#i would . much rather be flat thankyou

[stormbreaker-290]

Ca n

Can someone just

Can I pretty please be rid of my booba I don't want tgem-

[luveline]

Would KILL (not you) for a bit of Hotch rn.

Like just started dating, all new and neat. Shy reader at home while Hotch is at work and is having a lonesome girls night, face mask, pizza, dancing, the whole thing. Hotch then pays an impromptu visit. Pls and Thankyou

Love you you’re amazing 💕

thank you for your request! hotch x shy!reader ♡

You're tucked up on the couch trying not to get face mask in your pizza, or cheese in your face mask, when the doorbell rings. You drop your slice back into the box, eyes widened of their own accord. There's no way you can answer the door, not when your hair's sweaty from your latest karaoke dance routine, you're in your ratty pyjamas with a hole in the collar, and your face is blue. It's not happening.

You turn the volume down on your TV, sink down on the couch, and pray whoever it is didn't hear you laughing at your own Freddie Mercury impression. That would put you in an early grave, you'd die from embarrassment alone.

There's a heavy rap at the door. Your phone starts ringing on vibrate beside you. You slide off of the pillows and onto the floor, grabbing your phone and answering with as much grace as you can.

"Hello?" you ask.

"Hey, are you home?" Hotch's voice comes thick and steady through the speaker, and you swear you can hear a hint of amusement you'd rather have missed.

"Is that you, at the door?" you ask, knowing it is, and knowing this is the worst day of your life.

"Is that alright? I brought wine. I tried to call, but it wasn't going through, and you said I could come by whenever, now that we're–"

"Yeah," you say, getting to your feet. You're breathless suddenly, because you're very attractive boyfriend is at the door, and he's only been your boyfriend for a week —though he'd 'courted' you for far longer— and seeing him is a delight no matter how flustered he can get you. "It's alright, of course it's alright, um, uh, just– Aaron, I'm not very presentable."

"Could I be the judge?"

You look down at your fluffy socks. "Yes, I suppose so."

You go to the front door and open it. There's an abject moroseness to your actions, like defeat. This is where Aaron realises he's made a mistake, and he breaks up with you, and it breaks your heart forever. He really is handsome.

"Oh," Aaron says, standing on the short stone step outside of your house with a bottle of wine in hand.

"Sorry," you say, cringing.

"You're blue."

"Yes. I'm blue."

Aaron tilts his head slightly to one side, and his resting stern face lightens. "You look cute."

It's like being winded. He might as well have slapped you flat in the chest with the front of his wrist. "Thank you," you say, hoping that the floor will miraculously collapse beneath you and the earth will swallow you whole.

"Can I come in?" he asks, head still tilted. "I've missed you so much."

"You have?"

He laughs like this is extremely funny as you step back to make room for him inside. The bottle of win gets put on the sideboard that houses your shoes, and before you know it you have arms wrapped around you. Aaron gives perfect hugs; they aren't too tight, and they aren't too loose. His cheek rubs against your temple.

"You'll get blue on you," you say, trying to push him away.

And when he pulls back, you're right. Blue face mask has transferred from you to him, wet on his chin but quickly drying. You try to scrub it off of him with your thumb but the colour spreads around and makes an even bigger mess.

"Oh, sugar, I'm sorry," you say, your hands all over his face.

"You missed a spot," he says.

"Aaron, I've missed lots of spots."

"A particular spot, right..." He holds your chin between his thumb and forefinger and leans in for a long, chaste kiss. "There," he says, pulling away.

He has face mask on his cupids bow and the tip of his nose. You blink, dazzled, and prompt a laugh from your unsually smiley boyfriend.

"Cute," he says again, with an air of finality. "Want to order in?"

"I already got pizza."

"Oh, good. I thought with all the singing you might’ve been too busy."

If your face wasn't blue you'd drop it into your hands and weep. Aaron twines your fingers together, leading you into the living room for more pizza, blue chin and all.

[deepdeanvsweston]

Do you have any thoughts on the Martita/Theresa/Frances found family dynamic?

I used the word 'also' and 'which' way too much in this answer please excuse that

Reread that scene where Theresa becomes ill and Bridget takes her home as it's really prominent on my mind regarding this ask! (Page 92-95 in DITS if anyone is curious!)

My first thought is that I'm a fool who can't pick up on cues and did not realise they were lesbians upon my first read 😭 (listen I was like. 12 and knew lesbians existed but existing in fiction was apparently a reach to me).

My second thought is that I'm really curious as to their actual dynamic - does Martita see them as mother figures? Do they see themselves as mother figures? Martita says "Frances has been better to me than my own mother" so of course she's going to look towards anyone who could be a mother figure but it does beg the question how good was Martita's mother? What's the standard here? If better than her own mother simply means food on the table and a roof over her head, then of course Frances seems better! I believe Frances takes advantage of Martita:

There's this one bit about Miss Crompton saying to Martita "(...) because noone wants to see an actress called plain old Marta Pao. That's show business (...)" and it sounds to me that Frances views Martita as more as a project than anything, and as something good for the theatre. This really comes through in her resentment at Rose for the special treatment she's receiving, and also emphasises that Frances views Martita as a project as she seems more than happy to move onto the next one (Rose) and then back again.

Although on the other hand, Martita's resentment of Rose could be because she's scared of being replaced (on top of the jealousy) because Frances and Theresa have been so good to her and taken her in like family. This is a very small line in the book and possibly a stretch, but Hazel mentions that Martita's room at the flat is very untidy, which could be a sign that Martita feels comfortable around Theresa and Frances.

I don't know how much I see them as found family, especially as on page 90, Martita says "Even the families you make yourself - they betray you. Sometimes you have to protect yourself." Martita did obviously trust them at some point, and truly like them, though I'm unsure if she's formed a close attachment to them simply because Theresa and Frances took her in as Frances saw her as a project and wanted to 'work' on her, and Martita saw this as a form of love rather than a beneficiary move for the theatre. I think it's interesting to note that Martita says "families you make yourself" - in her mind, she views this dynamic as something she has created, where in actual fact I think it was a purely selfish move on 2 theatre workers parts. Additionally, Frances seems perfectly happy to let Rose insult Martita and someone Martita was very close to, Simon - Frances seems to truly not care about Martita, or Simon's, feelings and only focuses on her darling star of the show. That of course does not reflect well on Miss Crompton and no wonder Martita wanted to gtfo of there?

Also interesting to consider how Rose would have reacted if she knew that Theresa and Frances were together? I'd take a bet that she'd be at the absolute best, uncomfortable and the worst, disgusted (which I suppose is a reflection on Rose and how fickle she can be). Martita must have known about them, and been loyal, but Rose would NOT have been. Surely Frances and Theresa would have known this, but continued to revere Rose instead of Martita, proving their loyalties lie in the theatre and not with Martita.

Theresa is also guilty in all of this as she is a Bystander, and in fact sometimes seems to let Frances take charge and blindside Rose.

TLDR: I don't think they're found family and Martita is viewed as a project they took on for the theatre's benefit, rather than the goodness of their hearts.

Thankyou for the ask!!!

[moriarty-bibliotheca]

—❦ ❝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞❞ ✉

— 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 ✉

𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒏 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒔: good morning, sweetheart. i really love your writings, it's rare to found a writer who writes for moriarty the patriot x reader and i'm glad i found your blog. also, can i request a william scenarios? s/o try to convinces him to not forcing himself for stays awake on sleepless night thinking abt the plans, and they ended up deeptalking in each other's arm, in bed? soft william please! thankyou so much before ^^

❝ 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦 𝐣𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲 ❞

— 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹! 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿

— 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘀!

— 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱!

☎ 𝒃𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒚'𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒔: why hello, darling! i’m randomly wriitng this at midnight so i’m sorry if it seems off <3 but, good morning! why thank you, that was so nice of you, i hope you’ll enjoy this! go ahead and check the story out <3 thank you for your visit, come back again!

‘What is that noise?’ You thought as you awoke from your slumber and sat up from your bed, it was around midnight and you wondered who would be awake at such an hour. Your eyes landed on a tall figure seated by the window, scribbling away about who-knows-what, you let out a sigh as you softly spoke his name, “Liam?”

His scribbling stopped and he turned to face you, he smiled gently as he stood up from his seat and walked towards you. “I’m sorry, dear, did I wake you?” asked the male as he brushed his hand against your cheek. “Yes, but that doesn’t matter,” you held his hand as you looked at him. 

“Why are you still awake?” Your question seemed to make the man freeze for a bit because looking back at his desk, before he could start explaining, you immediately spoke, “are you busy planning your next move?” 

“You know I have to do this, dear,” spoke William softly as he sat beside you, you let out a sigh before laying down and pulling him under the sheets. You gave him a tight embrace before letting out another soft sigh.

“You have to rest,” you spoke as you hugged him closer. His scent held a familiar feeling of home, being in his arms brought a sense of comfort and with him rarely sleeping nowadays meant it has been a while since you cuddled with him. 

“I am not finished yet-,” said William because you placed a finger by his lips to silence him, he let out a sigh before wrapping his arms around you. “Look, I know you’re an intelligent, young man with a vision to change this country for good. You have people around you with the same views and they are willing to work for you even if it would cost them their lives,” you voiced out your inner thoughts as you sat up and held his hand, you looked at his ruby eyes and continued.

“But, that doesn’t mean you have to spend restless nights thinking and plotting for your next move. Isn’t it better to work when you get better rest? Please, don’t neglect your health like that.” He stayed silent for a bit before looking back at the desk - a bunch of papers were scattered across the flat surface; a few books were left wide open, the pages had a few scribbles of lines and circles; and a large copy of the country’s map was placed under all those stationery. 

“I know that, but we can’t just relax and do nothing for a while. What if we let our guard down one day and somebody were to find out about this? Everything that my brothers and I have been planning, then it wouldn’t go according to plan and it would put all of your safety at risk,” replied the male.

“Including you,” whispered William as he looked at you, his eyes held worry and the tone of his voice sounded heartbreaking, “I can’t let you be in danger because of me, because of this. I want you to be in the new world with Louis once I’m gone.”

“Once I’m gone...” His words pierced your heart harshly, like it was stabbed by a dagger again and again. You were not involved in their plans as a skilled assassin like Sebastian or a martial artist like Fred, nor were you taking up another identity like James. You had no contribution to them, even Louis felt the same thing as you, but even he went on a mission with William while you haven’t.

You did not know what to reply, you tried not to let the tears well up in your eyes as you thought about your potential future - old and unmarried. You would be lying if you said it did not affect you as much, it hurt and you felt like there was nothing you could do to change his mind. 

William seemed to notice your silence, your glistening tears threatening to fall down your cheeks weren’t unnoticed either. He knew what he said bothered you and immediately regretted saying it, he cupped your cheeks as he hugged you close. “I’m sorry,” whispered the male, “I did not mean to make you cry.”

“I’m not crying,” you denied as you sniffled and moved away from his embrace, you quickly wiped your tears and let out a sigh, “please just rest, I would rather see you energized and healthy while you do your thing than seeing you all frail and tired.” 

You laid back on the soft mattress and looked up at the apex of your shared canopy bed, the shifting of the blanket can be heard as William laid beside you and wrapped his arms around you. 

“I’m sorry,” whispered the male once more as he caressed your hair. “Silence,” you ordered softly as you scooted closer to him and hugged him closely, “just hug me and take a rest.” 

“Let’s at least enjoy this moment of us together,” you softly told him, “there surely wouldn’t be more of this in the future...” Silence took over your bedroom as he protectively embraced you. Soon enough, drowsiness took over both of your states and immediately fell asleep in each other’s arms - you will always remember and miss his touch in the near future.

☎ 𝒃𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒚'𝒔 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆: wait no i teared up a bit while writing the ending- anyway, hope you enjoyed, darling! stay safe! requests are currently closed for now, i’m sorry for not posting as much! i’ve been struggling with my motivation to continue writing, but i’m back now <3 come back soon, love!

[inlovewiththefictionalcharacters]

SURPRISE

Request: Have you ever seen Defending Jacob if so I would like to request for a sugar daddy Andy Barber x reader please and thankyou ☺️

Pairing: (Sugar daddy) Andy Barber x Reader

Warning(s): Language; Smut (kinda); 18+; Angst; Spanking (sorry bout that); Not proofread; Mean Andy Barber (kinda); Reader is of age (18+).

To the Anon who sent me this: I hope you like this one. I’m so sorry it took a lot of time to write this, but I was preoccupied with some other stuff. I hope this meets your expectations. I can only hope that you will like it.

A/N: I don’t know what monstrosity I wrote. I apologize in advance... I never wrote anything with sugar baby - sugar daddy settings and I didn’t find many fics on it either. I hope you guys will like it.

*****

She never thought that she’ll end up doing this in her life. Becoming a sugar baby to someone. She didn’t want to do it. She didn’t like decision, but she don’t even have any other options left. With having no support from her parents, just because she chose to take an entirely different career path from what her parents wanted her to, her parents practically disowned her, kicking her to the curb. 

That left her juggling two part time jobs along with college that left her so exhausted that sometimes, all she wanted was to never get out of her bed. Her paychecks barely met her rent and other expenses, apart from the tuition fees. But here she was, being a sugar baby to this man - Andy Barber.

She met Andy Barber in the most unconventional way when compared to how many other sugar babies met their sugar daddies. The first time she met him was when she was working on her shift at the diner and he happened to be at the place then. She ended up serving him for that night. The first time, Andy was polite and smiled at her whenever their gazes met. He was all alone by himself. 

The second time she met him, was once again during her shift at the diner and coincidentally happened to serve him, yet once again. He was alone again and the diner didn’t have many customers that night. Andy started conversing with her, asking her how her day was and other random stuff that none of the customers she served to did. 

The third time she met him was once again at the same diner which was practically empty that night, apart from the the cute teenage couple that was all googly eyes at each other. Instead of her, her coworker walked towards him to take his order and serve him, but then returned back to the counter with a confused expression, making Y/N look at her with a frown.

“He asked for you, today. You can cover him. I’ll take care of the teenage lovebirds” Tara said.

With a smile, Y/N walked towards Andy to take his order. 

That night, Andy asked her to join him. She stilled hearing that. That’s very unusual and she didn’t know what to do. A quick glance at Tara who also happens to be near enough to hear what Andy asked received her a nod from Tara.

Nervously, she looked at Andy and said “Let me just place your order. I’ll join you after that.”

Andy smiled in response. After spending some time with her, Andy paid for the both of them, much to her disdain and walked out of the diner after thanking her for giving him company. But what surprised her the most that day was finding Andy outside the diner when she completed her shift. He was just standing there, waiting for her and she blinked at him, flabbergasted and slightly taken aback to see him there. With a gentle smile, he approached her and convinced her to let her take him somewhere else.

They ended up in a quaint little ice cream parlor with a scoop each of their favorite ice-creams and yet again, he managed to pay the bill before she could. The place was empty, given the late hour and they still took their seats far away to not be heard or disturbed by anyone who could pop in.

That’s when Andy broke the news to her, him propositioning to be her sugar daddy. Y/N was shocked to hear this. She didn’t know what to expect when he took her there, but she definitely wasn’t expecting that.

“Look, I just want you to give me company, that’s pretty much it. I don’t expect anything else from you. It sucks going home to no one, living alone for these many years. I just want you to be with me whenever I want to” he told her.

He told her that he wanted to spoil her, shower her with gifts. He told her that she wouldn’t have to worry about paying rents or making ends meet and he’ll be the one to worry her, also popping out that she’s going to live with him rather than that shitty hole of an apartment she lived in. He told her that she wouldn’t have to juggle those part time jobs anymore and can invest that time on her career and him. 

The career aspect of his speech must have been what made her think about the deal. If not for that, she would have probably said a flat out no. But still, she asked him some time to think about it to which she agreed. But that didn’t stop him from meeting her everyday, giving her a glimpse of how her life could be if she agreed to be his sugar baby, adding his charm to everything he did. 

That must have been it and within a week, she agreed to the deal and by the end of the month, Andy had her settled in his house. It felt odd, still did to find most of her favorite things handed out to her, without even asking for it. All she had to do was just be with him whenever he’s home and let him take care of her. That included going shopping, buying gifts and taking her out to places in and out of the city, impromptu included. But the best part was hanging out with each other that slowly turned into cuddle sessions. Both of them loved those.

It was during one of those moments when she first kissed him. It was a spur of the moment kiss. Both of them were cuddling, looking at a cheesy romantic movie that she put on. They were talking about a scene in the movie and turned their heads to look at each other while talking. She didn’t even know when they stopped talking and gazed into each others’ eyes, glancing at each others’ lips too.  Without even thinking, she pressed her lips against his.

Andy was still for a moment. When she realized what she did, she was quick to break apart from him, apologizing profusely, but got cut off by him when he dragged her back to him and kissed the hell out of her. One thing lead to another and the both of them ended up rolling in the sheets on the bed. 

She didn’t notice when things got complicated on her part, but when she did, it was too late. She caught feelings for Andy and didn’t even know when she fell in love with him. She loved everything about him, inside and out. That’s when her fear started too. She feared about the time she had to part ways with him. She wasn’t a fool. Arrangements like these almost never lasts long. She wasn’t sure if she’d be able to mend her broken heart and live with it. 

That’s when she started holding herself back, going reserved and formal making Andy frown every time she did it. When he asked her about it, she just brushed him off, saying it was just the stress due to college. But that continued even after the exams, days after the summer break has started. That’s when Andy thought that it was about time they go somewhere out and took her to the Caribbean. A getaway from all their worries where all they have to do is enjoy the sun and themselves. 

It didn’t escape Andy’s scrupulous observation - the way she was behaving, like she was holding back, scared of something. He knew something was bugging her and he made a resolve to fix that before they leave, back to Newton.

Andy was sitting in the balcony of the room they were in, enjoying the gorgeous sunset that it offered along with the glorious view of the beach when Y/N awkwardly walked out, to the balcony.

“Hey, you” Andy greeted, looking at her and was met with a shy and awkward smile and a small hey was told to him.

She was about to sit on the chair beside him when he grabbed her hand, saying “Sit with me,” and pulling her into his lap.

She was stiff for a moment but eventually leaned into him, the both of them enjoying the sunset while he kept caressing her hair, her back and her arm. He smiled when she nuzzled into him, but it quickly turned into a frown when she suddenly stilled. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked, looking down at her.

“N-Nothing” she replied and quickly stood up.

“Where are you going?” he asked, sitting straight when he saw her leaving.

“Inside” she replied and walked back into the room.

Cussing under his breath, he stood up and followed her.

“Look, if something’s bothering you, you can tell me” he told her.

“Nothing’s bothering me, Andy” she told, letting her hands run through the non-existent creases on her sundress.

Andy narrowed his eyes at her.

“Seriously, Y/N?!” “Now you’re lying to me?” “Is it something that I did?” “Tell me what’s bothering you!” he kept asking and telling her but she didn’t say anything, dodging all of his questions.

“I said nothing’s bothering me, Andy!” she exclaimed.

“Bullshit!” he called out her bluff.

She just huffed rolling her eyes and he narrowed his, looking at her.

“I need some air” she muttered and turned around to leave, but he was quick to walk towards her with huge steps and grabbed her arm.

