#it's an interesting dress and I wish it was easier to see the details.

[canary3d-obsessed]

Gu Xiang Costume Appreciation 8 of 9 (Word of Honor)

(masterpost)

[court-jobi]

i was just (re)reading your "reheat" oneshot and one part that stood out to me was izuku apparently "making a show" of him rolling up his shirt sleeves because reader finds it attractive. but my question is how did he find that out???????? did reader tell him that they find it to be alluring??? i need answers (just please dont do it nsfw, i'm not really into it lol) 👀👀

(btw i love your writing<3)

Ahhhh I'm SO glad someone caught this! I'm a sucker for the little details, and you found one of my favorites 🥰🥰 SFW it is~

And truly, it honestly shouldn't be such a saucy thought, Izuku rolling up his sleeves... It's a pure and simple fact that you love every bit of Izuku, whether he's dressed up or down. What's not to love? But here we are, and I'll tell ya exactly why.

How you came to enjoy this harmless little show was the sum of many 'harmless' moments, though they all have one thing in common:

Acts of Service.

Reheat shows it best, but here's how our darling Izuku reckoned it was a solid plan of distraction...

Pairing: Midoriya x reader

Reheat: ORIGINS

Izuku is an extremely thoughtful person, as we all know and love. He'll be in your corner to listen, tell you just what you need to hear, and do it all with a smile on his face. He'll also be the first to step up and offer his best if it would help make your life easier.

The first time you watched him do it was a night he came around while you were in a self-imposed baking marathon-- and were quickly running out of surface space in the kitchen. Once setting down his workout bag down at the dining table and shucking off his coat, he'd immediately come in reporting for duty...

'How can I help' chirps off Izuku's lips without missing a beat, and before you could even make mention of washing the dishes as you go (to help expedite the process later), he was already rolling the cuffs of his hoodie to keep the ends from getting absolutely soaked. When he catches you staring from he oven range at what he's doing, he assumes it stems from feeling guilty about putting him to work, or refusing the idea that he'd tidy up for you. It's such a high pile that's filling both sides of the sink already, and it's threatening to topple over onto your tray of still-cooling macarons.

He sees it as a stellar trade off: you cook, he cleans. It's a no-brainer in his book!

The next time he does it, you're visiting him at UA while he's hosting some late afternoon office hours (in case some students wish to stop by for some pre-exam help). It's a slow afternoon, and when he complains about it over text, you surprise him with a little green tea boba pick-me-up. By the time you arrive, he's on the phone with some insurance company about a rate change that he's been meaning to call about.

He's a bit grumpy over it. Why they keep hiking prices like this, he'll never fully understand, but would kill for some transparency in billing, y'know?

"No- I'm not interested in upgrading the policy, it's covering everything I need it to -back at my starting rate. No, no dependents. No secondary vehicles either-- maam, I rent an apartment; I don't even own a home yet- why would I need a byline for acreage protection?!"

Poor Izuku's brows are tented as he navigates the skin sufferable conversation... But all the while, he's flexing -a flick of the wrist in each movement- as he cuffs his sleeves towards his elbows.

You don't realize you're staring until he stops moving. Looking up to his eyes again, they're more confused at you now, with a built shoulder precariously balancing his phone to his ear.

'What's wrong?' he mouths to you.

You immediately shake your head, and just motion for him to carry on. You rest your chin in your hand when he continues, but he doesn't say more on the topic when the woman returns from the other end of the line with more bad news.

"-b-boating protec-?? Ma'am, may I be perfectly real with you? I-I am on a teacher's salary! Can I please just revert back to what I was paying before so I don't have to auction off my AllMight limited editions??"

So firm, so capable... so stupidly attractive doing such a small thing... Izuku maybe a bit preoccupied at the moment, but he's starting to catch onto you, for there's gotta be something behind your interest in his forearms.

Finally, it all clicks into place. In Hatsume's Tech Lab, where you're picking up Izuku from after an off-site field trip of sorts for his support course students does Izuku finally get what's going on.

He's taken up some elective classes for their class route, in addition to his hero course homeroom. In the R&D department, he's trying on some gloves and explaining their features to you in excitement for its intended recipient, his good friend Shoto Todoroki, while his students all bound off elsewhere.

