#i have another set in the works for later this week!

[strwbrychffoncke]

"i feel a little less alone,, 5.9k words synopsis: the notorious & mischevious twins from your class work in tandem to put together a surprise for you contains: lnds luke + kieran x reader ,fluff! ,school au (tbh was going for hs but feels more like college after reading it LOL) friends -> lovers ? ,v light angst ,kind of oblivious!reader (sorry self-indulgent) ,sylus cameo ! (trying to drop hints) ,the twins are really silly here ,twins bickering ,they both like you ,jealous!luke ,they make chocolate together ,confession <3 ,i cant think of anything else my brain is fried note: (unedited! will edit later im too tired rn its too long) hey lol.... making myself complete these before i begin my bday event for myself hehe :x this idea has been in my head for months & finally have the will to bring it to life

-

luke and kieran were menaces.

it was apparent to anyone and everyone that had the pleasure (or lack thereof, depending on who you asked) of interacting with them. they were known tricksters, sometimes called "the crow delinquents," with rumors circulating that they never played fair, that they picked fights often, and hid clubs and shurikens in their lockers and secret compartments of their clothes.

shockingly, most believed these rumors, but you were not most, and thus you figured they were just that: rumors.

the little that you did know about them was 1, they were almost never seen apart (if one was without the other, it would be safe to assume that something was wrong). two, they often hung around an upperclassmen by the name of Sylus, notorious for his own reasons with his own reputation preceding him (and maybe he, the delinquent of the school, was the reason for the rumors circulating the twins). and 3, for some reason or another, they were always lingering around you.

not just one, but the both of them.

whether it was the seating arrangements in class (how did you always end up in the middle, you were unsure), your sacred space of silence during breaks suddenly filled with two voices either ranting, joking, or bickering with one another, the previously empty classroom you sought refuge to enjoy a lunch suddenly filled with two more presences (but how is it that you still wound up being the only one who ate in this time?), and even during your walk home, what once was a leisure time filled with your music now taken up with two boys who started being referred to as "bodyguards" accompanying you to your humble home.

despite this change in your daily life, its not like they were unpleasant, per se.

on the contrary, you very much enjoyed the twins' company in what was otherwise an uneventful day, week, month before they began talking to you. you often kept to yourself, and didn't mind it too much, but now you found yourself snorting at the bickering that broke out between the two that you had no choice but to be witness to, taking note of their preferences and spending your precious allowance on drinks from the vending machine for kieran when he seemed a little breathless, and catching yourself laughing a little too hard at something that luke said bluntly (and more so at the smack he'd receive from his brother).

if anything, you were more confused than anything else at the twins apparent attachment to you.

but well, you weren't exactly complaining. they seemed to carve their way into your heart, and you were more than happy with the new routine set in motion with the two of them around.

-

everything good comes in threes, which is how you found yourself faced with sylus of all people seated in what was supposed to be kieran's spot in the otherwise empty classroom.

you were so shocked at his presence— sitting confidently albeit questionably with one leg bent at the knee towards his chest, foot planted on the seat and the other stretched straight, arm resting on his knee as he flipped a coin over in his other— that your first instinct was to run. while you didn't do exactly that, you simply turned around, hoping that he hadn't already noticed you.

"hey."

dammit.

you stopped immedietaly, but refused to turn around. it was silent for a moment before his voice rang through again.

"come, sit. i wanted to talk to you."

this couldn't be good, could it?

you peeked behind you, only to find sylus piercing gaze already on you.

"i wont bite," he jokes, gesturing to the seat infront of him.

you don't respond but carefully make your way to your seat, settling yourself in before the so-called delinquent.

"where—"

"they're... indisposed, at the moment," he answers smoothly, cutting of your impending curiosity.

you wonder if you should pry, but before you can, he speaks again.

"those two seem to have taken such a strong liking to you that i figured i'd speak to you myself."

you feel your face heat up at his choice of words.

"well... what did you want to talk about?"

sylus leans forward slightly, elbow planted on the desk, hand in a fist where he rests the side of his head.

"what did you do to get them like that? i wanted to see the kind of person that captivated them so strongly."

your eyes widen.

"captivated...? they were the ones who approached me first—"

"they don't go around approaching everyone, now do they sweetie?"

when you think back, you're not even sure you'd see them approach anyone else, usually only sticking with one another and speaking when approached by any student.

"..no, i guess not."

sylus smirks.

"and why do you think that is?"

you fish out your utensils from the wrap, popping the lid off of your container before reaching for the rice while answering.

"actually, ive been trying to figure that out myself."

your gaze is fixed on your lunch now, scooping some rice into your mouth while eyeing what to go for next, missing the incredulous look sylus shoots your way.

"what do you mean?" he murmurs, watching as you pick up a piece of meat and happily chow down on it.

you swallow, taking a sip of water before speaking again.

"well, they kind of approached me all of a sudden one day, and have lingered around me ever since."

realizing how that may sound, your head shoots up, panicked eyes meeting sylus' gaze, waving your arms around in front of you.

"its not like i have a problem with them or anything! i just— i mean—" your gaze shifts to the side before falling back on your food, one hand falling to your lap as the other picks at the warm meal.

"i'm not sure why those two would hang around someone like me, thats all," you mumble, picking at some greens and shoveling them between your lips.

sylus raises an eyebrow at your shift in expressions just moments ago.

you were quite an interesting one, indeed.

he leans back in his seat, his propped leg falling to stretch out beside the other, crossing his feet and folding his arms over his chest.

"have you considered that maybe they like you?"

your eyes flit up to meet his, eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

sylus thinks he's got you.

you swallow again, taking another sip of water, setting it down and staring straight ahead.

"well, id hope they do."

sylus' eyes widen ever so slightly. you tilt your head slightly, continuing.

"i mean, they're around me so much, i would only hope its out of likeness and not pity," you finish before shoveling some more rice into your mouth.

sylus narrows his eyes, exhaling through his nose.

clueless, aren't you?

"i meant romantically, sweetie."

your reaction is immediate.

your eyes widen before you let out a series of coughs, reaching for your water bottle in haste to gulp the liquid down and soothe your throat.

"wh-what?" you finally ask between coughs, wiping your mouth with the back of your sleeve.

"is it that unbelievable?"

"well, why would they—"

"boss!"

"y/n~!"

before you know it, you're wrapped up in several arms, with one twin sliding into the seat beside you and sliding his arms around your waist and head on your shoulder while the other stands behind you, arms wrapped around your shoulders and lightly pulling your head towards his chest.

"what are you doing here with our y/n?" the voice behind you asks, playfully accusatory, and you realize its luke.

"yeah, what are you doing here with her? is that why you made us run that errand for you?" kieran, by your side, asks in the same tone.

sylus puts his hands up in mock surrender, the twins' gazes following his movement as he stands up, lazy smirk plastered on his face.

"as i told them, i was merely curious about the person you both can't seem to stop talking about."

the twins' eyes widen, feeling their heartrates increase, sharing the same look of bewilderment as they stare at sylus.

"b-boss!"

"i'll be taking my leave now," he says smoothly, all-too satisfied at flustering the twins. you only squirm in their grasp, but they don't budge.

"and you," sylus makes eye contact with you, stopping you in your futile struggle.

"we'll speak again soon." his voice is laced with promise and you can only nod in agreement before you watch him turn on his heel, and coolly make his way out of the classroom, sliding the door shut behind him and disappearing down the hallway.

you breathe out a sigh of relief and in seconds, the twins slide into the chairs beside yours, lazer-focused on you.

"what did he say?"

"was he talking about us?"

"did he say anything strange?"

"were you nervous?"

they're questions come in rapid fire, and you have to plant a hand on each of their masks to signal them to slow down.

"sorry," they mumble in unison, lightly pushing your hands down, letting them fall into your lap.

"do you want some?" you gesture to your lunch. "i made a lot, so...."

"yes, please!" they answer in unison, their eyes skimming over the meat, rice, and veggies within the container.

already accustomed to their antics, you turn around to allow them to eat with little worry before you begin answering their questions one by one.

"he said he was here to 'see the kind of person i am?' i didn't really understand, but thats what he said."

the twins shared a look behind your back.

"he did mention you both. when i asked where you were, he just said you were 'indisposed.'"

"typical of boss," kieran states plainly.

"anything strange... well, he asked if it occurred to me that you both might like me."

in seconds, the sound of something akin to a shocked screech was accompanied by coughs, and shortly after, someone slapping the others back.

"are you okay?? should i turn around?"

"no, he's fine," kieran answered, making luke chug some juice before looking at him in concern.

"are you—"

"HE SAID THAT!?" luke cried as soon as he could speak again.

"ye—"

"what did you say??" now kieran sounded just as frantic.

"i.. i said i hoped you did like me since you hang out around me so much, because i like you both."

"you..."

"you said that..?" kieran asked, a little breathless.

"y-yeah—"

"did he say anything else???" luke interrupted.

"he..." you trailed off, wondering if you should say it.

'i meant romantically, sweetie.'

you felt your face heat up at the thought of his words again. but why would he say that? surely because he was messing with you. despite what he said or may be implying, you were sure the twins didn't, no couldn't, think that way about you, and so why bring it up and embarrass yourself further?

"he didn't say much else like that," you lied, a little relieved once you heard the twins sigh out in what you assumed was relief.

"were you nervous then? i know how boss may seem," kieran piped up after a few beats of silence from what you assumed was them eating.

"yes, actually. the second i saw him in your spot, i turned around thinking i was in the wrong room."

kieran snorted while luke practically cackled.

"ah, i wonder, hahaha! what he must've thought, ha!" luke pondered aloud, words broken between his pleased giggles.

you smiled at the sound.

you had a passing thought, for just a moment, that you'd like to hear the sound everyday.

the rest of the break was spent as usual, the twins doing most of the talking, making a mental note to talk to their boss later as they relished in what lunchtime they had left to spend with you.

