#i only wish i could learn how better to deal with some situations

[thcophagy]

upon finding lana cornered by one of his work colleagues at their last christmas party, a variety of emotions had come over sully and all revolved around how strikingly protective over her he had become. it had taken a lot of back and forth to get her to confess as to what was going on but once the nature of her previous job had been announced, those feelings of needing to defend her only grew more prevalent. it had been a shock to say the least, learning that not only had she slept with a man like that but she'd done so for money, he didn't know if it would be better for worse if for some strange reason she'd done it of her own accord. the details of her previous employment had been kept brief, namely because he didn't know how to address it delicately but also because he doubted his wife would be pleased with the notion of having a former sex worker looking after their kids. by that point, both sully and his kids were far too attached to let anything get in the way of making sure she stuck around, even if that meant keeping secrets and lying to his wife about why he'd made such a big deal about ending the party early that night. learning about her past had naturally brought about questions, for the next week or so he found it nearly impossible to go about his day without picturing her in all kinds of situations, both fetishizing her for that work and worrying about the possible things she had been made to endure as a result. he put himself in a difficult position of both needing to protect her from anything bad happening again and craving things from her that would have to come from her very exploitation. "oh, i think i'll leave it up to your imagination." he chuckled awkwardly and took a glance down to the hand that had settled on his shirt, in part because he felt it was wrong to be discussing his past rowdy behaviour, especially when he had worked so hard to leave it all in the dust and build himself into the man he was. although, he was also curious to what she thought him capable of. he'd engaged in the usual drunken debauchery expected of a man in his twenties, allowed himself to submit to each and every whim that came about no matter the cost, it had been a fun life but ultimately not maintainable. she was clearly very intoxicated, he didn't want to take anything she said or did too seriously or make her feel bad for acting out of sorts. the imagine of a bunch of young guys throwing themselves at lana didn't exactly fill him with joy but when delivered in that low, sultry tone, how could sully do any but do as she wished and pictured him there to save her? his arm tucked tight around her waist as he pulled her out from the dance floor, his hand wandering down the curve of her hips till his fingertips found the hem of her dress and helped pull it down to cover herself up, his days in clubs were far behind him but it was a nice thought nonetheless, one he banished immediately after he let it play out. he offered nothing but a small hum in response and before he could even think to answer her next questions, that nimble hand had made its way down his torso to the waistband of his pants. he didn't dare look down again, instead he kept his eyes on the road and swallowed back the surprised gasp that had threatened to come out. she'd always been a bold, confident girl but never to such an extreme, he chalked it up to the alcohol and god knows what else she might've ingested that night and quickly realised he had to be careful with how he dealt with her suggestive proposal. "you don't need to worry about me." carefully, he reached down and pried her hand away from his crotch, then brought it back over to her lap where he set it down with a gentle pat. "just relax, we'll be home soon." it didn't need to be a big deal. maybe she'd forget about it in the morning and they could both pretend it didn't happen, or perhaps she'd come to him apologising profusely and he would have the chance to comfort her once again. either way, sully knew he had to turn lana down before he was too weak to do so.

there were many factors at play when creating the taboo nature of lana and mr. landry's potential coupling— for one, there was the age difference. she'd thought it rude to ask specifically, but from what context clues she could pick up on, she'd guess he and his wife were around twice her age, but no matter the number, it was clear she and sully were in vastly different places in life with vastly different maturity levels. then, of course, there was the matter of him being her employer, and her landlord, and he was already married on top of that, which all combined gave him a great deal of power over her, and yet she couldn't help but feel like she was the one pulling the strings as she gazed at him from the passenger seat. as if she wasn't already worked up enough, there was just something about a man driving that really got her going, and she found herself becoming transfixed not by his face, or his broad chest just barely concealed by a flimsy t shirt, but by his hairy knuckles gripping the wheel. "i'm glad you came," she purred, lips slowly curling up into a lazy grin. no matter how hard she studied him, lana could never tell how exactly he felt about her. when she'd first taken the job, she figured she'd be dodging his advances left and right to try and form some basis of professionalism, but he'd been nothing but polite and respectful. at times he'd treat her with the detachment common for a boss, though as time went on and she became further integrated into the family, their dynamic shifted, lines blurring as he came to look out for her like one would a daughter. now that the incident at the party occurred— now that he knew what she used to do for a living— lana didn't know how exactly he saw her anymore, if it had planted some seed of sexual curiosity within his mind, or only made him that much more protective of her in a paternal sense. from what she picked up on, her attraction was far from one sided; it was merely a manner of helping him accept that he could act on his desires without jeopardizing his whole life. who knows? maybe she'd stumbled into that interview for a reason. perhaps some benevolent god had dropped her right onto his lap to help reinvigorate his lust for life, and he was just too boneheaded to accept it. "yeah?" her eyes were practically sparkling with intrigue, ink black lashes batting as she reached out to toy with the front of his shirt. "tell me about it..." her imagination was active, but she wanted something more concrete— had he merely engaged in the typical amount of debauchery for a man coming of age, or had he been particularly rowdy before marriage and fatherhood straightened him out? she'd liked to have seen him back then in his glory days, if for nothing else than to know for sure whether a mustache like that came pre or post twins. "i always do." as long as alcohol was involved, lana always had a good time, but going out now was almost bitter sweet when she remembered what she had back at home. "i should take you with me next time! maybe that'll stop random guys from grinding on me every five minutes." it was delivered in jest, though when spoken in her erotically inebriated tone of voice and when coupled with her sultry gaze which had drifted down to eye the crotch of his pajama pants, it may as well have been an invitation into her bed. "when's the last time you and mrs. landry went out, hm? you're always so busy... work, work, work..." the hand on his chest began traveling, working its way down to the waistband of his pants. "you work too hard taking care of everybody, mr. landry... who takes care of you?"

[rose022]

all i can hope is that i can help people and make them a little happier. thats it. thats all i want all my life. only priority.

[arielleslipgloss]

How to Stop People Pleasing!!

(none of these photos are mine)

“I don’t like studying. I hate studying. I like learning. Learning is beautiful.” - Natalie Portman

Give it to yourself!! Why should you try to make others like you? You don’t even like other people. In fact, do you even like yourself? The person who is with you every second, do you like them? You keep abandoning yourself, yet you don’t even notice. All that attention you wish and crave for is right in the mirror. That attention you seek, you can give to yourself. All that pleasing, do it for yourself. You did good on a quiz? Tell yourself you’re proud of your accomplishment. You went out on a solo date? Tell yourself that you deserved that fun alone time. Give that love to YOURSELF, because you deserve it. All that pleasing should be used to please yourself!!

2. Stop over apologizing!! Start saying thank you instead. Someone listened to your rant and you want to say sorry? Don’t, just say “thank you for taking the time to listen.” If you ever think of apologizing, take a step back. Then, think of how you could thank that person. Expressing your gratitude to a person is an incredible healthy habit. Of course, when appropriate saying sorry is necessary though. Just try to think before you say sorry. Instead of immediately saying sorry, ask yourself “is it appropriate to say sorry?” You could even ask yourself “does this situation best fit a sorry or thank you?”

3. Embrace and grow from rejection!! Rejection happens to everyone. Every single person has went through it. Whether it’s a small or big rejection. It’s a normal thing that happens to all humans. A lot of rejections even result in life lessons. It can also help us learn and move forward. I promise, being afraid of rejection is perfectly normal. Now, how can you embrace it? Well, start thinking getting rejected is a gate to better opportunities. I mean, so many celebrities have been rejected. They have experienced it in relationships, publishing books, auditions, castings, etc. Despite of that, they are still famous and they’re still doing great! They still get many of better relationships, brand deals, movies to be in, etc. Overall, better opportunities come to them later. That means the same will happen to you! You just have to trust the process and believe. Believe not only in getting better opportunities, but in yourself.

4. Say no when necessary!! This means you need to have boundaries. You have to be able to say no. If you can’t say no you will be stuck in so many uncomfortable situations. Now, I promise that saying no is not rude. It’s actually a sign of self respect, which is amazing. However, how do we know when saying, no is necessary? For starters, think of the situation you’re in. Then, ask yourself “am I uncomfortable and in need of saying no?” If you are uncomfortable with whatever say no. You are not obligated to say yes to every single thing. You’re the one in charge of your life. So, take some action when needed and say no. Never ever, let people change your mind or peer pressure you.

5. The image you made…?!? Lastly, let’s discuss and transform this image you’ve made. Take a deep breath, because that image has gotta go. If you are constantly thinking of if this person and that person will like what you do? Then, knock it off and start doing what you wanna do. This is about to seem cliche, but life is too short. You need to stop and take a second to think about yourself. Do what you want to do. Do what makes you happy. Not what makes others like you more. Learn to be your true authentic self. If your true self is shy, extroverted, cold, bubbly, etc. Whatever it is, be yourself and if others don’t like it. So what? They are just projecting their insecurities on you. Learn not to take people’s opinions personally.

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” - Dr. Seuss

Love you so much dolls!! Remember to keep your head high and stay pretty 💋🎀

[gurugirl]

Can We Start Over | Ch. 3 The Mistake

Series Summary: From the first day you and Harry meet, your relationship is beyond complicated. A one night stand leads to hurt feelings and then a job opportunity that you simply can't pass up is offered. But can you handle working for a man like him? rich!harry x plus size!reader | enemies to lovers

A/N: This is a 5 part series commissioned by @justfattiethings (thank you hon!).

Chapter 3. Summary: Things are a little hot and cold with Harry but then when you learn the truth about what happened that first night it feels like everything changes. But maybe it's a mistake to allow yourself to feel anything more for him.

Word Count: 9.5k

Warning: 18+ only, smut, alcohol consumption, feelings of confusion and turmoil, angst

Can We Start Over? masterlist

Harry had thought a lot about the way he treated you that night. He knew that what he’d done was shitty. Shittier than what you did to him. You were only retaliating. And he had to admit, your method of revenge was quite genius. It was cold and clever. And it gave you the upper hand in some ways.

It made him like you even more. And having heard it from your own mouth that you’d still been thinking about him after that night (even if you only told him as part of a drunken declaration) had him feeling things he shouldn’t. He wondered what had possessed him to insist on having you as his personal assistant. So far, things had been very professional between you but you’d only just gotten started and Harry, knowing himself, was quite aware that he could easily find himself falling for you, as crazy as that sounded. And he hadn’t had sex with anyone since you.

Not that he couldn’t go without for a bit… it’s just that having you in his home, sleeping down the hallway from him, seeing you every day in his office in your perfectly professional outfits and pretty face, and grabbable hips… his thoughts could tend to become inappropriate.

But as much as he enjoyed how cute you were he was tired the day after he had to pick you up from the club. You’d interrupted his nightly routine with your drunken antics and his mood was rather foul. It was also not wise to have been thinking about you the way he was so the following morning when you were still raging with a terrible hangover he was very curt with you.

“I want to have sympathy for you, Y/n, but I don’t. You put yourself into that situation last night and these are the consequences.”

He stood at his desk as he spoke and you had barely dragged yourself into his study. You weren’t going to bring up how your head was pounding or how queasy you were so you were surprised when he did. Perhaps he could see it on your face. You could hardly remember the night before. Except that Harry had helped you get home.

“I know. It was a bad idea. I went overboard. I’m sorry. But…” you sat down and opened up your laptop, “thank you for helping me and bringing me here last night –“

“I hope that will be the last time. I don’t like to deal with drunks and if it happens again on a night you have to be at work the next morning we will end our contract. I won’t tolerate it again.”

Yeah, he was in a bad mood. And you were his punching bag for the next few days. You could tolerate his bad attitude for the money for only a while longer before you’d quit. It was surprising to you how he’d gone from rather pleasant to suddenly cold and uncaring.

You wished you could recall what had happened, what you’d said to him while you were drunk but you knew better than to blame yourself. Harry was just an asshole with a few, rare nice moments you determined. You’d keep your distance and not allow yourself to feel as if he was a kind man again.

.           .           .

“Mr. Styles, the car is here. Your suitcase is already ready.” You poked your head into his office.

It was time to head to Vancouver.

You enjoyed traveling. When you worked for Alfred you had the occasional opportunity to do so. However, normally, he didn’t go with you. He’d send you alone. Mr. Spector preferred staying at his home unless the destination was Italy, where you’d stay with him and some staff at his lovely Italian villa.

Another thing you enjoyed about flying with or for someone wealthy was that you would normally get the larger business class or first-class seats. You did, however, hate flying coach now that you’d become accustomed to early boarding, free snacks, large seats, and generally better service all around.

But now you were working for Harry, who was still treating you coldly. And you’d booked the seats next to each other but you wished you’d booked them apart. It would have been nice to have a bit of a break from his attitude. Well, it was more just that he was hardly speaking to you unless it had something to do with work.

“Comfortable?” Harry asked as he buckled himself in. You hadn’t expected him to say anything to you at all. Much less ask about your comfort.

“Uh, yeah. This is great actually.”

It was great. In fact, the whole experience of flying that day had not been bad at all. Harry didn’t talk to you much but he wasn’t acting like your presence was a burden like the days prior.

When you got to your hotel you checked in and were each given key cards for your rooms. Harry needed your room to be attached to his so he could call you and you’d be right there if he needed.

You showered and enjoyed the view from your balcony before dressing and getting ready for the first meeting you’d have with Mr. Radatz, the owner of the gallery who kept the art piece for the owner. You were excited to watch Harry in action. To see how he worked and better understand what being an art dealer’s assistant entailed.

You knocked at Harry’s door to see if he was ready. It was nearly time to leave. He answered wearing a Lavender suit. 

“Did you know I was wearing this?” He looked at your lavender blouse and up to your face.

You laughed as you shook your head, “I did not. Just a coincidence I guess.”

.           .           .

When the driver parked in front of the gallery you realized that it was closed to the public. This would be the first meeting with the gallery owner, Mr. Radatz, and his wife. Harry wanted to see the piece before moving forward with making an offer to purchase. If it looked legit he’d agree to meet with the woman who owned it to negotiate.

You followed him inside and Mr. Radatz greeted you both, “Welcome. I have the work in the back for you to look at. Follow me.”

The lights were off throughout the large space except for the area at the back where the painting was hung with spotlights shining over the small piece.

Mr. Radatz showed Harry the folder the owner had provided so he could verify the provenance of the artwork, including a signed certificate of authenticity from the original artist, an appraisal, as well as a document containing information about the artwork itself.

“And where is the receipt with the most recent purchase?” Harry slid the paperwork back into the folder.

“Oh, the owner has that with her. Hallie didn’t want to part with that. She can show you tomorrow.”

You knew this should have been some kind of red flag from what you’d learned. Though all the rest of the provenance seemed good, the bill of sale should have been provided as well. You supposed you’d see that tomorrow.

“Perfect. This all looks very good. I’d like to negotiate with the owner tomorrow. I have a client who wants this. Will you let her know we’ll set up dinner to discuss?”

Mr. and Mrs. Radatz made arrangements with the owner before inviting you and Harry to dinner at their favorite spot.

And of course, once at the restaurant wine was ordered which you hoped you could avoid. The less alcohol around Harry the better you figured.

“Oh, Y/n, you must have a glass. I insist! You simply can’t come here and not have some wine. I promise you won’t regret having some,” Mr. Radatz said as he poured a glass for you.

Well. You tried.

And it turned out that the wine was quite amazing. Better than you thought it’d be and after Mr. Radatz kept refilling everyone’s glasses you realized how close Harry was sat. He seemed much more relaxed once he’d eaten his meal and had a few glasses himself. But he was still mostly ignoring you.

Mostly. Because a few times you noticed Harry’s eyes on you. And when you excused yourself to go to the bathroom he stood with you and helped you out of your chair. Which you certainly did not need.

You knew you’d had too much to drink. Maybe one glass too much. You weren’t trashed. But you were definitely a bit tipsy and feeling very warm. And Harry was looking very good. You could admit to yourself that you were horny. Despite how he’d been a bit cold with you since the night he had to pick you up after you were so drunk you could hardly stand.

Harry was sitting next to you while the gallery owner sat across. Harry had done quite well to mostly ignore you. He’d spoken to you when he needed something but otherwise, his attention wasn’t on you. Which for some reason, had you feeling absolutely insane. The way his suit fit him, the style of his hair was just right, the bit of unkempt scruff on his face, the way he handled himself with the gallery owner… he was sexy and confident and you couldn’t stop watching him. You blamed the alcohol.

“I think it’s time for us to head home. You and Hallie can work out the final details tomorrow for purchase. It was nice to finally meet you,” Mr. Radatz stood and shook Harry’s hand and then yours.

You and Harry stayed back a bit. Another drink and you finally had the nerve to say what you wanted, “You know…” you swallowed, “I get why you’re being so standoffish with me but it would be nice to put this behind us. Makes everything much easier if you can just let go a bit. I’d like us to be amicable, Harry.”

He snorted and looked around the bar before turning back to you, “Amicable? Why?”

“It just makes things easier, like I said. I know you didn’t like me being drunk and having to pick me up from-“

“Y/n, you and I will continue to have a professional relationship. You’re the perfect personal assistant and I really would like to keep this going. I’m trying my hardest to be reasonable here. You don’t make it easy.”

You blinked and looked down at your nearly empty glass, “Reasonable? What am I not making easy for you, Harry? The first week I worked for you wasn’t so bad. But after you had to pick me up that night you’ve been hard to deal with and honestly, it kind of sucks. You’re not rude, but you’re not nice either.”

You watched as he clenched his jaw and nodded before finally setting his gaze on yours, “What do you want me to do? Hmm? I know I’m not always nice but it’s a fine line for me. If I’m too nice I find myself wanting to do things I know you don’t want. But if I’m keeping my distance it’s easier to remain professional.”

You scrunched your face in confusion, “What would I not want you to do?”

Harry laughed and you watched as his eyes dropped to your mouth and he tutted, smacking his tongue, “Kiss you. Have a repeat of that first night.” He looked away and toward the edge of the room, “Things like that.”

You laughed and shook your head. You hadn’t expected him to say that, “Wow. Okay.”

“Exactly. Not the best way to conduct a professional relationship.”

“Well, you’re forgetting that when I decline your advances you don’t get to have a repeat of that night. So there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Oh I’m well aware,” Harry turned back to look at you, “You’d never want me in your bed again. I get it. It’s well deserved. I fucked up when I treated you like shit that first night we met. I regret how I went about things.”

You nodded and hummed, “Tell me what happened with that. You never really explained to me about what happened. I’m curious who called you and why you suddenly went from hot to cold.”

He sighed and took a gulp of his whiskey, “It was a friend. Someone who started to get attached and it was my fault for stringing her along. I was a coward to not break up with her sooner. It was never meant to be serious. I didn’t even know at first that she was serious about me,” Harry licked his lips and twisted the glass around on the dark wood tabletop. “But when I realized she’d stopped seeing other people and got her feelings hurt when I took someone else out for dinner I should have confronted her.”

You nodded, “So you kicked me out of your room because you invited her and forgot?”

He shook his head, “She was meant to be my date for the ball. But we had different flights and hers got cancelled and I didn’t know she was coming. Didn’t know she’d rebooked. The last thing I knew was that she couldn’t come. But then when I got her call she was already just outside of the hotel on her way up,” he looked at you, “I made a choice between hurting her feelings and yours but that blew up in my face, obviously. I thought I’d never see you again and so…” he sighed, “I’m sorry. It was a shit move. I’m shit. I know. I just… I had no time to think it through and Aster and I have mutual friends and sometimes we cross paths for work so… I was spineless.”

“Aster? That’s a pretty name. Have you spoken to her since?”

He shook his head, “No. I’m sure I’ll see her again at some point. Should be an interesting reunion.”

“So she found the condom and note,” you smiled with a laugh as you finished off the last of your drink.