"He even came up with the design; pretty stylish, I'd say! Much better than his first costume, less bulky as well. Mei says we're the same size so I could try for fit before she ships them out to him- hhhnr... well- still kinda hard to- c'you hold this one, baby? here, lemme get them on for real.."

Setting the gloves to your waiting hands, your eyes double in interest. Tongue wets your lips slightly. And shockingly, your mouth moves before you can stop yourself.

"Oooo, my lucky day~ Roll 'em up, babe~"

"that's the problem with this tech. There's safety resistance in the cuffs: they're great for compression, but it's a bit tight for tryin' to get over-- w-wait. What?"

Izuku chances a look at you in that one, thirsty moment.

"Do you-- like this?"

"Mhm~"

".. just- rolling up my sleeves? Like this?"

"Mhmmm~"

Though you've solidly convinced Izuku that his scars are to be worshipped just as much as his heart, he can't believe your starry-eyed look while he does this.

Cheeky, Izuku thinks surely you're messing with him, "Goodness the way you're looking at me, you'd think I was showing you my six pack..."

"Eh, that's nothin'," you tease, "impressive, don't get me wrong, Mr. Midoriya- but anyone can work out. This.. takes finesse."

Izuku sprouted a warming blush over his ears, wrenching a calm exterior into place despite your loving teases.

"Finesse, huh?-"

"Slower, babe," you sink onto a palm again, batting your eyes again, "you look good like this."

"Y-You're a mess..."

"I'm your mess now, handsome."

Izuku peeks up and out towards the hall having just settling his right cuff into place. Then, he's looking back to you all mushy at what he finds there. Complete love. It's earned you a kiss -to affirm his feelings for you, of course!- but also to get you to stop fawning over him where anyone could see.

Your fingers will trail over the sensitive undersides of his wrists while he cups your cheeks into place. Any insecurity he may have once held about his scarring has been snuffed out by you a long time ago, but Izuku now realizes it's not just an accepted sight, but a welcome one.

"Good to know this is a sure method to get your attention, honey," he'll whisper between kisses.

It's the preemptive motive that gets you:

Izuku is so ready and willing to help anyone at a moment's notice, to take charge and get things done: to the point where watching him prep to get his weathered hands involved is an attractive sight. He's the first to go the extra mile for you, no ask too big or favor too small.

It might be a quick adjustment to his outfit for comfort, but the look suits him so well. So yes, even as he rolls up his shirt sleeves, you find him insanely, unfairly handsome.

[reds-ultrakill-brainrot]

hiya! firstly, thank you for filling my current brainrot on this game, you are the best

could i get some gabriel romantic headcanons? enjoy your day!

You Were Like an Angel to Me

gabriel romantic relationship headcanons

x reader content (intended romantic)