-

if you were to ask kieran, he would say the moment he fell for you was well before they ever even approached you.

while he may prefer to throw himself off of the roof of the school before ever admitting it aloud, you might say that it was "love at first sight." and honestly? his only regret these days is not approaching you sooner.

he remembers the day so clearly, its almost a core memory for him. they went back and forth on the idea of going or skipping orientation, ultimately deciding to go for the sole reason that they had nothing better to do that day.

matching in simple black jeans, black hoodie and black face masks they approached the school together, talking about something he couldn't recall even if he tried.

he remembers nodding along to something luke was saying as he looked ahead towards the entrance of the doors, and thats when he saw you.

you were dressed nicely, nowhere near formal but much nicer compared to him and luke, posture anxious but with promise, phone clutched in your hand, messy pieces of hair falling to the front of your face despite the pins you had-

and then, you met eyes.

it was so brief, just a second, but something about those eyes of yours- bright yet unsure, glittering yet anxious- made kieran's heart skip a beat.

a second later he blinked and you were gone, disappeared behind the entrance doors no doubt scurrying off towards the orientation's location and then kieran remembers luke stopping by his side (when did he stop walking? he wasn't sure) his brothers' hand slapping then resting on his shoulder as kieran held a hand over his rapidly-racing heart.

"hey, you good? whats up?" luke asked out of concern but tone still light, mixed with more confusion then anything, seeming completely unaware of the sensations running through his brother's veins.

kieran insisted that it was nothing, just a little hot he managed to choke out, and despite the clouds almost completely shielding the sun behind them, luke only gave a quizzical look before nodding.

"better get inside, then!" he chirped, patting his brothers shoulder again before returning both hands to his pockets and walking ahead.

kieran knew what he was thinking without him having to say it.

bullshit, but i wont push it right now.

after all, they were twins, and to some degree, their "twin telepathy" wasn't just some inside joke.

the orientation and checking out the classes passed in a blur. all he could recall was your pretty outfit and that look in your eyes.

. . .

when he found himself in the same class as not only luke but you as well, he felt like he might implode.

though, rather than getting involved right away, he thought maybe it was better to keep his distance, that you'd come to him first.

but the longer he waited, the more impatient he got.

and the more time that passed, the more rumors began floating about them both.

he noticed you around, how you mostly kept to yourself, more often than not seen with your headphones over your ears, drowning out everyone and everything, a little dazed and lost in your own little world.

distant, comfortable, alone.

at this point, he began second-guessing himself. there's not way someone like you would willingly hang around some "shady delinquents" that just so happened to be in half of your classes.

not to mention every time he did try to approach you, his heart rate sped up so rapidly he'd always get cold feet last minute.

he was just about to sigh in defeat, faceplant straight into bed and sob his eyes out over his broken heart while blasting sad music when a notification brought his attention to his phone.

it was an email of a group project, and within it the groups that everyone was assigned to.

he opened it, uninterested, eyes skimming over the names in boredom, subconsciously looking for yours.

and he found it.

right next to his and luke's.

his heart lurched.

that evening, he let out a scream so loudly, luke was convinced he had been attacked, so imagine his surprise when he burst into his brothers room only to see him rolling around on the floor.

after that, friendship came quickly.

he, by some miracle, managed to mask his nerves behind his actual face mask and witty banter with luke, shamelessly inserting himself deeper and deeper within your daily schedule until it became natural.

luke followed suit, and though his suspicions of his brothers antics was ever present, he remained, finding solace in your company and reveling in the new addition to tease and chat away to (not with, since you mostly listened rather than spoke yourself, not that he minded, neither of them did).

kieran felt his feelings grow with each passing day, hiding it behind mischievous eyes and dramatics. he would figure out the next step later, he thought.

-

if you asked luke, he would say the moment he fell for you was after he saw you getting hit on.

honestly, it may have been before that, but he just refused to face his feelings, pushing the weird-fluttery feeling he'd get every time you laughed (either by his doing or getting smacked by his brother), smiled (he really likes that expression on you, he feels lucky to be able to witness it everyday), or touched him (either your hands grazing his after handing him a drink from the vending machine or tugging on his sleeve to get his attention, he always thought his heart might just burst right then and there).

this must be a very strong liking towards you because you were so different from kieran and sylus and others, is what he convinced himself of.

that was, until someone appeared to try and snatch you away.

even now at the mention of that day, luke can immediately feel heat creep up his neck, his ears burning bright red, the crimson spreading across his face as he begs kieran to just shut up, already! to which his twin simply laughs his head off.

it was a normal day— at least, thats how it began.

he remembers the part where he made you laugh in class, having a chill period as you three worked on your assignment together. any day he makes you laugh is a good day in his book.

and then, came lunch time.

out of the norm, you decided you wanted to eat outside in the courtyard. it wasn't often you decided this, and you always told luke and kieran they could go wherever else they wished (knowing they probably wanted to hangout with sylus too) but they had insisted they would join you.

and they did. for awhile.

at some point, kieran had said something about talking to sylus about something, saying he'd be back in a blink. that left you and luke for some time, until you offhandedly mentioned a drink you were craving, to which luke perked up and offered to grab for you from the vending machine.

"i want one too, its not biggie! ill be quick, so don't miss me too much~"

he gave a little wave and you laughed before thanking him, watching him walk off before you gathered some more rice together.

. . .

luke was absentmindedly humming to himself, swiftly tossing and turning the drinks in hand as he momentarily wondered if kieran would beat him to returning to you. at least he'd have something for him if—

"—y/n, right? we share the class..."

lukes train of thought seemed to crash.

"..been looking for you...."

he tilted his head to the side.

who...

he took a couple of steps closer, enough to hear but not enough to be immediately spotted.

"im so glad i was able to catch you on your own!"

luke could get a clearer look at the guy that approached you.

he wasn't anything special in his opinion, maybe a little charming if he squinted, dressed decently enough, he thinks as he watches the guy give a nervous yet polite smile your way.

why was he scrutinizing him so deeply?

why was he so irked at someone else looking at you like that?

why did he want to tackle him so badly?

he reasoned with himself that he shouldn't, not when he hasn't done anything.

but if he did....

luke wouldn't hesitate.

"actually, i..."

the guy looked away, scratching his cheek and giving a nervous chuckle.

you urged him to continue, how nice of you, always so nice, luke thought.

"well... i just...."

he took a deep breath.

"i think you're really cute, and wanted to know if you'd like to go out with me!"

luke has never been so filled to the brim with dread.

he quickly garners your expression, and you're nothing less than shocked.

"i... um...." you avert your gaze towards your lunch, pondering.

you're trying to find a way to turn him down.

the guy takes a step closer, holding a hand over his chest.

"come on, give me a chance! we can get to know each other, and if you dont like it, well..."

his words trail off as something behind you catches his eye.

its luke, making a beeline toward you.

"birdie~~ im back with— oh, whos this, is he a friend of yours?"

lukes tone is playful and light, but his eyes are piercing, aimed straight towards the mystery guy.

he doesnt actually know how he got here, all he knows is that his body moved quicker than his brain, perceiving a threat and acting as your shield: namely, wrapping his arms around you from behind, and planting his chin atop your head.

a cute gesture, but this way, you cant see his expression.

"oh, thank you, luke...."

"w-wait, is he...?"

suddenly the student's eyes are wide and shaking, hand trembling as he points towards the protective twin twisted around you.

ah, someone who believes the rumors.

for the first time, luke is actually grateful for them.

"y-you're the one who... he.... i— im sorry, i should've known—!"

"wait—"

you begin to stretch a hand out to gesture for the student to pause but he's already bolted off and out of sight, taking himself towards safety.

luke lets out a sigh.

even with the perceived threat gone, his arms tighten around you slightly.

he can feel his heart racing.

"you're so soft..."

"luke..?"

that somehow snaps him back, and he jumps away from you.

"s-sorry," he mumbles, shaking his head before taking his seat beside you.

"your drink," he holds the can out towards you and you thank him.

"why did he look so afraid?"

out of everything you could ask, thats the first question that spills from your lips.

luke opens his mouth to answer but is beat to the punch.

"thats because of the rumors. we are delinquents, ya know?"

luke chokes on air at the sound of kieran's voice flitting through the air as he reclaims his spot.

"sorry i took so long, i—"

"how long have you been here?" luke cuts him off.

"long enough," he answers deliberately, his eyes with a knowing glint in them.

that evening, luke never head the end of it.

but one thing was now certain in his mind:

he did not like the idea of you with someone else.

especially one that ran at the sight of danger incarnate.

he remembers the way he felt, his heart racing at the memory of you clutched in his arms, like you two were the only ones that existed for a few moments in time, and finally confronted what he'd been running from.

he liked you.

a lot.

what an awful thing, luke sighed, falling backwards on his bed, cheeks warm and rosy.

-

without having an actual conversation of acknowledgement, the twins knew that they both garnered feelings for you.

the perks of twin telepathy.

after acknowledging these feelings, they decided to work together on putting something together for you.

the idea, in theory, was genius.

they would make homemade chocolates (who didn't like sweets?), surprise you with them, confess their undying love, and live happily ever after with you.

except... someone (or two) underestimated just how difficult making chocolates from scratch could be.

"no thats— what are you doing?"

"what am i doing? im trying to follow the recipe!"

"in what world does it need that?"

"its called 'a little extra love,' idiot."

"oh, im the idiot??"

the kitchen was a mess, and their banter filling it made it all the more worse.

at some point, they mutually agreed to take a break.

kieran took a long sip of water while luke slumped down beside him, letting out a long sigh.

"this sucks."

"too bad neither of us is all that good in the kitchen."

"im not even talking about that."

kieran raised an eyebrow.