Harry nodded with a chuckle, “Of course she did,” he shook his head exasperatedly, “If I could go back in time, I’d have been nicer to you. Had you stay. I’d have gone down to the lobby with Aster and explained what was going on to her. Tell her the truth. I would have told you the truth too. Of course, you probably would have left just the same once you knew about Aster. But at least I wouldn’t have been such an ass to you both.”

You pursed your lips as you looked toward the window in thought. So he hadn’t technically been cheating on someone but you would have probably bolted the moment you learned there was another woman there for him. Wouldn’t have wanted anything to do with that. But it was true, had he just told you the truth things would have been different.

Still, his knee-jerk reaction to treat you like shit wasn’t something you could just let go. You understood it better now, sure, but it still had your skin crawling and your tummy twisting when you thought about the way it made you feel.

But you were happy to know what had happened. And with all the alcohol in your system, you were looking at him in a different light.

It didn’t help that Harry kept whispering to you, pressing his shoulder to yours, trying to make you laugh. You figured he probably had a little too much as well. He was much looser. Laid back. Flirty. Kind of felt like the man you met that first night.

And of course, with all those thoughts mixed with alcohol, you almost didn’t care about the way you met him and left that night. Almost. Except that now you were thinking about it and that’s all you needed to remember who you were with.

“We should head back to the hotel, Harry,” you said, regretfully.  You were having a good time with him. Your tipsy brain was enjoying the attention from him.

Harry silently looked you over. His eyes roved over your features as he nodded, “Sure.”

The ride to the hotel was quiet. You tried to make sure there was a safe distance between you and Harry. Because he was awfully close at the bar and one or two comments were a bit suggestive. But either way, you couldn’t go back down that rabbit hole.

As you were swiping your room card Harry stood behind you. You pushed your door open and turned back to him, “Everything okay?”

He placed his palm on the wall next to your door frame and nodded, “Just making sure you get in safely. Want to be a gentleman.”

You coughed out a laugh in surprise, “A gentleman?”

He grinned softly, “Yes. Why? Did you not want me to be a gentleman?”

“Harry…” you warned. He was definitely stepping past a boundary. Even his own boundary. Maybe he’d had more to drink than you realized.

“Sorry,” he put his hands up in yield, “I’ll go to my room. You know where to find me if you need anything.”

You certainly did know where to find him. And it was even harder not to feel tempted when your rooms were adjoined by a door staring at you as you lay in your king-sized bed alone and imagined he was with you. That your fingers were his. That he was making you come.

You pressed your face into your pillow as you gasped with your fingers rubbing your clit.

There was a moment where you tried to imagine anyone else. Anyone but him. But it was difficult when Harry was so attractive and his comments to you were so suggestive. So you gave in to your fantasy. No one would ever know anyway.

.           .           .

Hallie, the woman who owned the painting, was at the restaurant before you and Harry arrived. She shook Harry’s hand and then walked him inside to the hostess who seated the three of you.

At first, you didn’t think too much about the way Hallie treated you. She focused on Harry from the moment you met her. And he was the buyer and ultimately the one she needed to impress. But the longer you three spent together you realized she was actively ignoring you.

It really ramped when she pulled out her chair to sit right next to Harry and leaned in to whisper something to him that you couldn’t hear. He didn’t seem to notice it. At first. But you kept it professional and ignored it the best you could.

When the waiter came to take your order she looked at Harry, “What wine do you like? I was thinking of a Bordeaux.”

Harry hummed and looked at you, “That sounds fine to me. What about you Y/n? Bordeaux?”

Hallie made a strange sound and spoke over you before you could say that anything was fine, “Well, it’s all about you, Harry. What you want. Not her,” she laughed as if what she was saying should be obvious.

Harry looked at Hallie and squinted his eyes in puzzlement, “I’m not sure what you mean, Hallie. She’s sitting here at this table with us, so she’ll be sharing the wine too.”

Hallie let out an exasperated sound, “Pfff…” she looked at you, maybe for the first time directly since you’d met her, “You’re probably not going to want to drink such expensive wine anyway being just an assistant. Right?”

You didn’t want to argue. Didn’t want to cause a scene, “Oh… no it’s fine. I don’t need to–“

“She’s going to share the bottle with us. Of course, she will. I know she enjoys wine,” he turned to look at you, “Don’t you, Y/n?”

You looked between the two. You had been treated this way in the past. Some people assumed you were just a lowly assistant. No one to bother with too much.

“I mean… I like nice wine but it’s not a big deal,” you shrugged.

“See?” Hallie gestured toward you while looking at Harry.

Harry shook his head and leaned toward you, “You’ll have some of the wine.”

Dinner was slightly awkward after that display. You kept quiet and ordered a cheaper option off the menu. Hallie clearly didn’t think you deserved to eat an expensive dish. You only had one glass of wine, despite Harry trying to get you to have more.

Harry and Hallie discussed the most recent bill of sale. Which, Hallie had not brought.

“Well, I’ll need to see that so I can give you a fair offer. Without it, there’s not going to be a deal.”

“I’ll make sure to get it to you. After this, we can get it. It’s in my office.”

“I was really hoping to have this deal finished by the end of dinner so I could meet with the Radatz’s and have the painting packed for moving it from the gallery.”

Hallie put her hand over Harry’s, “Don’t worry. We’ll have everything ready for you by the end of the night. The Radatz’s know to wait for my call.”

“Is anyone feeling like dessert?” The waiter asked after your dinner plates were cleared. 

“Harry, you need to try their flourless chocolate cake. It’s to die for.”

“That sounds good,” he said as he looked down at the dessert menu and then looked at you, “What about you? What would you like, Y/n?”

You appreciated that he kept including you, despite Hallie practically brushing you off the entire day. You smiled, “I was thinking the cheesecake. With the raspberry compote.”

You chose the cheesecake because it was one of the cheaper desserts. You didn’t want to hear Hallie balking about you wanting the $25 frozen hot chocolate sundae with Belgian chocolate truffles and strawberry glace.

“Oh, Y/n…” Hallie tsk’d, “Are you sure you want that? Cheesecake? I mean,” she looked at the menu and pointed out the fruit salad with mint, “The fruit is probably going to be better, don’t you think?”

You had seen that option but it had pineapple in it, “I’m allergic to pineapple. I don’t have to get a dessert if it’s too much money or something.”

Hallie scoffed, “Allergic to pineapple?” Her laugh felt like an insult. Like maybe she didn’t believe you.

“Get whatever you want, Y/n. Don’t worry,” he looked at you but you could see he was getting frustrated with Hallie.

You could hardly enjoy your cheesecake. It felt like you were doing something wrong. You weren’t sure if Hallie was trying to get you to go with the fruit option because it was cheaper or because it was healthier and she was making a jab at your weight. Probably both really. And that had you feeling a little nauseated. Like she was scrutinizing you and despite having ignored you for the most part was suddenly very interested in your dessert choice.

When the bill was paid and the three of you exited the restaurant Hallie’s driver pulled up and Harry’s just behind.

“Look,” Hallie grinned at Harry and put her slender fingers on his forearm, “My office is at my home, and this transaction might be better done with just the two of us.” She looked at you, “You can have his driver take you back to the hotel, right, Y/n?”

You began to nod but Harry moved to stand next to you and put his hand at your low back, “That’s not going to be necessary, Hallie. I have to say, I don’t appreciate how you’ve treated her and that you think you can suggest that she leave by herself. In fact, this transaction is not going to happen at all. You’ve really left a sour taste in my mouth.”

Hallie’s red lips dropped open and she looked shocked, “What?! Why not? I just paid for your dinner and hers and you’re telling me this isn’t happening?”

Harry pulled his wallet from the inside of his suit jacket, “How much do I owe you for the inconvenience?”

She put her hand up, “It’s not that. It’s just that you should have told me before we got to dinner that you weren’t interested.”

“I was interested before I met you in person,” Harry looked down at you, “Go get in the car. I’ll be right there.”

You walked away and waved at the driver as he ran to the back passenger door and opened it for you.

Once inside the car, you watched Harry and Hallie. You wished you could hear what they were saying to one another. You could see Harry’s body language indicated he was relaxed and uncaring. But Hallie was stiff and her face wore a scowl as she looked toward the window you sat near (though she couldn’t see in through the dark tint) and then back to Harry.

However that conversation ended, Hallie was not happy with the outcome as she stormed off toward the car waiting for her.

Harry slid into the backseat next to you, “Are you okay?”

“Oh yeah. I’m fine. It’s not the first time I’ve been treated that way by other executives. A lot of people look at me like I’m just an errand girl or something–“

“Well, I won’t tolerate it. I didn’t recognize what she was doing until she said something about your dessert.”

“I’m sorry about that. You lost the deal and it feels like my fault.”

Harry took your hand, “No. I didn’t lose the deal. I called it off. I don’t want to work with someone like her. Can’t trust someone like that.”

You weren’t sure how to feel about the way Harry was acting around you. The night before had been confusing but you kept a level head and assumed he was acting the way he was because of the wine. You couldn’t deny you liked it when he flirted with you even though you knew you shouldn’t. And now that he took up for you and canceled a deal that could have been worth the cost of a small bungalow in Los Angeles had you even more confused.

“I still feel bad. If I hadn’t been there–“ Harry sat back in his seat, letting go of your hand, “None of that. I’m not going into these meetings without you so whoever I deal with will have to treat you as a colleague just as they would me.”

You looked out your window and smiled to yourself. You were starting to feel like you and Harry would work very well together. It had turned out much better than you thought it would. He seemed to be more easygoing after the previous night when you finally talked, and at that moment you were feeling fond after he didn’t go along with the way Hallie had treated you.

“Let’s grab a drink at the bar. Heard good things about their martinis here,” Harry said as you both walked into the hotel together.

“Okay. Yeah. Sounds good.” You could go for a martini. And it would be nice to chat a little more with Harry. Spend a little more time with him before you both parted ways for the night. And you resolved that it would only be a drink and nothing more. You and Harry and alcohol didn’t mix well. Or perhaps all that mixed a little too well and that was the issue.

The bar was full of people. You and Harry found the only little spot in a corner opposite the bar area. A high-top table with two tall stools that you found a little difficult to climb into. Harry steadied you as you planted yourself onto the cushion and he stood behind you. “What kind of martini would you like?”

You liked how close he was standing. Liked that you could smell his cologne again. You turned to look at him, “I don’t know. I’ve only had like a dirty martini and a Cosmopolitan. Didn’t like either much.”

“We’ll both have a French martini. How’s that sound?” His hand wandered to your upper arm; fingers softly pressed into your skin. His face was so close to yours that you swore he was about to kiss you. That he was–

You stopped breathing for a second when he leaned in and kissed your cheek. You thought he was going for your mouth. When he pulled away he turned around to find the bar and order your drinks.

You were very well aware at that moment of Harry’s intentions. And you weren’t sure what to think. On the one hand, this was the man who had taken up for you in front of a client and lost out on a lot of money because he didn’t like the way she treated you. He was also flirty, attractive, and you knew how good he was in bed and it really seemed like that’s what he was going for. And being a bit horny lately wasn’t helping matters either so you were wondering if it couldn’t hurt to let your hormones make that decision for you.

But. On the other, much bigger, hand the way he’d treated you that first night you’d met him, the way he kicked you out of his room… You couldn’t forget that he’d done that. Though, you had finally learned about what had happened and it made you feel less angry at him overall.

You laughed at yourself at how silly you were being. Clearly, the answer was going to be no. He did something pretty fucking shitty and that really should be the end of it. Right? Yes. So that would be it. You’d definitely turn him down should he try to take things any further.

Your pretty pink martini was sat down in front of you and then Harry’s next to yours as he dragged his stool right next to you and sat down, his body teasingly close.

Oh, he was dangerous.

He lifted his glass toward you, “Cheers to us.”

Your brows snapped together, “To us?”

“Yeah. I think we make a good team. We dodged a bullet working with someone like Hallie today and I’d much rather be here with you and this cocktail than spending a ridiculous amount of money on a painting.” He smiled with those mischievously seductive dimples.

“But that painting would have made you a ridiculous amount of money too. Your client was ready to pay well above whatever Hallie probably paid for it.”

Harry shook his head, “There’s no way I’d work with her. Even if that painting would have made me hundreds of thousands of dollars. Don’t like how she acted like you didn’t matter.”

You smiled at him as you clinked glass to his.

“Oh, this is actually good!” You were surprised you liked the taste.

Harry smirked, “It is good, isn’t it?”

You nodded.

“I’m glad you like it, Y/n. I hope you know that when I say I think we make a good team, I mean it. You’ve already made my life so much easier. I feel lucky that I get to work with you.”

You had one arm on the table, your fingers daintily gripping the glass stem, and your other hand was in your lap when you felt his fingers gently pushed in between yours as he took another sip.

You needed to shut it down. He was coming on strong and it was making your head spin too fast. Another sip of your absolutely delectable drink and you figured you could tough it out through one full drink and then before he could order another you’d make up some excuse to go back to your room. Alone.

“I’m trying really hard to be good here, Y/n,” Harry spoke, his body turned toward you, “But I like you a lot. More than I should given that you’re my employee.”

You cleared your throat and blinked as you looked down at your drink, “So, tomorrow morning you’ll get a wake-up call from the concierge and I’ll come get you at 10:30 before we need to meet the driver to take us to the airport.” You began rattling off the following day’s schedule. His hand wrapped around yours had you feeling so discombobulated that you weren’t sure what to say in response to his sudden confession. You just had to get through the drink. Then you’d call it a night.

“Why don’t I just have you as my wake-up call tomorrow morning?”

You sat your drink down and let out a laugh of disbelief, “What?!”

“Just a suggestion. We’re two adults. No one has to get hurt.” Harry leaned in closer and you arched away from him slightly

“Harry, you’re my boss and this is not a good idea.”

“At this moment I’m not your boss. I can take on two different roles if that makes you feel better.”

You shook your head. You tried not imagining his grunts that night. Right before he started to come, the little moan, and then when he filled up his condom he was breathy and raspy, and the jerk of his hips... It was so sexy.

“Not only that, but the way also you treated me when you kicked me out that night? That, I’m sure you would agree, is a good reason for this to not go any further. I can’t just forget that.”

Harry nodded, the smile faded from his mouth as he took a drink of his martini. “That’s fair. I fucked myself over by doing that to you. Then fate, or whatever, brought us back together and now I have to live with it. I know I said sorry already and that probably doesn’t mean as much to you as I wish it did, but I really am sorry, Y/n.”

“I can forgive you but how could I ever forget it? That was humiliating, Harry. I’ve never been treated like that before.”

He shook his head and looked down at the tabletop, “I’m sorry. I know. I was a proper dick to you,” he lifted his gaze to yours. “I can’t ever forget that I did that either.”

You squinted your eyes and folded your lips into your mouth in thought as you remembered that night. But it felt like such a long time ago in some ways.

He squeezed your hand and his handsome blushed lips wound upwards slowly.

Another sip and a reprieve from his eyes and his cologne did nothing to stop your mind from wandering. Maybe it was the scent that was bringing back all those memories from that night.

When he first revealed his sturdy chest and all its tattoos you were floored. You just remember wondering to yourself what Harry possibly saw in you. You didn’t figure you were his type at all. But the way he lavished you with attention... The way his mouth wandered over your body and how he looked at you… the way his hands smoothed over your skin and how eager he was to go down on you.

You shook those thoughts from your mind as he finally let your hand go. Maybe he could tell you were in turmoil.

“What?” Harry pressed his shoulder into yours.

“Nothing.” You didn’t look at him as you answered. He was too close and you weren’t sure you wouldn’t let your eyes drift to his pretty lips.

“I know I was flirting and I shouldn’t have been. That’s not fair to you. I promise to be good from now on.”

You smiled as you looked at him. And just as you knew would happen, your pupils dropped to his lips before you brought your sight back up to his eyes, “Thank you, Harry.”

You had only a few more sips of your martini before Harry spoke again, “Do you want to know what I told Hallie when I had you sit in the car?” “Of course, I do,” your eyes widened as you turned toward him.

“I told her she was trashy for treating you the way she did. That she ruined a deal that was ready to go and lost out on a lot of money which was stupid of her. I told her I was disgusted by her and that I knew what she was trying to do and that would never be happening.”

You laughed, “I do appreciate that you took up for me that way, Harry. I still can’t believe you did it, though. Could have been a big payout.”

He smiled at you softly, “It was an easy decision, Y/n. I love making money but I need to have anyone I work with to be respectful of me and you.”

And perhaps it was the martini that was making you look at him differently or maybe his words, it was an easy decision. For him to choose you over thousands and thousands of dollars?

Even though you really didn’t want to, you and Harry both made your way back to your rooms once your martinis were done. You kind of wanted to keep talking to him. Wanted to bask in his attention a bit longer. Despite you knowing that was a bad idea. You hated that you liked it.

Not unlike the night before, Harry stood by your door as you unlocked it, “I guess this is goodnight.”

You turned to look at him and shrugged, “Probably should be.”

He nodded, “Right. Um,” he scratched the back of his neck, “If you need anything, just knock. I won’t be going to bed for a bit.”

“Thanks, Harry.” You smiled at him as he waved and stepped away from you, leaving you to finally enter your room and close your door.

And for some reason, it felt so disappointing. Like it was a mistake to let him just walk away. A perfectly healthy and handsome man who clearly wanted to have a little fun with you. You could do no strings. It could be just something between two adults, like he said. Right?

You shook your head as you removed your clothes and turned on the shower to let the water warm. You couldn’t get him off your mind. It was impossible.

Standing under the running water you sighed and hated that you felt the way you did. Your own mind and body were betraying you. And it was nuts to be thinking of Harry the way you were but he was so goddamn attractive and he’d been so nice to you. Choosing you over all that money.

When you stood in front of the mirror and dried yourself off you felt pretty. The way Harry looked at you and flirted… you had to quit thinking about it. Had to quit picking apart all the details and his words and the way he looked at you.

But you were just a human like he was. And you had needs that you could both fulfill for one another. Harry could make you feel good and you knew you could make him feel good too.

“Stop it, Y/n.” You chided yourself as you slid the fuzzy hotel robe on before putting lotion onto your face.

But you couldn’t stop it. You kept thinking about his body and the night you met him. He was cocky but he was sexy. And he knew how to work you properly. He’d really gotten under your skin that night.

You plopped down onto your bed and clicked your TV on but your brain continued spiraling and that made you feel hot and despite your shower, you were already annoyingly slick between your legs. You couldn’t understand why you were so horny lately. Ovulation perhaps? Or maybe it was just Harry in general. He was too fucking attractive. In all honesty, it wasn’t fair.

You closed your eyes and before you knew it you were already using your fingers to rub yourself. But it wasn’t cutting it. The man just next door was more than willing. And you could say for certain that he was going to make you feel so good. So good. Better than your fingers would.

You moaned and rolled over to face the door that adjoined your rooms. You wondered what he was doing. If he was still awake like he said he would be.

Somehow it felt like the door was calling to you. Just to press your ear to it. Just to see if you could hear anything.

But there was hardly any noise you could make out. It could have been anything. TV. He could have been showering. Or maybe… you began to imagine him lying in his bed stroking his cock and thinking of you. Imagining that he was fucking you with that big thing…

“Stop…” you shook your head as you whispered to yourself. But just as you started to move away from the door you did hear something. A voice. Harry’s voice. He was on the phone perhaps. You strained to hear him but there was no other sound.

For some very strange reason, you decided to put your hand on the doorknob and twist. Just to see. If it was unlocked you’d just leave it. Or maybe you’d lock it. You hadn’t checked since checking in. It hadn’t dawned on you.

To your total shock, it was unlocked. The knob twisted easily and you felt the latch disengage from the spot that held the door shut but you stopped yourself. Letting go of the knob you backed away before you could open the door. It was unexpected that the door was unlocked but now your heart was pounding. All this time the door had been unlocked.

You heard a knock, “Y/n?”

You pressed your hand to the door, “Yes? Did you need something?”

“No. I thought I heard you at the door. Were you trying to open the door?”

You blinked your eyes and reached for the handle, opening the door only to realize that the door on his side was still closed, “No. I only just realized the door was unlocked.”

