#i draw vehicles...really well
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Typical art problems
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#detroit become human#simon pl600#north wr400#sometimes i miss drawing simon and today is one of those days#bonus north because i just seem to always draw him in the same pose so shes there to spice it up#do not tell me ive drawn them in the same pose before im a one trick pony i know#also having a lil fun with not drawing all the lines which is insane#as someone who loves drawing line art#today bad (at work) and today wore me out and ive already taken a nap and shower#but you guys wanna know the highlight of my day in the way of i didnt have it on my bingo card?#it was wet and cold and raining and im taking an order out to a truck and the guy is like oh hey can you go to the otherside for em#my wheelchair is behind my seat so you cant really fit things there#and im like yeah ok sure#and then as im loading in the groceries hes like its really cold and raining and you still have to take that out?#do you not have a raincoat? and im like ... no unfortunately i uh... dont normally take orders out#so i didnt think to bring one and yeah its ok#and he just without hesitation after i said no was like DO YOU WANT MINE#sir what no thats so kind of you but no thank you please no i cannot take YOUR JACKET#and i told him no thank you it was very nice to offer but i was like two minutes away from clocking out so id get warm soon!#and he was like oh ok :c and i just think thats so nice ?#like some of the workers will rag on people for still using a grocery pick up service DESPITE working in the pickup dept#and then i take orders out and its to disabled people who cant get out of their vehicles easily#or its stressed moms trying to keep three kids in check who thank me so much for still being a service she can use#cause three kids in a grocery store can be a nightmare#and like ... idk man! thinking about that woman who got like 400 dollars of groceries and was stressed about a gettogether#and i mentioned i had been thinking about getting one of the twelve packs of drinks she got#that was a limited flavor i think and she just goes OH WONDERFUL! can i give you one???#and just was so quick to offer me a can of soda and was so happy when it was already pretty chilled so i could enjoy it#not that every person who uses the service has been polite when i take orders out but the majority have been?#and you might be asking well salmon why was it a bad day
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Yea idk how I haven't shared them here yet but here's some doodles of Tabitha and "Apathy" (she ain't got a name yet), the two protags of my ghost story!
Grieving after the sudden loss of her grandmother, Apathy accidentally becomes bound to the spirit of Tabitha, a young girl who was murdered in the 1870s. Stuck together in unfamiliar circumstances, the two must discover how to send Tabitha on to the afterlife, and if they even can.
UPDATEEEEEEEEE Apathy's name is Naomi :)
#i draw tabitha all cheery usually but she has a very very rough time at the start#very vengeful and confused and inconsolable and angry#as one would be if they were murdered#the first drawing was a couple months ago but the last drawing was from maybe like a year and a half ago?#so they look a lil different#i change their designs slightly every time i draw them lol#but yea i imagine this as an animated series!#its a love letter to the PNW (my home baybey) as well as like. my attempt to utilize the vehicle of horror for character exploration#if u know i love midnight mass and haunting of hill house then the mike flanagan jumps out immediately lmao#tabitha bennett#naomi evans#ghost girl story#i dont have a name for any of my stories either#i thought maybe of calling it 'mortis operandi'#but idk what their usual way of doing things would be to make the modus operandi part of the title make sense lol#also the tagline would be something like 'life after death for those who have lost someone and those who were lost'#so then i thought of calling it something like 'those who were lost' but ghosts are kinda a rarity in this universe so#it feels like that shouldnt be the focus of the title#idk im REALLY bad with titles#i think the character writing for these lil dudes that currently only exists in my brain is some of the best ive done tho#grabs u by the shoulders: talk to me about the irony that tabitha teaches apathy how to feel alive again despite being the one who's dead#my art#ocs
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Deconstructing this A. Cola named entity... What's under that faux fur..
#Oc art#Mewmew Agricola#Surreal art#Cat oc#Mecha oc#(kind of??????? Idk that's the point)#Pencil art#notebook drawing#Creature#Should we really start thinking more deeply about an alien mech creature who somehow turns into a normal looking cat#AND TWO DIFF VEHICLES#Ngl I want Mewmew to also turn into some more. Practical everyday vehicle#Uh anyway I had some thoughts about this#Mewmew being so abstract and being born out of simple joy for having something whimsical and nonsensical#Shockingly‼️(sarcasm) lends well to cosmic horror. Or body horror. Maybe. Idk.#But hey it's a silly kitty#I'm not trying to dig too deeply under mews skin bc I feel like. They were already trying that back in the alliance#Mew deserves to retain some mystique and will to just. Exist. But#But..... (sits here ominously)#On a more normal note I am enjoying notebook drawing :)
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once again i am on the playlist lol
#just me hi#my strange brain concoctions back at it again lmfsh#i've been workin on it by bits and bits for the past 2-3ish days and i think i've almost got what i mean hfvbs#yea... mnmnm...#//outta the Lagoons into the Blues !! what a transition hkfshv#i mean i Have found that i actually really really like the shampoo we've been using for like 5 years hghfsv#but also i've had to switch from that one to a different one anyway cuz my hair? is grezy ghfbshv#it Is soft now though which is cool :D cuz the old soap didn't get it quite well and i was using dish soap sometimes to strip it so Lmao#which btw the dish soap worked p well. however it Did feel stripped kgfhsv#/what else what else uuum#i've developed more world stuff for pi.e which is also very epic and neat ; like the 3 Cities + radiation towns + Sanctuary cities +#Sanctuary zones + how they interact w/ each other lol :)#i have these weird lil creatures that i'm calling Rascals rn but i think they need a different name pfshv#and also cuz i made the general world bigger that means i have defined more of the plot just by. scribbling some points for towns on paper#yea :D this thing is maybe just a little bit daunting but i'll prolly get it figured out lol ; roman 3#/oh i Do really wanna draw more pi.e stuff to post hfh :>#cuz despite it all i am still v shy abt my stuff and that's kinda silly so !!#/sometimes my brain gets into these weird paper jams where i'm doing one thing but then i see and wanna do another thing (easy transition ?#but then i see another thing and then another and now i have 4 different things and i feel bad just focusing on just one because. ??? ????#when i was little i used to humanize objects Just before they were thrown away and i think that sort of carried over in a weird way bfhsvgj#balance in all things !! wait no not like that w-#//oh wait wait did i ever mention i learned to make stir fried rice w/ egg#prolly not that big of a deal but i'm STILL happy abt that lol :D#maybe especially cuz i was doing most of the cooking while my picky-cook brother was helping and he thought it was good so like YAY#though tried to make it a second time and i let my ma put the salt in the pot and she oversalted it by Far TwT#it was fine though just really salty lol :)#//mnm also getting into classic vehicles a lil bit#just a bit! cuz i don't know where to start and i just really like that one bike i doodled a bit ago#also i'm a bit spooked that my dad will find out and he is Overwhelming when he finds you might like smth he knows smth abt gfvsgh <3#//Oh i'm outta tag space pfshgv - Toodlesssss ciao :3
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Actively beginning to catch myself going down thought spirals and this has to be a good sign actually
#looking through my sketchbook and realizing ive had it for at least 2 or so years now#and am surprised by how much space is on the pages and how little i seem to have really drawn..#and I'm wondering if I'm putting too much stock and faith in the vehicle; especially now that the path to getting one#is a bit more protracted as i continue shopping around#i just suddenly feel so tired and had intended to draw but felt the motivation drain from me#it *is* past 9pm where i am so it could also just be that time of night as well but#I'm noticing I'm letting the potential vehicle do a lot of guiding here and you know. could be freeing to accept it as it comes#it was definitely a letdown to not get the one i test drove (too expensive) and to not have a car after expecting to have one#and being excited at the prospect of everything becoming easier; and it's definitely a feeling I'm allowed to have#but it's like. idk. i wanna reshape how I'm thinking about this i guess?#and trying to drive away the way i feel burnt out from work every other week but that's for another day. 8 hours is too damn long#shai speaks
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I have TWO where I've written the ONLY fanfics for the pairing. (Also, just fair warning, these are Adult Only fics lol.)
1: Mass Effect - Commander Shepard (Nonbinary)/Mako (the vehicle used in Mass Effect). Shepard's gambling problem runs their budget dry and they have to get creative to fundraise for more supplies. Shepard decides to cam it up since they're a famous hero now.
2: Homestuck - Dirk Strider/Dammek ('Antler Troll' before he was named). Shipped solely for the fact that they both wear sunglasses, soon after Dammek's appearance (only his appearance) was announced. He wasn't even named, so that was something I had to work around, along with giving him a blank slate personality. Dream bubbles make anything possible.
This was written after I already pulled notes for my lightning fast Antler Troll cosplay 1 hour after the announcement was made where he was shown. I love having a claim to fame.
Honourable mention: I was the second person to write Borderlands - Claptrap/Reader, but since then, the tag has exploded to a whopping 6 works. You'd think there would be more.
Reblog and put your rare pair in the tags/comments! I want to see the depths people will go to create, for the most random two characters in the most obscure media.
#i know the poll ended already but i love mentioning shepard/mako#in the notes i mentioned i wrote it bc i read someone say the next ME game was gonna have 'sexy' vehicles#and i was obviously offended on behalf of my girl Mako#also fair warning i wrote dirk as cis in the homestuck one ive been kinda wanting to rewrite it where hes trans#trans dirk was my hc back then but i was too chicken to write it bc i was having bad dysphoria#the claptrap reader one is still hilarious to me lmao i usually dont like reader fics but when its claptrap... theres no one to ship w him#so it had to be reader in order to happen at all#fanfiction#fanfics#fanfic#fan fic#like lmao these arent even obscure media its just... well i guess it technically counts as crackship versus rarepair#but only the mako one is written really cheesey the other two are played straig- i mean gay#also technically the claptrap/reader is the only one bc every 'reader' character is different not to mention the different claptraps#mine is... obviously... the officer claptrap from Elpis#also i was not only the first dammek cosplay but also the first god tier dirk cosplay bc i went fabric shopping the same day..#..as calliopes drawing of him came out in the upd8 but it wasnt the best cosplay so i did not pull notes on that#man i miss upd8 culture tho
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this is a post targeted at me and me only but like now having seen both within a relatively short time frame i do think. vanya is probably a lot more difficult and therefore more impressive from a purely technical perspective. like don't get me wrong. it's eight different people played by the same guy with truly incredible fluidity. but i DO think present laughter is a better performance simply because of the nuances and depth in there. and the playing off other people of it all. like a solid 50% of the comedy of that show is watching andrew scott just like, react to stuff, and it's gold. excellent comedic performance that also manages emotional depth and a fun little feeling i like to describe as sneaking up on you with a baseball bat in the final scene. really great stuff. so present laughter > vanya for now
#i also. hm. i think vanya is very much. i dont know enough to judge it adaptation wise so i don't know how well it serves#but the draw to me does seem largely to be hey this is 1 guy playing all the parts. in chekhov. and like do not get me wrong it's incredible#to watch and some of it does hit super hard#and also it's like. because of where i was when i watched it but the main draw and thing that i really took away from it was wow that guys#good at his job but the rest is just. kind of there? like it feels like a vehicle to show that off. but id need to watch it again#neon has thoughts#theatre tag#present laughter#vanya#anyway i could if i really tried get to present laughter again this week and Wow i am so tempted it's not even funny#if they won't put it on their goddamn streaming service then.#also like. the sheer amount of skill it probably takes to do all that in present laughter and NOT seem tired because my god it makes me#tired just watching it. but it seems effortless until it doesn't and it's magic tbh.#also the rest of the cast is also phenomenal. truly everything is peak
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hotel california
🌙 starring. Choi Seungcheol x afab!Reader
🔮 preview. “Time is a funny thing in this place. I know it’s been days, weeks, years even- that I’ve been here, but I don’t know for how long. I eat, I sleep, I drink- I repeat. I don’t grow old, I don’t get sick. I just am. It’s fucking boring if I’m behind honest with you, or at least it was. It’s been a while since we had someone new show up at the hotel, and even longer since that someone was as gorgeous as you.”
tw/cw. Unprotected sex, fingering, pussy eating, blow job, roughhousing, dirty talk, praise, finger sucking, multiple sex positions, spanking, mentions of pain kink, mentions of masturbation, breast worship, watching yourself in the mirror while you fuck, etc… I pet names: (hers) gorgeous.
👹 rating.18+ explicit I wc. 9.9k
🍭 aus. Non idol au, strangers to lovers, song as inspo, etc..
☀️ mlist + an. I’ve wanted to tackle ‘The Hotel California’ song by Eagles for ages, and after months of thinking about how to do it best, I think I finally did it justice. I wanted to also draw some inspiration from the tv show ‘The White Lotus,’ with the first season (and the first season’s Hotel Manager) being particularly interesting to me. I’m really excited about this fic, and I hope you guys enjoy it!
One:
Driving across the Californian desert after a twelve-hour shoot had not been your plan, but being double booked by your agent had left you with little choice in the matter. You’re still a blooming model, and you can’t yet afford the luxury of easy flights- no, you have to do it yourself, and it’s determination that’s driving you as you speed down the highway with the sun beginning to set.
You’re exhausted, and you can feel your body beginning to tire from your long hours, but you push on. In an effort to keep yourself awake, you put on some music, doing your best to focus on the long winding roads as you take the liminal path between one civilization to the other.
It’s a pretty drive if nothing else, at least as the sun sets, but once the purple and pink sky has faded to black, the whole thing feels monotonous.
You yawn loudly, pushing harder on your gas pedal. There are no cops out here this deep in the desert, and if it saves you even ten minutes to speed, it will be well worth it.
It’s hard to concentrate, and you can feel yourself getting drowsier and drowsier, your eyelids getting heavier with each passing breath, but you’re in too deep to pull off on the side of the road.
Your body is relaxing, succumbing to the exhaustion. Your eyes begin to close- and just as you’re on the precipice of falling asleep at the wheel, your car makes a rough sound.
Body lurching with anxiety, your heart thumps wildly in your chest, and once again, your car makes a noise it shouldn’t be making.
With a loud groan, you slowly pull off to the side of the road, and that’s when the engine begins to billow smoke out from under your hood.
You reach for your phone, only to find it’s dead, and with a loud, “Fuck!” you get out of your car.
It takes you a second to remember how to pop the hood, after all, you’re a model, not a mechanic. As the hood lifts, a gust of hot smokey steam flairs up at you, and without your phone to use as a light, you can only rely on the rays of the moon to guide you as you fiddle with your car on the side of the road in the middle of the desert.
After five minutes of panic, you decide to give up. As you look around, you realize there’s a light in the distance. It’s a faint light, but a light nonetheless.
You return to your car, sitting there for a while as you decide what to do.
Leaving your vehicle on the side of the road isn’t exactly the best-case scenario, but neither is staying with it overnight- you’ve heard that the desert can get cold when the sun goes down, and you’re already feeling chilly.
You weigh your options. After a while, you collect your things from the trunk and begin to make the trek down the long desert road toward the lights that symbolize civilization of some sort.
Two:
“Welcome to The Hotel California,” a peppy man smiles when you approach the front desk.
It turns out the lights you’d seen from your car had belonged to a cute one-story terracotta hotel. You didn’t realize there were hotels along this stretch of road, but relief floods through you as you approach the man whose badge says ‘Jeonghan. hotel manager.’
“Hello,” you smile, releasing a sigh. “My car broke down a little ways up the road.”
“Well that’s not very good,” he frowns, empathizing with you.
“I need a room for the night, and I’d appreciate it if I could use a phone to call for someone to come and look at my car in the morning,” you explain.
“I can get that settled for you,” he assures you, writing something down in the notebook in front of him. “A room for one?”
“Yes, it’s just me,” you confirm.
“Name?”
You give him your information, reaching into your bag for your credit card.
“We won’t need any form of payment until check out,” Jeonghan assures you. “Anything you eat or drink or do will be added to your tab, and you can deal with it another time.”
“Thank God, you have no idea how exhausted I am.”
“I’ll have our bellhop escort you to your room and help with your bags,” the hotel manager smiles. He waves over a man, whose nametag reads ‘Seungkwan,’ and with another nod and a grin to you, the manager watches you walk off.
You take a moment to look around. While the exterior of the hotel had been very rustic, the interior is Art Deco. There are many mirrors, and the lobby has a few red velvet couches strewn about. It’s actually kind of cute for a hotel in the middle of nowhere, and you’re thankful you’d come across it.
If your car had broken down even five minutes before, you doubt you would have seen the lights of The Hotel California, and then where would you be?
Three:
You wake as light peaks through the blinds of your room. With a yawn, you sit up in bed, immediately reaching for your phone on the bedside table.
Although you’d plugged it in to charge the night before, the screen is still dead.
Your heart sinks in your chest, and with a groan of exasperation, you stand up.
After putting on clothes and making yourself feel presentable, you head out in search of the lobby, where you find Jeonghan behind the front desk as he had been last night.
“Hi,” you greet him. “I was wondering if you have any news about my car?”
“We called a towing company, they had to come out from the nearest town. No word yet on what’s wrong with your car or how long it will take to fix.”
It’s hard to hide your disappointment as you release a deep breath. “So… I’m stuck here.”
“It would appear that way,” Jeonghan smiles politely.
As you’re about to leave, you remember the other point of contention on your mind, and you turn to look at the hotel manager again. “I tried to charge my phone last night, and I’m not sure if it’s a problem with my charger or your outlet, but it didn’t charge.”
“I can take your phone for you for now, and I’ll see if one of the chargers or outlets we have here will work,” he suggests.
You stare at him. The idea of giving up your phone doesn’t sit right with you, but at this point, you’re too tired to care. Although you’d gotten sleep, your body still feels exhausted- how many hours had you even gotten in bed?
“What time is it?” you ask.
“I think it’s time for you to get a watch,” the hotel manager teases.
“Right…” you trail off, pulling your phone out of your pocket to hand to him. “Please get this back to me once it’s charged, I’ve gotta call my agent and maybe rearrange a mode of transportation or something.”
“Go relax and I’ll deal with all of this,” Jeonghan assures you. “We’ve got a morning buffet in the dining room just down the hall, I suggest you go and get your strength up.”
“Thank you.”
You follow his direction down a few corridors to a dining room. It’s a lovely space, with one line of glass walls that look out at the desert. The style choice is as art deco as the lobby, and while you’d found it charming at first, you’re already getting sick of the mirrors everywhere.
A large table lines the far wall, and there are many silver trays with food on them. Heading over there, you find a plate and begin to choose what you want to eat.
As you make a dish for yourself, you look around, noting that there aren’t very many guests in the hotel. You suppose that it’s a very odd location for a hotel, and its remote nature is probably the reason you only see a handful of people around.
Once your plate is full, you approach one of the many empty tables, taking a seat and looking around once more.
There are two men dressed in suits, and you immediately assume they’re in business of some sort. You wonder what they’re doing here of all places, but you don’t dwell on it for long, not when you notice that their table is covered with plates.
They’re both rather lean men, so you wonder how they plan to eat all the food in front of them, but you decide not to be a person who pries. After all, you’re only going to be here a short time, you don’t have to care about what others are doing around you.
Your gaze shifts to a man seated near the windows. His hair is dark and curly, and he has a pair of glasses on. His gaze is focused on a book in his hands, and you notice the only thing on his table is a lemon water.
For some reason, he gives you monk vibes, and you wonder how a man so young and attractive can be so peaceful in his way of living.
The hair on the back of your neck prickles, and you realize someone is watching you. There’s a man in the corner of the room, and on second glance, you realize he’s next to a record player. He stares at you for a few seconds, then lifts an entire bottle of whiskey to his lips.
He makes you uncomfortable, and after that, you just focus on your own plate, repeating to yourself that this will all be over soon.
Four:
After breakfast, you head back to your room, and when you get there, you’re surprised to find both your laptop and all your charging cords are missing.
You scramble through your bags, hoping you just misplaced them- but no, your electronics are gone, and it makes your heart race with anxiety.
You all but run back to the lobby, but when you arrive, Jeonghan is not there.
Looking around, you realize there’s a bar set up in the corner, and you quickly make your way over, stopping in front of the bartender. “Hi, I checked in last night, my car was having issues, and then so was my phone- I gave my phone to your hotel manager to charge, and when I got back up to my room my laptop and charging cords were gone-”
He stares at you blankly, and you read the name on his shirt.
“Look, Joshua, I just need help. I need something. I have to call my agent, I have to do something-”
“Have a drink,” he suggests, lifting a bottle of tequila from behind the bar.
“I don’t need a drink,” you groan. “I need my phone, I need my laptop, I need my car- I need you to help me sort this out!”
“Calm down, gorgeous, Joshua just works here, you’re not going to get a lot of help out of him unless you want a mean cocktail.” A deep voice makes you turn, and you find yourself staring at the man who you’d seen by the record player at the buffet earlier.
He’s still carrying his bottle of whiskey, but it’s only about half full now.
“He works here, so he should know what to do or who to call-”
“Like I said, the most you’re going to get out of him is a wine and steak pairing recommendation,” the man in front of you laughs. “I’m Seungcheol, by the way.”
You tell him your name with a sigh, and you don’t miss the way his gaze rakes up and down your body.
“So what’s your story?” he asks.
“My car broke down, I walked here, my phone is dead, my laptop is stolen, I’m having a really shit day.”
“Sounds like it.” He brings the bottle of whiskey to his lips, taking a large gulp. “Maybe you should take Joshie’s advice and have a drink.”
“What I need is a nap,” you state. “I’m going back to my fucking room, to have a fucking siesta, and when I’m done, that fucking hotel manager better have my phone charged and my car fixed.”
Five:
You have no clue what time it is when you wake up from your nap, all you know is the sun is beginning to set and your whole body hurts. You groan to even sit up, and you realize you feel as exhausted as you had this morning before your nap.
Are you getting sick?
Deciding you don’t have time to dwell on the state of your body, you head to the lobby, where once again, Jeonghan is nowhere to be seen. So instead, you head to the bar, where the ‘Seungcheol’ man is sitting and chatting with Joshua.
You take the seat next to him and he turns to look at you with a grin.
“Hi, gorgeous, how was your nap?”
“Uneventful,” you state. “Look, I need a ride to town.”
“Which town?”
“Any town, I don’t care, I just need to get out of here.”
“Well, I don’t have a car.”
“You don’t have a car?” you stare at him in shock.
“Nope, just a motorcycle, and I doubt all your shit would fit on it.”
“I will literally leave ‘my shit’ here and come back for it once my car is fixed.”
“Well…” Seungcheol taps his fingers on the bottle of whiskey in his hand. “My motorcycle broke down on the way here.”
You blink as you look at this man. He’s stunning, with a strong jaw, broad shoulders, curly hair- but fuck, he’s a bit dense. “Well?” you ask. “Was it towed? How long have you been waiting for it to get fixed?”
Seungcheol only grins, taking a sip of his whiskey. “A while.”
For some reason, the way he says it is ominous. You don’t know if he’s playing with you, or what- but you’re done with all of this bullshit.
“I’m going to bed again,” you announce.