"i just mean— feelings."

kieran let out an amused scoff.

"feelings suck?"

"god, yes!" luke exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air.

"i mean, who even created love? we should kill them."

kieran snorted.

"you'd rather do that then face your feelings?"

there was a beat of silence.

"probably."

"idiot."

"arent you worried at all?"

kieran shrugged his shoulders.

"of course i am."

"then, why—"

"i mean, they're not the type to just up and run, ya know? they didn't run away when we—"

"when you," luke interrupts.

"when we approached them," kieran continues.

"so even if they dont reciprocate, they wouldnt leave us in the dust."

"...you really think that?"

"i know that, they proved that," kieran emphasizes his words, giving a kind looks towards his brother.

"it'll be okay."

luke sighs.

"i sure hope so."

he moves to stand up, taking kieran's outstretched hand and pulling himself up, dusting himself off.

"god, making chocolates is so sappy, isnt it?"

kieran smirked.

"do delinquents make chocolates?"

luke smiles.

"the best in the world."

-

the twins have been acting strange these days, to say the least.

you like to think you know them well. after so much time together, months upon months, you're quite pleased with the fact that you can tell them apart (not that it was difficult, you learned just how different they were from the very first couple of encounters back then) and your ability to sense shifts in their demeanors.

not that it happens often, but every so often, there's something that slips just enough to let you know something is wrong.

and more and more of those days have popped up recently.

though, rather than annoyed or down about something, they seem a little on edge instead.

you immediately noticed it the first day, when kieran was subconsciously bouncing his leg in class along with luke's fingers dancing across the tabletop.

there wasn't any exam expected today, you mostly took the time to go over your notes and study the current material, so you wondered if there was another reason for the sudden anxious movements.

"are you both alright?"

your concerned tone made both pairs of eyes flit up to meet yours, shimmering to the brim with confusion and worry.

their hearts clenched.

"what do you mean, birdie?"

"its just... you're bouncing your leg," you point to kieran's leg, who's movements seize as soon as you do,

"and you've been drumming for awhile now," you then turn and point towads luke's hands that quickly clasp over one another after pointing them out.

you lean in closer, your heart beginning to race with worry.

"if something's bothering you, you know you can tell me!"

they feel their hearts throb in sync, and glance at each other.

"we know, little birdie," luke begins.

"but, lets just say its a secret~" kieran finishes with a playful tone, one pointer finger positioned in front of his lips.

he drops his hand back in his lap, and you sigh.

"its not any trouble with sylus, is it?"

"nope, nothing like that!" luke reassures with a wave of his hand.

you frown, tilting your head and lowering your voice just a touch.

"you're not being threatened again, are you?"

kieran lets out an amused laugh.

given their reputation, they've become prone to receiving threats from some gangs and other "wannabe delinquents," as luke calls them. they had opened up about this offhandedly before, leaving your mouth agape in shock and now very much more concerned for their safety.

they simply waved you off, laughing and cooing at how cute you are before insisting they can handle themselves. shouldnt you know better than anyone else? they ask in regards to the rumors you're all-too accustomed to, with many random students approaching you to borderline interrogate you about the twins, if the rumors are true, and what your goal is with them.

(the last one always rubbed you the wrong way, your stomach turning in disdain. what do they mean "what your goal is?" if they only knew their true nature, then....

but you held the simmering feelings for the two within your heart).

kieran only shakes his head, a smile adorning his lips.

"nope! not that either."

"well..."

"dont worry," kieran cuts you off, patting your head.

"we're just fine," luke pipes up, giving a thumbs up and unconvincing smile.

you huff out a breath.

"if you say so..."

. . .

the second time is when they ditch you for lunch.

"boss' orders~!" kieran says as he leaves your favorite drink in an apology before scurrying off with luke in tow.

you didnt entirely mind being on your own even after growing accustomed to two extra guests...

but the way they left so suddenly made your heart sink.

you tried to busy your mind by scrolling on your phone as you ate when a knock at the classroom door startles you.

"mind if i join you?"

its the familiar velvet that suddenly surrounds you, grounding you and filling you with nerves and a strange sense of comfort.

you look up to crimson eyes, shaking your head as you gesture towards the seat next to you.

sylus takes his seat, looking you up and down before raising a brow.

"where are those two? its rare to see you by yourself."

you offer him your own look of confusion.

"i... thought they were with you? or, doing something for you. thats what kieran told me, anyway."

sylus' expression morphed into something unreadable before he exhaled sharply.

"sorry, but it seems they're off doing their own thing."

those words felt like a weight on your chest.

doing their own thing..? why would they lie? was it something you did?

your mind reeled.

what could it have been? you wrack your brain but cant think of anything.

did they... get tired of you?

your spiraling state must be showing on your face because suddenly you feel a sensation on your shoulder- a comforting hand.

"hey..."

you look up and for the first time see concern shining in those rubies.

he lets out a heavy sigh.

"you know, before jumping to conclusions, why dont you confront them yourself?"

-

the third time is when you stop by their dorm.

you'd been over a couple of times before, but they mostly spent time in yours, "preferring the atmosphere" they had said once when you asked.

now you wondered if they were simply hiding something.

luke is the one who answers, standing in silence with eyes too wide in shock for a second too long, probing you to wave a hand in front of his face to bring him back to earth.

"sorry, uh, co-come in!" he stutters, stepping aside and letting you in, mentally facepalming as he shuts the door behind you.

"is kieran here, too?"

"yea, he's—"

"who is it, luke?"

"its—"

"its me," you call back, and you think you hear something clatter. theres footsteps, and then he appears from behind the door.

"bi-birdie?!"

your heart picks up as you stare at them both.

"i want to talk."

they share a glance, then lead you to sit down on a couple of cushions on the carpeted floor.

its silent for a few moments, but soon you find the words you wish to say, willing yourself to just try to get through it without crying.

you take a deep breath.

"you know, if you're tired of me, you can just tell me."

the twins eyes resemble saucers. you continue.

"its been a whole week that you two started acting strange. avoiding me, blowing me off, leaving me alone... if you.."

you steady your breathing. you wont cry.

"if you dont... if you dont like me anymore, thats okay, but—"

"who the hell put that idea into your head?"

your head snaps up to kieran, whos tone of voice you almost dont recognize, being the first time you catch what sounds like a mesh of anger and regret within it.

you stare for a moment, unbelieving.

"kieran..."

"no, someone— someone must've said something, right? to put that idea into your head?"

"you... you're the ones who..."

"its not what you think!" luke chimes in, all defense and reassuring merged into his tone.

he turns to kieran.

"i think now's the time."

kieran looks at luke then at you.

"but..."

"lets prove it now, since we havent really been the best...."

kieran takes another moment to think then nods in understanding.

"wait here," he tells you before getting up and retrieving something from the next room.

he come back moments later with a little box.

"we're so sorry, y/n," luke begins, voice drowning in regretful sorrow. he reaches his hand out and you allow him to grasp one of yours.

"we... we were actually making this for you, and, well, we were pretty nervous..." kieran trails off, holding out the box to you.

you look it over, grabbing it with your free hand.

"the... secret?" you ask, remembering that day in class.

they nod.

your breath hitched.

slowly, you pull your occupied hand from lukes and use both to open the box in your lap.

inside are an array of chocolates, your favorite flavors, all in the shape of little crows.

"we made them ourselves," kieran begins.

"so... hopefully they'll taste good, and..."

"they're sort of...."

they take a deep breath.

"its our profession of love to you!" they exclaim together, wholeheartedly.

your heart rate spikes.

their.... what?

"we've liked you for a long time..." says kieran.

"and, we were planning to tell you, a little later, but..."

"we needed to give you this now, to show you."

"we like you plenty, as you can see."

luke smiles when you laugh.

"we're sorry for making you think otherwise," kieran finishes.

now they're looking at you expectantly, and you can't help but to smile, words escaping you at the heartfelt confession.

instead of responding right away, you reach for a cute little crow chocolate, and pop it into your mouth.

they watch your expressions as you take in the flavor.

first curious, then surprised, and then—

that cute smile and hum when something particularly pleases you.

you look up, gazing at the two, who still look like they're bracing themselves for something.

instead, you set the box aside for a moment, reaching forward and planting a kiss on each of their cheeks, smiling sweetly afterwards.

"dummies."

they each hold a hand over the cheek you kissed, half in awe and all in pleasure.

you could talk more about everything later. for now, you offer them some of their hard work, somehow moving together like magnets, sandwiched comfortably between their warmth as you all feed each other the precious chocolate crows.

you'd have to remember to thank sylus later.

-

a/n: why am i releasing this so late..? um as the marias once said ooo its valentines day in the city~ why it turned out so long..? i wish i knew all i can say is i was possessed n needed this out of my system even though theres barely any luke/kieran content out there sigh... sorry for the rushed ending! if this stayed in my drafts one more night i thought i might explode

-

[sleeprsirene]

"You only got eleven correct this time,” Choso sighed, setting down the paper you'd been working on. His dark eyes couldn't help but flicker a concern look at you, his brows knitting slightly.

Last week, you had asked him to tutor you in Biochemistry, a subject you were unfortunately struggling to keep up with.

It was kind of him to accept, even if he looked a little exasperated now.

“Just one more try?” you pleaded, giving him a hopeful smile. He glanced at you, clearly debating, then sighed again.

“Third time’s the charm, right?” you reasoned, watching as his gaze flicked from your face to your hands now in a peace sign before he nodded.

But before he could speak again, you decided to propose something. “I think I just need a little motivation to really do well. How about this: if I score higher than twenty, you have to grant me one wish,”

Choso looked at you, his brown eyes suspecting you. “Fine,” he agreed with a small sigh, getting up from his seat.

“But it’s getting late. You should eat something before you go home.” He mumbled something under his breath about losing track of time as he head off to his kitchen.