“Oh really?” You could hear his voice a lot better when suddenly his own door opened up. He was, to your surprise, only wearing pajama pants. His bare chest was still wet from a shower he’d clearly just taken. His hair was wet on his head.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you,” your voice came out weak as you and Harry stood in your rooms holding the adjoining doors.

“S’okay. Not disturbing me. I just got out of the shower and heard the doorknob.”

You nodded as your tummy flipped. You didn’t know what to say. And you didn’t know what to do either. Except to freeze and keep your eyes on him. It was almost like you were in someone else’s body when you reached for him and pulled him to your body, his mouth crashing into yours and hasty hands feeling his arms and his back and his shoulders as he wrapped his own around your body and stepped into your room fully.

You were naked beneath your robe, which had opened at the bottom as you stuffed your fingers into his wet hair. And you felt him against your hip. He was hard. Already. Just like you were wet. Already.

It was clear you’d both been pent up and thinking about the other and now there was no turning back.

Harry gasped as he parted from the kiss and looked down at you, “Do you want this? Y/n I don’t want to do anything you’re not comfortable–“

You drew his mouth back down to yours. Less thinking. More doing. The more you thought about it the less likely you were to go through with it. Your body had a great need and Harry could fulfill it.

He moaned as you pulled at him and made it to your bed. “I want you, Harry. God I need,” you pulled him with you into your bed and laid on your side with your lips attached to his.

You felt his hand roam up your hip and over your soft terry robe that had opened wider letting your breasts fall out. When he palmed over your tits you reached down to cup his large cock.

“Was just thinking about this exact thing, Y/n,” he whispered against your mouth, “S’why I’m so hard. Couldn’t stop thinking about you and your body.”

You moaned and pulled his hand down between your legs so he could feel your slick, “Me too, Harry. I want you.”

Your lips moved together wetly as you were pushed to your back. He took your breasts in his palms and kneaded before ducking down to lick and kiss softly. It felt so good. It was making you dizzy to have his hands on you again.

When he untied your robe the rest of the way he grasped your thighs and looked up at you, “Am I allowed? Can I eat you out, honey?”

You nodded with your brows stitched together and felt him lifting your legs, parting your thighs, and then running his fingers through your sodden crease.

But the moment his lips found your clit your body was elevated and soaring. His strong shoulders dug into the back of your thighs and you felt him suck and lap at you. Like he needed it so badly. Like he couldn’t wait to get a taste of you. The first time you had sex he took it slow but now things were feeling shaky and rushed and desperate.

His lips and his tongue and then his fingers added in had you moaning loudly and you’d barely even gotten started.

“God, it feels so good, Harry…” you placed your fingers into his hair and basked in the sensation of having a gorgeous man licking your pussy. It was a rare thing for you.

“That’s what I want,” he spoke against your clit and then lifted up to look at you, “Want to make you feel so good. Want to make you smile, Y/n. Want to make you happy.”

Your mind was spinning. He was too much all at once but you couldn’t stop it. Your body was in need.

His tongue ran up and down your folds and you could feel the warm breath puffing out of his nose as he worked your pussy over. The gushy sound of your hole taking his fingers and your gasps didn’t feel like reality. You must have been dreaming. Must have been imagining it all.

When he smacked his lips over your clit you groaned and pulled at his hair. He nuzzled down into you further, his fingers pumping into you smoothly.

He peeked up at you, kissing your mound, “You’re so fucking sexy, Y/n. I could spend all night down here,” he flattened his tongue through your crease and then licked over your clit teasingly.

“Oh my god…” you were feeling out of your mind. You pushed yourself up to your elbows so you could see him and you realized you wanted his cock. Right away.

Pushing at his forehead he lifted his lips from your cunt, “What’s wrong?” His chest heaved.

“I want you to fuck me. I want your cock.”

Harry moaned and sat up to peel his pajama pants down. His gorgeous dick coming into view with that one thick vein down the center.

He stroked himself and shifted between your parted legs, “Need to feel me, honey?”

You nodded quickly as you watched him line himself up with your pussy right where you wanted him. That yummy stretch and the feel of him moving into you had you crying out pathetically.

Harry hovered over you as he pushed himself in and then pressed his lips to yours, licking against your tongue as he drove his cock into the hilt.

You gasped into his mouth but he continued moving his lips against yours, stuffing himself in until he couldn’t push in any further.

The strength of him on top of you and the way his thighs flexed as he pushed in was dizzying.

And as he continued kissing you he pulled back and then plunged back in sharply. Over and over again deep presses of his hips against yours, rocking into you and slipping out to the tip, wet skin colliding in a perfect rhythm.

Your TV was still on in the background and the doors that joined your rooms were both wide open as Harry worked himself into you. The press of his balls to your ass as he ground himself in had you gasping.

“Oh fuck!” You whimpered.

“Yeah? S’deep in there isn’t it? M’cock fits inside of you perfectly, Y/n. Fucking opening up for me, sucking me in, squeezing around me…” He moaned.

He hardly knew what he was saying. He only knew how good you felt. How your walls split apart as he moved in, the way he could work you open bit by bit, and how filthy wet you were.

“Ohh… so deep like this. Jesus Harry,” you opened your eyes and watched his face as he fucked into you. It was ecstasy. It was relief. You could see it on his face how good he felt. How good your pussy was making his cock feel.

There was a delicious sting every time he buried himself into your guts. The achy stretch. Your walls warm and slick, accommodating his length and his girth just how he needed.

And you had the pleasure of hearing those sexy grunts again. The way he sounded as he fucked you and enjoyed your body. Grunting in time with every thrust, every smack of his hips into yours, wet skin pressing together, blankets under your back shifting with your body as you were railed into the bed.

“Sounds like it feels good, Y/n. Yeah?”

You whined, “It’s so good. Feels so good. Holy… holy shit!”

Harry knew it felt good by the way your body was shaking, your sexy moans, and how he could hear your wet pussy taking his hard cock.

He swiveled his hips in a circle, rutting into you as he lowered his mouth to yours again, needing to feel your soft mouth against his, your warm tongue on his tongue.

Thrust after thrust had your heart pounding, your cunt clenching, and when he angled himself over you with his pelvis against your clit your entire body began to vibrate.

You felt him moan into your mouth. He was drooling just the tiniest bit, you felt saliva dripping over your lips and down your cheek.

Sex with Harry the second time was frantic and heated. So different than the first time, but just as good. It felt even better somehow.

But Harry was going to come too fast. His go-to was usually to wank first and then get into it again so he could last longer but this time he’d been interrupted when he thought he heard the doorknob so he was already halfway there by the time you pulled him into your room.

He sat back, stilling his hips before moving his hands over your soft breasts, and looked at your pretty face, “Love how you take me, Y/n. Kept dreaming about you since that night.”

You moaned and rocked your hips up when Harry brought his hands down your sides and nudged himself in shallowly with a hiss. He watched his cock slide through your opening and repeated again before pulling out completely, “Sorry. I’m about to come,” he panted as he took your ankles and lifted your legs up, pushing your calves against his shoulders.

“It’s okay,” you chuckled as you watched his strong arms lift your legs. His long fingers held your calves, “I haven’t stopped thinking about that night either, Harry. It was so good.”

He grinned and you watched him drag his eyes over your body, “Rub your clit for me okay? Need you to come,” he smoothed his hands up and down your legs as you reached down to find your clit, pressing over it gently as you watched his face.

When you felt his tip pressing through your tight muscle again you both moaned together.

Slowly his thrusts got harder and deeper as he got into the motion of fucking you once again. His cock was so hard you swore it could rip you in half if he went any harder.

Your body jolted from the force of him, tits swaying up and down as his hips smacked into you harshly.

“Fuck…” he gritted as he watched your pretty face twist up and your lips part. He loved that he was making you feel so good. Loved how you were moaning and panting.

The bed began to lightly creak under the force of Harry’s thrusts. His back and his thighs were flexing with each plunge.

And you were rendered speechless as your pussy took him long and deep. His smooth punches into your cunt, his tip smashing into your insides had air being forced from your lungs and it was the only sound you could make as you panted and gasped.

You could see that he was sweating. He was trying so hard to hold off for you but it was sexy as hell. He wanted your release first and you certainly wouldn’t complain about that.

Slick and hot and sticky, Harry pushed into you over and over again until he felt you gripping him tight and your parted lips dropped open further and you began to cry, “So fucking hot, Y/n. You coming on my cock baby? Yeah?”

You had no idea what you answered him but you knew you nodded as your body melted and your pussy throbbed around him. Having a big cock sliding back and forth through your walls as you spasmed in your orgasm was incredible. Harry’s own grunts and the grip he had on your calves were just making it that much better.

He let you finish completely before he dared stop fucking you or allowed himself to come. He wanted to watch you fall apart on his cock like you had that first night. It was the best thing he’d ever seen.

When you moans slowed down and Harry felt his balls tighten he released your legs and pulled out, stroking himself over your pussy as he unloaded right there on your low tummy and over your cunt, his white come dripping down your pussylips.

You watched his face scrunch up as he threw his head back and moaned loudly into your room. His big palm slipped up and down his long shaft coated in your arousal, working himself to his end, spurt by spurt.

He nearly collapsed over you as he pressed a palm down into the comforter and lowered to kiss you again, “So good. So fucking good, Y/n.”

You moaned into his mouth and agreed. It was good. So fucking good.

Somehow you both wound up falling asleep in your bed. You normally would clean up but you were spent and so was he.

.           .           .

Your eyes peeled open and you blinked slowly as you realized that what had felt like a wild dream had been real. Harry was right there next to you in your hotel bed.

You smiled at first. Thinking of how hot it had been. How much you needed a release. How much he enjoyed himself. You slid out of his arms and sat up, noticing that your TV was still on. Everything had been so frantic. But you needed it. Right? You needed to have him again.

But did you really? You looked down over your body and felt a wave of disappointment. You remembered how you felt it could have been a mistake to let him walk away. But that wasn’t right. Letting him go back to his room hadn’t been a mistake. You should have left it at that. You pulled your robe over your body and frowned.

This was the mistake. Giving in to your desires was the mistake. It should have never happened.

You began to panic. You couldn’t kick him out of your room. Well, there was that flash of the thought that you should kick him out of your room like he had to you that first night.

But you weren’t Harry. You were a nice person who felt things deeply. It was almost 6 am. Perhaps you’d take a walk and clear your mind. Get a coffee…

And all you knew was that you needed to get out of there. You couldn’t stay in that room with him looking so innocent with his face smushed into the pillow. Nope. Because he wasn’t innocent. He was far from it and you’d fallen for his antics.

Letting it happen again had been a mistake.

NEXT PART

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[mllemaenad]

Listening to Wyll's backstory in context of all the details we're acquiring on devil's contracts and soul selling is fascinating.

See - I listened to Lann Tarv's three tales to get my soul coins. I felt bad for making Karlach listen to that, obviously, but to be honest I didn't even want the coins that much. I actually wanted the stories. I wanted a better understanding of how this works.

And what I'm learning is - for the gods (and godlike beings) of this world, cruelty seems to be the point. I mean - it's possible there's a god in this world I wouldn't want to stab to death with a rusty fork, but if so I have not met them yet.

These beings have the power to save people and places, to change lives, to do anything. And when someone asks them to - they demand a terrible price. But they don't just demand a price. They subvert the original request in such a way that they utterly fail to deliver on the original promise.

An abused woman wishes to be loved - and her true love appears, but dies instantly. A man wishes to save his children from starvation, and ends up personally growing masses of meat on his own body - not only painful for him, but forcing his children into survival cannibalism, which they were trying to avoid.

Auntie Ethel works the same way. Every one of her customers is left in a tortured state, while Ethel still takes her payment.

The idea is that the person must come to regret their wish long before the payment comes due. Every cry for help must be met with a boot to the face. Or else the mortals will get uppity? Or something.

What is interesting is how consciously Wyll defies that. And how much Mizora is dancing around, trying to force him into that state of miserable regret.

Wyll was manipulated into selling his soul. He was a kid, and he was summoned into a terrible situation - and in that moment, he could see no other way to save the city. Mizora did need to save Baldur's Gate to serve her boss's purposes, so she couldn't take that victory from him - but she did everything she could to take the joy of it.

He didn't get respect, or admiration, or his father's pride for saving the city. He lost his home and his family. He was assumed to have done something monstrous because he was denied an opportunity to defend himself.

That was supposed to fill him with bitterness and regret - but he got to work building his own life instead. By the time you run into him, the Blade of Frontiers is a hero of some renown. He's remade himself, and found a way to enjoy what his powers can do, however he came by them.

So that didn't work.

Then Mizora sent him after Karlach, and that was a mission tailored to break him. Karlach is kind and heroic herself, and that the start she has been sold into slavery, mutilated and forced to fight in a war against her will. If Wyll killed her, and then found out who she really was, then he betrayed everything the Blade of Frontiers is supposed to stand for - and he would lose the life he made for himself.

But he didn't, and that didn't work either. He's got a friend, now, who at least knows part of what he's dealing with.

So Mizora gave him demonic features. That would destroy the life he's made for himself, because no one would trust him to help them.

Except now Wyll basically goes nowhere on his own, and a small army of people can attest that he got those horns and eyes as punishment for being a good man. Mizora might be able to shut his mouth, but she can't silence his friends - and the group absolutely have shouting sessions about everything. Wyll's horns become a battle scar, like his missing eye, and nothing more.

And beyond that, if you are playing as a heroic character, a significant throughline in the game's story is the journey of the tiefling refugees. The story makes it clear that these people experience a constant barrage of racism, due to their appearance and "demonic" heritage. It also makes it abundantly clear that this prejudice is entirely undeserved - they're just people, with virtues and flaws like everyone else, and what is happening to them is terrible. So Wyll turns up to assist a bunch of people whom he now at least somewhat resembles - and with Karlach along, you have two people in the group who technically count as "infernal", but haven't got an evil bone in either of their bodies.

Mizora created solidarity. Oops.

Wyll is deeply suspicious of gods and higher powers. He doesn't want to make more deals with devils. When Elminster arrives to tell Gale what Mystra demands of him, he explicitly says he does not do religion. When you get Mizora to agree to let his contract expire in six months, he starts by casually invoking the gods - but switches to thanking the player character instead, because he knows who helped, and who did not.

But he utterly refuses to regret the pact he made. That can be a struggle. He clearly misses his dad, and would like that relationship repaired. The fact that he was transformed very much against his will is clearly a source of distress from him.

But if he regrets, then Mizora wins. That's it. Game over. She gets what she wanted all along. So he doesn't.

The main companion characters all have this kind of problem, and naturally have different ways of dealing with it. You have characters like Shadowheart and Lae'zel, who were indoctrinated as children, or Gale, who was literally seduced by one of these nightmare deities - and with them you have to start out by convincing them they they were the wronged party in the first place.

But Wyll knows exactly what game he's playing, and he's been screaming defiance the whole time. It's just that, in his case, the "defiance" is grinning and carrying on every time Mizora inflicts some more bullshit on him.

[hangmanssunnies]

Jake "Hangman" Seresin

Multipart Fics

House We Share

Summary: At first, living with a man, let alone a smart attractive Naval aviator, wasn't your ideal living situation. However, you discover while Jake "Hangman" Seresin may have a few unique quirks, he is the best person you have ever lived with. So, it feels a little doomed that with every new thing you learn about him, you fall a little more in love.

One shots

The Hangman Special

Summary: On a night out with your friends at a fancy cocktail bar, you are just trying to keep your head down and ignore the girl that your ex cheated on you with. The night only seems like it's going to get worse when you are dared to kiss a stranger at the bar. However, it seems like the odds might finally be in your favor when you notice a familiar set of broad shoulders. If you can be convincing, you think you might just be able to get your brother's friend Jake "Hangman" Seresin to help you out with your little problem.

Heat To Boil

Summary: After a failed Tinder date, you go to hang out with your friend Jake "Hangman" Seresin. When you get to his house, you unexpectedly find him with a baby, and it is a sight that rewires something in your head. Jake needs a baby of his own. Right now — like yesterday, actually. And that is a task you would be more than willing to help with; now, you just need to work up the courage to bring it up.

Green, Green, Green

Summary: You haven’t had a very good Saint Patrick’s Day. Somehow your neighbor Jake “Hangman” Seresin makes it all better, and also so much worse.

Reminders

Summary: Your definition of teasing has changed significantly since you started sleeping with Jake “Hangman” Seresin. The man lived for it. Anything you two were doing, he would find something or some way to tease you.

All Bets Are Off

Summary: When Jake “Hangman” Seresin starts coming onto you in a club, you are convinced it is too good to be true. Your past experiences have taught you that there is only one possible reason this man might be interested. The question exactly is just how much money does he have riding on this bet?

I Would Walk 10,000 Miles To You

Summary: The first thing you notice about Jake “Hangman” Seresin when he rings your doorbell at 1:30 in the morning is that no matter the time of day, he is devastatingly handsome. The second thing you notice is that he is absolutely smashed drunk. You know your hands will be full dealing with your brother’s friend tonight. Well, you suppose he might be your friend too.

They All Know, He’s In Love With You.

Summary: From the night you first set eyes on Jake “Hangman” Seresin, and went home with him from the bar, you knew that there wasn’t ever going to be anything serious between you two. You just wish you could figure out why he keeps acting the opposite, and everyone thinks you are together.

Writing on the wall

Summary: Hangman is back from a three month TAD. However, when he comes home he discovers you have done some redecorating concerning the pictures in the house. You know it’s because of your insecurities, but he comes to some different conclusions.  

[sadly-in-active]

Hello can I request Golden Cheese Cookie x reader who is obsessed with silver (like Golden Cheese with gold) who has a rivals to friends to lovers relationship and if it's possible can it be both headcanon and oneshot if not I'm good with one or the other.

Golden Cheese Cookie x Silver-Obsessed Reader

Summary: You are a wanderer that travels between all the Kingdoms in Earthbread, selling and obtaining silver items. Some have nicknamed you the Silver Seller, others just preferred to keep you nameless. Once in the Golden Cheese Kingdom…it seems you stayed a bit longer then you were supposed to. Why? Well, because you were looking for the silver!

Where was it?

Where did it all go?

TW: None

You were face to face with the ruler of the Golden Cheese Kingdom. She didn’t look too pleased at your efforts to try and sneak in to her gleaming palace, yet she kept a smirk on her face despite her annoyance. After all, it would be unwise to send you off without knowing the reason why you were breaking and entering!

For a brief moment, she pondered how you even managed to get past Burnt Cheese Cookie at the gates…but she had to deal with the situation at hand, like the good queen she was.

“Well then, I’d like you to state your business of wandering around my palace and trying to enter it. Were you trying to steal my gold, little silver-eyes?”

You didn’t say anything, only shaking your head in disgust at the fact of stealing her gold. Why would you? It looked so…yellow.

“Ah! So we have someone who looks disgusted at the mere thought of gold? How silly. If you wish to obtain any other boring metals, I’d suggest leaving and never coming back! Or maybe, you could learn from your foolishness and stay for a while. Wouldn’t that be a proper punishment for you?”

Wait a minute, she was planning on imprisoning you here? That wasn't part of the deal. This wasn't what you signed up for. All you wanted was to find the silver in this golden kingdom, not to be imprisoned with all this gold.

—

And for the next…well, you didn’t know how much time passed. You were forced to stay in Golden Cheese’s palace as her personal attendant, forced to put on her lavish golden jewelry and work for her. She honestly just wanted to keep an eye on you.

Yet…you didn’t complain. Well, didn’t complain often. You certainly spoke your mind when it came to the gold, and she merely scoffed and put it on you anyways. She even said that you looked better without some dusty old cloak and your silver bracelets.

Sooner or later, you got used to it, hell, you actually kind of liked serving the Golden Sovereign. It wasn’t that bad, all you had to do was keep her company and do some tasks she wanted you to do. It became your routine, and a good routine at that. Some days, she even allowed you to go to the Colosseum and watch the monsters fight.

