolling her eyes at him after he waved at her during "Dancing Through Life"

Glinda hesitating to set the humongous straw statue of the Wicked Witch of the West on fire during “No One Mourns the Wicked”

Overall, I give this film a 8/10.

🍁 November 22, 2024 🍁

[ddarker-dreams]

Lock has finally fall down into the gojo rabbit hole!!! , i was also surprise that u also like geto too tho i dont blame you theirs a reason why hes much more popular with the ladies than gojo lol also im excited for the release of golden girl!!! another fanfic series to binge ever since nexus is already finished 😭😭 im so excited for mc's relationship with gojo and geto!!! and lets not forget her friendship with shoko and her mother and son relationship with megumi 🥹🥹🥹

i'm fighting for my life down here in the gojo rabbit hole ...... i cannot crawl out of this pit no matter how hard i try. he kicks me back down whenever i near the surface.

for the longest time, i didn't see the appeal in geto, but gojo's past arc changed my mind. it also made me think there was a lot more that could've been explored with his character? the :) protect the weak to 🐵🚫 pipeline felt sorta jarring. i could still follow it and his reasoning enough for it not to be immersion breaking, but the reality of non-sorcerers being the only catalysts for curses to exist feels like such an interesting concept...

MCs relationships with the different characters is probably my favorite part of the fic, especially in her late 20s era. the students see how close gojo and MC are just kinda. squint. they ask megumi how this came to be like he isn't as equally perplexed over it as they are. MC is the type you easily gravitate to, whereas most deliberately go out of their way to avoid gojo.

some tidbits on MC's relationship with other members of the cast:

nanami thought she was annoying when they first met, but soon learned that surprisingly, she's one of the more reliable upperclassmen. later on when they're adults, he admits he declined most of her offers to hang out because he knew gojo would be in the vicinity.

her and shoko had matching my melody and kuromi keychains for their phones during their high school years.

megumi barely talked to/acknowledged her existence when they first met. similar to nanami, he found her upbeat nature annoying GJSKLDF it wasn't until she was sent on a three week long job that he realized maybe she isn't so bad. at least she makes tasty food and gets along well with tsumiki. he considers MC a decent enough role model in everything except her romantic life.

she gets along with maki surprisingly well. out of all the big three sorcerer families, the zenins are the only ones MC actively dislikes. her cursed technique is useful when it comes to training others, so they often spar together.

[virtualitythegamer]

Top Streamer by Dynasty: Rivals to Lovers trope at its finest (a story review)

Ah yes, Top Streamer. One of the very first community stories I started ever since and damn I'm lucky to be able to read it😍😍. I mostly got hooked because I was like "oh cool! A story featuring video games? LEZGOOO" and went with it. Well, it is actually more than about video games. There are a lot of things about this story that makes it not only special but also as one of my all time favorites🥹 and I'm more than glad to share it to y'all. (⁠灬⁠º⁠‿⁠º⁠灬⁠)⁠♡

THE PLOT:

In this story, you get to play as a streamer named Vienna Fox who is currently aiming to become one of the top streamers on E-Stream. To achieve that goal, she needs to get to the Top 10 on E-Stream and snag the HypeDXY sponsorship which would help skyrocket her streaming career. And so, she and her talent agency hold a dating contest that also serves as part of a charity simply for that goal. It's not until Vienna's intense rival PlayerZero enters the contest (which she thinks is nuts, considering she hates him so much) and everyone is loving it for the banter and chemistry and "enemies to lovers". However, it's until things are not going smoothly for the both of them when it comes to achieving their goals that they both decide to team up by fake dating which will help their social media image, considering the fans love their dynamic together. And who knows, Vienna might catch actual feelings for Zero depending on your points with him.😏

THE LOVE INTEREST:

We only have one love interest to pursue in this story and that is PlayerZero or mostly known as Zero in general. He is known to pick on Vienna a bunch of times which the fans play off as a bit of "playful banter" that "blurs the line between love and hate". Except, his teasings are never meant with ill intentions and that he's actually a genuine guy who doesn't mean any harm— sarcasm is just his love language. In fact, you'll be surprised by how he is actually a green flag despite his first impressions. However, another thing to note is that Zero is a mysterious guy. No one knows his real name or who he truly is behind the camera, so it is important to take note of that if you want high points with him. There's more to him than meets the eye and taking the time to get to know him more is so worth it in the end.

WORTH THE READ?

To answer the question, hell yes it is worth the read! And it's so much more than worth it(⁠●⁠♡⁠∀⁠♡⁠).

First things first, this is such a well-written story with a beloved main character and a beloved love interest that definitely deserves all the popularity and hype it gets. Vienna is such an amazing main character and it's just refreshing to see a bubbly and cheerful female lead who is not a pushover and has a back bone. I also love the big importance of feminism in the story considering how there's also not a lot of female representation in the Internet and just in general🥹. Another thing I love is Zero— bro is just the sweetest green flag LI and his character arc made me cry. His character development at the end of the story especially in the happiest ending was just beautiful that pursuing him is worth it.

But more importantly, the enemies to lovers trope— or more like, the rivals to lovers trope. The very core of this story. The trope was just well-executed and the story did the trope so much justice! Majority of the stories in Episode and majority of current books in general take the trope as "LI bULLiEs tHe MC wHIcH iS ACtuAlly rOmAnTic🤮🤮🤮" which is NOT THE VERY POINT OF THE TROPE. I'm just so happy to see the trope finally having the justice it deserves considering it's one of those misunderstood tropes that are actually good if executed properly. Overall, this story is a really good and well-written read in Episode's community catalogue and is one of the Best™ representations of the trope and that's what makes the story a popular fan favorite.

TO SUMMARIZE:

PROS

Well-written and amazing story.