“Didn’t you just wake up?”
“I am going to bed!”
Six:
When you wake up the next morning, the first thing you do is go to the lobby. You can’t help the relief that floods through you when you see Jeonghan standing behind the front desk.
“Thank God,” you almost laugh with triumph. “Do you have news about my car? Or my phone? Also, someone stole my laptop yesterday!”
“Unfortunately I have no news about your car, and it seems none of the chargers are working with your phone,” Jeonghan frowns.
It feels like the breath has been knocked from your lungs. “What?”
“Also, I don’t know anything about your laptop, but I’ll look into it.”
You’re tired of this hotel manager taking charge- tired of being at this Art Deco hotel in the middle of butt fuck nowhere.
“You know what, I’d like to check out,” you tell him. “I’d like to grab my things, call a taxi, and just go to the next town and wait for my car to be fixed.”
“I’d love to help you with that,” Jeonghan says, “but unfortunately there are no available cars to take you to the next town.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, no taxis come out this far, you couldn’t bribe them with a hundred bucks to come grab you.” Jeonghan laughs as if what he’s just said is a joke. “And unfortunately all the actual cars on the property belong to people who work at the hotel, all of whom are on shift and can’t drive you.”
“Can’t I wait till someone’s off shift?”
“Everyone on shift lives here in the staff quarters and I can assure you that no one wants to drive to the next town, which is over two hours away, after a twelve-hour shift.”
“So…” Your heart is racing. “What are my options?”
“Well, you can check out if you’d like,” Jeonghan says, “but unfortunately, I don’t think you’ll be able to actually leave the premises unless you walk, which would be very dangerous.”
“Fuck. Give me my phone back.”
You watch Jeonghan reach down and pull your cell out of a drawer, and then you snatch it from his hands.
“Have a lovely evening!” he calls as you turn and storm to the bar.
“What was that about?” Seungcheol asks as you come to stand next to him, releasing a breath of exasperation as you set your hands on the bar top.
“Joshua, give me a bottle of something.”
“What do you like to drink?” the bartender asks.
“Anything.”
“Looks like you’ve changed your tune, gorgeous,” Seungcheol grins next to you.
“I’m going to get drunk, and then I’m going to walk back to civilization if it’s the last thing I do.”
You note the way Seungcheol’s expression falters. “For real?”
“Yes, for real.”
Joshua places a bottle of tequila on the bar and you snatch it up, flicking off the lid and taking a large chug.
“I don’t think this is a good idea,” Seungcheol muses. “He doesn’t either, do you, Joshie?”
“I just work here,” Joshua shrugs.
“Unless one of you wants to drive me back to town, I’m walking!”
You can feel Seungcheol studying you, and then he sighs. “Fine. I’ll go with you.”
“I never asked you to come.”
“But I’m coming anyways, it wouldn’t be responsible to let a cute girl like you go out into the desert alone. There are aliens and shit.”
“Sure there are,” you roll your eyes.
You have a few more sips of your drink, getting yourself jazzed up for this- and then, you turn to look at the door that leads out of The Hotel California. “Okay, let’s get out of this fucking hellhole.”
Seungcheol releases a chuckle, shaking his head, and then he stands, following you out into the desert beyond.
The first half hour or so is you walking with determination, but as time ticks on, you begin to falter.
“Finally ready to turn back?” Seungcheol asks.
“Why did you even come with me?” you snap.
“I told you, it wouldn’t be safe to send you out here alone.”
“Because men who ride motorcycles really care about safety,” you roll your eyes.
Seungcheol only laughs, and he says nothing else, allowing a silent trek for another hour or so.
Is it an hour? Fuck, you can’t really tell. There are no clocks, no phones to check the time- you have no clue how long you’ve been out here, and anxiety is beginning to bubble up in the pit of your stomach.
Then- just as you’re feeling close to your breaking point, you see lights in the distance.
“Oh my God! We made it!” you practically scream, turning to look at Seungcheol, who doesn’t seem nearly as excited as he should be.
Your pace picks up, in fact, you begin to run toward the light, toward salvation-
You’re out of breath, your muscles screaming at you, but you push on… and that’s when you realize, these lights are familiar.
The excitement begins to die down, and when you’re close enough to see the source of the lights with clarity, you sink to the ground next to the highway in shock.
Gravel and sand crunches as Seungcheol comes to join you, standing a foot away.
“But- that’s- that’s the hotel!” you say.
“It is.”
“But- we went straight! We followed the highway! How are we back here again?”
You’ve never felt defeat like this, and you’ve been rejected by modeling agencies a number of times in your career. This is something different, it’s not just a momentary lapse- this feels more permanent, it feels more otherworldly, and you can’t wrap your head around any of it.
“I think…” Seungcheol releases a sigh. “I think it’s time I told you a few things.”
Seven:
Seungcheol had insisted on going back to the bar to get a bottle of whiskey before divulging into a conversation with you. As you’d entered the lobby, Jeonghan had called out a bright ‘welcome back!’ and you were too defeated to acknowledge him.
You feel like a shell of a person as you lead Seungcheol back to your room, collapsing on your bed. “What the fuck is going on?” you ask.
“This is all going to sound a bit weird,” he admits.
“Weirder than us walking in a straight line for two hours only to find ourselves right back where we started? I doubt it.”
Seungcheol smiles, shaking his head a little as if this whole situation is somehow humorous.
“I think… everyone is stuck here.”
“Stuck here?” you question.
“You and I, we have similar stories. I remember driving my motorcycle, something happened, I pulled over, and then I saw this place,” Seungcheol explains. “I’ve talked to a few people who live here, and they all have the same story.”
“I don’t understand- Seungcheol,” you swallow thickly, “how long have you been here?”
“You see,” Seungchol chuckles, but there’s a sad note to it, “Time is a funny thing in this place. I know it’s been days, weeks, years even- that I’ve been here, but I don’t know for how long. I eat, I sleep, I drink- I repeat. I don’t grow old, I don’t get sick. I just am. It’s fucking boring if I’m behind honest with you, or at least it was. It’s been a while since we had someone new show up at the hotel, and even longer since that someone was as gorgeous as you.”
You can’t believe he’s taking this opportunity to flirt with you, so you pull yourself back on track. “Someone has to know how long we’ve been here,” you insist.
“No one I’ve talked to knows.”
“Well,” you take a breath. “I want to talk to those two men, the ones in suits who are in the buffet.”
“Why?”
“They strike me as the kind of men who would know things,” you tell him. “I can feel it.”
Eight:
You find the two men where they always are in the buffet. Tonight, they’re playing chess, using up a large table so the space not covered with the game board can be full of food and drinks. You still wonder at their glutenous ways, but that’s not why you’re here right now.
“Hi,” you say, trying to be friendly despite the day you’re having.
The two men look up at you, then at their chessboard.
“I’m Y/N, and this is Seungcheol,” you introduce yourself only to be met with silence. “What are your names?”
“Jun. That’s Minghao,” one of the men says dismissively.
“Do you guys happen to have the time?” you ask next.
They’re both quiet, and it’s making you angrier by the second, but you force yourself to keep your cool.
“Would you guys be able to tell me how long you’ve been here?
Still silence.
You look around for that man you’d seen, the one with glasses and a lemon water, but he’s nowhere to be found.
“Look,” you kneel down so you’re about level with the seated men, lowering your voice. “I just got here, something weird is going on, and I need answers.”
The two men exchange a glance, and it’s Jun who finally turns to you. “We won’t discuss this in the open.”
“Come to our room,” Minghao sighs. “But don’t make it obvious you’re following us.”
You wonder why the theatrics are necessary, but with a nod, you and Seungcheol move away. You take a seat at a table across the space, and after a few minutes where the two men converse in whispers, both stand up.
You wait for them to leave, and after a few seconds, you and Seungcheol slowly follow.
Jeonghan watches you cross the space, and that’s when you realize why these men are being so weird. This hotel manager has an odd hold on everyone in this place.
When you make it to Jun and Minghao’s room, they open the door for you, saying nothing. As you enter the space, you’re ready to bombard them with questions, but when Jun moves to the coat closet, pushing fabrics aside, all your words die in your throat.
The entire wall, which had just been hidden, is covered in small tally marks.
“We were keeping a tab with a pen and paper, but the cleaner kept taking it away,” Jun explains. “I don’t think they want us to keep track of time.”
“And these tallies-” you begin.
“They mark the days the two of you have been here,” Seungcheol finishes.
“But,” you swallow thickly, “that’s thousands of days- that’s years!”
“Over sixty years,” Minghao says quietly.
“How can this be real?!” you ask. “You both don’t look a day over thirty.”
“When we’d arrived here, we weren’t,” Jun says sadly, “but that was in 1963.”
“Nobody grows old here,” Minghao tells you, “because we’re in Hell.”
“So you both think that pansy hotel manager is the Devil?” Seungcheol scoffs.
You can see Minghao’s eyes immediately narrow in annoyance. “We just mind our own business, and we suggest you do the same.”
“Have you ever confronted Jeonghan?” you ask.
“Nobody confronts him,” Jun says sheepishly. “I guess, even though we’re all in Hell, lots of us are… scared of the consequences.”
“Well, he already took away my phone and my laptop,” you sigh, “I guess I have to be the man in the room and go deal with this.”
Nine:
After spending the night thinking about it, you decide as the sun comes up that you’re going to rip the bandaid off.
Everyone in this fucking hotel is so evasive, but you’ll take this head-on. You’re a twenty-first-century woman, and you’ll be damned if some hotel manager ruins your entire life.
There’s a power in the way you walk as you head straight for the front desk, and you try to look intimidating despite your rapidly beating heart.
“Good morning,” Jeonghan greets you with a smile.
“What’s the deal?” you ask.
“Hmm?”
“The deal with this place, what’s going on?”
He flashes you a knowing smile, and the words that come out of his mouth next are an obvious load of shit: “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
You size him up, and you realize that, at this precise moment, you’re not going to get any information out of this man, so you decide to switch to plan two.
Turning on your heel, you head deeper into the hotel, and in the back of the dining room, you see Seungkwan slipping into a corridor.
Catching him is easy since he’s not exactly running from you, and the man stops to politely nod at you. “Good morning.”
“What’s going on with this place?” you ask.
“Excuse me?”
“This stupid hotel, what’s the deal? All my electronics are missing, there are no clocks, and I left yesterday, I left! I walked down the highway for two hours only to end up right back where I started!” You can’t help the way your voice is rising in annoyance, and you partly hope that you can actually successfully intimidate this man-
As you look at him, you realize intimidation is off the table, because he releases a laugh.
“Look at you, little miss demanding.”
“Please,” you sigh, your heart practically wilting in your chest. “I just need to know.”
“Talk to the hotel manager, he can answer all your questions.”
“Except he can’t, or maybe the word is won’t-” You struggle for a moment. “Look, don’t you want to gossip with me?”
You can all but see his ears perk up at the word gossip.
“You’re a bellhop, you like secrets, right? You enjoy tea?”
His eyes narrow at you. “I’m more of a coffee drinker.”
“Tea, as in gossip, gossip is tea-” God, you wonder how many of these people are from the last century and have no idea what you mean when you use current lingo.
“I’m listening.”
“I’ll tell you some tea,” you insist. “Gossip for gossip, deal?”
“I want something else,” Seungkwan tells you, and that’s when you notice his eyes lingering on your throat, your necklace. “I want that.”
You sigh, reaching behind yourself to unclasp the silver chain. “Take it and tell me what’s going on in this stupid hotel.”
As soon as the jewelry is in the bellhop’s hand, his entire demeanor changes. It’s as if he’s gone from a young man, and turned into an old woman telling you about her neighbors and how she snoops at her window to collect information all day. There’s an air to his essence that tells you you’re about to find out exactly what’s happening in this so-called ‘Hotel California.’
“What have you heard so far?” he asks. “What do you think this place is?”
“I don’t know? Someone said it might be Hell, but I doubt Hell is an Art Deco and terracotta hotel in the middle of the desert.”
Seungkwan’s expression shifts with an all-knowing sort of twist of his lips. “This isn’t Hell. It’s purgatory.”
“What?” You feel your breath leave your lungs in shock.
“And Jeonghan, well, he’s not a hotel manager, he’s a grim reaper. His domain is this desert, and every guest at this hotel, they died in his desert, so their souls were his to pass judgment on.”
“Wait a minute, what do you mean we all died here?”
“Keep up!” Seungkwan snaps. “This is purgatory! Of course you’re dead!”
Your entire body deflates now. “But… how?”
“Fell asleep at the wheel, didn’t you, little miss model? Seungcheol’s motorcycle hit a pothole. Minghao and Jun were high on coke and drove off a cliff by the ravine not far from here, thinking they were invincible. Every guest has a similar story, it’s a dangerous stretch of road after all.”
“So… who are you? And how do you know all the people I’ve talked to since I got here?”
“I’m a nobody, a highwayman. But trust me when I tell you, the staff here keep tabs on everyone.”
“Are all the staff... Highwaymen?” you ask.
“In one sense or another.”
“And… and Jeonghan chose to put us in purgatory?” you question. “Why didn’t he take us to a final place?”
“Because your unfinished sins were too great to gain you entry above, but not dark enough to gain you entry below.” Seungkwan pauses for a moment. “It’s best if you try to overcome your original sins, you might just make it out of here.”
“Overcome my sins?” you repeat, on the verge of laughing in an odd sort of complete hopeless hysteria that you’ve never felt before. “Has anyone ever made it out of here?!”
“One man,” Seungkwan says thoughtfully. “In fact, you saw him. The man in glasses, Jeon Wonwoo. He was a powerful man back when he was alive, lustful and glutenous. But in his time here, he’s overcome, and you were his final test.”
Anger bubbles inside of you. “I was a final test? You mean I was brought here to test some horny guy!?”
“Not many women die on this stretch of highway, not many who are so grey and muted as yourself. Jeonghan found you to be particularly… puzzling.”
“Puzzling?” you scoff.
“You’re a model,” Seungkwan shrugs. “Lust, envy, pride, greed- you belong here like everyone else. Those businessmen, overwhelmed by pride, greed, envy, gluttony, sloth, and even wrath. They’ve only conquered lust in their eternity here, but that was to be expected with no women to enchant them. They treasure their own company now, far more than they’d ever treasure yours.”
“And Seungcheol?” you ask.
“Seungcheol?” Seungkwan actually laughs. “A rockstar from the seventies? Lust, pride, greed, wrath- in his day he had an enjoyment of starting mosh pits at his own concerts, of fighting people, of drinking and sleeping with many, many women. No, Jeonghan chooses the right people. You’re all here, and you’ll likely all stay here.”
Ten:
You’re sitting with Seungcheol in a secluded part of the buffet room, and you’ve just given him a rundown on all things Seungkwan. For a moment, he just sits there, and then, his brows furrow. “That little fuck says I’m here because I used to start moshpits at my own shows?”
“And sleeping with lots of women I’d assume.”
“I’m gonna beat that fucking bellhop’s ass-”
“This is what he’s talking about!” you insist. “Wrath!”
Seungcheol steadies himself, and then he sighs. “Who would have thought the seven deadly sins were a real fucking thing.”
“People who believe in the bible and stuff?”
Seungcheol shoots you an unamused expression and you have to stop yourself from smiling.
You look down at your hands, fiddling with your fingers. “So… are we going to try to overcome our sins or whatever?”
The man next to you exhales deeply. “I’ve been here a long time,” he admits. “I don’t think I’m going to magically change because some bellhop said I’m a horny fuck with anger issues.”
“True.”
“Besides, Jeonghan brought you here to test the whole lust thing, and I think we both know I’m failing in that one.”
Your skin tingles. Is this seventies rockstar admitting he’s into you?
I mean… you’d suspected as much, but to hear it confirmed like this…
Do you want to be good? Do you want to work on yourself?
Or do you want to give in to these lusty feelings? Do you want to go wild and make the most of this place since you’re probably going to be here forever?
You feel completely torn, and you clear your throat. “I think… I think I need to go clear my head.”
Eleven:
You find your way to the pool after some deep soul-searching. You’re in need of somewhat of a cleanse, and you think water could be a good way to do that.
It’s the evening, but the air is quite warm as you make your way through the open spaces of the hotel. The sky is dark above you, but stars twinkle, as does the moon. It’s oddly peaceful, if you forget the fact that you’re in some fucked of purgatory liminal space.
When you get to the pool area, you realize there’s a man you’ve never seen before, and he’s sitting by the hot tub. His feet are submerged in the bubbling water, and his head is tipped back, eyes closed. There’s a bong next to his right hand, and you can smell weed.
You stand and watch him for a moment, then decide to approach.
“Hello?” you say, drawing his attention. “Are you new here?”
“No, but you are,” the man muses.
“I am… but I’ve never seen you before.”
“You wouldn’t, I’m nocturnal. Might as well be, since there’s nowhere to go but here.”
Obviously this man has his own opinions of The Hotel California, and you take a seat next to him, crossing your legs. “What do you think of this place?”
“It’s whatever.”
You risk another look at him, and you realize he’s closed his eyes again, looking as relaxed as ever. That’s when you realize this man’s main sin is glaringly obvious; he’s sloth.
“How did you find weed here?” you ask.
“Brought some when I arrived, started growing it when I realized I wouldn’t be leaving.”
So… this man is growing weed, sleeping all day, and smoking all night in purgatory. Sounds about right.
“Do you want to leave?” you question.
“It’s whatever.”
“Some man named Wonwoo left,” you point out. “Seems like there’s a possibility.”
The man laughs. “That fucking monk finally got out? He’s been trying to be a good boy for years.”
You swallow thickly at the reminder that even if you try to be good, you’re doomed to be here for years. It’s not an ‘okay I’ve been good for a day, let me out now’ sort of situation. The whole thing leaves a bad taste in your mouth, and you clear your throat.
“I’m y/n by the way.”
“Vernon.” There’s a stagnant pause, and then he stretches. “You know, it’s nice here. You don’t have to cook or clean. There are no responsibilities. You just get to relax.”
“Kind of like an indefinite vacation.”
“Exactly.”
He seems nice enough, and if it wasn’t clear he was such a sloth with a thing for marijuana, you might expect him to be next on the list of viable options for getting out of this place.
“Just, enjoy yourself,” Vernon sighs. “You might as well.”
Twelve:
After a night of thinking, you’ve finally made your decision on what to do in this God-forsaken hotel, and you head down to the lobby. One look at Jeonghan makes you rethink asking him for information, but you spot Seungkwan heading toward the buffet, and you quickly follow him out of sight from the manager.
“Hey,” you greet the bellhop, “have you seen Seungcheol today?”
“I believe he runs at this time,” Seungkwan explains. There’s a small rocky hillside out behind the pool, Seungcheol made a trail there for exercise, but between us, sometimes I think he’s hoping to get bit by a rattlesnake and die for a second time.”
From the small chuckle that leaves his lips, you can tell he’s trying to joke around, but you’re just not at the stage in your acceptance of this place to find dead jokes comedic.
“Thank you,” you nod, heading off in the direction he’s pointed you in.
The trailhead behind the pool isn’t very difficult to find, and you start up the path.
You have no clue what time it is, but you know it’s early morning. It’s just starting to get warm, but despite this, you have a fire inside of you driving to find the seventies rockstar.
This urge - call it lust maybe - it drives you forward, and finally, you find the man you’re looking for.
He’s in running shorts, and he’s shirtless. A sheen of sweat covers his muscular form, and God, he’s never looked this beautiful. His hair is curled from precipitation, and he’s panting, his hands on his hips as he stands at the top of the small hilly cliff that looks down at The Hotel California.
“Seungcheol!” you call, drawing his attention immediately.
“y/n?”
You can tell he’s confused to see you here, and his brows furrow. Walking closer, you take a deep breath. “I’ve been thinking,” you tell him.
“Yeah?”
“I was thinking… if we’re going to be here forever, we might as well make it fun.”
Your words hang in the air, and on this tiny hill, you accept your fate. You accept that you’re dead, that you’re in some odd form of purgatory. And you accept the fact that you’ve found a partner to share this whole delusion with, for better, or for worse.
“So you’re saying…” Seungcheol swallows thickly, stepping closer to you.
“Just kiss me,” you laugh, shaking your head at him.
A massive smile appears on his face, and then he’s grabbing your hips and tugging you tight to his chest. His lips are on yours a moment later, and while you’d expected him to be an eager, lust-fueled maniac, he’s oddly slow with how he approaches this first interaction.
However, the kiss deepens when you wrap your arms around the back of his neck, your tongue swiping his bottom lip desperately.
Seungchoel lets out a deep groan, matching your rising energy with an enthusiasm of his own.
It feels so good to be doing this with him, and for the first real-time since you got to the hotel, you feel your anxiety slipping away. Your entire body is focused on this man, and this man alone- and then his hand slips down to your ass, grabbing it roughly.
“Hey,” you laugh, pulling away from the kiss. “We’re not fucking out here on some rock.”
“We’re not?” Seungcheol chuckles.
“Not in a million years, which it sort of sounds like we have.”
“Back to the hotel then,” Seungcheol tells you, and just like that, the two of you head back down the trail to the hotel.
It seems there are different routes to take, and you find yourself in the lobby as opposed to the pool, which is where Jeonghan stops you with a wave. “y/n,” he calls. “I’d like a word.”
Seungcheol groans, and you release a sigh, turning to look at him. “I’ll meet you later?” you suggest.”
“I’ll go shower, find my room after, I’m in number seventeen,” Seungcheol nods.
You watch him disappear, taking a moment to appreciate the muscles of his broad shoulders as he walks away, and then, you turn to face the hotel manager.
“Looks like you’ve made a decision,” Jeonghan muses.
You wonder what exactly he’s talking about. Is it a decision to pursue Cheol? To sin?
You’re not quite sure, but at this point, you don’t care.
“I’ve made my choice,” you tell him, trying to sound confident about it.
“So you’ve chosen to be a part of The Hotel California.”
“I don’t think you left me with much choice,” you point out.
A large smile appears on Jeonghan’s face. “I guess I have to agree with you there,” he admits. “Go. Enjoy Seungcheol. You might be able to help with his… less desirable traits if not his sexual habits.”
So everything here really is a set of scales. Cheques and balances. A lesser evil of cleansing Seungcheol of minor sins while fanning the fire of his lust. You suppose you can’t win them all.
Thirteen:
You wander the hotel until you find room seventeen, and when you get there, you don’t even bother to knock. You simply push the door open, entering the space.
Seungcheol’s hotel room is different from your own. It’s significantly larger, with a den and a door that you assume leads to the bedroom. You make your way through the space, looking in at where he sleeps, which is where you find the man himself standing.
He has a towel wrapped around his hips, his hair is damp and curly, and God, he looks even sexier than he had on the hill. He’s so well muscled- part of you wants to lick his entire body and moan while you do.
Seungcheol turns to look at you, and when he smiles, you swear your knees feel weak.
“What did dickhead want?” he asks.