“Oh, no. You’re not going anywhere until you tell me what’s bothering you so much” Andy said.

“Seriously, Andy! Let go!” she exclaimed, tugging her arm from his grip, but he tightened his hold on her and walked towards the bed.

He sat on the edge of the bed and within the blink of the eye, she was across his knee. He raised the skirt of her dress, bunching it up by her torso and pulled her panties down her legs, puddling them on the floor.

“Andy! What are you doing?!” she gasped.

He just caressed her naked butt, squeezing it every now and then while she kept wiggling, trying to get out of his hold, but his grip was tight on her. 

“Y/N” he said, his voice calm, reminding her of the calmness that comes before a storm. 

“Now, tell me what’s bothering you” Andy told her.

“Nothing!” she exclaimed, lying through her teeth, still wiggling.

Andy’s eyes hardened and he grabbed her arms by the wrists and held them at her back, obstructing her movements.

“Fine then. If you don’t tell me, I’ll get it out of you, myself” he said coldly and his hand left her butt but her breath was quickly knocked out of her lungs when his hand met her butt-cheek with a sharp slap. 

That was the first time he ever did that to her. The cheek burned while her lips parted in shock and her entire body stilled for a second. Andy caressed the other cheek and slapped it too, with more force than the first spank and a low whimper got caught in her throat. He kept delivering the spanks to each cheek alternatively. She didn’t know how many times he did that. She didn’t bother to count. Her mind was too much in shock to even register that.

After some time, Andy stopped spanking her, seeing the tears that pooled in her eyes. He hated doing this, hurting her but he didn’t like it one bit when she withdrew herself from him. He knew that he had to fix whatever that is bothering her. He can’t bear it when she’s troubled. 

He softly caressed her but cheeks and asked “Are you going to tell me what’s been bothering you, now, sweetheart?”

Y/N scowled, with tears in her eyes and replied a resonating “No!”

Andy chuckled hearing that.

“Well, at least it’s a no this time and not a nothing” he said and her eyes widened hearing it.

“That’s progress” he added and hummed letting his fingers go down to her folds.

“Someone’s been enjoying this” he said, his fingers playing with her with folds while she squirmed.

His fingers soon found her clit and kept rubbing tight circles on it, making a coil form in her stomach and just before it was about to snap, he stopped, making her whimper.

“Are you going to tell me now?” he asked her slowly.

She just turned her head away is response.

It wasn’t long before he started playing with her folds again, dipping his finger into the wet hole, thrusting into it. He edged her four times like that, stopping right before she could climax and asking her if she’s gonna tell him and she’d just whimper or groan in response, shaking her head. The fifth time he edged her and stopped right before the orgasm hit her, she kicked her legs, crying, her lady parts sensitive, her body flushed.

“I don’t like being mean to you, sweetheart. Please tell me what’s bothering you” he told her softly, leaning down and kissing the back of her head. 

And she told him, bearing her heart out to him. She told him that she loved him and was scared that in the end she’d end up with a broken heart and was trying to protect herself from it, that she knew that these type of arrangements - what they had usually don’t last and was scared that she’d end up trying to mend her heart back while sobbing. He eventually let her hands go, but made her sit in his lap while she cried into his shoulder, all the while he kept caressing her back, her hair while kissing the side of her head. He waited till her cries stopped to break the news to her.

“You had me worried there, baby. And I thought it was something that I did” he said, making her sit straight in his lap and look at him with a frown etched on her face.

“You’re not calling off the arrangement?” she asked him, looking dumbfound.

Andy laughed in response and cupped her face, saying “And let you go? Never! I fucking love you and I’m never going to let you go. You’re stick with me sweetheart, and got me wrapped around your finger,” and kissed her passionately, pouring all his love and feelings for her.

[animalinvestigator]

OK so a big thing that i want to say like in response to ur post is that I do agree that as they are right now petscop is WAY stronger than twf but i think a big reason for that is that petscop is like, a finished story, where twf is still In progress like only about 1/4th of it has been released rn, Especially in the wake of a thing the creator of twf has said about how the best analysis of it are ones that take all 3 currently released episodes into account rather than analyzing each episode on its own i think its a little disingenuous to make big comparisons about the stories when we dont know too much except the objective facts of it all rigth now

like of course petscop is going to stand way stronger (and i love petscop to DEATH like ive loved petscop for years it is one of my favorite series ever) because its like finished and it's loose ends are tied where as atm twf's loose ends just feel like poor writing since we dont know where its Going with them yet

i think the stories are trying to send completely different impressions (and i think u understood this in smth you said about how petscop is about childhood trauma+identity vs twf being about familial loss) and thats a big reason why the characters seem to have much more or less weight depending on which story ur looking at. Because in petscop its much more personal, youre seeing it thru paul and the game itself is cover to cover loaded with personal emotional shit left in by rainer and others, but in twf it's supposed to feel like ur getting a weird disjointed outside perspective on this family because even in universe thats what it is, it felt to me like it was trying toportray that feeling of family you lost a long time ago that you at this point dont have anything but the weird disjointed outside family photos and shit like that. Even the series name being like "walten files" gave me the impression that it was trying to be a series of 'disconnected-but-not-really' left behind documentations on these peoples lives rather than the people themselves, and, of course in that case the character weight in petscop would stand WAY stronger, because petscop is about the character weight where twf is about the tragedies themselves

NOT THAT I DONT RESPECT YOU FOR PREFERRING THAT, I mean typically i prefer that as well and i honestly wouldnt be surprised if as twf releases (because again i still hold my feeling that its unfair to twf to try and compare it to a story legend like petscop at the point it's at rn where only a fraction has been released) i continue to prefer petscop way over twf but i love petscop For the story its already told whereas i love twf for it's potential

Tho i do TOTALLY acknowledge most of these comparisons come from the fact that (and i agree w this) bunnyfarm is very obviously heavily petscop inspired with its formatting (and i do think there are some things that could have been done way better in that way) of course bunnyfarm falls flat when compared to petscop because petscop is a series thats putting its all into the "video game+dissoc amnesia" angle where as twf is supposed to feel likea bunch of odd disjointed things that When put together tell a story. So of course bunnyfarm falls flat because bunnyfarm isnt meant to be considered alone

There ARE a lot of things in twf that i feel could be done way better but i also have to concede that the story isnt done yet and even in the story itself one of the characters has urged us(the audience) to not try and piece anything together. And i at this point like petscop way more than twf but i appreciate twf heavily for what it is and i think comparing them both is unfair to twf for many reaosns

thats it im sorry this is like a whole essay but i care a LOT about internet horror and i thought your thoughts were really really good there were just a few things that i wanted to discuss really badly. thankyou for your time

LONG POST INCOMING EVERYONE BRACE FOR IMPACT

OMG I MEANT TO LIKE ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT THAT TWF IS very muxh not finished in that original ask 😭 that is so true and super important to consider and i meant to write a paragraph about that in the ask i answered but i got too excited talking about petscop and i totally forgot. that is super important to remember about it and its also important to recognize that the person making twf is pretty young with what i assume is a small team and probably not anywhere near the amount of storytelling experience as pressedyes (hes been publishing internet stories since 2009) and for that like, no matter how many grievances i have with the pieces of the puzzle that we have, i have to cede that twf is really genuinely impressive and i do really admire all the work thats been done. and also like, i make a lot of jokes about it but i did have a fun time watching it and i have a fun time thinking about it and its Pretty damn good in a lot of ways.

i never really considered the personal vs impersonal presentation of the story and i like that angle of analysis a lot now that you mention it. the jumbled odds and ends thing will probably hopefully feel a lot better once we have a little more to start tying it together - a lot of my grievances are less with tying things together and more like how weak the introductions feel, but like, im hoping ans thinking that i will probably feel better about it with more information. thing is in a lot of ways petscop is disjointed in the same way - for the viewer at least, we're observing everything BUT the recordings from a secondhand, disjointed account from like, shit paul says on phone calls and in videos to outside observers who have a lot more information than either him or us as the viewers, and paul even grows gradually more distant from the audience too, and i feel like it still has stronger character work and first impressions . so i feel like the issue is that twf leans so hard into its "outside observer" perspective that it sacrifices a lot of character work that would help the episodes that are out stand on their own two legs better -- which is important, because the impression that the start of a story leaves is one of the most vital things to get right!! im hopedul that that disconnected perspective will be used in a similarly "invested but lacking information" type of way as petscop does in later episodes. i have hopefor it .

the reason the weaker parts of twf frustrate me so muxh is because i reallt really feel like it has a chance to be something really great, but the way its handling its influences right now and the lack of character work even when we have a lot of time to sit with the characters in question leaves a really sour taste in my mouth. i hope that as it continues to progress it'll be able to solidify its own identity somewhat! and i agree that irs not exactly a fair match when you pit it against pscop lol its just like; petscop is the best of the best to me and they do cover a lot of similar feelings and concepts, so comparing them helps me articulate my feelings more. its not really very helpful or anyone to earnestly be like "this story is better than the other", all you can really do is say what you like and dont like about different stories and compare and contrast :)

thanks for sending such a thought provoking message !! its nice to hear from a different perspective. i feel so strong about web horror also and i hope that someday soon i can regard twf a lot more positively because I Want More Good Art In The World and derive no joy from being negative. ok maybe sometimes but not aboit this!!!!!!! cos i want it to be good.

[jisungsmochi]

the arcade boy - ldh

the arcade worker ! haechan and customer!reader 

this is pretty cheesy ngl but i just saw this scenario in my head one day and HAD to write about it! this is also for @strawberryhyucks hehe <3 

this is also part of my nct dream job au !! you can read:

diner boy! renjun  bubble tea worker ! jeno 

word count: 2.9k 

feel free to send in requests / tell me your thoughts! thank you :)) 

//

“late again i see” the manager of the neo zone arcade, taeyong, shook his head at the puffed-out boy.

“sorry, the bus drove straight past me! i had to sprint here” haechan was still trying to catch his breath, hands grabbing the sides of the counter to stable his stance.

“it’s fine, rest up in the break room, and get ready to work in 10 minutes. got it?” taeyong responded in a calmer manner, feeling bad for the boy. haechan nodded, making his way to the break room.

“dude! i thought you were finally going to get fired” mark chuckled from the corner of the room, shoving haechan softly.

“i’m so close to it though. i need to find a more stable ride to and from work” haechan huffed again.

“here’s a thought! get your damn licence!” mark rolled his eyes, taking a seat next to him.

“yeah yeah, it’s not like i have a car to drive anyway! why do you think i’m working here?” haechan replied, laying his head flat on the table.

“you’re so dramatic, better get ready to work. taeyong isn’t gonna catch us slacking off today!” mark cheerfully exclaimed, waltzing out of the room.

“we’re seriously going to the arcade again? y/n, is it because of the cute guy who works there?” jaemin teased.

“what? no! i just want to win this panda plushie! is that so much to ask?” you bit the inside of your cheek, feeling called out by your best friend’s accusations.

“yeah sure, i’m only helping because i want you to get more coupons so we can get free food” jaemin chuckled, as you both entered the arcade.

“i’ll go get the tokens!” you announced abruptly, practically running to the counter. jaemin just shook his head in amusement, knowing the true reason you were so excited.

as you waited at the counter, your heart was beating a mile a minute. you crossed your fingers that haechan was working today. not like you two were friends, or even acquaintances. for a matter of fact, he was the cute boy at the arcade, who always happened to be working when you wanted to play some games...

“hello! may i help you?” a voice called from the side, causing your head to shoot up in anticipation. there he was. he had a black denim jacket over his white hoodie, with his name tag crookedly attached onto it. his hair was covered with a beanie, only some strands hanging out from his forehead. he had a bright smile on his face, which made you melt inside. you were pretty good at hiding your complete admiration for him. but haechan on the other hand, not so much.

it was well known between the arcade staff that haechan found you attractive. he would rave about you to mark, praising how good you were at practically all the games in the arcade. and most importantly, how you were his ideal girl.

“well why don’t you just go for her then?” mark always asks.

“because she clearly has a boyfriend! i’m not a homewrecker” haechan would respond. mark just shrugs and continues listening to his friend ramble.

“could i please have 10 tokens?” you smile softly at him, watching as he just nods and grabs some from under the counter.

“here you go” he hands you the bundle, his fingers grazing over yours. you shyly smile, while counting up the tokens,

“oh you gave me 15” you gave him a confused look, as he softly chuckled,

“just giving you some more chances to win that panda, y/n” he replied, looking down at the counter.

you were practically combusting at this point. he knew your name. well, considering you came there pretty much every day after classes, he would remember your face. and it didn’t take long for him to pick up your name, due to the amount of times jaemin would whine it when he wanted to go home.

“thankyou so much, haechan” you gave him a small wave before making your way back to jaemin.

“god you’re such a loser” jaemin teased, pulling you to his side and slinging an arm around you.

“i know” you just sigh, not seeing haechan stare at the both of you, feeling his heart tighten. he didn’t even know you all that well, so why did it hurt him so much to see you taken?

//

“see you tomorrow mark!” haechan chuckled as he removed his name tag from his jacket.

“i hate how you changed shifts” mark whined, watching as haechan waves cheerfully, practically sprinting out of the arcade. at the same time, he felt his body slam into someone else’s, much smaller.

“ouch” he heard the familiar voice mutter, his eyes widen with shock, looking as you were trying to stand back up.

“i’m so sorry” he mumbled repeatedly, helping you stand.

“it’s okay, that was pretty embarrassing!” you smiled up at him, which made him feel less worried.

“where were you rushing off to anyway?” he watched as you flattened down your shirt and look at him.

“i was uh, coming back to get that panda” you tried your best to not blow your cover.

“so determined for it, i might just have to break in and get it for you” he chuckled, as you laughed along. it was clear to you that he had just finished his shift. but you really didn’t want him to go,

“i’m hungry, do you want to get something?” you blurt out, avoiding his eyes. haechan was just as shocked, trying to contain his excitement.

“sure! i- i mean, if you want to” he responded, almost in a mumble. you looked over at him and smile before leading him towards the food court located right next to the arcade.

“you like curly fries?” he pulled out his wallet, waiting in line to order.

“of course! who doesn’t?” you slightly giggle, still not believing that you two were properly hanging out.

haechan just nodded along, before stepping up to order. you also pulled out your wallet, ready to hand him half of the bill. but he stopped you, paying for the meal himself.

“oh haechan, you really didn’t have to” you poured, walking with him to an empty table.

“it’s okay, really!” he replied, unsure of how to even act around you. for all he knew, you had a boyfriend. jaemin. who he believed he could never compete with. thoughts of being with you alone, gave him some mixed feelings, which you eventually caught onto. it made the atmosphere awkward at times during the meal, but you tried your best to not get you down. maybe he wasn’t that into you, you thought. on the other hand, haechan was mentally beating himself up, feeling guilty for asking you to hang out when you were taken. of course he was complete infatuated with you, but to him, he wanted to win you over. the right way. he wanted you to be his.

“thankyou for the meal, haechan. i am so full right now” you chuckle, walking with him out of the building.

“no problem! i hope you get home safely, see ya!” he hurriedly exclaims, not waiting for your response.

“oh maybe we should do it again sometime” you whispered to yourself. your thoughts consumed you once again, he’s definitely not into me.

//

“so you’re telling me, you guys ate together and he just left right after?” jaemin furrowed his eyebrows as you both were walking out of the school gates.

“yeah! he just ran off like he would rather do anything but talk to me” you sighed, mentally cringing at that moment.

“well maybe he was nervous!” jaemin shrugged, unsure of how to justify the clueless boy’s actions.

“or maybe he’s just not into me” you poured, slumping your shoulders.

“gosh you’re dramatic” jaemin rolled his eyes before ruffling your hair, you shoved his hands away, fixing up your appearance.

“i’ve never seen you like this, y/n. you must really like him” he continued to tease, skipping along the footpath while giggling at you.

“you’re a literal child, go buy me some frozen yogurt” you nudge his shoulder as you both walked to the nearby mall.

meanwhile, haechan was starting his shift at the arcade.

“woah you’re on time for once” mark teased, patting haechan on the back.

“mark, can i ask you something?” haechan mumbled, pulling aside the older boy.

“uhh sure what’s up?” mark gave him a concerned look, putting down whatever he was planning to do.

“i treated y/n to a meal yesterday, and well, i kind of ran off after, leaving her hanging” haechan explained, also mentally cringing at himself.

“god you really have no game. why did you run off? i thought you liked her?” mark questioned.

“well she’s clearly dating that guy she’s always with! they look like a great couple. i felt so guilty for being with her and flirting! like i’m not about to be a homewrecker!” haechan sighed, pulling at his hair.

“dude, i know you’re a good guy and all, but think about this. did she ever mention once that she had a boyfriend?” mark rolled his eyes playfully, resting a hand to the younger’s shoulder.

haechan shook his head,

“and was she actually invested in all your conversations?” mark raised an eyebrow,

haechan nodded in response.

“what i’m seeing here, is that she might be into you too. why else would she agree to eat with you, when she was walking into the arcade? she clearly didn’t come to play games! and she came alone! put the dots together dude, you’re supposed to be smarter than me!” mark shook haechan’s shoulders furiously, laughing at the clueless boy.

“oh god, what if you’re right?! i totally messed up with her!” haechan groaned, pulling his head down to face his feet.

“don’t be like that. if she’s still interested, she’ll come here again. you must have noticed she only really plays one game. the claw machine, AND it happens to be the machine closest to the counter. i’m just saying” mark shrugged, giving haechan’s a small nudge and heading off to finish his duties.

haechan stood, putting the pieces all together. he smiled to himself before helping out mark. maybe he stood a chance.

“y/n, i want to get an iced coffee! they have the deal with the little macaroons! ” jaemin groaned playfully, pulling at your arm as you lead him to the arcade. 

“i wanna see if haechan’s working, that’s all!” you rolled your eyes, “i’ll be quick!” you smiled, dragging your best friend who would rather be eating a good burger, along with you.

“code red” mark smirked, looking over at you, haechan’s eyes followed.

“w-what do i say? should i even talk to her? that’s the boyfriend” haechan mumbled, slowly pacing, avoiding eye contact with you.

“goodluck buddy” was all mark could say, before he left to fix a broken game.

you looked over at the counter, smiling at haechan. he smiled back, you took it as a good sign.

“see! it won’t be awkward, go talk to him now! i need to get that deal” jaemin shoved you softly before patting your shoulders and running out of the arcade.

you took a deep breath before taking small steps towards the boy. he could feel you approaching, and tried to pretend he was doing some ‘important work’.

“hi” your voice was shaky.

“hey” he responded, immediately drawing his attention to you.

“about yesterday...” you started,

“i shouldn’t have left you! i feel so bad” haechan admitted, avoiding your eyes. you let a smile creep up on your face,

“it’s okay. i actually came to ask if you would like to go out...again? like a proper...” you couldn’t finish your sentence,

“like a date?” haechan breathed out softly, trying to push away the feeling of excitement. you nodded enthusiastically, glad he was able to catch on.

“i mean, i’d love to, but i’m, wouldn’t your boyfriend he uncomfortable with that?” haechan stammered, nerves slowly taking over.