Good character development for the MC and LI

Well-written MC

Amazingly well-written love interest

Allows full customization for MC and LI. Can also change MC's first name. Also allows full customization for MC's and LI's families too in the later chapters

Pretty art scenes

Point systems are easy and simple

Point Top-Ups at the end of a chapter

Bonus scenes (sometimes featuring the LI's POV). These tend to cost at least 5-8 gems

Well-written romance and chemistry between the MC and LI.

CONS

Skip-The-Wait which costs gems

Overall, I highly recommend this story to:

Enemies/Rivals to Lovers fans

People looking for a good romance read

People who like video games and/or want to try a gamer MC

Sunshine x Grumpy fans

People who prefer Choices Matter stories

TLDR: Top Streamer deserves to be one of the popular community stories in Episode because it's just a really good story💗💖.

[pardonmydelays]

~ Imagine Dragons Concert ~

First of all, Dan sounds good live!

"We're Walking the Wire" was beautiful live. 🥹

I loved the uplifting, encouraging songs, such as "We're Walking the Wire" and "Whatever It Takes".

The backdrops with the moving graphics for each song was gorgeous! I have so many videos and screenshots so I can't recall which exact song(s) I liked the most as far as graphics go, but "Sharks" was neat. The backdrops were basically set up like underwater (obviously) with sharks swimming. A few close up of sharks too, which was cool.

Hearing some of the songs from the 2010s like "Thunder" and "Radioactive" was nice.

Apparently "It's Time" was on the setlist, but I swear I do not recall hearing it! ... And I love that song. 🥺 I was lowkey hoping that they would play that. I definitely would have recorded it.

I was not expecting Dan to take his shirt and shorts off, but there we were... Lmao, and my God, was he ripped. We're talking muscles, 6 pack, etc. The whole package, Poppy!

I loved hearing my favorite songs live and the whole concert itself, but one thing that really stood out to me was Dan talking about mental health. He proceeded to tell us how Imagine Dragons came about followed by things he struggled with growing up in his teen years and even now as an adult. He ended his (2.5 minute) speech by assuring us audience members that we are loved and to please not leave this world.

(I'll post the video on my account soon!)

Again, I have a lot of favorite songs, but the ones I enjoyed the most were "Bones" and "Enemy".

That's...about it! It was a wonderful concert overall. 🩷

THIS MAKES ME SO HAPPY OH MY GODDDD OK OK:

dan's voice is absolutely incredible! i hope he was screaming a lot during your show because, oh dear lord, i do love guys who scream (*cough cough* tyler joseph *cough cough*) and dan just happens to be very good at it (my favourite imagine dragons songs are actually the ones where he screams lmao)

walking the wire will always be one of the most important songs to me. it was their newest single when they had a show in poland in 2017 and they actually performed it live for the first time that day AND I WAS THERE. i was there. good all days. beautiful song. ahh.

the thing about sharks makes me so incredibly happy for the dumbest reason ever (not because i love the song but because i fucking love sharks shhjdvjsevjh i'm sorry)

i'm pretty sure they still sing radioactive at every single one of their shows which is pretty cool because i love this song so fucking much and i know a lot of people hate it because it's their most popular song, but that could never be me, radioactive is my baby forever and always. i also love thunder. used to sing it all the time with my best friend (who's no longer in my life. but i always think about him when i hear this one. i hope he's doing alright)

what do you mean they didn't perform it's time, it's the most imagine dragons song ever, WHY OH WHY JAIL FOR THEM!!!

he DID WHAT NOW... what do you mean dan was stripping on stage, oh dear lord. to absolutely no one's surprise, i used to have a huge crush on him (why do i always have to have a crush on my favourite artists genuinely what the hell is wrong with me but dan is really hot ok ok), i would probably fucking die. oh dear lord. omg. can you hear mE SCREAMING-

oh, i absolutely fucking love it when he talks about mental health. it always makes me cry but also i always felt so fucking proud because i can only assume how hard it is for him. i know he's been struggling a lot in his life. it's always nice to know you are not alone. makes you feel seen.

i know nobody asked for it, but i found an old video from my show from two years ago and i just want to share it with you. i was really close. and he was wearing a very slutty shirt that day. you're welcome.

i'm so glad you had fun!!! can't wait to see the video from your show!!!

[darlingpoppet]

Fic wrap-up 2024

Fic Wrap-up 2023 here

I delayed posting this until the last possible moment because I was hoping I could get a bit more writing in under the wire so I could include it in the year total word count, but alas it wasn’t meant to be :’) I filled out this post with several more questions compared to last year, since I did see that year-end writing ask meme going around but I decided to be a bit of a rebel and just go ahead to answer all of the questions I wanted to answer. Hope that’s ok!!

Fics published this year/total words:

See No ****, Hear No **** — Patrochilles (6430)

Where The Dead Forget ch 7-8 — Patrochilles (27500)

In Full Bloom — Persenyx (2838)

(Pray, Love, Remember — Mobuhan - not yet on AO3)(3966)

Liminal Spaces ch 1-5 — PZA (32026)

My Heart’s Your Future — Patrochilles (3227)

(Closest To My Heart Jp ver — PZA - not yet on AO3) (17779)

Total: 93766 (AO3 only: 72021)

(I ALMOST published 100k this year I was SO CLOSE haha)

5 fanfics with the most kudos in 2024:

Closest To My Heart (317)

Flourishing Into Greatness (229)

Strain (227)

Pressed Flowers (216)

Where The Dead Forget (216)

Did this for all-time rather than just 2024 fics since I thought it’s more interesting. Flourishing and Strain have been locked in fierce competition for the number two spot for most of the year lol. WTDF is the only one that has fallen out of the top 3 since last year but it’s still in the top 5 and might surpass Pressed Flowers soon (probably it will once I get around to updating it lol.) I also think it’s interesting that all of my top fics have at least 200 kudos now and so that really means a lot to me that new people are apparently continuing to discover and enjoy my stories! 🥹🙏

Most popular fic this year

If judging by kudos, then it’s In Full Bloom (hooray, sapphics win!) If going by comments, then definitely Liminal Spaces (hooray, erotic love triangles win!) Both are perfectly deserving, I’m good with either one =)

Least popular fic this year

If judging by kudos only it’s My Heart’s Your Future but that’s kind of understandable since it’s a side story whose broader context is in a different, longer, multi-chapter fic. Yet I was pleasantly surprised by how much feedback it still received so honestly I can’t complain AT ALL. And if judging by comments, technically I received 0 AO3 comments for See No ****, Hear No **** but tbh the only response that mattered to me was my giftee’s, so no complaints there either =)

Fic(s) you completed this year

Five of them!