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- he had never taken much of an interest in having a hobby before, his duties had never given him the time. this changes after he meets you, your passion in your hobbies inspire both affection and interest in him, and it isn't long before he begins practicing in his spare time to share with you - it isn't the most surprising thing that he is incredibly touch starved, however the issue goes further than that. Gabriel was designed to act as a soldier for God's will, a spear against the darkness and a voice for the aimless. the only compassion intended in his design was that for heaven's chosen, not himself. his reaction to comforting touch is shock and immediate discomfort, not to the physical sensation- he could drown in that, but in what it represents. all he had ever recieved were compliments for his actions and abilities, the people of heaven revered him, but they did not truly love him, not like you do. it takes a fair amount of time for him to settle to the idea of intimacy, but once he does he incorperates it into nearly every interaction, wether that be a lingering touch or a short embrace - i imagine his wings aren't corporeal, however this doesn't stop him from wrapping them around you while the both of you cuddle. he sees it as his job to protect you from the numerous threats across both heaven and hell and he knows with you safe in his arms nothing bad will happen - despite his distaste for their inhabitants he does appreciate the architecture and views around certain layers of Hell (such sentiment has never been voiced and never will while he serves the council). if you appear interested in viewing any of the more notable sights around Hell he will volunteer to take you, being that you are willing to go no further than an arm's reach. he trusts you, however he does not trust the wretched beings that inhabit Hell - a majority of his tasks are dealing with the more distasteful tasks such as quelling unruly inhabitants of Hell and overseeing the conduct of other lesser angels. he rarely wishes to recount his day to day activities, much preferring to hear about your own day to day life, mundanity and all. such domestic normalcy is a dream to him, so please humor him with details of chores and unruly hair, nothing would make him happier - he is quite easy to fluster, especially with any particularly forward expressions of affection. he quietly delights in the attention he receives for his reactions; teasing may have a slight sting to it but is much easier for him to digest than soft words - if you ever choose to dress in his colours or in similar attire you will find him enamoured, his gaze unable to leave you for long. he very quickly notices the gesture and the creeping burn of a blush doesn't leave him until he is forced to take a moment to compose himself - he is especially gentle with you. oftentimes he chooses to let you initiate physical contact to allow you to approach it at your own pace and to avoid manhandling you by accident. he is exceptionally strong, and all it would take is him being distracted to grip you too firmly and bruise you, or, Heaven forbid, worse. he has seen the damage that his wrath incurs and would sooner perish than harm you - he (much to his own dismay) doesn't have a mouth to kiss you with, however the both of you have learned to make do with other gestures. touching foreheads has to be his favourite, there is something about having you so close to him that calms him almost instantly. of course you are still able to kiss him, and despite his, at times, inelegance in other romantic interactions he is always quick to respond if you peck his cheek; expect to be swept up in his arms for a hug

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the sneak peaks at the new chapter have been really interesting so far, i am excited to see where Hakita is taking the plot (especially Gabriel's story) next

[nightmarexdove]

🥀Wesker with goth! s/o headcanons🥀

Note: These are just some personal headcanons of mine, apologies if anything is out of character </3

♡ I feel like Wesker would be intrigued by the very dark and elegant way you dressed and presented yourself, I feel like he'd definetly find a kick out of matching outfits with you. Weather you be into trad goth, mall goth, Gothic lolita- he'd eye every detail of your makeup, accessories and articles of clothing when you wouldn't notice and use those details in his own outfits

♡If he was to be working, weather in his office or his lab- I think if you were to play your favorite bands/artists he'd enjoy it, especially bands like the smiths, siouxie and the Banshees and twin tribes. Who knows? Maybe if you liked to dance to your music, he'd join you! Maybe you can teach that old man a thing or two

♡Of course first meeting you, he'd keep his distance. Tho the way you presented yourself in those elaborate patterns and chain belts and spikey chokers and exaggerated style of hair and makeup I think would make him feel at ease, finding someone with a similar vibe as his own would definetly be easier for both of you to get along. (I mean- cmon. Have you seen his fit in re5?)

♡Wesker at some point I think would grow to think of you as a important figure in his day to day life, your interests would soon become his own I think. If you liked to read horror books, or dark poetry he'd dive into that genre as well; same with movies if you liked horror/old slasher films- He'd find time out of his busy schedule to watch one with you out of his own genuine interest.

♡He'd definetly find it adorable seeing you wear platform boots, if you were short; He'd find it almost adorable seeing you a good couple inches taller but still not necessarily his height. And if you were already tall; he'd admire the way in which you towered him with confidence, and if you weren't necessarily the most confident individual and more timid- he'd always shower you in quiet whispers of admiration decorating your neck in little kisses if that's something you would like.

♡Besides "dearheart" I definetly see wesker nicknaming you his "darling rose" "baby bat" "little reaper" <3

♡ another headcanon I have is wesker would definetly (but of course with hesitance) let you decorate your shared bedroom with him in whatever decor you like, if you wanted everything crimson red and black. Then crimson red and black it shall be, if you wanted creepy old Renaissance art plastered everywhere or band posters hanging on the walls; He will not bat an eye or say a word. Instead giving you his platinum credit card and let you go wild however you wished, he will deal with whatever debt comes his way if it meant you feeling comfortable and seeing that big smile on your face.

Same thing goes with clothing, you see a nice dress/suit? You'll have it in a handful of days. Want insanely expensive nails that look like claws? No need to ask him twice because he's personally choosing and taking you to the best nail salon money can buy.

[hastalavistabyebye]

Holos #5

Ao3 version

Loving Ponds was easy. One of the easiest things Bacara ever did. 