“boyfriend? you mean jaemin?” he just nodded, now knowing his name. you started giggling uncontrollably, causing him to furrow his eyebrows in confusion.

“oh god no! he’s wayyy too flirty for me. we’ve been best friends since middle school. he’s not my boyfriend” you explained. haechan automatically felt a huge relief, bringing himself to blush.

“i-im sorry for assuming! if i had known, i would have asked you out ages ago” he admitted, now it was your turn to blush.

“r-really?” you murmured, shocked at his words. you were about to continue the conversation when taeyong interrupted.

“i’m not paying you for small talk, so you will both have to finish this conversation after hours okay?” he sternly spoke to both of you,

“i’m sorry! it was my fault��� you slightly pouted, which made haechan’s heart beat faster than it already was.

“it’s okay, i’m sorry taeyong, i’m getting back to work” haechan responded, watching as the older boy nods and walks to the back room.

“text me when you want to go on that date” you smiled widely, handing him a slip of paper with your number. haechan was speechless, never in a million years did he think he would get this far with you.

you waved at him before you left the arcade to go find jaemin to rave about the good news. mark approached the love struck boy, shaking his head while chuckling.

“ahh young love. my son has grown up!” mark fakes crying, haechan just shoved him slightly.

“whatever grandpa”

//

*new message*

haechan: hi! is this y/n?

y/n: yes! hi haechan! :)

haechan: about that date, i’m thinking we should go to the park? maybe have a picnic? i’m sorry if that’s lame

y/n: i think it’s perfect! let me know the location and time and i’m there!

haechan: sweet, i can’t wait :)

//

you put on your most flattering floral dress, hoping you weren’t dressing too extra. of course you wanted to spruce up your appearance, especially since its your first proper date. you sent some snaps to jaemin, asking for best friend’s opinions and all,

“dude, he’s gonna love it. that outfit POPS off” jaemin’s wise words stuck with you as you made your way to the park. you held a small basket with you, filled with small snacks you found in your house. you both planned to go to a ramen restaurant after, knowing your huge appetites.

you stood under the tree he suggested you’d meet, swinging the basket side to side softly. your heart was beating out of your chest. you were finally going on a date with the cute boy at the arcade. it excited you more than anything you had experienced.

“well hey there stranger” haechan’s voice echoed close to your ear, which made you blush. he pulled you in for a short hug, which you weren’t expecting. you let him embrace you, smiling into his shoulder.

“oh crap! you actually packed a lot of snacks! if i had known, i wouldn’t have just bought the mat and a random packet of seaweed” he softly sighed, you just shook your head in amusement due to his cuteness.

“it’s fine! i wanted to bring these just for you” you smiled as you both sat on the mat. haechan couldn’t take his eyes off of you. you were the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on. as you were explaining the snacks you had brought, haechan was debating whether or not it was the right time to give you his gift. as you wrapped up your explanations, haechan looked up at you.

“i have a present for you” he blurts, nervously waiting for your response.

“what? haechan! you really didn’t have to! these are just some jam sandwiches-“

“no no, i’ve been planning to get you this for a while” he shyly admitted, watching as you started blushing. he pulled out a plushie from his backpack. your jaw practically dropped, it was the panda plushie you had been trying to get from the claw machine.

“oh my goodness! this is the cutest thing ever, well besides you anyway” you slyly slipped in the last comment, leaving haechan frozen.

you smirked at the boy, taking advantage of his clueless nature, by giving him a small peck on the cheek.

“thank you so much. how did you get this? don’t tell me you broke into the machine!!” you chuckled, imaging the situation.

“no no! i actually won it! i swear, even ask mark” he put his hands up in defence. you nodded along, admiring the thoughtful gift.

“haechan” you softly spoke, shuffling yourself to sit side by side to him, so that your shoulders were pressed against eachother.

“i really like you, i’ve liked you since i first saw you working”

haechan’s eyes widened, unaware of how long you’ve actually had feelings for him. he took your hand in his, smiling at you.

“i really like you too, for quite a while. i was just scared to ask you out” he sighed, gently rubbing his thumb over your skin.

“i’m glad we’re here now! i don’t regret this one bit” you lean your head against on shoulder, snuggling closer to him.

“me neither” he mutters softly, still playing with your hand.

the cute boy from the arcade became your boyfriend after that day. jaemin teased you everytime you wanted to visit haechan at work, and mark did not hold back with his teasing either. haechan made you feel like a kid all over again, carefree and happy, and you were eternally grateful he came into your life.

[niall-is-my-dream]

Lost Without You - Part Ten

So this is the last part! Thanks to everyone who has read, liked and reblogged this. I appreciate it!

2460 words

But thanks to @beardedniall​​ for helping me.

Catch up below

https://niall-is-my-dream.tumblr.com/post/186235732118/lost-without-you-masterlist

6 weeks later

Walking into your flat a week before Christmas felt strange. You dragged your two suitcases one by one up the stairs, and dumped them in the hallway. Removing your coat you realised how warm the flat felt, making your way to the kitchen you saw a note above the thermostat.

 "Put the heat and the hot water on for you, hope it was ok that I used the spare key. Put some bits in the fridge and cupboards for you too. Pop in for a coffee and a catch up when you're free. Audrey. X"

Oh love her. Audrey was too good to you. You felt an overwhelming urge to see Audrey and embrace her and her familiar smell. Remembering how it gave you a feeling of home. 

You weren't going back to your parents for another week so you had planned on last minute Christmas shopping and spending some time with Audrey, Jess and Hannah. There would be plenty of time to see your parents, your brother his wife and your nieces. Niall wouldn't be back until the 23rd which was still five days away.

When you opened the fridge you found butter, cheese, milk and some ready meals. The cupboard had bread, crumpets, some crisps and some snacks. You also found your fruit bowl full. You couldn't believe the trouble she had gone through for you. It also meant you could have a shower straight away rather than waiting for the water to heat up. Which is exactly what you needed.

Opening one of your suitcases you found some pjs and your toiletries. Stripping off your clothes you stepped in the hot shower washing away your day of packing and travelling. You dressed in your pjs and one of Niall's hoodies before heading to the kitchen and popping a meal in the microwave. 

With the meal on your lap and the tv talking to no one, you browsed through your social media whilst you ate. A FaceTime call from Niall interrupted your meal, and you smiled. Swiping to answer it, you saw his face come onto the screen.

"Hey beautiful." He said smiling. He was sitting on a navy blue sofa with a plain white wall behind him. You knew he was in Chicago for one of the Jingle Ball shows, so you assumed he was in a hotel room or dressing room.

 "Hey yourself." You replied, smiling at his cute christmassy jumper.

 "How was your trip back?" He asked.

 "It was ok, quick and easy flight. Not long been home, I've just showered and got ready for bed."

 "Glad to be home love?"

 "Yeah I am, feels weird actually!"

 "Nice hoodie by the way. Been looking for that for weeks!" He replied with a smirk.

 "I may have nicked it from you when you visited me." You grinned back. "It still smells like you a bit."

 "Won't be long now petal, five more days. I'll do the last show in Miami and then I'll fly home straight away after. So I'll see you on Monday 23rd sometime. Not sure what time my flight lands yet."

 "Ok the plan is still for me to go to my parents on Christmas Eve sometime, I can pick my hire car up anytime from 12. Is your flight to Ireland still around that time?"

 "Yeah, 1:40 something I think. I don't know I'm rubbish."

 "It's why you have Tara!"

 "True." He laughed in reply. 

 You heard a knock and a click of a door and saw Niall look up and across the room. The room he was in suddenly became noisy and a familiar voice could be heard amongst the crowd.

"You still talking to your lovely wee lass?!" You heard Lewis ask.

"I am." Niall replied with a smirk.

Lewis popped himself down on the sofa and his face crept into view. You felt yourself blush and prayed you wouldn't fan girl over him again. It had been bad enough when you'd done it six months ago on your first date with Niall.

"There she is!" Lewis said. "This Irish heartthrob has been talking about you all day, said he needed to come talk to you make sure you got home ok."

 "Did he now?!" You laughed.

 "Yep! Been going on and on about you!"

 "Hey give it a rest!" Niall said and you could see him blushing.

 "Oh look, he's blushing now. Been saying how much he loves you and how he can't wait to come home to you so he can make sweet love to you all Christmas!"

"Mate! What the fuck?!" Niall shaking his head. "He's drunk. Just ignore him!"

"Don't deny it now Niall, no need to get embarrassed! And I'm not drunk!" Lewis grinned.

"Fuck off!" Niall smiled back.

"How was your trip back anyway Emma?" Lewis asked.

"It was ok thankyou."

"Good, alright I'll let you love birds have your phone sex and I'll catch you in what three minutes?! You won't last longer than that!"

You giggled as you saw Niall's face turn red.

"Right you, out now!" Niall replied and you saw him point towards what you presumed to be the door.

 "Bye Emma!"

 "Bye Lewis!" You replied still giggling.

You heard the door close and Niall resume his original position in front of you.

 "Sorry about him." He said, his face still red.

"Have you got time for phone sex?" You asked him.

His eyes widened in shock and you could see him trying to decide how to answer the question. It was something that you had explored a few times whilst you had been apart. But it has always been when you were just going to sleep and Niall was in a hotel room. He was in a dressing room waiting to perform that evening, anyone could walk in.

"I have to go for sound check in like ten minutes. But fuck I would if I could." He managed to mumble out.

"Ah that's a shame." You smirked. "Could still show you the good stuff if you like?"

"Yeah?" He stuttered.

"Mmmm." You replied as you pulled his hoodie over your head, revealing just a plain light pink vest top underneath. 

You heard him breath out a huge sigh at the sight of your breasts, just visible beneath your thin top.

"More?" You asked him, as you saw him reach down and adjust himself beneath his jeans.

"Yes." He croaked out before clearing his throat and repeating himself.

Pulling the top over your head you heard him moan out and mumble something about how you were driving him crazy. When you reached across and tweaked your nipple, he moaned again and rubbed his free hand across his face, down his chest and to his jeans. His hand palmed himself over his bulge and he blew out a sigh of relief.

A knock on the door on his end brought him back to reality and he leaned forward, his elbows on his knees to try and disguise his erection. No one entered the room however but someone did call out a ten minute call for his sound check.

"Yeah be there in five." He called out.  

You saw him shake his head.

"I have to go." He sighed. "But I need to go and sort out this first."

And he turned the camera down to show you his big problem.

"Go to the bathroom and let me watch." You asked him.

"Yeah? You'd like that?" He replied, his eyebrows raised.

"Mmmmm." You simply answered with as you stroked your nipples again. He groaned, but quickly stood up and made his way to the ensuite bathroom, locking the door behind him. 

With his phone propped up by the sink, he quickly opened his button and unzipped his jeans. The sight of his thick cock as he pulled himself from his jeans made your core throb.

"Oh baby look how worked up you are." You whispered as you slipped your hand beneath your shorts.

"All for you, see what you do to me?" He replied panting, as he ran his thumb over his bright red tip moving the precum down his length.

"I barely did anything."

"I've not made love to you in six weeks babe, I'm going to cum in like two minutes I'm so worked up by the sight of your tits."

 "Yeah, two minutes? Is that a challenge?"

"Definitely, and you better be touching yourself to." He whispered back.

"I am." You replied and you saw him bite his lip to hold back a moan.

Neither of you spoke again in case someone happened to enter Nialls dressing room. There were low breaths and pants from you both as you desperately seeked your release. Your fingers were running over your clit, while you teased your nipples with the other hand. Keeping eye contact with Niall was hard, your eyes were practically rolling in the back of your head as you got closer. The tightness in your stomach built more and more as you watched him stroke his hard cock with his left hand and tug on his balls with his right.

His movements became sloppy and you knew he was close, the thought of it pushed you to your orgasm and you mewled as you came, your body almost convulsing at the strength of your release.

Low pants of your name from Niall's lips told you he was coming to, and you saw him release his grip on his balls to try and catch the heavy stream of his orgasm.

"Jesus christ." He mumbled as he surveyed the mess in his hands.

"That was about two minutes. Challenge won." You said with a smirk.

********

The Cosy Coffee Corner was quiet today, the early Monday morning rush of commuters and dog walkers had been and gone. Mr and Mrs Davidson had sat at their usual spot by the window reading the newspaper like they always did at least 3 or 4 mornings a week. You'd come down early to offer help to Audrey with the customers, having been awake since dawn. You hadn't been able to get back to sleep after waking up at 5am, your mind filled with thoughts of Niall and his arrival back from Miami today.

You weren't sure how long the flight was or what time you would see him today. It all depended on how he slept on the flight and if he was jetlagged. The sheer desperation to see him was ridiculous.

Your internship at the London office of Foundation Interior Designs didn't start until the new year, and you weren't due to go to your parents until tomorrow. Feeling at a bit of a loss you'd served the familiar customers alongside Audrey and sipped your morning coffee. No one made coffee like Audrey.

It felt great to be back in the safety and comfort of The Cosy Coffee Corner though and Audrey had been excited to see you. When you'd left, it had been the end of the summer, but now the cafe was covered in Christmas decorations. The handmade garland was hanging across the counter by the till. A large Christmas tree took over the corner by the window. The whole place smelled of the usual freshly made pastries and coffee but now with a hint of Winter smells of cinnamon, nutmeg and gingerbread.

 "What time is he due back?" Audrey asked you as she cleared the table next to the counter.

"Not sure. Do you mind if I hang around here for a bit longer?"

 "Of course not love."

The bell above the door jingled and you looked up to see a woman carrying a familiar looking bouquet of flowers.

"Hi, I have a delivery for Emma Pearce." She said.

"That's me, thanks." You replied taking the bouquet. Right on time you thought. Niall had never missed your weekly delivery of flowers since you'd been apart.

Taking the small card in your hand, your saw a printed message.

"To my beautiful girl, can't wait to see you today. Love you. N xxx"

"Wish I could find someone to send me flowers ever week." Audrey said as she came to stand beside you. "These are beautiful."

"I can set you up on one of those dating sites if you like?!"

"Oh god no child, can you imagine the weirdos I'd meet?!"

"Not everyone on them is a weirdo!" You replied sniggering.

"Of course not, but I'm bound to be matched with one. Would be just my luck." She said.

"Didn't know you were looking at dating again Audrey?"

It had been quite a few years since Audrey had lost her husband and you hadn't realised she was thinking about meeting new people.

"Well I'm not really, but it would be nice to go out for dinner and have some male company sometimes. And not like that before you raise your eyebrows at me girl!" She laughed.

"I never said anything!"

 "Go grab a book and take a seat, I'll bring you over some lunch." She said, slowly shifting you out from behind the counter.

"You don't need to do that."

"Yes I do, I haven't been able to mother you for months!" She replied smiling. 

"I've missed that actually." You replIed smiling back.

Placing your flowers on one of the tables by the Christmas tree in the window, you browsed the books selecting one that's cover looked intriguing. Sitting down you started to read, Audrey soon brought you over a sandwich, a gingerbread man and another coffee.

You soon got lost in the book, you'd been reading quite a bit while you'd been away in Paris. It had helped the evenings go quickly when you were on your own. The cafe started to pick up with the lunch time rush, people popping in for sandwiches and coffees from local businesses near by, the bell above the door jingling every so often.

You didn't notice when someone stood in front of you but your head soon looked up when that someone cleared their throat.

Your mouth opened in shock at the sight of Niall standing in front of you. He had on a thick black coat and a grey paddy cap, all wrapped up and cosy from the December weather.

"Is this seat taken?" He asked gesturing towards the seat opposite you.

"Definitely not." You managed to reply, still shocked at seeing him front of you.

You hadn't expected to see him in here, thinking he would probably text you and say he was coming over to your flat or something. He moved closer to you, leaning down so you were face to face, just inches from each other.

"Good." He said as he leaned in and kissed you.

Tag list

@awomanindeniall​

@horanscran​

@flnialler​

@winchesterwife27​

@ihearthemcallingforyou​

@niallismymuse​

@someoneunimportantxx​​

[gotatext]

          whats up ! its ur local feral goblin nora ( 23, she/her, gmt ) bringing u yet another baby i dug out of the trash and vomited onto the dashboard. a fake psychic slash rodeo bull sensation studying at hendrix but born in marfa, texas. luvs wearing gingham print dresses and cowboy boots n always in loads of rings and necklaces w flowers in her hair. very into art and pornography, and particularly the combination of the two. wants to do a PHD on gender studies and female autonomy in porn (yeehaw!). this is a pinterest board. without further ado, here’s frida !

hendrix template.

( cis-female ) haven’t seen FRIDA CALHOUN around in a while. the ELIZA SCANLEN lookalike has been known to be (+) SCHOLASTIC & (+) PLUCKY, but SHE can also be (-) DOGMATIC & (-) SINGLE-MINDED. The 18 year old is a FRESHMAN majoring in GENDER STUDIES & VISUAL ART. I believe they’re living in AUDAX, but I popped by earlier and no one answered the door. ( nora. 22. cowboy time. she/her. ) 

 aesthetics.

a red gingham print dress from your childhood that tugs at the seams and hitches at your thighs. brown cowboy boots still thick with the dirt of a marfa desert. stripper heels decorated with hello kitty stickers. a crystal ball you bought for a dollar from a one-eyed woman at a thrift store. dead flowers clinging to the braids of your hair. a rucksack permanently packed for the move. a streak of red across your lips. roller blades, cut knees, not eating your greens. smiling with a mouthful of blood. the female orgasm cut and pasted from pornhub and superimposed onto renaissance art. sweet wrappers scattered over the vinyl seats of an older man’s car. also this pic here is a big frida mood

connection to eva & did they choose her name during the watershed?

study abroad mentor. when frida moved to the netherlands to study, she was assigned a mentor to help her settle into campus life, since she was not of dutch heritage. eva was her mentor for her first few weeks of study, though they weren’t really friends. occasionally they hung out if they saw each other out at night, but they weren’t like... super close.

ok,.... so first up ! despite going to uni in amsterdam, this gal was born and raised in the ole’ U.S of A. she’s from marfa, texas. it’s a very arty place. she was surrounded by art wankers as a child and it kind of educated her to a lot of shit, but also meant she grew up p fast?? like she learned about sex and death and violence from all these art people who thot they were Freeing her Superego n makin a genius child bt rlly.... they shd hav just let her play with dirt rather than showin her artistic representations of the inside of a dead bird.