See No ****, Hear No ****

In Full Bloom

Pray, Love, Remember

My Heart’s Your Future

Closest To My Heart Jp ver

The fact that Liminal Spaces is NOT on this list kind of bums me out since I spent a significant part of the year working on it… but oh well, at least it was only because it was necessary for me to complete a different cool & fun project I wanted to do before a certain deadline. Time is a construct anyway, right? 🤪

Longest/shortest completed fic you wrote this year

My only completed fics this year were one-shots 😝

Longest: See No ****, Hear No **** (6430 words)

Shortest: In Full Bloom (2838 words)

Fics you’ll continue next year

Liminal Spaces, which I can hopefully finish off by late Jan or early Feb. I tried my hardest to get chapter 6 in under the wire for the end of 2024, but as of now it’s only half edited. It’s still extremely close to being finished though, I’m hoping to have it up before my holidays are over!

And of course I’m still working on Where The Dead Forget, which after LS I’m resolving to make my priority for the time being, even if it will surely continue to be part of my New Year’s resolutions for the next couple of years 😆

Favorite character to write about this year

Always Patroclus Hadesgame!! I feel like I got to write him a lot this year and idk his voice is always in my head in a way that isn’t necessarily the case with other characters I write, so it seems easier for me to figure out what he might say in a given situation. No matter the universe he’s always a bit charming and dignified, a bit acerbic, a bit sweet, and sooooo fun!

Favorite writing song/artist/album of this year

I’m pretty sure the Hades 2 soundtrack has been on constant shuffle/repeat since May… although I also spent a lot of the summer listening to my Liminal Spaces playlist. I’m planning to curate it a bit more and then share it sometime soon… possibly when the story is finished!

Favorite closing line from a fic in 2024:

I’m sharing the whole closing scene, because the reason I like it is this narrative payoff, and I enjoy the dialogue & pacing. It’s from the end WTDF chapter 7 so SPOILERS:

“Achilles was the commander of the Myrmidons... Phthia’s own crown prince… You were his own personal companion, were you not?”

Patroclus is perhaps more surprised by this information than he thinks he ought to be. And yet, simply hearing the words spoken, there is the sense that it is true—a truth so natural and plain it would almost feel dishonest to deny it. Still, Patroclus elects to act with restraint, yearning to know more, coveting any modicum about Achilles as he can.

“What makes you say such a thing, son of Zeus?”

Sarpedon inclines his head, perhaps finding the guarded tone of his response to be unexpected.

“I apologize. Forgive me for assuming, but… is that not the son of Peleus? Just there—“ He points to Patroclus’ left shoulder. Patroclus eyes strain to follow, uncomprehending.

“Pardon?”

Sarpedon smiles gently, his kind, dark eyes filled with something akin to pity.

“On your brooch,” he says. His tone is patient, delicate; as if speaking to a beloved relative who is losing himself to dotage. Patroclus is not sure it is something he appreciates, even if it comes from a place of kindness.

“On my— what?” The angle prevents him from seeing it properly, and so he unhooks the fibula, removing it from his cloak for a better look.

“It could also be a woman,” Glaucus leans over to say to Sarpedon. There is a sly smile on his lips, the tip of his winsome canine peeking through. “Perhaps it was the symbol of their cause—the promise of Helen’s lovely visage spurring all the Greeks to battle day in and day out.”

Patroclus laughs. He cannot help it.

How did he not notice it before? The brooch is made of fine polished gold, and engraved with the profile of a beautiful youth whose striking features are framed by lovely, long curls. He can easily imagine Achilles as the same person—older and wearier, perhaps; his shade the mellowing ardency of late summer, rather than the full flush of spring—but certainly just as beautiful.

Patroclus is still staring at the image—the only thing in the world that exists—even as distracted words tumble from his mouth, barely discerned by his own ears.

“I am sorry. I must go.”

Favorite opening line from a fic in 2024:

Kind of stumped on this one again this year because I feel like the ability to write banger, attention-grabbing openings is a weakness of mine. But I think if I had to pick one, it would also be from WTDF chapter 7:

Patroclus looks up at the sound of Achilles’ approach.

Achilles stops short, a few paces away from him at the top of the stone staircase, uncertain if he ought to come any closer. He assesses Patroclus’ mood carefully. There is recognition in his face this time, but it is impassive—whether Patroclus feels joy, annoyance, or nothing at all at the sight of him, Achilles cannot say. He wonders if this is what their reunion would have been like, had none of this happened. If only he had ever tried to imagine it.

Favorite line/scene you wrote this year:

I wish I was sharing some kind of beautiful and deep prose that says something profound about my OTPs in a way that makes the muses weep but unfortunately deep down I am just a simple gooner and I’m afraid the moment from this year that brings me the most joy is this one from Liminal Spaces chapter 3:

He brings a hand between Achilles’ thighs, his upturned fingers smearing oil all over his entrance until it feels slick and wet. He then pushes in curiously, using a single digit. There is resistance at first, but as soon as he gets past it, his finger quickly slides in all the way in without any additional effort.

Achilles moans at the feeling. He sits up on his elbows to clutch at Zagreus’ wrist, controlling his hand so that he can fuck himself with Zagreus’ finger. He makes Zagreus move in and out of him at a brisk pace, rolling his hips slightly, meeting the thrusts. He bites his lip, his face taut with pleasure.

“Holy shit,” Zagreus says, mesmerized. “I need to be inside you so bad.”