With a Marzipan Cookie watching you, of course.

The Sovereign liked talking with you, hearing about your travels and what you liked. It was refreshing talking to someone without them bowing and worshipping you all of the time, barely having a normal conversation.

On a special day, she even made you some silver jewelry. She wasn’t used to making stuff that wasn’t gold, but she tried her best.

Seeing your happy smile as you put on a shiny silver necklace and anklets was…making her feel happy too. Not even her piles and piles of gold compared to your look of joy. She liked watching you smile, believe it or not.

(I DON’T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO HELP-)

[skywalkerandmarvelfan]

Everything Will Be Fine (Platonic Yandere Darth Vader with Starkiller's Twin Sister Reader)

A/N: This is a small work I thought of, but didn't want to put on my AO3 account, so I thought of putting it here. I rarely see platonic yandere Vader content, so I made some, even if it's short.

Vader placed your body into a becta tank that was in his Fortress on Mustarfar. You weren't in good condition, far from it, but he would make sure you got well.

After he made sure your vitals were stable and fixed himself up from the fight with your brother, Vader would make sure Palpatine thought you were dead. It was essential that the Emperor thought you were and continued to think so. If he suspected, you were alive he would have you killed. The Rule of Two allowed only two Siths, and not only that but you might also be viewed as a weakness of Vader’s. Vader made sure you were in this condition and if he wanted you dead you would’ve been, and Palpatine would know this as well.

There were a few times Vader thought of killing you and one time he almost did. When he found you and your brother as children, he thought of only taking Starkiller and doing away with you, but there was a chance you were stronger within the force, so you were taken as well. When it was shown Starkiller was the stronger one Vader planned on killing you, but when he was about to you gave him a fearful look as if you knew something bad was going to happen. It normally wouldn’t sway him, but the look you gave resembled the one Padmé gave on Mustafar, and when you whispered a frightened ‘master’, Vader couldn’t continue with his plan, seeing Padmé in you. 

As you grew older you showed traits of Padmé and him when he was Anakin. Vader wished you just had traits of Padmé, but that wasn't his luck. You could be reckless and at times rebellious. However, Vader quickly learned that threatening your brother got you back in line. You had a strong relationship with Starkiller and he returned that bond. The two of you were a fierce duo when you went on missions together, but it could also hurt the goal of the mission if one of you got into a life-threatening position. Neither of you wanted to lose the other so the mission was practically on hold if either of you were in such a situation.

This was why it was critical to keep you sedated until Vader was repaired and could deal with you better. Once you knew your brother was dead it would undoubtedly cause you to rebel and seek revenge against Vader and the Emperor as soon as you could. If you got too wild the Emperor would discover you and would want to kill you himself to make sure you were dead. Vader couldn't have you dead, no matter how much he would try to deny it.

He would never admit this to anyone, but you had become like a daughter to him. When Vader began seeing you as his child he didn't know, maybe it was when he saw traits of Padmé and himself in you, maybe it was the time he was about to kill you, or the time you got seriously injured. It really didn’t matter when, all that mattered now was that he does, and he refused to lose another child.

Vader wouldn’t lose you, not to death, not to the newly formed Rebellion, not to anything. You would stay by his side whether you liked it or not, and if anything threatened to take you, Vader would destroy it. He would tear the galaxy apart if he had to. Palpatine was no exception to this either, Vader would find a way to kill Palpatine in order to protect you and keep you by him. 

You were his daughter, which meant it was Vader’s duty to protect you. He failed to protect his biological child, but he would right that wrong by not failing you.

“You will be fine youngling.” Vader said, more to himself than to you, though he hoped you heard him so you would know things were fine. That it didn’t matter if your twin was dead, because you had him, and even if he was going to punish you for betraying him in order to join Starkiller in trying to free the Rebel leaders and kill him and the Emperor, everything would be fine in the end.

Everything would be fine, Vader would make sure everything would be fine, no matter what he had to do to achieve it.

[flightfoot]

ML Fanfic Recs for 2023: 20K - 40K words

So I’ve been going through and adding particularly good fics I’ve read throughout the year. Only Complete fics, of course. Enjoy!

Alliance!Adrien’s AI is self-writing, enabling him to grow and change and adapt. As he learns and starts analyzing some of his own systems, he finds some disquieting correlations. Why are there such strong connections between akuma attacks and the Alliance network?

Fu keeps on trying to give Marinette Miraculouses. Marinette refuses to cooperate.

Chat is happy with the person Fu chose to succeed him as Guardian, but confused. Why did he choose Multimouse?

One of Hawk Moth’s akuma attacks ends tragically, with many dead, Adrien in critical condition, and Chat Noir MIA. Alya’s prepared to go to extremes to save the people she cares about, if it comes to it.

In Kuro Neko, Adrien decides to seal off his more rebellious, wilder side, in order to make himself into the perfect partner for Ladybug. This has unintended consequences.

Chat Noir suddenly turns on Ladybug, joining up with Monarch as Cat Walker. Marinette’s devastated. At least she still has Adrien by her side.

Nino offers to fake-date Adrien in order to get the paparazzi off his back. He starts to wish it wasn’t fake.

All this and more below the break!

---

The Ghost in the Machine by @jheqiawrites

As part of this function, Adrien knew about Monarch, the akuma butterflies, the victims, and, of course Ladybug and Cat Noir, the heroes of Paris. He was authorized to contact the Ladyblog as well as the citywide alert system if one of his platforms was active during an akuma manifestation, allowing his friends to get somewhere safe until Ladybug and Cat Noir could deal with the situation

While the necessity of these functions was disconcerting, it was programmed to be his routine so he gradually grew used to the inconsistencies. After all, humans tended to be selfish, highly inconsistent, and often flighty, but once you had observed them for a while an intelligence such as his could begin to see the patterns.

That is until she came online.

This is just a beautiful, though bittersweet story. I adore how Alliance!Adrien grows and changes throughout the story, how he develops as a person. He starts off not being able to figure out what he’s feeling, needing to make new modules in order to try to process the emotions he has welling up, and not totally understanding his own reactions. But as time goes on he grows and gets a better handle on himself. This isn’t an “evil AI” story, he’s just a person who’s slowly figuring out who he is and how to handle himself. 

Not that it’s entirely about Adrien Alliance figuring out his own emotions, there’s other things going on as well. He’s worried about why there seems to be weird surges in the Alliance Network right before akumas attack, for instance, and why the details about the reason for that seem to be hidden from him, making him more paranoid about the Alliance system the more he looks into it...

 It’s just... it’s really good and absolutely worth a read. 

---

Thanks, But No by @pauliestorylover

For every miraculous that Fu cupped in his palms, an image of the same blue-eyed girl flashed through his mind. Marinette Dupain-Cheng was born to hold the miraculous—she resonated with every single one of them far better than even the late Celestial Guardian, and it was Fu’s duty as the last Guardian not to allow such talent to slip through his hands.

Too bad Marinette wasn’t on the same page.

Or; au where Master Fu keeps throwing miraculous at Marinette hoping one will stick, Marinette goes around handing out miraculous like candy, and Wayzz has never seen anything so ridiculous in his millennia-long lifespan.

This one’s fun. Everyone except for Adrien ends up with a different Miraculous than in canon, and it’s really interesting to see how they all adapt. Marinette’s thorough noping out is pretty funny too, and there’s some sweet bits of Adrino and Alyanette in here!

---

The Power of Love by @nedjsmlfavs

In which Ladybug announces that she’s pregnant via her long term boyfriend and Chat Noir is a supportive partner. After all, he can hardly be upset when he’s been dating his Princess for years!

A different take on the show’s tagline (“The Power of Love Always so Strong”) written for Valentine’s day 2023.

This is just a sweet, fluffy fic about Ladybug and Chat Noir finding out they’re having a baby, revealing to each other, getting married, and becoming parents. Gabriel actually tries to do better here, as he does actually care about getting to know his grandchild, and realizes that he can’t undo this timeline without undoing his granddaughter’s existence as well. 

---

Radio Silence by @into-september

When an inexplicable change between Marinette and Adrien brings the two closer than ever, Alya is left on the outside of a secret too confounding to be about cheesemaking or puppy love.

[No S4 AU]

This is a wonderful Alya-centric fic, with her just being baffled by Marinette’s and Adrien’s newfound closeness. But it’s not all about her being puzzled by the Lovesquare. Things really get rolling when Lila makes her entrance and Marinette and Adrien are particularly hostile to her, with Alya being confused about it and thinking there must be a misunderstanding here, somewhere, even with Lila saying something she KNOWS can’t be true - partially because she doesn’t want to believe she’s been fooled all this time.

But this isn’t a saltfic. Alya’s treated like a full person, and her perspective and thoughts are given credence. She and Marinette talk things out in depth, with both of them feeling badly for accidentally hurting the other person, and reassuring each other (Marinette also told a lie, though unbeknownst to Alya, it was connected to her being a superhero. Alya, however, didn’t know that, and just knew that Marinette lied to her for no clear reason), and they make up. It’s really nice and treats the characters with love and respect.

It’s got a lot of similarities to The Investigation by @11jj11, so if you liked that fic, you’ll probably like this one too.

---

I’ll give myself a name (something stupid and pretentious) by @bbutterflies

Nino looked at the number and didn’t recognize it. Usually he wouldn’t answer, but he had nothing better to do – and could still really use a distraction – so he did. “Hello?”

“Hey, Nino.”

Nino stood up quickly, chest tightening. He knew that voice. He’d been waiting to hear it again for over two years. “Adrien?” he whispered.

“Yeah. It’s me."

-

When Monarch is defeated (and revealed to be Gabriel Agreste), Chat Noir immediately goes missing. Adrien disappears not long after. When Adrien finally shows up in Paris again, Nino would do anything to make sure he doesn't disappear again.

Ah this is lovely, Adrien’s been in a lot of emotional turmoil since Monarch’s defeat, convinced that everyone would hate him, SHOULD hate him, for not realizing that his father was the villain, and should hate him even more for disappearing like he does. But slowly Marinette and Nino get through to him, convince him that they just want him back. 

And also Adrien and Nino smooch. Multiple times. So that’s a bonus XD.

---

The New Guardian Is... Multimouse?  by The_Rabbit42

During the events of Miracle Queen, Master Fu passes on the role of guardian to a surprising successor... Multimouse! Marinette is frustrated, Alya is confused, and Chat Noir is oddly pleased. How will this affect Marinette's friendships and partnership on both sides of her identity? How will this affect Adrien's view of the girls in his life? And how long will they keep it together?

I adore this fic! It diverges from the season 3 ending, with Multimouse - who Chat knows is Marinette, becoming Guardian instead of Ladybug. Which leads to some ripple effects, like Marinette not confessing her identity to Alya, since she’s able to get some support from Chat when he drops by her house. Not that that stops tension from building between Ladybug and Chat Noir, since she won’t just let Chat go and get a Miraculous from Marinette during a battle, and she won’t tell him why, leading him to think that she just dislikes Marinette or doesn’t trust him to get Miraculous like she does. But even while all this tension is building between Ladybug and Chat Noir, Chat’s still able to talk to Marinette, air his feelings in ways he doesn’t feel like he should do with Ladybug, and it’s all a great, complicated situation that I thoroughly enjoyed seeing unfold!

---

Two Steps Back (One Step Forward) by @buggachat

Sure, Adrien hadn't been texting her as often as he used to. And sure, Nino noticed it too. But just because Adrien had struggled with depression in the past, didn't mean he was struggling now. Surely, he'd tell her if something was wrong. Right?

Marinette just missed him, and she had a tendency to catastrophize. Surely, he was fine.

But if he wasn't... well, she wasn't above hopping on a flight back to Paris to make sure.

—————

Marinette's at an internship in New York, and Adrien has a depression relapse.

Once again buggachat comes out swinging with a fic centered around Adrien being super depressed and his friends charging in to help him, despite him not wanting them to because he feels like a burden. It’s not easy and Marinette goes through a lot of emotional turmoil, especially since his apartment is in bad enough shape that it can’t be changed to something that a human should be living in without also going shopping, but gradually she helps drag Adrien out of the hole he’s gotten himself stuck in. The emotions are on point and just... if you want to read a hurt/comfort fic with Found Family helping one of their own who’s struggling and doesn’t think they deserve it, this is a great fic to read.

---

If only I could break free by megetstoread

It started with Adrien being upset about going away, but led to a lot of revelations.  

Another Sentiadrien fic here! After telling Adrien that he’s being sent to London, Gabriel takes advantage of Adrien being distraught to akumatize him. Luckily Ladybug’s right there and deakumatizes him before he can even do anything, but it shakes both her and Chat, leading to her allowing him to tell her a lot more about his home life than usual, and for her and Adrien to investigate to see whether there might be more to Adrien’s inability to stand against his father than just psychological abuse.

---

Skinny Dipping in the Seine by whensparksfly

When Marinette and Chat Noir cross paths one stormy night, an unexpected friendship blossoms, and between the two of them they’re both able to admit what they’ve been looking for the most — freedom. Vowing to tackle all of the things they’ve never tried before, they set out on a series of adventures to complete their bucket lists.

Cute little Marichat fic here! Just Marinette and Chat Noir hanging out and doing things they’ve always wanted to do, like going to a rave or, well, skinny-dipping in the Seine.

---

Nor No Man Ever Loved by @jheqiawrites

It starts with a gift to cheer up a friend, a friend Marinette's heart is trying to move on from. But when she is blatantly confronted with her feelings by the most unexpected person, Marinette's life takes a turn for the better.

Welcome to my Adrienette April story. It is based around Shakespeare's Sonnet 116: Let Me Not to the Marriage of True Minds. Each chapter will be framed around part of the sonnet and should be able to stand alone, though the story itself will all be tied together.

This is a nice little story, mostly focusing on Marinette’s perspective while being there for Adrien, WITH Adrien, while dealing with his father and the aftermath of his father’s takedown. We do get some perspective from Adrien though for things like his therapist appointments. I really like that it covered some of the therapy Adrien should have after this event, he needs it.

---

Villainous Matchmaking by @nedjsmlfavs

When Chat Noir is tragically unable to attend an event with Ladybug, the mayor calls in a favor from a designer ‘friend’. Now she’s attending in style, on the arm of the hottest male model in Paris. Which would be fine if it weren’t for one, tiny issue: Paris’ favorite domestic terrorist now knows how Ladybug feels about his son. This leads him to his greatest plan yet, using Ladybug’s extremely obvious crush on Adrien Agreste to akumatize Chat Noir.

A Ladrien/“platonic” Ladynoir fic

This is adorable and hilarious. Gabriel keeps on “accidentally” releasing things which makes it looks like Adrien and Ladybug are a couple in an effort to make Chat Noir jealous, while Adrien and Ladybug ae just over-the-moon about getting to spend time together and finding out that the other person loves them XD.

---

Vantage Point by @ashes-555

Most of the time, with more information, life get easier and things make more sense. But Alya discovers that sometimes, knowing everything is just plain complicated.

Alya POV fic here, which instantly drew my attention, I think most people know how much I love fics giving her some focus. 

This is set post-Gang of Secrets. Basically, Ladybug tells Chat that he can tell someone his secret identity, and he chooses Alya (he thought about telling Nino, but he didn’t want to rock the boat with Nino since he’s his best friend, and he figured Nino would let it slip to Alya anyway). Which leads to Alya just. Dying. As she deals with knowing the full truth about the Lovesquare and not being able to tell Adrien and Marinette that they’re chasing each other around in circles.

The fic soon changes gears, though, becoming a Hawkmoth Defeat fic, with Rena coming up with a plan to discover Scarlet Moth’s location, and then everyone dealing with the ramifications. 

---

Justifying the Means by @ashes-555

When the worst happens, Alya finds that she may be willing to do the unthinkable. Is any sacrifice to big to make for her friends?

Once again, Ashes comes out swinging with an Alya focused fic! 

Basically, there’s a major, destructive akuma attack. During it, Ladybug orders Chat to cataclysm a building in order to stop from being trapped. Unfortunately the building collapses, injuring or killing a lot of people - unbeknownst to her, including Chat Noir. Gabriel releases the akuma, which means she has no way of fixing the damage, either.

A lot of of focus is placed on Alya and Nino worrying over Adrien, who was found in the wreckage barely clinging to life, in a coma, with the doctors unsure whether he’d make it. Shadow Moth takes advantage of their distress to make an offer: if he gets the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculouses, he can make a Wish to fix everything, including saving Adrien. With as dark a place as Alya and Nino are in, they seriously consider it. Especially with how unhappy both of them are with Chat Noir supposedly “abandoning” Ladybug and Paris as a whole, and Nino being angry with Ladybug for failing (since Alya knows that Marinette is Ladybug, she’s far more understanding on that front).

I love how much credence Alya’s thought and emotions are given here, and that she doesn’t go for the more drastic option right away, either - she talks with Ladybug about it first, tries to do it her way. She understands the costs, but... her friends are important to her, and she’s desperate. I think this was a really good way to present a more antagonistic sort of Alya. She’s still very much herself here, and still considers Marinette her friend, willing to do things her way to an extent, and understanding why Marinette doesn’t want to use the Wish, even though she disagrees with her. Alya’s mindset, her emotions, her problems, are given respect and credence by the narrative. She’s still willing to talk things out, she’s still sympathetic to Marinette and the enormous trauma and guilt she’s going through, she just disagrees with Marinette’s approach. She wants her friend back.

If you want a fic that has some solid focus on Alya as a person, on her emotional struggles and mindset and just... dealing with things, I highly recommend checking out “Justifying the Means”.

---

Would Trust You With Everything by @kasienda

Nino breaks off, tears streaking down his face. Adrien wishes he was here as himself instead of Chat so he could offer a hug.

“It’s not like I don’t think she deserved her privacy. It’s just it felt like I was her last priority. And if I knew why, then maybe we could overcome it. But when I don’t, I’m not willing to be her last thought. You know? I always put her first.”

“Yeah,” Chat agrees, able to relate too well. He always put Ladybug first too, and he’s not sure it has ever been the same for her. “I’m sorry you’ve been so alone through this."

“I haven’t been totally alone,” Nino disagrees, holding up his phone. “My best friend has been keeping me company virtually most of the day.”

“Yeah? It helped?”

“I don’t know if any of the stuff he sent helped, but like, given what I know he’s up to, he totally had to move heaven and earth to talk to me so much, and that really helped. You know, just knowing that someone was thinking of me.”

“I’m glad,” Chat Noir said. “I wish he could be there in person for you.”

Nino sighs. “Yeah, me too, but at least you’re here."

...

Season 4 au - canon divergent from Rocketear Rocketear led to DJWiFi breakup.

Ahh, Adrino my beloved XD. I love the identity shenanigans in this one with Adrien being around Nino as both Adrien and Chat Noir, and both of them vaguely describing their situations to each other. It takes Adrien a bit to figure out that he has a crush on Nino, but once he does...

---

Dr. Walker & Kitty Hyde series by @pearl484-blog

Summary of the first fic, Rain Falls, Everybody Lies:

Chat Noir loves the rain. He loves the danger. He loves the excitement, and he especially loves how much Catwalker hates it. 

Jekyll and Hyde AU

Adrien AUGreste Entry 3: Rain

So like the summary says, and the title indicates, this series is inspired by the popular conception of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - not how the book actually goes, but how it’s portrayed in popular media, with Jekyll splitting himself in two, with a “good” side and a “bad” side. 

During Kuro Neko, instead of just changing his appearance through changing his mindset, Adrien took more extreme measures, sealing off his “undesirable” characteristics, his anger and sadness and all his sharp edges, into the ring so he could assume a more placid, genial persona that’d be more accepted - Cat Walker. 

But Chat Noir’s still there, taking over whenever Adrien gets too testy, and desperately trying not to be pressed out of existence entirely. With embodying Adrien’s sealed anger and snappishness and rebelliousness, he’s not too kind to the other heroes - he already felt looked down upon and ignored before this, and seeing them accept Cat Walker while he’s fighting for his life doesn’t endear them to him either.

