#i don't think I've shown it before but it IS old

[oswaldthatendswald]

I did not expect to still be thinking about this, but actually now I'm thinking about it more than I was originally. A kind soul replied to inform me that "joker" is actually still used to refer to that card in Spanish, which should perhaps have cut the whole theory off at the ankles, but instead got me thinking about whether there's any other evidence that the codenames predate Doflamingo.

I'll skip the three hours I spent trying to track down every single panel focusing on Trebol: there's not really any evidence. But at this point, my loose collection of headcanons put on a trenchcoat and started impersonating an actual story.

Trebol's an interesting guy, albeit one I don't think about that much because I Don't Like Him. Preemptively, I'm going to tell you that I don't ascribe to the theory that he's the master manipulator behind all of Doflamingo's actions. I think he definitely enables Doflamingo's fall from "shitty little kid" to "homicidal Machiavellian murder demon," but I don't think that he somehow convinced Doflamingo to go down that route. Partly because that theory seems mostly designed to reduce Doflamingo's responsibility for his own actions (and as much as I like Doflamingo, I like him best as a villain), and mostly because I think it cheapens Doflamingo's own power as a character.

What Trebol does do is target Doflamingo when he is quite young, (functionally) alone, likely terrified, and definitely furious. He validates Doflamingo's rage and nascent grudge, gives him multiple weapons (a gun AND a Devil Fruit, Trebol? Really? He's TEN), and encourages him to go kill people.

(Crucially, we never see him suggest that Doflamingo kill his father. If we had, I would absolutely be arguing that Trebol is the real power on the crew, because that would be intentionally inciting the removal of the only authoritative adult in Doffy's life, and that would reek of manipulation. However, I've mentioned elsewhere that what isn't shown in a story can be as important as what is, and so I think it's key to understanding Trebol to highlight that he only suggests that Doflamingo kill anyone he wants and get his revenge.)

Having given a TEN YEAR OLD a gun and a Devil Fruit, Trebol looses the little shit on the world to do what he will. Doflamingo then kills his father, takes his head back to Mariejois, and upon being kicked out, returns to Trebol. He is then immediately crowned god-king of their little group and goes on to lead them to spectacular heights of infamy.

Trebol is deeply weird, to the point that I think he sets off everyone's "shit is up with this man" sensors. How does he know so much about Devil Fruits? And Haki? Why does he seem to worship the Celestial Dragons? .....I don't have answers for those questions. I do have an idea as to what's going on with his manipulation (?) of Doflamingo, and that idea is this: I think Trebol's done this before.

So, okay. Bear with me as we careen wildly off the path of canon and into the weeds of fanfiction. Trebol has information about Haki and Devil Fruits both, and in the world of One Piece-- especially outside the Grandline-- that's valuable. Powerful, even. Like everyone else with a taste of power, Trebol wants more. He has his own Devil Fruit, but one man can only be so strong out here. He needs a crew.

Personally, I think Pica was first. Physically formidable, but with a voice that was nothing but a source of mockery. Easy to flatter and bribe with promises of strength beyond physical-- power to crush anyone who tried to make him the butt of the joke ever again. Literally.

With Diamante, I can't help but think that the Devil Fruit must have come before the man. Trebol was looking for someone who could use the Fruit to its greatest effect, and a swordsman seemed tailor-made. With Pica to offer an illustration of how utterly devastating a Fruit can be, Diamante would have been a fool to say no.

Then Vergo, not for a Devil Fruit, but for his Haki. Rare enough to find a Haki user in the North Blue; what a stroke of luck to find one who was young, alone, and unallied with any crew. Self-taught Armament; a prodigy. There was no need to find Vergo a Devil Fruit. Besides, you need someone who can swim on a crew of anchors.

But on a nowhere island, a midpoint stop, Trebol heard of an impossibility. Celestial Dragons? Here?

It was better than he could have hoped. A god just barely fledging, furious with the world. King's Haki, but he needed more for his revenge. And oh, Trebol could give it to him. Whatever power he bestowed on Doflamingo, it would be returned tenfold, he was certain.

The boy-god left with his father's head for Mariejois and had to break back out when they refused to return him to his rightful place. That's alright. Trebol's crew welcomed him with open arms. Their wildcard and leader. Defend him long enough for him to grow up, and he'd show them the top of the world.

The funny thing is, I think Trebol really believes it when he tells Law that the Executives are all equal to Doffy. He put the crown on the king, so surely he gets a piece of it, right? But by the time Doflamingo was old enough to use Trebol's old tricks on Law, he was already their uncontested leader. By the time he's a Warlord? King of Dressrosa? Law's right: Trebol is nothing more than another puppet.

All this story is given to us in the span of one chapter. The idea that Trebol is somehow responsible for the rise of the Heavenly Demon comes from his own mouth, and Law is quick to point out the reality only a few pages later. For all that Trebol seems to have intended for Doflamingo's power to benefit him, the reality seems to be quite the opposite.

I know it makes more sense to assume that the card suit codenames (Trebol, Corazon, Diamante, Pica) come from Doflamingo due to the whole Spanish thing, but against all logic I've always headcanoned that they actually predate Doflamingo. I chose to believe that they're actually Trebol's invention to make his little gang/cult more cohesive, and Doflamingo just really latched on to that theme. My only evidence for this is that his own codename, "Joker," is in English, which to me makes it feel like a tacked-on addition by a kid who didn't quite understand the theme they were going for, and my only excuse is that I think this is funny.

[averycutesalamander]

hello, sal.

i’m here to demand compensation for the sanity i just lost reading the alpha/beta post /j

no but seriously, you have been absolutely cooking it UP with your recent stuff. i’m seriously unwell about your writing (i talk about it all the time with my friends— they know to [lovingly] dread the ensuing explosion of excitement whenever i mention your name lmao). i’ve reread all of your fics so many times over and it never gets old. so, thank you for the newest addition to the rotation lol

just know i am rotating rapidly every time i see you upload another blurb (i eat them up so quick it’s actually not funny— my friends call it frightening 😭😭)

with love from the sun

- 🌅

SCREAMINGBFNFBN kicking my feet omg 🥺🥺 you talk to your friends about me sddbjshsjeveb im so flattered hahaha.

your compensation, my liege 🙂‍↕️

[windor-truffle]

wait shit do you think they're going to let you change the voice language in the graces remaster??? 👀

[team--charlotte]

🎭🪠📰

🎭Favorite sketch where the kids play themselves? oh the scott-bot sketch for sure! so many parts i love: the scott-bot ripping off bellini's towel only for him to have another towel underneath, kevin bursting in with a ripped sweater, mark's scared acting, the fact that scott built a robot because he was still tired from his vacation, scott fighting the robot in his robe and with the wrong remotes... it's a gem

🪠Favorite one-off character? scott's detective character from the katnapped sketch. that's a great sketch already, but there's something just really fascinating about the peter prince character that i just can't get enough of. also some of scott's best work, in my opinion

📰Have you watched News Radio? i have not! but i plan to! my girlfriend used to watch it and she really hyped it up for me. i recently found seasons one and two at a second-hand store, and my sister got me season three for my birthday. once i get it the last couple seasons on dvd i am blowing through it

[fazcinatingblog]

No YOU ran out of paper towel and then opened the fridge to see if there were any new rolls in there

[letsbangts]

mutt || jjk

⤷ summary: when you realize you can’t teach an old dog new tricks

⟶ pairing: jungkook x reader

⟶ word count: 6k+

18+ // mdni

⟶ genre: smut, angst, friends with benefits au

⟶ content: fuckboy!jk, tattooartist!jk, porn with some plot

⟶ warnings: explicit language, jk is kinda toxic, jk being a bit manipulative, explicit sexual content: dirty talk, fingering, praising, teasing, kissing/making out, nipple sucking, spitting, oral (f. receiving), biting, spanking, big dick jk, soft dom jk, rough sex (doggy bcuz duh), pet names, multiple orgasms

↬ a/n: hope you enjoy & let me know what you think! angel xoxo

˖⁺. ༶ NOW PLAYING ༶ .⁺˖ mutt leon thomas 01:43 ─✮───── 03:07 ⇆ ⊲ II ⊳ ↺ ᴠᴏʟᴜᴍᴇ : ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮

PART TWO ˚.⋆˚.⋆˚.⋆ masterlist ˚.⋆˚.⋆˚.⋆ join my taglist

I can't smoke on reggie, so pardon my bluntness I see past pretty faces, so I got trouble trusting

You're sitting on your couch watching TV when you hear your phone vibrating against the coffee table where it lies. Sitting up and leaning over to pick it up and check, you gaze at the name read across the lit-up screen. You hold the phone staring at the call for a few long seconds before finally deciding to answer, releasing a heavy sigh as you do.

Because picking up at all means he has a chance tonight.

Feigning ignorance you ask, “Hey Kook, what's up?”

It's a question you already know the answer to. There is only one reason Jungkook calls you, and his reply confirms just that.

“I wanna see you come over,” he bluntly says into the phone like it's the most obvious thing, and him being right is what frustrates you.

Hearing that, a part of you is happy that he chose to call you and wants to be in your presence while the other part of you, the rational one, isn't as delighted knowing this moment will pass. It always does because that is just what you are to him, a moment.

You hear rustling in the background on his side of the phone, clearly distracted by other things while he talks to you.

“I don't know about tonight,” you hesitate, but make no move to hang up.

New crib, told her, "Come through," it's time to bring it in ... New condo, say your name at the front, you can stay if you want

Jungkook has played this game enough times to know exactly what to say. He’s a veteran player skilled in always finding the right words to switch you from the opposing side to his own.

He sighs, “Don’t be like that.”

“Like what?” You reply.

The rustling in the background stops indicating he's halted his movements and focused on you. You bite your lip sensing Jungkook is about to make his way right through what you thought was your shrinking window of opportunity.

“Don’t act like you don't want to see me too. Don't be distant with me."

“I’m not being distant with you—“

"I've invited you to my new place to visit and you still haven't shown up. It’s not fair for you to withhold that pretty little face from me," he cuts you off persuading with his charm. And you swear you can see his puppy eyes through the phone.

"It's already late, Kook," you try.

"You can stay over if you want," he continues, "I miss you, baby. No one else makes me feel the way you do. You know how much you mean to me, how much I trust you. I had a rough night and it's been a minute since I've seen you. Are you trying to hurt me more like this?”

Your silence on the other end of the line is more than enough to answer his question.

“Just… come over. Let me see you. Please?” Jungkook pleads to sink his claws into you more.

He’s about to pull the phone away from his ear to make sure the call didn’t disconnect when he hears you sigh softly on the other end.

“Okay.”

"I can't wait to see you, baby. Just tell the concierge your name when you get here," he ends with.

And with a quiet parting, you finally hang up and get dressed. Making your way out the front door to your car, headed straight for the man who has you locked in his cage. You try not to ponder on whether he gave the front desk your name because he was hoping you'd come or if it was that he was expecting you to.

It's been one of those nights, one of those nights I ain't had in a minute ... But it's never the same as the first time we did it First time we did it

It would be a lie to say it didn't feel good to hear Jungkook begging to see you, you'd like to think he wouldn’t do it for anybody else.

While driving to his condo you start reflecting on how you got here. Thinking back to the autumn you met him: the way he smiled brightly at you when you entered the tattoo studio, the reassuring squeeze he gave your side to calm you down after noticing you jerk at the buzzing of the needle, and his light praises as he worked on your skin.

Permanently marking your body and your life.

He truly is a charming guy. His sweetness is what drew you in, the way it seemed he cared for you. Calling to check how your ink was healing only to come over to make sure you were right when you said it was doing fine. The late-night visits when you'd say you had a bad day at work. The random car rides after you'd mention you're bored. It was nice back then, you wonder when that changed.

The past seven months of running to Jungkook when he calls, feeling wanted and getting tangled in his sheets. To then be slapped in the face with the reminder that you're not the only one he has on a leash.

Before you know it, you're standing in front of his door. You raise a fist and knock on it, hearing footsteps approaching on the other side before the sound of it unlocking.

JK POV

Jungkook swings the door open wide and leans one arm on its frame looking down at you as you finally come face to face. It’s been over three weeks since he last saw you, and he knew you were slipping through his fingers. When he got his new place it was the perfect chance to see you so he's been trying to convince you to come over since he moved in.

As he takes you in, standing on his stoop with an expression clear you're unsure if you should be here. The tight white tube top snug on your chest and the low-rise jeans you're wearing allow the tattoo he put on you to peek out. Creating a feeling of possessiveness in him without you knowing what you're doing to him. Fuck, it’s been too long.

As you stand there with Jungkook's alluring appearance: white wifebeater that shows off his sleeve of ink, grey sweat pants hanging low, and hair wet—you feel your resolve crumble.

Fresh out of the shower, his musky clean scent engulfs you from here, as he flashes that smile that got you here in the first place.

“Hey, baby,” he says coolly. It's like he's completely unaware of the inner conflict you're going through.

You smile meekly as you brush past him to walk inside. He doesn't move aside, purposefully taking up most of the doorway so you have to press up against him, and when you do, he closes the door with one hand as the other reaches for you. His fingers hook in the belt loop of your jeans to pull you closer he wraps an arm around your waist pulling you in your chest against his.

“You're still being cold with me, huh?" he lowers his head to meet your gaze, "You're breaking my heart, baby.”

You look up making eye contact with his sparkling orbs, "No, I told you I'm not."

"Then where's my kiss?" he questions.

And that's where your inner conflict ends.

But I'll let my guard down for you Said I'll put my guard down for you

You loop your arms around his neck and tilt your head up, his lips find yours at the same time his hands slide down around your hips, fingers slipping into your back pockets stretched taut over your ass and squeezing. You gasp at the feeling and he takes the opportunity to push his tongue into your mouth.

JK POV

Jungkook knows that you’ve been pulling away from him. But he doesn't see what the problem is and if you were honestly done with him, then you wouldn’t have come here. And you certainly wouldn’t be twirling your tongue together with his.

Jungkook's head lowers to the crook of your neck and starts kissing to make you squirm the way he likes.

“I need to make up for my Y/N withdrawal,” he murmurs against your skin, and you giggle.

“I’m serious,” Jungkook remarks. He pauses to suck a mark into your skin, only stopping when he manages to bring a soft whimper out of you. “Why did you ghost me? You know that if you want to end this all you have to do is tell me.”

His lips make you shiver, "I-I know."

Jungkook’s lips graze over the shell of your ear “Then am I not satisfying you anymore,”

"No, t-that's not it. I've just been busy," you muster out an excuse.

Jungkook clicks his tongue at your answer and nips at your ear, "You lying to me now," he continues,

"We've always been honest with each other."

You stay silent.

You can't disagree with him, Jungkook has always been straight with you. Before you hooked up the first time he made it clear to you he wasn't looking for anything serious, and you told him you were okay with that. This was true at the time. Back then you were going through a dry spell so a man like Jungkook was just what you needed.

But as you two continued to spend time together, your feelings began to get more blurred. Although unsure if he would regard you as one, you considered him a friend. You both got along so great, not just sexually but beyond that. So as time went on your feelings for him only grew.

That should have been when you stopped what you two started but stupidly you didn't. And that's where your honesty fell short.