Achilles pulls Zagreus’ finger out of him, and directs the hand to Zagreus’ cock, now making him stroke himself, spreading the oil around. Zagreus squeezes himself, already trying to imagine what Achilles will feel like with Zagreus full inside of him. He shakes Achilles off to regain control of his hand, and then grabs Achilles’ hips, pulling him closer. Zagreus holds onto himself as he lines them up, starting to press in.

Behind them, the kitchen door swings open.

The sound of Patroclus’ footsteps stroll past, heading behind the counter. Zagreus hears the clinking of glass, and he turns to watch as Patroclus procures a wine glass from a high cabinet shelf. Patroclus emerges from the kitchen area, approaching them with the glass in one hand and the wine bottle from his room in the other. He hefts his weight onto the dining table before pouring himself a drink. He rests his elbow on a folded knee as he takes dainty sips from the glass, the other leg swinging over the edge. He looks like a king, settling in to preside over the bloodsport he loves; ready to play arbiter over the lives of wild beasts and of men.

“Don’t let me interrupt,” he says. “I just needed to retrieve my wine glass.”

“Come on,” Achilles says. “Hurry up and fuck me.”

The whole thing just cracks me up so bad!!! The mental image of Patroclus casually coming into the room and walking past where this dude is about fuck his boyfriend, taking his time to get a wine glass, and then the first thing out of his mouth is this really obvious statement about what he was just doing. Meanwhile Achilles is so impatient, because of course Zag had to stop and stare at Pat the entire time 😭 idk it is just extremely funny TO MEEE

Fic I’m most proud of in 2024:

I feel like I tried a lot of new things to challenge myself this year that I’m proud of: fics about ships I haven’t written before (Persenyx and Mobuhan), a multi-chapter fic (Liminal Spaces) with a more substantial, but still self-contained plot (and managing it to keep it pretty much within the word count I was expecting for it), and translating one of my fics based on Greek mythology into Japanese, which was really fun but also required a lot of extra reading/research so that I could do it properly… not only did I play Hades in Japanese but I also kept my Japanese translations of the Iliad and The Song Of Achilles close by and all three of them influenced my translation choices in various ways!

BUT idk, if I based my criteria on what I think is nicely composed prose as well as something I like going back to reread for myself, I actually think it’s See No ****, Hear No ****. I just enjoyed the whole concept & challenge of describing the same erotic encounter from two different perspectives which are deprived of their sight and sound respectively, and how relying on other senses affects the experience for them in different ways (but also giving a reader the complete picture when they finish reading both.) I was amused by my own little inserted Easter eggs and parallels, and if you read them side by side, the events more or less lineup (because I actually did write them physically side by side from one another!)

A fic you didn’t expect to write

My Heart’s Your Future. Its existence is definitely a case of the story evolving as I write it… I keep looking for more opportunities to insert references to classic/influential vaporwave songs as I write Liminal Spaces, and what happens in chapter 5 was always in the outline, but I wasn’t sure what music would be playing, other than the fact that it would have particular nostalgic/sentimental value for Achilles & Patroclus. And once I figured out what it would be, I wanted to explore that a bit more, especially since LS is from Zagreus’ POV so he often doesn’t understand what’s going on in A&P’s little world :) It’s just a bit of a bonus if someone read chapter 5 and was confused, or wants a bit of context going in. Or it can just be for anyone who wants a quick fix of Patrochilles banging… because I mean who doesn’t want that?? (Don’t answer that.) :3c

Fics you wanted to write but didn’t

Oh god lmao… there was this one pza fic that I was getting off the ground in a fit of inspiration and literally as I was typing in the document, Hades 2 Early Access dropped and distracted me away from it completely 😂 and then a couple of days after that I was made a group leader for an event at my kid’s kindergarten so it was a one-two punch to not only that fic but also I wouldn’t get any writing done at all for the next month afterwards 💀💀💀 Hopefully I can revisit it again sometime next year!

Something you learned this year

It’s actually ok to split up chapters more, they don’t have to be so long… it’s easier to edit and easier for people to read :)

(But will I take this to heart? Unclear.)

Current number of wips

Number of wips already published and currently being serialized: 2

Number of unpublished wips: uhhhhh I have 12 additional projects in my scrivener program… whether the docs are blank or have decent progress made on them, who can say 😂

Any new fics to start next year

I have a fic due in a couple of weeks for this year’s Hades gift exchange event that I’ve already started working on, so idk if that counts exactly but it’ll certainly be my first newly published fic of 2025!

I think once Liminal Spaces is done, my plan is to just work on WTDF for a while until inspiration compels me to either complete one of my other WIPs or start a new one completely… and as a lot of you probably already know, inspiration striking for a new story is a “suddenly, at any moment” type situation. Who knows what I’ll have done by this time next year! I sure don’t! Kind of an exciting thought, though :)

[italeean]

HIHI ELLE!! AAAAAAAA CONGRATS ON 350 FOLLOWERS!! YOURE SO COOOL!! Remember me when you’re famous 😞✊ I know I’m not rly in the t community but I hope it’s okay I send an ask for the event?? My hobbies are reading, writing, drawing, painting, sculpting, video editing, and video games. I love psychology and literature, both classic and more recent. I also like webtoons and manwhas. I don’t like parties or big groups of people, or watching sports. I prefer one on one interaction or small groups of people, and going outdoors and exploring rather than going to a crowded place in a city. I hope it’s ok I participate in this event if I’m not too much into the t community, but I’m very much so a ler. For the fandom I’ll go with Haikyuu, platonic relationship, and I have no gender preference. Tysm in advance if you accept!! 😻😻💙💙

Waaaahh hello my dear ❤️❤️ It was such a pleasant surprise to see you participate 🥹 Thank you so so much... you're so kind and sweet and cool!!! I hope you'll enjoy your match-up ❤️🍡 *some dango for you*

🔮 For this event, I match you up with... ASAHI

🔮 Why did I choose him for you?