“Jeonghan?” Your mind goes blank. “He uh, I guess he wanted to see if I’m set on staying here or not.”
“And?”
“Well, we’re about to sin, aren’t we? So… guess I’m a permanent resident now.”
Seungcheol laughs. “Who wants to go to heaven if you can’t fuck there?”
“A lot of people I think,” you giggle.
“Well, not us.” He steps towards you, hands settling on your hips. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited for you to show up.”
His words are nice, but you have some doubts lingering inside of you. “Would you fuck any girl who came here though?” you question. “Or am I special?”
“You’re special,” Seungcheol confirms. “You’ve got fire in you, I could tell from the moment we met.”
“Some people have called me a bitch before.”
“Well they can go fuck themselves,” he retorts quickly.
You laugh, looking around. “This is a nice room.”
“It wasn’t my original room, but once I realized I was staying here, I scouted out all the empty places to find my favourite.”
Your gaze shift up, and you notice that the ceiling is covered in mirrors. “I can’t escape these fucking mirrors.”
“These ones are fun though,” Seungcheol insists.
“Yeah? How’s that?” You wrap your arms around the back of Seungcheol’s neck, pulling him closer with a grin.
“Because… I can watch you when you’re riding me. You can see my sexy back when I’m fucking you. It’s just a good set up.”
“And I guess you haven’t really had a chance to test it out before,” you muse.
“Not with another person.”
It takes you a second to realize what he’s saying, and then you laugh. “Cheol, are you telling me you watch yourself jack off with these mirrors?”
“It’s not like I have access to porno mags or anything!” he defends himself.
God, he’s from the seventies- did they even have easily accessible porn then?
You push the thought out of your brain as you move closer to him, until your lips are just milimeters apart. “Now you have me.”
“I do, don’t I,” he grins, tightening his grip on your hips.
“Uh huh,” you nod. “And I haven’t been properly fucked in a while.”
“I bet I have you beat on that one.”
“Better make up for your lost time, big guy.”
“Better make this sin worth it,” he counters, and with that, he presses his lips to your own.
You smirk into the kiss, pressing your chest against his own as you wrap your arms around the back of his neck. It’s a mad flurry of tongue and teeth, no being cautious as he had been on the hill earlier.
No, this time, you know exactly what you want from each other, and there’s a freeing feeling in that.
He’s quick to guide you toward the bed, and when he gets you there, he pushes you down onto it. His hands quickly tear at your shirt and you raise your arms to allow him to easily take it off of your body.
Seungcheol sinks to his knees on the ground, his lips attacking your throat and descending down to your breasts. Two large hands grab at your tits, massaging them through your bra. He’s practically motorboating his face against you now, groaning into your cleavage.
“Take off my bra,” you tell him. “Suck on my tits.”
Seungcheol chuckles, but one swipe of his hand behind your back has your bra coming undone, and you realize that despite his forced celibacy, he hasn’t lost his touch.
Your bra slips off, and Seungcheol immediately picks up where he left off, but this time, he has access to your bare skin,
He grabs your breasts, pulling one nipple into his mouth while you throw your head back and moan.
It takes you a second, but you have the idea to open your eyes, and when you do, the mirrored ceiling gives you the perfect view of this man kneeling on the ground and sucking your breasts.
There’s something sexy about the view, and when you thread your fingers through his curls, it makes things even hotter.
Seungcheol groans, roughly tugging your nipple between his teeth and making you cry out.
“Shorts next,” he instructs, pulling away so you can both work on getting you fully naked for him.
It’s a little shocking how fast this is all going, but you don’t mind. Lust is fueling every cell of your body, and before you know it, Seungcheol is pushing you so you’re flat on your back. He places your thighs on his shoulders, and then he dives into your core with his mouth.
You whimper at the sensation of him sucking on your clit lewdly, and again, when you look up, you can see the view.
Fuck, with him now bending half over the bed like this, you can see his shoulders even better.
He’s so broad and strong and sexy, and it makes your core pulse with pleasure as he eats you out like he’s been starved for fifty years, which he has.
“Just like that,” you tell him, bringing your hands up to play with your nipples, loving the view of it all.
Seungcheol shifts, and then you feel a finger push into your entrance. He doesn’t go slow with it, he immediately starts pumping, fucking you while he licks and sucks on your clit roughly.
There’s no tact in his motions, no precision, he’s a wild man, and you suppose that fits his rockstar soul.
There’s something so sexy about this animalistic way he’s treating you, and when he groans against your clit, your entire body lights up with pleasure.
He has you closer to the edge than you’d ever imagined possible in such a short time, but you wonder if perhaps your body has been in need of some stress relief like this after such a crazy few days.
Another finger slips inside of you and you moan, reaching one hand to tangle in his hair again.
As much as you want to close your eyes and enjoy this, you can’t bear to look away from the view.
God, it’s absolutely glorious.
This gorgeous, beefy man, is practically ravaging you on a bed with silk sheets, worshipping your pussy with his tongue and fingers while you watch, enthralled with it all.
You can hear your core getting wetter, and with each thrust of his fingers you can feel your juices. His tongue circles your clit in the perfect way and your stomach muscles begin to clench, signaling your impending high.
“I’m gonna cum,” you tell him, swallowing thickly even as you pinch your own nipple, writhing against the bed.
Seungcheol only growls in response, and the sound turns you on even more.
Within a few seconds, you’re coming undone, releasing a cry of pleasure as your body is flooded with euphoria.
Your hips push up against Seungcheol’s face, but his free hand pins you down, his tongue unrelenting on your clit.
Now, you have to force your eyes shut. It’s all you can do to contain the ecstasy he’s providing you, an electric feeling that’s surging through your entire body unlike anything else.
“Fuck, fuck- Cheol!” you gasp, wriggling in his grasp.
He pulls off your clit with a pop, and you can feel him looking up at you as he removes his fingers.
Then he stands, and you open your eyes to look at him.
“Here,” Seungcheol leans over you, and then he pushes his fingers into your mouth, “want you to taste yourself.”
All you can do is stare up at him in shock, lust overtaking you as you suck his digits off diligently. You even grab his hand to steady him, not wanting him to pull away until you’ve licked him clean.
“That’s a good girl,” Seungcheol groans.
When you’re done with him, you release his hand, and Seungcheol pulls away with a deep breath.
“Can you suck cock like that?” he asks, undoing his towel so it can fall to the floor.
His hard length immediately slaps up against his abdomen, and you can see beads of precum dripping down his shaft. God, he’s super turned on, and your pussy pulses at the mere sight of him.
“Gonna give you the best head you’ve had in fifty years,” you promise.
“Ha ha,” Seungcheol says, but there’s little humour in it.
You sit up, and then, you stand. He gives you a confused look, but when you push him down onto the bed, things seem to click for him.
You take your spot on your knees, where he’d just been, and this time, it’s your turn to push his legs slightly open, giving yourself space as you grab the base of his cock.
“Don’t cum in my mouth,” you warn.
“No?”
“Want you to cum inside me, don’t wanna waste a drop.”
“Fuck,” Seungcheol groans as you put your mouth onto his tip, sucking and licking with all the enthusiasm he’d just given you.
His hands immediately grab at you, pushing your hair out of your face. He holds you gently as you sink more and more of him into your mouth, swirling your tongue to tease every inch of skin that you can.
“Shit, feels good,” he tells you, collecting your hair into a ponytail to make things easier.
You hum against him and his hips twitch at the stimulus.
“Fuck-” he says again, and you’d bet your life - or maybe your afterlife - that he’ll be swearing a lot.
He’s a man who hasn’t felt the touch of a woman in fifty years, you would blame him if he’s quick to bust?
“Keep going, fuck,” Seungcheol groans, applying some pressure to your head.
You don’t mind that he’s beginning to get rough with you, and you diligently sink further onto his cock, taking him all the way to the back of your throat. You gag a little around him, and Seungcheol releases his loudest moan yet, tightening his grip in your hair.
“Keep doing that, fuck, keep doing that!” he encourages you.
You do your best to relax your throat, wanting to please him, to give him the best blowjob he’s ever had. You have always found satisfaction when pleasing others, call it a trauma thing or whatever you want to call it, but his pleasure is your pleasure, and you can feel yourself getting wetter by the second as you listen to his moans.
“Shit, I’m close,” Seungcheol tells you.
With those words, you immediately pull off of him, and he looks down at you in shock.
“You’re not cumming in my mouth, remember?”
“Please?”
“No.”
You stand up, staring down at this man, who suddenly looks very needy. Then, you push at his chest, prompting him to lay flat against the bed while his knees are still bent, feet on the ground.
One of your own knees makes contact with the bed, and then the other, so you’re straddling him now.
“You said you wanted to watch me ride you,” you remind him. “So watch me ride.”
You grab the base of his cock, lining it up with your core, then you sink down onto him fully.
He’s big, and you feel the stretch, but you’re so wet from this that your lubrication makes the actual taking of his cock much easier than you’d imagined. God, when you pause for a moment, fully seated on him, you both groan from the pleasure… then you begin to bounce.
“Jesus Christ,” Seungcheol whispers, one hand grabbing your hip while the other latches onto your breast. He pinches your nipple between two fingers and you whimper, throwing your head back.
You look up at the ceiling, watching yourself ride this beautiful man.
The view makes your core throb, and you can feel your pussy clamping down around him, which earns another groan from the man you’re riding.
“You look so fucking good like this,” Seungcheol tells you, sitting up and using his hand as a brace against the bed so he can wrap his mouth around your nipple.
You grab him, threading your fingers through his hair and using him as an anchor as you move on his cock, bouncing to the best of your ability even in this position.
Again, you find yourself looking at the view, and you realize maybe this is a completely new kink of yours that you’d never discovered before.
“Okay, okay,” Seungcheol grabs your hips, making you stop. “My turn now.”
“Your turn?” you scoff.
“My turn,” he confirms.
Then, he’s standing up, and taking you with him. His hands grab your ass, keeping you pinned to his body while you squeal with delight, latching onto his shoulders.
“Wanna fuck you doggy first,” he tells you.
“So original,” you roll your eyes.
“Gonna make you regret that, gorgeous,” Seungcheol laughs.
“Then do it.”
With a shake of his head, he throws you onto the mattress, and with one quick manhandle, he has you on your knees with your ass in the air.
He’s standing at the foot of the bed, and he grabs your hips with one hand, his cock with the other. His tip finds your entrance, and with one rough thrust, he’s buried inside of you again.
“Fuck!” you whimper, arching your back and bracing your cheek against the sheets.
“Feels good, huh?” he asks, immediately picking up a pace that has your eyes rolling into the back of your head.
“Fuck, so good!” you moan, loving how deep he’s hitting, how rough he’s being.
A harsh smack erupts through the room, and you realize as the pain blooms like heat along your skin that he’s just spanked you.
“Did you like that?” he asks.
“Maybe?” You’re not sure how you feel about the sensation, but when a second smack comes, you jolt, your pussy clamping tight around Seungcheol’s cock.
“You liked it, didn’t you?” he teases.
“No!” you insist, but you can’t help the fact that you had enjoyed it, and you can tell from the gush of wetness you feel in your core that it will be clear to Seungcheol that you liked it as well.
“Keep lying to yourself,” he laughs, his hand returning to your hip so he can fuck you even harder.
You enjoy the feeling of this for a while, but soon, you’re practically itching for another hit of pain.
“Spank me again,” you tell him.
“Hmm? Didn’t quite hear you.”
“Spank me!” you say, louder this time. “Please!”
Another chuckle escapes the smug bastard behind you. “Only because you asked so nicely.”
One more spank becomes three, and you’re a whimpering mess at the end of it, clawing at the blankets like a whore.
“Guess we’re going to have to explore this pain kink of yours,” Seungcheol teases. “But first, I think I’m gonna cum in this perfect pussy and mark it as mine.”
You’re so overwhelmed by how good this has felt that you can’t even find the words to respond, but you don’t have to.
Seungcheol pulls out of your pussy, and then he adjusts you on the bed, pushing you closer to the pillows so when he joins between your legs, he has space to plank over you in missionary.
His cock enters you, his lips finding your throat, and as you stroke his powerful shoulders, you find yourself blinking up at your reflection.
You’re watching yourself sin, but you’re entirely okay with it.
You’re listening to him pant in your ear as he gets closer and closer to the edge, but you kind of love it.
This hotel might be a place to overcome sins, but you’re not sure how anything this perfect - this natural - could ever be considered wrong.
“I’m close,” Seungcheol whispers, sucking on your earlobe.
“Then cum inside of me, give me all of it,” you tell him, tightening your grip on his shoulders.
“Fuck,” Seungcheol groans, pressing his lips to your own. He kisses you desperately as his hips falter, his pace becoming erratic.
You can feel the moment he explodes, can feel his cock throbbing hard as he shoots his cum deep inside of you. He fills you up with warmth, and it feels like completion as he groans, half collapsing on top of you from the effort.
The kiss breaks, and you stroke his hair as he pants against your throat. Your eyes never leave your own in your reflection of the mirror over the bed.
Jeonghan might have put you in this place, but you’re the master of your own fate, and this is the direction you’ve chosen.
☀️ mlist + an. thank you for reading! I'm going to miss this au.
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🔮 preview. When Seungcheol thrusts, it pushes you onto Mingyu, and when he pulls back, he pulls you with him, effectively controlling the pace of absolutely everything. Seungcheol might be working on his envy streak, but he’s as controlling as ever… although, you kind of love that about him. Sure, he’s a flawed man, but he’s your flawed man, and as he begins to fuck you rougher and harder, you know that you’d never give this up, not even for Heaven itself.
cw/ tw. Unprotected sex, threesome, pussy eating, blow job, fingering, multiple reader orgasms, use of mirrors, masturbation, controling/dom Seungcheol, dirty talk, praise, slight degradation, spanking, deep throating, eiffle tower/spit roasting, etc… I petnames. (hers) gorgeous.
��� rating. 18+ explicit I wc. 3.1k I teaser wc. 150
🌙 starring. Seungcheol & Mingyu x afab!Reader
bonus
You’re sitting at The Hotel California bar with Seungcheol. The two of you enjoy having a few drinks before a night of raunchy sexual escapades, and at first, this is a night like any other… until, you hear a new voice and turn to see a stranger talking to Jeonghan by the front desk.
You can’t help the look you immediately exchange with Seungcheol.
The two of you have spent months- years even, enjoying each other, and one thing you’ve always discussed bringing into the bedroom to spice it up, is another person. However, no one currently at the hotel has ever caught your eye, so you’d agreed that if anyone new showed up… you two might give them a try.
Now, with a tall, dark and handsome stranger standing just meters away, you think you may have found your new third, and excitement bubbles up inside of you.
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#seungcheol#choi seungcheol#thediamondlifenetwork#seungcheol smut#choi seungcheol smut#svt#svt smut#seventeen#seventeen smut#seungcheol svt#svt seungcheol#s.coups#s.coups smut#svt s.coups#seungcheol x reader
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Brook’s Past, Military and Everything Between [ An Essay kinda ]

Brook’s past is not a thing many people seem to mention or think about, at least in full, however it’s something that's plagued me. Not only as a Brook fan, but simply out of the odd implications it has towards the future, if any. Oda’s planted too many seeds for it to utterly be nothing; there’s so much odd and seemingly out of place comments and facts stated by Brook and others towards this missing history. However, knowing that the show is beginning to near it’s end, due to time, I am unsure of what exactly will be done.
I believe however, for folks' interest and so we can have everything in one place, that compiling everything found so far can be beneficial, so, I have.
Starting with what we know for sure, Brook is from the West Blue, born 90 years ago to a certain kingdom, the same kingdom he was a military convoy leader from. We know this due to a few factors, however it’s still open to debate if it *is* the same kingdom, however seeing as he was shown as a child to already know what fencing is, practicing moves with his bow, I am just going to say he probably was. In any case, other things worth noting, on the topic of childhood, is that Brook seems to have had money. At least, stability.
Compared to a lot of the other strawhats, Brook is shown dressing very nice. No tatters, no tears, shined shoes and a full violin and bow. He also, as already stated, seemed to be exposed to fencing enough to mirror the moves. If this comes from his kingdom, it means he was exposed to it at a young age. Knowing that he was a military convoy leader, this could be taken that perhaps there were military demonstrations, perhaps the kid saw castle guard or other displays; it’s really up in the air.
We know Brook, again as stated before, became a military convoy leader. Now, the definition of what exactly that means can differ.
Wikipedia states; A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.
This could mean Brook’s job could’ve been accompanying ships for protection, being a knight for his King, mediating information and goods that come in and out of the kingdom. This would make sense on why his speed was needed, a 9.2 ft man being a great choice for a leader.
His weapon also would make sense for this kind of mission, perhaps secrecy being important or at least the ability to be discreet. His cane sword, a ‘Shikomizue’, is not unique however to just him in the show, one other man using one that has been confirmed so far, that being Fujitora. The pair also share a sea, the west, and both utilize iaijutsu (quick draw techniques.) Fujitora blinded himself with said sword because of something apparently so cruel and inhumane that he rather not see anguish. This may be related to Brook’s departure from his kingdom, which is addressed later in this essay. (Fig 3-5.)
Another thing that’s worth mentioning here is Brook’s attack patterns, being unique even for his kingdom apparently. Once again, during the Ryuma fight, Brook states, and I quote;
“Ryuma: “Now tell me, what part of that wretched excuse for a body would you like me to severe with my special ‘Arrow Notch Slash?’ Brook: You don’t know a thing about that move, so do not use it’s name. I use to serve in my kingdom’s raider squad. The quick draw attack that I was most skilled at was ‘Requiem Lebanderole’. My comrades-in-arms renamed it in regards to my fighting technique.”
(Fig. 1, Brook explains his raider squad and move names. A banderole mind you is a long flag for BATTLE crusades. )
This sets up a few interesting facts. 1. Brook was in a raider squad, a kingdom’s group of marauders, as well as if not the same job as convoy leader.
2. His techniques were unique to him, or at least specialized to a degree of having a nickname. 3. As expected, he seems to have been close to these men he commanded, adding another layer over Brook loosing the Rumbars.
Being in both a raider squad and being a convoy leader at one point, if not the same point, implies either Brook was simply versatile, acting in both in separate years or periods. Or, the most likely, that he was higher ranking than expected, making him a CO, or commanding officer. (Lieutenant Colonel is another equal rank for scale, making Brook just below a Major.) This makes him quite the important figure, especially for a kingdom that seems to value its military so much, so much so that a child of Brook’s age would already know about their style of fencing, as expressed already. Brook’s devil fruit is worth mentioning here, the revive-revive fruit not likely to be found by a crew like the Rumbars. It is spoken about as if he has always had it amongst the crew, being a fact of life. However, when did he get that fruit and why? I propose where it would be useful; in combat. If your military convoy leader, your best swordsman could be shot and come right back to protect the king, would he not be utterly invaluable? You would never let him leave… But he DID leave. It’s not said why, however we have some extra tidbits of information that may tell us why, and that ALSO may tell us the answer to what kingdom he means.
( Fig. 2. Brook states his leaving of the military for unknown reasoning, the word certain being used in an odd way, establishing his bounty.) This bounty mind you all is in fact, using inflation method, 297,000,000 berries. That is a MASSIVE bounty for just a pirate. Perhaps a certain blond stole a treasure a kingdom could not replace; their convoy leader. Lets rewind for a moment and cover something that may be seen as off topic however I will come right back to the subject at hand; Calico Yorki. Yorki is an odd bird, pirate wise. He makes his crew read his bounties and information, is never shown to play an instrument/sing but makes his crew preform/they all do, and makes Brook make him dinner. (Steak, and Brook continues to be able to make it as confirmed by an SBS.) What is oddest yet, other than his large crew and shirtless habits, is his nature. A man that set to sea to play music for “orphans and crying children” as stated by himself; a crew made for “any men who love music.” Now, I could be reading into this too hard, however from his speech patterns, to this apparent need for a large family, it seems that singing to orphans may be a very personal goal. An orphan turned pirate perhaps, with lofty dreams and a heart of gold, it reads to me that Yorki may have been just that. Knowing this, orphan or not, we now can compare these facts to Brook’s life up until their meeting. A child who probably grew up being taught to fight, being around access to education, expenses and the kingdom’s training. Why would a man like Brook ever join a man like Yorki, and if it’s only music, would that not make Brook a deserter? I do not think that is the case. I will now bring forward some interesting evidence regarding Brook’s kingdom and WHY he would leave. Germa 66. During Zou to Whole Cake, a few mentions of Germa are made with Brook around, garnering interesting reactions indeed.
( Fig. 3. Brook listens but chooses not to add anything utter than silence, his music pausing as well.) This silence could be take as simple ignorance, however Brook later admits he knows of the kingdom, in fact, he knows a lot. A lot more than anyone else did, Reiju admitting interest in his knowledge and once again, Brook brushes it off.
(Fig 4, 5, Brook speaks about Germa 66.) He seems to underplay or simply not elaborate a LOT on his kingdom, as if something happened. Perhaps joining Yorki was not out of simple cowardice or need to be free, (which again if he did would both reflect poorly upon his entire character and not be in character for him what so ever,) but in fact, out of necessity. It could have been Germa 66, it could have been some other grouping, however I believe this will come to be something important. The kingdom possibilities are interesting as well, and I will list the following LIKELY possibilities. (Other options are known to not be military, like Ohara, or literally places like Thriller Bark itself.) - Toroa - God Valley - Illsia Kingdom - Soja Kingdom The most likely candidates, because again, it is labeled as certain kingdom (Fig 2.) is Toroa or Soja, however I will personally lean into Toroa. This is because of a man by the named of Byron.
(Fig 6. Byron and his information.) His nose and face shape vaguely resemble Brook, however honestly that is a stretch. What is NOT however is his familiar attire, family line and the placement of his kingdom. This could easily be Brook’s home, however again, this is just speculation. Brook very well could belong to God’s Valley, or the same kingdom as Issoh, fleeing because of something he did not agree with or literally could not stand any longer. But, that falls under possibility, not fact. This concludes the facts section, now comes the final question; What does it mean for the story? And, honestly, that can be debated. What Oda has done is plant odd seeds of information about the man, similar to Sanji and his ties to Vinsmoke, that have not been addressed nor talked about in full, or so I’ve found sufficiently. These seeds MAY bloom into what I hope will be a tie into some huge reveal, perhaps aid from a past member of his convoy or kingdom, or perhaps this will only spark conflict. Perhaps it will be minute, Brook being able to aid due to his knowledge, the man already in Thriller Bark showing his prowess by being able to command the strawhats into defeating zombies via salt and tactic. In any case, we can only hope these things mean anything, tied into some huge story that could explain why a man like him would quit for a redneck like Yorki, other than perhaps love, and what kingdom would let a man like him go willingly.
Updates:
- Confirmation that he’s educated! Perhaps in military or just as a whole, but confirmation nonetheless!
- I realize the reason he’s so confident with Big Mom isn’t just guts; he’s fought for royalty before. He’s just back in the fucking building again /j
- Sabaody behaviors, a convoy leader


CHECK REBLOG FOR PART TWO!!