 BACKSTORY TIME.. her mother was from the wrong side of the tracks, wanted 2 go to art school and started working as an erotic dancer to pay for college but then jst.... ended up staying there. one of those girls u see in the documentaries who had Big Plans but ultimately never got to pursue them n jst got.... sucked in by the money

 frida was raised in dressing rooms surrounded by sparkly costumes and nipple pasties and leotards and the like. as a kid she’d try to trot about in her moms heels n yearned for the day she’d be able to be on stage. 

if you’ve seen pretty baby its a bit similar to tht..... her mom works in a brothel n has her quite young n the expectation is her daughter will probs end up working at the brothel too when she's old enough. no1 really expected frida to get into a good uni or anythin

frida was p much raised by the town, to be honest. most of her youth was spent scurrying about half naked in cowboy boots and glasses too big for her face. a smol feral child

as a kid used to lie about being able to see dead people bcos she thought it’d make her seem cool and interesting to other kids n it got the attention of the girls her mom worked with. but when her mom realised people were willing to actually believe a 7 year old had seen their dead scorned lover, she saw it as an opportunity to swindle some extra cash and registered her as a child psychic n started putting adds out in local papers for palm readings and tarot predictions. 

when her mom hit 30s she couldn't hack being a sex worker any more, so she set up her own fortune telling business and hired a load of the girls from the club to be fake psychics. it was sort of a fortune telling parlour slash brothel, bt they kept tht very under wraps. palm reading upstairs, handjobs downstairs. the reason why some of the women from the strip club agreed to work there was because it was a business actually run by a woman who got what was going on, n not jst someone trying to make quick cash out of old men wanking

as a child, frida was on a few tv shows in the netherlands  making psychic predictions in front of live tv audiences and attempting to reach out to the spirits of their loved ones. this con continued into her teenage years, she even did youtube videos n had minor success, though she was accused of being a cheap horoscope predicter and packed it in shortly after a twitter backlash. 

if pressed, frida still claims to have a gift, but that it's not as simple as switching a light on and off, it comes when it comes, you can't summon it, and that's how she gets out of being labelled a fraud if anyone who recognises her demands a reading.

ws street smart, but also did super well at school? quite charming as a kid and good at winning adults over because of a life growing up basically conning rich white women out of their money just by telling them stuff they wanted to hear. was moved up a grade in junior high and graduated early. attended a summer school, before choosing to study in amsterdam because of the appeal of the red light district. very interested in the lives of sex workers and the way they express themselves. is only a freshman but, is like, 50% through her degree already jst cos she’s..... super passionate about her subject getting recognised as a legitimate brand of academia

she wanted to study gender performativity in the lives of sex workers and plans to do her thesis on the porn industry. it might be because of her childhood, growing up surrounded by sex workers, but she's obsessed with it, looks at mathematical structures and symbols in porn through a lens of politics and art history. very interested in visual art.

some ?mildly amusing? facts

owns 4 tarot decks and a crystal ball she bought frm an old lady with one eye

favourite drink is cherry coke

part of a burlesque collective at hendrix university who run speakeasy nights. is trying to set up her own small-scale grassroots burlesque group in one of the more mainstream clubs along the strip bcos there’s so much money and female tourists go wild 4 it

sells nudes on twitter. whenever she gets low on cash she contacts one of the seedy old men who used to visit her mom's club to venmo her $500 in return for pictures

that girl who’s always harping on about body positivity on instagram while wearing cute underwear and looking absolutely bomb 

really good at rodeo bull riding. the club in marfa had one so as a youth she got really good at it bcos she was constantly tryin to outdo her friends on who could stay on for the longest. a video of her staying on one for like 4 minutes after downing several jager bombs went viral once.

smol baby. 5′4. wears a lot of cute summer dresses n big boots. gingham is her usual dress style, or like red plaid, n then she’ll either have big white cowboy boots with spokes on the back or the really long doc martens. also owns a lot of abba-esque gogo boots and 90s creepers. flats?? who are they. has her hair in braids a lot, and usually has flowers or feathers threaded through it to add to her whole “mystic” vibe

micro-doses acid for mild depression bcos she didn’t believe in “that CBT bullshit”, thought that therapists, like her, were jst con artists so always a bit spaced out

her flirting technique is absolutely offering to read your palm. she used to do it all the time at school its how she met most of her eighth grade boyfriends. 

volunteers at one of the local galleries but mostly just rants to old white dutch men about how cis white men have dominated art for years :/ is one of those SJW-types but only?? when it comes to art?? 

has a pet rat called popeye

takes photographs of dead animals to use in her art and often posts them side-by-side with stills of women in porn to show the shelf-life of female sex workers in a patriarchal-dominated industry or some bullshit idk

big into spoken word poetry, even if its shit. likes savage depictions of femininity

wrote a thesis on art as an act of masturbation that got published 

big into capitalism and commodity culture. loves it.

wanted plots, fucker

ppl who are also studying @ hendrix but speak english !! bcos frida finished her exams a year early at like 17 n just up and left to amsterdam cos she knew if she got in-state tuition she’d never leave texas, she came to the netherlands with like, 40 dollars and a phrase book. eva was kind of her study-abroad mentor to help her settle into amsterdam campus life

ppl she met at an inter-school maths championship competition or something really fuckin nerdy like that. she probably got entered in a spelling bee or two, she was her high school’s pride and joy until people started calling her a slut in toilet door grafiti 

hook-ups !! frida does not do relationships, she had several girlfriends as a kid but she enjoyed the thrill of the chase more than being with one person. pan, but not about befriending straight men. very much fuck-em-and-chuck-em wham-bam-thankyou-ma’am when it comes to guys. that said, if u think ur character cld get under her skin n try n change that by all means be my guest

other ppl who wld be in burlesque with her. also she goes to strip clubs n peep shows like every day, thats basically research for her, so if ur characters would be into strip clubs they might see her there

she volunteers at a few galleries, tht is also a possible place where they cld kno each other from

i feel like she’d be on student council if they had one of those. shes that kind of bitch, turning up like elle woods with a big feather pen or a light-up heart marker, slamming down some truths before upping and leaving to go for her 11am chai latte break

mayb someone she’s trying to coach into being more body confident through self-expression in burlesque.

som1 who attended the art institute in marfa for a summer n maybe knew her when she was a bit younger ??? idk

drama. angst/ horror. someone accuse her of being a fake psychic and she’ll predict your horrific untimely death

nice bike rides in amsterdam please

yea like this if u a) want to plot or b) think the self is as undefinable social construct and i will slide in ur dms to further discus ruckus  x x

[jacmyheroacademia]

Kirishima X Fem!Reader- Kisses

Kirishima XFem!Reader Tickle war (cont.) JAC Writing Words: 1.1k Warnings: None. This was a request from anonymous (thankyou btw- I love Kiri <3) Kirishima frowned as they finally approached the door to his house, feeling like this date had gone on for a million years, Atanei practically hanging off his arm as he tried to say goodbye to her, wanting very much to get back to (y/n) but not wanting to blankly tell his date that she had to go as that would be a very unmanly thing to do. “I had a wonderful night tonight Eijiro.” Atanei told him, her voice overly sweet and only making his want to be back with (y/n) deepend. “Oh uh … yeah?” he asked, hoping that she would catch on that he wanted to leave if he didn’t answer, but the girl didn’t seem to be paying attention to him at all as she simply kept talking, “I mean, we really just go so well together don’t you think!?” She asked excitedly, Kirishima using his arm that she wasn’t glue to to rub the back of his neck awkwardly, “Uh … I … I guess?” he questioned, not really knowing what to say. Antanei rolled her eyes before she leaned into him, resting against his chest in a sort of half hug, “you don’t have to act so shy Eiji, we both know how we feel about each other.” she said, again insinuating that he felt the same for her that she apparently did for him … which could not be farther from the truth. “Look … Atanei-” he said, finally pushing her off of him and working his arm out of her grip as he looked into her eyes, “you’re fabulous and everything but … I really need to go-” he said, trying to get his point across Atanei nodding, “I understand Eiji- it’s getting late- I’ll see you around!” she said, jumping to her tiptoes and placing a small kiss on his lips that made Kirishima’s stomach flip- but not in a good way before Atanei fell back to the flats of her feet, “Call me!” She called over her shoulder before running to her car, leaving Kirishima red faced and upset, having just had a kiss stolen from a girl he had no romantic feelings for. He sighed, leaning back against the door and rubbing a hand over his tired eyes before entering the entryway, knowing that his parents were out for the night but (y/n) was still probably there as this was the weekend she usually slept over. He opened the door, finding (y/n) right in the doorway, her face fallen and sad as she looked to the ground, Kiri hating to see her this way. “H- hey …” he said softly in greeting as he closed the door behind him, (y/n) biting her lip, refusing to meet his eyes. “How did your date go?” she asked, her voice soft and sad, making his stomach do another unpleasant summersault. … (y/n) kept her gaze trained on the floor, not wanting Kiri to know that she had been spying on them from the living room window, and not wanting him to know how desperately she wished that it had been her to kiss him rather than that airheaded barbie. “It … was alright I guess.” he said as he shrugged, running a hand through his red spiked hair as (y/n) finally brought her eyes up to meet his face feeling an irresistible urge to kiss him as he licked his lips nervously, a habit she had noticed him pick up about a year ago. “Just alright?” she asked hopefully, almost wanting to hear him say something along the lines that ‘it was a horrible time’ or ‘I wish I had been with you’- but feeling terribly selfish for wanting to hear those words from him, and for wanting to keep her best friend for herself. Kirishima frowned as he took a step closer to her, (y/n) coming just about to his chin and having to look up to meet his gaze. “Is something wrong?” he asked, his eyes laced with concern that made her mouth go dry and her eyebrows crease as she looked for the right words before all of her emotions just came spilling out of her at once. “No- no nothing is alright!” she said desperately  “You just came back from a date and that girl was practically hanging off of you, totally throwing herself at you like some- some idiot!” she exclaimed, red in the face with embarrassment from saying these things, “and then she kissed you and I just … I just-” she looked up to him, suddenly realizing how close their faces were, his rusty red colored gaze meeting hers before she suddenly threw caution to the wind, reaching her hands up cautiously to cup the side of his face gently. “And I wish it had been me with you Eijiro … I love you … and I hate seeing you with other people.” she whispered out sadly, Kirishima’s eyes brightening, before suddenly and without warning his lips were on hers, kissing her eagerly as his hands jumped to her waist. (y/n)’s eyes stayed open wide for a moment in pure shock before relaxing into the kiss that she had wanted for so many years but had always been far too timid to ask for, assuring herself time and time again that Kiri would never share her feelings- but now that they were her, his rough hands on either side of her body, her fingers tangled in his red hair … she couldn’t imagine how she had survived so long without this. Her eyes slid closed as she pulled him closer to her, his lips tasting slightly like citrus, his skin smelling like firewood as he moved closer, pressing her back against the doorway, his chest meeting hers as he kissed her passionately, (y/n) feeling completely overcome with her love for him that she never thought would be returned. It wasn’t until a long moment later that Kiri finally pulled away, both of them panting slightly from the heated kiss as he looked at her, remorse in his eyes. “(y/n) … if I had ever thought that there was even a hint that you might share my feelings I never would have agreed to go out with anyone else … you’re my favorite person in the world.” he told her quickly, his eyes searching her face, his lips slightly swollen from the kiss as (y/n)’s own lips spread into a grin, moving to throw her arms over his shoulders and pull him into a tight hug, his own arms reaching up to secure around her waist. “I’m never letting you slip through my fingers again Kiri.” she promised, whispering against his neck, “I love you so so much.” she told him, her eyes sliding closed as she simply lived in the moment that she had only dreamed about for so long. pt.1 https://jacmyheroacademia.tumblr.com/post/181745963746/kirishima-x-femreader-tickle-war

[jovialyouthmusic]

Together, Apart

A Driam Fic from Two’s Company, Three’s Allowed

Part Two

This started as a short work, and I decided to go for a Part Two. It looks like there will be a Part Three...read Part One here

If you do not like Poly, or men being intimate with each other, pass this by...smutty AF, NOT suitable for under 18s. Not sure how to tag, so if you are tagged and don’t like it, please let me know and I’ll remove you from the list.

@ao719 @agent-bossypants @andy-loves-corgis @sleepwalkingelite @boneandfur @blackcatkita @brightpinkpeppercorn @choicescommunity @darley1101 @drakewalkerrosenberg @debramcg1106 @fluffy-marshmallow-heart @goirishsunshine @gardeningourmet @livingthroughchoices @likethetailofacomet @mrs-nazario @mind-reader1 @ooo-barff-ooo @silviasutton1989 @speedyoperarascalparty @zaffrenotes @missevabean @mrsdrakewalkerblog @cora-nova @missameliep @tanelle83 @endlessly-searching-for-you @jlouise88 @drakenazario @annekebbphotography @tabithacarlisle @furiousherringoperatortoad @notoriouscs @classylady1234 @wickedgypsymoon @carabeth @choices-fangirl @indiana-jr @indiacater @noey718-blog @sirbeepsalot @bobasheebaby @tornbetween2loves  @katedrakeohd @itsstillnotwhatyouthink @bobasheebaby

PART TWO

‘So what did you two get up to while I was away?’ asked Lucy. ‘Did you miss me?’ the fact that she asked this as Drake undressed her and Brad peeled his shirt off made the answer redundant.

‘You have no idea’ Drake murmured, his lips on her collarbone ‘and we have some new tricks to show you’

‘You do?’ Her eyes went blacker as her mind worked overtime ‘Tell me more’ She stepped out of her panties and Brad led her to the bed, naked and sporting an impressive erection. She looked at he rumpled sheets. ‘Housekeeping has gotten sloppy – or did one of you sleep in my bed and forget to tell them?’ Drake was stripping too, and joined the other two on the bed

‘Guilty, Duchess’ he replied, as Brad laid next to her on the bed and trailed kisses along her jaw.

‘Who do you want first?’ Brad’s voice tickled her and sent a shiver down her spine. She turned to him.

‘Do I have to choose?’ Brad nodded ‘Then it’s you, your Highness’ He groaned, and continued to trail kisses down her neck and over her belly, working his way down the bed. The truth was, she loved it when Drake lay next to them and watched, knowing that it aroused him and inspired a sense of competition, so he doubled his efforts to please her if Brad was first. She spread her thighs for Brad as his tongue and lips explored. Drake watched, and began his answer.

‘We both slept here the last two nights’ he explained ‘We couldn’t sleep alone’ Brad surfaced for a moment

‘I crept in to find Drake here already – I scared the crap out of him’ He went back to his task, and she stretched luxuriously. She turned her head to look at Drake.

‘He certainly did – and I woke up with him spooning me with a hard on’ he admitted. Lucy laughed

‘Now you know what it’s like’ she grinned. ‘How did you cope with that?’ Brad came up for air.

‘He screamed like a girl’ he quipped, and she put her hand on his head to push him back down.

‘I did not’ Drake protested ‘But it was a shock. Anyway, we both had pretty urgent boners, and we got to talking about you and what we liked to do with you – and one thing led to another’

‘Oooh really?’ she asked, squirming under Brad’s tongue ‘Oooh Brad, just keep – oh that’s amazing’ Drake watched as she writhed, and went on with the tale, bringing his lips to her ear.

‘I wrapped my hand round Brad’s hard dick’ he breathed, hearing her breath grow erratic and moans escaping her lips ‘and I told him how much I love watching him fuck you’ His voice was deep and sensual and pushed her closer to the edge. ‘I gave him a hand job, and he came all over his chest’ The thought of her two men enjoying themselves while she was gone was too much for her, and she writhed and shuddered with the biggest orgasm she could remember having. Brad crawled up between her legs as she shook and twitched, and hovered over her, waiting until she was still before lining himself up and sliding into her wet folds with a groan of bliss. Languidly she rested her hands on his hips.

‘That’s not all, Valois’ Drake continued…

 When Drake had cleaned Brad off and suggested he give him a blow job in return, he hadn’t expected him to say yes, so he was genuinely surprised but more than pleased. Brad knelt in front of him and looked up.

‘While I have never given a blow job, I know what I like’ he said solemnly ‘so I presume you’ll like it too, but let me know if I’m getting it wrong’

‘Heck Brad, buy me dinner or something, don’t get technical’ Drake scoffed. Brad stared at Drake’s erection, nestled in his trimmed dark pubic hair, pointing up to his belly button, balls hanging low. A musky scent rose up to him.

‘So this is what they look like close up’ he mused. Drake rolled his eyes – not that Brad could see that right now.

‘You never did like watching porn, did you?’ Drake teased ‘Careful what you say, I might be hurt’ Brad looked up at him

‘I never thought they looked that – well, attractive – but’ he hurriedly added ‘It’s rather magnificent’ Drake grinned ‘And this is in the flesh, not on a screen’

‘Well thankyou my friend, you have a rather magnificent specimen yourself’ Brad reached up and softly cupped Drake’s testicles

‘Hmm, heavy’ he remarked ‘How long since you…’

‘Long enough. I’m not going to share wank stories with you just yet, let’s concentrate on thinking about Lucy’

‘I think you might be better sitting or lying down’ Brad observed ‘Get comfortable.’ Drake sat on the edge of the bed, and Brad scooted over to kneel between his thighs. ‘Lying down, perhaps’ he said, and Drake turned to clamber further up onto the bed, his head on the pillows, hand behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. He closed his eyes and felt Brad manoeuvring beside him. He stroked himself while he waited for him.

‘Be gentle with me Brad’ he said ‘Careful with your teeth – try and keep your lips over them’

‘Have you – ‘ began Brad

‘No I have not given a blow job, but I’ve read erotica out loud to Lucy – and I have a dick in case you haven’t noticed, I’ve encountered teeth a few time and it wasn’t pleasant’

‘Huh.’ said Brad ‘I don’t mind myself, a little nipping – but if that’s what you like…’

‘Just get on with it before I lose it’ He felt Brad shifting, and he conjured up Lucy in his mind. He thought perhaps Brad would need a little inspiration himself, so… ‘I love watching you with her’ he said ‘you’re so tender, but when you get going, you’re a tiger.’ He stretched luxuriously ‘Think where my dick’s been – deep inside her. She gets so wet. Have you noticed how great she smells when she’s really aroused?’ He heard Brad moan appreciatively, and his wet tongue dragged along his length. Drake’s deep voice carried on

‘Imagine I’ve just been with her and she’s watching. I’m still wet from being inside her. You’ve tasted her, you know what it’s like’ Brad’s lips wrapped around his tip, tongue pressing into the slit. He groaned and settled into the mattress. His voice was husky as he went on.

‘You know, that part of her is like a flower, with sweet rosy petals, and silky soft’ He felt Brad’s nose on his belly as he adjusted position. ‘And that flower gives off sweet, sweet nectar’  He cleared his throat before he started to get really poetic and compare himself and Brad to bees. Some analogies just fall down after a short while.

‘I love it when she crawls up the bed toward me and her eyes are dark. I love how her hair falls over her shoulders and onto my face and chest. I love scratching her with my stubble – just a little’ He sighed as Brad took more of him into his hot wet mouth and he tried to imagine it was Lucy. He felt him cupping his balls and squeezing lightly, and he groaned, arching his back a little.

‘I love when I’m balls deep in her and pressed against her clit. I love it when she grinds into me’ He felt the vibration of Brad’s groan, quite different from Lucy’s moans, with more bass. He felt the flat of his tongue on his shaft as he took him deep into his mouth, lips wrapped over his teeth. He rolled his hips and thought of Lucy bending over him, dark hair falling in a glossy curtain, soft breasts brushing his chest, breath hot on his cheek.