The series isn’t unfair to them - this isn’t a case where one party is entirely in the wrong and another’s entirely in the right. Marinette, Zoe, Nino, and all the others - they did wonder about what was going on with Chat, but he wasn’t in a position where he could see it, and he did have legitimate questions about how much Ladybug would budge on things, if he’d told her what he was going through. It’s a series that emphasizes characters hurting and lashing out in some terrible ways, but that hurt still being respected, and working things out, trying to get everything to a better place.

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First Dance, Second Chance by @gabriel-agreste-has-no-rights

After fighting by Ladybug's side as Aspik, Adrien finally has an excuse to connect with her. But when Gabriel voices concerns about Ladybug during a charity event, Adrien realizes she might need him for more than just one dance.

Or, the one where Ladybug and Adrien work together to find out Hawkmoth's identity, while maybe squeezing in a date or two along the way.

Ladrien Hawkmoth defeat fic here! I love Ladybug and Adrien teaming up to figure out how to track down Hawkmoth and defeat him, and being super supportive of each other more generally. If you like Ladrien and Hawkmoth Defeat fics, you should check it out!

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The Great War by icebelle24

'And maybe it’s the past that’s talking, screaming from a crypt Telling me to punish you for things you never did So I justified it'

The unthinkable happens, and suddenly, Chat Noir’s allegiances change. Now Ladybug stands on the opposite side of the battlefield from the boy who was once her partner, left alone to make sense of an impossible situation.

At least she still has Adrien to give her hope. Or maybe things are not entirely as they seem.

I adore Ladynoir enemies au, and this is a good one. The reveal of what’s really going on is pretty great, everything makes sense. I love the pieces of Alya’s POV in this as well, as she’s trying to support Marinette through one of the biggest betrayals that could possibly happen, even while Marinette’s making some frustrating decisions that don’t make much tactical sense. Everyone’s pissed at Chat Noir (now Cat Walker) for apparently siding with Hawk Moth, and the subsequent frustrating inability to make any headway against him, as Ladybug always insists on fighting Cat Walker personally, and letting no one else take part. 

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The moment I knew (I’d no choice but to love you) by @bbutterflies

“He’s dating me,” Nino said, taking Adrien’s hand in his own.

Adrien could only stare back at him in shock.

“How dare you all force him to come out?” Nino continued, glaring at the reporters. “That was disgusting.” He pulled Adrien over to the car, guided him in, and shut the door behind them.

In the relative quiet and privacy of the backseat, Adrien finally processed what had just happened. “So… when were you going to tell me we were dating?”

This Adrino fic is delicious XD. Reporters keep hounding Adrien about his love life, so Nino finally gets them off Adrien’s back by fake-dating him. Problem is, Adrien’s actually been madly in love with Nino for years but has never been able to tell him. And now as they’re spending more time together, Nino’s beginning to find that he’s enjoying all these “couple” activities more than maybe he ought to if it’s entirely platonic...

If you want to see Adrien and Nino PINING for each other while “fake” dating (is it really fake if both parties want it to be real?) then you’ve come to the right fic!

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Evillustrator Reimagined by onewaywriteturn

A full, mostly-standalone rewrite of the episode "The Evillustrator".

Nathaniel never planned to tell anyone about his secret crush on his friend Marc, but his world changes when Chloe picks up his sketchbook and mocks his art in front of the whole class, inadvertently outing him as bisexual. Now as the Evillustrator, he has two objectives: to take vengeance on Chloe for what she did to him and to go on a date with Marc for his birthday.

At the same time, Marinette is already struggling to defend Sabrina from Chloe when she learns of the Evillustrator's crush on Marc, one of her good friends. And while getting Marc involved with an akuma fight is messy enough, the fact that Marc has secretly liked Nathaniel for a long time complicates the situation so much more.

If you ever wanted to see Evillustrator rewritten to focus around NathMarc, this is the fic for you! The two of them just PINE for each other so hard and are so convinced that the other person couldn’t possibly actually want to date them, even with Evillustrator making it uh. Exceedingly obvious XD.

[sea-owl]

I just saw this tiktok video of what I believe is an Indian drama. I'm not 100% sure if it was a show or movie. I couldn't find the name on it. But in the video, it was described that a village made its money by selling off daughters to wealthy men for marriage. The female lead was the "ugly" girl (she was not ugly) who managed a side business off this main business by having the potential grooms see her first as their bride and then showing the real girl. Basically, helping with negotiations saying, "Hey, you could've gotten me, but instead, we have this gem here. Don't you think she's worth more?" After getting the higher bride price she takes her cut.

After watching, I said I could see Kate and Penelope making a small business doing this around the ton. Not to say they aren't beautiful, they are, and the girl in the original video was beautiful too. They just don't fit society beauty standards. Actually, side note now that I think about it canonically the only one of the wives who did was Sophie. Sophie was described to fit the ton's beauty standards to a t and would probably have been the incomparable/diamond of her debute season if she was born legitimate.

Anyway, Kate probably started it. For one reason or another, they couldn't wait for Edwina to debute, and Kate wasn't having a successful season, so she thought of a way to earn some money to help her family. It started as an accident, Kate was visiting a friend the same time negotiations were happening for her friend's engagement. Her friend has never met the lord, and two just so happened to walk by the room the negotiations were happening in. The lord saw Kate before her friend and assumed she was to be his bride. He was about to be outraged until her friend turned the corner. Things went much better for the bride to be in the negotiations after that.

Kate's friend apologized for the situation, but the wheels in Kate's head were turning. She didn't care all that much about being compared to her friend. Strangers loved to unpromptly compare her to Edwina when they were together and Kate couldn't really bring herself to care she has other things to worry about. But this new development, might work in her favor.

So Kate started offering her services to get brides to be better deals on marriage negotiations. First looks from arranged marriages she'll be in front and then show the real bride. Sometimes, be part of the negotiations by giving little reminders that hey, she is still in need of a husband, and if they want to pay less, then they can negotiate with her family. Sometimes, she didn't have to do anything besides sit next to the bride to be and just talk with her as a silent reminder. Kate also offered services such as attending balls with her clients and spreading word about bride's accomplishments. Kate would get her cut, which helped her family's financial situation longer, just long enough to get Edwina married.

A few years pass, and Kate is booked, possibly overly so. She has more and more parents there who wish for her to be part of the negotiations. There are so many that there is no possible way she can do them all by herself. Unless she gets a partner.

In 1813, Kate saw a miserable wallflower standing at the edge of one of the balls. That yellow dress did not do the poor girl any favors with her complexion, nor did the shape help with her curvy figure. Her poor red hair reminded Kate of an overdone poodle. She looked to be Edwina's age, and that made Kate's big sister instincts go off.

Introductions were made, and Kate learned the girl's name was Penelope Featherington. Kate learned the girl was rather smart and witty when she relaxed around you. She, like Kate, had a good head on her shoulders and it's a shame others don't see that.

Oh well, their loss is Kate's gain.

"Penelope, how would you feel about helping me with some business?" Kate asked one night at a ball. She had a negotiation to go to tomorrow and it would be an ideal time to take her new friend to get her feet wet.

Penelope looked up at Kate. "What kind of business?"

Kate took Penelope with her to the negotiations, and the deals doubled in favor of the bride.

Kate grinned the first time her friend participated in negotiations, raising deals much more favorably for the bride. By mid-season, Penelope will be ready to go on her own. Which will be good because next season, Edwina debutes. Kate will have to focus on her while Penelope takes on the majority of the negotiation calls. When Edwina is settled then Kate can fully jump back in. Which hopefully shouldn't be too hard, Kate knows Edwina will be popular, so it's just a matter of sorting the good men from the rakes. After that Kate can fully focus on her business.

It will all go according to plan.

[mamahersh]

Mamahersh’s Post-MAG-200 Fanfic Recommendation Mega Thread

@a-mag-a-day

In celebration of us finishing The Magnus Archives (even if I admittedly fell off around S2 and have been mostly lurking since then), I have compiled all of my fave post series fics for your enjoyment! I will be grouping them in some big, general categories, which I’ll list above the read more here. Depending on the size of this post, it might start looking a bit like that “Do you like the sky?” post But I can assure you that I have read all of these and can give them my stamp of approval!

If you finished the series and were wishing for your best boys to finally be happy, then boy howdy do I have some fanfiction for you!

Time Travel

Somewhere Else

AUs

Uncategorized JonMartin Fluff

By these categories, we should hopefully cover all the recommendations I have, and I hope you all find some new fics! (or enjoy rereading fics you haven’t enjoyed in awhile)

TIME TRAVEL

where there’s a will, we make a way by bubonickitten

"So, what does happen if an Eye learns to See within itself?

What happens is this: the Archive Beholds the Watcher – and the Watcher blinks first."

________________________

Jon goes back to before the world ended and tries to forge a different path.

Probably my fave time travel fic in this fandom hands down; it is also currently the longest whilst still unfinished. While I try not to recommend unfinished fics that I am uncertain of their return to activity, this is a big exception and personally I love everything about it! It’s got Jon dealing with trauma through the lens of his speaking only in Statements, Martin being saved from his downward spiral into the Lonely way earlier in S4, Georgie actually sticking around, Basira having a better grasp of the situation and being more understanding about it, and everyone generally sticking close to character while managing to buck parts of the narrative. I cannot recommend this fic enough, and I very likely already did back near the start of S5.

Something’s Different About You Lately by thesnadger

Jonathan Sims has been head archivist for just a few months, but he has memories of holding the position for years. He remembers monsters, and darkness, and the end of the world. Somehow, he'll have to keep everyone safe from what's coming. Meanwhile, his assistants can't understand why their prickly jerk of a boss has gone sappy all of a sudden.

So TMA time travel fics that focus on Jon going back tend to come in two varieties. There’s the “Jon’s mind goes back and replaces himself/inhabits his past self’s body” and then there’s the “Jon physically goes back so there’s two Jons”. The first two on this list are of the first variety, and if I remember right this was one of the first I ever read. However, I recommend this one specifically because this has an amazing ending. Like, it might just be me, but many of the endings in these feel relatively unsatisfying because there’s magically a third option where Jon comes out unscathed while saving his S1 archives crew from the Horrors. For whatever reason, it was incredibly satisfying having a fic that didn’t shy away from the options presented in S4 and S5 and I love how they characterize everyone in this one as well.

100 Seconds to Midnight by starspangledbread

Jon and Martin find themselves back in 2011 after attempting to release the fears from their reality. The world is the same one they left behind, but now something has come back with them. They have a chance to destroy the fears once and for all, but it proves harder than expected. Who knew that the best laid plans could be thwarted by nosy co-workers, office romance, the inevitable learning curve of being a time traveler turned grifter, and the refusal to believe in subtlety?

Did someone say Extinction!Jon? This also is a part of a series, though the true sequel to this one is currently unfinished (though it should eventually be completed and only has one chapter to go). An excellent romp, I definitely recommend if you’re looking for something kinda dark, some comedy, a little OOC, and Martin being able to embrace his crime side in the name of saving the world.

Yesterday is Here by CirrusGrey

"Who the hell are you?" Jon could feel his hands shaking. The man laughed, taking a step forward and raising a hand to point at him. "I'm you, from the future!" he said, then swayed, eyes going unfocused, and collapsed to the floor in a dead faint. -------- Post-season-four Jon and Martin time travel back to the season one Archives.

Written by my fave (and most prolific) JMart author, we have a perfect example of the other kind of time travel fix it fic in the form of Jon physically travelling to the past to try and save the world. As expected by someone I am calling my fave JMart author, we’re going to be getting double dose on the JMart. I highly recommend if you’re looking for something that starts a little bittersweet, but then ends in copious amounts of fluff.

Reverb (Series) by Wolftraps

Undoing the apocalypse would have been enough for Jon, if all his people survived. Without them, Jon's only recourse is making it so it never happened in the first place. He's going to do better this time.

Summary from the first fic in the Reverb series, I highly recommend the first two fics in this series for different reasons. “The Reverb in These Holy Halls” is a great time travel fic that takes some really interesting turns by the end and unlike most fics actually has Jon try to keep Tim safe by keeping him out of the Archives pre-S1. However “Gossip” I recommend if you enjoy those fics formatted to look like official communication of some kind. It’s got people outside the Archives trying to figure out what’s wrong with them during the events of the first fic, and while it would be very confusing to read without the first fic, I’d almost say it’s worth it if you aren’t feeling the tags on the first one. Really fun and entertaining, you can’t go wrong with either one.

The Triumph of Galatea (for Acis is transformed) by TheOestofOCs

Statement of Hazel Rutter.

Jon couldn’t stop reading.

The Fears, however, are a bit more powerful than Jonah gave them credit for. Jon opens the door, but the world can’t hold what’s on the other side.

Time falls through, instead. Past becomes present, and the future is undone.

Statement begins.

Another fic I definitely recommended back at episode 160, but is well worth the second recommendation and/or re-read. Time Travel, but what if Jon could control as well as go into the dreams of the assistants/other Eye aligned people instead of just his victims’ dreams? Very good, even if unfinished, though the author seems likely to finish someday. Check out their other work as well, it’s all very good and has my fave Circus themed fic written to date.

a map of what matters most by gruhukens

“Is that a body,” Tim blurts before he can stop himself, rising to his feet. Martin looks, if possible, even more scared.

“He’s alive!” he hisses, almost defensively. “It’s not - it’s not Gertrude again, I didn’t kill him, he just – I don’t know what happened to him, I just found him in the stacks like this.”

“And you dragged him up here?” Tim says, and then registers several things at once – the build, the hair texture; the little round scars peppering a pair of thin hands and an awfully familiar face. “Wait, is that Jon?”

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Jon stumbles back into an earlier Archive, looking for a way to fix the world. (Or, mom says it's my turn for the obligatory time travel au)

Directly inspired by CirrusGrey’s fic that I recommended earlier, this is another: Jon travels physically into the past fic. This one though is far more bittersweet than “Yesterday is Here”, but still an excellent read and does a great job at fleshing out the relationships between all the characters.

Saving the Universe: For Dummies by GhostChoir

Finding a man bleeding out in the alleyway was not what Elias wanted to do today. And he certainly didn’t mean to befriend him. But things never did go how he expected.

****** A Post-MAG200 Jon meets a 1970s Elias, an Elias from before he was corrupted by Jonah. Together, the two of them learn to cope with grief, drink more tea than any two people should be able to consume, and commiserate over shitty bosses. Oh, and just for the hell of it, they stop an apocalypse along the way.

Now for a change of pace: What if Jon time travels to the time of early Gertrude and Elias pre-Jonafying? A very good fic is what! While it’s been awhile since I read this, I do remember it’s quite good and deserves a chance. Note: this is NOT Jonathan/Elias, so my apologies if you were looking for that, but it is two very lonely men getting to just have a reliable friend in times of trouble.

A Little Game of Cat and Mouse by Paptato

“Jonah Magnus.” The cloudy silhouette snarled as it’s hand clamped tightly around Jonah's ascot. That was indeed his name, but Jonah couldn’t begin to fathom what he did to have it spat out with such hatred.

But nonetheless, Jonah was a gentleman and he would kindly address the angry figure as politely as possible, “Yes, and you are?”

“What?” The form spluttered as it slowly came into focus. Ah, yes. That probably wasn’t the proper response to being held at gunpoint by a random stranger. Must have been the blow to his head.

(Or in which Jonathan Sims goes back in time and tries to pull a Terminator, but fails and Jonah Magnus finds a new mystery to solve.)

This is that Jonah Magnus/Jonathan Sims enemies to lovers fic your friends warn you about in a good way. It’s not done, but I think it’s still being updated very slowly. Even if all I ever read is the currently released 11 chapters, I will consider it my one exception to my dislike of Jonah/Jon. As you can probably guess by the description, it’s a time travel fix it where Jon gets shunted back in time to when Jonah was still very human and still trying to figure out the Fears. The Web keeps Jon from explaining his circumstances or anything to do with Jonah’s future in particular, but this is a good thing and they both get to learn how to be more human in a world that previously was very antagonistic to those goals. It’s got a heavy dose of comedy, plenty of romantic tension, and lots of both surprising and unsurprising cameos. If you enjoy Dracula Daily, you’ll probably enjoy this imho.

Déjà Vu by CirrusGrey

Sasha remembers being unmade. Tim remembers being Unknown. Jon and Martin remember being unwound. All of them think they're the only one. -------- The S1 crew wakes up in the past with memories up till the moment they died.

So, here’s another one that’s got quite the spin on it. As you can see from the description, this one is where S1 crew all get their minds sent back in time to the time right around Jon’s first statement if I remember right. Another CirrusGrey fic, so it heavily leans on JonMartin, but otherwise it’s a wonderful exploration of the four S1 characters and ends on a very hopeful note!

oh my darling, just a moment of your time by IceEckos12

The Institute is visited by a pair of time travelers, and Jon has an important question for Tim.

Have you ever had a oneshot that just kinda guts you unexpectedly? While this might not do this for everyone, this is an amazing oneshot that gets right the point. I love it a lot, because of all of the fics where future and past meet each other, it very rarely if ever is addressed that past Jon was a douche. Or well it is but past Jon doesn’t necessarily have a character moment from it. Here he does, and despite the briefness of the fic, the author does an amazing job of giving Jon and Tim a moment while making an almost critique of the TMA time travel genre. Highly, highly recommend, and it won’t overstay it’s welcome if it doesn’t end up being your thing.

The Severing of Webs by chlodobird

After Jon kills the world, he travels back in time. Once there, he gets ready to change the future, to save his Assistants, and to watch as everyone learns to hate him again.

Unfortunately, the tapes wrap around him like a fly caught in a Web—he can't move. He's trapped reliving the original timeline, stuck acting out his past actions like an actor rehearsing his lines.

Sasha will die. Tim will die. Martin—

(Jon screams inside his mind, and someone hears him. Fate is not as immutable as he fears.)

This one is a brand new one! While basically all of the others on the list have been out/updating for over a year at this point; this lengthy oneshot just released this month. tbh, very excellent, which is why it has made the list. Also, quite the twist on the usual premise, where being sent back into his head is actually a bad thing this time. Ends with a giant pile of fluff, but who would I be if all my time travel recommendations were not also fix-its?

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Somewhere Else

it will be this, always by bluejayblueskies

Jon coughed again, and blood stained his lips and blood stained Martin’s hands where they pressed against Jon’s back and blood stained the floor beneath them and help, they needed help.

Martin doesn’t remember shouting. He barely remembers the faces that had surrounded them, wide-eyed and terrified, all utterly unfamiliar.

.

Jon and Martin wake up somewhere else. Jon begins a slow path toward physical recovery, and several important, long-put-off conversations are had as they begin to navigate a new world that they hadn’t thought they’d be alive to see.

So, I’m sure you all have gathered that I have qualms with how much disparity there is between canon and fanon Jmart. This fic is painful, but is the most in character depiction of post 200 JMart fallout I have ever read. The ending is very cathartic, and takes a “realistic” approach to what happens to Jon and Martin as they begin to navigate their relationship after they both had betrayed each other so thoroughly in the leadup and culmination of MAG 200. If you don’t want them immediately making up, this is the fic for you. They get there, but by all that is good do they take their sweet time getting there.

Out There, Somewhere by Artyphex

"I'm sorry, you were found alone."

Jon survived the apocalypse and now will go to the end of this new, unfamiliar world to find Martin again.

So I think I’m just getting all the angsty ones out of the way first lol. Another slow burn, this fic is Jon’s recovery in the new reality while he also searches for what happened to Martin. Since I don’t post the tags, I will say this ones does feature “Eventual Happy Ending”, and I do promise that both Jon and Martin made it to the new reality and lived. But Jon and Martin both get to pine and cope for a while before that happy ending tag comes into play. It’s incredibly well done and explores their characters really well. Personally, I kinda enjoyed the Reddit saga because people mistaking Jon’s pleas for Martin as an ARG is very typical internet and 100% I would have bought into that at age 13.