[ PLEASE ^^ It contains the rest of his information! ]
#essay writing#brook one piece#Brook#thriller bark#One piece#one piece writing#one piece thoughts#one piece discussion#scene analysis#character analysis
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Guessing Games: A Fast Car Interlude
Summary: You accidentally trigger Ari's jealous streak. Takes place directly after the events in Guessing Games.
Warnings: Mature Themes, Implied Future Smut, Ari Being A Menace, Brat!Reader, Jealous!Ari, Innocent Flirting, Stupid Men, Manhandling, Mentions of Spanking, Discussions of Self-Image, Mentions of Lingerie, Semi-Public Sex, Allusions to Fingering, Cursing, Minors DNI
A/N: After a shitty week, please enjoy this completely self-indulgent fic. Part of my Sweet Renegade Series. Semi-proofread, not beta'd. All mistakes are my own. Likes, comments, and reblogs are always appreciated. Thanks for reading!
“Hey. I know this car.” You think as you come to stand in front of a vehicle on display that happens to look strangely familiar. Smoothing your hands down the skirt of your sundress, you manage a quick side-step, narrowly avoiding a collision with a small child who was too busy enjoying his ice cream cone to pay attention to where he was going.
You’ve been wandering around Fulton County’s annual Classic Car Showcase for the better part of an hour now, and so far things were going better than you’d expected. And not only that, but you were even beginning to have fun.
“I can see why this one caught your eye.” A familiar voice muses as he comes up behind you.
“I’m trying to figure out where I’ve seen it before. But I’m drawing a blank.” Angling your body, you reach for one of Ari’s big hands, grasping it with both of yours. “Any ideas?”
“You really don’t recognize it?”
“‘Fraid not.” Your lips purse as you continue to wrack your brain.
“It’s an exact replica of The General Lee, the 1969 Dodge Charger driven by Bo and Luke.”
“Who?” You stare up at him confused.
That earns you a chuckle, followed by him placing a gentle kiss atop your head. “Bo and Luke. From The Dukes of Hazzard. It was a popular show back in the eighties.” He explains, brushing a stray curl away from your face.
“Oh. Got it.” You nod, pretending to understand. “Mystery solved.”
You both stand there a few moments longer – mostly so he can admire the engine, or whatever the hell you assumed he was doing. Once he’s looked his fill, it’s apparently time to move on to the next car that catches his interest. You’re seemingly content to trail behind him until you happen to spot a nearby cluster of tents.
“Ari?”
“Yeah, little Bird?” The rich timbre of his voice has you smiling before you even realize you’re doing it.
“I reckon all this car hoppin’ has me feelin’ a little parched.” You tell him, turning your attention to the concessions located just across the lot. “I’m gonna go fetch myself a lemonade real quick while the lines are short.”
As expected, your man responds without missing a beat. But not before leading you over to the shade so that you can continue your conversation. Which was a good thing seeing as the temperature outside was hovering around the mid-eighties.
“Well, we can’t have that now can we?” Mirroring your smile, he brings your hand to his lips so that he can kiss the ridges of your knuckles. “Let’s go get you somethin’ to drink.”
“Hey, it’s okay. I’ll go while you hang out here in the shade.” Your palms come up to rest against the hard wall of his chest. “Besides,” you continue when he opens his mouth to object. “It’s not like I’m going far. I’ll just be right over there.”
“Nah.” Ari swiftly disagrees, adjusting his sunglasses. “How about you wait here while I go get us both something to drink?”
“Are you sure?”
“Yep.” He gently flicks the tip of your nose. “After all, what kinda man would I be if I left my sweetheart out here to melt?”
“I mean…if you insist.” Rising on your toes – a feat made easier thanks to your wedge heels – you plant a smooch on his bearded cheek. “Hurry back, sugar.”
Now that he’s officially a man on a mission, Ari wastes almost no time making a beeline for the concessions. But not before issuing a stern warning to you, his curious little Bird.
“Don’t you go wanderin’ off on me, darlin’.” He growls, leaning down to tenderly peck your lips . “I expect to find you right here in this spot when I come back.”
And then he’s gone. You barely have time to respond with a playful salute before he’s striding off in search of sustenance for you both. Leaving you alone to twiddle your thumbs while you dutifully await his return.
Not that you minded. If anything, grateful for this brief respite from the heat. It never crosses your mind to abandon your spot in favor of looking at more cars. At least, not until you spy one that has you gasping in pure delight.
“Woah.” You breathe as you come to stand in front of the one vehicle with the power to transport you straight back to your childhood: a 1958 Plymouth Fury.
Better known as the car from Stephen King’s novel, Christine.
You’d absolutely loved this movie as a kid. So much so that your Uncle had bought you your own personal copy after he got tired of renting it for you weekend after weekend. Why, you must’ve seen it over a hundred times.
But as luck would have it, your private glee is interrupted by the sound of a voice coming up behind you.
“She’s a beaut, ain’t she?” The man asks, his southern drawl growing even more inviting when he tips his black stetson. “Restored her myself.”
“Holy crap! It looks just like the one from the film.” You chirp, reaching out to run your fingers along the shiny finish before swiftly thinking better of it. “Sorry.” Is all you can manage as you turn to face him. “I just…never thought I’d get the chance to see it in person.”
“Well…” The dark haired cowboy admits, flashing a chagrined smile. “It’s not actually the car. But it’s pretty dang close. Took me a few years, seeing that pretty smile of yours makes it all worth it.” His smile only grows wider as he holds out his hand to you. “The name’s Russell, by the way.”
You two spend a few more moments exchanging names and pleasantries before he politely redirects the attention back to the prized vehicle in front of you. Russell invites you to ask all the questions you like, only to laugh when you eagerly take him up on his offer.
In fact, you’re enjoying the conversation so much that you hardly notice when he slowly begins inching closer to you, his leanly muscled frame almost boxing you in. He was charming – you’d give him that much. And easy on the eyes.
Russell was the type of man who warranted a second look. Or at least he would. That is, assuming you hadn’t already been blessed with the gift of Ari Daniel Levinson.
“You know,” He murmurs, his cool gaze warming as he boldly peruses your dress. “Something tells me this conversation would pair wonderfully with a glass of wine.” His hand reaches for yours once more. “Perhaps over dinner?”
“Oh, I’m sorry...” The shocked apology comes tumbling out of your mouth. “I–I can’t. I actually came with someone. He’s–”
“Look, I don’t wanna be too forward.” Russell smoothly interrupts, stroking his thumb along the ridge of your knuckles. “But I haven’t been able to let you out of my sight since I saw you damn near an hour ago. Honestly can’t remember the last time I came across a woman as sweet as you.”
“That’s awfully kind of you to say.” You reply, intending to let him down easy.
“I saw that fella you were with.” He continues in earnest, still refusing to relinquish his grip on your hand. “Also saw him walk off and abandon you too.”
“He didn’t – no one abandoned anybody!” Closing your eyes, you can’t help but laugh at the absurdity of the entire situation. You weren’t used to men hitting on you like this. It has you feeling way out of your depth.
“Be that as it may, I also believe in fate.” His already gravelly voice dips an octave. “I mean, I’ve come to this showcase year after year and never once have I met someone like you.”
“I…I’m not sure I’d go that far.” You hedge as you weigh your options.
On one hand, you really did want to be polite. But you also needed to be firm. You already had a man in your life. A man who owned you – mind, body, and soul. Not that you’d had any say in the matter. But these days, you were well past complaining about the handsome Beast of a man you’d come to cherish.
“Think about it.” Your would-be suitor implores, giving you a gentle squeeze. “There has to be a reason our paths crossed today.”
Alright. It was officially time to put a nail in this coffin. You open your mouth to respond, only to have someone else beat you to the punch.
“I think it’s about time you let go of her hand.” Ari rumbles, the sound coming from somewhere deep in his chest. “Now.”
“Something I can help you with, buddy?” Russell responds without hesitation, clearly annoyed by the other man’s sudden reappearance. “Because the lady and I were in the middle of a conversation.”
“And I’m sure it was a great one.” Your bounty hunter is too busy glaring at his apparent rival to pay you any real mind. Although, he’s quick to shove a cup of what you suspect to be lemonade into your palm the second Russell releases his hold. “Too bad it’s over now. Let’s go, sweet Bird.”
The ice in his tone is enough to make you shiver. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Ari was none too happy to find you entertaining the company of another man. But the last thing you’d expected was for him to be jealous.
Unless you were reading things wrong.
“I’m afraid you’re gonna have to wait, fella.” Russell surprises everyone by coming to stand almost nose-to-nose with Ari. “Because she and I were about to take the ride out for a little spin.”
“We most certainly were not.” You try, impatiently tugging on his arm. “Ari, let’s just go.” Although, you’re not surprised when you end up being completely ignored.
“Oh yeah?”
“Guess that’s what happens when you abandon a pretty little flower like her all alone in an empty field.” Grinning like a Cheshire cat, Russelly makes a point of poking your man in his chest. “I’m just glad I was lucky enough to be here to catch your mistake.”
Worry fills you when you see Ari simply nod along, his brawny shoulders wrought with tension. Sucking on his teeth, the bounty hunter briefly looks away as he forces himself to take a calming breath. Not that it seems to help any.
“You know what? I get it. No, really–I do.” Ari smirks, reaching up to lightly scratch at his jaw. “I knew what I was getting into, walking into a showcase like this with a beautiful woman on my arm, wearin’ the hell out of that dress.” One thick arm wraps itself around your waist, hauling you close. “My girl turns heads everywhere she goes. She’s just too sweet to realize it.”
Tucking you behind him, your man bridges the last bit of distance between himself and Russell. And while you can’t see his face, you’re shocked when he gently lifts his rival’s hat from his head, before tossing it in the direction of his forgotten plymouth.
“And sometimes that sweetness makes cowboys do stupid fuckin’ things.” Ari continues, sounding almost smug. But you don’t miss the danger in his tone. “Which is why I’m gonna be the bigger man right now and walk away, before I give into the urge to find out if you have what it takes to make the long drive home with a fractured arm.”
“Alright, that’s enough from you two.” You snap, finally fed up with all this male posturing. After all this nonsense, you just wanted to sit down and enjoy your drink before all the ice melted. “Russell, cool car. But I’m not interested, okay? And as for you, Ari…”
In lieu of responding, your man chooses to quirk one impatient, tawny brow.
“You’re looking a little flushed. I think it’s time we got you outta the sun.” Grabbing his wrist, you proceed to physically drag him away from the scene. It takes virtually all your might, but you’re grateful when his legs finally begin to move.
You don’t stop walking until you reach a set of picnic tables that are far enough away from the show to give you both some much needed privacy while you hashed things out.
“Darlin’, I can tell by your face you’re fixin’ to yell.” Ari growls, yanking his arm out of your grasp. "And I'd like to make my case before you start." His frown only deepens as he watches you perch on the edge of a bench, but not before taking a dramatic sip of your ice cold lemonade.
It tastes divine – the perfect treat for a hot summer’s day.
“Did you really have to throw the poor man’s hat?” You ask, fanning yourself.
“Probably not. But it felt good.” He shrugs, jamming his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Should’ve stuffed his ass in the goddamned trunk while I was at it.”
“I don’t know what you think you saw, but I was in the process of letting him down easy.”
“Could’ve sworn I told your bratty self to stay put where I fuckin’ left you.” His normally clear blue eyes glitter dangerously, letting you know that he’s pissed. “I mean, it was bad enough waitin’ in line listening to two idiots talk about which one of ‘em was gonna be brave enough to ask for your number…”
“Yeah right.” You scoff, looking up at the sky as you pray for patience.
“Roll ‘em at me one more time, baby. Swear to God.” Scrubbing a hand over his jaw, he finds himself wondering for the umpteenth time just what the hell he’d been thinking bringing you to something like this with you wearing a dress like that. “I’m just itchin’ for a reason to lift that skirt and redden your disrespectful ass.”
In Ari’s mind, you were always the prettiest girl in the room. But on a day like today? You were downright irresistible. And what made it even worse is that you honestly had no idea the effect you had sometimes – on him and damn near every other man who came into your presence.
“You can’t talk like that!” You hiss, hoping that you weren’t being overheard.
“And just why the hell not?”
“Because we’re in public, you Beast!”
Rising to your feet, you set your drink on the table, deciding it might be better if you put some distance between you. Too bad Ari chooses to follow, walking you backwards until you feel yourself collide with the base of a nearby tree. His hands come to rest on either side of your head, effectively caging you in with his much larger frame.
“I should’ve known what I was getting into the moment I decided to let you walk outta the house wearing that dress.” Ari rasps, trailing his nose along the delicate column of your throat. “I thought I was safe, even with that lacey little scrap of nothin’ you’ve got hidin’ underneath.”
You barely manage to stifle a moan when your man captures your bottom lip between his teeth, sucking hard before releasing it with a soft pop. One of his hands leaves its purchase to settle dangerously low on your hip.
“But I see now that’s not enough for you, is it baby?” You press your thighs together when that same hand moves once again. This time working it’s way under your skirt - his short, blunt nails dancing along your skin as his mouth hovers a mere centimeter above yours. “I’m not sure why you thought it might be a good idea to tease me like this. Not too keen on you flirting with other men.”
“I promise I wasn’t.” Your eyes flutter closed as he grinds his growing erection against the softness of your belly. “I just got excited about the car. It’s from one of my favorite Stephen King stories.”
“Is that why I found you two holdin’ hands?” You let out a whimper when you feel the roughened pads of his fingers dig into your heated flesh, making you squirm. “Because you were excited?”
It wasn’t often that your man got riled up like this. But when he did there was almost no getting through to him until he calmed down. If you were lucky, you could typically drag him to some place quiet, away from prying eyes and listening ears.
“Okay, okay. I’m sorry, sugar.” Leaning up, you press a kiss against the corner of his mouth. “I suppose I wouldn’t like it either if I saw you holding hands with a random woman. Promise it won’t happen again.” You add, weaving your arms around his trim waist after all you receive is a grunt for your trouble.
Although you can’t help but notice that some of the tension seems to have finally left his shoulders.
“Thank you.”
Ari allows his forehead to rest against your own as he struggles to collect himself. Wanting more, you cup his face with your hands, bring his mouth down for a much needed kiss. His eager tongue dances with yours, demanding more of your submission as the passion builds.
You’re both breathing hard when you finally come up for air. However, you realize your man’s not done. At least not yet.
“You’re enough to drive a man insane. You know that?” He groans in between soft, yet feral kisses. “I swear I try to be progressive – I do. I got sisters. A niece.” A sound almost like a purr rumbles in his chest as he nuzzles his nose in the crook of your neck. “But I’m also man enough to admit I’ve got a bit of a jealous streak. Never was much of a problem until I met you.”
“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.” You murmur at the same time as your pussy spasms, dampening your panties with your slick.
“Good.” Ari lifts your leg, hitching it around his waist and not giving a damn about who sees. “And Bird?”
“Uh huh?” A shiver courses through you as he begins covering your exposed flesh with tiny, possessive love bites. This time you make no move to stop him. Thank goodness you’d had the foresight to pack some concealer.
“I hate to break it to you.” His mouth finds yours once more, deliberately teasing you with each sensual stroke and flick of his tongue. “But you and me, we’re not gonna make it back to Bell’s Creek tonight.”
“And w–why is that?” Your eyes threaten to roll back in your head as his fingers find your clit, toying with the swollen nub through the soaked fabric of your panties.
“Because I’m having the damnedest time trying to talk myself out of fucking you hard and fast on the hood of my truck.” He responds with an unapologetic shrug. “But I suppose I’ll just have to settle for a hotel, huh?” Grinning, he increases the pressure on your sensitive bundle of nerves, loving the way you buck and writhe beneath his touch.
“I’ll start hunting for reservations.” You move to reach for your phone even as you feel your vision blur and your toe s curl. “But whatever you do…oh God…just please don’t stop.”’
END
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My TFP Soundwave ramblings (be warned cuz there are many words)


I was gonna draw today but the prospect of it felt overwhelming for some reason so instead I’m just gonna talk about TFP Soundwave’s alt mode (a UAV/ reaper drone) just cuz I was reading about it and I like how I could link stuff between how he is and how reaper drones are.
So basically, one of the first things I wanna mention is that reaper drones/UAVs are unmanned aerial vehicles (given the whole “drone” thing and what UAV even means) but to me that just sorta makes sense for Soundwave in regard to his more.. Unsettling, robotic/alien-like behavior and movements? As well as his silence and usual distance from the front lines and his lack of showing face/(social?) detachment from like everyone else other than Laserbeak (don’t ask, it just makes sense to me). Reaper drones were also made to work at first only in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance roles; but eventually additionally a hunter-killer role which you can kinda see in Soundwave’s character in the show (my best example is the scene where he retrieves Laserbeak from Ratchet, super cool creepy behavior from him, just waiting for something or someone to make any noise or any movement). When he has a mission, he’s most definitely getting it done, he stalks and lurks and takes action when the time is just Right; he’s very pinpoint accurate in Prime.
Reaper drones were also made to provide “deadly persistence” capability, being able to fly over areas night and day waiting for a target to present itself, or to survey for LONG long amounts of time. Which to me correlates to how he’s able to stand still and do work and wait and listen and watch and do everything for So Long as he does in the show (and tolerate Starscream— or like everyone actually for so long 🙄).

Reapers also utilize satellite communications for command and control (as in, they kinda literally have satellite dishes in them I think that’s what that is?), so that to me also easily parallels Soundwave's abilities with the space bridges and kind of his visor being computer-like as well (and that time he used an. Antenna satellite thing? To look for signals or whatever). They also use other multiple sensors to target and observe, which include optical (high resolution imagery for identification and target acquisition), infrared, and radar systems (enables the drone to locate and track targets regardless of weather conditions or visibility). Which imo links to how Soundwave is described as the “eyes and ears of the decepticons”.
They carry many weapons but I’m not really gonna get into that tbh cuz. Idk. Don’t wanna. Also TFP Soundwave doesn’t fight often anyways and when he does it’s mostly just straight hands (and data cables). And this is as far as my not the most accurate of ramblings most likely but just one I wanted to make because there’s just a Lot from so Little of TFP Soundwave I just love to think about it. Was I geeked out writing this? Maybe, so what 😒
#If there’s one thing about Soundwave it’s that he’s one hell of a capable mech.#Like you really gotta give it to him#transformers#soundwave#transformers prime#tfp#tfp soundwave#maccadam#transformers analysis#transformer#decepticons
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Inked
Synopsis: Somehow you won a free session from the most famous tattoo artist in Linkon. You never expected to be sucked into his world, but you’re slowly becoming even more obsessed with him. And with who you are when you’re with him. When you finally discover what he’s involved in, will he push you away or show you a whole new world?
AN: This fanfic was inspired & entirely fueled by the artwork above, done by the amazing @obligatedart - thank you for letting me use your work as the cover art! Go check them out and see the other tattooed Rafayel pieces they’ve done. I’ve written over 80 pages in a week so... comment if you want to be tagged for part 2!
Content Warnings: explicit language & sexual content, alcohol consumption, public sex, threesome, oral (m&f receiving), creampie, PiV, birth control mentioned (yay protection), mentions of needles (tattoo needles, not medical), genital piercings, vehicle accidents, injuries, blood, 18+ MDNI
Word Count: 16k
“I still can’t believe you won the fucking contest!”
Tara punches you in the arm and you grunt, swatting at her with a pout. She leans away from you to protect the coffee in her hand before giggling and gently rubbing the spot she hit.
“Sorry, sorry, I just… I spent so much money buying like 50 raffle tickets and you bought ONE and beat all the odds. Did you cast a spell? Are you a witch?!”
Tara’s animated voice draws the attention of the other cafe patrons. You sip your latte silently and try to avoid their judgemental gazes. Tara sets her cup down and crosses her arms. She leans back, squinting at you.
“So it’s tomorrow, right?”
You nod and lean on the table in front of you to pick at your blueberry muffin. Tara snatches the muffin away and you look up at her with wide eyes. She’s definitely irritated with your silence. But what can you possibly say? Sorry? Sorry for winning a once in a lifetime raffle to get a free tattoo by the best tattoo artist in Linkon? Who has a 5 year waitlist? Who has tattooed the biggest celebrities? Who was a judge on the #1 reality show for 3 years running trying to find the next big artist? Who is absolutely, positively, undoubtedly the hottest man you’ve ever seen in your life? Fuck no, you are not sorry at all.
“I know you wanted to win so I don’t want to talk about it and make you upset.”
Tara rolls her eyes and plops your muffin back on its plate. You sit back and sigh, looking Tara up and down. She didn’t seem like the type to have a lot of tattoos, but she hid them well. When she wasn’t in her uniform she was showcasing the artwork on her body. The designs were gorgeous and you wished you had been more patient when getting yours. You basically ran to the tattoo shop on your 18th birthday to get a super basic bitch tattoo just because you could.
“I want to hear about it! I am going to live vicariously through you. Spill bitch.”
You chuckle and finish off your latte before pulling out your phone to show Tara the email chain you started with the artist. She grabs your phone instantly and scrolls through the messages.
“Oh my god, even his emails sound hot.”
You roll your eyes and watch Tara’s eyes light up when she sees the design.
“Holy shit. You are BRAVE! AN underboob tat?! You’re gonna show him your tits the first time you meet him?! Biiiiiitch!”
She squeals before zooming in on the design and ogling at the details.
“This is so pretty! The seashells and the little pearls and chains? Amazing. It will match your chest piece really well too!”
She was right, the seashells and pearls would tie into your mermaid chest piece perfectly. It was the first tattoo you put a lot of effort into, getting the design nailed down and taking your time finding a good artist. You wanted this next piece to compliment it and expand on the original concept. The shells would be a dusty pink to match the tails with the beading and pearls adding a little sparkle. You smiled, your pre-tattoo butterflies swirling.
“OH! You sent him a picture of your chest piece.”
She slapped your shoulder excitedly.
“In a bikini top! Are you KIDDING ME? Imagine him opening that picture and just getting to stare at your gorgeous tits and that tat? I’m horny just thinking about it.”
You grab her wrist to stop her flailing, your cheeks are burning since her voice is just a little too loud. She glares at you, her sly smile absolutely beaming.
“Jesus Tara, shh! It’s not a big deal, I’ve wanted this piece expanded for a long time and Rafayel’s specialty is literally anything ocean related. He’s going to touch up the girls too.”
She raises her brows and drops her eyes to your chest and you quickly realize your mistake.
“The mermaids, you horny bitch, the mermaids.”
She nods slowly.
“Uh huh… sure!”
You don’t argue with her, let her think what she wants. You were already anxious thinking about the appointment. She was right about one thing, you were basically showing him your tits the same day you officially met. It’s like “Hi, nice to meet you, here’s my tits” - nice.