You grinned, grabbing another sheet of questions tucked under his laptop, this time determined to give it your all. A little later, Choso returned with a glass of water in hand, surprised to see you'd already finished.

“Done!” you announced excitedly, accepting the water as he sat back down to review your paper. His eyes moved steadily down the paper, his expression shifting from mild surprise to a smile.

“Great job! You got everything right this time.” He adjusted his glasses, giving you an approving nod.

You giggle from his compliments “Guess that little incentive helped.”

Choso looked at you, intrigued. Curious of what's in your mind. “Alright then, what’s this wish of yours? As long as it’s not too outrageous, I’ll try to make it happen.” He spoke with sincerity.

Feigning innocence, you tapped your chin as if thinking deeply, before flashing him a grin. “How about this: I get to kiss you, one kiss for each correct answer.” you winked playfully at him, enjoying the shock expression and blush on his face.

“That’s… wait—”

“Oh, but you already agreed, didn’t you?” you reminded, leaning in slightly, watching the blush creep to his neck.

Choso’s voice was barely a whisper as he closed his eyes, his ears turning red. “Fine.”

You contained your giggle, “Keep your eyes closed until I say so,” you instructed, pulling out a tube of pink lipstick from your bag. Using your phone’s reflection as your mirror.

Choso had his eyes closed patiently, his jaw tighting and his face tense. Gently, you reached up, slipping his glasses off. His eyes fluttered, almost opening, “What…what are you doing?”

“This will just make things quicker,” you answered, holding back a laugh.

With a smile, you leaned in, giving him two quick kisses on his forehead. You didnt miss how his breathing hitched at each kiss.

Then you kissed his left cheek, twice.

His right cheek, twice.

Then, softly, one kiss on each of his closed eyelids.

Finally, you leaned down, placing two gentle kisses on his neck, just beside his Adam’s apple.

“Uh…” he mumbled, barely audible, his face completely red now.

You took a step back, admiring you handywork—the light pink lip prints dotted all over his face, contrasting against his pale skin.

Right now you felt like Vincent Van Gogh or Katsushuka Hakusai admiring your artwork. Quickly, you snapped a few pictures with your phone, stupidly forgetting to make sure the camera flash is off.

Choso’s eyes immediately opened, panic laced on his voice, asking what was that just now. You could barely hold back your laughter at his flustered blushing face.

"Nothing, just checking the time," you're sure to pass that final exam now that you've got a great souvenir from your cute tutor.

woke up today and decided to post my cringe writings (⁠･ั⁠ω⁠･ั⁠)

[mystycalypso]

Hello there, hope your having a great day. Love your art. Soo, as you mentioned before about Lazer still having some of his OG rage, I came across a clip of the show from one episode. And I must say *takes in a deep breath*

This moment in particular is about the only time K.O. shows any sort of rage without being as T.K.O. Probably the only moment ever where you see that rage he must've inherited from his father.

And its when his fully planned out week gets interrupted, only a bit, by the Box-bots, scaring them pretty well too. If that's not some sort of Autism scheduling or inherited rage, then I don't know what is.

Any thoughts?

Alright, to start off, this clip is one of the last in my vocal stim comp from this show, ironically because it's the one I quote the most IN FULL, unprompted. I love it so much.

And yeah, it encapsulates why (at least from a personal standpoint) autistic anger issues bubble up. K.O. is tired, self overworked in preparation, and excited for this to happen, and having someone else come in and try to force their plans instead in cases like this, you kinda snap. "Like no. No. I prepared this and it's what we're doing. You didn't do the work to get this ready, I did." It's not the narcissistic fear driven anger we see bring out parts of TKO in "you're level 100", it's much closer to the annoyed helplessness that he gets from Laser.

Specifically, the boxbots have always seen K.O. as lesser, he's smaller, lower power level, and yknow, a kid. Similar to how I think a lot of enemies would look down on Laser for (in the au) being young and rather untrained in his fighting and (in both canon and au) being the pretty face on the team more than anything. They both look like cheerful giddy cheerleaders on their team, despite arguably both being the strongest. So when they're trying to be serious and do what they think is best, what they've been working hard on, and no one will take that seriously? They tend to blow up, and that's when it gets scary.

Because yeah, your friend is the goofy guy who shows off how he can put a whole sucker in his mouth and pull the stick out through his teeth, or the kid who's excitedly showing you all the research he did just to make health week fun for everyone, but that powerful self is still there even when you forget it.

Another good comparison would be, K.O. slapping his friends' hands away at the end of "You're in control" he laughs and jokes that he just got his hair done, but Enid and Rad are awkward about laughing with him, because this kid could still absolutely destroy them, and they know that all too well now. I think a similar thing happened after the sandwich incident. POINT trying to get more back to normal, to make jokes and whatnot again, but everything just dying whenever Laser enters the room, worried any comment might set off whatever came out that night.

Honestly, ironically, the biggest difference between them in this au especially, is what fuels TKO and Taser. But that's something for later haha

Uhhhhhhh, anyways, I don't wanna post these text answers without any images, so once again, I will be using memes

[plasticflowersinahistorycemetery]

i'm gonna talk a lot of shit under the cut. tw for religious trauma, cancer, death, alcoholism/addiction. you've been warned.

usually, my son and i see my dad on fridays. he comes to ours and we spend that time with him, once a week, every week. we couldn't make yesterday, so instead, we arranged to sleep at my dad's house tonight. so we could get plenty of time with him.

i now remember why we don't spend more than four hours with him once a week.

my dad is a barely-functioning alcoholic.

he always drank more than he should. i remember as a child, i grew up in a pub garden. every time din and i were with our dad, we would always spend a large portion of our weekends in pub gardens.

my nan (my dad's mum) was the reason i was baptised. she's the reason i grew up catholic. she took me to churches, she made me pray every night and morning, she insisted din and i be sent to catholic school as children.

we had a tense relationship when i started puberty, i visited less and less, i started trying to avoid coming to my dad's/her house altogether, because i was starting to view religion as something inherently wrong. i didn't want to pray anymore, i didn't want to follow rules for some being who had never shown up for me.

i didn't have faith anymore, not without evidence.

this became a huge thorn in my relationship with my nan. and eventually, we stopped talking to one another because of it. she would give me the silent treatment when i came round to visit my dad.

she was diagnosed with breast cancer when i turned fourteen (2010), so i moved into her house to try and mend our relationship. it was hard, but we managed it. she went into remission late the next year (2011), and we got into another huge argument about religion the day she came home and told us that the doctors had given her the "all-clear."

she said she'd had faith, that God had seen her through this trial. i told her that chemotherapy and radiotherapy, as well as taking better care of herself, had been what got her through.

she told me to get out of her house.

another few years pass, and we see each other sporadicly. if i wanna see my dad? we meet out, go for nature walks, go fishing. but i very seldom go to his house.

my dad rings me in november of 2015 to tell me he needs me. he's sobbing (my dad doesn't cry, for reference) and he begs me to come to his.

i get there, din is there also. dad sits us down and tells us that the cancer's back. but it's worse than before. it's in her brain now. it came back in her breasts (she refused to go to a checkup that could've spotted it sooner), but it has spread through her lymph nodes to her brain. she has legions in her throat and lungs.

the doctor has given her a couple months to live, if that.

i move into the house immediately. i begin caring for her. i didn't have a job at the time, i had insomnia so bad, i barely slept 6 hours a week, so it made sense for me to help out round the clock. she would send her carers away, i would do the work.

this meant getting her drinks, food, helping her carry things, helping her up the stairs to bed. after a week? it became trying to feed her (her spitting it out or vomiting), carrying everything for her, bathing her, trying to help her up the stairs.

a few days later, her hospital bed was delivered. it was set up in the living room of my dad's house. she refused carers altogether. "smin can help me."

and i did. i'd sit with her all night, i'd straw feed her water. she'd stopped eating completely by this point so it was a lot of me trying to spoon her mouthfuls of soup when i could, ice cream too.

by the end of the second week, i had to bathe her completely from her hospital bed. she had withered so fast that she had a bedsore on her lower back and her muscles/part of her spine were exposed. but she refused doctors. "He will see me through."

i swallowed it. i swallowed all of it. i let her preach, manic in the early hours of the morning, talking of hellfire and hymns and angels in the room with us, telling her "it's time." i listened, i let her have her comfort. it was the least i could do.

by the end of week three? she was asking me to decorate the christmas tree for her. she couldn't walk anymore. she has a colostomy bag and catheter. she's still hallucinating angels and animals in the living room while she tells me "the angel needs to be facing me, make sure it's not crooked."

i hold her hand. my dad has become a shut-in, he never leaves his room. he can't face that his mum's dying. he can't look at her in a hospital bed. she spends that last month with me by her side constantly.

the final week was from christmas to the 2nd of january. she was so hopped up on morphine that she didn't talk anymore. she'd lay in her bed, staring at one spot on the wall in front of her bed. unresponsive.

she reacted to music. that was all. so i'd sing to her. hymns, or diana ross. sometimes electric light orchestra. she'd raise her eyebrows. that was all we got.

the doctor had told us a few days before new years eve that it was days now. we just had to make her comfortable, and prepare ourselves. so my dad started to spend some more time with us in the living room.

on the 2nd of january, i was sat with her. my dad had taken the dog for a walk, din was upstairs playing his xbox.

my nan stopped breathing. so i sang. after thirty seconds, her breath hitched and she started breathing again. my dad came home from walking the dog and i called him in. he got din. we stood around her bed, and her breathing stopped.

it didn't start again.

since that day, my dad's drinking has escalated to the point it's at now. he drinks to forget, but he's angry all the time. he falls over and doesn't remember how he'd got bruises. he eats one meal a night. he talks about penance and how he's suffering now because he shut my nan away when she was dying.

tonight, he got so drunk, that he started talking about how he believes my son is possessed.

my son is going through early assessments for adhd, autism, and odd. he is considered "difficult" due to his defiance.

my dad believes this is because something is using my child's vessel as a fucking home.

he told me i need to reread the book of enoch (this was read to me as a child... as PUNISHMENT when i misbehaved), it's a scary fucking book. it's not canonical in catholicism, but it is terrifying in it's imagery: fallen angels, hellfire, demons. etc. so it was an effective weapon used against me to keep me from acting out.

i told him i'd get him help for his alcoholism. he told me he was going to bed.

i am sitting in the living room now, the same room i watched my nan dissipate and die in. i am cold to the bone. i am confused. i am hurting. i don't know what to do. i love my dad, i want a relationship with him, i want to help. but tonight has truly shocked me, because how can i have a relationship with this man when he thinks the way he does?