Of course I need a therapist. I need ten therapists, working round the clock building me a bionic coping mechanism. We have the technology. by MartinKBlackwoodESQ

A story set somewhere else.

I’mma be real with you all, if I believed that characters could write and publish their own fanfiction, I would be halfway convinced the name is accurate. All joking aside however, this is a “crack treated seriously” fic but with characterization so on point I can consistently hear the voice actors when I read this. Admittedly, it’s made easier by it being written in transcript formatting, but if you’re looking for a hilarious time where TMA is suddenly is turned into a buddy cop adventure where Jon and Martin go to a universe where the Fears hadn’t been till their arrival, and they have doubles that already exist there who are living fairly normal lives till the TMA Jon and Martin crash land into their reality... Well this fic is one I cannot recommend highly enough. It also has a sequel, and it is also well worth the read, even if it appears to be on a bit of a break in it’s updates.

Worlds like phyllo pastry by neworld

After episode 200 Jon finds himself alone in a world very much like the one he left but fractionally different. It's so similar he finds versions of his former friends existing happily in the world. Unfortunately they have never met him in this universe and have no idea who he is.

This one’s unfinished, but personally it’s well worth the read as is. Not sure how I feel about the most recent chapter, but the story up till that point is a really fun spin on “Jon and Martin get shunted to a new reality” where Jon learns how to feed in a way that doesn’t cause problems facilitated by the new reality, and re-meets all the people who he lost till this point and has a very silly antagonistic relationship with his alternate self. While fic might be more of a guilty pleasure, it still is written in such a way that I would rank it high enough for this disorganized list.

Death Is The Easy Way Out by traveller19

After having killed Jonah Magnus and ended the Change, Jon and Martin should finally be able to rest. Rest, however, proves impossible when Jon falls ill. What's more, he begins having vivid dreams of their dead friends - Tim, trapped in the destroyed Archives, and Sasha, trapped outside of them. As Jon's condition quickly worsens and the line between dream and reality begins to blur, love is all he and Martin have to hold on to, because hope is a dangerous thing.

Did someone say sickfic??? But for real, this fic has an amazing balance between an A plot and a B plot, and keeps both at the right level of tension throughout. While this is a sickfic heavy one, it also features Tim and Sasha as ghosts trying desperately not to be. There’s also a lovely sequel and plenty of fluff by the end, but this is a rough ride. ALSO, if you or a loved one had covid / any respiratory illness that caused them to be hospitalized with pneumonia and it could be trigging to read incredibly on the nose descriptions of that experience, this fic is not for you. Or very cathartic. :/

Castaways by CirrusGrey

Welcome to the Castaway Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing a safe and secure landing to those lost souls banished from their home worlds by the influence of Fear.

If you wanted saccharine JMart in a new reality where they get therapy and meet old friends from different realities, this series of (mostly) one shots is for you! As you’ve probably come to expect when I suggest CirrusGrey, the writing is fantastic, the ship dynamics are exemplary, and the character are on point. There is so much to say about this series, but mostly, if you want Jon and Martin healing and then settling together and becoming the stereotypical married couple, then this is it. It’s not done, but it is wrapping up, and I hope you all if you haven’t seen this yet enjoy it as much as I do. And for those long time readers who have been reading it longer than I’ve been in the fandom, here’s your friendly reminder that it exists.

Do Before I Die by SupposedToBeWriting

Somewhere Else, Jon can't seem to shake the strange apathy that now plagues his life. Everything reminds Martin of the end of the world. For a change of pace, he and Martin rent a campervan and go on a road trip. Their mission? To fulfill the 'bucket list' Martin made when he was eighteen and lonely. Jon's looking forward to the beach.

Jon and Martin go on a Road Trip accross Britain. It’s just a wholesome and hurt/comfort as it describes. An excellent romp, and the character studies are wonderful. The Planetarium still sticks with me.

ours is a distant shore (series) by pantsoflobster

“If they ever found out about us, we could make things really complicated for them," Jon said. Martin gave a thoughtful hum and then a loaded pause before he said, “Or simpler.” “What?” “We could, you know…” Martin then made mischievous eyes at him in lieu of expanding. “What?” Jon said, thoroughly lost. “Wouldn’t it be a bit fun to sort of... nudge them in the right direction?”

Months after they arrive Somewhere Else, Jon sees himself in the shop.

Summary is from the first fic in the series, this is a fun little romp for those who hated Martin’s defeatism over his and Jon’s relationship in MAG199 and want to see what would happen if instead he accidentally kick started an alternate version and his and Jon’s relationship Somewhere Else. It’s all very silly, tho the last fic does lean more into the hurt/comfort tag than the previous two. Over all though, if you’re looking for a little crack, a lot of fluff, and Jon and Martin being silly this is a good time.

Written in the Stars Will Have to Do by GentlemanCrow

“Yeah well, god knows why, but he thinks you hung the moon, so you might try treating him at the very least like a human being once in a while.”

It was such a small thing. Small words for a small feeling cloaked in a chintzy veneer of idiomatic dismissal. A trembling little bird cupped in his scarred and battered hands and smothered. Or so he thought. Sometimes trembling little birds turn out to be phoenixes, and those who looked to someone else to hang the comfort of a wise, silvery moon in the sky already have the hammer and the picture wire at the ready.

As far as Jon was concerned, the moon only rose on their Somewhere Else because Martin deigned to pull the strings every night, not him.

This is another one of those JMart Somewhere Else fics masquerading as a Safehouse fic that made me want to cry. It’s just, so wonderful, and once again we have themes of healing, but this time through getting a hobby and sharing it with your significant other. The writing is lovely and really gives off the stuffy academic musings I would expect being in Jon’s head (which we are for the duration of this fic) but adds a layer that I didn’t realized I needed till I read it.

On Errantry by ZaliaChimera

Somewhere Else, Jon and Martin discover that their new home has a very special sort of guardian, and Jon seeks judgement from an unexpected source.

They do say that cats purring can heal...

A cute one shot that deals with Jon’s lingering guilt from S5; this is a wonderful tale from Somewhere Else featuring a giant Cat, Martin being supportive, and Jon trying to reconcile his second chance. Very sweet and fluffy, guaranteed!

Lost, Unfound, But Not Forgotten by Elynn

They didn’t find bodies. Or anything pointing to where they may have gone. In the center of the rubble, what Georgie assumed to have once been the top of the tower, was a puddle of dried, crusted blood, and the outline of bodies in the dust and scorch marks. And she knew that wherever the Fears had gone, Jon and Martin had gone with them. The last victims, snuffed and dragged away with them. --- In the weeks after the Eye-pocolypse, Georgie Barker begins the painful process of mourning her best friend.

So, I know I’m very focused on Jon, but I have one fic of Georgie here that’s 10/10. Post 200, Georgie and Melanie eventually goes to clean out Daisy’s cabin of Jon and Martin’s things for Basira (or something like that) and Georgie finds a journal of Jon’s that he kept whilst there. It’s just as bittersweet as you’d imagine, but it’s fantastically cathartic to read and in our MAG 200 feels, this is a good one for closure.

Not Quite Somewhere Else by hawkfurze

Or you can find it on Tumblr HERE

A special entry to finish out this section, I have a long running comic from Tumblr user @hawkfurze who made a TMA x Infinity Train crossover. While I had not watched the show previously (only seen the trailer/pilot from back before it got picked up by CN), the comic is still easy to understand and explains the Infinity Train parts in such a way as to not need any prior knowledge. I highly recommend this comic for anyone who wants a visual treat delving into the relationship and psyches of Jon and Martin as they try to escape into the next reality.

-

AUs

Two Graves by SupposedToBeWriting

Jon sends the fears far from Earth and flees London, leaving the others to assume the worst. He settles in a small village and opts to live there quietly until he dies, a self-imposed penance. This plan is foiled when the first former Avatar shows up - and Jon realizes that every domain-keeper in the apocalypse still has some faint connection to him.

After a year of being a shoulder to cry on for confused and distraught former Avatars, Jon leads a moderately happy life. He has a flourishing garden, a cat, and some company. All of that comes crashing around his ears (or his head) when a familiar face shows up to his cabin, demanding answers.

This fic is in my top 5 fics of TMA fandom. No contest. It has some of the best healing from MAG 200 for Jon and Martin and tbh the world I’ve seen. It’s got that incredible hurt/comfort and the ending makes me cry tears of joy every time I read it. If you read any JMart fic on this list, please read this one if you can only read one. While I was tempted to put this in a different category, this seemed like the best place to put it.

What Comes After by Mornrandir

More than a year after the apocalypse, the world is starting to move on. Georgie, Melanie, and Basira have learned to move on and get back to living their lives. Then Martin reappears- without Jon- and they have to learn to begin again.

A series based around the initial above description, each entry in the series follows the healing of first Martin, then Jon, then both of them together. While I am a Jon-centric woman, if you are of a more Martin-centric leaning, this first fic in the series should scratch that itch. The final entry is very sweet, and the second definitely has a unique reason as to why Jon shows up so late to the after-Fears party.

The Watcher’s Cows by lenioia

He still remembers the first cup of tea Martin brought him. That’s where it began, not with the dog incident. A sweet and strong blend, reasons for appearance unknown, how could it taste so good, also unknown. Jon stares at what will be the last cup between them. His miserable parting gift. Where it’ll end.

Alt Mag 200, or in a slightly kinder universe which differs by exactly one cup of tea, Martin is the one who switches plan last minute, and Jon’s last half-backed scheme, for once, works.

An AU splitting off MAG 199/200, where Jon’s plan actually happens, but instead of it being quite so bleak he finds a new path with the help of Martin. I know the original ending of the series is probably the most hopeful one realistically, but we all enjoy our fixits here, so this is a really sappy “by the power of love” Jon and Martin save the universe and still get to live in it AU. Highly highly recommend, and it finished within the last 8 months, so it’s “on the newer side” as it were. If you haven’t read it, give it a shot, and if you’ve read it and it’s been awhile now’s a good time to read it again.

The Eyespot Chronicles (series) by SupposedToBeWriting

To Martin Blackwood's surprise, he wakes up in the ruins of the Magnus Institute. He thought he would be dead. The world is back to normal, the Entities are gone, and everyone realizes that it's finally over. The only sticking point is that Jon isn't exactly the Jon that went into the apocalypse. Never one to give up, Martin is determined to make a life for himself and his boyfriend. Even if he is a giant moth.

Summary taken from the first in the series, this trilogy of fics covers Jon and Martin’s attempts at healing in a world that remembers what happened. The first fic focuses entirely on Martin’s struggles, the second on Jon’s, and the 3rd (as you might guess) focuses on them both. The series is excellent, and if you’ve got the fortitude for canon-typical emotional constipation after having just experienced MAG-200 it’s well worth the read.

Another Guest for Mr. Spider by Dribbledscribbles

Jon isn't eating his statements like he should.

Mr. Spider doesn't like it.

Written in transcript format, this AU considers the idea of what if the Web was more hands on it it’s approach to getting Jon to Become more monstrous; or at least not starve himself out. Incredible read, you need an AO3 account though. But I have never been that spooked by a Statement or encounter before I read this fic. If you DO NOT like spiders on you or in your mouth and you don’t like reading about it either, potentially hold off on this fic, or at least skip from where Mr. Spider says “Open your mouth. Do not move.” to when he says “Wash it down with this. Now.” But yeah if you didn’t get enough spider trauma from canon, this fic gives it in spades! (And if you want Mr. Spider getting his comeuppance, you get that too ;) )

Illicio by ThatOneGirlBehindYou

As the new Archivist debates between life and death, the Eye ponders on what to offer him in order to avoid an encore of the unfortunate situation with his predecessor.

-----

Gerard Keay opens his eyes at what feels like fuck-ass in the morning, inside a room with far too little space and far too much dust.

A long form AU of what if Gerry Keay was brought back by the Eye to convince Jon to stay on team Monster if you will. Goes all the way through MAG-200, has some great twists and turns, and manages to turn into an “Everyone Lives AU” as well. While it is currently updating, it’s updating every week on Saturday till it finishes, and she only has 2 chapters left. If you’ve managed to never read this, now is certainly the time for it! It is Jon/Gerry/Martin, so if that’s not your exact cup of tea I’d still say give it a shot.

we should ride this wave to shore by ClarionGlass

“archives research & statement envestigation” Timothy Stoker renamed the group “drinks drinks drinks” Timothy Stoker changed Sasha James’s nickname to saucy sash Timothy Stoker changed Martin Blackwood’s nickname to martini kart Timothy Stoker changed his nickname to stonked stonked: so how bout it lads saucy sash: oh god. A TMA group chat fic where the worst problems they have to deal with start with "h" and end with "angovers"

Right, I don’t tend to read chat fics, I’m going to be honest with you all. I have two exceptions and this is one of them. It goes interesting places, the characters are not completely OOC, if it they are at least it’s consistent OOC and not in a grating way. But in all seriousness, I recommend this because of how it ties in with MAG 160 and 200; as well as how the sequel deals with canon S5. The sequel isn’t finished and is slow to update, but I am still recommending at the very least the first one. It’s a good romp and I highly recommend.

Ask an Exec: How to Navigate Cultish Colleagues, Soul-Stealing Bosses, and the End of the World at Work by shinyopals

I've recently been unexpectedly promoted to lead a department in my organisation, wrote the anonymous emailer.

As there was no one working here when I arrived, my manager, who is head of the organisation, had promised me the choice of my own assistants. However, without warning, he simply presented me with an additional assistant. This new assistant’s first act on his first day was to let a dog into the office. It took several hours to catch and clean up after this dog and it has only been downhill from there. I admit I'm not entirely sure what to do with this assistant now I'm stuck with him. I'm hoping you have some advice?

Kind regards, New Manager

Abigail Bailey runs a successful management advice blog. One frequent contributor is from a workplace with some... issues.

While this isn’t quite an AU and is basically canon compliant, I’m putting it here because it’s a “what if Jon was an avid seeker of advice on a management advice blog?” AU. It’s beautifully formatted, and features very in character interactions. If you are a sucker for the TMA trope: how do normal people react to the weirdness at the Institute, then this is a great fic for you. I know it’s probably one of the most popular things to have hit the Jonathan Sims tag on AO3 in recent months, but this is just me reminding you all it exists and well worth the re-read.

JMart Fluff

Author CirrusGrey

Literally anything by them. I think I probably recommend them every time I talk about JMart, but I think on AO3 they are both the most prolific and one of the best writers for the tag. Pick almost any fic they’ve written for TMA and it’s probably JMart. There’s too many fics of their’s to recommend, so I’ll just link you straight to their profile and you can go swimming from there lol.

Jon’s Moving Castle by IceEckos12

Martin Blackwood may not have a perfect life, but he does have a good one. That is, until a series of magical encounters leave him with an unfortunate curse. Out of other options, he goes to the wizard who lives in the moving castle for aid.

Life never goes how he intends it to, though.

Basically Howl’s Moving Castle, but with a TMA spin. You don’t need to have seen the movie to understand what’s going on, and honestly while it sticks fairly close to the movie, it doesn’t stick so close that it feels constrained by it in places where it wouldn’t make sense in the AU they’ve set up. It’s a very sweet JMart fic with a satisfying conclusion.

The 101 Kidnappings of Jonathan Sims (and Other Inconveniences) by beetlejoos

Martin Blackwood never applies for a job at the Magnus Institute. The universe seems determined that he meets Jonathan Sims anyway. But is it Fate, or something more sinister, that keeps bringing the two of them together?

Right, this mostly crack treated seriously. It’s got hurt/comfort, but it’s fairly light hearted throughout. As one could guess by the title and description, Jon is repeatedly kidnapped and brought to wherever Martin is living/working at the time. While it’s not done yet, and not on a schedule, the chapters that are out thus far are well worth the read. That and there’s some cute fan art for it that’s linked to in the end notes. But I recommend this because it’s got that vibe of S1 Jon meets S1 Martin outside of the Institute and romance (eventually) happens. Very fun read if you haven’t read it yet.

i think we’re alone now + alone-verse (series) by milliganopen

Just a couple of guys breaking into a basement. What could go wrong?

Getting trapped in your apartment with your boss, that's what.

Season 1 re-imagined if Jon and Martin had been trapped by Jane Prentiss together.

Initially I recommended this back when we had hit MAG039/022 because it was a great AU to Martin’s Statement where Jon also gets trapped in Martin’s apartment during Martin’s no good very bad 2 weeks of worm siege. HOWEVER, the author has since continued this series and is slowly working their way through canon one season/fic at a time. They’re currently on S3, and I am definitely keeping an eye on it for whenever the next update happens. If you haven’t had the time to check it out, it’s got some very good JMart moments, and their relationship manages to move faster than a glacier.

Fate, or Something by HermaeusMora

"You can't be serious." Jonathan Sims raises his eyes at last to properly look at Georgie, expecting her to laugh and make some quip about finally getting him to put the damn book down, at least.

"Well, I am," she shoots back.

He sets his book aside and turns fully towards her, betrayal clear on his face. "A blind date, really?"

Jon makes the frankly terrible decision to go on a blind date with one Martin Blackwood. Fate ensues. AU where Jon and Georgie are still friends, Georgie likes finding dates for her friends, Martin doesn't work at the institute, and everyone is just a bit happier while canon spooky stuff goes on in the background. Takes place juuust barely pre-canon in the beginning but catches up quickly. Inspired as usual by the wonderful conversations with my friend RavenXavier/somuchbetterthanthat.

A fun AU that challenges the idea that Jon and Martin are incompatible a la MAG199. Excellently done and well worth the time to check it out.

Diary by luftballoons99

Not for the first time since they ran away together, a camera reel of all the things they don't know about one another whirs behind Martin's eyes, and he can't help but look at all the sprawling magnetic tape and wonder if they’re going to wind up a romance or a tragedy.

or: Office parties, garage bands, and the joy of being known.

A bit of a bittersweet mostly fluff oneshot focused on Jon and Martin having a night in at the Safehouse and talking about good things from their pasts. (Warning, the sequel is rated E(xplicit) for a reason, so I am only recommending Diary. Both are stand alone however.)

Weaving My Heartstrings by arms_full_of_hyacinths

At least he was someone. Someone who could deal with the spiders. That was probably the source of the nerves unspooling like magnetic tape to fill Jon’s stomach with buzzing static butterflies.

Yes, Martin was much bigger than a spider. He was probably the kind of person who cupped them in his hands and talked to them as he walked them out into the garden, which shouldn’t be giving Jon a burst of warm feeling at all, since his preferred method of spider disposal was simply to squash them on sight.

Martin likes Jon almost as much as Jon hates spiders. When a statement from an institute employee sends them spiraling into the center of a complicated web, they'll need to rely on each other if they want to make it out alive.

Bit of an odd suggestion to close us out, but this one is a fun almost episodic plot about an original Statement and the shenanigans Jon and Martin get into trying to research it. It’s very good, features some very on point S1 Jon and Martin along with a bit of a fast forward on their relationship throughout.

And with that, I’ve probably overstayed my welcome lol. I hope you found something new to read! If not, I at least hope that you had fun rereading some old faves. This has taken me a day or two to compile and format, so I hope you all enjoy in whatever capacity that ends up being! Happy end of A Mag A Day, and it was a joy walking alongside you all. Congrats to A MAG A Day blog owners on all your hard work for the last ~210 days and with this post I wish you all a very fond farewell.

[xxj-t]

Everything About You

Suguru Geto x Black Fem Reader

Characters: Suguru Geto

Summary: Lately you have been struggling with your natural hair and Suguru sees it. He wants to encourage you and love on you to make you feel better. One day, he takes it upon himself to learn more about your hair and surprise you.