‘I love making love face to face’ his voice changed to a gentle tone ‘We’re so close, she’s pressed to my chest, it’s like we’re one person. You know that too…’ Brad wrapped his hand round the base of his shaft  and started up a slow sensual rhythm, lips still wrapped around him, his mouth hot. Drake gripped the bedsheets, twisting his fingers into the fabric. Normally he would watch Lucy as she worked on him, or rest his hand on her head, but that stimulation was not available, so he carried on thinking of her, remembering…

‘When I’m really horny, I love taking her from behind’ he said huskily ‘Up against the wall, driving up into her. I love the sounds she makes – gasps, moans, those little whimpers’ Brad picked up speed. ‘I love – love when she calls – calls my name’ He was getting close, picturing himself pounding into her, losing control, with her matching his passion stroke for stroke. His hips were bucking and now Brad kept up with him. ‘I love how she looks after when we’ve fucked her – ooooh – when we’ve fucked her until she can’t move - Ohhh – when she – when she goes limp and just lies there – the – the smile on her face…or when – ugggh – when I turn her over and take her again, when – gah – when she thinks she can’t go again – but - oooh she – she can – gah – I’m close – here it comes – oooohhh…’ His whole body arched and contracted and he felt it boiling in his balls, hot and urgent, erupting…

He became aware that Brad was gagging, but he recovered and became quiet, sitting up away from him, releasing his length with a pop, his seed still dribbling out onto his belly. Brad rushed to the bathroom and he heard him spitting and the tap running fast, the spitting turning to coughing. He grinned as he lay back, although he was sorry Brad seemed to be having a hard time on his end. He emerged from the bathroom with the cloth, his eyes watering, and coughing slightly. He sat next to Drake and gently cleaned him up.

‘Sorry, I didn’t think that through’ he said apologetically ‘I realised I didn’t know what to do when you came. Sorry I messed it up’  Drake grinned lazily

‘Hey it’s okay Brad, first time and all, you’ll know next time – if you want to do it again’ Brad shrugged

‘It was – I wanted to do it for you. Practice makes perfect I suppose’ he looked at him ‘I’m not attracted to you in that way’ he said simply ‘It was – interesting. I expect if Lucy was here it would be hotter.’  

‘Well I’ll give it a shot too, see if we can work out how to do it without freaking. Not right now – maybe before Lucy gets back?’

‘Maybe’ answered Brad ‘and be prepared for… it tastes sort of bitter, you know?’ he poked his tongue out flat and made a face. ‘I’ll know what to expect next time.’

[eyesopen2019]

We love Calgary…….

Well we spent another 10 days in Calgary after our skiing week in Lake Louise. Tram and the kids were away for a few days in Hawaii and we were lucky enough to be able to continue to stay in their home.  When they returned we spent many meals together and evenings sitting around chatting.  We sincerely appreciate the hospitality shown to us by Tram and her family and we would hope to repay the favour one day.  We also had lots of time to spend with Anh and Thanh and value the opportunity to get to know our extended family better and for the kids to have a connection with their Canada family.  Lani spent lots of time with Uncle Thanh, Auntie Anh and Rufus.  She would run from Tram’s house to Anh’s house depending on what food was on offer and what chores or homework was being requested.  I think she enjoyed the peace and quiet from the boys and the undivided attention from Thanh and Anh.   She especially enjoyed riding bikes with Thanh, playing with Rufus, watching movies uninterrupted as well as cooking with Anh.  Aiden and I spent several evenings playing scrabble and got into a competitive war which unfortunately he won, as he did when we played poker with Anh.

Over Easter we had a visit from Loan, Tuan and Kiera (their granddaughter).  It didn’t take long before Leon and Lani were busily and noisily playing with Kiera at the park and at home.  Kiera loves slime as much as Lani and the two girls set up a stall selling homemade slime out on the street.  They did have a few customers, made some friends and gave away some freebies. I think they made $1.50 each!

We celebrated Easter with a family dinner on Easter Saturday with Tram, Thomas, Terek, Tessa, Cohen, Thanh, Anh, Tu, great auntie, Suzanne, Loan, Tuan and Kiera.  Tram cooked up a wonderful feast including the most ginormous turkey I have ever seen.  Leon also couldn’t believe how big it was and it was all so delicious to eat!  During the evening, Anh bought out her karaoke microphone and after the kids had some fun the adults did too.  We had a very entertaining evening of Vietnamese music and Vietnamese singers.  Loan and Tuan used to be in a Vietnamese band that played around towns in Canada when they first came over from Vietnam.  Aiden thought it was hilarious that Hung was singing (and dancing) with the karaoke microphone.  For Hung, the Vietnamese music brings back lots of memories and makes him feel really sad. But I know he really enjoyed sharing the music with his family.  On Sunday morning we all went to church which was lovely.  The service was really long but the kids were all so good and survived – even if Lani did state rather loudly on her way out that, “I hate church”. After we got home and had some breakfast, Leon and Lani went to a community egg hunt with Tessa, Kiera, Rufus, Anh and I.  They really enjoyed it and all collected heaps of eggs.  During the day they also spent some time decorating eggs with Anh and Kai, of which Leon’s was judged the winner by the other family members who were blinded to their creators.  They then ate the eggs for afternoon tea.  

We managed to see a few movies at the Landmark Cinema with Leon and I seeing Shizaam which we both loved and I took Leon and Lani to see Dumbo which I thought was only a fairly average take on the original, but the kids enjoyed.  We all, and especially Kai, enjoyed many meals at Aunty Tu’s restaurant with Kai’s favourite foods being the Pho Tai, beef spring rolls and the fried banana dessert.  Leon spent a few afternoons at the park with Cohen (Thomas’s son), enjoying running around like mad things and getting filthy dirty.  Cohen had a sleepover one night which Leon really enjoyed as he’d been missing his regular sleepovers at home with his mates Ace and Daichi.

Aiden and Tarek went on a few shopping expeditions and spent some time together.  Aiden added a pair of size 15 Nike Air Force One’s to his expanding travel wardrobe.  Aiden enjoyed having someone to hang out with as he is not keen on shopping with us!

We managed to fit in one last day skiing at Lake Louise with Tu which was lovely.  Aiden and Kai decided they’d had enough and stayed at home. The snow was still OK for us and we explored some areas we hadn’t been to.  Leon was quite impatient with the pace of his companions and kept wanting to race off on his own.  It was tough to hold him back and stay with us.  We enjoyed lunch at the Temple Lodge where they have the best chips ever – according to Leon.  On the way home we stopped at Johnson Falls for a short hike to see the waterfalls. The path was fairly flat but was very icy in parts and Leon came off second best on a couple of sections.  It was lovely to get out in the forest for a walk after a day skiing but we were exhausted when we got home.  We had a lovely meal waiting for us with Anh and Thanh.

So thankyou to our Canada family for such a special and wonderful time with you all.  Such special memories made that will last a long time. We can’t wait to see you all in Australia one day.

[nympha-doras]

It Happened One Night

Summary: Here it comes. He’s going to tell her that kissing her was a huge mistake, and should never happen again. It’ll hurt to hear, but it’s not a surprise. She went into this with her eyes wide open. She braces herself for the blow. Only the blow doesn’t come. He tells her that while he’s not over the death of his wife and a part of him will always love her, he can’t grieve forever. “Maybe it’s time I stop looking at the past, start looking at the future. Maybe explore some of those possibilities you mentioned.” // Post 1x09. Lucy sprained her ankle in 1934, Wyatt helps her out back in the present.

FFnet / AO3

I apologise for being gone for so long. I apologise for not updating I'll Show You the Way - and for leaving it the way I did - in so long. I have no real excuse, but I promise that's the next update you'll get!

Thankyou to @angellwingsffn for helping me out with this fic! I love you more than coffee in the morning ;)

“How’s the ankle?” Wyatt nods his head to the leg Lucy has propped up on the bench. He grabs the dress draped beside her and hands both of their costumes to a passing attendant, while she focuses on slipping her sneaker over her foot without jarring her ankle.

She pauses in her actions to send him a soft smile and a shrug. “Just a sprain. I’ll live.”

“Maybe so, but will you be okay to drive home?” He raises his eyebrows at her. He’s driven with a sprained ankle himself, it’s not something he’d recommend.

She’d been planning on doing just that, but the look on his face tells her he isn’t going to let her. Lucy falters a moment, choosing her next words carefully. “I uh… I…” Why is her brain failing her now!? Her phone buzzes beside her and she snatches it up. It’s just an app update, but the app flashing on the screen gives her an idea.

“I ordered an Uber.” She says with confidence.

He doesn’t buy it. Damnit.

“Uh huh.” He nods slowly. “Come on. I’ll drive you home.”

The car he directs her to comes as no surprise. A Mustang is the exact car she expected him to drive - a darker colour maybe, navy or black she would have guessed - but the silver suits him well. It’s not as tidy as she expected it to be though. She’s seen the inside of his locker after returning from a mission. His clothes neatly folded and placed carefully on the shelf, with his boots lined up neatly in the bottom. A stark contrast to her own locker, where she’s just carelessly thrown everything in. In her defence though, the dresses she is required to wear - especially those pre 1910 - don’t leave her much time to carefully fold everything, before she has to jump in the lifeboat and Rufus is piloting them through time and space. There are a few jumpers and spare t-shirts strewn on the back seat, and she thinks she can see a couple pairs of boots in the foot well. There’s a takeaway cup from Starbucks in one of the holders between the front seats, along with a crumpled up piece of paper stuffed in the other. The remains of his breakfast she assumes. She raises her eyebrows at the mess, and then up at him.

“What?” He says defensively.

Lucy shakes her head. “No, nothing.”

“It’s not nothing.” They both slide into the car. Wyatt doesn’t start the engine like she expects him to, instead he turns and stares at her. “What’s wrong with my car?”

“It’s just not as tidy as I expected it to be. That’s all.” She shrugs.

He raises his eyebrows at her. “Why? What did you expect?”

Lucy drops her head back and and closes her eyes, wishing she’d never said anything now. “I’ve seen the inside of your locker and how you are on missions. Everything all neat and tidy. I just expected the same of your car.”

He doesn’t say any more, just sits there and looks at her. She’s not quite sure what he’s looking for, but the longer he stares, the more uncomfortable she gets. She shifts under his gaze. “Are we just going to sit here, or am I uncancelling that Uber?”

Wyatt laughs and shakes his head, before he turns and switches the engine on. “That was an app update, and we both know it.” He says as he puts the car in drive and speeds away.

Lucy doesn’t know how Wyatt knows her address. She didn’t tell him and he didn’t ask. She’s not sure she wants to know how or why he knows it, but he pulls up in front of the right house regardless. There’s an awkward pause as he switches the engine off and she removes her seatbelt. Wyatt wants to stick around, to keep her company for a while - he can’t see any sign of her mother being home - Lucy wants him to do just that, but neither of them are willing to admit as much out loud.

She takes a deep breath and turns to him. “Thanks for the ride.”

“No problem.” He shrugs. “Ma’am.”

Lucy shakes her head, exasperated. “I thought I told you not to call me that?”

“What would you rather I call you then, babydoll?”

The nickname resurfaces feelings she’d pushed down back in 1934. What she wouldn’t give for him to call her that seriously, and not teasing her. Though she knows he won’t ever. As long as time travel exists, he’s going to do everything he can to get his wife back. She has no idea the same thought is currently running through his own mind.

She gathers her things from the floor. The door is open and she has one foot out of the vehicle, when she turns back to him. “You in a rush to get home, sweetheart? My mom’s out late tonight, so I wouldn’t say no to some company.” Two can play at that game, though her question comes out far more flirtatious than she intends it to.

He regards her for a moment. He shouldn’t. Spending time with her outside of work is likely to bring up feelings he’s tried so hard to push down and repress. Feelings he shouldn’t be feeling, because there’s still a chance he can get Jessica back. He accepts the invitation anyway. He can’t say no to her, especially with the tone in her voice.

Pulling the keys from the ignition, he exits the car and follows her up the path. The awkwardness between them returns when they enter the house. Wyatt follows Lucy as she hobbles her way through to the kitchen. A part of him wants to reach out to her, to wrap his arm around her waist and help her. Though there’s a part of him screaming at him not to, that that would be inappropriate, that friends don’t wrap their arms around their friends waist. And thats what they are, right? Friends. But friends don’t let friends struggle when they’re clearly in pain and need help. So he steps forward, catches her around the waist, and pulls her weight off her sprained ankle.

She brings her hand up to grip his shoulder, steadying herself. “Thanks.” She mutters.

Wyatt deposits her on the sofa, before bending down to carefully pull her sneakers off her feet. He pushes them under the coffee table out of the way - he knows how clumsy she can be, he doesn’t want her spraining the other ankle - before he toes off his own boots, and slides them under next to hers. “You have any ice? Or some frozen veg or something I can put on this ankle? Keep the swelling down?”

Lucy attempts to rise at his question, supposedly heading to the freezer to grab something herself, but he doesn’t let her get very far before he’s pushing down on her shoulders and back onto the sofa. “Stay. You need to keep your weight off this ankle.”

She frowns at his command. “I didn’t realise I’d turned into a dog.”

He crowds into her space at her comment, his face inching closer and closer to hers. She’s not sure what he’s doing, or why. A part of her hopes he’s going in for another kiss, but surely he’d have already done that by now if it was going to happen again. Right?

The playful “woof.” he lets out is the last thing she expects and has her bursting out with laughter, her face lighting up. She’s never seen this side of Wyatt Logan. She rather likes it.

Wyatt joins her in laughter as he makes his way over to the freezer.

“Will you grab me some wine while you’re there, please?” She flashes pleading eyes at him over the top of the sofa. “There should be an open bottle in the fridge, and glasses in the cupboard to the right of you.”

He nods his acquiescence to her, but when he returns, it’s not a glass of wine and bag of frozen veg he brings with him, but rather a bottle of water and a bag of frozen veg. She frowns up at him, wincing slightly when he places the frozen veg on her swelling ankle. “That’s not wine.”

“Astute observation, professor.” He smirks up at her, holding out the water. She’s reluctant to take it. “But I’ve had plenty of sprained ankles myself, and I know the painkillers they give you. You can’t drink with them.”

She goes to protest, but the look he gives her has her stopping before she’s even started. He sits beside her and takes a moment, taking her in, before he starts to shift nervously. “Besides, uh…”

His eyes flick down to where his hands are rubbing together slowly, his elbows resting on his knees.

“Besides, what?” Lucy smiles at him softly.

Wyatt takes a deep breath, as he tucks one leg up beneath him and turns to face her. “Something happened on the mission today. Something I think we need to talk about with clear minds.”

She’s not quite sure what he’s referring to, not until she notices his eyes trained on her lips. Oh. “You mean…”

“I kissed you.” He exclaims.

“Yeah…” She nods slowly, not quite sure where he’s going with this. Does he regret it? Does he wish he’d never done it? She daren’t hope it’s the opposite. She can’t allow her hopes to rise like that, only for them to fall flat when he tells her it shouldn’t have happened.

“I…” What he wants to say, he knows won’t be easy for her to hear. It’s something he needs to say though. For both of their sakes. “It shouldn’t have happened.”

“Oh.” It’s not what she would have liked him to have said, but she understands. It hurts, but she understands. “No, yeah, I get it. We had to sell it or they would have-”

“-Yeah. Just playing a role.” A part of him hoped she would fight him on this. That she would tell him it wasn’t just a role, tell him it meant something to her… Tell him that she wanted to explore the possibilities with him. But it’s not who she is, and he loves who she is.

Neither know quite what to say now. Okay, they both know what they want to say, but neither have the courage to come out and say it, so they simply sit and stare. The ping of Lucy’s phone from inside her bag, breaks the spell. She can’t quite reach it where it sits on the coffee table - not without jolting her ankle, which she’s really trying not to do, after the pain she experienced when putting her shoes on back at Mason Industries. Without a word, Wyatt reaches forward and grabs it for her, pulling out her phone.

He doesn’t mean to catch a glimpse of the text she’s just received, but it’s not his fault her phone lights up when pulls it out of her bag, and it’s not his fault that she has her message previews set to always show, rather than to just show when unlocked. When he sees Noah is the sender, he pauses. Of course the guy pops up now. He doesn’t give Lucy chance to read the messages herself, before he’s flinging the phone onto the coffee table, muttering “Fuck it.”, and surging forward to catch her lips with his.

A million thoughts swim through her mind - make that a million and one - as his lips crash with hers. She stays frozen, not quite sure what to do. She wants nothing more than to melt into him, to wrap her arms around his neck and run her fingers through his hair. But only moments ago was he telling her that kissing her in 1934 was a mistake, that it shouldn’t have happened. His tongue running along the seam of her lips, begging for entrance, has her making her mind up. She opens to him, only allowing herself to melt when his tongue finds hers.

With any other guy, she’d be fighting him for dominance right now, asserting her independence. But Wyatt isn’t any other guy, and she is quite happy to sit back and let him devour her. He does just that. She brings her arms up to wrap around his neck, her fingers inching up into his hair, as he rises onto his knees and pushes her back to lay across the sofa.

Neither hear the car pulling up outside, nor the second car. Neither hear the click of heels on the concrete, or the voices growing louder and louder as they greet each other with surprise. Neither hear the key turning in the lock, or the footsteps approaching them.

It’s like a bucket of iced water is poured over them, as Carol and Noah step into the room. They tear themselves apart, Wyatt shooting up off the sofa and standing before Lucy’s mother and Fiancé. He’s stood tall and straight, his hands clasped behind his back. Looking at him, you’d think he was stood before his commanding officer back at Pendleton. This is arguably worse.

“Mom. Noah.” Lucy attempts to stand, but stops and holds her hands up in surrender when Wyatt turns to glare at her. The flirtatious smile she sends him as well is probably a mistake considering their current company.

“Lucy?” The hurt in Noah’s voice has her flinching. “I don’t…”

She wants to say something to make things better, to calm him down. But there are no words that are the truth, that she can say to fix things. None that won’t hurt him anyway.

He sighs and shakes his head. “I came here to apologise for our date the other night, and you’re here fucking some other guy like, some kind of slut?”

Wyatt’s gaze flicks to Noah, his eyes narrowing. “I’d choose your next words carefully if I were you.”

Noah takes no notice of Wyatt as he steps forward and around Wyatt, hovering over Lucy. “How many other guys have you fucked since we got engaged, huh?”

Wyatt turns to see Lucy cowering in the corner of the sofa, the same corner he’d just been pressing her into with his body. He reaches out and grips Noah’s arm, tugging him away from her. “Okay, that’s enough.”

Noah shrugs Wyatt off of him, stepping back and heading towards the front door. He stops by the kitchen island, and turns back to him. “You’re welcome to the little whore.”

Carol’s cry of “Okay, that’s enough!” comes seconds before Wyatt marches forward and grips the front of Noah’s shirt. He knows he shouldn’t. He knows Lucy wouldn’t want him to - it’s not exactly the best first impression for her mother either - but he can’t help it. He can’t let anyone talk about her like that. Wyatt doesn’t give Noah time to react, to defend himself, before he’s bringing his arm up and sending his closed fist flying straight at Noah’s face.

Lucy winces, though she’s not sure if it was from the pain that shot up her leg when she rises from the sofa and stands on her sprained ankle, or from the sickening crunch of Noah’s nose breaking. She hobbles forward and lays a hand on Wyatt’s arm. “Wyatt. Stop, please.”

He turns, his eyes full of regret. “I’m sorry, Lucy. I’m so sorry.”