Sure, the days could be long and lonely, especially when traveling from one warzone to the other, or just after a cease fire when it was time to count the losses and try to erase their presence as much as could be in a destroyed landscape, battered in black, brown and white. During those times, in front of his waiting paperwork or while keeping his troops focused and organized for that hard last stretch, Bacara sometimes longed for the familiar warmth of his lover. How many times did he wish to discuss plans with Ponds, to ask for his opinion ? The Lighting Commander had a knack for strategy, his mind sharp and logical, always seeing the broader picture in more details and reading it more precisely than anyone else. Sometimes Bacara would have given anything to rely on his lover and his hindsight. How many times did he hold on to the memory of Ponds’ smiling eyes, on the knowledge that he’ll see him right after this unending campaign was over ? Pushing through was so much easier with the promise of getting back to his cyare at the end of it. 

But that was just the way of the Marines. As much as he could curse the distance between each of their leaves, he didn't mind much. 

Especially not when his comm chimed familiarly in rapid succession, distracting him from seeping his energy drink. He fetched it from where it was lying next to his freshly completed report. His hope of having news from Ponds, who was the usual culprit for spamming his comm like that, was sidetracked by his surprised happiness at seeing Neyo’s name displayed. He loved receiving messages from his little brother just as much. It was rare to get so many messages in so little time from him, though. Even more surprising was the discovery that it was mostly holos. Did the two 91st Commanders mix up their commlinks ? Bacara knew they were supposed to be in a joint mission at the moment, so it wasn't as improbable as one could think. 

A little bit perplexed, he opened the conversation and was met with several pictures of Ponds without the top of his armor and bucket, followed by the message “You sure you really want that one ?”. It was definitely Neyo who sent them to him then, most likely during one of their breaks, going by the way Ponds was dressed. 

In the first pictures, the Lighting Commander was crouching in front of a green snake with hirsute scales. They were looking at each other steadily, practically nose to nose. Ponds had that light in his eyes. Bacara wasn't surprised at all to see him reaching to try and coerce the reptile like one would do with a tooka, in the following holos Neyo had taken. Ponds could be just as bad as a Jedi when it was about befriending any random wild animal that had sparked his interest. He thankfully wasn't prone to take a particular liking to beast bigger than him. (Which was admittedly not the case of High General Windu.) 

The Marine Commander huffed fondly at the rest of the pictures. Ponds had somehow managed to get the snake to coil around his arms. He had stood up and was visibly cooing down at it before beaming up at the holocamera. He was glowing like a star, eyes crinkling at the sides and dimples in full display. Some cloud high above was casting shadows on his side, not reaching his face yet. Bacara could have swear it’d never darken his skin, not when Ponds was shining stronger than the sun as he was. 

The Marine was smiling softly down at his comm, soaking up the sight of the holos, when he noticed how close to Ponds’ neck the head of the snake had crept. 

“Please tell me it’s not venomous.” He sent to Neyo right away, a defeated weight settling down at the bottom of his stomach, heavy like durasteel. 

“You know I will never lie to you, ori’tat.” Was the quick answer, thankfully followed a few instants later by : “The Generals are supervising.”

Bacara closed his eyes with a deep sight. At least the Jedi were around. 

Loving Ponds was one of the easiest things Bacara ever did, as effortless and paramount as breathing. But sometimes he deplored falling for a member of the Shebse batch. 

The snake is a Hairy Bush Viper.

[androgynousblackbox]

How To Lose A Lucifer in 10 Days. 13 [Appleradio, Radioapple]

Step 13: Kiss him

As Lucifer finished off sending the text he wanted, he saw Alastor conjuring up a suit for himself. The red suit he wore on the regular back on their world. Where there wasn't any other demon dressing the same.

"Seriously, babe?" asked, snapping his own white suit into existance over himself. "You are just going to get confused with the other Alastor."

"I am already willing to be with my real face here, isn't that enough already?" replied with a snear.

Lucifer sighed, coming up to him.

"I know it's the one you are most comfortable with, but if we go out in public when we search the stone, do you really want people to think you are just copying him?"

"He could change too. Show a little bit of hospitality wouldn't harm him."