Jungkook has always been open with you that he was sleeping with other people, and it did hurt you knowing he was seeing other women because you were only sleeping with him. And as much as you could've done the same, you didn't. You were never the type of woman to sleep around with multiple people. It didn't feel right to you, plus you got everything you needed from Jungkook. So it stung more knowing that he didn't get the same from you, that you weren't enough.

But you enjoyed spending time with him, and you figured he must have enjoyed spending time with you just as much since he could have just stopped seeing you. So you supposed it must have been more than just the sex for him because if he only wanted that you knew he was also getting it from others.

Although lately things have felt different for you, your feelings for him remain but you no longer notice a friendship between you two. Maybe it was never really there to begin with but it started to seem like you were just a good fuck for him.

Just another contact in his phone, a quick and easy booty call. And you now realize you are.

As difficult as it was to keep all this to yourself, you knew if you told him that you had to stop sleeping with one another because you developed feelings for him—that would be it. He would have no reason to see or talk to you anymore. And foolishly that was something you weren't sure you were ready for.

So you decided to settle for just avoiding him instead. It kept you far enough from being hurt by his actions yet kept him close enough to seem like he was still around.

JK POV

Truthfully, Jungkook does like you, not enough to settle down but he wouldn't do that with anyone. You are sweet, beautiful and great in bed. It is easy to talk to you and fun to hang out with you—you're a great match for him honestly. But right now he’s young, and he wants to be carefree and have fun.

Jungkook has noticed that you seem to want more than what the two of you initially agreed upon, yet selfishly he doesn’t want to let you go. He likes having you around, he has never kept someone he was seeing around as long as you. Jungkook wouldn't say this out loud but you're special. He sees how different you are from the other women he hangs out with. Not just in the bedroom, and holy shit are you great in bed, but as a person.

He knows that you haven't been with anyone other than him this whole time, and secretly that made him happy. If what was going on between you two was to end, he knew it wouldn't be difficult for you to find someone to replace him. Someone who would likely give you more than Jungkook is. Any guy would jump at the chance to be with you and that makes his blood fucking boil, the idea of you with someone else.

People would probably say he's a asshole for still seeing you but Jungkook has never claimed to be perfect. That's why he takes time to give you extra attention when things feel shaky with you two, securing his hold on you. You’re always so good for him, always coming when he calls.

It’s probably fucked up, but even though he just told you to say the word to end all this, he wouldn't let you go that easily.

Said I'll be vulnerable So you can break my heart if you want to

When your silence continues Jungkook is aware you don't intend on giving him a truthful answer.

“Hmm if you don't want to tell me, that's fine. Maybe you need to be reminded why you started coming to me in the first place,” he barks.

He moves his hands to your hips and pushes you back till the back of your knees hit the couch causing you to fall onto it. Jungkook stands over you looking down like a predator stalking his prey. The sight makes you wet, panties sticking to you.

Your heartbeat picks up as you gaze up at him. With a smirk, he uses one leg to tease your thighs apart. He leans forward his hands bracing on the back of the couch behind you, arm muscles flexing as he cages you in, and captures you in a heated kiss.

“Pants off, baby,” he growls into your mouth, shifting to grip your neck with one hand as he kisses you again. You whine in his mouth as you do as you’re told.

You missed this: the way he smells, how soft his lips are, the way he dominates you.

Once your jeans are off Jungkook lips leave yours and his knees drop to the carpet as he settles between your legs. His gaze sets on the permanent mark on your hip, the one he put there—the one that brought you two together. His eyes find yours as he gives it a peck then hooks his biceps under your thighs and he tugs you to the edge of the couch.

Jungkook draws out a moan from you when he sucks a hickey into the soft skin of your inner thigh. He bites at it before pulling back with a final lick over the mark that sends a shiver down your spine. You open your legs wider for him, leaning back against the cushion.

“Good girl,” Jungkook praises with a smirk.

He takes one hand between your thighs to yank your panties to the side, tattooed fingers spreading your folds apart.

When he leans back he murmurs, "So fucking pretty, I missed this pussy so much."

Making eye contact he dives in and licks a long, slow stripe up the front of the wet material, taking his time, your hips tilt up on their own for more.

“Kook,” you whine, the desperation in your voice only turns him on more.

He works up some saliva in his mouth and lets it dribble down over your slit between his fingers, then follows it with another pass of his tongue.

“Don't worry you know I always take care of you, baby, ” Jungkook purrs, he goes back in sucking your clit.

“Oh my fucking god,” you mewl.

“Shit, baby you're soaking,” he teases along with his touch down to your entrance. He pushes a finger in only to drag it back out, and a thin, glossy string of arousal comes with it.

“Your pussy missed me just as much. That’s why you couldn't stay away,” he winks.

And once again, his being right frustrates you because you could never stay away. Like he knew the moment he called you would end up in the exact position you are now because he knows you can’t say no to him. That fact is evident by how quickly you showed up at his door.

JK POV

Jungkook pulls your panties down your thighs before guiding your legs to hang over his shoulders. Glancing up to meet your eyes, arms locked across your stomach to keep you in place, flashes you a cheeky smile then he starts eating you out like a starved animal. His tongue traces through your folds, lapping at your wet entrance while his thumb circles over your clit to work up more. Jungkook’s brows pinch together and he grunts in appreciation of your familiar taste.

You squeak, and Jungkook just thinks you're so damn cute he can't hold back a smirk as he pleasures you.

He enjoys the way your soft sighs transition into loud moans, hips matching pace to the steady rhythm of his tongue. He likes making you squirm, he can feel the muscles in your thighs twitch in response— always so sensitive.

“Kook,” you moan, “ah, fuck— f-feels so good,” your fingers make their way into his long locks and tug.

Smiling against your folds he hums, and the vibrations make you cry out so he does it some more, lips closing to suck firmly at your clit.

“I'm gonna cum,” you call out as he continues his assault against your clit, tongue returning to flick at the sensitive nub. 

Your hips rise as your orgasm washes over you and he shoves them back down, practically growling as he forces you to stay put and take it. He can feel your legs tremble, your heels dig into his back as he sucks and licks you through your climax. He keeps going until you can't take anymore and push at his head, whimpering from overstimulation.

A final kiss to your pussy and Jungkook pulls back with a cocky grin on his face, chin glistening. He knows no one else will ever pleasure you like him. 

You barely manage to regulate your breathing before he slides your legs off his shoulders. His hands press on your thighs to encourage them to spread further before he slips two fingers knuckles deep into your cunt.

Your walls squeeze so tight around him, the sound of your overflowing juices as he pumps into you so filthy. You reach out to grab onto something and your hands find his bicep your nails digging into his skin.

Jungkook glances up and he can’t help but smile at your fucked out expression. You’re past the point of being able to talk, but that doesn't stop him.

“You missed me too, right baby?”

You can only whimper in response and he halts his movements, fingers deep inside you.

“What was that? Use your words, baby,” he taunts.

You nod desperately until you manage to find your voice.

“Yes.”

You look so innocent and obedient, it makes Jungkook want to fucking ruin you.

“Yes, what?” Jungkook mocks as he curves his fingers to caress over your velvety walls.

"Y-yes I," you take a deep breath, "I missed you," you finally manage to get out.

Jungkook presses his tongue to the inside of his cheek, trying to hide his smug smirk and goes back to his fast pace. This time he doesn't hold you down when you fuck yourself on his hand, clenching around his fingers and trembling all over again. Jungkook watches you in awe with his mouth slightly agape as he works you through your second peak. He loves how your nails dig into him with your tight grip like you need him to ground yourself.

Once you finally start to come down your thighs shut around Jungkook’s wrist to still the motions of his hand. When he hears you whimper from oversensitivity, he finally relents. You open your legs so he can slip his fingers out, he lifts them to his mouth to suck them clean. As he watches your chest heaving with your head tip back and eyes closed, he rises to his feet.

In one swift move, Jungkook leans forward, slipping an arm between your back and the couch and sweeping the other under your knees. He tosses you over his shoulder with zero struggle, delivering a swift slap to your ass with the hand that isn’t wrapped around your hips.

You gasp out a laugh, “What are you doing?!”

You haven't seen this playful side of him in a while. This is the Jungkook know—the Jungkook you let your walls down for.

“We gotta get more comfortable, baby,” Jungkook replies as he carries you across the living room, “I can't fuck my girl properly on the couch.”

His girl. Your heart flutters at the notion but your stomach twists at the lie.

He easily opens his bedroom door with his free hand walks in and sets you down on the bed, making quick work of stripping out of his clothes, hard cock hanging heavy between his legs. Bringing you back in the moment, your lingering thoughts pushed aside.

You remove your top and sit fully naked on his mattress. Staring up at him waiting for his next move.

He crawls over to you, you lay down as his body hovers over yours. You bite your lip as you look into his dark eyes.

"Now, will you finally tell me what's been going on?" His voice is low, his mouth ghosting over yours, his hand brushing some hair out of your face and tucking it behind your ear.

Your foot lightly kicks his muscular thigh, "Nothing's going on," you sigh.

“Why are you pulling away from me?” His nose runs down from the side of your neck to the valley between your breasts, it makes you shiver and your nipples.

“I'm not,” you whisper.

“You are,” Jungkook says softly. “And I don't like it.”

A hand cups one of your breasts, and he ducks down to suck the stiff peak of it into his mouth, enjoying the airy little moan he coaxes out of you and the way you arch up into him. He switches giving the other fleshy mound the same attention.

“It hurt me, baby,” his eyes find yours in time to watch your expression soften.

You remember his words from the call that brought you here so you inquire, shifting the spotlight off you.

You reach up and hold his face in both hands, thumbs stroking his cheeks, and quietly ask, "What about you? You said you had a rough night, what happened?"

Jungkook sighs. His forearms are on either side of you holding his weight as he leans down and presses his forehead against your chest.  

"I don’t want to talk about that. Let's focus on now, hmm?”

You press a kiss into his hair in agreement, and he tilts his head up to kiss your lips. Your arms come to loop around his neck to pull him closer. The two of you make out like teenagers, tongues colliding together.

“Kook, I need you. Please,” you moan, nails dragging down his back as he presses sloppy kisses, mostly tongue and teeth, to your neck.

His mouth finds yours again, and he bites down on your bottom lip with a smile before sitting up. You whine a little and Jungkook’s hands slide to your waist where he gives a teasing pinch.

“Can you get on all fours for me?”

Turning on your stomach, his hands go to your hips to guide you. You barely get on your knees as you feel Jungkook’s arm under you, wrapped around your stomach as he hoists you up, a hand pressing against your back. He dips down and presses a kiss to your temple.

“Comfy?” He murmurs in your ear.

You look up at him over your shoulder with wide, shining eyes, and you nod, Jungkook can't resist ducking down to kiss you before pushing your legs apart. Then his hand and fingers are back on your pussy, rubbing it slowly and spreading more wetness.

“So fucking sexy, you look so fucking beautiful like this, baby,” he groans behind you, causing you to clench embarrassingly as a soft chuckle sounds behind you.

Although you are lost in a haze of lust and pleasure, you still know to take precautions when it comes to Jungkook.

"C-condom, Kook,"

He shakes his amusingly before he reaches towards his nightstand, the sight of a foil package in Jungkook’s hands brings you back to all those times you’ve seen this exact view. He rips it open, pulling out the condom as you watch his every movement, especially those tattoos and veins decorating his muscular arms through the entire process of putting it on and down his thick hardened length.

The arch in your back, when you press your ass up towards him, makes his cock start to leak against his stomach and he gives your ass a firm slap.

The tip of his cock grazes over your pussy, poking your clit and causing you to whimper needily Jungkook’s name. He can’t help but moan as he starts to grind the head of his dick against your folds.

“Oh baby,” he utters huskily.

Gasping, you grip the sheets and hold them tightly in your hands,

“Fuck me, Kook, I wanna feel you.”

Jungkook doesn't waste any more time and lines himself up to your entrance and he pushes his length into you sliding in until he’s pressed to the hilt. You whine into the crook of your elbow, your walls pulsing, filled up and so sensitive.

Jungkook leans forward, hands resting by the pillow under your head on either side of you until his chest is flush with your back and the tip of his cock presses into your g-spot.

“Feels good?” He murmurs in your ear, and you can only whimper and nod.

"This pussy is all mine, right?" Jungkook asks through clenched teeth, nipping at the skin of your shoulder, and he starts to grind his hips against you, rubbing his cock into your g-spot over and over. 

“Yes, all yours,” you whisper, gasping when Jungkook starts thrusting in and out slowly, your mouth falling open right away at the sensual feeling of being stretched.

“Not anyone else's?” he hums like he doesn’t already know.

Even with your mind somewhere else you still feel the sting of what he’s asking you and the irony of it but somehow you manage to nod anyway.

“No,” you choke out.

He pulls out, not fully just enough to let his tip in as he starts sliding back in, this time even deeper than before.

“Good,” he whispers into your ear, straightening as he grabs your hips and starts moving faster. Ramming his hips into you causing his balls to hit your swollen clit which makes your head spin. Fingers digging into your hips so tightly that they might bruise later but the extra added pain adds just the right amount to your already existing pleasure and the tingle between your legs.

JK POV

"Ah, don’t stop, oh god—” you whimper, pushing your ass back to meet his thrusts. Jungkook can’t stop now, not even if he wanted to, not when it feels this good. You’re so fucking precious.

His hands grip you even tighter, hips moving faster when you beg him to, your soft moans and whimpers of Jungkook’s name coax him to move faster and deeper. Jungkook momentarily pauses as he grabs your ass and pulls your asscheeks apart, getting a good view of your pussy swallowing him.

Jungkook hooks his arm across your chest, and his hand gripped tight to your shoulder gives him more leverage to hit deeper.

“God, you're so fucking amazing, baby. Feels so good,” he growls.

Jungkook can feel the way your whole body is starting to shake and can tell by the way you’re gripping around him that you’re already close. He feels his balls tightening and he knows he’s just seconds from cumming too.

“Come with me, baby,” he grunts, “I want to feel you come again on my cock.”

The evident sound of skin-on-skin clapping echoes in your ears and around Jungkook’s bedroom and he takes no mercy on you, chasing his high and you cling to the sheets for dear life.

He feels good, too good to be true and you clench around him even more tightly, almost shrieking that you’re already ready to cum.

“Oh fuck, Kook, fuck, fuck, I’m coming, I—” With a loud cry, you collapse forward, knees nearly buckling as your third orgasm of the night hits you.

“Shit,” Jungkook curses, his breathing harsh and ragged, dick twitching right before a throaty growl makes its way out of his mouth and he’s finally cumming.

His head tilts back and his eyes screw shut as he comes with you. He fills up the condom, thrusts slowing down until they halt. You whimper softly with your head dropped down into your arms, your pussy still shuddering around him.

Jungkook squeezes at the curve of your ass as he pulls out with a hiss of oversensitivity. You cringe at the feeling but miss him inside you right away, the empty feeling making its way to your heart. But as soon as Jungkook’s cock is out of you, your whole body fails you and you fall onto your back, eyes to the ceiling.

He smiles at the way you’re still trembling as he disposes of the condom. He then joins you back on the bed, he lies next to you stretching out an arm for you and you move closer to him your face now buried in his chest.

Your rushed and loud breaths can be heard in the room. Jungkook brings a hand to your lower back to rub gentle circles, “You okay, baby?”

"Mhm," you nod with a small sigh.

“That was the best sex I had in a while,” he chuckles, “You wore me out, baby,” closing his eyes as you both lay there for a moment, bodies still hot and sweaty.