When you get home that night you spend extra time prepping your skin and finding the right outfit. Sure you’d be taking off your top and just wearing pasties, but making sure you felt your best beyond that was important too. You drink your sleepy time tea, since the pre-tattoo butterflies had turned to pre-tattoo anxiety.
You slip on your nightgown and settle back, trying to force yourself to relax. About 30 minutes later, you’re on your phone. You just couldn’t help it, you scroll through your feed liking Tara’s selfie with her boyfriend, Jeremiah. A photo of Caleb at a bar, he must have gotten some R&R today. And what’s this? Zayne posted a meme? Doctor Zayne? Oh, Greyson won a bet - that makes more sense.
As you scroll, you start finding posts reposted by Lemuria Studios, recent clients, sketches done by artists and then a video that makes your chest tighten. Rafayel sits hunched over the arm of some buff dude in a tank top, the tattoo gun in his hand moves steadily against his skin. God, he looks hot. He’s just sitting there, doing his job, why are you freaking out? You want to put the phone down, watching him work is only going to make you more anxious for tomorrow. But you can’t seem to let it go. You’re mesmerised by the outline of the muscles of his forearm, barely visible under his own colorful tattoos, they twitch as he colors in the lines he just made. His dusty purple fringe brushes his cheeks, his earrings sway as he bobs his head to whatever music is playing. He stops and wipes the guy's arm with a towel before leaning back and looking at the camera. He smiles and… fuck… You drop your phone and stifle a moan. You’re not going to survive tomorrow.
The next morning, you wake up early to get ready. You cook a huge breakfast, as difficult as this session was going to be, you didn’t want to make it worse by passing out. You down a huge glass of water while you do your makeup. You sweep your hair over your shoulders in two long braids and slip on a beanie. Your joggers sit comfortably on your hips and you change out your fitted halter for a dark cut off t-shirt. You were committing to the comfortable vibe, especially if you were going to be mostly uncomfortable very soon.
Your phone rings and you race to the kitchen to see Tara’s picture flash on the screen. You answer and put it on speaker as you lace up your boots.
“What’s up?”
“I’m just checking in before your session. Are you nervous?”
You chuckle under your breath. She has no idea.
“Oh yeah, I always get pre-tattoo jitters. They’ll go away when I get there.”
“I doubt it! Girl, his face is going to be inches away from your tits. I’d bring a change of panties if I were you.”
“Tara, what do you think people at work would say if they heard you talk like this?”
“Oh, they’d lose their minds! Sweet, innocent Tara would never warn you about imagining him dropping his tattoo gun and climbing on top of you, ripping your pasties off and –”
“TARA!”
She giggles for a minute straight, barely able to catch her breath. You swing your backpack over your shoulder and jog down to the garage.
“Sorry! Honestly, I think you’ll have a great time. You’re gonna look hot with the new tat and I can’t wait to see it. Send me pics!”
“Of course. I’ll text you during breaks.”
After you hang up, you secure your helmet and hop on your bike. You take back roads instead of the highway since you know you’re too nervous and driving fast would be a bad idea. By the time you get to Regent Square, you can feel your heartbeat pounding against your ribcage. You find a long term parking garage and pay the outrageous fee. When you check your phone, you realize you only have 10 minutes before your appointment. You were supposed to be there at least 15 minutes early to fill out the paperwork. You jog down the street, only slowing long enough to catch your breath before heading inside the studio.
Lemuria Studios is gorgeous, the pictures posted online don’t do it justice. The floor to ceiling windows bathe the room in sunshine, the weathered brick walls covered in bright graffiti, neon signs with what you assume to be words - although you are not sure what language it is and the hardwood floors are covered with vibrant rugs with intricate patterns. A large sectional couch corners off the waiting room where a few patrons wait for their artists. There are various tattoo stations, each decorated to suit a different artist. Towards the back of the studio there is a door with an ‘R’ in what looks like ceramic tiles. Must be Rafayel’s private room.
You approach the front desk and greet the receptionist with a smile. She passes you a clipboard with release forms and leaves to walk to the door at the back. You watch her knock and crack the door open, she says something before turning back to look at you. You quickly refocus and fill in the paperwork. You place the clipboard on the counter and take a seat on the couch, fiddling with the tassels of the pillow next to you.
You’re about to stand and start pacing, your nerves getting the best of you, when you hear a door squeak open. You lift your eyes to see the man himself, emerge from the room and stroll towards the front of the studio. You clench your fists, yep, he’s even hotter in person.
He’s dressed casually, his button up is definitely not buttoned up. His neck tattoo swirls down his neck to the center of his chest, two koi fish swim in a circle around his Adam's apple, the fins extend towards his jaw and down his neck with pink lotus flowers complimenting the red scales of the fish. Cut off sleeves let you see his signature tattoos, full sleeves on both arms. Not an inch of skin untouched, the full color underwater scenes are vibrant, bright orange and purple coral, dark blue waves highlighted with teals and white, schools of yellow and blue fish swim in circles around his forearm and a dolphin soars over the waves. His fitted jeans hide the leg tattoos you’ve seen in photos, the ocean waves that look more like flames than water that spiral from his ankle to his hip. He also supposedly has more tattoos on his torso, but you avoided looking up any photos of him shirtless because, well… that would be dangerous.
His shaggy hair casts a shadow over his eyes, but his smile is on full display. He turns to you and you hold your breath to avoid giggling like an idiot. His blue eyes are so bright, the wash of pink in them shines in the morning light that streams through the windows. As he approaches, you awkwardly stand and put on a shy smile.
“Hi! I’m Rafayel, nice to officially meet you.”
He extends a hand and you nearly fall back onto the couch, finally taking a breath. You take his hand and revel in the softness of his skin. He suddenly yanks you forwards and starts pulling you toward the door at the back of the studio. You stumble along after him.
“I can’t wait to show you the final sketch, it’s everything you described but I added a little something that I think you’ll like.”
You giggle as he pulls you into the room. The bright purple walls are covered in either framed sketches, polaroids of tattoos, or random tattoo designs scribbled on a napkin or envelope. A vintage jukebox, with a modern AUX attachment, sits in the corner. A stack of canvases leans against the wall and a bucket of various spray paints sits on the floor. His drawing table has countless sketches pinned to it, including yours. The design is exactly what you imagined, but there’s an additional element. The centerpiece that directly connects to the chest piece is now slightly larger, having a net pattern woven behind it with a few fish and broken shells.
“That’s amazing, holy shit! But it’s a bit more than we originally planned on, are you sure you have time?”
He immediately starts getting the transfer paper prepared. You see him shrug.
“The whole day is yours, it was booked by the radio station that set up the raffle. It’s actually pretty nice only having one client to work on, I can take my time.”
You feel your cheeks flush. He would take his time on your piece, it was flattering and nerve wrecking. You set your bag down on a chair in the corner and stuff your hands in your pockets.
“Oh, awesome, I didn’t realize…”
“You’re nervous aren’t you?”
You huff out a laugh and put your hands on your hips.
“Not at all, I have plenty of tattoos. I know the drill. I’m totally fine, just excited.”
He turns, the transfer paper in hand, and walks over to his station. Everything was meticulously set up from the tiny cups of ink to the paper towels to his tattoo gun. He sets the transfer paper down before heading to the sink in the corner and washing his hands.
“Do you need tape?”
You watch him scrub his hands, it was almost like he was a doctor preparing for surgery. You tilt your head and hum to yourself, trying to figure out his meaning. He dries his hands and looks at you, his lips set in an amused smirk.
“For your nipples.”
You immediately drop your gaze and try to laugh to distract from the blush rising to your neck and cheeks. You clear your throat and meet his gaze.
“No, I wore pasties. Like I said, I know the drill.”
He smiles and motions towards the table. He puts on gloves and gives his bottle of transfer cream a shake. He eyes you expectantly.
“Whenever you’re ready.”
You turn away from him and face the padded table in front of you. You tug your shirt off over your head and toss it over your bag on a nearby chair. You hesitate to turn around. You’re not sure why you’re so nervous - sure you are literally half-naked in front of a guy you could only dream of, but he’s done this countless times! Your tits are not the first ones he’s tattooed under. You turn to face him and watch his eyes drop to your chest, he glances at the transfer paper and back to you, mentally lining up the art on your body.
“Yea, this will look amazing on you.”
His voice is rougher than before, you clasp your hands behind your back and rock on your heels.
“Thank you… uhm… do you want me to lie down or?”
He walks up and squeezes some transfer cream onto his gloved hand.
“Just stand right here. This might be cold.”
You brace and when his fingers touch the skin just under your breast, you gasp. Not from the cold, but rather from the jolt of electricity that sparked through your system.
“You were right, s’cold.”
He chuckles and continues to rub the cream along your upper rib cage, under your breasts and down the center of your chest. He grabs the transfer paper and lines it up.
“Can you hold 'em up for a second?”
You blink.
“Your… breasts. I want to make sure this will line up properly.”
You silently curse at yourself for how stupid you feel. You really should have chosen maybe a leg piece or maybe a cute little forearm number, but no you had to do this. You cup your breasts and lift them, staring at the ceiling to avoid eye contact. He lines up the transfer and presses it to your skin, slowly peeling it away.
“Fuck yes. That looks perfect. Take a look in the mirror and let me know what you think.”
He turns away and changes his gloves while you check his placement. Just the transfer looks insane, your previous embarrassment melts into excitement. You turn back to him with a huge smile.
“I love it! It’s gonna look so good!”
Rafayel smiles and you skip over to the table. You miss the flush that spreads across his cheeks as he watches your tits bounce on your way over. You hear him clear his throat as he leans to drag his chair over with his foot. You lay back on the table, your head sinking into the pillow and your hands resting on your stomach.
Rafayel sits and slides closer to you on his chair. He picks up his tattoo gun and dips the needles into the ink. He looks up at you, shaking his head to get his fringe out of his eyes.
“Ready?”
You relax your shoulders and sigh, looking up at the ceiling.
“Hell yeah.”
The outside of Rafayel’s palm rests against the side of your breast, holding the skin taut as he begins tattooing along the edge of your rib cage. The pain is about as bad as you expected. The vibration of the tattoo gun against your ribs makes your teeth chatter. You close your eyes and try to distract yourself while adjusting to the sting of the needles.
“So, why mermaids?”
Rafayel’s voice breaks up the monotonous buzz of the tattoo machine. You tilt your chin down and look at his god-like profile. With his attention on your tattoo, you finally let yourself examine his face. The ear you can see is littered with piercings. Double conch, helix, daith, an industrial with a little fish charm attached. His eyes have a hint of black smudged along his lash line, of course he wears eyeliner… of fucking course. And it looks so damn good too.
He has a variety of facial piercings, which look amazing and now you want one… or two. A small silver septum hoop. You notice he occasionally wiggles his nose, rubbing it across his top lip, a nervous habit perhaps? His lip piercings have you in a trance, the shark bites, the vertical labret - how would they feel against your lips? You also caught sight of a tongue ring. The things this man could probably do with his tongue…
“Still with me, cutie?”
You are glad he was refreshing the ink on the needles as you have a very physical reaction to this new little nickname he’s given you. You cough and try to steady yourself, once you are still he continues his work.
“Yeah, sorry, I was just distracted.”
“Oh yeah, by what?”
He’s teasing you now. Great. But you never back down from a fight and if he wants to poke at you with his cute little comments - and not just the needles in his tattoo gun - you’ll give it right back to him.
“By you.”
He laughs, a hint of surprise on his face.
“Oh really? What distracted you exactly?”
“I was just admiring your piercings. I haven’t gotten nearly enough.”
“What piercings do you want?”
His tattoo needle continues to buzz and the pain slowly fades to a numbness.
“Definitely more on my ears. I like the tragus. And then maybe my navel, basic, I know.”
“No way, the navel is a great piercing. There are a lot of creative jewelry options too. I love mine, I’d recommend it to anyone.”
“You have your belly button pierced?”
He chuckles and shifts his hand, his pinkie dangerously close to your pasty making your heart flutter.
“Yup. Was one of my first actually. After that it was all downhill. Now I have too many to count.”
“Really? What other piercings do you recommend then?”
He hesitates and glances up at you. His eyes flick to your breasts and back. And you swear you caught him biting his lip for a moment.
“Body piercings are fun. But if you’re not ready for that but bored with your ears, facial piercings are a good place to start. Septum made me cry like a bitch, but it’s a great one.”
“Made you cry like a bitch, huh?”
Your mocking tone makes him pause and look at you, his lips set in a pout. You giggle at his pathetic, yet adorable, expression.
“It’s because it fucks with your sinuses or some shit, not because it hurt!”
“Okay, okay!”
“I’ve gotten some piercings that make grown men weep and didn’t flinch, trust me, it was not because of the pain.”
You raise your eyebrows at the implication, but you decide to hold your tongue and not entertain the thought of what those “other” piercings might be. You settle your head back and take a deep breath.
“And what about tattoos? Which one was the most painful?”
He hums to himself, his hand once again shifting and pushing your breast slightly upward as he colors in a line.
“My neck was the worst, by far. I’m glad I didn’t pick something that went directly over my Adam’s apple cause I would not have survived.”
“That piece is really nice. Did you design it?”
“I did. Then my apprentice tattooed it. Never been prouder of the kid. Now you’ve asked a few questions, I think it’s only fair you answer one of mine.”
You sigh dramatically and chuckle when he stops working. You know he is staring at you, probably pouting again, so you stare at the ceiling.
“Alright, fair is fair.”
“Why mermaids?”
“Oh uhh…” You stutter as you try to find the right words. “Because they’re tragic yet beautiful.”
Rafayel stops again and looks at you, his brows raised.
“Art and literature depicts them as beautiful creatures, but their counterparts are much darker. Sirens lure sailors to their watery graves. They’re… underestimated? Like their beauty distracts while their voice reels them in. It’s powerful.”
“Was there something that prompted the need for a constant reminder of their power etched into your skin?”
You shift your gaze to his hands, resting on your stomach, the tattoo gun hovering over your skin.
“I spent a long time under someone’s thumb, feeling powerless. He always felt like he had to protect me. I was… lost… for a while. Then I read a book about a siren, using the form of a mermaid, who charmed the men in her life into submission while planning their downfall. I didn’t want Ca– my friend to be hurt though! I decided to put on a ‘damsel in distress’ act for him but I’m still in control, ya know?”
Rafayel nodded sharply, his gaze more intense. He shifted on his stool and the familiar hum of the tattoo gun started again. With his focus back on your body, you felt your mind start to spiral. Was your explanation dumb? You know sirens are not exactly mermaids, but mermaids looked better. Did he think you were dumb and confused them? Should you have said ‘cause they’re pretty’ instead?
“Most people don’t realize sirens and mermaids aren’t the same thing. Seems like you do.”
“I do! Yeah, I just… I guess…”
“Liked how mermaids looked better than a half bird sea creature?”
His voice was light, sarcasm had found its way back to him and you sighed in relief.
“Don’t get me wrong, I saw some good siren designs but nothing clicked. This one did. Plus I think it makes my tits stand out.”
Rafayal lets out a breathy laugh and sits up straighter in his chair. He grabs a paper towel and wipes the excess ink from your skin. He moves his chair forward and settles his arm over the top of your breast, his hand resting at the center of your chest. You can feel his breath fan across your skin and you have to bite your lip, hard, to avoid shivering.
“It does, but I have a feeling they looked perfect before too.”
You don’t realize you’re holding your breath until you feel slightly dizzy. Did he just? Did he? He complimented your tits. This man complimented your tits, with his face inches away from them, while stabbing you repeatedly with a needle. How are you supposed to respond to that?
“Thank… you.”
Rafayel laughs at your whispered appreciation. His hands work carefully, shifting and sliding to draw the centerpiece.
“Okay, next question.”
Over the next four hours you and Rafayel go back and forth with questions. It almost felt like you were on a first date. You talked about your favorite music, his favorite movies, your job at the Hunters Association, his secret sushi restaurant that’s opening in six months. On your break at the two hour mark, he offered you a soda and walked in circles around the room, stretching his legs, while talking animatedly about a rave happening later this month. And when you begged him for the details so you could get tickets, his smile grew tenfold.
As he was adding the final touches, he stood bent over you poking and dabbing away ink until you were nearly ready to scream. His hair would brush against your shoulder and you’d stiffen, leading to Rafayel joking about ‘staying loose or it’ll hurt more’ which made you squeeze your thighs so tightly you nearly cried. When he finished and was doing the clean up he surprised you, his cheeks were a tad rosy and his usually playful tone more serious.
“I haven’t had this much fun during a session in a while. So… Thank you. I hope you like it.”
You took his hand and sat up, hopping off the table to turn and face the mirror. You were speechless. The lines were sharp and straight, the colors bright, the shading made everything pop out as if the seashells were just sitting on the surface of your skin. Your mermaids were glowing - their scales nearly sparkled and the ocean waves surrounding them looked so real. Tiny sparks floated around the mermaid's hands, creating a shield of fire. Like they were putting on a show or putting up a forcefield. You couldn’t stop yourself from squealing with excitement before you turned around and lunged towards Rafayel, pulling him into a hug.
“Oh my god…”
As soon as your chest collided with his, your excitement faded and pure terror replaced it. You jumped back, instinctively covering your chest with your hands. His ears were bright red and he stared at you, unable to blink it seems.
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t even think! I was so excited and… Shit… I –”
He reaches out and takes hold of your arms. You snap your mouth closed.
“It’s okay. I’m glad you love it. I do wish that you hadn’t… pulled away so quickly though…”
You blinked rapidly. He was pouting again, pouting because you pulled away from hugging him. From hugging him while… His thumbs brush against your skin and you tilt your head, scanning his face for confirmation that what he said was real.
“I was going to wait to ask you out until after I bandaged you up and you had your shirt on, but why waste a perfectly good moment?”
Your mouth hangs open and you feel your knees jerk. Rafayel’s hold on you tightens and he helps you lean back against the table.
“Shit… let me get you some juice, you’re probably crashing a bit.”
Oh, he has no idea just how badly you are crashing out right now. He jogs out of the room and returns with a small bottle of orange juice. He opens it for you and holds it to your lips. You take a sip and lift your hand to hold his wrist while he helps you drink. His eyes meet yours and you stare at him, he doesn’t look away, his gaze burns straight to your core. He sets the bottle down and grabs a paper towel, dabbing at your leaking tattoo gently.
“Yes.” You whisper.
“What?”
“Yes, I’ll go out with you.”
If you thought you’d seen him excited before… He smiles, his dazzling teeth take your breath away. You raise a brow when you realize he has gems adhered to his canines - can he get any sexier?
“Well, I’d say this session went swimmingly.”
You giggle and rest your palms on the table behind you. He gets to work cleaning your tattoo and snapping a few pictures for you before covering the fresh ink with Saniderm wrap. You pull your shirt back on and down the rest of the orange juice - you were starting to feel your endorphins fade away and your body was reeling from the experience.
“How does tomorrow night sound?”
He holds his phone out to you and you take it, seeing he already set up a contact for you. You feel your cheeks burn when you see the contact name “Tattoo Cutie.” You don’t correct it, just add your name beside it and punch in your number before handing it back to him.
“Sounds perfect.”
You wake up to a banging on your front door, it’s so loud you’re sure your neighbors will complain to you later. You don’t even bother putting on your robe and jog through your living room. You swing the door open and Tara flies through, nearly knocking you over. You close the door and follow her through the hall to your living room.
“You’re casting a spell or making one of those wish bottle things or whatever it is that you’re doing to make your life so damn perfect.”
She plops down on your sofa and crosses her arms. She stares up at you with a stern expression. You try not to giggle since Tara’s version of “stern” comes across a lot like Rafayel’s pout.
“I didn’t cast a spell. I just –”
“You just what? Became the luckiest girl in the world without even trying? That’s even worse!”
You finally let out a laugh and sit down next to her, pulling your legs to your chest.
“Listen, I have no idea what’s going on, I am just trying to enjoy it while it lasts. It feels like I’m going to wake up any moment and realize it was all a dream.”
She shifts on the sofa and turns to face you.
“I don’t want to sound like I am jealous in a mean way, I am jealous in a ‘give me some of your luck’ way. Maybe then Jeremiah will finally propose…”
You grab her hand and squeeze gently.
“Oh come one, you literally picked out your ring with him! He’ll propose, he’s obsessed with you. He’s also terrified of you, so he knows better than to half-ass a proposal. Give him more time.”
Her cheeks flush and she looks down at her hand, holding up her ring finger. She lets out a sigh and looks up at you with determination.
“I want to know everything about last night. Every dirty detail. Spill.”
She kicks off her shoes and crosses her legs under her, fully facing you. She won’t let go of your hand, so you’re trapped on the sofa with her until you tell her about your date.
“He picked me up on his bike and –”
“He rides a bike! Oh my god that’s hot - what kind?!”
“A Kawasaki. It was really nice, dark blue with bright blue headlights. He told me he collects them so –”
“He collects motorcycles? Oh my god…”
“Are you going to let me tell you about the date or not?”
Tara huffs and lets go of your hand. She lifts her fingers to her mouth and pressed her lips together, “zipping her lips” so you can continue.
“We drove around for a while and then he took me to – oh I don’t know if I can tell you…”
“BITCH IF YOU DON’T –”
You laugh and lean away from her flailing hands. You raise yours in surrender.
“Okay, okay, but you have to promise not to say anything, swear.”
She places a hand over her heart.
“I swear on Winterford the 3rd I will not speak a word.”
“Woah, swearing on your dog's life is intense Tara.”
She crosses her arms and glares at you. You roll your eyes and continue.
“He is opening a sushi restaurant in a few months, so he took me there to show me around. It’s down at the pier near Whitesand Bay.”
Tara opens her mouth to say something but instantly closes it. You nod in approval, her self-control is improving.
“He doesn’t have a name for it yet, but the interior and kitchen are done. We made sushi together and ate on the rooftop terrace looking out over the water.”
Tara lets out a closed-mouth squeal and claps her hands. She motions with her hands for you to continue.
“We walked along the pier and talked for a long time. When it got dark he offered his jacket - I know - and then we went back to his bike. He drove down this alley where graffiti artists practice and gave me a can to try it out.”
“Wait - sorry - you defaced public property?”
“Rafayel owns the building and advertises it as, and I quote ‘an artists playground’ so no I did not.”
“That’s a shame, it would have been hot.”
“Tara! I’m a public servant! I’d lose my job.”
She pokes your shoulder.
“Only if you get caught!”
You rub your temples and suppress the urge to laugh at her antics.
“What happened next?”
“He drove me home.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
She punches your shoulder and you fall back onto the couch.
“TARA!”
“YOU DIDN’T EVEN GET A KISS? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”
“I DID! Just not… okay… he kissed me on the cheek when he said good night. It was cute.”
“CUTE?”
You sit up and push her, she doesn’t even move.
“I don’t want to rush things!”
“At least tell me he made plans for a second date with you?”
“He did. We are going out on Friday night.”
“Thank god. Please, I beg of you, get laid or at least make out with him!”