Word Count: 2.4k

A/N: Here is some Suguru fluff! I have natural curly hair (For about 10 years now) and it can be such a pain, but I love it. The journey is wild! So, what I wrote is what I be feeling, and I wanted to put it in writing. I can definitely see Suguru being your supportive, significant other comforting you. A while back, my friend @hayakawalove and I were discussing how Suguru would be a stylist or him wanting to help reader do their hair and I said, "Yeah, I gotta write this." It was such a fun conversation. Shoutout to her! Go check out their works, especially if you love Gojo and Suguru! 🤭

Enjoy!:)

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

“Ugh, stupid hair. Why can’t you do what I want you to do?” You toss the paddle brush onto the counter in front of you out of mere frustration. Looking at yourself in the mirror, you shake your head not knowing to either scold your hair or yourself.

You have been at it for about twenty minutes trying your best to style your hair, but it just wasn’t working out. Your arms were getting tired, and you were feeling hot since you have been working up a storm. Sometimes you wish that you could just cut it all off and not deal with this anymore, but you know that you could never do that, your future self would never forgive you. You’ve come so far in growing out your hair. Obviously, it wasn’t an easy journey, but still, it would be nice if it could take care of itself.

With a scoff you shake your head.

“Fine, bun it is!”

As you start to apply gel in your hair to start the process, the bathroom door opens and you see Suguru coming in from your right. You stop when you see him in nothing but his shorts, wow,  suddenly you feel a tad bit better. His long jet black hair sways over his shoulders, a bit messy. He must’ve woken up from the nap you both just had.

You just happened to wake up first.

He sees your frustrated face.

“Hey, baby. Are you okay?” Suguru walks further in the bathroom, now standing behind you. He wraps his toned arms around your waist and  bends down to place his chin on your shoulder. His eyes gleam in the light as he gazes at your reflection. You feel yourself start to calm down some more, his presence is always so calming. Not only that, but he definitely looks too good right now.

A small smile spreads on your lips.

“Uh, no. I’m not,” you pause, crossing your arms, “but I’m better now that you are here.”

Suguru sees your pout, he always finds it cute. Doesn’t matter what situation it was, it was always adorable.

“You’re frustrated with your hair again, I see.” He presses his soft lips on your cheek.

“Yes, I am. I am this close to just shaving it off! It pisses me off so much.”

“Mmm...” He stands up straight and starts to slide his hands up and down on your sides as you finish up tying your hair.

It’s so easy to get in your head about all of this. Your thoughts go from loving your hair to being fed up with it. You feel yourself envying other women with “better” curl patterns. Sometimes you feel like their natural hair is even prettier than yours. Of course, everyone’s hair is different and you shouldn’t compare your hair like that.

Not only do you think about that, but also it’s such a struggle to find the right products, trying new techniques, and trying your best to be grateful for what you have...but it can be overwhelming.

Suguru has seen all the ups and downs, sometimes he has even seen you cry out of anger or out of frustration. He always made an effort to make you feel better.

Once you are done, Suguru gives you room to start cleaning up the counter that was covered in your hair products.

“Is there anything I can do for you?” Suguru's eyebrows furrow.

You stop yourself in your tracks and turn around to look at him.

“Can you help me grow another pair of arms?” You ask.

Suguru ponders for a few moments, not knowing what to say to that. You chuckle and grab his hands.

“Just kidding, no. I’ll be fine.” Your smile drops as you look away disappointedly. He feels you squeeze his hands, before you continue to make your way around the bathroom.

Suguru ponders for a moment, trying to think of how to cheer you up. He always wondered what he could do for you, he would give you the world if you asked him to.Then an idea comes to mind. 

“Wait. Stop.” He makes his way towards you and lays his hands on your shoulders, his touch warming you. He spins you around.

“How about we eat your favorite takeout and watch a movie, hm?” Suguru kisses your forehead. 

The sound of that immediately cheers you up at his suggestion.

“Ugh, yes. That sounds wonderful actually.” You wrap your arms around his neck and hug him, kissing his cheek.

“Perfect. I’ll order it, then.” Suguru wraps his arms around you and gives you a squeeze. “Now, go relax in the living room, I’ll finish up here. When I’m done, I’ll pour you some wine, okay?”

“Ahh, wine. Okay, I will. Thank you, baby.” You lean in to kiss his lips and he holds you by the waist, pulling you in. Suguru pulls back and gives you a genuine smile.

“You’re welcome, sweetheart.”

-

Suguru finds himself sitting on the couch, scrolling on his phone while you are out and about with some friends. As of late, Suguru has been doing a lot of thinking. He keeps reminiscing about what you said in the bathroom the other day...

“Can you help me grow another pair of arms?”

Suguru keeps repeating that question in his head. What if you did have an extra pair? 

That sparks something in his brain. 

He opens a browser on his phone and taps away in the search bar. His eyes light up when he sees links and images of your type of hair. He is amazed by the many styles he sees. Natural curls, braids, locs, all sorts of things. His eyes roam all over the screen as he clicks and clicks away.

It’s so interesting, he is fascinated by all of this. A link to a video catches his eye. It read, “Natural Hair Tutorial”.

He rolls his tongue on the inside of his cheek and clicks on the video, bringing him to YouTube.

-

The sounds of notifications from your phone wakes you from your sleep. Prying your eyes open, you stretch your arms above your head while stretching your legs out, feeling the release of tension from your muscles. Your muscles relax, as your mind clears up until you remember what day it is.

Wash day. Time to tame the beast.

As you groan at the reminder, you take a few moments to yourself to wake up. Eventually you  reach over to grab your phone from the charger that was on your nightstand.

10:13am.

Not bad, at least it’s your day off anyway. Hence why you planned this in advance. 

You beam seeing good morning texts from Suguru which makes your heart melt. It looks like he went to get a few things done this morning and should be back soon. You text him back and sit up from your bed and stare at your bathroom that’s across the room.

“I guess I should get a head start,” you mumble to yourself.

Then you feel your stomach growl. Right. Food. You’re going to need energy for the next handful of hours.

“Perhaps a quick meal will suffice,” you sigh.

Suguru comes back to the apartment with his hands full of bags, humming to himself. He sets the bags on the counter and takes a deep breath. Taking in his surroundings, he notes that you are nowhere in sight, until he hears music coming from the bathroom. He had an idea what you are up to.

Suguru takes his hair tie off his right wrist and ties it up in a bun, letting some strands hang next to his ears before he starts to unload the bags. Luckily, it’s only a few things to pack away. After he is done, he walks towards the bedroom, hearing the music boom louder and louder as he draws near the bathroom. He knocks on the door and waits for your reply.

You are jamming out to your music as you finish the last part of the section you are working. You hear a faint knock and lower the volume on your phone. Drying off your hands on the towel near you, you open the door seeing Suguru standing there, looking as handsome as ever. He wears black sweats and a dark green sleeveless shirt.

He stands there holding up your favorite drink from the local coffee shop down the road and a bag with their logo on it, already smelling your favorite sandwich that makes your mouth water.

“Aww, baby. Thank you so much.” You step forward giving him a kiss on the lips. He hands over your drink and sandwich smiling at you as he looks you over. 

You’re wearing your favorite robe with comfy slippers; it’s always nice to be as comfortable as possible during days like this one. Hair products are spread out on the counter with a mixture of combs, brushes, clips...all the things. The air smells sweet, like coconut.

“Working hard I see,” he says as he admires your work. Noting the two sections you have already finished, twisted and clipped out of the way.

“Yeah, I already want to take a break, but I need to keep going. I’ll be done eventually.” You take a sip of your drink and lean on the counter. You hum at the taste as soon as it hits your tastebuds. It’s nice to take a small breather before you continue your work. 

Suguru nods and thinks back on the videos he has been watching for the past two days. He takes a few moments before speaking.

“I want to help,” he says.

Did you hear him right?

You look at him in surprise.

“You want to help me? That’s so sweet of you, hun. I can explain and guide you on what to do.” Excitedly, you set your drink down and take the next section of your hair and take it down.

He sees the excited look on your face. That smile of yours always makes his day better, especially when he’s the one to make you do that.

“So, from what I learned is that you take your comb and start at the ends and work your way up. It’s important to treat it delicately, especially if there is a matted part as well. It’s also important to split your hair in sections as well to make it easier and to detangle thoroughly. Like a part within parts. That’s why it is always best to detangle while your hair is still wet with conditioner in it, correct?” 

He reaches to touch your hair, examining your curls, tracing the patterns with his fingers as he adds a few more details.

His eyes blink over to the shocked expression on your face in the reflection.. You have told him about how you do your hair, but never that detailed. Just the basics. How the heck did he know this?

“Are you okay there, sweetie?” He chuckles.

“How...when did you–”

“I have been doing some research the past few days. I see how much you struggle with your hair, and it pains me to see you frustrated with it. I wanted to do this because I care and I want to see you happy. Your hair is one of my favorite parts about you.” He leans closer to you and reaches for your chin. He turns your face around so you are staring him directly in the eyes.

“Everything about you, is what I love. From the inside out. You are the most precious thing in the world to me, and if I can make your life just a little bit easier, then I can leave this world knowing that I at least did something to contribute to your life. I know you can get stressed out at times.” 

He pauses.

Your heart starts to swell, your emotions are taking over, eyes watering. 

“Stressed about life...about work...about the way you look, but sweetheart,” he comes closer to your face.

“You are the most stunning, and amazing woman of strength that I know. Your beauty captivates me.” His other hand reaches for your curls and he wraps a strand around his finger.

“You see this? This gorgeous hair of yours is what makes you unique, it makes you, you. Give yourself grace, baby. You are doing a wonderful job. Okay?” 

Tears sting your eyes as they stream down your face. Your lips are quivering at the words he spoke to you. It hits you right in your heart. One of the things you loved most about him was his encouraging heartfelt words. It was what you needed to hear. That reassurance, the love behind them...you couldn’t have asked for a better man.

“I...” you sniffle, “I don’t know what to say.”

He shakes his head. His thumb goes to wipe the tear from your eye.

“You don’t need to say anything.”

A smile spreads across your face as you lean your head against his warm hand. Your eyes meet his, you couldn’t help but melt in his touch.

“I love you,” he says.

“I love you too.” 

Both of you draw closer to each other for a sweet genuine kiss. After you two separate, he pulls you into a hug and kisses the side of your head. 

“Thank you. I needed to hear that. You always know what to say.” You pull back to look at him. “And thank you for doing that for me. Looking up on how to work with my hair. I am so glad you want to learn.” 

“Of course sweetheart. I’d do anything for you.” 

Drying your eyes, you inhale and release your breath before picking up your wide tooth comb.

“I’ll show you how I do it,” you smirk.

You show him how you start to detangle one part of your hair and tell him each step. He was amazed watching you. He has watched you before, but not like this. Usually, when you wash your hair, he isn’t home to see how it’s done, so he is grateful he gets this chance to observe you closely. 

Once you show him a couple more times, he takes the initiative to try it out on his own. You watch him as he focuses on your hair in the reflection while you take this opportunity to eat your sandwich. It is quite nice to have your hair done by someone else.

His tongue pokes out a little as he attempts the process.

So cute. It’s pretty funny to see him furrow his brows at some points.

“I can see why you want to scream most of the time.”

You burst out laughing and take a sip of your drink.

“I know. Now you get it.” 

“Still beautiful though.” He winks at you.

You feel your cheeks heat up at his compliment.

He literally is the best man ever.

[shewrites444]

competitive edge [xavier thorpe x reader smut]

[ like usual, written by me and only me. i figured an enemies to lovers trope would be an interesting one to write, so enjoy ( ˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈♡) ]

word count - 2k

[summary: the reader and xavier have never gotten along, but when they're unexpectly forced to be on the same team for the poe cup, the two learn they're more alike, sexually, than they think.]

[warnings: enemies to lover trope, teasing, quick sex, risky sex]

-

"are you fucking serious, ajax? you told me xavier wasn't going to participate this year." i roll my eyes in annoyance, walking down to hall with the boy as we turn into our biology class. "you know i wouldn't have agreed to any of this if i knew he was coming."

ajax signed, sitting down on the black stool before setting his backpack on the floor. "it's really not that big of a deal, [y/n]. it's not like you have to talk to him, you know." he opened his notebook and clicked his pen to begin taking notes. "and remind me again why you two are so called mortal enemies in the first place?"

"he humiliated the shit out of me freshman year, dude. remember?" i look up to ajax in confusion and a bit of frustration. "i don't know who could forget he was the one that started the rumor i brought that red paint to the rave'n because i had failed one of miss thornhill's exams and he didn't, which like, almost caused me to get expelled."

"well, if it makes you feel better, i did forget. but now you have reminded of that disaster of an event, so thanks for that." ajax jokes, winking at me playfully as i scoff, burying my head into my hands as i think about the events that were about to unfortunately unfold this weekend.

the reason i disliked xavier sounded kind of silly, but it really did take a toll on me. we had lightly competed a bit in terms of academics since we were freshman at nevermore, and when he scored better than me on that exam and i was going to take it to principal weems (since i never failed anything in my life), he like, flipped out on me and caused an entire scene that was a normie's fault in the first place. we had no previous grudge, but since that day, we've barely spoken, and when we did, it was because we were either in the same friend group, or in class for a project of some sort. this whole poe cup ordeal made me just wanted to drop out of our group, but it was too late now - the competition was literally in two days.

so the next 48 hours were pretty stressful for me in terms of how i'd be able to move past this and put on a fake smile for a few hours so that we were able to win this and have it be over with.

when the time finally rolled around, i sat in the brown boat with a cold expression and a stupid costume, grabbing the oar and feeling a familiar lanky presence sit behind me, squeezing my side as i winced with a heavy blush on my cheeks, turning around and punching no other than xavier thorpe in the arm.

"fuck off, thorpe." i say quietly, looking up to the boy as he laughed, shaking his head at my frustration.

"it's been almost two years, [y/n]. can't you loosen up? no one remembers anything that happened, like, ages ago." xavier justifies himself, grabbing an oar and holding it to his side. "can't we just get along for a few hours, at least? i don't bite, [y/n]."

i roll my eyes, looking up to him with a blank stare. "i don't think it's necessary for us to speak throughout this."

"i do." he grins, tilting his head to the side as he glanced down at my figure. "i can't not look at you dressed like an idiot."

"we are literally wearing the same thing." i snap, turning around and shaking my head. "asshole."

the sound of xavier's laughter taunted my ears as i glanced in front of me at the blue lake before us, anxiously awaiting our cue to go so that this could go any faster. time felt like it was on standby from how much i wished this was done with, so i knew this was the universe's way of just forcing me to go through an uncomfortable situation to maybe somehow bring peace to it. who the fucks know?

the sound of the whistle finally cues us to go. as each boat begins to rapidly row across the water, the sirens, like always, rigged the game by knocking over several boats with one of their teammates, but we were luckily not one of those boats. in a way, i obviously wished we were. this couldn't end any sooner.

as we reached land, ajax got out of the boat and looked to me while i set my oar down, helping me up and watching as xavier stepped out after me. he sighed, looking to the two of us. "both of you go ahead and find the flag, please. i can watch the boat so no one fucks it up."

my eyes widen and i shake my head frantically in rejection to his idea, looking to xavier who grabs my hand and immediately yanks me towards him as we run into the empty woods.

"seems that whenever i want to get away from you, this bullshit keeps us together!" i shout to him with annoyance as i yank my hand away, jogging behind him while i look around the forest.

he smirks, turning around to face me. "that should say something, hm?"

"shut up." i scoff, watching him laugh as his hat bounces with each step he took. he looked ridiculous, but no matter how much i wanted to not admit it, he oddly looked kind of.. cute. gross.

i stop in my tracks as we run into an abandoned white building, where our flag was stuck against the side of a nearby tree. i walk over to grab it, but upon turning around, i bump into xavier, who's now hovered above me.

"move." i say, looking up to him, my lips pursed together. "we need to get back to ajax. we have the flag."

xavier takes the flag from me, dropping it to the ground. he steps closer, forcing my back to hit the back of the tree while he moves one hand to cup the side of my painted face. "he can wait. these flags take forever to find anyway, we just happened to get lucky."

"no way, xavier. if you think i'd even do as much as kiss you, then you're fucking insane." i push my hands against his chest in an attempt to push him away, but he persists, moving his other hand to the top of my pants, sliding his fingers down to press against my warmth.

i rest my head against the tree, looking up to him and shake my head, sighing heavily through my nostrils. "no. this is wrong. you fucked me over."

he leans down to meet my height, opening his mouth and beginning to lick from the side of my cheek to my jawline, planting kisses to the left until he is now up to my lips, pressing a gentle kiss against my painted skin.

"your body doesn't think it's wrong."

he was right about that. damn it.

whatever - fuck it.

i reluctantly return the kiss that was probably a mistake, looking around us to make sure we were in the clear, before i unzip the front of his suit, my hand sliding down into his underwear as i grab his hardened length, beginning to pump him while he rubs his fingers against the outside of my costume, small grunts coming from his closed lips as he looks down to my hand on his dick.

"let me fuck you, [y/n]." xavier looks up to me, moving his hands to unzip my front, pushing it off my shoulders to expose my black bra. "and then we can hate each other again if you'd prefer it that way."

i smirk, moving my free hand to slide my bra straps down and expose my chest. "tell a soul and i'll kill you."

xavier grins, leaning down to slide his hand into my underwear and his mouth onto my chest, pressing kisses around my breasts before his lips attached to my nipple, sucking the bud aggressively as he slid one finger into my entrance, the two of us pleasuring each other into such a sensational edge that i really couldn't take not having him inside me right now already.

"fuckkkk..." i moan, looking down to him as he reached one hand over to pick me up, straddling my legs on each side of him while he kept one finger inside me, moving my hand to the bottom of his dick to position himself towards my entrance, looking up to me with nothing but lust in his face while he takes his finger out and slides his dick into my wet entrance.

he groans, his head falling back while he slowly begins to pump his length inside of me, my covered ass pressing against the tree behind me while he begins to pick up his pace rather quickly, so that within a matter of seconds, he was slamming himself inside of my walls, while my arms wrapped around his neck, and our lips crashed together, bodies in sync as we fucked so fast that almost everything in me was numb except the most indescribable, dirty feeling that i was fucking someone who nearly ruined my life because he couldn't admit i was smarter, and better.

"you gonna cum soon?" i say through shaking breath, breaking our kiss to meet our eyes instead.

xavier nods silently, his lips pressed together while he continues to pound me, looking down to watch as my tits bounced rapidly through his thrusts. "mhm.. are you?"

"you're not gonna make me cum." i tease, my voice smooth and seductive while i look up to him with a taunting smile. "you don't get to have that, xavier. i said you could fuck me, but i never said you could cum."

his eyes widen and he tilts his head to mock my actions, but a smirk grows on his face while he grabs my ass, holding my tightly while he pumps more and more harshly inside of me. "you're funny for that, [y/n]. i know you want me to cum from you. i know that when we pass each other in the halls, in the dorms, anywhere, that you're gonna wish i was fucking you all over again... you're gonna want me behind you, on top of you, you riding me.. you're gonna regret saying things would go back to the way they were, because they won't.. i won't let that happen, because i wanna fuck you sooo much more than just once.. i wanna fill your pussy over and over, because no matter how much you hate me.. you're gonna want me inside you again.."

my mouth hangs open as he speaks, my cheeks so heated that i can feel the burn while he finishes speaking and instead moans loudly, his cum filling my pussy and dripping into my underwear as he sets me down and zips his suit up, doing the same for me after adjusting my bra back into place.

i stand in disbelief, watching him grab the flag, and then my hand. he grins, leading my towards the boat.

"you're so fucking cocky." i mutter, looking down at the ground while we continue to walk.

"you're so fucking hot." he winks, reaching his hand over to lightly tap my ass.

"oh, shut the hell up." i roll my eyes, a small grin on my lips as i take his hand into mine again.

"never." xavier says as we reach ajax, and hand him the flag, getting back into the boat. he leans over to rest his head on my shoulder as we get back into place. "gotta say, i already love this new dynamic between us."

"fuck you."