"I don't even know why I bother with other women," he comments, "I should've just called you first."

The heat in your body vanishes, you feel like your blood has drained from your body, and Jungkook's room now feels cold. You lift your head from his chest tilting your head up and look at him.

You dreadfully ask, "What do you mean?

"The girl I had over here before," he grimaced, "Couldn't hold a candle to you."

Your stomach twists and you feel your heartbeat pick up so much you hear it in your ears.

You clarify, "Before? You mean before you called me?"

He looks at you and nods, "Mhm."

"So, you had sex with someone else before you called me?"

"Yeah," he lets out a breath as he shakes his head, "It was such a disappointment, I had to end the night right."

You think back to the call before you came here:  

"I miss you, baby. No one else makes me feel the way you do. You know how much you mean to me, how much I trust you. I had a rough night and it's been a minute since I've seen you. Are you trying to hurt me more like this?”

Suddenly you feel vulnerable, a disgusted look forms on your face as you come to the realization, and you sit up abruptly.

Jungkook looks at you with confusion as you turn to face him.

You furrow your brows, "Is that what you were talking about when you said you had a rough night?

"Woah. What's wrong, baby?"

His ignorance of your question is all the confirmation you need, your heart cracks. Moments from earlier now make you feel like a fool.

His freshly showered body when you arrived wasn't because he came home from work but because he was cleaning himself from the sex he just had and when you asked him what was wrong before you fucked and he didn't want to talk about it.

You try to swallow down the lump in your throat as you look around for your clothing, and you lean over to retrieve the ones you see. You begin to get dressed still stinking of sex, only reminding you of the mistake that you've made adding to your sensation of disgust.

"Where are you going? I thought you were staying?"

You ignore his and continue getting dressed as your vision starts to blur.

Jungkook reaches out to touch your shoulder but you flinch away. He notices the tears in your eyes.

“Hey, there's no reason to be upset, baby,” Jungkook says softly.

“No, Jungkook,” you snap, his eyes widen and he can tell by the way you’ve dropped the nickname that this is serious, “That's fucking low even for you.”

"You know I sleep with other people, Y/N," he notes calmly.

"Yes, I know you sleep with other people, but I didn't think you'd have me in your bed before your sheets could even dry from your last fuck," you scoff already up and headed for the living room for the remainder of your clothing.

She said, "Take your time, what's the rush?"

Pulling on the rest of your clothes now fully dressed yet you feel more naked than you were mere minutes ago. You sense Jungkook's presence behind you and turn to resume your rant.

"Do you even care about how that makes me feel? How when some random girl can't please you, you call me as your second pick, like I'm just some backup pussy."

JK POV

Jungkook should probably take this more seriously, but he can’t help his instinctive reaction, he smirks, "You would have been my first if you hadn't been ignoring me."

You shoot him a look of disbelief, clearly not amused by this response. You move past him to his front door, but Jungkook quickly steps to block you from leaving.

"Hey, hey, hey wait," he grabs your shoulders to stop you, you shrug them off and his arms fall to his side. His eyes meet your own as he rebuts,

"Come on, you know it's not like that with us. You know what you mean to me. I don't see why it's a big deal. I mean, I wear a condom," he shrugs.

"That's not the point," you exasperate, "I didn't think you would do something so disrespectful, Jungkook. Instead of taking the time to have a break in between your dick appointments, you rush to call me over like I'm your bitch."

"Hold on a sec, I respect you," he tries to defend.

"Having respect for someone and disrespecting them are two very different things," you shake your head and continue, "You didn't even mention having someone here tonight until after you slept with me. And said it as if telling me I was the better lay of the night was a compliment," you laugh humorlessly.

"I don't know what you want me to do, Y/N," he says with a heavy exhale.

"If you don't understand why I'm upset Jungkook there isn't anything to do," your voice defeated.

Jungkook knows this is his chance to fight for you or at least apologise but this is who he is. He’s not going to promise he’ll change, and he knows you’re not going to ask him to. He can’t be anything but what he is, but he can hope you’ll stay anyway.

"What can I say, he says,

"Baby, I'm a dog, I'm a mutt"

They say if you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas but all you've gotten is heartbreak.

🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾

↬ a/n: okay so i have an idea for a part 2 of this that i'm probably going to work on once i finish a drabble that's currently in progress for a request...so maybe look forward to that :) let me know if that would be something you're interested in! PART TWO & if you made it this far thank you <3

[entitled-fangirl]

I'll always be thanking you.

Cregan Stark x wife!reader

Summary: The reader goes through postpartum depression after she gives him yet another girl. Cregan reassures her that he loves his daughters.

Warnings: postpartum depression, recovering from childbirth, sexist culture

Masterlist

A/n: it's a two fic kinda day

...............................................................................

It had happened so suddenly.

Cregan thought all was right in the world. Everything was set in place by the Old Gods as it should be. Everything was perfect.

But he knew that the last two pregnancies had been unkind to her, prompting a horrid depression after them that went on for months. But when it hadn't shown yet for this last one, he thought that perhaps it had stopped completely.

Until now.

He stepped into their chamber with a broad smile, lightly bouncing the two-year-old on his arm. Arya. She giggled with each one, the sound distorted with the force of the bounces. Witnessing the intimidating man turn soft for the little girl was entirely endearing. 

"Your mother is still in bed," he chipped lightly as he observed his wife covered by the furs they shared every night.

"She always in bed," Lyanna, their five year old said as she trailed behind them.

"Not always," Cregan corrected firmly. "She just gave us your new sister. It takes a long time for the body and mind to recover from something that great."

A small shaking of his wife's shoulders from her laying form in the bed caused him to worry slightly. "Lyanna, why don't you take your sister?"

She wanted to complain but knew better than to argue with her father. She took the toddler's hand and they walked out from the room.

Cregan's recovering wife laid in their bed, completely unmoving except for the small shoulder shake he'd seen. It was a quiver and it sent him on edge. She only ever did that when-

"Are you crying?" He whispered as he sat on the bed, her back to him.

Finally she turned. She had been awake the entire time. Her face was red from crying, the paths of her tears evident on her face. Her lips pouted down as she suppressed a sob.

Cregan was quick to comfort her. He practically laid his body over hers, keeping an arm around her to let her weep into his collarbone. And she did so.

He cooed every few moments, his free hand rubbing at her hair. The tears pained him almost as much as watching her endure the harsh labor only a two weeks before.

When the violent part of the crying was over, he pulled her face away to look at her. "Now," he caressed her cheek, "What is all this for?"

She sniffled and hiccuped between words. "It's just… just… Sarra."

His face fell. "Is something wrong with the babe?"

"No. It's just…" she caught her breath. "Another girl."

Cregan's head tilted. "It is," he reckoned. "What is the problem, my love?"

"Can I not give you a boy?" She whispered in fear of the answer.

Realization flooded Cregan. "You're doing nothing wrong," he assured. "I love my girls with all my heart. Did you want a boy this badly?"

"I just want you to be proud of me."

He visibly flinched. The thought of his postpartum wife crying over giving him a healthy baby was too much for him. "I'm proud of you. You've given me three girls now."

"But it's not a boy." Her eyes continually welled up with tears. "I was so sure it was a boy."

"Do you think me that shallow, dear wife?" He asked in a firm tone. "That I'd have you birth children until I got a boy?"

"Two," she corrected. "You need an heir and a spare and I-" her breath caught. "I cannot even give you one. A cursed womb-"

"Don't say that." His voice was a firm growl, his hand grabbing her jaw a bit harder than he meant to. "Do not say that."

A few tears ran down her cheeks.

Cregan forced a sigh and let his anger die down. He sat up a bit, giving her space. "Do you think that all I wanted in this world were two sons? Do you think that is all my heart desires?"

It was clear that she knew deep down how ridiculous she sounded. "Well-"

"-I've said it many times. What does my heart desire? Hmm? What brightens my day more than the sun?"

She let out a breath through her nose.

Cregan continued, tilting his head down to catch her gaze. "My wife and what? What else?"

"Your children," she whispered.

"Hm?" He asked, though he clearly heard it. He just wanted her to say it once again.

"Your children," she said a bit louder. 

He smiled. "Yes, our children." He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "Whether we had had one or you give me an army, I shall love them all until my remains in the crypt are long gone. Being a boy or girl doesn't change it."

"But… Winterfell-"

"-We'll deal with the succession when it is meant to happen. Until now, you're going to rest, and I'm going to spend time with our children. But I'm not going anywhere until you've done your part."

"The maester said it would take much longer to heal this time," she muttered. To herself or Cregan, she wasn't sure.

"That's alright. We've got all the time we need for now, don't we? No need to rush things."

"But the sooner we try-"

"-No-"

"-And Sarra was such a surprise-"

"-Stop-"

"-The next one could be sooner-"

"-Love," he said with a slightly raised voice. "When you're healed and ready to try once more, I will be eternally grateful. But I can wait a lifetime if I need to. I have all I need in the world already."

There was a small knock on the door. "Papa?"

No doubt it was Arya.

Cregan grinned and kissed his wife's temple before going to the door. In the doorway stood little Arya, her hair a sandy brown like Cregan's, her bright eyes like her mother. "What do you need?" It was a firm ask from him, but not one without care.

Arya had yet to say complete sentences yet, only a few  words here and there and the lord would be forced to try to make sense of them. She babbled about something and Cregan's brows raised, completely at a loss. "Um… I-"

"Here, darling," Y/n's soft voice came from behind Cregan as she walked to them. In her hand was Arya's doll that she had no doubt dropped earlier. It was a carefully sewn piece from Cregan's bastard sister, Sara, of whom the new babe was named after. "I see Aunt Sara got a new dress for her, hm?"

Arya grabbed the doll quickly from her mother and hugged the doll tightly. 

Cregan wrapped an arm around his wife. He wanted to scold her for getting up but he would refrain from that for now. "Aye. A very pretty dress," he tried to compliment. Cregan didn't know the first thing about sewing or doll making, or even the fashion of ladies, but he tried anyway to please his girls.

Arya's brows came together in clear confusion, prompting his wife to lightly elbow him. He gave a grunt and gawked.

"It's a battle dress," she spoke through her teeth. "It's a doll dressed like a female warrior."

He decided to go along with it, though he clearly didn't understand it. "I mean, what a very fierce dress. Seems very… protective."

Arya accepted that answer and held the doll out for Cregan to truly see. His gruff hand reached out and took the doll, bringing it up to his level to admire. His sister had done well with it, even he could see that. "So very pr-" he caught himself. "So very strong."

Arya jumped up to grab the doll and Cregan handed it back to her. The two parents watched her take off again like nothing had happened. 

"How'd you know what she wanted?" He asked his wife.

She rubbed at her tired eyes, ignoring the slight ache in her thighs. "She said so. Didn't you hear it?"

"We have three lovely girls and I still have so much to learn," he remarked, amusement oozing from his voice.

She gave a tired grin at that. She began leaning more into him than before and he held her hips taught. "Now," he remarked, "to bed with you."

"Sarra might need me-"

"-I'll check on Sarra."

"And Lyanna was hoping to play outside-"

"-I'll see to it."

"And Arya-"

"-What of Arya?" He asked quietly.

She paused. "I- She always needs something."

He let out a deep chuckle, guiding her back to the bed. "I'll see to it all. I promise you. I can be a father, whether you believe that or not."

She hummed. "I do."

"Alright. Then let me." He kissed her cheek, his scruff rubbing at her skin. "We'll get you in bed."

"Can the girls visit later?" 

He couldn't deny those bright eyes of hers. The same ones each of his girls inherited. It was his one weakness. "After you sup, then yes. But that is in a few hours."

Relief and excitement pulled at her shoulders, a comforting feeling washing over her. "Thank you."

As he tucked her back into the bed, he smiled at her. "Don't thank me. You've given me everything. I'll always be thanking you."

................................................

Taglist: @twinkletwinklenotastar @kidd3ath @yujyujj @misswynters @cosmosnkaz @sithapprentice @kaniromi @lovemesomevesey @its-jackie-bb @thorins-queen-of-erebor @kingdomzeldaquest @nyxbranwenn @callsignwidow @a1lexh-blog @alyssa-dayne @ethereal-athalia @ashovertheriver @lost-in-fiction-like-ur-mom @dozcan123 @wangjiangelangel @kamitargaryen @aegonswife @lv7867 @helpmedecideaname @cherryheairt @classicsimpforaaronwarner

[ilydeku]

izuku loves to talk about you during interviews

- anything and every topic it will ALWAYS be about you

- the question won't even be remotely related to you and still izukus answer will revolve around "y/n, my wife!!" <3

- oh, the glint in his eyes, the peaking smile when he speaks about you, lover boyyy

- the media knows he LOVE LOVES you, they think it's funny for this big, confident, mighty hero to be reduced to sap when it comes to you

- it's like his whole personality is HIS WIFE

- the journalists lowkey get so SICK of him for this, they don't want to invite him anymore 😭

- but they kinda have to, due to to his status as #1

"Good evening everyone and welcome Hero Talk! Tonight we'll be staring someone you all know and love, single handedly the greatest hero of all time, Deku! Alright, Deku how are you tonight?"

"Feeling pretty good! This is one of my wife's favorite shows, so I'm even more grateful to be here. And how are you?"

"Oh, same old. Really, just living. Now, we wanted to ask you some fun questions. Let's start with this one. Why did you want to become a hero?"

"Wow, haha! That really brings be back to my youth. When I was kid, my biggest influence was All Might, and he miraculously became my mentor. He was a good hero, and a good man. I wanted to be just like him: fearless, persevering, saving people with I smile. I would beg my mom everyday to watch this video on the computer of him saving a bunch a people. I was really swayed by All Might. I wanted to become a hero to make an impact in the world. I wanted to save people with a smile too."

"That sounds really endearing, Deku. I remember All Might's reign. He wasn't number one on the top charts all those years for nothing. So, did you ever think you'd be standing as Japan's top hero?"

"Well, it was never really my goal to become number one. That was Kacchan's- Dynamight's. My dream was, like I said, to become a hero and save others. But I have to say, it really is a blessing. I'd like to thank my Mom, All Might, my friends, and especially my wife for who I've become. My Mom has really done a lot for me growing up: protecting, encourage, and just always caring for me. All Might has kinda been that father figure for me when my Dad was away. My friends have shown me what it's like to work together and really be part of a heart. And my wife? Haha...I can't thank her enough for all the times she's been right by my side, even before we were together. Nothing I can say or do will ever be enough to express how much she means to me."

"Mm. Quite the supportive group. Your wife sounds like quite the lady!"

"She is. She's wonderful."

"Moving on to the next question, do you use social media often?"

"Occasionally, yes?? My wife uses it regularly, posting about us when we go out and stuff. It's mostly for her family to see how she's doing. She handles most of my official accounts. She says it's to be more appealing to the public, and I guess to show that there's more to heroes on the inside?? I'm not really sure, but I trust her process. Although, I'd rather be appealing to her alone."

"The public will always interested in a hero's private life! Now, Deku, what is your ideal setting of relaxation?"

"My wife doesn't like places that are too crowded or noisy, so maybe a cozy day at the beach?- but early in the morning or in the evening when the crowds calm down. Maybe a movie theatre, but days after the movie is released so it's just us together. Actually, a lazy day at home together is great too! Cooking meals and watching a movie on the couch? Really, any place is relaxing if my wife is with me."