She brings her hand up to the back of his neck and pulls his head down to rest her forehead against his. “It’s okay.” She closes her eyes and breathes deep. “Go get a fresh bag of frozen veg for your hand, while I deal with Noah.”

She doesn’t give him the time to protest, as she reaches up on her tip toes and presses a small kiss to the corner of his mouth. She’s likely rubbing salt into Noah’s wound, but she can’t bring herself to care. It’s the least he deserves after the way he just spoke to her.

Wyatt’s stopped from opening the freezer, by a hand resting on the door. He turns his head to see Carol stood by him with a frown on her face.

“You will do no such thing.” She scowls. “I don’t know who you are, or how you know my daughter, but I want you out of my house.”

Carol opens the freezer and pulls out the bag of veg Wyatt had intended to grab himself, instead moving over to pass it to Noah. Not that a frozen bag of veg will do much for a broken nose.

“Mom!” Lucy exclaims. “Wyatt is more than welcome here, you can’t send him away because he hit someone who talked to me like that. Noah’s lucky I was here to stop him going further!”

“It’s okay, Luce.” He smiles softly, turning to leave. “I’ll, uh... I’ll see you at work?”

Lucy turns back to her mother. She’s had enough of this. Her entire life has been decided by her mother. But not any more. She’s a grown woman, she can make her own decisions. “If Wyatt isn’t welcome here, then neither am I.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Lucy.” Carol scoffs.

Lucy grabs her bag and her shoes, not bothering to try slip them on. She ignores her mother calling to her, limping as quick as she can down the hall and out the door. She calls out to Wyatt, just as he slips into his car.

“Lucy, what are you doing? Go back inside.” He gets back out of the car, heading towards her to help her back inside.

“No.” She shakes her head vigorously. “She’s taking his side, Wyatt. I can’t stay there, with him, after what he said to me. If you hadn’t have punched him, I would have.”

He smirks at her. “Good job I got in there first then, isn’t it?”

Lucy steps forward and rests her hands on his chest, smiling up at him. “My hero.”

“Come on.” He nods his head back at the car, as he brings his hands up to squeeze at her waist. “Let’s get you some ice on that ankle.”

She brings his bruising hand, up to her mouth, pressing a soft kiss to the split knuckles. “And on this hand of yours.”

Wyatt lives further away from her than she thought. The same distance as her from Mason industries, she would guess, but in the opposite direction. Knowing this, has her wondering why he would offer her a lift home if he’s going so far out of his way.

“It’s not much, just the bare bones while I’m actually here and not shipped off somewhere.” He brings his hand up to scratch behind his ear in embarrassment, as they ascend the stairs to his floor.

He’d offered to carry her up the stairs, when they arrived and found the elevator out of order. She swatted his shoulder and told him not to be so ridiculous, that her ankle may be sprained but she’s still perfectly capable of making her way up a few flights of stairs.

She shrugs. He could live in an abandoned warehouse, and it would still be more welcoming than the house she has called home for so long. She tells him as much and he just laughs lightly and slightly awkwardly, clearly unsure how to respond.

Unlocking the door, he steps inside and toes his shoes off, shuffling them to the side and lining them up against the wall, next to where a few other pairs already sit. Lucy follows his lead and puts her sneakers down beside his boots - she never bothered to slip them on on the ride over here. She takes a moment to take in the domesticity of it all. Her shoes lined up beside his, her bag now hanging on a hook amongst his coats. She wants this. She sighs and follows him through to the kitchen.

“No veg, but I do have a little ice.” He pulls a tray out of the freezer and shows her the three blocks. “Not enough for both of us though.”

She turns and starts hunting for a clean tea towel to wrap the ice in. Wyatt watches her open a few cupboards and draws for a moment, before he squeezes past her and opens the only draw she hadn’t and pulls one out.

“Here.” He holds the ice out to her, but she refuses to take it.

“No.” She shakes her head, no. “I had the veg back at my place, before we were rudely interrupted. You take the ice for your hand.”

She can see he wants to argue, so she pulls out her best ‘I’m the professor, so what I say goes’ look - one she normally reserves for the more stubborn students in her classes, but one she can see herself using often on him the future. He sighs at the look, pressing the ice to his bruised hand with a wince.

“You want a drink?” He offers.

She gives him a doubtful look. “I suppose alcohol is still off the table?”

“What do you think?” He says, as he grabs two bottles of water from the fridge.

Wyatt drops his empty hand to rest on the small of her back as he leads her through to the living room. They drop onto the couch together, Lucy wincing as the movement jostles her ankle. She really has to stop doing that.

“Okay, no more moving for you tonight.” He raises his eyebrows at her, when he sees her go to protest. “Christopher will have my head if I bring you in tomorrow in a worse state than the one you left in. Rufus probably would too.”

“Guess I’m spending the night on the sofa then.” She settles further into the cushions. Not the most comfortable place she’s ever spent the night, but it’ll have to do if he won’t let her move. At least it’ll be more comfortable than two fully grown adults sharing a single bed. Not that she’s complaining about being pressed so close to Wyatt in nothing but her underwear.

“Some host you are.” She teases.

They sit in companionable silence for some time, their bottles of water sit untouched on the coffee table. They should probably talk about…. Everything, before the phone rings and they’re back in that giant metal eyeball once more. Lucy hates that thing. A glance to the figure slouched beside her, has her admitting that she doesn’t hate it as much as she claims to. She wouldn’t have met Wyatt, if it wasn’t for Connor Mason inventing the damn thing.

Wyatt reaches out and grabs her hand, intertwining their fingers without a word. He rolls his head to the side, a soft smile playing on his lips.

She meets his gaze and matches his smile. “Hi.”

“Hi.” He whispers in return.

“We should…” Lucy tightens her grip on his hand, anchoring him to her. He’s not going anywhere. Physically or emotionally.

“Talk.” He nods. “Yeah.” He sighs. “When I lost Jess, I lost myself. The only time I was sober, was when I was on a mission. Losing her destroyed me, and if I’m being honest, I can’t say I’m completely over it.”

Here it comes. He’s going to tell her that kissing her - both times - was a huge mistake, and should never happen again. It’ll hurt to hear, but it’s not a surprise. She went into this with her eyes wide open. He told her about Jess during their first mission. She could see in his actions and hear in his tone as he spoke about her, how much he loved her - still does love her. She braces herself for the blow. Only the blow doesn’t come. He tells her that while he’s not over the death of his wife - not yet, but hopefully one day - and that while a part of him will always love her, he can’t grieve forever. “Maybe it’s time I stop looking at the past, start looking at the future. Maybe explore some of those possibilities you mentioned.”

She sits and stares at him for a moment, letting his words sink in. “Possibilities of what?”

“I think you know, babydoll.” He smirks.

“I think you should show me.” She returns his smirk. “Sweetheart.”

He surges forward and catches her lips with his, much like he did before. Only this time she doesn’t freeze. This time she is quick to wrap her arms around his neck and pull him closer, she’s quick to lay back on the sofa and pull him down with her. She slides her leg beneath him and lets him settle against her, the pressure of him against her, there, adding fuel to the already roaring fire. She’s lost in his kiss, his touch, his everything, when his bruised hand and split knuckles run across her cheek, his fingers burying themselves in her hair. She breaks away from him, panting deeply. His forehead comes down to rest against hers. He matches her breath for breath.

She hates to say this, while they’re in this position. She hates to be the one to dump the bucket of ice water over them this time. But there’s another elephant in the room that needs addressing before this can go any further. “Noah.”

The utterance of her Fiancé- ex-Fiancé’s name has him reeling back. “What?”

“Sorry.” She sighs. “I should probably have said something more than his name.”

Wyatt crawls back, lifting his weight off of her. Once he’s settled, he holds his hand out to help her up, and pulls her to settle against him. “Yeah, you should have, but we should talk about him and what happened tonight as well.”

Lucy starts by telling him about her past relationships. About the one guy in high school she dated for about a week, before she found out that he was sleeping with about half the school. About the drummer in her band that she had a casual thing with. About Jonas and how he used their relationship to direct her career down the path he wanted it go - she didn’t realise he was doing that at the time, but now she doesn’t know how she was so blind. Or how her mother let him get away with it. “When we got back from the Hindenburg and I found out I was engaged to some guy I didn’t even know, a part of me was relieved. There was this guy that loved me with everything he had, he knew everything about me - my messy past, my controlling mother, everything - but despite all he knew, he still wanted to marry me. He was the perfect guy, and though I didn’t return his feelings, I thought ‘why not give it a go?’. I tried to see in him what the other me saw in him, I tried to love him like he loved me. I thought it was working. I thought I was falling for him, hard.”

She feels Wyatt take a deep, steadying breath. She imagines hearing her talk about Noah in this way, isn’t the easiest for him - much like hearing him talk about his love for Jess, isn’t the easiest for her to hear - but this needs to be said. The air needs to be clear between them before they jump in. Together. She pulls away from his embrace, needing to make eye contact for what she’s about to say. “It wasn’t him I was falling for, though… It was you.”

Neither are ready to say those words yet, though the looks in their eyes - both pairs shining with unshed tears - paint a thousand words.

Wyatt falls back and lays against the arm of the sofa. His eyes dancing across every part of her, draw her in. She crawls towards him and settles between the back of the sofa and him, her head resting on his chest, her legs twining with his.

He wraps his arms around her, pressing a chaste kiss to her forehead. “I’ll never stop falling for you.”

Wyatt blinks his eyes open several hours later. The sky outside has turned dark, and the room cold. He brings his arm up to check his watch for the time: just after midnight. He should probably move them to his bedroom. He’s spent many nights sleeping on this sofa, and the pain he always wakes with the next morning, is not something he’d ever wish for Lucy to experience. She’s still curled into his side, still dead to the world, and hang on... Is that drool on his shirt? Oh, he’s so going to tease her about that in the morning.

“Luce.” He whispers, as he runs his fingers through her hair. She shows no sign of beginning to stir, so he runs a finger down the bridge of her nose and then back and forth across her cheek. He tries calling her name again, a little louder this time. “Lucy.”

She groans and settles further into him. He laughs softly and makes a mental note: Lucy Preston is not a morning person. “Come on, sleepy head. Let’s get you to bed.”

Wyatt slides off the sofa, shaking his head at her when he turns and finds her settling back into the sofa cushions. She doesn’t protest when he moves to pick her up this time.

He deposits her on the bed with a “Don’t go crawling under those sheets. You need to take your pills and I have some clothes for you to change into.”

She mumbles something under her breath. He doesn’t hear what, but the glare she cracks her eyes open to send him, tells him he probably doesn’t want to know. He’s never laughed so much in his life, but he finds himself doing so once more. She’s cute when she’s sleepy and slightly annoyed. He pulls out a clean t-shirt and a clean pair of boxers for her to change into. He presses a soft kiss to her lips, as he presses the clothes into her hands and points her to the bathroom. “I’ll grab you some water for those pills.”

“So bossy.” She mumbles, when she stands and leaves the room. He hears her this time.

He’s tucked under the covers, looking at his phone when she returns. Her eyes are only half open and he’s not quite sure how she’s not fallen over something or bumped into something in this state. Maybe being exhausted makes her more co-ordinated? If so, he should see about making her exhausted for their missions through time. It’d make looking out for her a little easier on him, if he doesn’t have to worry about her tripping over thin air.

Lucy shuffles over to the bed, climbing in beside him. She goes to burrow down in the covers when he stops her with one word. “Pills.”

She turns and looks at him, pausing for a moment. “I thought I was the bossy know-it-all?”

“I’m just trying to look after you.” He says, pressing a chaste kiss to her forehead.

Lucy is wide awake when he wakes the next morning. He blinks his eyes open to see her sat up in the bed, staring at the wall in front of her. It doesn’t immediately register what she’s looking at, not until he glances up himself and sees Jessica’s picture staring back at him. He sits up and tucks himself behind her, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. “I really wish you hadn’t seen that.”

She turns and frowns at him. “Why not?”

He doesn’t have a straight answer for her. Jess was a huge part of his life and the reason he is who he is today. He knows Lucy understands that. But it just feels... wrong for her to see it.

“You know you can talk to me about her, right?” She offers. “Anytime. About anything.”

He remains silent, staring.

“Wyatt?” She prompts.

He nods slowly, the movement causing his head to brush the side of hers. “Yeah. I know.”

Moments later, Lucy finds herself turning in his embrace and offering to help him find out who killed her. She doesn’t quite know what prompted her to do it. She doesn’t quite know how much help she can really be to him and the case. She’s no detective. But she is a historian, and this happened in the past. It’s really her area of expertise… right? Is there really a difference between looking into the events of 100 years ago, and the events of 5 years ago?

“You’re amazing.” He whispers against her skin.

Neither are sure how much time has passed. Neither care. With no phone calls from Agent Christopher or Mason Industries, it’s not like they have anywhere else to be. They had sat for a few minutes, staring at the articles, and maps, and pictures littering the wall opposite his bed, before he laid back and pulled her down with him.

They’re exchanging lazy kisses, when the ringing of Lucy’s phone drifts through from the living room. They groan collectively. So much for a lazy day in bed. Would it kill Flynn to give them a day or two? Just once.

Only when Lucy answers the call, Agent Christopher isn’t informing her that the mothership has jumped. She’s asking her to dinner tonight. It’s an odd request. One she’s not sure she should accept. The last time her boss had asked her to dinner, he’d broken up with her. But she wasn’t dating Agent Christopher. She asks the homeland security agent to hang on just one second while she checks her diary, buying her the  time to ask Wyatt what the hell she should do. He places his hands on her shoulders, and tells her to take a deep breath, to calm down. It’s just dinner. She repeats the 3 words to herself, as she brings the phone back up to her ear and says “I’d love to!” in an overly cheery tone.

She’s no calmer when she hangs up the phone, turning to Wyatt with wide eyes. “Why do I get the feeling I’m about to be fired?”

Wyatt scoffs and pulls her into his embrace. “You’re not about to be fired.”

“But what if I am.” She pulls back in a panic. “I can’t turn away from this now. I can’t let Flynn decimate history.”

“Then we steal the lifeboat and we finish it ourselves.” He shrugs, as if they could steal the lifeboat, as easy as she could steal a kiss from him. He’d certainly make it look easy.

They stand wrapped around each other, before she mumbles. “I should go home.” into his chest.

“You should stay here.” He replies, tightening his hold on her. After the way Noah and her mother treated her last night, he’d rather she not go anywhere near that house. But he knows thats not an option. He sighs, nodding slowly. “You want me to come with you?”

Lucy shakes her head, no, and reluctantly pulls away from him. Facing her mother, and possibly Noah, is something she needs to do by herself. Besides, she can’t spend the rest of her life cowering behind Wyatt. No matter how much he’d love that.

[looselucy]

February

The evening before, I had lay awake for quite a while just waiting for Harry to say something else, but he didn’t. He zonked out pretty quickly after that, nothing else to say. Myself and Harry weren’t close, not even nearly close, so I didn’t feel like I could ask him any more about it. He had only told me as a way of explaining himself, and what had happened between us that night when I unleashed my anger against his door. It was nothing more than that.