"Are you going to be the one to convince him of that?"

"I could" said Alastor with a grin and Lucifer realized his mistake, narrowing his eyes.

"No, you are not. Look, it's just easier for everyone if you just dress differently while we are here. You can still choose red if you want. You are going to look hot regardless with anything, we know that" tried with a half smile that Alastor side eyed before releasing a sigh, snapping his own fingers.

The suit immediately changed into a primary black one with red details, making his dark grey skin to stand out even more.

"Ah, there, see? Now that is a handsome demon" said Lucifer, floating lightly on the air to kiss his cheek and Alastor rolled his eyes.

"Regardless, that one doesn't need to accompany you into getting that stone now with me here" said, straigthen up as he conjured up his staff. "He is only after his own purposes, which is fine, but I won't let it interfere with our own."

"I told you, I don't mind dividing the stone so he can get his own wish. He was willing to work with me to get it, babe. He even listened to me. Clearly he actually needs that thing, but him being you, won't tell me what it is."

"Dear, I find it very hard to be interested on what that other lesser version of me wants or not" sighed Alastor with a shrugg. "I could just kill him altogether and done, we won't have to worry about his little secret anymore."

"Babe, no" said Lucifer, tired, but Alastor turned to him, glaring him.

"Why do you care? You have me here now. Who needs that imitation anyway?"

Lucifer's shoulder fell, rubbing his temple. He should have known that a conversation like this one was coming.

"Because he is you" said, reaching to him to take his hand and accept it as progress when Alastor didn't immediately pulled away. "You can say that it's not you all you want, I know he isn't, but he is an Alastor and I can't see him needing help and do nothing. He was about to die from an angelic wound he was telling no one about, babe. This is important for him and it won't impede us go home, so what is the harm?" When Alastor buffed, not entirely convinced, he tried again. "Are you telling me that you wouldn't try it if that other Lucifer needed the help?"

"That is very different" said Alastor, taking his hand back, not too abruptly, to put it again on top of his cane. "For one, there is very little that the king of hell could need that he can't get. But also I know you would never wish harm on anyone on a whim "The eyes of Alastor soften up at saying that. "I can't say the same about that other one. What if he wishes for your crown or to hurt you?"

"I don't really get the vibe that is something like that, Al."

Alastor stared at him with an unimpressed look.

"Oh, well. As long you have a "vibe" about it, I guess that is alright then. Let's throw precaution out of the window altogether, why don't we?" he said with a fake perky voice, sitting on the chair in front of the desk as he crossed his legs in a metaphorical arm crossed. "I still haven't been given one good reason why I can't just kill him. He is not Charlie's father in this reality or anyone's parent. He won't be that missed."

"Babe, come on" Lucifer walked up to him. Alastor didn't turn when he put a hand on his back. "Al, he is the friend of Charlie. He is important enough for her to still give him an entire radio tower on the hotel. We can't just come from another dimension, take that away from her and go. Besides, he hasn't actually done anything yet to harm anyone. Inside the hotel" clarified quickly when Alastor threw him a skeptical sideye. Lucifer supported his elbow on the back of the chair. "Look, worst case escenario, if I am wrong, he is the one teleported to some other place where his wish came true. Where he can be king, god or whatever he wants. Meanwhile we will be back to our home, so it won't be our problem anymore."

"Still feels like a waste of time and too risky."

Before Lucifer could reply to him, a soft knock was heard on the door and the ears of Alastor perked up at the voice of Charlie.

"Papa? I got your text that you wanted to see me. Is everything okay?"

"Yes, sweetie, everything is fine" Lucifer put a hand on Alastor's shoulder and the radio demon nodded, standing up. Lucifer smiled up to him and walked to the door, not opening yet. "Just wanted to give you the heads up before anyone else because this is kinda important. So you know how I told you I have this connection to my Alastor because of the pregnancy?"

"Yeah? Oh, did he tell you something useful through that?" Charlie's hopeful tone made Lucifer wince for a moment.

"Not really" said, opening up slightly to look at her. "He… actually came. Himself" added, opening it full to get Alastor in full display of Charlie. "That is my Alastor. Charlie, Alastor, my husband."