• First of all, Asahi is not the biggest social butterfly out there (no offense obviously) so I think you'd enjoy hanging out with one another • He's also very athletic, which means you'd be able to go out and explore all you'd like • He's also a very good listener, so you could tell him about psychology theories or interpretations of classic and modern literature • I also see him as the kind of guy who'd get invested in the books you tell him about to understand you better • You could also join the third-years during the visit to the temple for New Year's, or just hang out with them!! • I can totally see you sneaking a few pokes to Asahi's sides when he gets too anxious... it's a little subtle thing you do to make him snap out of his spiral of negative thoughts • You could also help him with his designs, since he becomes a designer and you like drawing • He'd totally use your art pieces, may it be drawings, sculptures or video edits, for his fashion lines • 6 words for you: VIDEOGAME. NIGHTS. WITH. HIM. AND. NOYA. • You could probably tickle him also when he gets too invested in his work and basically forgets he's a human being with physiological needs... you know, just to "kindly invite" him to take care of himself • I also have the feeling that Asahi would be a little more talkative with you because he'd be more comfortable with hanging out alone with you and his anxiety would be much more bearable • I see your friendship as a quiet one, full of mutual listening and quality time... both you and Asahi are the kind of friends everyone needs

🔮 Tickle scenario

The sun, the chirping birds, the fresh air, the quiet swish of a nearby torrent, the sound of your steps... this was your ideal afternoon. Just you and your best friend Asahi.

It was refreshing both for you and for Asahi. Even if he was Karasuno's ace and had gained poularity after the sudden rising of the volleyball team, he didn't exactly like the popularity or the fangirls that constantly tried to be around him. Obviously he was always respected with everyone who approached him, but sometimes he felt the need to get away and just spend some time in total peace and quiet, and when he needed that peace and quiet, you were the only person he wanted to be with.

You weren't boyfriend and girlfriend, and you've never even had a crush on one another. You were best friends, and from a certain perspective you even had a deeper bond compared to a couple who has recently started dating.

Asahi was a very quiet and reserved person, who sometimes had difficulties with expressing how he felt, but you could always tell what was going through his mind without him saying anything. The ideal afternoon for both of you was being together just the two of you reading, talking or taking a walk in the nature, just like you were doing today.

You had just reached your usual spot near the torrent, where you usually took a break before going back home. "Ah... I really needed that, thanks Asahi." You smiled thankfully at the ace, who sheepishly smiled right back at you.

"Anytime, and honestly I needed that, too." The tall guy replied, "So, how's school going? Are you doing something interesting in literature class?" He sat down on the grass and patted the spot right next to him, inviting you to sit next to him.

"Oh yeah, I really like both the author we're analyzing and how the teacher explains it!" You took your seat next to your friend, "What about you? I hope that the last year of high school isn't too brutal." "Well..." he began, "I won't deny that it's very difficult, but I'm managing!"

"I'm sure you're taking care of yourself though, right?" You inquired while raising your eyebrow in an inquisitive way. "Well..." He scratched the back of his head, and that was all you needed to hear.

"How. Many. Times. Did. I. Tell. You. That. You. Gotta. Take. Care. Of. Yourself?!" You scolded him, emphasizing every word with a poke to his torso. "Ah! He-heyyy..!" Asahi tried in vain to escape your pokes, "I-i knohow... but- no wait!"

You didn't even let him finish his excuses, you just went for his stomach and scribbled your fingers all over the soft skin, protected by the thin fabric of the shirt.

It didn't take him long to give up. Despite his menacing aspect, he was quite weak to tickling, which you obviously knew as his best friend. "AAAHAHAHAHAHA okaHAhay Ihihi gihihiveHEHEhe..!" He pleaded, and you stopped. You were feeling quite merciful. "Fine, but you better take care of yourself from now on!" You pouted.

Asahi chuckled and gave you some headpats. "Fine, fine... you win..." He laid in the grass and glanced at the clear blue sky. You did the same, but before that, you grabbed your backpack, took out a packet of nikuman and gave it to the tall guy.

"Eat this, I imagined you weren't taking care of yourself so I grabbed something from Ukai-san's shop." Asahi thanked you and stared eating immediately. "So," he said "tell me about that book you're reading..."

[antisocialite83]

One of my guilty pleasures is watching popular shows AFTER the popularity is all gone. For example, I’m watching #Scandal. Like, THE OLIVIA POPE(!!!) for the first time ever. Don’t get me wrong, I know the outline. However, since there are no such thing as #spoilers (my opinion bc I’ve never “heard” a description that EVER does a film justice), something always gets left out. I have to see the story unfold for myself. I like to fill in my own blanks.

THIS SHOW IS GOOD!!!!

Wow. #OliviaAndFitz are actually the least interesting thing happening on this show lol. There’s always some unbelievable actual scandal going on. So far, I’ve made it into the second season and jeez! It’s free smoke for everybody. They be reading each other for fiiiiiilth!!!(I especially HATE how condescending and downright mean #Cyrus is to James). Also, is Olivia Pope a republican!?! Cuz, what!? But not surprising.

So far I really like Olivia and Cyrus’ odd couple friendship. Huck and Olivia are better friends tho. I can tell their relationship is more intimate, less transactional. lol Even when they’re pissed with each other, they’re still fiercely loyal. I hope he gets to be with his family again. The callous way Charlie tried to break him(#752 🥹), I hope he die real slow. Somebody gon have to pop his ass. I can’t believe I’m only on season 2. Speaking of which, I’ve just gotten to where Eli Pope reveals himself to Cyrus. Olivia doesn’t know…yet. Looking forward to that. Most importantly, it seems like everybody run the White House EXCEPT the president. Specifically, #Mellie, Olivia, and Cyrus.

This is def not everything I’ve noticed/seen BUT I am getting sleepy, finally(!). My sleep’s been better these past couple of nights. I guess political dramas lull me 😂😂😂. I’m glad to have another insomnia treatment.