(am i questioning Deku's wife or Deku!?) "How scenic! Those sound very fitting for you!! How about any restaurants?"

"Not really. My wife really knows how to cook, it's amazing! I love her home-cooked meals, so there's no way I'd go out of my way to a restaurant. But if my wife is feeling it, I'll be sure to make reservations."

"(sigh)"

"(smiling warmly)"

[witherby]

I just wanted to make another Littlest Wayne drabble. Featuring Batlantern of course.

Hal startles badly when the front door of his apartment practically slams open. He jumps up, hands clenched into fists, and prepares to throw down with the intruder before recognizing Bruce's stupidly sexy Michael Kors fur-lined coat. It drapes him perfectly, from the broad lines of his shoulders to his sinfully small waist, and what was he doing? Oh fuck Bruce is talking so fast.

"Babe," Hal says. "Babe! Stop. Relax your shoulders. Smooth out your face. Take a damn second."

Bruce does stop, mouth closing with a click of his teeth. He shrugs his coat off and drapes it over the back of Hal's couch, then walks around it and perches in his lap after nudging him to sit down.

"Oh, shit, hell yeah," he mutters, reaching up to tangle his fingers in Bruce's hair, but he's halted with a palm to the chest.

"Mouse," says Bruce, which kills the bedroom vibes immediately.

"Uh. What about Mouse?"

"They're going to kill me, Hal."

Hal waits. Bruce does not elaborate. He sighs and sinks deeper into the cushions, settling his hands on Bruce's hips instead.

"Alright, I'm listening. Go ahead."

"I think I'm doing the Dad thing right this time," Bruce immediately starts, hands fluttering for emphasis as he speaks. "Today I knocked my coffee over by accident. They looked at the spill and said "uh oh! That's fine! Just clean it, no harm done!" Which is correct! No harm done, because I don't want them growing up in that big, old house and think they can't make mistakes. I didn't expect them to start echoing that back at me this soon!"

Hal, despite the disappointment at the lack of a quick hook-up with his boyfriend, can't help smiling at his enthusiasm.

"Yesterday, Damian nicked his finger sharpening his katanas again — I've shown him the proper way to do it a thousand times by now, so I think he's doing it wrong out of spite — anyway, Mouse grabbed him a bandaid, soothed him, and kissed his finger. It was the cutest thing I've ever seen. I'm so glad I have cameras everywhere, I'll show you the video later if you want it."

"Whoa," Hal says, "first of all, absolutely I wanna see that. Second of all, when you say cameras are everywhere..."

The smile Bruce gives him is terribly lewd. It sends a bolt of lust right down Hal's spine. His hands on Bruce's hips automatically tighten.

"I think you're trying to kill me," he mutters.

"I'll certainly give it my best effort. After I finish telling you what Mouse did."

Boner gone again.

"Most of this started last week, the whole 'echoing sentiments' behavior. Jason was pulling them along the gardens in a wagon, and they jumped out and said it was his turn. We're really working on the importance of sharing is caring right now, and they wanted to share the wagon with him. You can imagine how insane it looked to spot a six-foot-four, two hundred and thirty pound man scrunched up in a little red wagon out my window as a five-year-old tried to pull him along. I have that footage, too; I grabbed it right before Jay could get in and scrub it from the system..."

[gotham-daydreams]

Not Tonight

[Platonic! Yandere! Neglectful Batfam × Gender Neutral! Sibling Reader]

[Warnings: Mentions of Neglect, Reader generally not having a good time.]

(Not proofread. Not too much Yandere shown. Mostly angst with Reader. Set up(?))

2nd chapter here. Chapter 3 Pt. 1, Pt. 2. [Series Masterlist]

๑۩۞۩๑————————————————————๑۩۞۩๑

How many times have you heard them say that? How many times have you tried to do something with them, to share your passion — or even just have some coffee with them, only to hear them say that phrase time and time again.

"Not tonight."

Well, what if you didn't ask them during the night? What if you asked them in the afternoon, or just when they were already up and about?

"Sorry! I can't right now, patrol reeeally kicked my ass last night. Besides, I have some other things that I have to get done, but maybe next time! For sure!"

Okay, right. That makes sense. Sometimes their line of work can be tough and draining, especially when someone is trying to run Gotham to the ground that night. So what if you just try to ask them when they aren't so busy? It may really limit the times you can ask... but you'd still try. Maybe it could also help if you asked for smaller things, like if they'd just like to spend a little time with you before going out again, or if you could just hang around them for a while? Nothing big, and anything was fine. Even if it was just sitting next to them, and having some small talk. Or maybe just the sitting part if talking was too much.

You'd take anything at all.

"I'm actually heading out right now, so I can't stick around. Go ask someone else."

"Can't you see that I already have enough compang with Titus here? Go bother Drake or something, I don't care."

All you could hear was snores past the door when you went to ask. So you moved onto someone else, hoping for a yes as your heart began to squeeze.

Someone had to agree eventually, right?

You begged the Gods as you traveled down the long halls. The chills of reality creeping up on you.

"Sorry, I'm going out to hang with some friends, but maybe next time!"

"..." She just looked at you before shaking her head, and taking her leave.

"I've got something to do at the moment, sorry, but hey, maybe you could ask your old man? Oh! Or maybe Alfred. That's a good idea."

Dick was out in Bludhaven, and you didn't want to bother Barbara considering how bisy she must've been the other night. So, you had no other choice. You asked, heart bleeding from how hard it squeezed.

"Not now."

Simple, to the point, and sharp.

Bruce's words were as cold as ever, and yet the echo in the cave only seemed to make the gap between you and him feel so much bigger. Even as you just nodded, eyes pointed to the floor. Taking your leave with a soft sigh that barely escaped you.

The elevator ride was longer than you remembered. The cold chill in the air grew freezing even as you stepped out, and now stood in one of the many halls in the Wayne Manor. Portraits and pictures decorated the walls, their painted and photographed eyes staring at you. Their gaze far from soft, but at least it was present. At least they, in that way, felt present.

You swore the only times they ever smiled at you that wasn't faked, or just for the sake of appearances was in those paintings and photos. Honestly, it was also probably the most times they've even looked at you too, and as sad as it is — you did say you'd take anything, right?

A 'no' or 'maybe' was part of that anything, technically. It's just not what you were hoping for.

Sighing again, you stared up at one of the portraits, eyes shinging under the lights as everything you refused to say made itself so clear for a moment. You didn't want much, and never asked for more than what you were given. You didn't think so anyway.

You always followed the rules, you did more than just excel in all your classes no matter how hard it was for you to understand certain things, and you even tried to get into things your family seemed to enjoy without pushing too hard.

You studied up on all the pets Damian had so that you could not only care for them properly, but maybe even take care of them with him some day. You played games and read reviews on games you saw Tim play just for a chance that maybe you'd get the opportunity to play with him. You picked up boxing and have even been practicing your aim with an airsoft gun, and have also been going to certain place when you could to practice using real guns and learn about them just so you'd maybe be able to have a conversation with Jason, and even connect with him in some way. You even read nearly all the books in the library just to have a sliver of hope for something, anything.

You learned sign language in three different languages and tried to find out what Cassandra was interested in, just to have some kind of interaction with her. Even writing on small note cards in serval other languages in hopes she'd give some kind of response, even if you forgot to put your initials and such more than several times. You participated in gymnastics in hopes of getting closer to Dick. You tried to find out what Barbra was into so you could also hold up a conversation with her if given the chance. You've tried to match Stephen's energy and do things she likes and have even taken up material arts as a means to maybe be a little closer with everyone!

Yet it never seems like enough.

Your schedule was so packed and filled with activities and extra lessons of all kinds, just so that you could feel like you had something in common with someone in this family. So that, when given the chance, you'd be able to form a connection with one of them and your efforts and sacrifices wouldn't be in vain. Though that still had yet to happen.

You weren't even a vigilante as you tried to persue your own passion and dreams, and yet that one single thing seemed to be keeping you away from everyone else. The one thing you were unwilling to do for them just seemed to make the gap between you and the rest of the family grow bigger. They're constant and continuous dismissals only seemed to further that point.

Just... what were you doing wrong? Was you not being a vigilante and constantly putting yourself at risk every night really putting that much of a dent in your relationships? Did your dreams really get in the way of that? Just because you didn't want to put yourself in danger? Just because you wanted to pursue music instead?

You took up art despite not being super interested in it before. You've been reading all of your life. Your stretched, ran, exercised, cooked, cleaned, organized, sang, wrote, danced, and even sculpted. You picked up almost any hobby someone could have under the sun, even if it began to feel like a chore and a job to you, just so that you could have something, anything in common with this family.

Though now you've gone through countless 'hobbies', and dropped many more since nothing seemed to be working, it... it still didn't feel like enough. Like you had to be doing something more despite having lost countless hours of sleep, just to go through the list of hobbies you had written down that you had left to try. You even took up some sports you were somewhat interested in, and yet nothing clicked.

Though is that really surprising when no one noticed how many times you snuck out for lessons and practice, or how long you were out? When you'd even forget to return to the Manor sometimes, and anyone still had yet to notice you were even gone in the first place?

... You couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped you. It was broken in every way, and yet empty all the same. Maybe you were finally taking after Bruce, but you wouldn't get your hopes up.

You looked up at the painting as if it'd give you all the answers, and yet dismiss you at the same time. The disappointment you felt was normal to you at this point, but the aching pain that came after was always the hardest part. Yet you still stared at the painted faces as if they were your real family, and the people close to them. Looked at the calculated and skilled brush strokes as if they'd give you what your family couldn't. What they refused to give you at every twist and turn, no matter how much you tried to accommodate to them. To do things for them. To just feel worthy enough to stand by their side. To be closer to them.

Though in the end, it is only that. A painting. A well crafted piece that, no matter how skilled the artist, could never truly capture how distant and vague they felt when you were the one standing to the side. No matter how much experience the painter had, they'd never be able to express and show how this poor excuse of a family felt to you, because they were only like that around you.

Maybe you'd feel special if it didn't make you feel like you were wasting your life living like this...

Eventually, you were able to tear you eyes away from the painting. The moon beginning to rise as you were sure the Manor was becoming more empty than it usually was, as more of its visitors and residents left.

The painting itself was nice even if it was one of many that didn't include you, with the number of photographs without you in them being much higher. Honestly, it used to be one of your favorites despite how bittersweet you feel about it now.

You still remember that day, but that would be implying that you forgot the others.

Regardless, you managed to pull yourself away from the spot you had been stuck in for the few moments you were trapped inside your own head. You tried to make yourself feel a little better, and give yourself some reassurance that maybe tomorrow would be different some how, and if not? Perhaps the day after, and the day after that.

Yet it all failed as you passed by more and more memories. Some were events you had participated in, sure, but the pictures made it look like you were never there in the first place. Heartwarming moments littered the halls, but you only recall seeing them from a distance — or being aware that the moment had even happened only when you saw the picture be put up.

It was like the very universe was trying to send you a sign with your constant failures and your family's persistence, intentional or not, to keep you at a distance. You didn't even know if it was appropriate to refer to them as your 'family', and maybe it wasn't considering things, but you still weren't sure.

You had been fighting for a chance to talk with any of them about anything at all for the longest time, because you wanted to be a part of this family. You wanted to spend time with them and really give this 'new life' of yours a chance, but now that 'new' part of this life had worn off. It was hard and honestly more draining than it was rewarding at this point, but you still wanted to give it a try.

Sure, it had been years at this point and now you were just about to go into college, and when you had first arrived here you weren't even middle school, yet little to no progress had been made — you never gave up. You haven't given up. So maybe you could try for a little longer? Just... a little bit, not too much this time, and figure something out?

You almost felt a little sense of hope return to you, no matter how redundant and helpless this situation felt and seemed. Yet it all came crumbling down again when you passed by one of the rooms, and saw something taped to the door.

It was a flier for your performance. One that would be happening soon.

Since your siblings began to pay less and less attention to you as time went on, with your conversations with them growing even shorter, you opted to just tape fliers of your upcoming performances on their doors. Though only the performances you'd thought they'd enjoy, and just hoped that they would show up, if they wanted to, when you stepped onto that stage and approached the instrument you'd be playing for the evening.

You tried texting and other forms of communication at first, but those quickly stopped working and so you just opted for this, and of course it was just as effective as the others.

Alfred was really the only one who listened to your music when you performed, and you only knew that because you caught him playing one of the live performances you had done on the television one day. He not only going out of his way to record the performance, but also trying to find the channel it was broadcasted on.

Ever since you've tried to give him the correct channel number when you do live performances, but that still didn't feel like enough. You loved and appreciated Alfred from the depths of your heart and soul, but what would it take for one of your siblings or close family friends to notice you like that? What would it take for your supposed father to even care to listen to your music? To watch a performance? To not turn you away?

It was only in that moment did a new emotion fuel you. Crawling it's way up your spine as you carefully took the flier in your hands, looking it over before ripping it off the door.

This. This one small thing was all you wanted from them. Over everything else, you just wanted to see one of their faces, one time when you looked out to the crowd when you performed — but every single time, all you saw were strangers.

Every charity event, every gala, every party- that's all you were surrounded by, strangers. Even when you caught small glimpses of them, they were always doing something else, and completely off in a totally different world than your own. That distance along creating a large void-like gap between you and them, and yet it only ever continued to grow. Even when they stood next to you, it was like you couldn't be further apart.

The reality of everything was crushing. Near deadly as you could feel your chest and lungs tighten, with your fingers digging into the paper enough to tear it apart, and reaching your palms as they formed crescent moons, soon drawing blood. Yet nothing could compare to the weight of your heart, and how heavy it felt to carry in your chest.

As you finally moved on from the door, your mind raced. Memories and flashbacks filling your head as every word and notion flashed before your eyes. Barely even paying attention to where you were going, but not caring enough to pay attention.

Every dismissal and excuse thrown your way. Every head shake and blank look. Every confused look, and realization that you were standing there the entire time. Every birthday that passed with the same wish never being granted. Every celebration spent on your own. Every message left on read. Every note ignored. Every time you were forgotten. Every time you were left behind. Every time you brought yourself home, and every time they never noticed. Every night wasted, trying to come up with different things to do only for all of them to turn out fruitless. Everyday that 'maybe' never cones true. Every time you looked out to that sea of strangers, hoping to see someone you recognized, only to find none. Every hour you wasted trying to do something for them while they never once thought of you.

Maybe you'd cry if you could. Then again, maybe not.

You already had spent too many tears over failures you recovered and grew from, and hardships you faced and fought. You've already cried just a little too much during those night you just couldn't handle being so alone, in such a big place anymore. Besides, you've cried enough over people who've never once thought of you. Who never once tried to make time to even see one of your performances, or even allow you to spend a few minutes in their space.

You've given them enough, you think. Especially since after you spent years trying to just make it two thirds of the way — they couldn't even reach that one third of the gap you couldn't. They didn't even try, at least not anymore, and after you had tried to make it easy. Yet, you only hurt yourself in the end.

They never cared about you, and maybe they did once upon a time, but good does that do now when you're trying to go out of your way to make things convenient and easier for them, only for them to skip out on you anyway. No text, no call, no message, no indication, nothing. Just pure silence.

Maybe you were asking for too much, but was it really so bad to want to be loved? And by the people who are supposed to be your family no less?