"What. Oh" Charlie stared at the radio demon, entering on the room as Lucifer made himself to a side. "You look… different. I mean, hi!" said, offering her hand with a nervous smile. "Nice to meet you."

Alastor looked at her extended hand and then back at her, tilting his head to a side. No doubt taking account of all the things that were missing from their daughter on this version of her, but also the undeniable similarities. Charlie swallowed up and retracted her hand after a moment, brushing her hair.

"I-I guess you are upset. Because of the wish thing. Which is totally valid and completely understandable, don't get me wrong" added when Alastor took a step towards her and she shrinked "I am really so, so, so sorry that I got you all into this mess, especially on your condition, I mean, I can't even imagine going through something so horrible and I feel so bad about it, but I hope you know I would have never, ever, even touched that stone if I had know it was going to do any of this and I will do everything I can to rectify it so you two can get back to your lovely… home" finished, opening her eyes when she felt Alastor petting the crown of her head.

She looked up, blinking at the action, and he stopped the motion. He cleared his throat first, straighten up as he returned his hand to fix his suit.

"I am… less than joyful about our current predicament" said Alastor, pointingly ignoring the smirk of Lucifer behind Charlie. "But it seems you have learned your lesson, young lady. Better not repeat it again."

"Ah" Charlie threw a glance to Lucifer, who lifted two thumbs up for her and then back to this new Alastor. "A-absolutely. Sir. Al. Mister? I am sorry, I don't really know how to call you. This is going to get confusing with another Alastor."

"In our reality he is dad for you" said Lucifer casually.

"You don't have to call me that" clarified Alastor. "Just Al is fine. Our daughter also calls me that when we are out in public so I don't mind."

"So… just to check, you are not mad at me?"

"I was" admitted Alastor, looking at Lucifer. He returned to Charlie when Lucifer smiled at him. "Now I am better. All I want is for us to return home."

"Right. Yes, of course, I understand" Charlie let out a sigh, notoriously more relaxed, amd smiled at him with a new determination. "Al. I am going to do everything in my power to help you two get back, I promise."

Alastor nodded. He believed her, honestly. A promise coming from Charlie never came lightly, not when she had that exact same expression on her face. Stitches or no stitches, that haven't changed.

"You are both more than welcome to stay on the hotel until everything is sorted out, too. But uh… maybe not really here?" said, looking at Lucifer. "This is still the room of my dad so…"

"We can move, duckling. Don't worry about it" said Lucifer, patting her back. Alastor's ears twitched at the familiar nickname, more so when he could see that Charlie didn't had any especial reaction to it. "It was just nostalgia more than anything why I came here, but I can leave the place for the guy."

"Thank you" Charlie said before returning to Alastor. "Wait, if you come from there, can you tell me how is my dad? Is he okay? I know that he was helping you out on your side."

"Yes" Alastor's smile grew a little. "He misses you very much, dear, and he wished nothing more than to return to you. I am sure he will do everything in his power to ensure that happens. Last time we spoke I believe that he was making some research into how to get the last stone from the Wrath Ring with the help of Satan. Who knows? He may have it soon."

"I hope so. I really miss him. No offense" said Charlie almost jokingly to Lucifer, who smiled.

"None taken, duckling. I miss my own Charlie too. But hey!" added, putting an arm around Alastor's waist. "I have a piece of home with me now so that is something!"

"Yeah, speaking about that… Not to say I am not glad that you found each other, because that is great, but I still don't really understand how this happened?"

"Magic!" perked up Lucifer before Alastor could respond. "We both really, really wished to be together and so Al appeared here thank to our connection! So we can both take care of our baby! Isn't that great?"

It wasn't entirely a lie either. Magic have been involved, they just weren't sure as to how exactly and it was just easier to go with that story than to explain everything else or theorize about it.

"It was a surprise for us too" said Alastor with a sigh. "We didn't plan for this to happen. If we could have controlled it, we both wouldn't be here."