[sydney-carton-of-sour-milk]

The Many Illustrators of A Tale of Two Cities 11: Harry Furniss (1/2)

These speak for themselves.

This week's set is a particularly iconic one - at long last, we've arrived at Harry Furniss's illustrations for the 1910 Charles Dickens Library edition of A Tale of Two Cities!

1 / 2 || 2 / 2

Furniss created hundreds of illustrations for this series, which was meant as a centennial celebration of Dickens's birth. For A Tale of Two Cities in particular, he made 32! In this post, we'll be looking at the first 19.

Also, a note for the full set, just as a heads-up: A few of the Internet Archive versions - which are the primary source used here - were cropped, so I edited in the missing pieces using (if I remember correctly) these versions from HathiTrust.

There really isn't much more to say concerning these thorough, thoughtful illustrations - I waited patiently to begin to work on posts for them until I found quality versions that would do them justice, and I'm so delighted to finally have done so. Without further ado, enjoy!

See you soon for Part 2!

& the standard endnote for all posts in this series:

This post is intended to act as the start of a forum on the given illustrator, so if anyone has anything to add - requests to see certain drawings in higher definition (since Tumblr compresses images), corrections to factual errors, sources for better-quality versions of the illustrations, further reading, fun facts, any questions, or just general commentary - simply do so on this post, be it in a comment/tags or the replies!💫

[ambersky0319]

🙃

[frankbelloriley]

I was looking for a job, and then I found a job, and heaven knows, I have to use this new job to look for a better job.

[olessan]

I love the fact that I can work as hard as I can manage with a broken tooth and a dying tooth (one on each side, I've been chewing on the cavity for a year) and I still cannot save even $10 towards getting dental treatment (2 impacted wisdom teeth, + tooth broken off under the gum, + bad cavity) because I barely make enough to cover my food and board and the insane energy bill

[toastingpencils37]

Hopefully I will finish the Pilots and the Mini-Movies tonight on my rewatch. But don't be surprised if I somehow don't.

[mortalityplays]

talking about impenetrable accents/dialect just reminded me. when I was in Milan a couple of years back I was staying in this little rathole hotel and I had the biggest fucking migraine, so I was like non c'è problema I'll just go buy painkillers. of course every pharmacy on the map in a three block radius was closed, so my stupid ass just starts wandering around trying to figure out on the fly if you can get OTC from supermarkets in italy.

I walk into this little everything store (to my foreign eyes the kind of place that back home could sell you a bunch of carrots, a 6-pack of beer, pantyhose, bleach and a screwdriver set) and I see some household basics in the back but not what I need. with the confidence of a person who is only in the city for 3 days because he got bored and packed a bag and booked the cheapest flight available the week before (<= MENTAL ILLNESS), I was like no worries I know some italian, I can just ask.

I grab a bottle of water, walk up to the counter, and I'm like Ciao, hai il paracetamolo? And the guy is like che, and I'm like paracetamolo. Per la mia testa. And he's like che?

This is where I would have said 'aspirina' except I can't take aspirin for medical reasons, or 'antidolorifico' except I don't know that word and I've got no phone data for google translate and also I'm stupid. So in my fucked up leith-glasgow-italian accent I'm like paaa-ra-cetta-mollll-ooo. He's like ohhh bene, bene, and he calls another guy out of the back and asks him to go get something. Other guy then walks out of the store into the street, and before I can be like hey, che la fuck, he comes back and hands me a huge bundle of herbs.

At this point I'm like okay this entire interaction has been a bust, but these guys have been very nice and patient and they're both smiling happily at me because they've been of service, so I'm like ahh perfetto, grazie, pay them a couple of euros and leave.

EVENTUALLY I find a pharmacy that's open, and my head is fucking killing me, and my phone still isn't connecting, and now I have this small shrubbery poking out of my coat pocket, so I don't even bother looking around the shelves. I just walk straight to the counter and I'm like uhh ciao, scusi. And hearing my nightmare of an accent the guy answers in english and I'm like thank christ, do you please have paracetamol. Not aspirin, I can't take aspirin. And he's like yeah yeah hold on, goes into the back, comes out with what I need.

Only when he comes out he gives me this look, and then he starts laughing. And then he pretends he's not laughing and rings me up and I pay, and as I'm leaving I can see him losing it. But I don't care, my head is going to explode, I'm going back to the rathole to close the blinds and fall comatose for four hours.

When I get back to my hotel room I take off my coat and remember the huge bouquet of herbs in my pocket. They smell amazing, and I'm like I'm pretty sure this is parsley in which case I can just get some tomatoes and mozzarella later and make it work. but since I have no idea what that interaction was, I want to make sure. I bring out my phone to get a visual reference of what parsley leaves look like, and because I was using it for google translate earlier I put 'parsley' in the wrong box like a dope and translate it to italian.

prezzemolo

I wish I could have been the pharmacist in the moment he looked at my tired pissed off anglophone ass, heard me say 'paracetamol' in my fucked up accent, and turned around saw what was in my pocket. I'd have lost my shit too.

[squid--inc]

....

[kingofcomedy]

anyone else desperate to keep it together lately?

[shinoko-oshi]

Simon’s sweet wife

seen other people talk about the task force finding out about Simon’s bird at first in subtle ways so I made this

It started with the lunches.

At first, no one thought much of it. Simon had brought the occasional sandwich before, nothing out of the ordinary. But then it changed. Out went the basic bread and meat, and in came proper meals. Lasagna. Curry. A neatly packed container of something warm and homemade, tucked right beside a little folded note Simon was far too quick to snatch out of sight when Johnny leaned over, grinning.

“C’mon, Simon,” he teased, voice full of curiosity. “Just let us have a peek. We wanna know who’s makin’ you lunch like that, eh?”

Kyle nodded, snickering.

“Piss off,” Simon grumbled, big hand curling protectively around the note like it was a classified file. He didn’t care that they were watching, didn’t even look up. Just reread your words, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth beneath the mask.

“Ay, Johnny, look! you can see a heart through the paper!” Kyle laughed, catching the way the light hit the thin paper just right, revealing the faint outline of a heart signed with your name.

After that, it became a bit of a running joke. Not that Simon gave them anything to work with. But the mystery only deepened when, during a three week deployment at another unit, a care package showed up with his name on it.

To say the guys hovered would be an understatement. Johnny and Kyle practically sat on either side of him like vultures, trying to act casual. Price stayed back in his chair, cigarette between his fingers, looking disinterested but Simon could feel his eyes, just as nosy as the others.

The box had all the essentials: snacks, cold weather gear, a familiar blanket from home. A couple of your sweet notes, some of his favorite tea in bulk. But what really got them going were the Polaroids tucked in between the layers of stuff.

Kyle caught a glimpse of one. Simon sitting on a porch step with you in his lap, your smile soft, his arm wrapped tight around your waist.

Johnny elbowed him. “Alright, Simon. When ’re we gonna meet this mystery missus of yours?”

“She wouldn’t like you.” He grunted in response 

“What is she, a grump like you?”

Hardly.

The real surprise came a few weeks later, when a sweet bird showed up at base asking for Lieutenant Simon Riley.

Price was the first to see you. He’d expected someone with a set it glare, reserved, maybe a little sharp around the edges. Instead, you walked right up to Simon with a warm smile, kissed his cheek like it was the most natural thing in the world, and handed him a jacket. 

Simon knew Price, Kyle, and Johnny were watching from around the corner. Hell, he wouldn’t be surprised if half the rookies and a few of the other sergeants were too.

But none of that mattered.

Not when his sweet girl was standing in front of him.

“Why are you here, baby?” he asked, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear.

“You forgot your jacket,” you said, brow furrowed. “And I heard it was supposed to be cold today. I didn’t want you to get sick.”

Your voice alone cracked something in him, and it was impossible not to smile under the mask.

“Y’know I would’ve been fine, love.”

Still, he took the jacket from your hands with a quiet “thank you,” promising to wear it, walking you down the hallway before watching you turn and head back out.

Well— not before Johnny and Kyle caught you at the corner, peering over the wall like a couple of kids up to no good.

They didn’t say much, but by the time Simon heard about it later, you’d already agreed to let them come over for dinner sometime.

He just shook his head. Not even surprised by their antics. But he didn’t say no either.

Because you’d said yes.

So next Saturday, he guessed he’d be setting an extra few plates at the table for Johnny, Kyle, and probably Price, too. 

[st4rbwrry]

𝓢𝓤𝓖𝓐𝓡.       eren yeager.