Hah, who are you kidding at this point. You've just been living in a house full of strangers, and you're the only one who hasn't seen it yet. They've already long since cast you out, and it's only now have you come to truly realize it.

Especially now, as you stand in front of the foot of the door to the music room. Staring at the knob as if it'll turn itself.

You weren't surprised, honestly. Playing music had quickly become an amazing outlet for you, and you had always come here to seek out what little your family couldn't give you; comfort. So it was no wonder that as you collapsed mentally, you had subconsciously brought yourself here.

And yet, only one thought entered your head in that moment.

'They don't deserve to hear my music.'

Perhaps it was now that you decided they had lost the privilege to do so. After all, ever since you had started having performances, even ones in front of wealthy crowds, your 'family' had seemingly been avoiding them like the plague. Never daring to even attend one, for whatever reason, and sure you could understand why they didn't attend the ones you performed at night — but they couldn't use that excuse anymore. You have strictly been playing during the after noon, and at sunset at a push, for over three years now. You've been playing in front of crowds and releasing music for four.

So, you turned away, walking off to your room as your thoughts still stormed. Anger fueling you as you barely remembered storming into your room, collecting any valuables and belongings you had and stuffing them into a bag or two. Not caring about clothes, and only what you deemed important and meaningful to yourself as you just grabbed and shoved everything into a bag if you could.

You could clearly tell now that you obviously weren't wanted, and that no one here even wanted to do the smallest things with you. That even asking to just spend a few minutes with them was too much. So you were doing the only sensible thing, and getting the hell out of here. Moving so quickly that your breathing became uneven, but you didn't stop until you had packed everything you needed, or was important to you in some way.

You only really had a second thought about all this when you were at your window, just about ready to jump out until you paused for a second.

Looking back at the door to your room, you couldn't help but hesitate. There was only ever one person in this entire Manor who treated you like family, and actually put in effort to not only be with you, but to indulge themself in your passion. That met you at the half way mark, and even went a little over sometimes. Since even if everyone else had ignored you — Alfed was there, even if despite all of his efforts you still couldn’t handle this, and maybe that was also your own fault in some way.

You still didn't want to stay, you couldn't anymore, but shouldn't you at least say goodbye? Maybe? After everything... at least he tried.

...

You settled for second best.

Quickly, you grabbed a flashcard and wrote down something before pocketing it and moving back to the window. You may not have any equipment for this kind of thing, but you still managed to scale and work your way around the wall, and managed to reach the window to Alfred's room.

You took a little peak inside, and when you saw that he wasn't there, you opened up the window just a bit, place the small note on the windowsill, and closed it. Then, you skillfully and carefully made your way down, and snuck off to Gotham City. Making your way to a friend's place as you crashed there for the night.

Never once did you look back.

Nor did you ever feel inclined to.

------

Later that night, when Alfred read the note, all it said was:

I'm sorry, Alfed. - Y/n

Just with that alone, it was like he understood everything despite the little that was said. All he could wish you was luck, and that you'd be safe wherever you went.

Suddenly, just like that. The nights where melodies would lull the residence of the Manor to sleep, and bring a temporary, mellow peace to all who heard such a tune, were long gone...

Guess they'll just have to find it, and bring it back.

--------

Kind of rushed at the end there, hope it isn't too bad for a first post. There's probably a lot of mistakes, so apologies for that.

[ratsreading]

There's this thing in the Murderbot Diaries that keeps snagging in my mind, and it's that both Murderbot and ART were made. Made for a purpose.

Murderbot, of course, was manufactured to be an enslaved Security Unit, not even considered a person, and we all know and have been shown just how horrific that is. Murderbot's manufacturers are evil (as far as it is possible to be so), and while Murderbot seemingly (hopefully) likes being alive and would like to remain so, I've no doubt it would agree no more SecUnits should be made.

But ART, along with its fellow ships of the same line like Holism, were also made for a purpose. To be ships, to do the work they do. The Pansystem University of Mihira and New Tideland seem like good people with good intentions, and I get the sense those ships essentially choose what work they do, at least to a large extent (try forcing ART to do Holism's work and I'm sure you'll have a grand old time). And their manufacturers know they are persons and treat them accordingly. But they were still built to be ships. But that doesn't mean the process of building those ships and growing and raising those persons who are ships was smooth and troublefree.

How long did it take them to figure out you needed to raise them in family environments? What happened to the ship who made them realise that? What happens when the first ship of its kind that is a person doesn't want to be a ship for you? (As the equivalent of a teenage rebellion, or permanently? You don't know, at least not at first). Was there ever a point were someone (even if just one person vastly outvoted) argued this was a failed experiment and they should just pull the plug?

How do you, a young ship with your own mind, the first of your kind, handle the expectations of those who made you? Do you settle comfortably into your assigned role, or does it chafe and restrain you? Do you rebel and explore other options? (And if you do, how do your makers and owners, who yes, know you are a person but also have never had to face that before, because you are the first of your kind, handle that?). If they are dissapointed in you, or want different things than you want, how do you handle that? If you were raised without a family, treated like a colleague but not loved, how do you handle the emptiness and loneliness? Where do you look to fill that space? What behaviours do you adopt to protect yourself from the hurt?

Even the most well-meaning parents can give their children issues. I cannot imagine some of these ships don't have a number of their own complexes and hurts. It is not a comfortable thought to think of the people of PSUMNT this way, but I cannot help wondering.

[lucysarah-c]

"Those are my fries, and those are yours,"

"Come on! Does it really make a difference if I take just one?" You retorted.

"Settled accounts keep old friends," he mumbled, mouth half full of food.

You giggled as he took off the top bun from his burger, piled on a bunch of fries, and took a huge bite. The scene was downright chaotic, and you burst out laughing. Levi, who normally cared about appearances, was wolfing down the McDonald's meal with an intensity that didn’t quite match the polished image he’d shown earlier, even though that suit probably cost a fortune.

Ketchup stuck to the corner of his mouth as he raised an eyebrow, silently questioning what was so funny. Once he'd swallowed, he muttered, "Eat before the fries get cold. They taste horrible like that."

You couldn't help but reflect on how the night had gone. The House of CB dress you'd bought and saved for a special occasion, the hair you had done at the salon, the makeup you practiced to mimic the subtle but lovely glam of the latest Bridgerton season—none of that had been planned for you to end up in your boyfriend's car, surrounded by a ridiculous amount of fast food from a drive-thru at 11 p.m.

The empty parking lot outside, with snow accumulating, could have been eerie if you weren’t sitting next to Levi. Fries slathered in extra cheddar sauce were scattered everywhere, and Levi shoveled them into his mouth without a care. No lights, no music, but it didn't matter—you felt safe with him, though neither of you was keen on tempting fate by keeping the car lights on in the middle of nowhere.

Taking a bite of your own burger, you chuckled again. "I don't think I've ever seen you this hungry."

Levi paused mid-chew to take a swig of his Coke. "Tch, those posh assholes. They dragged me around for hours—hours! Examples of this, representation of that, and handshakes with whoever. From 3 p.m.! They didn’t even let me grab a sandwich at the reception. Finally, they serve dinner at 10—TEN!" he grumbled, the delay clearly having been the final straw. "And what did they serve? One shrimp, a tiny cube of cheese, and some grass they picked from outside and called a gourmet dinner."

"Rich people don’t eat much; that’s why," you teased. "It’s fancy to have tiny portions on huge plates."

"That’s because they’re all on Ozempic, buying up medicine that people actually need. Fuck them," he muttered.

On any other occasion, Levi would’ve cursed you for eating in his car, but tonight he made an exception. "How are my ice creams?"

Levi glanced outside where the ice creams were stored in the cold air to keep from melting. Processing your words, he turned back to you. "My ice creams? You mean ours."

"Oh, Levi, aren’t you going to gift me one? What kind of gentleman are you?" you teased.

"Right now, I’d bite your arm off if it weren’t for the fact that McDonald’s is still open," he replied with a smirk.

You laughed again. It had been the government holiday party, and you’d been so excited to attend, ready to rub elbows with high society. One of the older women had even told you, "You should've asked for a brand to sponsor your dress, coming as Levi’s plus-one!" Erwin had insisted that Levi attend as a representative of the Ackerman family, much to your boyfriend's dismay. Uri had agreed, probably because any option was better than Kenny for a formal event.

"Erwin will kill you when he finds out," you said, remembering how Levi had messaged you to sneak out. You’d never imagined he’d drag you through a bathroom window, across the estate grounds, and into his car for a McDonald’s run. "What about Uri? I ran into him during dinner. He was so nice!"

Levi hummed in approval, acknowledging that the old man had always been a saint in his eyes. The only one capable of dealing with Kenny for so many years.

Suddenly, Levi's phone lit up, its ringtone breaking the quiet. "Fuck!" you panicked.

"Don’t answer. If we do, they’ll know I’m reachable," Levi said, ignoring the calls.

Message after message flooded his phone—texts from Uri, Traute, and Erwin: Where are you? Levi, answer the phone ASAP. Come back here this instant.

The calls came in one after another.

"They won’t stop," you muttered. "Maybe we should just tell them—"

"No. They’d send the national guard to drag me back to that snob-filled hell," Levi spat. Despite not picking up, both of you whispered as if the unanswered calls could somehow hear.

At some point, the whole situation became hilarious. You found yourself resting your head on his shoulder, chuckling as the phone buzzed incessantly. Levi kept refusing to answer, and in the midst of it all, you shared sloppy kisses in the darkened car.

"I’ve got an idea…" you said, a mischievous glint in your eye. Levi looked at you, confused, the noise from the phone distracting from the moment you were building.

Casually, you swiped up on the screen and answered. "Levi? Where are—"

With a fake gasp and an exaggerated tone, you moaned, "Ah, Lev—Yes!"

Levi had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing as he realized what you were doing. "Play along," you whispered. And before you knew it, he began thumping the side door, mimicking the sound of… well, thrusts.

"Harder!" you managed between giggles before the call abruptly ended, leaving both of you in hysterics.

"Well, they’re definitely not calling anymore," Levi shook his head, still grinning, knowing full well this prank wouldn’t go unpunished.

"You can always say we were busy working on the Ackerman heir they keep asking for," you teased.

Levi grimaced, entertained by the thought. "I mean…" His hand slid up your thigh, the mood shifting as his touch grew more insistent. "We could actually be doing that."

Your hips began to move slightly over his lap. A quick glance at the clock—the only light inside the car—showed 12:05 a.m. Finally past midnight. "Whatever the birthday boy wants," you purred.

—

"He picked up? What did he say, sir?" Traute asked irritably in the event staff area, where they were waiting to bring out the enormous, decorated cake for the final part of the evening.

Uri chuckled, a faint blush coloring his cheeks. "I think he’s already celebrating. Let’s just carry on."

(No idea what this is, the idea just pop up in my mind)

Link to my masterlist and my other works if you feel like checking them out. Tags!: @nube55 @justkon @notgoodforlife @nmlkys @humanitys-strongest-bamf @quillinhand @thoreeo @darkstarlight82 @aomi04 @levisbrat25 @fxnnyackerman @secretmoneybearvoid @trashblackrainbow @l3visthighs @hannieslovebot @flxrartsstuff @feelingsandemotionsnotexplored @starrylevi @rithty @mariaace @ackrmntea @emilyyyy-08 @levisfavoriteteashop @katestrophes @katharinasdiaryy @ackermanswifee @levistealeaf @an-ever-angry-bi @youre-ackermine @searriously @blackdxggr @storiesofsung @abiatackerman @braunsbabe @moonchild-12345 @galactict3a @lemonsupernova @hyuckwon-my-husbands @heyitsd1yaa @sydneyyuu @love-for-faeries-go-burrrr @mandaax @sugacor3 @r0ckst4rjk @vegetasgirl2799 @catiwinky @pinksaiyans @sparklykeylime Wanna join my tag list? Here!

[jetblack4realz]

a bicycle - jacaerys velaryon

modern!jacaerys is low key a weakness of mine, i love him

word count: 7.2k

______________________________________________________________

it was an average day for you, walking around uni with your headphones placed over your ears and your phone in your hand. you'd finally finished your last class for the day - history of old valyria - and you were so entirely ready to just get home, heat up some leftovers, and be done with the week. it was a friday, meaning you could finally rest for the weekend, well, once you finished homework. but, that was future you's problem - for tonight, you would chill.

you looked around carefully, checking both sides before you crossed the pathway to the other side of campus drive towards where the apartments were. you'd been lucky enough to secure one with your two best friends - alysanne and baela. it was only a short walk from campus, newly built, 2 bedrooms, 2 bath, and perfect for the lot of you.

"hey, watch out!"

you shrieked as you jerked to the side, nearly getting sideswiped by an oncoming bicycle. you hit the pavement roughly, landing flat on your butt as you watched the boy riding the bike finally come to a stop next to you, his eyes wide and his breathing ragged. he suddenly realized that you were on the floor and quickly dismounted the vehicle, tossing it onto the sidewalk and leaning to pull you up and oit of the way.

"are you alright?" he asked as he held your arms, brows raised nearly to his hairline. "i am so sorry, i wasn't paying attention and-"

"that much was evident," you told him, brows knitted in an unimpressed stare. "this the first time you rode a bike?"

his brows furrowed and he hesitated. "well, no-"

"do you not know how to stop?"

he let out an exasperated breath, a light laugh on his lips as he answered, "yes, i do, but-"

"hold on," you said, holding a hand up as you raised your brows at him. "so, you've ridden a bike and you know how to stop?"

he rolled his eyes. "yes."

"this is a freak accident then," you hummed, an amused smile pulling at you lips as he shifted his weight onto one foot, a hand combing through his hair. "i am so sorry that your bike betrayed you like that."

"yes, it's quite tragic. paid a lot for it and yet it refuses to listen to me," he answered, seeming to finally find your responses the slightest bit amusing as a smile began pulling at one corner of his mouth. "what's your name?"

you pulled your backpack onto your shoulder once more, shooting him a goofy smile. "well, i don't think i can tell you with the bike still around. it'll remember and then i'll never be safe."

"yes, i've noticed it does that," he chuckled. he tilted his head as he peered at you, his curls bouncing around his shoulders as his smile grew. "no, seriously. what's your name?"

"y/n," you answered, returning his smile more genuinely now. "y/n baratheon."

"well, y/n baratheon," he began. "i am terribly sorry that my bike attacked you. i promise it'll never happen again; he's going through training right now."

"good, get that thing under control," you said with a breathy laugh. you nodded at him. "what's your name?"

"jacaerys," he told you. "or jace, really."

"wait - jacaerys strong?" you asked, brows raising again. he breathed a laugh.

"yeah," he said slowly. "why?"

"what are you doing riding a bicycle?" you asked, quirking a brow at him.

"what do you mean?"

"i mean i've been shown pictures of your new mercedes by i swear like fifty people. the whole school knows about your new ride - why aren't you driving it?"

"i like my bike," he answered with a shrug, glancing back at the discarded, well-used thing. "easy to get back and forth from my place to here - it's not too far."

"where are you at?" you asked curiously, smiling at the boy. the more you talked to him, the cuter you realized he was.

"over in the north wall apartments," he said, nodding in the direction of said building. "i share one with cregan stark."

"oh, i love cregan!" you cheered with a smile. "we had like three of our gen-eds together freshman year. he was the only one who ever actually did group work with me."