But for some reason, I just wanted to ask him everything. Maybe to feel a little closer to him, maybe because I had this overwhelming feeling that he needed to talk about it. Like it wasn’t something he had spoken about in great detail before. It was the morning after, and I lay on my side just staring at him, seeing how peaceful and young he looked whilst he slept. His hair, which was usually pushed back, had fallen limp over his forehead, his hands lay on top of the butterfly on his revealed torso, facing towards the roof. I had suddenly found myself asking questions about him, when only a few days previous I wouldn’t have cared if I never saw him again. By that point, I just wanted to leap into his mind and soak up everything he had in there. I took a deep breath in and turned to lie on my back for a second, bored of waiting for the slumbering boy to awaken, and intrigued by the clattering and faint voices coming from downstairs. I steadily, and quietly, clambered out of bed, stepping gently over Harry’s body and getting out of his room, feeling relatively tender thanks to drinks we had the night before, but I knew there wasn’t a chance of me throwing up, and that was good. I quietly made my way downstairs and began approaching the kitchen, Kev spotting me almost immediately. “Morning.” He smiled as I neared them. “Good morning.” My voice was a little broken. “Good sleep?” He asked. “Very! Harry was kind enough to offer his bed up for the night.” “We’ve taught him well, Ben!” Kev smirked proudly. Even though myself and Harry had only just started getting on, I couldn’t help but agree. Harry drove me mad, even still, and I managed to see his flaws in the early days more than I saw anything else, but they were right. They had taught him well, he was a decent lad. He might have been annoying sometimes, but I felt like he had his morals pretty much sorted. I stood awkwardly in the doorway, and I could see how much Ben despised it. “Come in!” He cried. “We’ve made enough breakfast. Would you like some? It’s bacon!” “No, thank you.” “Oh god. Are you a vegetarian? Have I completely offended you? Oh my bloody god, I’m sorry. I’ll throw it away. I’ll throw it all away right now!” He rushed in a panic. “NO! No no no, I’m not a vegetarian. I just have a very delicate stomach the morning after drinking so... I’m fine. Honestly. Not a vegetarian!” I chuckled. The look of relief that washed over his face was like I had just told something a lot more dramatic than just the fact that I wasn’t a vegetarian. Kev was fondly shaking his head at him as he moved and sat off the breakfast bar. “Well, would you like to join us anyway?” He offered. “Sure.” I sighed, finally slumping inside. The two men sat together with beautiful looking bacon and egg butties, and I sat on one of the chairs to the right of them, wanting to ease a little, which was helpful thanks to how nice they were, but I was still feeling a little on edge. They could tell, and they were willing to make an effort for me to feel at home, since technically it was my home for a week. “So, how did you get on with Niall?” Kev asked. “Really well. He’s lovely.” “Isn’t he? He’s been Harry’s best friend since they were six!” Ben chirped. “Tell us about Zayn!” Kev asked then. “Zayn is the absolute best. Honestly, you guys would love him! He’s so open and beautiful and just... Urgh. He’s great. Him and Harry have gotten pretty close.” “Yeah, he speaks very highly of him. Just don’t understand why we haven’t heard anything about you?” “Are you sure Harry didn’t mention an annoying girl who lives in the room next to his?” Both their faces dropped, which made me laugh lightly. “Yeah. That’s me!” They both swallowed hard, unsure what to say. It was more than expected though. When I had gone home over the Christmas break, Harry was a topic of conversation. Of course living with someone you couldn’t stand would be something you would mention to your parents. Obviously they knew about me. “What changed?” Kev quizzed. “I don’t know, really. He offered me somewhere to stay, and here we are.” “Wait, you didn’t get on at all before you came here?” “Not really, no.” “And he still offered you a place to stay?” “Yeah.” “Bloody hell, Ben, we have done well with him.” They were so proud of him, and with good reason. I only just realised then, how stupidly decent it was, Harry offering me a place. He could have easily left me in the kitchen at uni, sulking to myself, but he refused. No matter how much he despised me, he wouldn’t let that happen. “To be honest,” Ben shrugged, still tucking into his food. “He doesn’t really speak very highly about any of the girls in his flat. Just Zayn and Mike.” It wasn’t too shocking that he didn’t speak highly of Ringo, he didn’t know the girl, none of us did, really. But I was surprised he didn’t really have anything nice to say about Tally, not that Harry was going to tell them the real reason he and Tally weren’t close. I tried to contain a smile. “He’s such a lads lad.” Kev rolled his eyes. “Wouldn’t change him for the world.” Ben added. I was near bloody desperate, to the point where my palms were sweating. I was too scared of it being rude, to ask them when they had taken Harry in, how long they had been able to call him a son, how it had all come to happen. I hadn’t even been there 24 hours, I couldn’t possibly, no matter how much I wanted to. I physically and mentally bit my tongue, happy with the blatant knowledge of how much they loved their son and knowing I would have to cope with just that information. It was enough. “So, after evening number one, how’s it going with Harry?” Kev asked. “Better than I was expecting, really. Yeah, it’s going well.” I smiled to the floor. “What’s the plan for evening number two?” “I’m not sure, I’ll let Harry decide. I’m guessing he knows the area a little more than I do. Well, I’m hoping so. Are you two working today?” “We work from home.” Ben sat up proudly after finishing his drink. “We run a business together.” They were living the damn dream. I eyed the house up again, it was gorgeous, they were clearly doing very well for themselves, and they were clearly so happy. I doubted myself, for the way I had figured my parents were happy too, but as far as the eye could see, they were very happy. The way Harry spoke seemed to enforce the same thing. Not only that, but they ran a successful business, together. “You two are on another level of brilliant.” I huffed a small laugh. “Do you mind me asking what you do?” “We run a printing business, get a lot of work from photographers. We also print artwork on postcards and stuff like that.” Kev shrugged. “I’m literally in love with both of you.” The two men laughed appreciatively before looking straight over my head, which proved to me Harry had finally woke from his slumber. I turned around and smiled at him as he dragged his feet and collapsed in the chair beside me, groaning and flopping his head onto the surface of the counter, groaning for attention. “Rough?” I grinned. “You have no idea.” His voice bounced off the granite. It was like we had swapped roles; it was usually me who could barely function when I had been drinking the night before, and Harry was usually okay, but this time he was weak and looked like he was close to death. I figured he would have never opened up to me without being as intoxicated as he was. He was paying for it now. “There’s some spare bacon in the frying pan.” Ben told him. “I can’t move.” He grumbled. “You lazy arse.” But Ben was straight on his feet, going to prepare the food for his child. I knew why he was like that, it was a treat now, Harry being home, and I think he kind of wanted to wait on him hand and foot, to look after him like he was a child again. “Thanks, dad.” He groaned. “You should show Pippa around town today.” Kev instructed. “I don’t even want to move today.” Harry replied. “To be honest, I’m happy with that.” I agreed. “Do you want an egg, Harry?” Ben asked. “No thanks, just bacon and bread and ketchup. Please. Thank you.” Kev began cleaning up the plates he and Ben had used and talking about the work they were due to do that day, so I turned my head to face Harry, which he sensed, and turned back to face me, his cheek squished against the breakfast-bar. I giggled. “You look worse than me!” “Trips to the pub are actually more lethal than big nights out. I’m telling ya.” “What’s our plan?” “To crash and watch films. Possibly pig out. Possibly die.” He shrugged. I wanted to ask him if he was okay, if he was comfortable with what he had told me before we went to sleep, if he wanted to speak about it more or make sure it was never mentioned again. Thanks to the fact we weren’t close, I had no clue what Harry would want. If it was Zayn, I would know he wouldn’t really want to talk to deeply about it, he wouldn’t want to talk about it too much, he’d rather brush over it. With Tally, she would need to spill the whole thing, it would eat her up otherwise. With Harry, I had no clue. So I just had to leave him to it. If he wanted to talk, he would. If he didn’t he wouldn’t. Ben came and dropped off Harry’s food, getting a quick thankyou from the rough lad as he sat upright again, looked at his food with a little trepidation before shakily picking it up and tucking in. “We’re off to meet with a local artist about getting some work printed, we’ll probably be out most of the day, so settle in.” Kev smiled. “Thanks, will do.” I smiled back. “Be an entertaining host, Harry!” Harry mumbled something completely incoherent as a reply as they bid their farewells again, leaving me and Harry in silence once they had gone. We were back in a rut again. It was like I had absolutely nothing to say to him. He sat tucking into his food as I remained in an uncomfortable silence next to him. I felt like the fact he had opened about his mother didn’t make it any easier. I felt like he regretted it. “You okay?” I asked him with a serious tone. “Fine.” He replied, just as glum. I knew he knew what I was talking about, and the fact that he had replied so bluntly just told me he didn’t want to talk about it. So I knew to lay off. “Feeling any better?” I asked after his final bite. “No.” “Shall I put the kettle on?” “No, I’ll do that, don’t worry about it.” He rose to his feet. “No!” I leapt up quickly. “You’re rough and you’re putting me up for the week. Will you just let me make you a brew? Please?” He didn’t want to say yes, but I stormed over before he could say no again and got to work, hearing him huff and groan behind me.I was getting the vibes that he didn’t want me there, like he just wanted to wallow on his own and I was interrupting that. It was different now his parents had gone. He regretted saying what he had last night. Once again, I felt like crying, classic me, and it was almost like Harry could sense it, so he sparked up a conversation, thankfully. “Uni didn’t get in touch with me.” “Oh. No?” I stared down to the boiling kettle. “So, I feel like I should just get on with my next assignment, y’know? I think they’re sticking by their guns so... it’s just better to get on with it.” “Okay. What is it?” “The galaxy.” “That’s a little… intense.” “I know, right? But there’s this big field not far from here, and I was thinking tonight we could get some sleeping bags and a little fire going, and some camp-chairs, and go sit out til late. Get some pictures of the sky. It’s not ideal, it’s not what I want to do really but it’s the only thing I’ve got right now. It could be a fun night, too. So, I dunno. Sound good?” + + + On any other occasion, if I had found myself marching through the middle of an empty field when it was almost midnight, I would have had a definite feeling in the back of my head and in the pit of my stomach, that there was a slight chance I would get murdered. But that place was different, for some bizarre reason. I was completely comfortable, completely at ease. I can’t even explain why. We had marched through the field as quickly as we could. I was drowning in a giant coat Harry had given me for the occasion, but at least I was warm and cosy. On the walk over, I had fallen in a dip in the ground, which had caused Harry to fall over after me because he was laughing that much, clutching at his stomach and rolling around in the mud. But once we’d set up our makeshift camp, we were relatively settled once more. Around an hour into Harry trying to set a fire off, and he was finally successful. “WHEEEEY!” I cheered, relaxing into the chair with my feet up on a camp-stool. “Congratulations.” ”Thank you, thank you.” He bowed twice before flopping into his chair. “Also, I forgot to mention...” He twisted his back to route through his bag which was just behind him, scrambling through a few things for a second before he whipped round, with a giant bag of marshmallows in hand. “NO WAY!” I beamed, grabbing them off him. “Harry you’re a genius!” “I know.” “Now or later?” “Later.” He enforced. “Now?” I smiled cheekily. “Later!” He grabbed them off me pretty quickly and shoved them back into the bag, shaking his head at me with a very petite smile on his face. Things had progressed well throughout the day. We had gone shopping for a few vital things, and picked out the perfect camera from Harry’s collection, which was insane. I had eyed up the collection with literal hearts in my eyes, jealously aching in my chest, but not enough to make me bitter. “You gunna take some photos tonight?” Harry asked. “No.” I shot. “Why? You really should, Pip-Squeak.” “I don’t think so.” I could feel his eyes on me, but I just stared up to the sky like I had no clue. The time still wasn’t ideal for what Harry needed, unfortunately. We had been researching and checking up on the weather all day, and apparently it would be just before 1am when the clouds cleared up, and the moon and the stars could be seen perfectly. Harry grabbed his camera from his bag and began setting it all up, 25 second exposure, fisheye-lens, the lot, wanting to capture the trees around us as well as the stars that were bound to make an appearance at some point. “Why did you stop?” He asked, not looking at me now, eyes on his device. “Stop what?” “Taking pictures.” “I didn’t!” I protested. “Seems to me like you have.” I found it hard to talk about, and he was forcing the conversation down my throat. It was something I hadn’t done with Harry, and granted, the conversation of his mother, and me not really taking pictures anymore, could barely be compared, but I felt like with Harry, it wouldn’t have mattered either way. I really didn’t want to talk about it, and he wasn’t picking up any of the hints I was dropping for him. I was suddenly reminded of reasons we didn’t get on. I didn’t say anything to him, I knew it would only be so long before he spoke again. “Is it because your mum and dad wouldn’t let you do it at uni?” He had hit the nail on the head, and he knew he had. He didn’t even really need to ask that question. I think everyone knew, I just didn’t like talking about it. “I guess so.” I shrugged it off. “I hate that. It’s so... out of character for you. I hate it.” “I don’t get what you mean.” “You’re stubborn as hell.” He started. “HEY!” “Well you are, Pip-Squeak! I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, it’s just what you’re like. I just... I dunno... It seems like you’re stubborn with everyone apart from your parents. The Pippa I know wouldn’t not do something just because someone didn’t like it, or told her not to-” “It’s different with uni! They’re paying for me to live there and-” “But you’ve given up taking pictures full stop! That’s not you! I just feel like you’ve got a lot of pent up stubbornness that you could never take out on your parents so it goes on everyone else.” Harry was telling me things about myself that I knew were right, but I hated to admit, hated to give him the satisfaction and hated to see those flaws in myself. Being the youngest child, in a way, I had always let my parents walk all over me, but I never let anyone else because I had this massive wall in front of me, one I had built and layered brick by brick for years. Harry wasn’t tearing the wall down, he was simply sitting at the top, swinging his legs and whistling, seeing me how I was. I hated it. I hated him being right. “Fine, I’ll take a fucking picture!” I snatched the camera from his hand and watched the grin grow on his face before I began twiddling about with it, fixing the mistakes I thought he had made and setting up the camera perfectly, hoping to take the best picture of the night just to get back at him. But he seemed overly happy, he was still grinning. “What?” I scalded. “Nothing.” His lips remained curved. “WHAT?” I was beyond wound up by that stage. “It’s just... My plan worked. Like I knew it would.” He had brought up that part of me for one reason and one reason alone. So I would be stubborn, bite back, and take a damn picture. The whole thing made him smug, the fact he was so right about me, the fact that he had got exactly what he wanted and it was him who had finally got me with a real camera in my hands again. He loved everything about what had just happened. “Fuck you!” I said, with a slight inkling of a smile. “You’re too stubborn to let me be right.” I grabbed at the empty can of coke I had and threw it straight at his head. He dodged it, laughing away to himself, his shoulders bobbing up and down, idiotically proud of himself. God, he wound me up, but I couldn’t help but smile. When his laughter died, he looked back up to the sky, waiting for it to clear, waiting for the ideal time to get his snaps. I pounced, without even meaning to. “Do you remember what you told me last night?” He whipped his head to me so fast it was like the sky had never been in his vision. He wasn’t expecting me to bring it up, nor was I in all honesty, but with how rough he had seemed all day, the thought of him not even remembering saying what he had ached me. I couldn’t think of anything worse than having to pretend I didn’t have a clue, that would be too uncomfortable, too unnatural. “About what?” He asked. Shit. He doesn’t remember. I hadn’t wanted him to just open up to me because he was drunk, I had wanted him to open up because he wanted to, because he felt comfortable enough to do so. “About... your mum.” “Oh. Right. That.” He looked away again. “So you do remember?” “Yeah.” That felt like a relief, that he knew I knew and he was okay with it. I swallowed hard, my throat feeling tight and sore, hunching my coat on a little tighter even though it was getting warmer by the second, thanks to the small fire growing a little more dense. “Do you wanna talk about it?” I asked. “Dunno. Not really.” “Do you ever talk about it?” “No.” “Then maybe you should.” I tried. “But why would I do that with you?” I could tell he regretted saying that the very second it slipped from his mouth, and even though I knew we weren’t close, that comment had hit me right in the gut. My bottom lip quivered, and I blamed it on the cold weather, grabbing the sleeping bag from over my feet and spreading it across my body, hearing Harry quietly curse to himself, then seeing him running his hand hard over his eyes. I wanted to brush past it, but I couldn’t. I wanted to say something else and just forget I had ever said anything, but I couldn’t physically speak, my throat was so tight. After seeing how good me and Harry could be, I hated falling back into our old patterns. Around ten minutes later, he spoke. “It was just me and my mum, when I was young.” My throat grew even tighter somehow, as I turned to look at him, and he continued. “She umm... I don’t know. She was relatively normal, to look at. She didn’t do drugs, she wasn’t unwell or poor or anything. She looked like... your average mother. I think she just... she hated me. I can’t even tell you why. I don’t know why. But she did. I used to... push up the drawers in my bedroom. Fuck. That would take all my strength. I was so… so young, but… I used to push them up against the door so she couldn’t get to me. But... she usually did. She’d use every ounce of herself to kick that door in and get to me. She eventually got rid of the drawers in my room, so she could always get to me. Then the bruises started getting worse and... I was six so... it was harder for her to blame the bruises on me just being a clumsy kid. Eventually, I was taken away from her. Thankfully.” I had started crying at some point during the story, I’m not sure when, but tears were softly making their way down my face. They were subtle, silent, but real and painful. By that point, it felt like I was swallowing razors. “Then what happened?” I whispered. “I was in a home for about a year... Then just before I turned eight Kev and Ben adopted me. We celebrated ten years in March last year.” Harry was so composed, not even close to breaking down, not even close to even letting one tear fall. He was totally calm. It seemed that talking about it was more of a relief that something strenuous or upsetting. “That must have been nice.” I gulped, it being more obvious I was crying now. “Yeah. I couldn’t have asked for two better parents. They’ve made up for everything that went on with that woman. She spent a while in prison but she’s out now. I had to get a restraining order because she kept trying to see me. That was when I was umm... twelve.” “She only got six years?” I cried. “Less than that. Including the trial and her getting out. It was more around five years.” “That’s sickening!” “I know.” He sighed. “But I guess that’s it. Like I said, not much to say. I don’t really remember her much. It doesn’t really upset me, just makes me really grateful that I am where I am, that I have the family I do. I just don’t like talking about her. She’s not worth the breath.” He spat those final few words with venom, and I knew nothing else needed to be said about her, nothing else was worth saying about the woman. We were done for the evening. I was just glad he had opened up. I knew it had helped him, even if he hadn’t quite realised that, I definitely had. To not talk about something so huge, something that had played and continued to play such a huge part in his life, his character, his beliefs, it can’t have been nice. I hoped he didn’t feel like it was a conversation I had forced on him. I hoped he felt good about it. After a couple of minutes silence, staring up to the clouds which still didn’t seem to be parting, he went back into his bag and grabbed the marshmallows, throwing them my way. “Thanks.” I chuckled as I caught them. “I think… uh…. I think I forgot the sticks.” “Well, I imagine there are sticks round here somewhere.” “We’re quite a while away from the trees now!” He sulked. I got up to my feet and began hunting for some sticks, which, like I expected, were littered around the field quite a lot, however, finding a clean enough stick to put food on was a different question. I must have searched for a good five minutes, there was quite a distance between our little spot and where I was before Harry eventually piped up. “OH FUCK PIP-SQUEAK, I DIDN’T FORGET THE MARSHMALLOW STICKS!” “WHAT?” “I BROUGHT ACTUAL METAL STICK THINGS FOR THE MARSHMALLOWS!” “I CAN’T HEAR YOU!” “JUST COME BACK FOR FUCK SAKE, WE’RE INTERRUPTING THE WILDLIFE!” I still hadn’t heard too clearly, but I scurried back once nothing had been said for a while, spotting the metal slim spears in his hands and cursing him automatically. “Are you kidding?” I groaned. “That’s the last time I ever do anything for you, Harold.” “You never do anything for me anyway, so it’s good.” We set up our treats and I hovered mine over the heat for a matter of seconds before I shovelled it into my mouth, whereas Harry practically waited til the thing was black before he ate it. We continued that way for a while, both of us occasionally glancing up to the skies, only to look back down once we noticed that, if anything, it was even cloudier than it had been before. I began thinking that the evening had been a complete fail, until I took in the fact that we hadn’t even taken a single picture, but I had enjoyed myself. I was glad I was there, and I was glad the camera was sitting on my lap, just waiting to be used. “So, how you feeling about the whole Louis thing?” Harry asked as he finished his final marshmallow. “Dunno.” I shrugged. “Haven’t given it too much thought.” “Bullshit.” He snorted. “What?” “C’mon, Pip-Squeak, I just opened up to you about my fucking mum! Talk to me.” “Um... I dunno. I feel like... I dunno.” He stared at me with the blankest expression I had ever seen, his body slumped and his legs extended and stupidly long in front of him. I was happy the firelight gave a glow to his face, it meant I could see his hilarious features as he held my eyes. “Thanks for clearing that up.” He mumbled low, sarcastic. “Shut up!” I giggled. “I guess it’s been a bit of a knock to my confidence.” “What? I know he was a prick, but it should have had the opposite effect! He fucked a relationship up for you.” “But he didn’t want to! I was a dirty little secret, something on the side, not quite good enough. Just made me feel awful.” “You should never let Louis Tomlinson, or any fucker, lower your confidence, Pip-Squeak. Fuck anyone who makes you feel like you’re worth less than you are.” I felt like I should have been able to turn around and say that he had made me feel like that before, but even throughout the countless time Harry had wound me up, pissed me off, made me want to throttle him, not once had he made me feel truly badly about myself. Not once had he affected the way I viewed myself. I couldn’t help but question why I had ever hated him as much as I had. “Oh shit! Harry!” We both leaped to our feet with our heads facing up, and in no time whatsoever, the sky had completely cleared, and stars were beautifully on show for us, darted across the sky like they were all purposefully placed in the ideal spots, so beautifully distanced and bright, so artfully gathered together. It was perfect. I held the camera out to Harry with my eyes still up the sky, where they remained until it became heavy in my hand, because he still hadn’t taken it from my grasp. I moved my vision, and he was staring right at me, the smallest smile on his lips, his eyes small, concentrating on me. “I want you to take the first picture.” He said firmly It was like my stomach flipped, and I’m not sure if it was because of how serious and deep his voice was, or the thought of finally taking a proper picture again, something that would mean more to me that my Instagram posts. I took a deep breath in, and pointed the lens.

[humans-are-seriously-weird]

Newcomers Pt2

Admiral Polts Personal journal.

It’s been about a week since the humans arrived and they now make up one third of our cerw, they have settled in well, almost too well as they have made this fleet and it’s ships their own. I have been doing research on them and although the reports are conflicting and sketchy they do all say that humans will change their environment to make it more suitable to them. Which is why the unused cargo hold is now something called a “puppy pen” and they are holding nightly events where they gather and play games about exploring a dungeon. They are also oddly easy to get along with, they take almost no offence when insults are thrown at them and if anything speak worse to one another. Their commander Captain Clerk assures me this is all natural that humans bring their home with them but will try to keep from taking over too much of the fleet.

So far the only race that has any problem with them are the Benemar, but the Humans have not risen to any challenge by them, not sure how long that will last.

On a side note I have orderd the fleet not to eat or drink the humans food, it.s just plain poisonous and how they manage to digest it is beyond me!!.