"again already?" xavier gasps with a hint of sarcasm. "gosh, [y/n]. didn't know you wanted me that bad."

i smirk to myself, nudging his chest with my elbow. "i've never hated you more, thorpe."

[littleandless]

SEASON 2 EPISODE 4 THOUGHTS

spoilers ahead

Daemon being tormented by visions of his past is so juicy. I hope we see a similar sequence once Aemond takes over Harrenhal.

POOR RHAENYS! She and Corlys seemed very much in love, so the knowledge of an affair that was so lengthy it produced not just one but TWO children has got to hurt like an absolute bitch.

Leaving Jace and Baela to take the heat while both of their parents are off doing gods know what was pure evil omg. At least Grammy Rhaenys always has their back.

And the sass? Lmao everyone is on some different shit this episode. Aemond, Alicent, Baela, Jace, Rhaenyra, etc etc. I LOVE IT.

Do you think Cole is brave and ruthless or just begging for death lowkey? I think these traits go hand in hand at times.

Gwayne is the only one scared enough to admit how crazy all that shit seems.

Watching Aegon realize his own uselessness is sad, I must admit. After everyone impressed upon him the importance of his inheritance and how much has been sacrificed in order to give it to him, I reckon he must have thought that he was important as an individual as well. Why else go to such lengths? It’s just as I imagine Alicent felt when she realized all of her years of suffering were pointless. He doesn’t realize he was basically meant to be a puppet, like his father was before him. Otto and Alicent were the real rulers. But now Otto is gone and no one listens to Alicent, and people have grown tired of pretending that Aegon isn’t mostly irrelevant.

Good for Aemond though. Like yeah you can laugh at me if you want, but everyone that matters knows you’re the biggest joke of all.

Yay abortion ♥️

No but seriously, how do we think Larys will use the moon tea against Alicent? I think he knew the deal before he even showed up at her chambers but he likes to watch people squirm. I’m scared lol.

Also poor Maester Orwyle having to answer such a loaded question. Girl NO ONE is going to make you feel better about this 😭

Alys being a wonderful witchy wench as usual like yeeessss torment that man!

Potions so potent that Daemon had a Joe Biden moment.

I do feel a bit sad when Alicent unleashes her pent-up feelings at Aegon. Their relationship is so fraught it drives me insane.

Is she wrong though? Lol. I just wish she would apply her sass to more than just her eldest son.

Some tension in the relationship between Jace and Rhaenyra. He desperately wants to be of use and Rhaenyra is much more reserved with her heirs these days, understandably so. I’m glad she told him about the song of ice and fire though.

Rhaenys volunteering to go made me sad. I knew it was coming, but still.

The whole dragon sequence was fucking insane. Vhagar blending in with the forest floor was cool as hell. Aegon stumbling into a life-or-death situation when he CLEARLY has no idea what is going on after a fight with his mother is peak teen behavior. Aemond silently cursing his stupidity and then lowkey taking advantage of it. And he could always play it off as a mistake as well, since nobody but the three dragonriders really knows what went down and well…the other two are incapacitated 🤭 PRINCE REGENT ERA LET’S GO

Rhaenys had the opportunity to flee after leaving Aegon badly injured but she went back anyway. Much like Cole, one can question if it’s brave or suicidal or both. Heroes often possess a mix of these.

Also I have no idea what is going on in most battle scenes so I didn’t realize until the end that Cole was being a strategist. Good for him I guess.

That dead guy falling into ash was cool and scary.

Gwayne takes care of business while Cole and Aemond take a peek at Aegon. I know he’s burned pretty badly and doesn’t die, so I’m not too agonized over the (probably very graphic) reveal next episode.

Aemond taking Dark Sister (edit: prophecy dagger thingy) was kind of a bitch move though.

Wait do you think he’ll learn about the song of ice and fire at Harrenhal? Maybe Alys and other magical influences will reveal it to him, or he’ll decide to stick the blade in the fire on a whim idk.

BUT WOW WHAT AN EPISODE! my asshole was clenched like 60% of the time so you know it was good.

[labyrinthofsphinx]

Wait hold up! So is Alastor like the mom in this situation?! But more cannibalism like and unaware of where drift could be…

Because I definitely see it(no offense)! I mean we all saw him wearing a wedding dress 👰… And how Vox reacted to him wearing another dress…

Then we saw him reacting to a text message comparing him to his mother or being like her!

But is he like a maternal figure to drift?!

And Vox the same way but paternity?!

I am not trying to sound rude or offensive but I have some questions… I do want to see a family vacation comic where they go to the beach or the aquarium. I think it would be fun to watch and see them bond while seeing them not having to deal with a killer clown.

Okay, not the first inquiry I've gotten about this sorta thing so, just a little blabbing:

So, I'm just gonna throw this out there...neither Vox nor Al are equipped to be parents XD They don't have kids, nor do they have kids around a lot in their lives. Vox is slightly better with them because he deals with them more at work, and he has two nephews. But it doesn't come naturally to either of them. If Drift were any less independent or less desensitized to...all of that, he'd be a mess.

Also, the kid actively doesn't want to see them like parental figures. He's got his own baggage going on.

...Of course, that doesn't mean they can't learn or that they don't try their best. Vox is very overprotective/obsessive. The kid is his now, and nobody touches his things. Al, despite being...Al, doesn't actively wish harm on children, but otherwise he's pretty aloof with them...though now that he knows Vox is attached, he kinda knows better than to think that they aren't truly stuck with him XD He knows his partner too well. It was really only a matter of time. Who know though? Maybe Al will grow attached to him to over time, like he did with Vox.

As for the family comic...I cannot say much, however they're will be plenty of adorable outings in the future. :)

TLDR: Neither of them are paternal or maternal. They are a train wreck. Thankfully, the child knows how to take care of himself XD

[celestiaras]

‧₊˚✧ ❛[ an exorcist’s edge ]❜

ft. meloco kyoran x f! reader — xsoleil, nijisanji en

╰₊✧ meloco failed to exorcise a succubus who thinks that she’s super cute & came to pay her a visit┊3.1k words

contains: smut!! dom reader & sub meloco┊dubcon & noncon kissing, succubus reader, pet names (reader calls meloco “little” to diminish her but she is an adult), aphrodisiac/truth serum kiss (??), reader is a little shit with a tongue piercing, hate sex, an attempt at dirty talk & degradation (with a little slut-shaming), nipple play, face-sitting, 69 position, receiving & giving oral, fingering, reader doesn’t cum :(, slight possessive behavior from the reader, no aftercare

➤ author's note: meloco kyoran from nijisanji en seventh’s wave of xsoleil is beautiful, breath-taking, charming, elegant, gorgeous, wifey material, someone that i need to write for more and you should too because look at her, i can’t be the only melove on nijisanji x reader tumblr (i’m actually pretty proud of how this came out, it might be one of my fav works so far)

the kyoran family is pretty infamous among ghosts and demons alike for possessing a lineage of the most prestigious exorcists in japan since the ancient times, being one of the first humans to master fighting the supernatural and training the generations after them to carry their craft. just uttering the names of the more prominent members is enough to strike fear in the hearts of some, which really makes them the equivalent of the boogeyman in their world. hell, even when you were younger, you were always taught to stay away since going onto their lands to do so much as catch a glimpse of them was a death wish much less being curious enough to want interaction with them.

of course, that was when you were a little one, but now you’ve claimed the ranks to become one of the strongest succubi in the underworld. they would need to rally the entire family tree all over the country to even attempt a hit at you, so you come and go as you please. you’re always hiding among the tree branches or on the building roofs all over their property, having fun just pulling the strings to play petty pranks on them in your free time when you aren’t busy bedding humans.

however, the very abilities that gave you the confidence to trespass on their lands would be the very ones that got you caught as they could obviously sense of your extremely powerful aura lurking behind the shadows. instead of calling some of the elders to deal with you, they decided to turn this situation into a learning opportunity and called out the eldest daughter of the new generation to banish you to the spirit realm— the very eldest daughter that you almost didn’t believe existed since she was always confined to the indoors and was never allowed to go outside in favor of her studies.

as expected, you could tell that she possessed the same talents that her ancestors vested in her when she came to confront you with her trusty umbrella, her pronunciation of the spells was perfect and she stood tall with her weapon in hand firmly. if you were any weaker than you were now, you would have been intimidated and tried to escape before she could strike you, but you knew better than to run away in the face of a novice like her.

so you put your charms to use, elegantly flying over to her to raise her chin with her finger to make her meet your eyes and giggled, “oh, how cute you are! did the kyoran family really send a little girl like you to come after me? someone with training and no real experience, they must have a lot of faith in you!”

with just a few words from your saccharine sweet lips and smooth velvet voice, she suddenly felt her resolve to weaken as doubt began to fill her. she’s trained her entire life for moments like these, but could she actually take down someone like you? her hands began to shake and she stuttered in her words, causing the entire ritual to fall flat as the force of the summoned winds made her fly against the wall and crash onto the floor. she could only helplessly watch you float higher in the air with your wings and blow her a flirtatious kiss goodbye before leaving the premises, also leaving her to face the consequences of her failure.

you weren’t even around to watch her get slapped by the head of the household and watch her run away to the road that brought her to xsoleil, you didn’t need to since you were the one who sent the ghost who directed her. admittedly, you felt a bit bad that it had to play out like this, but she needed to get away from that toxic environment since she would never be able to hone her skills or grow as a person if the way she was being raised continued. besides, a little tragic past never hurts anyone, now she has a backstory to tell her new friends!

and so she trained to get stronger, working hard to push herself at a healthy pace with the help of the student council. before she ran away, her biggest dreams were to simply please her family and become someone for them to be proud of, but now her final goal has been to track you down before finishing the job she started. she’s truly admirable in her pursuit to kill you, but you wanted to visit her one more time before the eventual epic showdown that’ll happen in a few years. you know, to bully her and further fuel her animosity for you so that she’ll have even more motivation to destroy you— some extra character development!!

you chose a time when the neighborhood was empty so that no one could hear her scream when you broke in through the bedroom window, but it looks like she took up streaming as a hobby so the place was completely sound-proofed anyway. it wasn’t exactly a quiet entrance, alerting her even with the music playing in her headphones as she chucked the textbook she was studying in your direction by instinct before jumping out her chair to face you. you effortlessly dodged it as if the heavy pages were nothing but leaves in the wind, walking towards her with the clicking of your stiletto heels enunciating your every step.

meloco seemed to be in a panic, her long hair swishing around with every turn of her head while looking for a weapon to fend you off with. her umbrella was tucked away in her closet along with her other belongings for exorcisms, but you were blocking the way. she tried to throw some other nearby objects at you, but you just waved them off with demon sorcery to turn them on her instead.

this continued for a few minutes before you got bored and flew toward her instead, knocking her onto her twin-sized bed and pinning her down into the mattress, “hello, little me-lo-co~! i heard you’ve been training to kill me, how’s that been going for you?” she tried to fight against your grip, but you tightened your grip into her shoulder with your sharp nails digging into her skin to indicate a threat. “what, you don’t like that i paid you a visit?”

“f-fuck off!” her lower lip quivered as she cursed you out, rendering her harsh words ineffective and just making her look even cuter as you stared intensely into the flames of her soul.

“oh my, don’t tell me…” even with your shadow covering her face, you noticed a pink tint dusting her face as she covered her mouth with the back of her hand. succubi and incubi have this unique ability to sense when a human feels emotions of love or lust for them, allowing them to target those who already have an attraction to them instead of wasting time by flirting. unless the power was suddenly malfunctioning and was incorrect for the first time in centuries, it looked like… “do you have a crush on me, melo-chan~?”

“n-no! i would never!” she kept her magenta eyes off-cast to the side so that she didn’t need to meet your gaze as you interrogated her, feeling flustered at your blunt call out. you must have hexed her with some dark magic before you left because her mind has been tainted and clouded with unholy thoughts ever since. she wanted you as much as she hated you, and now that you knew, you were going to torment her about it.

“you would never? we’ll see about that,” you pinched her lower cheeks to force her to look at you directly, digging your nails into her pale skin and leaning in to kiss her on the lips.

her eyes widened and she moved her hands to try and push you off of her, but the force never came as a strange tingling sensation spread throughout her body with you slipping your tongue into her mouth and allowing her to taste you and the titanium of your piercing. the tips of her fingers and toes felt numb as a raging fire of desire suddenly bloomed in her womb and dripped onto the fabric of her panties as heat rushed to her face, unsure of what you just did to her because it certainly wasn’t just an innocent peck, “w-what did you do to me?!”

“let’s try that again, shall we?” the obvious fright in her voice and dilated pupils were providing you with a lot of amusement, the confident eldest daughter of the kyoran family now as meek as a lamb trembling under you. “do you have a crush on me, melo-chan?”

the purple-haired girl’s mouth ran dry as she tried to force another insult out of her throat. like she couldn’t control her own words, the confession she would rather die than admit came to light, “i do…”

“what was that? i didn’t quite hear you~”

“i do!” she screamed against her will, covering her face with her hands in a poor attempt to hide herself from you. ‘crush’ isn’t exactly the right word to call her feelings for you, it makes it sound like a romance of schoolgirls who get shy just from holding hands. what she felt for you was more like an amalgamation of emotions that have yet to figure themselves out: hate, regret, and guilt mixed in with the poison of lust for her seductive enemy.

“you probably dreamt of this moment every night ever since we met, haven’t you? dreamt of me showing up before you were ready to fight to rip off your clothes and take advantage of you—

“i have! i have, i have, i have—” she shrieked as the top two buttons of her shirt were popped off the fabric with you tearing apart the material, exposing her breasts to your view that jiggled a bit without a bra or her harness to hold them in place (but to be fair, they didn’t help keep them in place much).

“wow, what a pretty pair of tits,” you marveled, a vexing tone never leaving your voice or expressions, experimentally pinching at her perk nipples to elicit a beautiful cry from her lips. “probably the nicest ones i’ve ever seen on a human.”

meloco has a fantastic bosom, anyone can see that as it’s probably one of the first things people notice about her with the pink harness cupping them bringing even more attention to them with the fashion statement. they look even nicer when they aren’t obstructed by anything, large and soft and perfect for groping like stress balls while her buds hardened between your fingertips, you couldn’t help but lick your lips at the sight. tou didn’t think that she would be so sensitive too! drinking up erotic moans with her melodic fillings your ears with every ministration performed on her tits.

“god, i wish i could play with them forever, but i don’t have all night. now… how should i spend the rest of my time with you?” you tilted your head to whisper into her ear, “should i tongue-fuck you until you squirt all over my face? maybe we should scissor and rub our pussies against each other? oh, or i could summon a strap and split you open on my cock— you seem like a size queen…”

she shuddered in your arms at you contemplating and humming what to do next out loud, planting unholy fantasies in her mind with every scenario you suggested. all of them sounded good, any of them would do, she just needed you so desperately right now.

you suddenly pressed your hand into her upper chest to move higher on the mattress, positioning yourself over her head while facing the foot of the bed and the rest of her body. “whatever i choose to do with, you’ll only get once i decide you earned it…” before her very eyes, your silk underwear disappeared into thin air to reveal your pretty cunt wanting just as much attention as hers did and you rested your weight over her mouth for her to get to work.

the exorcist quickly grabbed onto your thighs and began to lap eagerly at your folds, almost catching you off guard with how quickly she performed like it was second nature (looks like she also got plenty of experience with eating pussy at the institute of infinity, this girl really owes everything to you for leading her here). she salivated at the scent and never tasted anything like you before with a sweet and floral essence, like an ambrosial nectar that had her addicted the minute your arousal made contact with her tongue.

letting out a low hum of satisfaction, you felt a fire of vitality ignite in your soul and surge through your veins. the mixture of pleasure she willing gave you and the energy you were siphoning from her felt incredible compared to a normal powerless human’s. this school contains plenty of other students who are gifted with all sorts of special abilities, perhaps you should indulge yourself and pay her friends a visit to see if any of them are interested in the treat that is bedding a succubus.

she stroked her muscle against your practically gushing slit, shoving her tongue into your passage as much as she could to savor you like a fine wine. her rational mind was screaming that she shouldn’t be waltzing into the palm of the demon she harbored so much resentment for, but it was silenced by her lust-induced desperation to orgasm and just drown herself in ecstasy to make up for the headache that revolved around you for so long.

you circled her clit with your fingertip, smirking at her twitching at the action and the mess of arousal webbing over her weeping hole like a present between her legs before tutting like you were disappointed in her, “so wet that you're soaked just from eating me out? i knew that you were whore, but really? god, how fucking filthy you are! don’t worry, i don’t judge, let me clean it up for you…”

meloco squealed into your pussy as you leaned over to put your mouth on hers to harshly suck on her pearl between your lips, squeezing her thighs and pulling at them to bend her knees for better access to her pussy. your tongue darted out and gave her clit a few kitten licks, making her shiver when she felt the cool titanium of your piercing contrasting with your hot tongue. to you, she tasted like a syrupy sweet summer’s fruit, ripe and plucked for your taking with honeyed juices dripping from its core— the forbidden fruit of the kyoran family’s runaway heiress that you’ve been yearning to take a bite from ever since your fated battle.

she struggled to keep her own pace against yours, losing focus amidst the pleasure and her movements faltering as she became too busy moaning to work her mouth properly. while the vibrations she was sending were nice, it was hardly enough to get you anywhere hence you began to delicately grind against her face to signal her to continue and squished your thighs around her head a bit more tightly. unlike her who seemed ready to burst at any second if you were any rougher, it would take you a bit more simulation for your release.

you teased her opening with your fingertip, gathering her oozing slit on the pad and circling around the rim, yet not penetrating her until you could hear a muffled whine pleading you to stop teasing. all you could was giggle at how needy she was, demanding your fingers as well since your mouth must not have been enough! working a finger followed by another into her with barely any resistance with how drenched she was, pumping them in and out of her experimentally while thoroughly enjoying the squelching sounds being made.

your skilled motions raging from scissoring her so delightfully to languid thrusts had her feeling so hot and borderline feverish. the blood rushing to her head and her loins swimming with pleasure had her dizzy, unable to think about anything with her mind melting like an ice cube in your mouth. she was close, so close, and she could feel the knot in her stomach getting ever so tighter and ready to snap at any moment. while you were being so casual and even almost lazy in your actions, she was frantic to reach her long-awaited climax. she knew it would come in any minute if you kept it up like this, but she wanted it now.

as though you read her mind (she wouldn’t be surprised if you had the ability to do so), you suddenly curled your fingers against her sweet spot and pushed her over the edge nearly instantaneously, “come on, melo, cum for me.”

with a gasp on your command, her vision stuttered white with stars and her cunt was clamping around your fingers with a vice as she gushed all over them while squirming like crazy— you had to properly hold her down to stop her from thrashing about so much since your weight wasn’t enough to do the trick. for extra measure and your own amusement, you mercilessly rubbed her clit to ride out her orgasm and watched her spasm under you for the fun of it.

“you know, i would love to stay for longer, but as i said before, i don’t have all night to be fucking around with an archenemy,” you mentioned, flying off of her bed and landing your feet on the floor. there was evidence of her spit mixed with your essence dripping down your leg, but with a snap of your fingers, it was like nothing ever happened with a fresh pair of underwear made of lace this time. before making your exit, you turned around and pulled meloco by the fabric of her torn top to force her to meet your eyes. “tell me who you belong to.”

“i’m yours,” she mumbled, still in a daze from the activity that happened mere seconds ago and how you moved on from it so quickly. she felt noticeably more drained than she usually did after finishing, but she wouldn’t remember that succubi get their power from their partner’s strength after sexual activity until she was sound of mind a few hours later after a nap. for once, she felt grateful for the strenuous training her family pushed her through— had she been any weaker than she was now, she might have fallen unconscious for days or worse.

“that’s what i thought,” you pressed another kiss on her lips, tasting yourself on her lips as she tasted herself on yours. “you may be a pathetic slut who abandoned everything she follows for a good fuck, but you’re mine.”