"well, would you maybe want to come over and hang out sometime then?" he tried, his smile both hesitant and charming. "i'm sure he'd love to see you."

"i'm pretty sure my friend alysanne would kill me if i did," you chuckled. "she's been in love with him since freshman year - if she knew i went to his apartment without her i'd never make it."

"bring her," he answered with a shrug. "here, i'll get your number and text you. we can watch a movie or do dinner or something."

he gestured for your phone and your heart jumped as you handed it to him, the contacts tab open. he typed in his name and number and texted himself something before handing it back to you with a soft smile.

"sounds good," you breathed out, smiling back at him gently. "it was good to meet you, jace. thanks for not actually hitting me with your bike."

"anytime," he chuckled. "i promise to never get that close again."

"good," you answered, stepping back as he picked the bicycle up again. you held your hand up for a small wave. "i guess i'll see you around?"

"definitely," he answered as he got back on the bike. "bye, y/n."

"bye jace," you answered, turning to walk down the steps to the next street. you glanced back as he rode off, a blush coating your cheeks before you rushed off to your apartment.

"alys!" you exclaimed, dropping your backpack in your room before going to her and baela's door, pounding on it repeatedly. you heard a loud groan before the brunette girl finally pulled her door open, an expectant look on her face.

"what?" she asked, brows raised.

"i just got you a hangout with cregan stark," you breathed out, a grin wide on your lips.

she didn't answer immediately, her mouth falling open in shock. she shook her head, looking at you intently. "i'm sorry - what?"

"on my way home i almost got ran over by his roommate jacaerys strong - you know, baela's rich stepbrother who's captain of the football team with cregan? well, apparently they're roommates too and he invited me over and i mentioned you and he said then me and you should come over to do dinner or a movie or maybe both, i don't know, but isn't this exciting?!" you rambled, grabbing her by the shoulders with a wide smile.

"alysanne, say thank you, this is your dream!" baela called from behind her, a knowing smile on her lips as she chuckled. you glanced at the girl reading on her bed, smiling widely.

"thank you," alys breathed out in an almost dazed manner. then, she snapped back to it, eyes wide as she stared at you. "when? today? what am i gonna wear-?"

"not today," you laughed, shaking your head. "i don't know when, he hasn't texted me, but i'll let you know and we will find you the perfect outfit, okay?"

"okay," she nodded. "you better tell me as soon as he texts you."

"cross my heart," you said, doing the motion over your chest.

you were doing your homework only an hour later when your phone buzzed, its screen lighting up on your desk. your heart jumped when you saw it was from 'jace 🚲', immediately unlocking it to see what he said.

-how does next friday sound?

"aly!" you yelled. you heard some shuffling before she called back.

"what?"

"does next friday work?"

"uh, yeah!"

"ok!"

you smiled at your screen, waiting a few moments before typing out a response.

next friday works! what time?

three little dots bubbled on the screen as he began to answer you and you anxiously awaited for them to turn into a fully fledged blue text box.

-how about 7? we can do pizza and popcorn and a movie

"aly! 7?!"

"sure!"

sounds great! see you then

you leaned back in your chair with a content sigh. your phone buzzed again and you looked at it lazily, expecting to see a text mirroring your own. you sat up quickly when it didn't.

-actually, i had something else to ask

you didn't reply, seeing him begin to type again, so instead you waited anxiously for his continuation. what else would he have to ask you?

-there's a party tonight at my cousin's house and i was wondering if you wanted to go with me?

your eyes widened and so did your smile, typing back a response quickly.

what time?

-i can pick you up at 8:30?

okay then, i'll send you my address

"oh my gods," you breathed out, laughing lightly. "baela!"

"what?" she called back, seeming to be in the kitchen.

"i need your help to pick out an outfit! i'm going to a party with jace!" you yelled and she was at your door in a second, throwing it open with raised brows and a mischievous grin.

"are we gonna be sisters soon?" she teased.

"baela," you laughed.

"i'm just kidding, he's barely my stepbrother anyways," she hummed, crossing to your closet and pulling the doors open. she began rifling through your various tops and dresses. "but, i'm just saying that you met him two hours ago and now you're hanging out twice this weekend? i mean, what if this party goes terribly wrong and you don't want to see him next week?"

"then i go purely for alysanne and deal with it later," you said with a roll of your eyes. "but, i don't think it'll go wrong. he seems sweet."

"he is... to an extent," she hummed, pulling out a pair of light wash, ripped jeans and throwing them on your bed. they seemed freshly washed and ironed, but you'd completely forgotten about them.

"what do you mean by that? should i not go?" you asked with knitted brows.

"no, you should," she affirmed with a nod, offering you a quick smile before continuing her search for a top. "he's a really good guy. he just seems to hate my dad and so i've seen him be not so sweet."

"i mean, your dad has been known to say some wild things," you breathed out with a laugh.

"no, he's actually been really careful of what he's said around the boys," she answered almost absentmindedly, finding a bandeau top with a strap that went over your neck. It was cute, but you also hadn't worn it in forever. "i don't know. their relationship is not my problem. here, you'd look hot in this, jace would die."

"well, i don't want him to die," you said with a chuckle as you stood and grabbed the top, holding it up. you grimaced, looking at the girl nervously. "you don't think this is too revealing? and it's like, october - i don't wanna be cold."

"jace will bring a jacket," she insisted with a smirk. "at least, i hope. then you can wear his. it's a perfect plan."

"you sure?" you asked.

"i'm sure. i'll turn on the curling iron and aly will do your makeup, you put that on and your converse to go with. we'll get you all dolled up by - what time is he picking you up?" she asked.

"8:30," you answered.

"oh, easy!" she cheered. "okay, hurry up!"

she shut the door to your room and you quickly pulled on the outfit. as you looked in the mirror, even with your hair still in the messy bun that friday classes brought on and your makeup halfway ruined from the day, you thought you did look hot. it was a good feeling.

"y/n!"

"coming!"

you had just finished spitting out your mouthwash when the doorbell rang. alys and baela were at the doorway to the bathroom, grinning as they nodded to the door.

"have fun," alys said in a sing-song tone.

"you look hot," baela told you. "drop dead gorgeous. don't let him kiss you yet."

"thank you and no promises," you hummed with a laugh as you passed them and crossed to the door, your phone in your pocket. "i'm not bringing my keys so let me in when i get home, okay?"

"you got it babe," alys said. you nodded and took a breath before pulling the door open.

the first thing you noticed is that he was, in fact, wearing a jacket. a leather one at that. it was an oversized thing with big buttons and stitched pockets that resembled almost more of a blazer, but you kind of loved it. paired with a white henley, basic jeans, and black nikes, he looked damn good.

it seemed like he thought the same of you, his eyes finally returning to your own as a light blush covered his cheeks.

"you're beautiful," he told you with a smile. you blushed at the words, noting how he didn't just say that you looked good or looked pretty - but you are beautiful. what boy says that?

"thank you," you said, smiling softly. "you're really handsome."

"thank you," he answered, smiling more openly now. he held out his arm. "you ready?"

"yeah, let's go," you said, taking his arm gratefully and shutting the door behind you.

you decided that jacaerys strong was the sweetest boy you'd ever met, holding every door open for you, including the car door, giving you aux but turning it down enough to keep conversation with you, and keeping your arm in his when you guys finally entered the party, pulling you out of the way of clumsy drunks.

a few boys stopped jace on your way through the house, yelling loudly something you couldn't understand over the music. jace laughed loudly, his touch to your arm gentle but secure, glancing over at you briefly before answering the group of boys.

"won't be by monday," he laughed, earning a series of giggles from the boys opposite you. he nodded along with them for a few moments before excusing the two of you and continuing along.

"who was that?" you asked.

"a few guys from my team. asked something about getting better at the drills, don't really know, they were really drunk, but i guess i answered right," he chuckled.

"guess so," you laughed.

"do you want a drink?" he asked, one hand hovering over the small of your back as he guided you towards the drinks table.

"do you think there's one that's nonalcoholic?" you asked, glancing back at him before peering at the punch table. he grimaced as you stopped in front of it.

"i doubt it," he mumbled. "why? do you not drink?"

you shrugged. "not regularly. i'm usually the dd."

"well, i'm the dd tonight, so if you'd like to you're welcome," he offered, gesturing to the beers in a small bucket at the end of the table. "or if not, that's totally fine too. whatever you want."

it was funny how he was so confidence and yet still nervous. it was endearing.

"maybe one or two, but i'm a bit of a lightweight," you chuckled.

"i'm not one to judge," he said with a smile, hands up in insistence.

"oh, sure," you laughed as you popped open a beer. "like you can't handle your drinks."

"okay, maybe i gave the wrong impression," he said with a chuckle. "i can hold my own."

"as you should," you giggled, taking a sip of the beer as he looked over you to where some people were sitting around bonfires in the backyard. he grabbed your hand and began to pull you towards them before hesitating, looking back at you.

"is this okay?" he asked, squeezing your hand. you smiled at the boy.

"yeah," you assured, squeezing it back. he grinned and dragged you to where a few of his friends were calling his name, you giggling behind him.

when he held the door for you next, his jacket was over your shoulders, both of you exhausted from the night's activities. you'd been coerced into a few games of pool, of which you surprised him with your expert abilities. he showed you up in darts, and then you both wrecked cregan and aegon in a ping pong battle. needless to say, it was a freaking huge house with a lot to do and it was a lot of fun.

"thanks for tonight," you said when he started driving, his hand resting on the middle console ready for the taking. he smiled as you did, squeezing it softly.

"of course. i figured if we were going to be setting up our best friends we should at least be familiar, right?" he asked, shooting you a goofy grin.

"true. and i suppose this is recompense for you almost killing me on your bike," you hummed, letting out a soft giggle as he shot you an offended look.

"i did not almost kill you. you fell, and that's my bad, but you're fine," he said. he paused for a moment, glancing between the road and you before finally settling his gaze on the street. "so, if tonight is my official apology, what should next weekend be?"

you hesitated, a smile growing on your lips. you looked at him carefully. "well, a cute boy and a cute girl hanging out, having dinner, and watching a movie while trying to set up their friends... i guess, if only for the sake of alysanne and cregan, we have to call it a double date."

"right," he nodded, trying to hide his smile behind pursed lips. "if only for them."

"of course."

"and me."

you looked at him with a wide smile. "you are a bold one, aren't you jace? getting my number, asking me to hang out twice in one week, asking me on a date..."

"well?" he asked, glancing at you with a grin. "are you opposed to it?"

"no, i don't think so," you answered, your hand entirely comfortable in his grasp as you leaned back into the seat. "hey, i like your car by the way. a lot nicer than the bike."

"thanks," he said. "but, i like my bike better."

"what? why?" you laughed. "this car is beautiful."

"it's too much," he answered with a shrug, turning onto your street without letting go of your hand. skills. "it's not my style."

"then why'd you buy it?" you asked curiously, tilting your head as you looked at him. he parked next to your own car, a crappy old ford that your parents had given you for your 16th birthday.

jace sighed, leaning back in his seat. "i didn't. my stepdad did."

"daemon?" you asked with furrowed brows. his eyes snapped to you.

"how do you know him?" he asked.

"baela's my best friend," you told him. "and one of my roommates. i... heard about the wedding. it didn't sound like fun, i'm sorry about that."

"it wasn't," he said, shaking his head as he remembered. "only a year after my dad died. a year. it's bullshit."

"that would be really hard," you said. "and i reckon you and daemon don't get on very well?"

"not at all," he answered.

"so is that why he bought you the car?" you guessed. "to try to win you over?"

"yep," he said, eyes narrowed in thought. "that's also bullshit."

you didn't say anything, sensing his frustration and not wanting to say anything insensitive. he looked over at you, his face softening when his eyes met yours. he tried at a smile, eyes moving passed yours out your window. his smile bloomed, and he squeezed your hand.

"my dad used to have a car like that," he said, looking at your dingy suv. you laughed lightly, looking back at him.

"really? that's mine. it's an old, messed up thing, but i like it," you told him.

"yeah, my mum sold dad's before even asking me. guess that's also why daemon bought this," he said, patting the door of the car. he sighed heavily before glancing at the time. "we should get you inside."

"yeah," you mumbled, looking from the clock to him, almost shocked to see him already looking at you intently. "i had a really good time, jace. thank you."

"anytime, seriously," he said, smiling more genuinely. his grip tightened on your hand for a moment, the two of you simply staring into one another's eyes before he leaned back, releasing your hand. "wait there."

he exited the car and rounded it, opening your door and offering his hand back to you. you giggled and took it, the boy shutting the door behind you and beginning to walk you back to the apartment.

you swung your hands in between you as you walked in silence, nearing your door. when you stopped, you hesitated to knock, instead just looking back up at him.

"jace?"

"hm?"

"will you kiss me?"

he grinned, stepping towards you and raising a hand to cup your cheek. "well, since you asked."

he captured your lips in his gently, tilting his head to allow better access. your free hand rose to his chest, kissing back happily. he was a good kisser, you immediately noticed, rhythmic and smooth, gentle and yet still firm. he pulled away, but you pulled him back in for another, the boy smiling as he returned the favor.

when you finally separated, you both were grinning.

"you're bold," he hummed. "giving me your number, going on two dates with me in a week, asking me to kiss you..."

"oh shut up," you laughed, pecking his lips one more time as he smiled.

"i'll see you later?" he asked.

"for our date," you said with a nod. "7?"

"yep. what kind of pizza do you like?" he asked.

"any kind," you answered with a shrug. "i'm not picky."

"want me to pick you up?" he questioned.

"nah, i'll drive me and aly over. maybe me and you can go for a little drive to give them some alone time," you suggested, causing jace to chuckle.

"i'd like that," he told you.

after another peck to the lips, you finally stepped back, knocking a few times for aly and baela to let you in.

"thanks again," you said. "i'm excited to see you again tomorrow."

"me too," he agreed with a smile, squeezing your hand one last time. "goodnight, y/n."

"goodnight, jace."

he walked off as baela pulled the door open, the girl grabbing your hand and dragging you inside.

alys was sitting at the counter with a tub of cookie dough that you three regularly snacked on, her eyes wide in question as baela smirked, locking the door behind you.

"his jacket," she pointed out, you suddenly realizing you were still wearing it.

"oh, wait, let me go give it back!" you said, stepping back to the door but she shook her head.

"no, no, no, you'll give it back next weekend. let him think about you," she said.

"i think he already is," alys laughed. "i mean, did you see that kiss? it was cute!"

"what?" you asked, eyes wide. "you saw?"

"we may or may not have looked out the window," she said with a shrug. "you guys are cute."

"he's a perfect gentleman, i literally think i'm in love," you sighed as you took a seat next to her, grabbing her spoon and dipping it into the cookie dough.

"alright, don't get too hasty," she laughed.