‎𐦍 ₊˚♱ ෆ . . . 5.1k. fem!reader, set in 01’, country!eren + bluecollar!, housewife!reader, established relationship, domesticity, ovulation, oral ꒰ f + m. ꒱, kreaming + squirting, rough sex, nasty talk ofc, unprotected, daddy kink, spanking, pet names ꒰ sweetie, baby, mama ꒱, praise, hair pulling, check ins + aftercare, choking, breath + sensitivity + salvia play, minors aren’t allowed! reblogs + comments are greatly appreciated. <3

꒰ 𝑚𝑜𝑐ℎ𝑎’𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑒 ꒱ . . . a lil sum i thought of randomly. this is related to the dangerously in love couple. <3 visual. visual. visual. wish i had a link for the exact position i have in my head, so here’s a small example. hopefully i explained them well. :<

part three. <3

ivory sunflowers are imprinted along the frilly apron that hugs your body cutely, the coquette lace floral dress with a baby pink ribbon to create a corset style underneath. the warm scent of strawberry pie baking in the matcha green vintage oven blooms your heart. dusting flour over the counter to roll and mush at the dough you’ve created for the chicken pot pies, one of eren’s favorite meals. the sun was fairly hot today, your eyes fixating on the two beautiful tawny cows roaming your farm, their mouths chewing at grass as the wind blows serenely.

you told eren to keep a close eye on them while he was outside, watching your husband stand halfway down the driveway with sweat dripping from his brow as he tinkers with the engine of his polished black 1968 ford f100. he’s been having troubles with it this past week, and constantly handling it became tedious. he expressed his anger a few times now, this truck being his first big purchase for himself and he was having issues only a year later.

his light blue levi jeans and classic wife-beater was streaked with grease, clinging to his muscular thighs as he crouches low, peering intently at the mechanical innards. every so often, he wipes his hands on a rag before reaching for another tool, his calloused fingers moving with practiced ease. the sun casts a glow on the definition of his biceps as he lifts and maneuvers heavy parts. angelic brown strands held back by a black cap turned backwards.

you’ve been subconsciously humming along to the 70s and 80s rock tunes he has stationed on the radio. don’t dream it’s over currently on play. meanwhile, inside the cozy farmhouse kitchen, with the tantalizing aroma of food and your chocolate brown maltipoo who eren named honeybelle sleeps on her bed by the window — although this moment was romantic and peaceful to view, you weren’t too happy of a woman.

this was one of the few days he was off from work, and he’s been outside fixing his car since your eyes opened to an empty bedside. it’s nearing nighttime, and you’d spent half your day to your lonesome. shaving your body, doing your skincare routine and deep conditioning your handful of a curly head that’s currently pinned up away from your soft features. it’s felt like such a long time since the two of you enjoyed a full day together, let alone make love. your ovulation period not making this any easier on you, feeling like a wild animal in desperate heat. the only time you really interacted today was when you brought out a fat honey-turkey club sandwich, knowing he tends to forget to eat sometimes.

brushing the crust you created for the pot pie after layering them in crisscross patterns with butter, your mind wanders off, daydreaming as the sun begins to set and the sky blooms into color palettes of saffron and coral. the air outside turns warmer, and you study your husband once more, watching the ball in his throat shift as he chugs on a pitcher of water, droplets hitting his chest. his briefs are peaking out from his jeans, feet in his black timberlands per usual. his arms have veins streaming from the middle of his forearm to his big, dirty hands. silver wedding band on his right.

those slanted viridescent eyes of his catch your stare as he glares at you over the pitcher, swallowing and giving you a movie star smile with pearly whites. you smile faintly, returning the gesture. your heart pounds rapidly in your chest, shifting in your spot as you realize you’re biting your lips and almost riding the air. your blood is thrumming throughout your body, needing him to come inside right now.

the chicken pot pies are done in thirty minutes, each crust perfectly golden brown. and within that time, he’s still outside messing with his truck. you wanted to be understanding that he needed his truck in order to head to work tomorrow to further provide for you and the home as he does, but you can’t help that feeling of abandonment in your chest. you really didn’t want to cause an argument, but this was becoming irritating.

removing your apron, you slip on your outside shoes to head towards the garage where he resides, being faced with his broad back and gruff noises of agitation.

“baby.”

“yes, sweetie,” he replies quickly, groaning as he twists the wrench.

“dinner’s done. you’ve been out here all day. please come inside,” you pout, going to wrap your arms around his waist, laying your cheek on the column of his back.

eren removes his cap, scratching at his head before smoothing his hair back and placing it on again. “mhm, baby, i know. gimme like ‘nother hour, i just gotta connect the fuckin’ valve springs to the camshaft.“

“i thought it was just overheated?”

“yeah it was, the water pump wasn’t sending coolant through. the crankshaft wasn’t movin’, ‘n the radiator cap had too much pressure so the spring in the cap compressed ‘n flew over in the coolant reservoir. glad i ran to the auto shop beforehand.”

he’s saying a lot of shit you don’t understand if being frank. sighing, you let go of him, knowing he was real intricate with his truck so he definitely wasn’t going to be done in an hour. he stops what he’s doing to turn and face you, observing your expression.

“what i say about that, mama. huh?” eren sighs, leaning down to kiss your forehead. “don’t be givin’ me that face. i’m tryin’ my best right now. swear ima be in, i’ll make it forty-five instead.”

“that’s not the point,” you roll your eyes, crossing your arms. “fuck the dinner, i want you to be with me. you’ve been out here since eleven in the morning. not once have you come inside the house ‘n checked on me.”

his jaw clenches, your tone expected but not what he wanted to hear right now. “i ain’t tryna argue with you.”

“then don’t, help yourself to dinner.”

“꒰♡꒱.”

turning with clear attitude, you stroll back into the house, honeybelle barking softly as she follows you around. you feed someone in the house, pouring kibble into her beige bowl before patting her head and watching her scruff down the food. by this point you’d lost your appetite, huffing and puffing in your kitchen as you set the food back into the oven and made your way up the staircase.

to cool yourself down, you decide to run yourself a bath. twisting the gold faucet to fill the clawfoot tub with hot water, crouching on your knees to swish the water around to help form the bubbles. it was fully dark outside now, lighting aromatherapy candles and opening the double vintage windows that overlooked the farm you and eren spent years creating. stars in the sky and clouds camouflaging. undressing yourself, you grab a novel off of the shelf and submerge yourself into the tub, closing your eyes in bliss and leaning your head back against the spa pillow that elevates your neck.

eren manages to take approximately thirty minutes to finish up his project, starting up the truck and test driving it before he sighs in relief to see she’s back in shape. after parking it back into the garage, whistling at the cows to get them to follow him back into the barn after much needed playtime, he’s finally stepping into the house. honeybelle skips towards eren, sniffing at his ankle and wagging her tail. eren smiles, patting the top of her head.

“where’s your mommy, girl. huh?” he coed, scratching under her chin.

his eyes scope the dining area, finding the table set up just for the two with candles that were half burnt, blown out. the homemade sweet tea in a pitcher leaking with condensation, ice cubes melted. the pie you baked was set into a glass cake stand, and the pot pies are settled into the oven under the light. it was definitely clear you were upset with him, groaning and putting a hand on his head. he truly didn’t mean to take away this day from you, aware of how much you’ve missed him. hours at work are longer since the power plants needed more tending to from low employment.

just last week he had to go out of town and leave you for an entire three days to travel to another refinery. in that time you’d tend to your farm while also helping eren’s father with his. you knew what this lifestyle would mean for your relationship. things around the house including you will be secure, but having him come home exhausted to the point where you rarely spend as much time as you’d like with him was difficult. at most he had two days off a week, but a lot of times they’d call him in because someone else didn’t show up.

you’ve suggested countless of times that he should switch locations, but this one provided better benefits and he was close to a promotion that would also guarantee him extra off time. ‘it just takes time, baby.’ he’d constantly tell you. and you’re not one of those wives that complain about every single thing to make her husbands life harder, the two of you rarely even argue, but you do have your moments where you’re too stubborn.

the heavy thud of his boots sounds in the home as he heads up the stairs, softly calling your name to see where you reside. with his hand on his toned stomach under his shirt, he finds you rested in the tub, head turned away as you sleep comfortably. his tall frame leans against the doorframe, watching you with a pout on his face. you look angelic, cloud white bubbles flowing around your body, the jets in the tub keeping them in tact, slowly dissolving. the tankless water heater he installed a while back kept the water warm, making you comfortable enough to drift off to light slumber.

he makes his way closer to you, crouching before you to brush the tendrils of curls dangling in your face. your breath is light, lashes feathering against your cheekbones as he caresses your jaw with his thumb. he bends to pull the plug and drain the tub, not fond of you sleeping in water. you didn’t have it too high up, but people drown in tubs a lot more than you think.

you hum gently, eyes opening to see him looming over you, studying him in silence. sitting on his behind, he grabs a pedicure knife to clean under his nails, tattooed arm dangling into the tub and under the running faucet to remove the impurities.

“don’t like you fallin’ asleep in the tub, sweetie. you could drown. this isn’t your first time doin’ that,” his brows deepen, grabbing a nail brush and applying some of your cashmere and goat milk soap you currently smelt of with to scrub at his manicured fingernails.

you bring your knees up to your chest, wrapping your arms over your knees. “sorry.”

eren scans your face, eyeing the beauty of your entirety. perfectly white painted toes and matching nails, dark, big curls framing your face, slowly falling from the claw clip on the back of your head. the fullness of your lips with the cupids bow curve of them. soft skin, pretty eyes . . you were all his. such a beautiful wife. so when you’re mad at him, it makes him feel like shit. the way you look at him is different as well. your eyes are dead almost, a scolding glare in them.

“this day was supposed to be for us, i know,” he breaks the silence. “old shit was being difficult, ‘n you know i gotta drive far, sweetie. gettin’ ‘n a crash isn’t somethin’ you’d want happenin’ to me, right baby?”

the frown on your face serves how you feel about that. “i’d lose my mind if something bad happened to you.”