"Oh" Charlie looked at the both of them for a moment, as if surprised at the vision, before regaining her train of thought. "Yeah, that makes total sense! Good, I am so glad for you two! That answers that question then. I guess my next one would be…" Charlie saw at Alastor, making gestures as if she wasn't sure of how to phrase it. "I hope this doesn't come off as rude or anything like that, I don't mean to, but uhm…"

"Why do I look different than your Alastor?" finished the demon, searching for Lucifer's eyes. When the king made a half uncomfortable shrug in response, he arched an eyebrow. "She doesn't know" It was more a declaration than a question, but there was still a question there. Why she didn't know?, for example.

"Okay, in my defense" said Lucifer, rising a finger. "Maybe things are different here and even if they aren't, how is anyone supposed to know? It's not like they are going to tell them any more than they told me. And in the second place, I kinda had my head occupied with other stuff all this month and maybe it slipped my mind a bit. As in completely slipped up and then I didn't know how to bring it up at all."

Charlie frowned, absolutely lost as to what they were talking about. Alastor rubbed his brow.

"Fine. I will do it then" He took a breath and made a gesture towards the only chair in the room. "It's best if you sit down, dear. You will want to in order to hear this."

"You went to heaven?!" said Charlie, jumping out of the chair five minutes later when Alastor gave her the quickest rundown as to what happened to him. She waited for the confirmation coming from him and when Alastor just nodded, she gasped so quickly and suddenly she even coughed. "That is… I can't believe it! Redemption is real! I knew that Heaven was wrong all this time, I knew it! Hell forever my ass!" said, starting to laugh as she walked a bit, not really paying attention to them now. "This is amazing news! I have to tell everyone."

"Honey, no, wait" said Lucifer, appearing in front of Charlie as she went to the door. "Yes, you were right, and we are both very proud of you, but if you go out to try to tell everyone, people are going to want proof and a sure way to know how it happened. We don't have either in our side."

"What do you mean?" Charlie blinked, surprised, and made a gesture towards Alastor. "He is the proof that it can happen!"

"Alright, so, what are you going to do with that?" asked Lucifer. "You tell people that a demon who killed thousands before died in the middle of a battle before he could be accepted into Heaven. As in actually died. What do you think people are going to do with that information?" Charlie frowned, unsure of how to respond to that. Lucifer pursed his lips before continueing: "Furthermore, he is here and not in Heaven, so not really a success story that is going to sway a lot of people. People are going to think that is a scam somehow just for that."

"Wait, that is a good point" Charlied turned to Alastor now. "Why are you here?"

"I never wanted to be in Heaven in the first place, Charlie" Alastor gripped his cane as he kept his voice steady, trying not to spill at once all the bitterness those memories contained. "I hated every second they forced me to stay up there. To me, that was true hell. I left the first chance that I had and I never looked back. Your father… Lucifer" corrected, shaking his head "is right, dear. I am the last demon in hell you want as your spokeperson."

The eyes of Charlie opened up. She didn't doubted the words of Alastor, that was clear on her face, but didn't know how to process that information.

"Sweetie" tried Lucifer gently, reaching out to hold her hand, patting the back of it with the other. "Our Charlie went through the exact same thing. She believes in the redemption of all souls exactly as you do. But after what happened to Al, she doesn't concentrate in that anymore. If someone was trying and succeeded in getting to Heaven, great, but if it doesn't that is okay too. As long people are actually trying to be better, that is all that really matters. Not if they get into Heaven or not. I am sorry that I didn't tell you before, but it was a lot to take in" added when Charlie looked down, biting her lip, deep in thought. "Sweetie?"

"Did they really…" Charlie directed her attention to Alastor again. "Did they really retained you there?"

Alastor nodded.

"I asked them thousands of times to let me go back to hell, little fawn" Let it slip before he groaned, making a gesture as if to erase the mistake from the air. It was her voice and that expression she was making that confused him for a second. "They wouldn't listen."

Charlie winced as if those same words had already been used against her. She sighed deeply.

"I… I am really sorry. For what happened to you" She then turned to Lucifer and squeezed his hand back before letting go. "I need to think about this."

"Of course, duckling" Lucifer offered up a understanding smile.

"This is kinda of a lot" admitted Charlie with a half hearted chuckled.

Lucifer nodded. Discovering not only that another version of her hotelier was right there, but also that all her dreams had already come true and yet it didn't really changed anything in the big scheme of things was going to be a lot for any person.

"I know, sweetie. Sorry about that."