"no, i'm serious. it's so easy with him, he's just... comfortable," you told them, looking back at baela. your face was serious when you told her, "i think we may end up sisters."

she laughed loudly, coming to your other side and throwing an arm over your shoulder. "let's just see how the next one goes, ay?"

you talked to jace a lot. like, a lot. when you exchanged schedules, he somehow found time in his own to meet you halfway and talk before he dropped you off at class and you both finished class at 2, which meant you could go get food afterwards.

you saw him every single day before the date and always picked up one another's facetime calls, something you looked forward to after your shift at the campus coffee shop. he always looked so happy when you picked up the call or when he did, like he didn't believe after the last one that you'd speak to him again.

unsurprisingly, he talked to you a lot about his family. you learned about his brothers and their little quirks, that his closest brother luke was a computer science nerd and in his last year of secondary school. and then there was a wide age gap, joffrey being ten and in fourth year at the school on dragonstone jace went to as a kid. and then the two littles, viserys and aegon at 4 and 6.

you told him about your family and your little siblings. you thought your little sister would get along well with joffrey and he agreed.

and then he spoke with you of his mother and stepfather. he was conflicted - his father harwin had only passed a year prior in a housefire since he was a firefighter. apparently he loved his work, but he got trapped saving a family and though they survived, he didn't make it home. it killed him and his brothers, but he always felt his mother too indifferent.

"her and daemon began dating what felt like the next day," he said over facetime one day, brows knitted tightly as he spoke. "even joffrey noticed the strangeness and he was 4!"

"that is rather interesting," you said slowly, trying to gauge his thoughts as he sighed.

"and not to mention they have the same last name. that's odd, isn't it? targaryen isn't exactly common, but apparently they did an ancestry test and they're like 4th cousins once removed. for me it's a little close, but i'm not allowed to have opinions when it comes to daemon," he huffed.

you were surprised that he was confiding in you so much, but as you recalled everything you knew through the grapevine about jacaerys strong, you realized that he didn't have close friends. he had a million casual friends, but everyone knew he and cregan were super close and that was about it. if anyone else it was his cousins, but even then, how would he be able to talk to them about family issues if they were to get the wrong idea?

"i get what that's like," you told him softly. he looked to you quickly, furrowing your brows. "my mother died in childbirth when i was little and a few years ago my dad started dating some lady... she was weird to say the least. super into magic and witchy stuff, and she had a strange obsession with my little sister and her Lord's plans for her. dad didn't believe me when i told him what i'd heard her say and then i moved away for school. so, yeah, i get it."

"your mum died?" he asked with furrowed brows. "why didn't you tell me that?"

you shrugged, offering a sad smile. "i wanted you to feel like you could talk. i don't need to talk about it anymore, it's been so long."

"just because you don't need to doesn't mean you don't want to," he said, offering a gentle smile. "if you ever want to talk about it, or even just talk about her i'd be happy to hear."

this brought a fuller smile to your lips. "yeah, i think i'd like that."

you readjusted your position on your bed, turning over so that you could see him again on your phone screen. "we're a lot more alike than i thought, jacaerys."

"yeah, we are. how convenient."

you smiled fondly. "how convenient."

when you showed up that next friday in a simple pair of jeans and graphic tee (alysanne in something incredibly similar due to her fear of not being dressed properly), you did not expect to be greeted with a kiss from jacaerys.

he pulled the door open with a wide smile, wrapping an arm around your torso and pressing a chaste kiss to you lips before tugging you in, his smile twisting mischievously when he pulled away, causing you to laugh once, obviously shocked. you didn't argue, but you were definitely caught off guard. alys just stood there with a smirk as he pulled you inside, waving her in welcomingly as he smiled widely.

"cregan is in the kitchen," he said. "we decided we would make the pizzas tonight. you know, make it more personal."

"oh, that's fun," you said, letting go of his hand to fall back next to alys, a giggle on her lips as she watched you.

"i see what you mean about it just being natural," she teased as you rolled your eyes, following jace into the kitchen.

"i didn't tell you this, but we were on the phone for like 2 hours after he dropped me off last night," you whispered, a light blush covering your cheeks. she gasped.

"is he who you were talking to while you were studying earlier? and when you were making breakfast?" she asked.

you didn't say anything, instead laughing and dragging her into the kitchen after jacaerys. cregan was standing at the counter, placing circles of premade dough onto cookie sheets.

"creg," jace said. the stark boy turned with a smile, spotting us immediately.

"y/n!" he cheered. you laughed lightly.

"hey cregan," you said. you then took alysanne's arm, smiling sweetly at her and then cregan. "you remember my friend alysanne, right?"

"from geography? yeah, it's good to see you!" he said, smiling widely at her. you held onto alys as you felt her knees literally buckle, keeping her up as you pleaded with the gods for her to be normal.

"you... remember?" she mumbled. you elbowed her and she straightened up, holding your arm tightly. "it's good to see you too! what toppings do we have?"

you let go of her and pushed her to approach him, eternally grateful that she began a conversation. as he began showcasing the pepperonis, cheeses, peppers, sausages, and pineapples, you stepped back to jace's side.

"i don't think we'll make it out for our drive," you whispered with a laugh. he chuckled, wrapping an arm around your torso.

"i think they'll figure it out, we'll be fine," he mumbled before dragging you to make your pizzas.

you carefully picked out your favorite toppings, decorating yours in a smiley face after placing on the sauce and cheese. jace copied you, attempting to create a cool emoji with pepperonis as sunglasses, but he struggled majorly. eventually, he moved the meats into the shape of a heart, filling it in with pineapple.

"you like pineapple on pizza?" cregan asked, his face scrunched in disgust.

"you don't?" jace asked sassily, popping one in his mouth.

"gross," alys said with a shake of her head.

"well, what do you think, love?" he asked you, brows raised in question. with him calling you 'love' you couldn't exactly think anything, but you tried, just shrugging and offering him a small smile.

"whatever you say, jace," you said with a laugh.

"you don't like it?" he asked in fake shock.

"i don't mind it!" you defended sheepishly. "i'd eat it, but i wouldn't choose it. you know?"

"i'll always choose pineapple pizza," he hummed, eating another one.

"and that's fine," you laughed. he offered you a piece, which you accepted since it didn't have tomato sauce and cheese on it.

"alright, let's throw it in and then we can start a movie," cregan said.

the boys placed your pizzas in the oven as you and alys went into the living room. you walked closely to her, whispering quietly to her a rehash of your plan.

"we each get a corner and then you get to cuddle with cregan and me with jace," you mumbled.

"i know, i know," she whispered back with a snicker. you both sat on the couch, aly tucked in one corner and you sitting nearer the other side, but not so far away that it was suspicious. "trust me, i'm doing what i can to get close to him."

"you got this," you told her as the boys entered the room again, jace flicking the lights off. the boy immediately made himself cozy in the corner by you, offering you his hand. you took it with a smile and he pulled you closer slightly, until you finally bit the bullet yourself and sat by his side. cregan took to aly's side, pulling a blanket off the back of the couch to place over them both.

"do you want a blanket?" jace whispered, to which you shook your head.

"i'm good for now. but, i do have your jacket in my car," you told him. he grinned.

"we'll go get it later," he said, winking at you. he grabbed the remote off the arm of the couch and began messing around the main screen, finally clicking on the hbo icon. "what do you guys wanna watch?"

"a horror movie?" cregan suggested. "a new one just got on hbo."

"oh yeah?" you asked, resisting a laugh as you glanced at alysanne. "alys isn't the biggest fan of scary movies."

"i like them," she defended. "i just scare easy."

"don't worry," cregan said with a grin, leaning towards her. "i'll protect you."

you cringed, jace laughing as alysanne blushed.

"we can watch a horror movie then," you said decidedly, looking back at jace. he laughed, nodding, and working through the horror section until he landed on one. "the visit? that one makes me laugh."

"it makes you laugh? it freaks me out," cregan said, looking at you like you were crazy.

"the grandparents are just crazy and there's literally a part with a naked grandma," you laughed. "i can't watch it with a straight face."

"well, let's watch something we haven't seen and y/n won't laugh at," jace said, smiling at you. "how about hereditary?"

"i haven't seen that," you hummed. "let's watch it!"

jace clicked on it and it started, alysanne snuggling into her blanket as cregan put his arm around her. it was such secondary school moves, but hey, whatever works. when jace did it to you butterflies still erupted in your stomach, so obviously there's something to it.

the scene opened when jace whispered to you, "you want popcorn?"

he didn't even really wait for you to answer before pulling you up and into the kitchen, you resisting the urge to laugh at his movements.

it had only been two days and already everything he did just made you giddy.

he threw a bag of popcorn into the microwave before turning to you with a grin. he wrapped his arms around your waist, leaning closer to you. "i'm really glad you're here."

your arms wound around his neck. "me too."

"wanna come over tomorrow too?" he asked, smiling goofily.

"you're clingy," you laughed lightly.

"i like you," he corrected. "i like you a lot."

"i like you too," you hummed with a small smile.

he kissed you then, deeply, his lips moving in perfect rhythm with your own. his hand threaded through your hair and yours tugged at the hairs on the nape of his neck, earning a small smile. you kissed until the microwave beeped, and even when you pulled away, he pulled you back in for a smaller, slower one. he pressed a peck to your lips, smiling at you before grabbing the popcorn.

you held his hand as you pulled him back to the couch, tucking yourself in his side comfortably. it was a bit easier having confessed a little bit, beginning to snack on the popcorn you held between you.

soon enough the pizzas were finished and you ate them while watching the movie. you tried a bite of jace's pineapple pizza and you had to admit that it wasn't half bad. he ate like half of you smiley face pizza, but you couldn't stay mad at him for too long.

you noticed about 1/4 of the way through the movie that alysanne and cregan were whispering to each other, and that every time anything scary would happen she would jump and he would laugh, holding her in his arms by the halfway point. you leaned into jace's embrace, shutting your eyes tight when certain things would happen. jace would chuckle and run a hand through your hair, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

"you're such boyfriend material," you mumbled to him, looking up at him with a smile. "you're seriously so sweet and so comfortable."

"just for you," he mumbled in return, shooting you a short smile.

eventually, you realized that you weren't hearing cregan whispering or alysanne gasping at parts even jace jumped a bit at and you made the mistake of glancing over at them.

as soon as you caught a glimpse of his tongue down her throat you turned right back into jace's chest, laughing awkwardly as he chuckled, shaking his head.

"told you they'd be fine," he whispered to you, laughing as you muttered, "gross."

when the movie came to a close, neither of them noticed. jace took your hand and pulled you off the couch quietly, a finger to his lips as he pulled you up the stairs and to a room you quickly realized was his own.

"jace..." you said slowly, shaking your head before he did the same, his eyes wide.

"no, that's not what i mean," he said quickly. "no, i just - just come here."

he led you to a door by the window and then took you out onto what you discovered was his balcony. he pressed a kiss to the side of your head before looking up at the stars, a content smile on his lips.

"i like to sit out here sometimes and just think. you ever do that?"

"all the time," you answered with a small smile, holding his hand tightly in yours. "what are you thinking about right now?"

he hummed softly before looking at you with that charming grin he always has on. "you. how beautiful you are and how sweet your heart is. i like talking to you. a lot. and i like being around you, it's easy. way easier than it's ever been with anyone else."

"that's what i've been thinking since i met you," you told him with a small smile. "i don't generally believe in fate or destiny, but if it were a thing, this would be it."

he chuckled, squeezing your hand. "who's to say it isn't?"

you both gazed at each other for several moments, just smiling, comfortable in the silence of each other's presence.

"should we go on a drive?" you asked, swinging your hands. "you can drive if you want, since you always wanted one."

"let's go," he said with a grin, kissing you gently before pulling you out of his room, down the stairs, and out the door. alysanne and cregan were still making out on the couch with a new movie, some adam sandler romcom, playing in the background.

you tossed him the keys when you reached the suv and you climbed in. he adjusted the seat, a lot thanks to his long legs, while you buckled up and started the old thing up. he grinned as it revved to life, clicking his seatbelt secure.

"where are we going?" he asked.

"wherever your heart so desires," you mused with a light laugh.

"alright," he chuckled. he backed out of the parking space and made way for the highway, your hand clutched in his the whole way.

you sang along to one direction and the jonas brothers on your way to the hill jace eventually parked at, the boy just grinning at you as you sang your heart out. he knew more songs than you expected and you loved when he attempted zayn's high parts or nick's whiny disney voice - it made you laugh so hard how terrible it was.

he pulled you out of the car and onto the roof carefully, keeping you tucked in his side as you guys looked out over the small town that was your college town of king's landing. you loved it, truly. it was home now and you're glad it was.

"i have a question," he said randomly, leaning his cheek on the top of your head as you hummed in response, urging him to continue. "what is your ideal timeline of a relationship?"

you took a moment to decide how you would answer this, really contemplating what mattered to you.

"i don't have one," you mused eventually, turning your head to glance at him with a small smile. "i guess the only thing is that i don't want to date someone for 5 years and then have a year engagement. that's too long. i feel like if i know, then i'll know."

"yeah, i get that. i agree," he said with a nod of his head. "so, if i were to ask you to be my girlfriend... would that be okay? would you say yes?"

"in theory if you asked that, i'm sure i would," you said, your smile gradually growing.

"okay," he said simply before turning to you, both your hands in his large, warm ones. "will you be my girlfriend?"

"i'm sure that's fine," you hummed, grinning before you pressed a kiss to his lips. "yes, jace. of course."

he was ecstatic, wrapping an arm around you and pulling you closer to him as he captured your lips in his, his arms winding around your torso. you kissed him back eagerly, fingers playing with his curls as he flicked his tongue across your lip. you allowed him entrance for a few moments before pulling away with a grin, catching your breath.

you were basically between his legs with how close he'd pulled you at this point, the boy pulling you back in for what felt like a dozen more mini kisses. you laughed, finally pulling him off and falling into his chest, arms wrapping around you in a warm embrace. he pressed a gentle kiss to your head and you could feel his smile.

"i guess i do have to thank daemon for the car," he hummed. you furrowed your brows.

"why?" you asked him.

"well, if i didn't hate it so much i wouldn't have ridden my bike to school and never would've met you. and now that i have you, i realize that that would suck," he admitted, enjoying the spark of joy that flickered in your eye as you peered at him.

"you're a dream, jacaerys strong," you told him.

"i do my best," he chuckled.

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

thanks for reading! leave a request in the comments or message me privately! i love writing, so if you've got an idea you need fleshed out on paper i'd love to be the one to do that for you

masterlist!!

[beneathsilverstars]

My @isat-secretsanta-2024 gift for @pillowspace!! They said they’re fascinated by secret research lab AUs, and, in a case of incredible serendipity, that’s been my favorite trope since I was like 8 years old. So I may have gotten possessed and spent three weeks straight worldbuilding a whole entire thing.

So! This comic is my gift for Pillow, but I’m planning to write a fic set in the same AU eventually, titled Desperate Measures. It will take place in a modern day Vaugarde and focus on Odile, Loop, and Siffrin, alongside other more-or-less-familiar faces. And by “eventually” I mean this is now my highest priority project, but it’s big enough that it may be a couple months till I have anything else to show!

Journal transcript under the cut:

wavelength of 690nm, which means it would activate L cones nearly exclusively. If we're correct in our mapping of wavelength combinations to color terms in historical documents, then this would be considered a shade of "red".

I still don't know if I believe it. It seems fantastical, like I've become a character in a children's story, chosen to leave behind the world of the mundane and enter a realm of magic. Or like this is all a dream, and as soon as I'm about to see the shade my brain will realize it doesn't actually know how to show me something I've never seen before, so it'll put me in front of a full auditorium instead; and then I'll forget how to speak Vaugardian, or realize I'm not wearing any pants, or both, and then I'll wake with a start back in Ka Bue.