Oh yeah, Fitz is a immature DICK. Even tho I’m only on S2, something tells me that will be consistent throughout the series.

Finally have made it to season 6. Lemme just once again say, THIS IS A GOOD ASS SHOW!!!!

Also, every character needs therapy.

More importantly, can Lauren, the President’s secretary, PLEASE get some props. She the least corrupted person on the show.

First of all, so glad Olivia and Fitz did not get a happy ending. They didn’t deserve it. Cyrus really got what was coming to him and it was sad but also not really. Too much blood on his hands AND he’s a deadbeat/absentee father!!!! Like, he had no concern about Ella at all. Too busy scheming smh.

Abby is a dick. Lowkey, and now majorly highkey you can see how envious/resentful she is of Olivia. That can happen when you feel indebted to someone. Also, take Olivia off the pedestal lol cuz she def be fuxking up to. Fitz is painfully…MEDIOCRE. And also co-dependent. Like he can’t function without a women around men…managing him. I can’t believe how corrupt this firecr**ch ass bitch became. Also, tho if these the same people who have manage to (somewhat)muzzle Rowan, then I get it. The scary lady who’s name i don’t know, is the actress who plays the mom in #YoungSheldon lmao seeing Mary Cooper be a badass is sendiiiiing me 😂😂😂. “Ms. Majorie Ruland”, and ole boy really knew how to tap into Abby’s insecurities.

RIP HUCK!!!! 🥺😡🥺🥺 …..sike! That was a damn good plot twist. But my boy should stick to his guns. A lesson in trusting your instincts. Had Olivia not started questioning her most loyal friend, I don’t think this would’ve happen. But I knew that girl was a weirdo. And he did to. Of course tho, Olivia couldn’t see the forest for the trees. At least not when it comes to her father.

Season 7!!!!

Mellie is president! And a damn good one. Quinn and Charlie being badass vigilante murderers, who make a kid 🥹🥹🥹>>>>>. That damn Cyrus ain’t NEVA leaving the White House. He should have his own wing atp. Seeing Olivia become Eli is cray. She don’t even wear white anymore!!! But Noir Olivia does have much better hair. Lol. I’m so glad Abby is back in the also(it’s lowkey still fuck her tho). I feel like Olivia is gonna snap. And I’m so ready.

Curtis > Jake > Fitz.

Overall : 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[wickedlittleoz]

Hello! I saw that you said requests are okay :> Since we've gotten official OW birth dates, would you be willing to write a shimadacest birthday fic? Whoever's birthday is up to you since the brothers' bdays are near one another hehehdhd SFW or NSFW also up to you! Maybe let them have gift exchanges and passionate birthday kissies too after being apart for a decade :'3

Also I love the way you write! 🥹🫶 Your writing makes me soft inside and all comfy!

Thank you for the time!

HAI THERE thank you for this ask and for being so sweet and for choosing me to realize your ideas!!!! this turned out very nsfw, i'm sorry if you wanted something fluffy and sweet, but it got out of hand and these guys, they really just wanna go down on each other. i can't deny them the (literal) pleasure.

jokes aside anon i hope you enjoy this piece, feel free to send more whenever you want, i love you & hope you have a wonderful week! <3

E-rated shimadacest birthday bash bellow the cut teehee

-

The chant of Happy birthday to you reaches Hanzo's ears as he steps down to the cafeteria early in the morning. He'd meant to be the first person in the kitchen that day, to cook Genji his favorite food for breakfast. But somehow Angela, Cassidy and Zenyatta beat him to it. And to be honest, he's not exactly surprised; since their reunion a couple months ago it feels like he's constantly fighting for Genji's attention, with how popular he is among the Overwatch team.

The grimace of annoyance disappears from his face, however, as soon as Genji comes into view. Wide smile, sparkly-eyed, joyful as ever. It's his day, Hanzo reminds himself, joining the friendly choir. He deserves so much more. But, as always, it seems that Hanzo is the one getting more blessings than he should, because as soon as Genji sees him, he shouts, "Brother, come here! We should celebrate your birthday, too!"

He doesn't remember the last time he celebrated his own birthday. But of course Genji won't take no for an answer, jumping excitedly all the way to a flustered Hanzo and hugging his shoulders while the rest of the group repeats the song, this time calling out the elder brother's name.

"Did we miss your birthday, Hanzo, dear?" Angela asks minutes after, as Zenyatta hands out equally-sized cake slices.

Hanzo shakes his head, but it's Genji who cuts in to explain. "It'll be his birthday in a week, still. But we always used to have shared parties when we were kids, right Han?"

To which Hanzo can only nod, lost in memories of childhood birthdays that Genji's eyes bring out of the depths of his mind. Even when Mother wanted to give them their own separate parties, the two would insist in celebrating together.

"When Genji was born," he says before he even thinks about speaking. "Our mother told me he was my own early present."

The room breaks out in awws and cute!s, but Hanzo is still lost in Genji's face. The soft happiness of his expression. Not a single day has passed that he hasn't felt those words were true; his little brother was and is, in fact, the greatest gift the universe ever offered him.

Then, as he always would in their childhood, Genji reaches out and smears whipped cream on Hanzo's cheek. He just rolls his eyes, biting back laughter. "Really?"

Their friends seem to be distracted in conversation and Genji takes advantage of that, whispers, "Yeah, really." And leans in to lick Hanzo's face clean.

Genji doesn't immediately pull away and his breath on Hanzo's wet cheek sends a shiver down his spine. Hanzo tries to breathe, but every inhale fills his lungs with Genji's scent. He knows what his brother's doing, what he's hinting at. Their most intimate celebrations have resurfaced in his memories as well and he can't wait to have a chance at them again.

"I have a gift for you," Genji says in his ear. "Come to my room later."

Hanzo nods and Genji pulls away as soon as the door swings open, and yet another Happy birthday to you crowd approaches. He finally manages a grounding breath. The night can't come sooner.