“Tara, I swear to god…”
“You have been insanely stressed lately and from what you’ve told me, he is super into you. Just let go babe, enjoy it! Enjoy him.”
You cross your arms and shake your head.
“It’ll happen when it feels right. I won’t lie, I hope it’s sooner rather than later, but I also am willing to wait. I –”
You stop yourself, feeling your cheeks heat up. Tara’s expression softens.
“Oh. Oh.”
You get up from the couch and head into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. Tara is right on your heels.
“You liiiiike him. Aww, babes!”
She wraps her arms around you, hugging your back as you pour coffee beans into your espresso machine.
“I just started seeing him, it’s too early to tell.”
“Sure. Keep telling yourself that.”
She releases you and slides onto a bar stool, her arms leaning on the island. You start chopping up fruit and try to ignore the butterflies in your stomach. The sound of your coffee machine cuts through the silence and you avoid looking at Tara, knowing she can read you like a book. Maybe it was after the tattoo session or when you were holding hands on the pier, but at some point you realized you really liked Rafayel. He made you laugh and he asked the most bizarre questions that made you think about life in a new light. You wanted more and god, you hope he does too.
By the time Friday rolls around you are definitely ready for some fun. You’ve been constantly sharing memes back and forth with Rafayel all week. It’s certainly eased the stress of work. But you want to see him and you’re eager for his call when you finally clock out and head home.
You’re barely in the front door when you hear your phone buzz. You see Rafayel’s name light up your screen and have to force yourself to count to ten before answering it. You don’t want to seem that eager.
“Hey, you.”
“Hey cutie, how was work?”
“It was okay, not too much activity today so I was stuck cataloging old reports. I almost fell asleep like three times.”
“I bet. I… shit… I have to tell you something.”
You clench your fist and lean against the door to your bedroom, dropping your bag to the floor.
“Okaaaay.”
He sighs and the knot in your stomach tightens.
“I have to reschedule.”
And there it is, your heart sinks.
“Oh… yeah okay.”
“Not because I want to, trust me. I owe someone a favor and have to be at a party.”
You bite your lip, propping your hand on your hip as you start to pace.
“I see.”
You can’t mask the edge to your voice. A party? Someone is calling in a favor for him to come to their party? He is famous, so it would make them look good, but why couldn’t he invite you? Was he embarrassed of you? Did he not want people in his life to know you were dating? Or seeing each other? Or just talking? Are you even dating?
“It’s more like work, she’s offering free tattoos to the guests. The other artist fell through so she’s calling me in so her party doesn’t ‘crash and burn’ - her words not mine.”
“Uh huh.”
“Okay, you’re pissed.”
You stop dead in your tracks and straighten up.
“I am not!”
“I can hear you pacing.”
You look down at your shoes. Of course you wore your chunky boots with the clicky heels today. The taps on your wooden floors were that loud? Damn.
“I’m not mad, I promise.”
“Then you’re irritated?”
“No…”
“What is it? Come on, tell me.”
“I guess… confused?”
“Confused about what?”
You close your eyes and sit down on your bed. Bracing yourself for the embarrassment you’re sure will wash over you after your next statement.
“Is there a reason you couldn’t bring me? I know you said it was more like work, but I guess… You know what, nevermind.”
You flop back onto your mattress and cover your eyes with your arm.
“Nope! Not ‘nevermind-ing’ - I would love to bring you, I just… I… fuck how do I explain it?”
“You don’t want anyone knowing about me?”
“No! Fuck no! That’s not what I… shit… okay, I didn’t think you’d want to come. It’s not a normal party. Not everyone is… comfortable with this sort of thing.”
You sit up immediately. Your hand tightly grips your phone.
“What kind of party is it?”
He pauses. The silence stretches for what feels like hours. He finally sighs and chuckles under his breath.
“It’s a sex party, babe.”
You audibly gasp and slap a hand over your mouth. You shake your head and ignore your throbbing clit to continue the conversation.
“Oh, I… right… I get it. Sorry. Uhm…”
“You’re more than welcome to come as my plus one, but only if you’re comfortable.”
You take a moment and consider your options. A sex party. As Rafayel’s plus one. You’ve never been very adventurous with your sexual endeavors. You didn’t even realize sex parties happened in real life. You’re practically salivating just thinking about it. You stand and face the mirror hanging next to your closet. What have you got to lose?
“What should I wear?”
Rafayel laughs, he clears his throat before continuing.
“Something sexy, but that’ll be easy for you. I’ll bring you a mask.”
You pause after opening your closet.
“A mask?”
“Yeah, everyone wears masks to add to the ‘experience’ - everyone at these parties knows each other most of the time, but the masks offer a sense of freedom. Everybody can do what they want for the night, no consequences.”
You tug at the fabric of a sleek black dress as you mull over the idea. Just for the night. No consequences. Maybe Tara is right, maybe you should just let go.
“What time?”
“It starts at 9. I’ll pick you up in an hour.”
“See you then.”
After you hang up you get to work figuring out your outfit. Rafayel might have confidence in your ability to pick out a sexy outfit but you certainly didn’t. Should it be sexy and cute? Just sexy? Sexy and slutty? Sexy and fancy? You pull dress after dress from your closet and nothing feels right. You finally decide to forgo dresses completely. The first skirt you pull out is the one. You can visualize the outfit and while it’s much more revealing than you’re used to, you are pretty sure you’d be wearing more than most of the party goers regardless.
You zip up the pleather mini skirt, adjusting it so it sits high on your hips. Your legs were on full display, the skirt mostly serving to just cover your ass. You grab your favorite black bra and shrug on the mesh top. Layering gold necklaces so your torso doesn’t appear so bare. You look in the mirror and jump up and down with excitement. Your tattoos are fully visible through the mesh. You had lathered lotion onto your new tattoos so the peeling wasn’t noticeable and carefully applied perfume, avoiding the healing skin. Your red pumps sit next to the door with your red crossbody clutch. You were ready, well sort of.
Rafayel called you only a few minutes later and you carefully made your way to the first floor. You were comfortable wearing heels, opting to wear them all the time when hitting the club with Tara or going on dates. But tonight, your nerves were making your ankles a little wobbly. The elevator door opens to the front lobby of your apartment building and you spot Rafayel leaning against a car just outside. Fuck.
He had a button up, that was actually buttoned up this time, tucked into shredded jeans. His boots were laced with gold laces. He had multiple chain necklaces around his neck. As you got closer you realized his shirt was also see through, just little golden floral appliques scattered over the sheer fabric. You could see everything and god, it was a sight. The definition of his abs, the dark lines of a tattoo on his side and swirls of ink trailing from his neck piece down his chest. You spot his navel piercing, sparkling as the setting sun casts what almost felt like a spotlight on him. Something else sparkles, nipple rings. You swear under your breath. He’s going to kill you, not literally, but - well he might with how fast your heart is beating.
He finally looks up from his phone and spots you. His eyes widen and he stares, jaw slack, for at least a full minute. Your cheeks burn and you have to focus on his face so you don’t sneak a peek at his torso again.
“Fuck, you look amazing.”
His words make you stammer. You swallow hard, working up the courage to respond.
“I can say the same for you.”
He wraps an arm around your waist and kisses your cheek. You feel his body against yours and sigh, wishing you could delay him letting you go.
“Ready to go, cutie?”
You nod and he opens the passenger door for you. You slide in and finally take a good look at the car you’re in. You’ve never ridden in a Bentley before - the seats were soft under your thighs. The leather is silky rather than sticky against your skin. The car was painted a similar dark blue to his bike and had the same bright blue headlights. You already knew he liked the color blue, but this just made it more obvious.
He settles into the driver seat and the engine revs to life.
“You’re sure you’re comfortable with this?”
You lean on the center console as you face him, leaning forwards.
“I’m sure.”
“We can leave at any point, Talia will just have to deal with it. Just don’t hesitate to –”
You press your index finger to his lips, silencing him. The surprised look on his face makes your smile hurt your cheeks.
“Rafayel, I’m sure.”
He smiles and you drop your hand, but he grabs it immediately and laces his fingers with yours. He rests your hand on his thigh, rubbing your hand with his thumb as he sets off down the highway.
As the gates to the mansion open, you squeeze Rafayel’s hand trying to quell a wave of nerves. This mansion is huge, you spot two guest houses and a pool with a waterfall - a full ass waterfall - nestled in the backyard surrounded by hundreds of trees and flowers. The cobblestone driveway leads to a massive mahogany front door, where two men stand, dressed in black. Rafayel continues rubbing your hand with his thumb.
“It’s intimidating, I know. It’ll be better once we’re inside.”
You watch party goers enter, getting pat down briefly before heading inside. From what you can see, they’re dressed fairly normally. Dresses and heels, suits or blazers. Rafayel parks in the garage of one of the guest houses and rushes around the car to open your door. You give him a playful glare.
“You know I can open my own door, good sir.”
He takes your hand and helps you out, bringing your hand to his mouth, his lips pressing against your knuckles.
“I’m aware.”
You don’t argue when he wraps an arm around your waist as he leads you to the main house. He enters through a backdoor and a security guard greets him with a smile.
“Raf, good to see you. Talia is in the main room already. She told me to show you to the booth. And who is this with you?”
His voice hardens when he spots you. Rafayel leans over and kisses your temple.
“She’s with me.”
The guard nods and unlocks a door, ushering you both inside.
All the lightbulbs have been replaced with warm red bulbs, fake candles cover every surface, cushions and blankets are tucked in corners. Rooms that typically never have beds have become makeshift bedrooms. Wait staff stroll in and out of the kitchen with platters covered in hors d'oeuvres and flutes of champagne. A DJ is perched on a balcony overlooking the main floor, the music a mix of soft jazz with sultry singers.
You’ve yet to spot any party goers, so you relax a bit as you take in the lavish interior. You’re pulled behind a curtain, a small room sits behind it with a padded table, a small cabinet, a portable sink, a large medical light and a few stools. Rafayel walks up to the cabinet and crouches, examining its contents. You spot a large collection of tattoo equipment. As Rafayel sets up his station, you peek through the curtain and see people walking around. Everyone is wearing masks and at least some form of clothing. You hear Rafayel call your name and you jump back through the curtain.
“Curious, are we?”
You scoff and cross your arms. He turns to you and holds something out. You take it and realize it’s a simple black eye mask, made of simple fabric with a thick elastic band. When you look back up at Rafayel, he is already putting his on. You slip the mask on and fiddle with the elastic, unsure if you should tuck it under your hair. Rafayel touches your hand and you pause. He turns you around and collects your hair, holding it up so you can slip the elastic band underneath. He lets your hair go and smoothes it back in place.
“You’re welcome to look around, you don’t have to stay here with me.”
“I’ll stay, at least for now. I can be your assistant.”
He smiles and brushes his thumb across your cheek. He stares at you for a moment, his eyes bouncing from your eyes to your lips. You hook your fingers in the belt loops of his jeans and he leans closer. Is he going to –
“Raffie! Oh my god thank you thank you thank you!”
A woman with long purple waves bounces through the curtain. You almost let out a gasp when you see she’s naked from the waist up. Rafayel slaps a hand over his eyes and sighs.
“Talia… You might be the one person at this party I absolutely do not want to see naked.”
“Raffie, you’re so dramatic. I have pasties on!.”
If she did have pasties, they were… camouflaged. Her teasing voice only seems to irritate Rafayel more. Or maybe it’s because of her cute little nickname for him.
“Talia, please…”
Talia sighs dramatically and dives through the curtain for a moment. When she returns she has a silky purple robe on. She reaches up and yanks Rafayel’s wrist and pulls his hand from his face. His eyes remain closed.
“I put on a robe, Raffie. Chill out.”
Rafayel opens his eyes and shoves her shoulder playfully.
“Stop it with the Raffie.”
“I don’t know, I like Raffie. It’s cute.”
Rafayel stares at you and you can’t help but laugh. Talia giggles and grabs your hand, shaking it wildly.
“When Rafayel said he was bringing a plus one I was shocked. He never brings anyone around me honestly. You must be special.”
“Oh, no I’m –”
“She is.”
Rafayel cuts you off and you nearly choke on your own saliva. His hand grazes your hip, holding you close. Talia smiles and pokes his shoulder.
“I see. Well… here you go.”
She hands you and Rafayel a keyring with three cards attached. You flip the cards back and forth, not seeing anything printed on them.
“In case you decide to… participate. Feel free to tattoo as long as you like, I only promised the service until midnight.”
Rafayel nods and accepts the side hug Talia offers. She gives you a quick hug as well - taking you by surprise - before skipping out of the room.
“So that’s Talia. She’s my aunt. And she’s so great at introductions.”
He puts his keyring in the cabinet and sits down on one of the stools next to the table. He starts spreading out a wide array of flash tattoos he’s designed, making it easier for selection. You fiddle with the keyring.
“So what’s this about?”
He looks up and, even in the dim lighting you can see his ears turn red.
“It’s a… aha… a way to approach someone you want to interact with and express interest.”
You stare at him, letting your mind wander as you try to figure out how it works. You avoid Rafayel’s gaze, embarrassed that you don’t understand his implications. You hear him stand and approach you. His hand covers your own and he takes the keyring. You watch as he flips to the blue card.
“An individual will approach another individual, or a group of individuals, and hold up a card. They’ll wait until they’re chosen or refused. The card tells you what they want.”
You lift your wide eyes to meet his.
“The blue card is for the male. The red card is for the female. And the yellow card is for both.”
You blink rapidly and clear your throat.
“So if I approached you and held up this.”
He holds up the red card.
“It means I want you�� In whatever way I can have you.”
You take a deep breath and feel your chest tighten. You press your thighs together and basically beg your pussy to calm down. He places the keyring back in your hand and closes your fingers around it. He lifts his hand to hold the side of your neck. He leans closer, his nose brushing against yours, his breath fanning across your face. His lips barely graze your cheek, just above your lips. Every breath you take pushes your chest against his. It takes everything you have not to grab him and devour him on the spot.
You hear the curtain behind you flip open and Rafayel lets go of your neck, looking up to see his first client. You sit on a stool and watch Rafayel tattoo client after client. Most are completely naked, which takes you a bit of time to adjust to. You help him by cleaning the table - very well - between clients.
Every time a woman enters, their breasts bouncing and pussy proudly on display, you feel a twinge of pain. And when Rafayel puts his hands on them to begin working, it feels like you’re going to throw up.
Before you know it, midnight is less than a half hour away and your nerves start to swirl. What will Rafayel want to do once his “duties” are done? Just as you’re getting ready to ask him, a perky brunette with olive skin strolls in. Golden chains draped over her perfect body. She leans against the table and points to a simple jellyfish design.
“It’s a popular one. Where’dya want it?”
He clears the table and she lays down on her back. You glance down at your phone and check the time and when you look back up, she is laying with her legs spread wide. You hold your breath and look to Rafayel, who is still focused on getting his supplies refreshed. When he turns around a look of genuine surprise graces his face. He sets his tattoo gun down and crosses the room to wash his hands.
“Are you sure about that? It’s worse than a piercing and harder to heal. You won't be able to participate anymore tonight.”
“A night of passion or a tattoo on my pussy by the famous Rafayel? I am absolutely sure.”
Rafayel doesn’t look at you as he puts on his gloves. You tense and drop your gaze. He sits on his stool and slides over, when you finally look up you see him basically staring at her pussy. You gasp silently, you didn’t think it was loud enough for anyone to hear, but when Rafayel glances over his shoulder at you you quickly get up and dash through the curtain.
You don’t look back and you don’t hear him call for you - not that you could hear anything over the music and moans. You walk through the various rooms, grabbing a glass of champagne from a waiter on your way. You finally find an empty room and sit down to catch your breath. You down your champagne in one go and fiddle with the stem of the glass.
You know you shouldn’t be upset, you weren’t in a relationship and this was technically your second date. From the sounds of it, he’s tattooed that area before. Of course he has, it’s his job. It isn’t a big deal. You feel foolish for running out like that, he probably thinks you’re dramatic and can’t handle his job or his fame. You set the glass on a table nearby and cover your face with your hands.
You finish off two more glasses of champagne before feeling brave enough to head back into the main hall. You take your time as you walk back to Rafayel’s tattoo booth, letting yourself watch the chaos around you. Clusters of people on beds, tables and even the floor. Riding, licking, sucking, moaning. You feel like you’re in another world, where shame and embarrassment don’t exist. If you weren’t so frustrated you might actually be enjoying yourself.
You stop at the staircase, your eyes locked on a couple wrapped around each other. It’s not like the others, they take their time, kissing and touching before he lifts her to ride his cock. Her moans are soft and the smile on her face - she’s experiencing pure bliss. You feel your cheeks heat and your throat tighten. You want that, not just a night of passion with a hot guy. And maybe you aren’t able to handle Rafayel’s job or fame. Is that such a bad thing? That you know what you want? Or what you don’t want?
“Cutie?”
Rafayel’s voice breaks you out of your spiral. You feel his hand on your back and you turn to face him. You know your cheeks are flushed, your eyes hazy yet vacant as your mind tries to make sense of your newfound clarity.
“I’m sorry I ran out.”
He places his hands on your shoulders and rubs your arms.
“You have nothing to be sorry for.”
“I know it’s your job and you’ve probably tattooed plenty of pussies - it’s not a big deal.”
“Really? I think it is a big deal if it upsets you.”
“I wasn’t upset. It doesn’t matter anyway, if I can’t handle it then maybe you should find someone who can.”
He stiffens, his brows knit together and his eyes darken. His voice drops and his tone becomes rigid.
“Is that what you want? For me to find someone else?”
“Maybe I am uncomfortable with the idea of you touching another girl's pussy, even if it is for your job. So yes, find someone who doesn’t care.”
He pushes you back against the wall. His hands move from your arms to tightly grip your hips.
“What if I like that about you?”
You open your mouth to respond, but he leans in, pressing his chest against yours.
“Do you want my hands on you? Only you? Only touching your pussy?”
Your chest heaves, pressing against him with every breath. His hands move up your waist, forcing your back to arch off the wall towards him.
“Cause that’s what I want. I don’t want to touch anyone else like that, not when yours is the one I can’t stop thinking about tasting.”
His nose rubs against yours.
“I told her to change the location or get out.”
His lips brush against yours, you can almost taste him.
“So don’t tell me to find someone else because you’re the one I want. So please, don’t run away.”
You let out a shaky breath and reach up to grab his neck, you capture his lips. He moans against your mouth and you bite his lip. He gasps and tries to pull back but you don’t let him. You hold him to you and slide your tongue into his mouth, which he quickly sucks in. His tongue dances with yours leaving you breathless.
He leans down to pick you up. You wrap your legs around his waist and his hands dive under your skirt. He grabs your ass and you roll your hips against his stomach. He walks over to an unoccupied sofa and sits down with you straddling his lap. You run your hands down his body, feeling the chill of his nipple rings against your palms. He pushes your hips down and you lower onto him, his bulge growing harder under you. He suddenly pulls back.
“Wait - do you want to go somewhere private?”
You grind your hips against him and he groans loudly. You can feel eyes on you and it makes you grind harder. You lean forward and press your mouth to his ear.
“I can’t wait… and I want them to watch you take what’s yours.”
Something inside of Rafayel snaps. He rips the mesh top from your body and pulls up your skirt over your hips. His hands roam across your back as he places kisses to your chest. Your relentless grinding makes him nip and lick at your skin in response. He unhooks your bra and tosses it over the sofa, his mouth moving to capture your nipple. You throw your head back and sigh, your breathing becoming more erratic by the second.
He lifts your hips and you whine, the friction of his bulge against your clothed pussy wasn’t perfect, but it was something. He picks you up and stands, dropping you onto the couch. He kneels and unzips your skirt, pulling it completely off of you. You tug the buttons on his shirt loose and run your hands over his chest. He pulls off the shirt and you reach to unbutton his pants, but his hand stops you. You look at him, confused.
“I have to show you something first, okay baby?”
You nod and lean back. He unbuttons his pants and bends to pull them down completely - along with his underwear. Your jaw drops, literally drops, at the sight of his cock. Not just because he is well-endowed - not to the point of discomfort, but you’re sure you’ll be sore tomorrow. But because the moment you saw that glint of silver your pussy throbbed so hard you nearly came.
Right at the base of his slit sat the silver ball, you reach out and wrap your hand around him. He shudders but remains still for you. You run your fingers over his slit, already leaking pre-cum, and roll the silver ball between your fingers. You feel the other end of the piercing underneath, you shift the piercing back and forth. He moans and his hips twitch. You stroke him slowly, working your way down to the silver studs at the base, sitting atop his pubic mound. You moan as your fingers rub across it, imagining how good it will feel against your clit.
“Having fun, cutie?”
His words are broken, his breathing labored as you work him. You smile up at him and push yourself to the end of the sofa. He reaches his hand out and strokes your cheek. You hold his gaze as you stick your tongue out and lick his slit. His hands grip your hair and he pulls you away from him. He towers over you, making you lean back onto the couch. He climbs over you and leans down, pressing his lips to your neck.
“How wet are you right now?”
You roll your hips up against his cock and he growls into your neck. He sits back to tug your panties down your legs. He lowers himself again, pressing his entire body against yours. You moan with how hot his skin feels against yours. You wrap your arms around him and cling to him, your legs spreading wider as he settles against you. His hands roam your body, pinching at your nipples, fingering your weeping pussy, palming your ass - every touch sending shockwaves through your system.
He dips his fingers further into your pussy and you pull your hips back. He looks at you, sweat already dripping down his forehead. You run your fingers through his hair, pushing it out of his eyes - those beautiful fucking eyes.
“I don’t want your fingers Raf, please…”
He chuckles and slides his hand down to line himself up. You feel the chill of metal against your entrance and flinch.
“Look at me.”
You tear your eyes away from his cock and meet his gaze. He leans forward and kisses you. It’s a slow and steady kiss. Your mind swims as you feel his tongue slide in. And then you feel that delicious stretch, his cock sinking into you, the metal balls of his piercing stroking your inner walls. The kiss turns messy as your moans and his gasps harmonize and fill the air around you. Finally your hips jerk forward and you feel his pubic piercing press to your clit. You pull away from the kiss to scream his name, the pressure and chill of the metal overloading your senses.
Rafayel whines as he holds still to let you adjust to him. You claw at his back and he drops a foot to the floor beside the couch to angle his hips better. You know he’s about to pound into you and make you scream even louder. The thought of the people around you watching makes you delirious.
“Raf.. I need you– I need you to move, please…”
He doesn’t hesitate and he pulls back until just his tip is tucked inside and then he rams his hips forward, sending you backwards on the couch. You squeal and moan as he finds his rhythm. He rests his forehead against yours and gasps for air, his chest turning red from the exertion. Every snap of his hips pushes his pubic piercing against your clit making it throb and the drag of those inside of you drives you crazy. Finally you feel it, that silver ball hitting that spongy spot that makes your legs shake. You whimper and ignore the tears sliding down your cheek, the pleasure completely encompassing your being.