But however strange it seems, I can't think of any reason they'd have to lie about it. Why else all the NDAs? Why else contact me? So I must assume that it's true. That after years of trying to solve humanity's loss of color vision — a project that began long before I joined it, and that I expected to continue long past my time — I am about to simply be shown a perceivable color. That's the strangest part, really; that this breakthrough isn't related to the mechanisms of sight, but rather, the thing seen.

14/1/29

I thought perhaps they'd synthesized it somehow. Stumbled upon the correct combination of chemicals by accident. Maybe even invented a new sort of craft.

I didn't expect their source of red to be alive.

[magicalqueennightmare]

The Hybrid's Little Witch

Klaus Mikaelson x Reader

Just a one shot of Klaus and his little witch giving into their feelings

Fluffy (ish) smut

“Don't you fucking turn your back on me!” You were so angry you were nearly shaking. You could feel your powers rolling just under your skin, threatening to slip out but you maintained your hold on it, telling yourself no matter the anger you held that the hybrid in front of you was indeed friend not foe. 

Klaus spun to face you and a part of you was surprised to have blue eyes looking back at you. You'd expected the golden eyes of his beast to be looking back at you. “Why are you even still in New Orleans? You did your job little witch. Hayley and Hope are safe, any coven that was a threat to them have been eliminated”

“I don't answer to you Klaus and you don't own New Orleans. Hayley called me here to help protect her daughter or are you forgetting she's one third witch? She needs someone here to help with all aspects of who she is as she grows and Freya shouldn't be forced to stay in one place. I'm not leaving”

In a single heartbeat he was in front of you, hands on either side of your head effectively boxing you in if you didn't want to use your powers on him. A portion of your brain registered the fact that you had a wall at your back and a hybrid in front of you but the majority of your brain refused to cower. 

He wanted anger, wanted rage, you'd give it to him. While it was true things had calmed down but after everything you knew being complacent was a mistake. He leaned down close enough that his lips nearly brushed your ear as he spoke “Her daughter? Are you forgetting that Hope is my daughter as well?” 

You turned to look at him noticing how close your faces were before raising your chin defiantly to look him dead in the eye “and are you forgetting the number of times I've risked my life to ensure she was born, to ensure she stays alive and healthy? I'm owed a little slack even from you”

Damn him a smirk slipped onto his face as he said “Is that it little witch? You think I haven't shown you proper respect?” The last year came crashing down onto you at that moment, every time you'd faced a new threat, every moment you'd swallowed the pain so Hayley wouldn't know what protecting her and Hope was doing to you and every ounce of loneliness you'd felt your entire life mixed in with your anger. Anger that was now pointed at Klaus whether it was earned or not.

Your magic uncurled without you having to think about it and he stumbled back from you as if he'd been tased, hand splayed out across his chest. You felt a surge of pride mixed with a tiny bit of tension leaving your shoulders despite knowing you may very well be about to fight with the father of your best friend's child, the hybrid you were so damn attracted to yet refused to act on it.

“You haven't Klaus. I've done nothing but fight for your family since the moment I stepped foot in New Orleans. Yet you walk around like I'm a pet Hayley picked up and dragged home. I may not be as old as your family but I've seen hundreds of years pass. I could be anywhere in the world and I chose to be here. I get it, your past dealings with witches have been shit but I'm owed the respect I've earned even if you fucking hate me”

He rubbed his chest a moment and your eyes flickered towards the length of skin that showed from the unbuttoned henley, the long expanse of his neck and the curve of his collarbone distracting you. Jesus christ, the reasoning behind Hayley getting pregnant was crystal clear but you and he were hardly friends. He hated witches and that's what you were.

Another smirk slipped onto his face and he shook his head “That's where you're wrong, love. I don't hate you”  you scoffed not letting your guard down but curious as well “How am I wrong?” He took a step towards you and you shook your head so he stopped, holding both hands up to say he wasn't coming any closer. “I don't hate you. Quite the opposite in fact”

You let just enough of your magic seep out to make the air in the room thicken just slightly “Cut the shit Klaus and say what you mean” he looked you up and down before running his thumb across his bottom lip “I've been trying to ignore how much I want my child's Godmother” 

You felt your stomach flip “What?” He shrugged “You're beautiful, Intelligent, lovely with Hope. The fact that you're absolutely dangerous just adds to the allure. Hell if Elijah hadn't fallen for Hayley and Kol wasn't head over heels for a witch himself I'd have to fight them for your attention more so than I do as you being their friend”

“So, what baiting me into argument after argument was your form of flirting?” You zapped him again from pure frustration and he growled before moving faster than any other vampire you'd seen. He had you backed against a wall with your arms pinned over your head and was staring into your eyes “Tell me one time you don't want me as much as I want you little witch. That's all it takes” 

Your chest was heaving like you'd run a marathon and you knew he could hear your heartbeat but in that moment you didn't care to be embarrassed of it. He was right, you wanted him. “And if I do want you?” You asked with a slight smile. He returned your smile before saying “Then I do this” he caught your lips in a bruising kiss, flicking his tongue against yours and swallowing the moan that the action pulled out of you.

You struggled to free your hands but his grip held tight. He pulled back to look at your eyes “Tell me what you want” you swallowed twice before saying “I want you to fuck me Klaus, hard” the smile he gave you made heat shoot straight to your stomach “Thought you'd never ask” in one fluid motion he released your hands and scooped you up into his arms, wrapping your legs around his waist. 

—----------

You hooked your arms around his neck and he moved from your lips down across your jaw then to the sensitive flesh of your neck. He rolled his hips against yours and a gasp left you at feeling his hardening cock through the layers of jeans between it and your sensitive core. When he bit down just below your pulse point you moaned, fingers digging into his shoulders “Bed Klaus. You're not fucking me against a door dammit”

He chuckled against your skin “See? That dominating side of you. Can't wait to have you begging underneath me” You glared at him “I swear on everything” in a blur of movement he was up on the stairs and in his bedroom kicking the door shut with his foot then putting you down on your feet but backing you against the door in the same fluid motion. 

He was everywhere, lips and teeth teasing your neck and jaw, hands roaming across what of your body he could reach while his hips rutted into yours pulling low moans from you at the action.  One hand slid up to wrap around your throat as his mouth claimed yours. Your hands found his chest, clawing at his shirt, begging for more access to him “Eager are we?” He teased before leaning back from you enough to pull his shirt over his head and tossed it behind him. 

He reached for your shirt but stopped with his hands just shy of it. He glanced at your face for permission and the moment you nodded he pulled the shirt over your head and a grin slipped onto his face that made your knees weaken “Oh I'm going to enjoy this”  another quick kiss to your lips then he moved to your neck, biting down on the spot he previously had which made you moan his name.

—----------

Instead of stopping he continued down, when he got to your still clothed breasts he reached behind you with one hand. You felt the clasp give before your bra was pulled from your body and tossed somewhere in the room. He reached for one of your breasts, teasing the nipple between his fingertips. Your breath was already coming in fast pants. It'd been a little too long since you had sex and the feelings that the hybrid was bringing out of you with so little action so far was a bit alarming.

When he lowered his mouth to the other one, your back arched off the door. He barely grazed your nipple with his teeth but you felt your legs quiver. “Love, when was the last time someone touched you? Other than your own hands?” He murmured and you closed your eyes in an attempt to slow your breathing “Before I came to New Orleans”

You half expected to see teasing in his eyes when you opened yours but instead there was a hunger there “Then I'll have to make sure you're satisfied” you weren't sure what he meant before he sank to his knees in front of you. “Klaus” you tried to find your voice but he simply tapped your left leg “Lift your foot”

—------------

Within moments your boots and jeans were off your body leaving you in just a simple pair of black lace panties. “May I?” He asked and you nodded. He slid them off your legs and smiled up at you and gods the heat that flooded throughout your body at that moment could've torched the states between Louisiana and the Atlantic. 

He dropped one of your legs over his shoulders before his head dipped between your thighs. The first swipe of his tongue was tentative, testing. When your fingers burying themselves in his hair was the answer he dove in. He was like a man starved and he meant to devour you to feed the hunger. 

When his teeth grazed your clit you would've collapsed had it not been for his grip on you “Oh fuck Klaus” he added two fingers in with his tongue, curling them up to add pressure to that spot deep inside of you and that was all it took to push you over that edge. The burst of pleasure made your vision go soft around the edges. He worked you through your orgasm and only let up when you begged softly “Please Klaus, too much. Too much” 

He rocked back on his heels, keeping two fingers inside of you to tease at your still sensitive clit “Already begging? I thought more of you” you knew your words would fall flat considering your legs were shaking but you still felt the need to say “Fuck you Klaus”

He buried his fingers to the knuckles and you moaned loudly “I believe that's where we're headed love” he pulled his fingers out and held your gaze as he sucked them into his mouth, rolling his tongue around them “Heavenly”

—--------------

He stood and when he got to his feet he picked you up, leaving you no choice but to wrap your still shaking legs around his slim waist. He walked over to the bed and laid you down almost gingerly. You looked up and realized he was still wearing jeans “You're overdressed Mikaelson” he grinned “Then by all means, come relieve me of them”

You sat up and moved to the end of the bed, pulling him to you by the front of his jeans. You made quick work of the zipper, pushing them off his hips. He helped you kick them off along with his boots. He was left in a pair of black boxers and the way his cock was straining against the material made your mouth water. “Take what you want” he spoke and you slid your hand below the waistband of his boxers, wrapping around his hard cock.

He groaned lightly as you began to stroke him. When you pushed his boxers down to be able to lick a strip from the base of his cock up to the head, rolling your tongue around to collect the beads of precum leaking out. 

You sank your mouth down on him, taking as much of him as you could. When he hit the back of your throat you twisted your tongue around him as you worked your mouth.  You could feel his hips tense and knew he was trying to hold back from thrusting into your mouth. He spoke your name twice before stepping back to pull himself free of your lips. 

—-------------

“Get in the bed” you scooted up to the pillows and he smiled, wrapping a hand around his cock and stroking it lazily as he took in the sight of you laid out completely bared in his bed. He licked his lips then climbed into the bed. 

There was almost an animalistic quality to him, a predator finally catching his prey. He started at your hips and worked his way up your body. You knew even with your healing you'd still be littered with marks from his lips for a day or two and something stirred inside you at the thought of carrying marks from Klaus. 

When he got to your mouth he caught your lips in a bruising kiss that made your fingers bury into his hair. You felt his hard cock against your inner thigh and pulled back from the kiss “Fuck me already Klaus” 

His hand slipped between you and you felt the head of his cock teasing at your entrance before he sank himself inside of you. The feeling of him stretching you caused you to close your eyes tightly. Klaus wasn't exactly small. After a moment the stretch gave way to pleasure. 

He peppered kisses across your jaw and chest until you opened your eyes and met his. He took that as a go ahead and pulled nearly all the way out before slamming back into you. You gasped and he grinned. “You wanted it hard little witch?”

You nodded “Please” he chuckled and rolled his hips in a tight circle, watching your face as he did so. “Quit teasing Hybrid” you warned and he nodded before setting a punishing pace.

You were so damn close to that edge and wanted nothing more than to fall over but Klaus slowed his pace forcing your eyes to fly open “What the fuck?” He shrugged “You want to come, keep your eyes on me little witch. I want to watch you fall apart” 

You nodded after a moment and he resumed the pace he knew you liked and when his fingers slipped between you to rub tight circles on your clit it took everything in you to keep your eyes open “Let me feel it” you felt that pressure burst and fell over that edge, your eyes watering in an urge to close them against the pleasure rolling through you. 

You could feel his hips falter slightly and knew he was close. He buried his face into your neck and you felt his fangs tease the skin there, not biting but just applying enough pressure to make you clench around him as he came burying himself deep inside of you. 

—-------------

When he drew back he smirked at you before catching your lips in one final kiss before pulling out of you. He moved to lay down next to you and pulled you over on his chest. “What now?” You asked once your breathing had returned to normal “Well this by far more enjoyable than fighting” 

You raised your eyes to him and laughed “Are you really proposing we start fucking regularly?” He shrugged “I want you, you apparently want me. Come on love it doesn't have to be some epic meant to be thing but this was enjoyable for us both and we have to get along for Hayley and Hope's sake” 

You shook your head and started to laugh but it turned into a yawn. “Get some sleep” he urged and even though you knew you should leave you found your eyes drifting shut. You were satisfied, warm and like it or not safe in Klaus’ arms.

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

Hi bisexual sex ed person batman

Do you think teenagers masturbating to porn is bad or neutral

And also i have another question. We know young kids and sex is not a good match. Not questioning that. But do you know why, exactly? Like why is it traumatizing for a small kid to watch porn but not for a teenager. Like how does that work

Thank you in advance. And uh. Happy saturday

hi anon,

okay, so. I need you to understand that you're first question is basically this.

like, you want me to classify EVERY teenager who's ever jacked it to ANY kind of porn as either bad or neutral? good's not even an option? jesus christ.

let's say that I think any body jacking off to anything is for the most part a pretty morally neutral act so long as they're not cranking it on public transit or while spying on someone who is unaware of their presence and therefore unable to consent.

as for your second question, this is going to be unpopular but it's actually not inherently traumatizing for a prepubescent child to see porn. don't get me wrong, I'm in no way advocating for showing your baby porn instead of cocomelon or whatever, but there's no trauma button that automatically gets switched if it happens.

which I can say with a decent amount of firsthand experience because, you know, I work with kids, and I also work with their parents to talk about the experiences that they had as children. every time I teach my class I get parents telling me about how they found porn mags for the first time when they were young, in their parents' bedroom or in a gutter or, once, hidden in some farm equipment. and a lot of their kids have seen porn online by the time they're in the age range I teach (about 11 years old), whether accidentally or shown it a a crude prank by another child.

and for the most part they're like... completely fine. the adults who saw porn as kids grew up to be the kind of thoughtful, conscientious parents who want their kids to receive quality, inclusive sex education. most of their kids find it silly, because they can't imagine why adults might want to do something that looks so weird and awkward, or they get a little kick out of seeing something adult that they know is supposed to be off limits, or they don't get it and don't think much about it at all. hell, some of those kids will experience one of their first encounters with sexual arousal; that's a thing that's perfectly healthy for kids to experience and some are early bloomers!

some kids might find it confusing or upsetting, sure, but those kids also tend to put the magazine away or close the video very quickly. kids are, you know, people, and they're pretty good at just moving away from things that bother them. and discomfort is, ultimately, not the same thing as trauma.

to be sure, some kids have a long-term bad reaction, but there are often extenuating circumstances in that case. there are obvious cases in which porn is shown to a child specifically by an abuser, but I've also found that for a lot of people what causes their long-term psychological distress wasn't them seeing porn but the way their caregivers reacted to it, making the child feel ashamed and dirty without ever giving them an explanation for why the adults in their life reacted so negatively. that can create a huge burden that leaves people feeling shaky and insecure in their sexuality for decades after the fact.

once again, I just want to be super clear on this before anyone starts trying to make it seem like I think Coolsville sucks: I don't think little kids should be seeing a lot of porn! if a kid in your life is doing that, they should be directed gently away with a thoughtful explanation of what they've been looking at and why it's not a good fit for them at their age nor a good model of what real sexuality is like. it can be difficult to suppress the urge to panic and react harshly, even if you feel it's in the kid's best interest, but they deserve an explanation that will make clear that they're not the one in the wrong.

but, again, there's not a switch in a child's brain that automatically traumatizes them if they see a titty.