A number of humans were in the canteen eating a delicacy called “curry” a number of the other alien crew had tried some and apparently the sauce did not agree with them. It burned through one of their stomachs, luckily he survived. The third day of the human week was considered curry day and was sacred to them, along with “tacos” on the second day. Their meal was interrupted by sergeant Cathy calling for everyone’s attention.

“Excuse me everyone” the talking stopped and they looked over at her, she was clearly distressed.

“Has anyone seen Troy?”

“Your beagle?” asked another Human.

“Yeah, he isn’t in the puppy pen”

“Maybe someone took him for a walk?”

“I thought of that but he hasn’t been signed out”

All the Humans looked at each other and a silent agreement passed between them all as they all put down their food and left the canteen to go find Troy leaving a number of the non human crew alone.

“What’s a beagle?” Kio asked his mate.

After only one hour every Human on the ship was looking for him, they checked every vent, every cannon and every inch of the ship and were soon resorting to handing out picture of Troy asking if anyone had seen him. To the non Humans this behaviour was odd, this animal was not part of the crew or their squad yet every one of the Humans was distressed about it being missing.

Cathy found a number Benemar wrestling in the gym and approached them.

“Excuse me”

“Huh? A Human, what are you doing here?”

“I’m looking for my dog Troy, here’s a picture of him please let me know if you see him”

The Benemar clan leader took the picture and a smile crawled across his face, he handed it to the others who all mimicked his expression.

“We have seen this thing little Human”

“You have!!! Where?” she asked eagerly.

“Well you might have trouble finding him now” he laughed

“What?”

“We wanted to try Human food, this animal barley had any meat on him I don’t know why you keep them”

Cathy looked up at them her face blank, no emotion and her voice flat.

“You…ate him?”

“Yeah, I mean this creature makes a pitiful meal and cried the moment we picked it up, stupid animal”

“You…ate Troy?”

“You deaf yes, if you are looking for us to be sorry for eating your food, tough we are Benemar and our laws say only the strong eat”

“You…you….”

Cathy was shaking and her hands curling into fists, her face went from calm to rage in a single terrifying moment. “YOU ATE MY DOG!!!”

She lunged at him and proceeded to tear him apart.

Admiral Polt and Capitan Clerk sat opposite each other in Polt’s office, the silence between them was vast as Clerk had said something that Polt did not expect.

“Can you say that again please for the record” Polt asked.

“I believe Cathy’s reaction was justified” Clerk said with no uncertainty in his voice.

“She killed the Benemar clan leader, his chief is demanding justice”

“If he wants to try and get it he is free to, but in my eyes and my superiors she has done no wrong as under our law dogs are given the same basic rights as us”

“But it’s just as dog?”

“IT’S NOT JUST A—-” Clerk said slamming his hand down on the table but quickly calmed himself “It’s not just a dog, it is “A” dog”

Polt nearly fled the room when Clerk slammed his hand, after seeing what remained of the Benemar he had no desire to anger another Human.

“I loved that dog, we all did and love all the dogs we brought with us, for someone to…eat one is…”

“It’s okay I understand, I shall speak the chief”

“Thankyou” Clerk said leaving and Polt called the chief to his office.

“What do yo mean you are taking no action?” the chief screamed.

“By their laws sergeant Cathy has done no wrong and was well within her rights”

“She killed one of my clan leaders!”

“Rather impressive for a Human half his size don’t you think? You saw the body, do you really want to take this further? If so I’m sure Captain Clerk would be happy for you to”

“What was it about that animal that they hold so dear?”

“I’m, glad you asked” Polt said pulling out a small folder “i have been reading up on Humans for a few weeks now and there is an interesting bit about dogs I believe will help put this in perspective. They have co-existed and co-evolved for over 30.000 years. The bond between a Human and a Dog is so strong that no words need pass between them for each to know what the other wants. They have fought battles together and have made homes together and Humans care for their dogs as if they were their own children and dogs protect and serve the humans as they are a loving parent. No other race in the galaxy has a companion quite like the Humans have dogs, to belittle or harm their companions in any way will bring their full wrath down upon you”

Polt closed the book and looked at the Benemar chief who had said nothing, he left without saying another word to quickly tell his own warriors to leave these dogs alone.

Polt breathed, another crisis averted and he could move onto more pressing matters, like this Sergeant Stabby that was visiting next month and has all the Humans excited, he worried as to why.

[arplis]

Arplis - News: Great seat, so-so service: A review of KLMs business class on the 787-9 from Amsterdam to Toronto

TPG Rating

80 100

Pros

Beautiful, comfortable seat and bed; ample options for inflight entertainment; greatly improved lounge at Amsterdam airport.

Cons

Slow, disjointed meal service.

16/20 Ground Experience

26/30 Cabin + Seat

12/15 Amenities + IFE

15/20 Food + Beverage

11/15 Service

Dutch flag carrier KLM is a major presence in the U.S. and Canada, with year-round flights to Amsterdam (AMS) from 14 cities. It sends across the Atlantic pretty much all of the airplane types in its long-haul fleet: the Airbus A330 and Boeing 747, 777 and 787. The last one is the only one offering business class with direct aisle access for all seats, while the other types feature configurations with seats in a 2-2-2 layout.

Its a much different story on the 787s, which began joining the fleet four years ago and sport a 1-2-1 configuration in business class, with seats laid out in a reverse-herringbone pattern. On paper, its a totally competitive offering across the Atlantic, at least in terms of seat.

KLM is also a member of SkyTeam, the alliance that includes Delta Air Lines, so flyers can earn and redeem Deltas SkyMiles on all flights, as well as Air France and KLMs own Flying Blue miles.

For more TPG news delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.

Weve reviewed KLMs business class before several times, including the classic upper-deck experience on the 747. Every time, we found it to be a good, but not great, way to fly at the front of the plane.

What would we find in 2019, which also happens to be the 100-year anniversary of KLM, the worlds oldest airline?

Booking

The Flying Blue program has become complicated lately, but youll be able to navigate it easily using our guides. You can also get Flying Blue miles by transferring points from Citi ThankYou Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.

When we found a great award fare from Amsterdam to Toronto (YYZ) for 45,375 Flying Blue miles plus $226.15 in taxes and fees, we went for it without hesitation. We value Flying Blue miles at 1.2 cents each, making this a transatlantic flight in business class for $750.65. You can pay a lot more in coach!

On the KLM app, I was able to select my seat in advance not my meals, unfortunately and I was off for one of the cheapest premium-class Atlantic crossings of my entire frequent-flyer career.

Ground Experience

TPG Rating

16/20

PH-BHP

Tail

1yr

Age

11%

Late

h 16m

Avg. Delay

17:45

Departure

7h 37m

Duration

Amsterdams Schiphol Airport is one of the easiest airports in Europe to navigate. Connections are a breeze compared to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) or London Heathrow (LHR), getting there from the city is easy with plenty of trains and the airport itself is well designed.

When I arrived at the departures hall at 2:40 p.m. for the 5:35 p.m. departure to Toronto, I found the check-in area and departure gate already displayed on the monitors.

Biz-class passengers and elite members of the SkyTeam alliance could check in using a separate gated area, indicated by the SkyPriority logo.

Within this area were both traditional, staffed desks and self-service kiosks, useful if you dont have baggage to check. KLMs institutional blue color, with accents of Dutch orange, appeared in tasteful touches.

Despite having already checked in on the app, I got a paper boarding pass from a desk employee you never know when you might need it. Then I used the priority access to security and the departure gates, clearly indicated within the gated area.

After a quick and painless security and passport check, I was out in the departures area, headed to a duty-free shop for the delicacies I always make sure to bring home from the Amsterdam airport stroopwafels, salty licorice, Gouda cheese and then to one of the KLM lounges.

Even without lounge access, I would have had plenty to see and quiet areas to sit in. Schiphol is a nice airport to be in if you dont have lounge access. Its also a quiet airport, with no announcements on loudspeakers.

TPG contributor Eric Rosen has reviewed in depth the renovated KLM Crown Lounge, one of the two at AMS (the other one is within the area restricted to flights within the European Unions passport-free zone.) Eric explains in detail what you can find there, but I can sum up my time in it with one word: Wow!

This was a far cry from the cavernous, rather boring space it used to be. It had been completely transformed into a large, world-class lounge.

Immediately upon entering, I could see things had changed from my previous visits.

As befits the name, it now had lounge chairs. And much, much better food options, including an la carte restaurant on the second floor, called Blue. (Too bad it was not free, unlike the food and drink in the lounge.)

I spent a delightful hour exploring, and liking, the buffet food and the decor. Another reason to pick a transfer at AMS over other European gateways.

Monitors in the lounge included a mention of how long it took to walk to a specific gate. Armed with that knowledge, I could maximize my time in the lounge and timed my arrival at the gate just four minutes before the start of boarding, long enough to admire the beautiful blue 787-9 that was to fly as KL695 to Toronto.

KLM names its 787s after flowers, and this one, a year-old Dreamliner, was called Tulip. How much more Dutch can you get?

Priority and general boarding lanes were clearly marked, and nobody was crowding the boarding area. At 4:50 p.m., boarding began right on time.

Cabin and Seat

TPG Rating

26/30

1-2-1

Configuration

81in

Bed Length

2

Lavs

KLMs 787-9 has 30 business-class seats, in a single cabin. The longer 787-10 has 38.

It was, even at first sight, a huge improvement over the 2-2-2 biz classes of previous KLM birds. The reverse-herringbone layout and that particular seat type have been around for years, but in KLMs incarnation, they exuded quiet elegance.

Of course, as is usual on this aircraft: No window shades! 787 windows are dimmed electronically, with the touch switch under them.

The inflight-entertainment screen swiveled out with a press of the blue button to the left.

Headrests were adjustable in height and angle, and had adjustable wings. The seatbelts had airbags, as happens more and more in premium seats.

In the lie-flat position, the 22-inch wide seat turned into an 81-inch bed. Though a mattress pad for sleeping was not available, the bed offered enough space in the footwell to move comfortably. The only thing I didnt like about it in bed mode was the clunky airbag belt, and the pillow could have been firmer, too.

When sleeping under a blanket or comforter, fasten your seat belt over it. That way, if theres turbulence and flight attendants come to check if youre buckled in, they can just take a look and not bother you and youll make their job easier, too.

The armrest on the aisle side could be lowered with the blue button. Flight attendants asked passengers to keep them in the lowered position for takeoff and landing.

It would not have been possible to store large electronics like laptops or tablets anywhere other than the overhead bins, but the closed storage cubby next to the IFE remote was ideal for wallets, phones and other small items. Headphones for the IFE were hanging in it from a hook.

I especially liked the clever mirror inside the door, in classy KLM blue.

An international power outlet and powered USB outlet were under the armrest by the window, with a sign indicating their location.

The tray table extended from the same armrest with the press of another blue button. It was a bit small, but still OK for a 15-inch laptop, and once extended it could slide forward, letting the seat occupant get up during meal service. This is a key element that not all airlines get right; for example, Virgins swanky new Upper Class forces you to stay seated when the table is out and a meal is on it.

The seat controls were intuitive, and I didnt see any other passenger have to ask a flight attendant for help figuring things out. From the top, the four buttons are: slide seat forward and back, bed mode, seat back up and overhead light.

Besides the overhead light, which could be controlled from the remote too, there was a reading light built into the seat. Two adjustable air-conditioning vents were above the seat, the latter a feature not found on all aircraft. (Some European airlines, like Lufthansa, are notorious for keeping cabins far warmer than what Americans are used to.)

The bathrooms were more or less normal, save for a KLM classic, the Delft-house decorations. Theyre found all over its branded materials, and even on the escalator to the Crown Lounge.

Amenities and IFE

TPG Rating

12/15

16in

Screen

250

Movies

200

TV Shows

No

Live TV

No

Tailcam

As customary, I found pillow and comforter already on the seat, and headphones in the mini storage locker. Amenity kits were distributed later.

The amenity kit by Dutch designer Jan Taminiau, featuring the colors of the Dutch flag, was distributed to each passenger just after flight attendants closed the overhead bins prior to pushing back from the gate. It had the basics for a long-haul flight: socks, toothpaste and toothbrush, eye mask and earplugs, moisturizer, lip balm and a pen useful for immigration forms.

More toiletries were found in the two bathrooms exclusive to business class, which were spotless throughout the seven-hour, 40-minute flight. Hair gel, body mist and hand-and-body lotion were a limited edition by Rituals for KLM. Besides the pillow and comforter, I didnt receive any other amenities like slippers or pajamas.

These KLM aircraft feature crisp, 16-inch screens, with about 250 movies to watch in at least 14 languages, and a gorgeous moving map: this was a good IFE, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

The Wi-Fi internet disconnected a few times, but was otherwise quite usable. I paid 18 euros ($20) for the whole flight, a much better deal than the other choice of 8 euros ($9) for one hour. (If you just wanted to send or receive text messages, that was free.) The Speedtest app kept timing out, but the internet was fast enough for videos, albeit with some buffering.

The headphones supplied by the airline were of the fairly rare three-prong kind, with OK not outstanding sound quality.

The beautiful 3D moving map could also be loaded on the smaller display in the remote, which retained full pinch-and-zoom functionality.

The cockpit-view function is increasingly popular in IFEs, and for aviation geeks its a delight every time. After our takeoff on schedule at 5:45 p.m., I followed on the screen our climb from sea level straight to our initial cruising altitude of 36,000 feet in 25 minutes which happened in near silence, despite my position just in front of the righthand engine.

The flight unfolded entirely in darkness. In late June, say, the views out of the window would have been spectacular, one long sunset seen from the edge of the stratosphere, but in early November we flew at night from start to end.

Food and Beverage

TPG Rating

15/20

2

Meals

Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Rserve

Champagne

No

Dine on Demand

Are you even flying on a Dutch airline if youre not offered a Heineken? Of course not, and a can of the national beer of the Netherlands was on the tray that a flight attendant brought down the aisle as boarding finished. There were also Champagne, orange juice and water. (Incidentally, the two stripes on the flight attendants sleeve identified her as a senior cabin attendant in the KLM rank insignia system.)

At my seat, I found a menu and wine list, with the KLM logo inside a Delft-porcelain motif. The airlines Champagne may have been a midrange Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Rserve, but its taste in graphics was impeccable.

On the wine list, I noticed a cocktail described as a special lighter, crisper version of a Negroni, with Dutch genever (a typically Dutch kind of gin), chosen because both KLM and the Negroni were born in 1919. When the drinks cart arrived at my seat, half an hour after takeoff, I asked for it, with a small bowl of nuts and sparkling water.

The nuts should have been warm and the drink in a wider glass, but those are minor quibbles to have at 36,000 feet, and the Negroni-ish was indeed lighter and crisper than the original, a true pleasure.

For dinner, I could choose among two appetizers, three entrees and two desserts. For the appetizer, I had tomato soup over the other choice, salmon and spicy mango with hazelnut-cucumber-pepper-and-mango dressing.

All three main courses featured potatoes, in an apparent nod to a classic Dutch staple food. My choice was panfried cod and Dutch prawns with herb potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes and broad beans in a mussel gravy. The other two entrees were miso-marinated chicken thigh with carrots, potato puree, Brussels sprouts in an orange beurre blanc sauce; and beef stew with red cabbage, potatoes and cornichons.

For dessert I could have a cheese plate blue cream cheese, Klaver Roem and Leerdammer Caractre, all Dutch cheeses, served with crackers and grapes or sweet bites: brownie with ganache, a chocolate-caramel tartlet and a lemon cheesecake with raspberries. I went with the cheese, and a glass of New Zealand riesling from a simple, five-wine list. It also featured a Chilean chardonnay and three reds: a grenache from France, an Argentinian malbec and a South African shiraz.

Things sounded promising on paper. But when dinner service began, they went awry.

The galley ran out of the salmon appetizer for everybody who wanted it, and flight attendants proposed alternatives to at least two passengers. This happens, I said to myself, no biggie. Space on board is limited, and not everybody gets their first choice on every flight. In any case, I had the tomato soup, which was very good, and though the salad was a bit wilted, it came with a zingy beetroot dressing that was as cheeky as the salt and pepper shakers in the shape of Dutch clogs.

But then I waited 30 minutes between the appetizer and entree, and the flight attendant assigned to my aisle got confused and thought I had ordered the chicken, not the cod.

They hadnt loaded enough cod anyway, he said, seeming a little confused about what was going on in his galley, but after some inquiry he turned up one stray cod entree for me. And good thing he did, because it went beautifully with the riesling.

The silverware had pretty inlaid handles, and the carts were ornamented with the same motif as the menus.

With dessert, the flight attendant brought around a box of chocolates in the shape of, you guessed it, Delft houses. I had two, and I could have had more. They were excellent, and so were the cheeses. By the time I was done with all of it, though, it had been a 90-minute dinner, and when your flight is under eight hours and at night, you may want a service flow that maximizes sleep instead of time spent eating.

A half hour later it was lights out in the cabin, when we were already nearing the southern tip of Greenland, four and a half hours out from Toronto.

Ninety minutes before landing, after some sleep, it was time for the second meal service. The appetizer was a sweet-potato salad with white cheese and pomegranates, followed by either a cheese quiche or an Angus beef burger with cheese, and then by an apple pie. The meal was served with pepper jelly and deep-fried onions on the side. I got the burger and a Coke, which proved to be a good choice. And the apple pie that followed was perfectly warm.

KLM did not let me go hungry. It wasnt top-quality, but it was perfectly competent airplane food, in abundant amounts.

Service

TPG Rating

11/15

No

Extra Pillows

No

Turndown Service

Would you like a house, Mr. Riva? the flight attendant asked me after the last dish had been removed from my tray. On any other airline, I would have thought that a weird question, but in KLM business class it could mean only one thing. It was time for the distribution of the miniature Delft porcelain houses filled with liquor, which the airline gives away as souvenirs to business passengers.

The one distributed on KL695 that day wasnt any old house, either.

Its the house where our king and queen live, he said.

According to the booklet that came with it, Huis ten Bosch is the residence of King Willem-Alexander, Queen Mxima and their children. Thats the very king who occasionally moonlights as a KLM pilot, but there was no royalty at the controls on my flight: His Majesty is qualified on the Boeing 737, not the 787.

That very nice interaction with the flight attendant and the story behind the Delft house ended the flight on a high note for me, but overall, the service was OK, not great. There were moments of slight confusion during meal services, and dinner lasted way too long.

Overall impression

You dont need to be an aviation enthusiast to see how pretty this 787 was on the inside and out, and even a casual flyer notices the Dreamliners smooth, quiet ride. Add a very good biz-class seat, and you have the makings of a very nice Atlantic crossing.

Coming off the flight on a cold night in Toronto, I reasoned that Id just flown in a better biz seat than most Delta One seats, certainly better than any Lufthansa seat short of first class, and on par with the best seats offered on KLMs sister airline, Air France. It would just have needed better service to compete for greatness. That said, you would not be disappointed if you redeemed a reasonable number of miles for KLM biz class on the Dreamliner.

All photos by the author.

Arplis - News source https://arplis.com/blogs/news/great-seat-so-so-service-a-review-of-klms-business-class-on-the-787-9-from-amsterdam-to-toronto