They're surprised with another cake, another surprise party that night. This time Genji lets Hanzo hang in a corner and takes the spotlight, takes all the hugs and good wishes and gifts. The evening seems to go on forever as he sits in absolute stillness, though inside Hanzo is bubbling in anticipation for the moment everyone agrees to head to bed and he can finally, finally have Genji all for himself.

Reinhardt is the last to get dragged away, drunk and rambling, and after helping with the cleanup, Hanzo bids everyone goodnight and slips away to his room. Deep down he feels stupid, getting all dollied up for Genji, of all people, but they get so little alone time here in Gibraltar that his instinct is to try and leave a good impression. Has to shake himself in front of the mirror, grab the box of Genji's present and leave the room before he starts changing clothes all over again.

It takes no time at all for Genji to respond with come on in when Hanzo knocks on his door. When it slides open, it offers Hanzo the sight of literal heaven: Genji, lying in bed with an arm behind his head, all his flesh bits exposed (which is rare, so rare, for him to let them out, and it's a pity because he's beautiful), legs spread wide. Hard. Wet. Delicious. Stroking himself leisurely.

For a moment Hanzo stands by the door, after it closes behind him, just watching. Genji's pupils are blown, his face, relaxed. His mouth, slightly open for easier breathing. Either he's had something, or he's already peaked while waiting for Hanzo to arrive, which is such a lovely idea – that Genji was so excited prepping for their birthday bash that he couldn't hold back and made himself cum.

Hanzo's insides feel warm like molten chocolate just at the thought. He sets Genji's gift down on his desk for later, starts tugging off his clothes as he steps closer to the bed. Genji's breath quickens as he watches Hanzo strip, delicious little sounds escaping his parted lips. Hanzo sits beside him on the bed, fully naked and already semi hard, and at this point Genji's hand is going so fast it's almost blurry.

"Is this my gift?" Hanzo asks, taking note suddenly of how low his voice has dropped.

Genji just shakes his head, no.

His eyebrows shoot up. "There's more?"

Yes.

"Goodness, Genji," he sighs and finally touches Genji, just a heavy hand settling down on his thigh. Rubbing gently upwards, feeling the cold metal that makes him him. "You spoil me rotten, brother."

In response Genji shifts, pulling his other hand free and reaching out for Hanzo, who leans in as Genji's fingers slip behind his head for a kiss. It's sweet and almost chaste; Genji has very little energy to focus on the kiss right now, so Hanzo takes his chance to bite his lips, suck on his tongue. Explore his mouth as deeply as he wants, as Genji only moans and tugs at his hair.

"Tell me something, birthday boy," he mutters as their mouths part, though his face remains inches from Genji's. "How many times have you come already?"

Genji huffs an attempt of a chuckle. It melts into a groan when Hanzo's hand slips up his inner thigh to gently fondle his balls.

Once, he mouths and Hanzo smiles proudly at his correct guess. Years have passed and still he knows his little brother like the back of his hand.

He dips his head to nose down the side of Genji's face, the place where metal meets skin. "You want to come again?" Hanzo asks, and Genji nods in response. Yes.

Poor thing. There's a gorgeous sheen of sweat on his forehead and the vents on his shoulders are releasing a gentle puff of lukewarm steam. Hanzo would love to keep Genji on this edge for hours, to push him to the limits of sanity with lust and desire, but he fears that it might be too much for his circuits.

Once again assuming correctly, he dips two fingers into Genji, finding that he's slick and loose. As soon as pushes them in, Genji shouts, spurts of liquid pleasure painting his chest. He shakes and shivers for a minute, then fully relaxes back on the bed, a satisfied grin painted on his face. Beautiful.

But there's more yet to come.

"Hey," Genji murmurs when at last he opens his eyes again. "You wanna grab those for me?"

Hanzo looks over his shoulder at the place that Genji's pointing out. He didn't see it at first when he walked in because obviously there had been more interesting things in sight, but beside the box that he put down on Genji's desk, there are two other packages, one short and slim and the other one a lot taller than the first. Hanzo frowns, wondering about the contents, but dips in to quickly peck him on the lips, then slowly pulls his hand free (as Genji gasps and sighs) to go retrieve all three of the boxes.

"The bigger one is yours," Genji explains from the bed as he makes his way back. "The smaller one is... Ours."

There's a soft flush on his cheeks when Hanzo gives him a quizzical look. He decides to open the smaller one first.

Well, after Genji opens his.

So once he's returned to his place at Genji's side, he puts the two other boxes down and offers his brother the one that he brought in. "Here," he explains. "I know you have an unlimited supply of these things, but... Kiri got me in touch with Asa. These are Yamagami originals."

Something shiny and delighted crosses Genji's eyes, but when he reaches out towards Hanzo, instead of grabbing the box, he wraps his hand around Hanzo's cock.

"Open it for me?" The shit-eating grin would be audible even if Hanzo weren't staring at his face. "I've kinda got my hands full at the moment."

And well, can he argue with the birthday boy? Certainly not.

Hanzo bites a smile of his own, trains his breathing and his eyes on the package and rips it open as gently as he can, with shaky hands of his own. Out slips a small box of polished wood; sliding open the lid reveals a set of shiny shuriken.

"Damn." Genji whistles. "Fuck me, these are pretty."

"Language," Hanzo reprimands, because no matter how much time passes he'll always be the older brother.

"Oh sure, sorry Han," he's rolling his eyes and smirking. "Stroking your dick is fine, but I can't swear?"

"Precisely," he says just to further annoy him, but Genji just laughs it off. Cautiously, he puts away the box, secured safely inside a drawer on Genji's side table.

Hanzo's breathing hiccups twice as shudders run through him. Genji slows the pace of his hand.

"Open the smaller one now?" He suggests and there's a tone of anxiety and excitement in his voice that does the very opposite of what he intended by going slower on Hanzo's cock.