“ ‘n i’m not tryna guilt trip you or anything like that. i understand how you feel. i miss you just as much. i think about you all fuckin’ day at work. but, as time passes, eventually i’ll be in a better position ‘n you can have me with you whenever you want. jus’ lemme handle shit, okay?”

his strong hands go to caress your ankle, the silver jewelry shining there, lifting your foot to kiss at the shape of it, eyes low and focusing on you, unable to help the heat that swims within your hips and core.

“i really just needed you so bad today,” the sound of your throat clamping up causes him to go alert. you bow your head, wanting to hide your face as the tears threaten to spill. “it’s so stupid. i spent all that time pampering myself and cooking for us — i just hated being alone, even if you were still here.”

“c’mon, baby. why you cryin’ ? none of that. i’m sorry, truly,” he’s rising up on his knees, kissing at yours.

“missed you touching me,” you whimper, sniffling and pouting. “missed your kisses. i miss you.”

ah, so that’s what it is. he doesn’t make any effort to hide the smirk on his face, scoffing lowly while dropping his head. you can be such a brat when you’re horny, and given it’s been about two weeks since he’s last fucked you, he now gets why you begged for him to be with you today. quality time was still needed, but he can tell by the way your body tenses and your lips part to release tiny gasps while he strokes the pads of his fingers across your hips . . that you’re ovulating.

“that’s all you needin’, mama? some touches?”

salvia trails down your throat as you swallow, thighs squeezing together out of reflex, throbbing from those damned eyes of his, nodding with hooded lids. “mm hmm. so bad.”

“mm, yeah?”

the butterflies in your stomach swarm as he brings his face closer to yours, his touches on your skin causes you to grind when his mouth suddenly connected with your throat, your jaw widening as you gasp and toss your head back, his mouth sloppily kissing at the right side of your body. lips moving from your collarbone, each sound coming from him emphasized as he sucks at your chest, pulling your areola into his mouth and trailing his tongue down the side of your stomach, down to your hip and the crease between your thigh and waist. every kiss and lick is rough, his groans exaggerated as you moan from every touch.

“ooo, fuck. oh my god,” your hips can’t stop moving, his tongue gliding back up before his fingers indent into your cheeks, turning your face to his so he could kiss you roughly, sliding his tongue on yours.

eren doesn’t kiss you for long, detaching your lips with a lewd slick, both of your lips pouty before he’s arching over the tub and guiding his mouth along the left side of your body, repeating his motion of sucking and licking you. your eyes gloss back, spreading your thighs further apart when he gets closer to your pussy, swallowing your bottom lip inward.

he cocks his head back to lewdly spit over your clit, the string of saliva and the vein on the side of his thick neck making your face heat up. your mouth hangs open as he takes his fingers and slowly spreads it over, grumbling, "want me all over you," before rubbing your clit in smooth circles, groaning at the weak noises you made.

you were so needy, every touch he gives you consuming, a lust and desire looming over you that only he could give you. your hips twitch and hike midair, and your positive you've made your lip bleed by how hard you bit into it, doe eyes hazily watching his face. brows furrowed as he tentatively paced his fingers, repositioning himself so he could tug you down flat in the tub, your knees pressed to your chest as he clutches onto the sides of the tub.

“hold ‘em there, be good.”

a squeal envelops eren’s ears once he cranes his neck and drops his mouth over the puffy nub, enclosing his lips to kiss at your folds. your pussy is soaked, dripping between your ass cheeks, inner thighs twitching while he licks you up. the cap on his head continues to hold his hair back, his biceps flexing from every noise you make, trying to keep his composure. he wanted to make you feel real good, you deserve it, and he’s missed you.

“b—babyyy,” a mix between a groan and a whimper flows from you, keeping your legs open and squeezing at your chest hard, slowly rocking your pussy on his face, voice shuddering from the feel of his light stubble on your soft skin.

eren spanks the back of your thigh, dragging his mouth to soothe the feel after with an open mouth followed with more of his tongue. he loved tasting you, clearly. melting on the velvet of his tongue like sugar. his chin is doused by your slickness as he buried his face deep, circling your clit in languid strokes, lower lip dropping to bring it back into his mouth. you’re never embarrassed by how loud you get, knowing you’ll be reprimanded if you do keep silent. so a pathetic, drawn out whine fills the space when he removes his mouth.

“feed it to me,” eren hisses, spanking the back of your thigh again, french kissing either side of your ass. the hungry aggression through his eyes tell you to listen, his body almost entirely inside of the tub to make sure he’s giving you what you need the right way. “c’mon, girl.”

the gruffness in his tone makes you squirm, like he’s just as pent up as you. easing your hips up, you hold your legs fully up so they’re past your ears, gripping on his arm for balance as you dip your hips so your pussy connects with his face, your face curling up as he spits and slurps, your body trembling.

“mmmahh,” you weakly moan, chest heaving and breath stuttering, his tongue occasionally dipping into your hole to taste that sweeter place, eren grunting and bouncing his head along with your movements, teeth every now and then biting at your inner thighs. “g-g’na—squirt, f-fuck, nnnngh.”

eren acts on instinct, reaching to grab the back of your neck as your body arches forward to hold you so you won’t hurt yourself, swallowing at your achy bud as you coat his throat in your juices, humming and savoring every ounce. the static of your legs as you sing out your moans makes his dick harder, straining in the confinements of his jeans.

he pulls away, your body flat within the tub as he stands and undoes the leather belt on his waist, ears perking up from the sound of his zipper and then awaits the weighty girth of his dick. blush pink tip and tan with a protruding vein trailing up the underside. you find energy to lift yourself up, clinging to the side of the tub like a mermaid on rocks. reaching for the back of his leg to pull him closer, eren’s brows lowered at the sight of your eyes setting into seductiveness.

your mouth opens instinctively, giving him those big brown irises that has his dick jump in your face. eren’s waist spasm backwards, fingers grasping the coils of your hair to stop you. “no, no. not now. y’know you’ll make me cum too quick.”

“y’know you can’t fuck me till i taste it,” you pout, evidently upset, keeping your lips parted as a need to have it. “just a taste, daddy. i want it.”

“fuckin’ hell,” eren clenches his jaw, pupils dilating, lowering his jeans and boxers to his thighs to inch his dick to your lips. “yeah, jus’ a lil taste, baby. gimme those pretty lips.”

eren moans when you waste no time intaking half of his dick, tongue licking at the underside and slurping him up, bobbing your head and letting him hit the back of your throat in nasty squelches. his head falls back then to the side as he squeezes his eyes shut, attractive neck showcasing, grunting and slowly thrusting into your throat.

“f-fuck, ꒰♡꒱. love this sweet fuckin’ mouth of yours. show me that throat, baby,” two hands go to clutch your neck, eren pulling his dick out, salvia dribbling down your bottom lip. you widen your mouth, angling your face up so he can see your tongue in it’s entirety, the tight ring in the hollow of your esophagus calling him.

“good girl, take this shit deep,” he whispers painfully, teeth clamped together in a hiss as he lays the heaviness of his dick on your flat tongue, pushing in till his pretty, leaky tip connects with the back of your throat, constricting around him. “a-ahh, yeahh.”

you let him use you as long as he anticipates, eyes drooping low, trying to focus on eye contact with your nose mushed to his happy trail, the scent of the day and his cologne seeped into his skin. you heave when he pulls back entirely, whining and riding the air. he’s so damn masculine it makes you so feminine and submissive.

“one more time, hold it,” bending his back slightly, he slides back into your mouth, gently holding your neck in place to thrust a few times more, deep melodies of grunts and hisses pouring as he furrows his brows and studies how you made his dick wet and shiny, balls slapping against your chin.

with your mouth stretched open, you take him in as deep as he likes, closing your eyes to shut off your brain so you don’t choke. eren holds you there, huffing out ‘ooh fuckin’ god, baby.’ before smoothing his hand on the side of your face after he withdraws his hips to let you breathe, his own chest knocking from holding his breath.

“love you,” eren reminds you as he peppers kisses all over your face and you smile, a continuous gesture he’d do every time to make you aware, especially when he’s too rough.

the trance you have on his dick is sickening, following it as he maneuvered around the bathroom, retrieving a towel he spread on the lower part of the tub before entering, not bothering to take off his boots. you giggle as he hovers above you, biting at your nail and shifting your body beneath him so he could slot in. the weight of his cock lays on your stomach, eren grinding to rub along your folds, coaxing your hidden clit to show. eren steadies his figure, knuckles turning white from him grasping either side of the tub and holding himself up by indenting his feet into the towel.

“i fuckin’ need you,” eren growls, biting at your neck before licking and shifting his hips to nudge the tip against your opening, easily sliding in slow.

the warmth fills your face again, abdomen pinching from pain and pleasure, pawing at his slightly dirty wifebeater and hiking it further up his chest you were desperate to touch. the silver chain around his neck sways in your face, squinting your eyes and dropping your jaw when he begins pounding into you with the need he expressed. the sluice of your pussy is loud, his balls slapping against the rounds of your ass while your thighs hit his pelvis.

“this what you needed, right? what you been whinin’ for?” eren grunts in your face, taking your lips in his for passionate kiss, moaning together.

“y-yesss, mmmph,” the pleasure swarming in your stomach feels foreign, whimpering from every stroke he gives you, clawing at his sides. it felt so fucking good, your eyes scrolling and your breath inordinate along with his. “dick feel so good, ‘ren.”

“mhm hmm,” his face curls up, leaving an open mouthed kiss on your cheek and behind your ear, his touches making your body burn. “i hear it, she’s creamy as fuck.”

and it was, peering down between where you two connect to see him covered in you, the sticky slaps making his eyes lose focus, rutting into you harder. so hard it makes you scream, that sweet spot being pressured and your tummy flutters.

“e—ren,” you can barely see him, whines and whimpers being your only way of communication. spreading yourself wider by holding yourself open with both hands, arching your chest into his face where he sloppily eats at your brown skin again.