“Fuck… I need to come, ahh.. Shit…”
He starts to pull out, but you wrap your legs around him and lock your ankles. He looks at you, his forehead tight as he fights off his orgasm. You release his back for a moment to grab his face, pressing a kiss to his swollen lips.
“Come inside me, baby. Pill… I’m on the pill, just come for me…”
Your command is immediately obeyed, you feel his release and shudder as the warmth fills you. His pace never falters and the added slickness from his release makes his cock slide through you even faster. Your g-spot is hit every single time he thrusts and you finally feel your back arch and your body tremble, your orgasm hits and you scream.
“Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes Rafayel fuck yeeeeessss…”
As you both come down, you feel his body relax against you. You lean your head to the side and he nuzzles into your neck. His soft kisses help your breathing to steady. You open your eyes and gasp quietly. Rafayel lifts his head and follows your gaze. A small group of people are standing in a circle around the sofa where you and Rafayel are lying. Some of them are holding cards and leaning on each other, some are just smiling and whispering to each other.
“They want to join.”
Rafayel whispers in your ear. You hold onto him, suddenly very aware of how naked you are - how naked everyone is. Rafayel lifts you, his cock slipping out before he settles you on his lap. He wraps his arms around you protectively.
“We can tell them to leave, if you want?”
You hear your heart pounding in your ears. Before tonight, you never would have thought you’d be interested in experiencing certain things, but now…
“Are you uncomfortable with anything?”
He looks at you, his brows raised in surprise.
“Another man’s dick in you, for one. Or his tongue…”
“I meant, for you.”
He tilts his head.
“I thought…”
“I don’t want you anywhere near another girl’s pussy. But his… tongue…”
You look up and stare at a particularly attractive man standing on the outskirts of the small group, partially hidden in shadow. He’s tall, broad shoulders, the hard lines of his abdomen glisten with sweat. An intricate tattoo of a dragon starts at his chest, its wings spread across his shoulder and down his arm, the body trails down his side, curving over his abs before its tail spirals down his hip and coils around his thigh. Before you can stop yourself, your eyes shift and damn… you can appreciate a pretty cock when you see one. His black and red mask covers his whole face, but even from a distance, his eyes are piercing. Rafayel follows your eyes and sees him, a blue card in his hand.
“What do you want him to do to me?”
You lean into his ear and nip at his earlobe, his cock springing to life against your thigh.
“I want him to suck you off while I ride your face.”
Rafayel groans, his head pressed into your shoulder. You play with the hair at the nape of his neck.
“Only if you want to. I want you to be comfortable. I want you to feel good.”
He lifts his head and looks at the man, who you’re positive is smiling wickedly. Rafayel gives him a nod and he approaches. The rest of those watching move back slightly, giving your trio more room. The man pulls a large round ottoman over and kneels beside it. His voice is deep and smooth, sending shivers down your back. Watching a man like this make Rafayel writhe with pleasure sends a new slickness to your tender pussy.
“Your ass goes here pretty boy, you lay back with your head on the couch so your girl can sit comfortably.”
He pats the ottoman, now lined up against the couch. Rafayel stares at him, his mouth hangs open. You examine the man before you, you wonder if he’s wearing contacts. Crimson eyes stare directly at Rafayel. Just as Rafayel is about to speak, the man lifts a finger to where his mouth would be. He reaches around his ear and you hear a quiet click. The lower half of his mask detaches and he slides it off, his face now only partially disguised. His smirk is breathtaking, he licks his lips slowly.
“I’m a man of my word.”
You look at Rafayel and narrow your eyes. He shakes his head.
“I’ll explain later.”
You lean in and kiss him, he whines when you pull back. He stands up with you in his arms and sets you on your feet beside him. He approaches the man, who is at least 2-3 inches taller than him. The man places a finger under Rafayel’s chin and lifts his gaze.
“Your legs don’t move and your hands stay still. If you thrust, I hold you down. I’m doing the work here. Just like she –”
He points at you over Rafayel’s shoulder.
“She is riding. You lay there and take it, got it?”
You watch Rafayel tense, but with how his breathing accelerates you can tell he is turned on. He lays down, positioning himself as instructed. The man kneels and places his hands on Rafayel’s knees. Rafayel looks down and watches the man slowly glide his hands up his thighs. You crawl onto the couch, watching the man caress Rafayel. Finally the man wraps his large hands around Rafayel’s cock and strokes him until Rafayel is panting. The man nods at you and you pull on Rafayel’s shoulders until he rests his head back on the couch. You lift your leg over his head and hover over his face, but he doesn’t let you tease him. He grabs your thighs and pulls you down without warning. His lips close around your clit. You gasp and grab onto his elbows.
You feel the chill of his lip piercings, his septum ring brushes against the skin just above your clit. And you finally have your answer, how his tongue ring would feel… you’ll never be the same. The ball rolls over your clit, the sudden chill and pressure makes your vision blur. You start rolling your hips. His moans start to get louder and you look up to see the man has started licking Rafayel’s shaft, placing sloppy kisses to his tip. He sucks his tip into his mouth and suckles, the lewd slurping sound he makes pushes you to grind your hips faster. When he finally takes Rafayel fully into his mouth Rafayel’s hips jerk. The man stops and lifts his mouth off of him and you feel Rafayel shake.
“I told you, no moving.”
He presses his forearms onto Rafayel’s thighs and grip his hips. You feel Rafayel’s fingers dig into your thighs as he laps at your clit, making your core heat unbelievably fast. You watch the man take Rafayel back into his mouth, lowering himself until Rafayel’s cock is fully in his mouth. Rafayel shakes under you and whimpers loudly. Hearing him whimper like that could make you come untouched, you’re sure of it. You watch the man’s throat move as he swallows around his length. You grind faster, knowing Rafayel won’t last long if this mystery man is deepthroating him so easily. He finally thrusts his tongue inside you and you lean forward, resting your hands on his stomach.
“Tell him to finger you.”
The man’s rushed words take you by surprise. As soon as he says them he is taking Rafayel in his mouth again. You lift yourself up just enough to hear Rafayel take a deep breath and groan wildly. You shift and bring your knees closer to his head.
“Raf, fingers… in me.”
A cocky smile tugs at his lips.
“I thought you said… you didn’t want my fingers?”
He barely gets the words out before he gasps, the man has shifted and sucked one of Rafayel’s balls into his mouth, his hand stroking his shaft. You look back at Rafayel and smile.
“Do as you’re told, pretty boy.”
You sit back down before he can reply. He quickly lifts his hands and circles your pussy as he continues to work your clit with his tongue. His teeth graze the sensitive bundle and his fingers curl and scissor rapidly against your puffy walls, not giving you a moment to adjust. You lean down and run your tongue over his nipple ring, he rams his fingers into you harder in response, finding your sweet spot. You take the piercing between your teeth and give it a gentle tug and start rolling your fingers over the other side.
You watch as the man starts bobbing up and down, from tip to base he takes Rafayel’s cock over and over.. You swear you can see the outline of Rafayel’s cock in his throat. He starts groaning, the vibration sends Rafayel into a frenzy and you feel your orgasm crest.
“I’m coming fuck fuck fuck… ahhhh yes Raf yes..”
You hear the man moan and look up to see Rafayel’s release leaking out of the sides of his mouth. That sight makes your climax so intense you worry you might blackout. You feel Rafayel start tapping your thigh and you quickly lift yourself away, he gasps for air but laughs as he relaxes. You crawl off of him and are mortified to see the couch around his head completely soaked, his face and hair drenched. But you can’t find a reason to care when he looks so pussy drunk.
The man stands and wipes at his lip with his thumb, you glance down at Rafayel’s cock and see not a drop of his release is left behind. This man really sucked him dry and cleaned up… impressive. Rafayel sits up and looks up at the man.
“Debt is paid. See you next week, Rafayel.”
With that, he turns and leaves. You look at Rafayel and crawl onto his lap.
“I’m looking forward to hearing what that was about…”
You try to wipe his forehead with your wrist.
“Leave it, I like smelling like you.”
You slap his chest and he chuckles. He looks up to see there are still people waiting.
“Still in the mood to experiment?”
You don’t even glance around, you just lock your arms around his neck and kiss his cheek.
“No, I want you to myself. I need to see if my mouth can make you whimper like that again.”
He glares at you and pinches your side. You try to wiggle away from him, but he grabs you and hauls you over to lay on top of him.
“I can promise you, when it’s your mouth, I’ll be so delirious I might speak another language entirely.”
You kiss his nose.
“That’s hot.”
He laughs and kisses your nose.
“Let’s get out of here, yea?”
You’ve basically lived at Rafayel’s apartment over Lemuria Studios for the past week. It’s closer to the Association and much nicer. Plus, waking up next to him is a great way to start your day. And being fucked senseless every night is definitely helping you sleep better.
“You should go by your place after you get off work, pick up some clothes and shit.”
You put down your coffee and stare at him.
“I want you to be comfortable when you stay here.”
You stand up from the bar stool and walk around the kitchen island. He stops chopping vegetables to lean on the counter and look at you. His shirt hangs off your shoulders, the hem barely covering your ass. You run your hands down his chest, placing a kiss over his heart. Wrapping your arms around his waist, you press yourself against him. He rubs his hands over your back and rests his chin on your head.
“I like changing into your clothes when I get off work. I like using your shower gel so I can smell like you. I like sleeping naked in your bed. I am more comfortable than I’ve ever been.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I want you wearing my clothes and sleeping naked…”
You feel his hands glide down your back and pull his shirt up over your ass. The cool air against your bare skin makes you shiver. He leans down to kiss your neck, his hands feeling the curve of your ass and diving lower between your legs.
“I just think you should have some of your own things, you know?”
“I’ll pick up a few things after work.”
His fingers press against the crotch of your panties and you shiver.
“When do you have to leave for work?”
You glance over his shoulder at the clock and smile. You giggle and grab onto his neck, keeping him close.
“About an hour…”
He plants his hands under your ass and lifts you up. He continues placing messy kisses to your neck as he walks you to his bedroom.
“That should tide us over until tonight, yea?”
Work wasn’t boring, but you were itching to leave and head to your place. The more you thought about it the more excited you were to have your things at Rafayel’s place. You loved smelling like him, but your hair types are very different and his products are definitely not working for you. You planned your entire evening while working. Completing reports, canvassing Wanderer hotspots, scanning physical reports into the digital system - with every mind numbing task, you got closer and closer to the self-care date with yourself.
When you open the door to your apartment you’re greeted with the scent of extremely ripe bananas. You forgot you’d gotten them the day before the party and now… You close your front door and drop your keys on the entry table. You enter the kitchen and stare at the bananas. As you poke at them, you have an idea. It’s been ages since you’ve baked banana bread, but your grandmother's recipe is a classic. You find the recipe book on your bookshelf and gather the supplies you need. But before you bake, you need “an everything shower.” Badly.
Your shower gel is more floral than Rafayel’s, which is refreshing. And your scalp is finally able to breathe with your products gently scrubbing away the buildup. Shaving takes forever, but it’s worth it, Rafayel’s silk sheets would feel like heaven against your skin tonight. You put on a face mask while moisturizing and dance around your kitchen in your underwear while you stack the ingredients for the banana bread on the counter
Once the bread is in the oven, you grab a small suitcase and start packing up a few essentials. The travel size versions of your hair care products, underwear, an extra work uniform, a set of pajamas - just in case - two casual outfits and your go-to little black dress. You throw the uniform you wore today in the washer into the dryer and go through your fridge in case anything went bad while you were gone.
You’re setting the trash bag by the front door when you hear a muffled grunt. You press your ear to the door and hear more quiet groans and shuffling feet. You stand on your tiptoes and look through your peephole as quietly as possible. You see what looks like a white helmet and a purple jacket. They’re so close to your door you start to panic. You hear a knock at your door and you freeze.
“Cutie? Are you still here?”
Rafayel’s voice is muffled behind the door. You let out a sigh of relief and swing the door open, forgetting you’re only in your underwear. Rafayel is hunched over against the doorframe, the sleeves of his leather jacket are torn and the left leg of his cargo pants are shredded and bloody.
“Shit! Rafayel what happened?!”
He tugs at his helmet but can’t get it off. You push his hands away and unhook the straps to pull the helmet off his head. His face is pale and he’s drenched in sweat, but he still smirks when he sees you.
“Damn… what a welcome.”
“Shut the fuck up…”
You lift one of his arms and wrap it around your shoulder. You carefully help him walk into your apartment, kicking the door closed behind you.
You help him sit down on the couch and drag your coffee table closer to elevate his leg. The fabric is almost completely torn away from his skin and you can see the dirt and gravel stuck in his wounds. You help him remove his gloves and jacket, carefully inspecting his arm to see if there’s any wounds you haven’t seen. You tug his damp t-shirt off and look for any cuts. Bruises are already starting to darken over his ribcage.
You rush through your room to the bathroom to get a first aid kit and a few towels. You toss your face mask in the trash and put on your robe, haphazardly tying the belt at your waist. When you return Rafayel has his head back on the cushion with his eyes closed.
“Raf? You with me?”
He opens his eyes and smiles weakly. He tries to sit up, but clutches his side with a grimace.
“Rafayel, you need a doctor.”
He shakes his head, but keeps a hand pressed over his ribcage.
“It’s not that serious, trust me. I just need it cleaned up. I’m sorry I just showed up like this…”
“Rafayel…”
“I’ll get checked out when my doctor gets back in town. I promise.”
You rub your forehead and reach to turn on another light. You place the first aid kit on the coffee table and rush to the kitchen to grab a glass and a bowl of water. You hand Rafayel the glass, set the bowl down and sit down in front of him.
“Drink that.”
He doesn’t argue, he drinks the water slowly while he watches you work. You dip a towel in the water and gently try to clean the dirt and gravel out of his wound. He winces, but doesn’t struggle. You start putting a bit more pressure to see where the deeper cuts are and he groans. You look up at him and he has his eyes closed tightly.
“Are you going to tell me what happened?”
You continue cleaning the wound until it looks clear of debris. You shake a can of antiseptic spray, squinting your eyes at him as he shrugs.
“I crashed, no biggie.”
You grit your teeth and spray a more than generous amount on his leg. His leg shakes and he curses under his breath. He reaches for your hand and takes the can, chucking it across the room.
“Enough! I.. I think it’s clean…”
You flash him a smirk and grab a roll of gauze to start wrapping his leg.
“I haven’t crashed in a long time, but these things happen. I’m okay.”
You continue wrapping his leg in silence. The feeling he is hiding something ripping into you like a knife. This is a serious injury, he could have lost his leg or worse. He’s a careful driver, you know that. So what caused him to crash? You finally look at the helmet on the floor next to the couch. The white paint on the side is scraped and you can see a thin crack along the visor. But what catches your eye is the intricate red design on the front.
“Nice helmet.”
“Thank you. I don’t get to wear it often. Guess it’ll be retiring until I get it fixed up, huh?”
You nod. He leans forward and grabs your hands.
“I know it looks bad, but I’ve had worse. Come on, look at me, please?”
Just as you meet his gaze his phone rings. He grabs his jacket on the couch and digs his phone out. His gentle smile drops when he sees the caller.
“I need to take this, I’m sorry.”
He lifts his leg and tries to stand up, but you push him back.
“I’ll go, you need to keep your leg elevated.”
You walk to your room, closing the door behind you. Holding the handle, you don’t let the lock click. You wait until you hear a hushed “hello” before pulling the door open a crack. You press your ear as close to the opening as possible. Rafayel’s voice is hushed.
“I need to know their name.”
“No, I know. I know. I’d never seen them before.”
“I don’t give a fuck, they almost got Ryūō caught. Cops knew which bike to follow.”
Your eyes widen at the mention of cops. Who is Ryūō? Is that really a name?
“Yea, they caused my crash. No, Zayne’s out of town. Of course I’m not at the hospital, I’m not a fucking idiot. I’m okay, seriously, I need to focus on Ryūō.”
Zayne?! As in your childhood friend, the head of cardiology? That Zayne? Is he Rafayel’s primary physician too? Why can’t Rafayel go to the hospital?
“I want a name by the end of the night, put any expenses on my card.”
“No, don’t say anything. I’ll set up the next meeting and fill everyone in.”
“Yeah, fuck… Okay, have Ryūō call me.”
You’re tempted to swing the door open and confront him immediately, but your brain is swimming with theories.
“Cutie? You can come out now!”
You open the door slowly. Your eyes narrow and you glare at him from across the room. He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes and your stomach tightens. As you approach him, he shifts uncomfortably, your gaze finally unsettling him. Just as you sit down to finish treating his leg, his phone rings again.
“Is that Ryūō?”
He looks up from his phone, his expression darkens. You don’t leave, instead you continue wrapping his leg and sit in silence while his phone continues to ring. Finally, he answers it.
“Hey.”
“No, doc’s out of town. I’m okay. It could have been worse.”
“Where’d you stash your bike?”
“No no no, I’ll send someone to get it. Keep your head down for a few days.”
“I’m looking into it.”
“He put down Onryō so I’m guessing it’s personal. Could be you, could be me, or both. I’ll have more info by the end of the night.”
Onryō? As in the Japanese yokai? You remember reading about popular yokai’s before your vacation to Japan after you graduated college. You recall they are ghosts who hyperfocus on vengeance. Their passion could be born out of jealousy or hatred. Does he think this person is trying to hurt him and this Ryūō person? Now Ryūō makes more sense. Another yokai.
“Sy, I am asking you not to look into it. It’ll get too messy if you get involved.”
Who is Sy?
“I know what you can do and I am asking you not to do anything. Please. I will call you as soon as I know anything.”
He hangs up and tosses it on the couch. He covers his face with his hands and groans, running his hands through his hair before looking up to stare at you.
“Go on, ask.”
You secure the gauze with tape. Picking up a new towel, you dip it in the water and squeeze out the excess before moving to sit next to him. You wipe his face and he relaxes, you continue down his chest.
“I’m pretty good at puzzles. So… I think I pieced most of it together.”
“Do tell.”
You feel his fingers trace your jaw. You pause and look at him.
“Bikes, cops, code names, someone is messing with you or whoever Ryūō is. My educated guess… Racing?”
He looks down at his leg, his brows furrow.
“Am I wrong?”
He sighs and looks at you again.
“Spot on.”
“So can you tell me what really happened now?”
He pulls the towel out of your hand and pulls you to him. You lean against the couch, careful not to put any pressure on his ribs. Once you settle, he takes a deep breath.
“I’ve been a part of the racing scene for a few years. Ryūō and I started around the same time. Now, we’ve become leaders… kind of? We’re used to having targets on our backs. So we’re careful about bringing new people onto the scene. Today, we held an open race to test the waters and it bit us in the ass.”
“Onryō? You mean?”
“Yeah... They signed in and before the race even started, cops rolled up. They targeted Ryūō and he pulled off the race to pull the cops away from us. That’s when the prick kicked me off my bike on a turn and I fucked up my leg.”
“So you have people looking for this Onryō person, what will happen when they find them?”
“My people will call me. And I’ll deal with it.”
You cross your arms and glare at him.
“And how will you, “deal with it” exactly?”
Rafayel tosses his head back on the couch and closes his eyes.
“I can’t tell you that, cutie, you know that.”
“Why not?”
“Because I am not going to put your job on the line. You have a duty to report this kind of thing, right? The less I say the better.”
“So Ryūō and Sy, they’re the same person, right?”
Your question makes Rafayel sit up straight, he turns to you and grabs your shoulders tightly.
“Drop it. Please.”
“No. You came to my door, bleeding and bruised and you’re expecting me to just ignore whatever shit you’re into that caused all this? Really Rafayel?”
His grip tightens.
“You’re not getting hurt because of me.”
You reach up to hold his face in your hands. Your thumbs brushing under his eyes.
“I’m a hunter, I am good at taking care of myself. I’m not afraid of whatever it is you’re involved in, but what I am afraid of is you getting hurt.”
He leans into your touch, his cheeks warming and his pale skin starts to flush.
“I know you’re able to protect yourself, but these people… They’re different. They play by a different set of rules and I don’t want you to risk your job or your safety for me.”
“That’s my choice.”
He huffs out a laugh and leans his forehead against yours.
“I know, I just… fuck…”
You kiss his nose affectionately and he wraps his arms around you, pulling you to his chest. You curl up beside him, pressing your face into his neck.
“Let me choose you.”
He rubs your back and your body relaxes next to him.
“So…”
He kisses the top of your head and hums encouraging you to continue.
“What’s your name? Like your racing name?”
He chuckles and leans back, tucking you into his side. You rest your head on his shoulder.
“Kiko.”
You close your eyes, it seems all the racers pick a yokai as their code name. You try to remember the lore behind Kiko.
“That’s a type of Kitsune, right? A holy fox? No, spirit fox!”
“Yep.”
You shift so you can look up at him.
“I thought you’d pick something ocean related like… Kōjin or Tatsu?”
“A biker with an oceanic racer alias, purple hair and brightly colored Kawasaki?”
“Oh…”
“Yea, I don’t need cops breathing down my neck at the studio. So I chose something, I guess, that fit my personality?”
“You relate to a fox, huh?”
“Curious, playful, intelligent. Yea, I think so.”
“They’re also very loud if they don’t get love and affection.”
Rafayel nuzzles his face into the crook of your neck, you giggle, swatting at him to sit up.
“I guess it’s an accurate description then.”
You look down at his helmet and squint. The white base and red lines around the eyes and at the center.
“Ohhh… that explains your helmet!”
“Yeah, usually I wear a white leather jacket but I was in a rush today.”
“You don’t race the blue bike you’ve been driving me around on, do you?”
“No, I have a different bike for races. Different colors and fake plates.”
You sit up, cross your legs and face him.
“Take me with you.”
His eyes widened in surprise.
“Like, on a ride?”
You smile, a wicked gleam in your eye.
“On a race.”
He stares at you, his mouth open and eyes unblinking. You stare back, your smile unwavering.
“You realize it’s illegal, right?”
You nod.
“And dangerous?”
You nod.
“And you might –”
You slap a hand over his mouth. He chuckles, the vibrations tickling your hand.
“I know the risks. I want to see more of your world. Especially when mine is so… blah…”
“Hmm mmh mmh hmm huh mhm!” He mumbles, trying to speak to you through your hand.
You move your hand away and pinch his cheek. He grabs your hand and holds it tight.
“You fight Wanderers for a living! That’s not ‘blah’!”
“Fine. I want to see more of your world because I…”
You look down at your lap, trying to hide the blush spreading across your cheeks. He grabs your chin and lifts your face to meet his gaze.
“Because what, cutie?”
“Because I hope I can be a part of it…”
He plants his hands on your waist and lifts you, plopping you down on his lap. His hands hold onto your ass and he pulls you closer. It’s at this moment you realize you’re still not wearing any pants and the rough fabric of his cargo pants rubbing against your nearly bare pussy makes you twitch. You grab onto his shoulders and try to lift yourself off his lap.
“Your leg!”
“It’s fine, stop squirming.”