He picks up the box. It's light and doesn't produce sounds when shaken. Genji jabs at Hanzo's shoulder with his free hand, going come on! as he calmly pulls it open.

And a pink little vibrator slips out. Because of course it's a sex toy.

"You can control it through an app–"

"I know how these work, Genji," Hanzo says as he removes the thing from its packaging. He's mulling it over and thinks he probably still has the app installed on his phone since the last time... Well, that was years ago...

"Who did you use it on?" Genji asks. There's no hint of jealousy in his voice; his eyes are hooded but curious. His hand stills entirely when Hanzo leans down to search his clothes for the phone.

"Doesn't matter," is all he says, because truly, it doesn't.

"Who did you use it on, Han?" He's having fun prodding at Hanzo, the asshole.

But Hanzo isn't going to dwell on the past now. He sets up the connection, checks that the toy is working as intended, then turns to Genji with a smirk of his own.

"Tell you who I'm about to use it on, now," he says, pushing the toy deep inside Genji's ass. "Happy birthday to us, Genji."

The two explode into laughter, but Genji's quickly turns to moans as Hanzo turns on the toy. He sets it up to a low vibration at first, just to test the waters. Genji is quick to recover from the initial shock and just sighs, rolling his hips to the rhythm of the toy.

Hanzo keeps his phone close, but sets it down on the bed and reaches for the third and last box.

"Ah, you're going to like this one," Genji breathes. His hand returns to Hanzo's cock and Hanzo moves closer to him on instinct, indulging the touch.

From inside the box he retrieves a bottle of very expensive sake, the type that they don't find outside of Japan. He hasn't had a taste of this one since... Well, probably since he fled the country, all those years ago.

He looks from the bottle to Genji, then back at the bottle, then back at Genji. He's grinning proudly as Hanzo frowns.

"This must have been expensive, brother," he murmurs. Genji's always been one for irrational expenses.

"Hanzo, please." He's glaring daggers at Hanzo, "Can't I spoil my older brother rotten?"

Somehow the response breaks his defenses. Yes, Genji can do whatever he wants, he deserves it, even if what he wants to do is coddle Hanzo, who does not deserve it.

But this is their birthday bash, after all. He opens the bottle, takes a long swig, then passes it over to Genji. It's delicious, even more so when Hanzo leans in to kiss Genji and taste it on his tongue.

"Thank you," he murmurs into his mouth and Genji smiles, kisses him again.

"Happy birthday to us," Genji parrots. He's not drunk yet, but Hanzo feels lightheaded with how much love he has for his brother.

Then Genji is picking up the pace of his hand and Hanzo takes his phone, cranks up the vibrator just slightly. He straddles Genji's chest (which is sticky, he'd forgotten, with cum, but once he realizes it he loves the feeling) and inches closer, closer, until Genji's hand slides over to his hip and instead he takes Hanzo in his mouth.

It's been over a decade, but nobody ever knew quite how to blow Hanzo the perfect way like Genji does.

He passes Hanzo back the bottle, grabs at his ass with both hands and goes to town, swirling his tongue and pressing and sucking, and grazing his teeth just slightly, just that edge of pain that makes Hanzo's eyes roll back into his skull. When Hanzo grabs his hair and starts to fuck his mouth, he knows to relax and take it, to groan around his cock, sending sparks up Hanzo's shaft. And when Hanzo buries himself as deep as he can possibly go, to spill his pleasure down Genji's throat, he swallows it all, nice and pretty like the little slut he is.

He's so good that Hanzo figures he deserves to have the toy amped up yet again.

At this point Genji is squirming, cock hard and leaking again, and frankly Hanzo could just watch him fuck himself crazy on the toy – he does sit back for a moment, taking sips of sake and enjoying himself. But then he thinks, well, it's Genji's birthday. Maybe birthday boy has other ideas.

He leans closer to Genji's face again. "Tell me what you want, brother," is but a whisper.

Genji grins wildly. "Told you before," he stutters. "Fuck me."

Hanzo's hands are already reaching for his thighs. "With or without the toy?"

"With."

Gods, I love him.

The bottle gets abandoned in favor of something much, much better. Hanzo sits between Genji's legs as he pulls his knees up, offering his pretty ass and his pretty, puffy hole. Genji had lubed himself up thoroughly and it shines, leaking out of him. He grabs at the handle on the toy so it doesn't get lost and starts pushing in, inch after inch as Genji moans obscenely, and Hanzo can only imagine how good it must feel, how full he must be, how the vibrations must be shaking his very bones.

Because now he feels it too, the toy, pressed against his cock in the tight space of Genji's body. And it's out of this world. No one should be allowed to feel so good.

He grabs at the back of Genji's knees, pushing them up, and starts thrusting. Slowly, carefully, watching his face for signs of overstimulation. And though his eyes are glassy and locked onto Hanzo's, he attempts a smile, falling back into frowns of absolute pleasure every time he sinks all the way in.

And Hanzo catches himself thinking that could live inside Genji...

Then Genji is fiddling with a phone, Hanzo's phone, and suddenly the vibrator jolts, hitting maximum power. Genji shouts and Hanzo gasps in surprise, and he has to stop moving because it's too much – his whole body shakes with the toy and he comes so hard he slips out of Genji, paints the bed with his cum. Genji convulsing beneath him, cum shooting in all directions, but he's laughing frenziedly, hysterical with pleasure.

"Hanzo!" He's being loud, Hanzo is certain that people in other rooms down the hall can hear it. "Hanzo!"

"I'm here, Genji," gently tugging the toy out of his body until he stops shaking and Hanzo can pull Genji to his lap. "I'm right here."

They breathe together, satisfied and spent at last.

Genji grins at him. "Best. Birthday. Ever."

And all Hanzo can do is laugh.

They should really go for a bath soon; sweat aside, Genji is all sticky with cum and Hanzo knows he'll find himself just as grimy. But for now they can rest back on the bed (which is also in dire need for a change of sheets), and just breathe and relax.

It is their birthday, after all. They can indulge.