“talk.”

“annngh,” your lips turn into a pout, face completely gone. every word and sound coming out brokenly. “f-feelin’ something. s’so fuckin’ deep in me. you fuck me so good. w’na cum on it.”

“mhm, cum on it. cum on your dick baby, make it creamier.”

it’s quiet at first when you cum, legs shaking almost violently as eren lets go of the tub and lays his entire weight onto you, tucking you fully underneath to angle his hips and dig his dick in deeper, rough and steady pivots making you reach for his hair to tug, knocking off his hat. his fingers grip your cheeks, big hand almost covering your whole face as he brings his forehead to yours, growling rough.

“yess. give. it. to. me. lemme hear it.”

“g-god, y-yessss, fuck. right there, right there. please don’t fuckin’ stop . . oh my god.”

a long, exasperated groan disperses, vibrating in your chest and in his ears, hiccups and gasps following as you clench and suck him tighter. he feels the throb from your orgasm, dick twitching inside of you, rolling his waist and keeping you close to let you ride it out and feel it longer.

“take your time, there we go. feel it all.”

it pulsates harder from hearing him, grasping his wrist and releasing what’s been caged within you; a cry. “oh . . my . . g-god. eren!”

it’s not that you’re hurt, it’s that you’re experiencing too much at once. overwhelming pleasure, your husband’s embrace, the way he speaks to you, fucks you, the love you have for him, how he loves you, and even the annoying rise of hormones from your ovulation. a cry bolts from you, body convulsing and your voice dying out, grinding mindlessly on his dick and kissing his lush lips.

“that’s it, it’s okay.”

eren’s kissing all over your face, soothing you and giving you time before he holds you close to his chest and turns himself around so he’s leaning up, resting his head back on the spa pillow and twisting you so your back is to his chest. he balances your weight, taking the initiative to sling your right arm over his shoulder, eren smoothing his palms up the back of your thighs before locking your knees to your chest with his forearms.

“you good, baby?” eren whispers, smooching your cheek again.

chewing at your lips, you nod. “uh huh.”

eren moans as your fingers thread through the brown coils of his hair, tugging and planting a kiss on the shell of his ear, jumping slightly from the way he patted your pussy with his dick, sinking back in deliciously slow. with your lips parting in sync, eren flattens his feet to fuck up inside of you, your walls spasming from how good it feels and the sensitivity.

collecting the tresses of his messy hair, you fist it harder which makes him fuck you harder. your tits bouncing on your chest you fondle at.

“watch us,” he says, placing both of his hands on either side of your head to force your head down to stare at how he fucked you, keeping your legs locked with his arms.

the sloppy collision of your stickiness coating his cock that plunges into you roughly, his heavy hits making the both of you whimper. eren begins to grow so weak from being in your pussy and the hard labor he’d done today, and you can tell by the slowness in his pace after a few minutes. he’s throbbing hard, knowing he’s close to cumming, wanting to making him feel it too. he also had to get up early and still eat dinner, so did you.

“ ‘ren,” slithering your head from his grasp, you guide them to sit at your waist, his fingers digging into your flesh as you tug at his hair again and nibble at your bottom lip.

moving your body further up, you arch your chest forward and implant your feet flat to the surface, snapping your ass down to fuck him instead. eren tightens his hold on you, jaw slacking and squeezing his eyes shut while placing his forehead on your shoulder. you gasp, bouncing on him and constantly groping at your chest, skin clapping louder.

“you g’na cum in me, baby?” you speak with a whiny tone, taunting him.

“y-yeah, baby. please. bounce on that shit harder,” eren sucks at your side again, retracting his hand to land a harsh spank under your thigh, dangerously close to your cunt. “fuck, you do it so good, ꒰♡꒱. do it so good.”

“mmmm,” you smile drunkenly. “this daddy’s pussy, right?”

eren whines, and you love when he gets this way, so horny he lets his guard down. makes sounds he wouldn’t usually make. his tongue on you again causes your hips to stutter, that pressure building back up, a shaky moan pressing out the harder you fuck yourself on him.

“it’s daddy’s pussy. oooh, shit baby. don’t stop, i’m g’na bust all in your p—ussy.”

“all in my pussy?” harder, faster, you pounce your ass down, knees hiking and reconnecting as you drop down completely, feeling your orgasm near and riding him by scooting your ass on him.

“all . . in it— fuck. good girl.”

weakness fills your bones, loosing your balance completely, eren bellowing out curses and grunts as he locks his hand around your neck to pull your back to him again, swiveling his hips with yours while you both ride out the wave. heaving on the side of your face after he lays his cheek on yours, warm cum leaking into you while you gush all over him in exchange.

eren softly kisses at your shoulder, embracing you in his hold and moaning from your walls clenching on him. you can’t even find the energy to speak, enduring the comforting silence and weak breathing. rubbing your arms and molding his face with yours, skin to skin a necessity for him. rocking you side by side, smiling into his forearm he used to lock against your neck, inhaling the coconut fragrance in your hair.

“we need a shower, and that chicken pie i worked hard to make for you.”

“and that strawberry pie,” eren chuckles within the crook of your neck. “i’ll eat it all just for you.”

“you better.”

© 𝒮𝒯𝟦𝑅𝐵𝒲𝑅𝑅𝒴! all rights reserved. please do not repost, steal, or modify my work simply because it is mine. stealing isn't cute. i'll ruin your life ♡

[jaxon-exe]

Ghost in the Watch Tower

(With any of my ideas, feel free to use this as u want)

So for whatever reason u want, Danny needs a new haunt. Now he can’t just pick anywhere. It has to be somewhere that fits him.

So after a bit of haunt hunting he finds the perfect place!! The fact it’s the HQ of a bunch of heroes satisfies his protection obsession nicely and as if it couldn’t get better ITS IN SPACE!!! It’s perfect!!! I mean yeah there r already people living and working there but Danny can turn invisible so it’s fine. He doesn’t need much honesty.

So for a few months Danny just chills in the watch tower without anyone knowing and all is great. Than one day Constantine is dragged into a meeting at the watch tower and immediately pick up on the fact that a Realms ghost has moved in and no one in the tower had seemed to notice.

Deciding it would be better to handle alone than risk a bunch of novices poking around one of the most dangerous types of undead there is, he sets up a banishment spell in a spare room. It should be fine anyway. The spell doesn’t affect humans so he can just deal with it and no one has to know.

Only it doesn’t work.

Ok then, well good thing he knows another ritual that should work! He gets it all set up, goes the incantation and… yeah that didn’t work either… it’s at this point he hears a near silence noise echo out. It takes a minute but he eventually figures out what it is.

…laughing…

This fucker is laughing at him…

Well any plan John had of just giving up is thrown out the window. This shit is personal now.

Danny on the other hand is having the time of his life! Not only did he score the perfect haunt, he now has free entertainment in the form of John ‘soul whore’ Constantine trying to banish him using spells and rituals that won’t do anything to a half human like him!! Best haunt EVER

Cut to a week later and Flash is on watch duty when the Zeta goes off and out walks John which leads to-

Flash: hey, wasn’t expecting.. is that a shotgun??

John: ghost in the watch tower

Flash: w-what??

John: Ghost. In the. Watch. Tower. *walks off*

Flash:…………………….*presses button* yeah hey bats urrr. I think Constantine’s lost it

[alex51324]

So, the NDA signed by producers of The Apprentice just expired, and one of them has published a tell-all article. Most of the article is about how they used standard reality-TV tricks to portray Trump as being wealthy and intelligent, when in reality he was, and is, a deeply indebted buffoon.

The money shot, however, comes when Trump and the producers are preparing for climax of the final episode, when the winner will be decided.

Per the FCC's rules for game shows, producers could not be involved in deciding who would be fired each week, or who would ultimately win: it had to be Trump's decision alone, like contestants and viewers were told it was. The producers could, and did, give him a presentation about the strengths and weaknesses of the contestants each time he had to make a decision. These were recorded, in case questions ever arose about whether the producers had crossed the line.

So, for the final episode, there were two contestants remaining. Both were men, one white, the other Black. They'd both done well in the final challenge of the competition. As the producers were summarizing the points for an against each candidate, this happened:

“Yeah,” he says to no one in particular, “but, I mean, would America buy a n— winning?” Kepcher’s pale skin goes bright red. I turn my gaze toward Trump. He continues to wince. He is serious, and he is adamant about not hiring Jackson.

In the finished program, Trump chose the white contestant as the winner.

(Four years later, Trump would propagate the baseless conspiracy theory that Barack Obama was not a native-born US citizen and therefore had not legitimately won the presidency.)

The article also describes how women working on the production faced discrimination based on whether or not Trump wanted to look at them while they did their jobs:

While leering at a female camera assistant or assessing the physical attributes of a female contestant for whoever is listening, he orders a female camera operator off an elevator on which she is about to film him. “She’s too heavy,” I hear him say. Another female camera operator, who happens to have blond hair and blue eyes, draws from Trump comparisons to his own Ivanka Trump. “There’s a beautiful woman behind that camera,” he says toward a line of 10 different operators set up in the foyer of Trump Tower one day. “That’s all I want to look at.”

And there's a third anecdote where he pressures a woman producer to break the FCC rules, while being casually misogynistic toward a contestant:

Trump corners a female producer and asks her whom he should fire. She demurs, saying something about how one of the contestants blamed another for their team losing. Trump then raises his hands, cupping them to his chest: “You mean the one with the …?” He doesn’t know the contestant’s name. Trump eventually fires her.

This information is pretty unlikely to persuade anyone who wasn't already persuaded by any of the other things Trump has done and said, which would for anyone else be a career-defining scandal. But it is a useful reminder of who we're dealing with.

(Link is to Slate, an x-number-of-free-articles-a-month site, but the incognito window trick works.)