You let out an exaggerated sigh and shift your knees wider to properly straddle him. He squeezes your ass and rubs his hands down your thighs. You run your hands down his chest and start to play with his nipple rings, which earns you a deep groan. He takes the hint and stops teasing you.
“I want you to be a part of my life, but it’s a complicated one. Are you sure?”
You wrap your arms around his neck and thread your fingers through his hair. You lean forward and place a gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth.
“Show me a whole new world, Aladdin.”
He chuckles and bites his lip as he looks up at you.
“My dick is not a magic carpet, but I will take you for a ride.”
You slap his chest and try not to laugh.
“You’re so stupid…”
He seizes the opportunity, with your hands on his chest, to grab your face and pull you to him. He kisses you until you can barely breath, your worries fade. You’re not sure what you’re getting yourself into, but you’re sure of one thing - Rafayel has made you feel more alive in the past week than you’ve felt in years. And you’re going to chase this feeling, for as long as possible.
Rafayel finally lets you breathe and you smell something burning. He scrunches his nose and you sniff the air, trying to determine what it could be. Your eyes widen and you scramble to crawl off of Rafayel’s lap.
“My banana bread!”
Part 2
(AN Part 2: Surprise! It's also a crowfish fic. Smile.)
Tag List (comment if you wanna be added!): @trishiepo0 @not-so-quite-human @kitsunetori @babyx91 @libriomancer @lilyadora @crowskitten22 @letharue @silverbrain @m00nchildwrites @plsdonttakemyname
#love and deepspace#love and deepspace rafayel#rafayel x reader#lads rafayel#rafayel love and deepspace#lads smut#lnds rafayel#lads#lnds#rafayel x y/n#rafayel x you#rafayel smut#rafayel fanfic#tattoos#inked#inked hottie#rafayel tattoos#rafayel tatted#rafayel inked#biker#bike racer#sea god rafayel#love and deepspace sylus#sylus (love and deepspace)#lads sylus#lnds sylus#l&ds sylus#sylus love and deepspace#sylus#minor violence
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[Image description: a list of all tarot cards in the major arcana, along with their meanings. They have been matched to a vessel from slay the princess, using the drawings from the memories page. Full text ID under the cut.]
Hello I spent like a week being abnormal about this (no I did not know the tarot cards by heart before this, yes I do now) so here is my definitive list of which princess matches which tarot card. If you disagree with me then you're wrong (joking, please feel free to tell me with your reasoning, I'd love to hear it!!)
Full list of my reasonings under the cut (scroll to the big text saying "Reasonings" to skip the ID)
[Full ID: three columns, listing first the tarot number and name, then card meanings, then the princess. They are as follows:
0. The Fool. cycle of life, birth & death, hope, optimism, childish, spontaneous, lateral thinking. The Damsel
1. The Magician. practical, success, witty, at home, central nervous system & lungs & senses, unemotional, over analyses. The Moment of Clarity
2. The High Priestess. heightened perception, unknown, mystery, occult, patience, intuition, strong independent woman, unable to control or dominate. The Wraith
3. The Empress. powerful women, creativity, growth, beauty, birth, fertility, warm, loving, sensual, enjoys life to the full. The Adversary
4. The Emperor. structure & power, competitive, achievement, authority, hierarchy, dominance. The Tower
5. The Hierophant. status quo, appearances, marriage, teaching, interpreting, structure, routine. Happily Ever After
6. The Lovers. love, romance, union, soulmates, resolved inner conflict, choice. The Wild
7. The Chariot. reward, victory hard won, don’t give up, try again, vehicles, overcoming obstacles, self discipline, hard work, focus. The Beast
8. Justice. logical decision, balanced mind, negotiation, truth, honesty, integrity. The Spectre
9. The Hermit. Solitude, thinking, introspection, learning, teaching. The Prisoner
10. The Wheel of Fortune. Fate, coincidence, luck, cycles, confusion. The Stranger
11. Strength. generous, loving, courage, conviction, optimism, resolve, generous, antagonism resolved, animals (loving). The Den
12. The Hanged Man. unable to move, temporary pause, patience, self limiting, trapped, sacrifice, wait for info. The Cage
13. Death. cycle of death & rebirth, transformation, something is ending, confronting smth alarming, major change. The Eye of the Needle
14. Temperance. balanced, adaptable, see both sides, calm, solve disputes, works well in a team, mixing opposites, blending, time. The Princess and the Dragon
15. The Devil. material world, buying love, material security, mental health, powerlessness, violence, obsession, secrecy. The Witch
16. The Tower. disruptive, violent, necessary change, enlightenment, trauma, loss, upheaval, tragedy. The Fury
17. The Star. hope, new life, fresh insight, phys or ment wounds heal, heal & inspire others, help, human rights, nature, equality. The Thorn
18. The Moon. dreams, imagination, subconscious, illusion, vagueness, deception, fear, anxiety. The Nightmare
19. The Sun. happiness & vitality, energy, confidence, children, freedom, fun, self expression. The Razor
20. Judgement. decisions, awakening, rebirth, healing, homesickness, celebrate success, self evaluation, blame. The Grey
21. The World. end of a cycle, accomplishment, journey, belonging, wholeness. The Apotheosis
End ID]
Reasonings
The Fool I put the damsel down for pretty early, just because of the childish optimism, but later I was thinking about the damsel route and why it wouldn't fit the Lovers and I said the damsel is more about how they are rushing into it. And then I remembered the Fool is about rushing in lol. I couldn't really consider anything else after that
The Magician mentions the central nervous system and lungs, so I considered putting the nightmare here for paranoids mantra, but the card didn't really fit her that well and the central nervous system is different to the autonomous nervous system anyway so. The Moment of Clarity gets this spot for her practical breaking of you, and the success it brings her. Not one of my easiest placements but I'm still pretty happy with it
The high Priestess was hard to place because she's about the occult, and powerful women who don't need a man. If only there was a princess who fit that mold... (/s if it wasn't clear) so yeah. Half the princesses were written down here at one point. The Wraith gets this spot because I found other places for all the others I guess and also because "She could not find her strength in others, so she found it in herself."
The empress is again a powerful woman, but a loving and nurturing one, who encourages growth. It was both the growth and the partnership she has that gave her the adversary
The Emperor is about hierarchy and dominance. I knew very early on that the tower would fit best here. "This one is dominance."
The hierophant is about structure, appearances, and also marriage. Happily Ever After is all about being trapped within this structure, with ties specifically to marriage. Literally tell me I'm wrong?
The Lovers. Okay. So there's a few this could be. The Damsel, with the voice of the smitten? Not really as equal a partnership, as I mentioned in the Fool section. They don't really know each other. The Thorn, where you can kiss her? Well that ignores like. The entire rest of the route so no. Happily ever after? Maybe, but I prefer her in hierophant. The adversary, with your equal partnership in kicking each others asses? Easily, but I also put her elsewhere. Ironically, the Lovers was one of the last two cards I placed, and the only princesses left were the wild and the grey, and unfortunately I couldn't agree with the drowned grey going here. The wild has you literally being one, achieving a common goal. It's not my favourite placement but I dont hate it so.
The chariot is about putting in the hard work and seeing it through, and she does make an effort to capture you (swallow you whole) and bring you to the door so she can escape. Also it's about vehicles, and she literally acts as a vehicle for you. That idea was too funny to not do tbh
Justice is one of three cards that mention balance, so I wanted one of the ones where you merge to go here. Much like the scales of justice, it is about considering all sides and picking fairly, so it had to go to the spectre, who gets justice for her murder when you help her out. The spectre was written down for like half the cards on this list though my god
The hermit is about solitude and self introspection. The prisoner, sitting in silence for millenia, felt very fitting. I also wanted the cage to be here, because the image of the hermit is him holding up a lantern, and having the cage holding her head like that would be fun, but she fit better in the hanged man so.
The wheel of fortune was one of my later picks. Fate, and also cycles. Its a little vague, and can fit with quite a few princesses, but I put the stranger here. Is it the vibes? Something about coincidences and not meeting her feels similar, but I cant put my finger on it so if you can explain please do.
Strength, but of the inner sort. The Den didn't really have anywhere better to go, I don't know if instinct matches with any of the cards. I felt confidence in ones self was pretty similar to instinct, plus it has ties to animals.
The hanged man is self restrictions. I would have liked to put the thorn here, honestly, hanging from her vines. Ultimately it was the best choice for the cage, though, and I had another good option for the thorn. Anyway, the cage can be hanging from all those chains and hooks. "This one is a body that convinced herself she was only a set of eyes." Sounds like her limits are self imposed for sure!
Death and the tower have similar meanings in that things are coming to an end, and both of them I felt were good fits for both eye of the needle and the Fury. Ultimately I put eotn here because its more cyclical, and when she was the adversary she wanted to continue fighting over and over again.
Temperance is the second balance card, specifically about blending this time. Opposites merging, solving disputes. Felt very much like the princess and the dragon chapter. "This one is perspectives bleeding into one."
The Devil is a person tricking you, but also material security. I only ever put the witch down for this one, and I only ever put her down for one card lol. The mutual trickery and betrayal in her chapter felt too fitting. "A trick behind your back, and a trick behind mine."
The tower, like I said, is similar to death in that they are both about things ending. But the tower is more dramatic, about the sudden upheaval, so I thought thematically it matched with the Fury better, who is very upset and very taking it out on you. This is one of the cards I knew the meaning of from the beginning, so unfortunately there was never a point in which the tower was matched with the tower :(
The star is hope and healing. One of many that the spectre could have matched with. (I wanted to make her star shaped wound be the star... oh well). The Thorn fits well here, if you both choose to end the cycle of violence and leave together. The star also has ties to nature, which fits with the thorns... thorns... I would have preferred her at the hanged man for her self limiting, being trapped in her own thorns, but this is also a very good choice so I'm not too mad lol
The moon is fear and anxiety. Plus the moon only comes out at night, when everyone is sleeping, when you have nightmares! But mostly it's the vagueness, mystery and anxiety stuff.
The sun being joy meant I knew I wanted the razor here from the beginning. I briefly considered putting her at death (for the cycles, and also the uh, death) but I think the dying part of her route is not actually that important? Anyway the razor is my wife and I'm glad she's enjoying herself. "She is cruelty. But she is also joy." See, shifty gets it!
Judgement is where you look back on everything and judge yourself. It was one of the last two cards to be assigned, and the wild did not fit here at all. Plus the grey sort of punishes you for your actions? It's unavoidable, is my point.
The world is accomplishment, wholeness. She is as close to becoming the goddess she truly is as any vessel ever comes. "This one sits at the cusp of awakening." Shifty says. Also Apotheosis literally means climax so I had to put her at the end of the tarot, you understand.
So yeah that's that. Thanks for reading, if you managed to get through all that. Feel free to debate different interpretations at me, I'd love to hear em!
#slay the princess#straight up dont know what to tag this as#tarot#i guess i mean i did literally interpet all the cards#i am not going to tag all the princesses
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I am FULLY ONBOARD the Harris/Waltz train, tho before this i was leaning towards Mark Kelly (AZ is a swing state! He's an ASTRONAUT!) If you want or have time, no pressure, but any thoughts on what makes Waltz a better pick?
I like Mark Kelly too, and since he's married to Gabby Giffords (having run for public office after she got shot and could no longer do so) he would have been an amazing pick in terms of supporting the first female POTUS. But he is a less charismatic public speaker than Walz (for whatever that's worth, but politics is a mess of Aesthetics and Vibes that matter as much and/or more than actual facts) and more moderate/conservative. He's been a great senator and picking him would defuse some of the BORDER IMMIGRATION BLAH BLAH!!! scaremongering that Republicans love to run on, but it would also leave open the possibility of losing a special election and other dangers with the Democratic senate that we really need to minimize. So Walz is a better choice for that alone, but also:
He really has serious progressive credentials as governor, even if he was a fairly mainstream Democrat (who flipped a rural red House district in Minnesota that Democrats have not been able to win again after he left) during his 12 years in the House. This is an INCOMPLETE LIST of what he was able to do in two years with a one-seat Democratic majority in Minnesota:
A Climate Action Plan that included:
Investing in energy infrastructure
100% carbon-free electricity by 2040 goal
Transition off of fossil fuels and onto clean energy resources
Building more electric vehicle charging stations
Providing funding to help workers acquire new skills through apprenticeship programs in clean energy fields
Direct state funding for transit
Money for rail
Tax credit for e-bikes
Permitting form to fast-track clean energy projects
And that was in addition to:
Codified abortion access in Minnesota
Guaranteed paid sick time and paid family and medical leave
Funded replacing ALL LEAD PIPES IN THE STATE
Free school breakfasts and lunches for all
Made public college free
Stronger labor protections
Drivers’ Licenses for All
Voting Rights Act to reverse recent court rulings that make voting harder, including restored voting rights to convicted felons
Banning medical debt from credit bureaus
The "Taylor Swift Bill" requiring all ticket "junk fees" be shown up front
Banning most "junk fees"
No book bans
Protection for tipped workers
Banned non-competes
Legalized recreational cannabis
Gun control, including increased penalties for straw purchases of firearms, expanded background checks and enacted red-flag laws, passing gun safety measures that the GOP has thwarted for years
Made MN a Trans Refuge State, and required health plans to cover “medically necessary gender-affirming care.”
Pay increase for Uber and Lyft drivers
Elimination of the so-called “gay panic defense”
A ban on “doxxing” election workers
A prohibition on “swatting” elected officials
In March, during the height of the Gaza/uncommitted primary protests against Biden, Walz said that young people should be listened to and they had a right to be speaking up and the situation in Gaza was horrible and intolerable, without directly slamming Biden or getting involved in the issue in a way to draw negative headlines. Regardless of what you think about any of it, that is a very deft way to handle it and pairs well with Kamala's better responsiveness on the Gaza issue overall. That was a big part of the reason why Gen Z/younger voters were very excited about Walz despite him being an "old" (actually the same age as Kamala but he has joked that teaching high school for 20 years will do that to a guy) white guy. If half the battle in politics is making the right pick to excite your core voters and reach out to new ones, then Harris nailed it. As I have said in earlier posts, there was just too much energy with young voters FINALLY checking in when Harris became the candidate, to risk introducing a big ideological split with Shapiro.
Aside from that: the most insufferable Smart White-Bro Political Pundits (TM) are big mad about Walz, many Never Trumper Republicans thought they were entitled to a "moderate" in exchange for oh-so-generously lending us their vote against Trump and not run the risk that we might end up with someone *gasp* progressive, and the regular MAGA Republicans are hysterical, which means they're terrified. It's also incredibly hard to paint Literal Midwestern Stereotype Dad (football coach, social studies high school teacher, military veteran, etc) as THE EVIL END OF AMERICA in the way they desperately want to do, though the fact that they're trying shows that they've got literally nothing. The fact that Kamala picked Walz against the PREVAILING WISDOM!!! that she had to take Shapiro (for whatever reason that might have been) is also a good sign, because by far the most genuine and extensive enthusiasm that I have seen from Democratic voters, especially those feeling burned out or disillusioned or angry with specific policy choices of the current administration, was for Walz. Having everyone excited for the pick beforehand, effectively using the "weird" line, and rallying behind the guy, only for her to actually go for him, is inspiring. It makes people feel like they're being heard and the Democrats have decided to win by being progressive, and not just endlessly Catering To The (Imaginary) Middle as they have always been told to do (and often done). That alone is MASSIVE.
Walz is tremendously funny, personable, has Democrats from AOC to Joe Manchin praising it (again, shocking), was right out the gate supporting Kamala, has already been majorly successful on TV, was by far the most progressive-on-policy picks of the VP finalists, is incredibly, hilariously wholesome and small-town Midwestern (he's the JD Vance that they wish JD Vance was), and is already sending ActBlue gangbusters with donations again. And when you're getting this kind of response on the Cursed Bird Hellsite, just:
Just. I don't know what's happening either. But let's enjoy it, and then work hard, because we gotta fucking do this and for possibly the first time this entire year, I really think we might. Heck yeah.
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Eddie Munson x reader: they support him as he goes on his first tour & she gets jealous of his girl fans
Thank you for requesting! I hope you enjoy ❤️ ends with some good old fluff of course.

The van rumbled beneath you as Corroded Coffin’s tour vehicle winds down another lonely stretch of highway. The guys are in the back, swapping riffs and yelling over who gets to control the cassette deck next. Eddie’s laughter rings out, carefree and warm, but you’re sitting shotgun, staring out the window, your thoughts a million miles away.
The tour was supposed to be everything Eddie dreamed of—his big break, the culmination of years spent pouring his soul into music. And you were thrilled for him, genuinely. You’d quit your job and packed your bags to be by his side, to make sure he didn’t lose himself in the chaos of the road.
But no one warned you about the screaming girls.
They swarm at every stop, clutching at Eddie like he’s the second coming of Ozzy. He takes it all in stride, charming smiles and playful winks, basking in the attention without a second thought. You know he loves you, but every autograph he signs, every picture he poses for with an arm slung around some adoring fan, feels like a pinprick to your chest.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Eddie’s voice startles you. He’s climbed into the passenger seat, leaning back with his arms crossed, his usual easy grin replaced with a look of concern. “You’ve been quiet today.”
“I’m fine,” you say too quickly, your gaze fixed on the horizon.
He tilts his head, studying you. “Liar.”
Eddie’s dark eyes linger on you, searching for cracks in your armor. “C’mon princess. Don’t do that thing where you bottle it up until it explodes. Talk to me.”
You shift uncomfortably in your seat, wrapping your arms around yourself. “It’s nothing, Eddie. Really. Just tired from the drive.”
“Right,” he says, drawing out the word skeptically. His fingers drum idly on the dashboard, but his expression remains serious. “Well, when you’re ready to tell me what’s really going on, I’m here.”
You force a small smile, but it feels brittle. “Thanks.”
Eddie watches you for another moment, then sighs and stands. “Alright, Miss ‘I’m Fine.’ But you owe me one later.” He plants a kiss on the crown of your head before retreating to the back of the van, his energy magnetic as always, drawing the guys back into their chaotic jam session.
You let out a slow breath, the tension in your chest refusing to fade. The rest of the drive passes in a blur of laughter and off-key singing from the band, but you barely hear it, too busy wrestling with the ache that’s been gnawing at you since the tour began.
—————————————————————————
The venue is loud, packed with fans pressed shoulder to shoulder, a sea of heads bobbing to the beat of Corroded Coffin’s set. Eddie is electric on stage, commanding the crowd with every growl of his guitar and every howl into the mic. His hair flies as he moves, sweat glistening under the stage lights.
You’re proud of him. God, you’re so proud of him. But standing on the sidelines, you feel like an outsider in his world.
When the band wraps their set, the crowd explodes into cheers, and the guys bask in the adoration as they head backstage. You linger behind, watching as a cluster of girls presses against the barricade, calling Eddie’s name. He’s stopped to sign a few things, that grin of his plastered across his face. One of the girls leans in close, shouting something you can’t make out that makes him laugh.
Your stomach twists. You know it’s nothing—Eddie has never given you a reason to doubt him—but the insecurity and unease claws at you.
“Hey, you coming?” Gareth calls from the side door, snapping you out of your trance.
“Yeah,” you mumble, forcing your legs to move.
————————————-————————————
The backstage room is a frenzy of noise—gear being packed up, beers being cracked open, and the guys reliving their favorite moments from the show. Eddie is the center of it all, animated as he recounts some joke a fan told him.
You sit on the edge of a couch, picking at your fingers, trying to blend into the background. Eddie notices eventually, his grin faltering as his gaze locks onto you. He excuses himself from the group, weaving through the chaos until he’s standing in front of you.
“Hey,” he says softly, crouching to meet your eye level. “You’ve been off all day. What’s going on?”
You shake your head, forcing a smile. “I told you, I’m fine.”
“Bullshit,” he says without hesitation, his brows furrowing. “You’re not fine. You barely said a word during the drive, you didn’t even watch most of the set, and now you’re sitting here like a ghost. Talk to me.”
Your chest tightens. “Eddie, I said I’m fine. Can we just drop it?”
“No, we can’t just drop it!” His voice is sharper than he intended, but he took a deep breath to steady himself and glanced around the area. “Look, I know something’s bothering you, and I can’t fix it if you won’t let me in.”
The frustration and exhaustion bubble up, and before you can stop yourself, the words spill out.
“Fine! You want to know what’s bothering me? It’s those girls, Eds. The ones who throw themselves at you after every show. The ones who look at you like you’re the only person in the world.”
Eddie blinks, taken aback. “Wait, what? You’re jealous?”
You cross your arms, feeling both exposed and defensive. “I’m not jealous. I just… I don’t like the way they act around you, okay? And I don’t like how easy it is for you to smile at them like it’s nothing.”
His expression softens as he stands and takes a step closer. “Angel, you know they don’t mean anything to me.”
“I know that,” you snap, your voice wavering. “But it’s hard to feel like I matter when there’s a line of girls getting your attention, and your winks, and laughs.”
Eddie stares at you, guilt flickering across his face. He opens his mouth to respond but hesitates, as if searching for the right words. “I… I’m sorry… I didn’t realize…”
“Yeah,” you say quietly, your anger fading into a dull ache. “I feel like I’m just here, watching you live your dream while I fade into the background.”
Eddie shifted, sinking down onto the couch beside you, his shoulders slumping. “You’re not in the background,” he says, his voice low and steady. “You’re the reason I’m here. You believed in me when no one else did. Hell, you believed in me when I didn’t.”
You glance at him, tears burning your eyes. “Then why does it feel like I’m competing for your attention?”
He exhales slowly, reaching out to take your hand. “I’m an idiot. I’ve been so caught up in all this—the shows, the fans—that I didn’t stop to think about how it might feel for you. But you’re not competing, okay? You’re the only thing I want in this world and I’d give it all up for you. Nothing even comes close to you.”
You look down at your joined hands, his thumb brushing gently over your knuckles. “I just… I don’t want to lose you, Eddie… but I don’t want to hold you back either.”
“You won’t,” he says firmly, leaning closer. “You couldn’t lose me if you tried. I’m yours, sweetheart. Always. And you’re not holding me back.”
The tension between you eased and Eddie tugged you into his arms, holding you tightly. His embrace is warm and familiar, grounding you in a way nothing else could.
“I’ll do better,” he murmurs against your hair. “I’ll make sure you know how much you mean to me. Starting now.”
You pulled back slightly, looking up at him, a soft smile tugging at your lips. “Yeah? How are you gonna do that?”
He smirks, the mischievous glint in his eye returning. “How about a private serenade? Just you, me, and my guitar?”
You laugh softly, the sound easing the last of the tension in your chest. “That sounds like a good start.”
Eddie grins and presses a lingering kiss to your forehead. “Good. Now let’s get out of here. I think we’ve had enough of this circus for one night.”
With his arm wrapped around you, Eddie leads you out of the noisy backstage area, his presence steady and reassuring. For the first time in days, the knot in your chest began to unwind.
Because as long as you have Eddie, the rest doesn’t matter.
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