"It's fine. I would rather know than not" said Charlie, burshing her hair behind her ear. "Thank you both for telling me."

"Of course, dear."

Charlie took a huge deep inside and let it out. She closed her eyes for a second as she put her thuoghts in order.

"First things first" said, looking at Alastor. "How do we go about this? I mean, you being here. Do you want me to tell the others or…?

"I believe the best approach is a direct one" said Alastor with a growing grin. "There is no need to make it more complicated than it is. I am just Lucifer's husband that came to join him in order to take care of our growing child, as he said. Nothing more simple than that."

"Mmm" Charlie nodded her head before she saw at Lucifer, wanting a second opinion.

"I mean, he is not wrong" said Lucifer with a shrug. "We could just go right now and meet them to explain ourselves."

"Right" Charlie nodded her head again and cringed. "Oh, Alastor is not going to like this" commented as if for herself, but it was clearly noticeable for the both of them.

"Oh, is that so?" Alastor perked up, appearing next to her to the point that Charlie jumped back instinctively. Lucifer put a hand on her back as if to catch her and frowned at him, which went completely ignored. "That is so unfortunate. All the more reason to not want to delay the inevitable, isn't that right? If I am going to be staying here, as you so generously have offered, Charlie dear, then I best get familiarized with all the residents here again as fast as possible. Just to get it out of the way. Don't you agree, my dearest?"

Lucifer sighed, already knowing that Alastor was not planning to make anything easier for anyone. When did he ever?

"Let's just get this over with" said, going to take the hand of Alastor, whose smirk didn't gave him any reassurance. "After you, sweetie" said to Charlie, who took another deep breath.

"Yes, absolutely" The princess walked to the door and opened up. Before she came out she looked back for a second and her face seemed to soften. "Just so you know, Al. I don't mind if you want to call me little fawn again. It's a cute nickname. But if it makes you uncomfortable, I will understand."

Alastor blinked, taken aback.

"I will consider it, dear" said after a while and Charlie smiled, before she went back to the hallway.

Alastor was having a good day. Not all his days were good, even after it seemed that his new tiny cook was there to stay with each failure to get a good stone, but a considerable amount of them were. The fact that when he came first in the morning to the kitchen and Lucifer wasn't already making breakfast, probably while singing to himself, registered as a tolerable annoyance at the most. Maybe he had just stayed in bed again and would reunite with them later to prepare something quick or just make it appear. Lately that was becoming a more common ocurrence.

Alastor went to make himself his coffee. It was certainly better when he went there and someone else offered him one ready, the ceramic still warmth from the hands that hold it seconds before, but he wanted to drink it now and he could always get served again tomorrow. It was so easy to imagine the smile that would accompany it too, as clear as how he was seeing a clock on the wall while the rest of the residents were coming in.

"Argh, again?" groaned Angel Dust, shuffling his feeth to reach for cereal on the shelf. "I wanted bacon with eggs. Husky, can you make me bacon and eggs?"

"I don't have either, Angel" Husk yawned against his paw and reached the bowl of demonic fruits on the counter for Niffty to grab.

Their little maid took the biggest one from the bunch and ran to the table, taking her seat before she started stabbing it. Then she licked the metal of the knife she was using.

"Ah, fruit juice. What a healthy option, dear" commented Alastor as he sat down, his newspaper already under the arm.

"Niffty, you do know there are boxes with juice on them, right?" asked Husk, lazily scratching his chin as he went for his own coffee.

"When I stab them they make too much of a mess. This is so much cleaner instead" said Niffty with a happy giggle and Alastor nodded, as if that made total sense.

"Let the little one have her angry management therapy, Husky" yawned Angel, grabbing the milk from the fridge just as Vaggie was coming in. "Oh, what is this? Charlie is not coming? We need more milk by the way" added without waiting a response before he moved to the table.

Vaggie sighed as she went to the grocery list sticked to the wall to write the milk. Again scratching out the sinner's flesh that someone kept writing with demented smiling faces drawn around.

"Alastor, stop adding your creepy meals. You are the only one who eats them, you can buy them yourself" said Vaggie, rubbing her eyes. Alastor shrugged with zero intention of stop doing it. "Charlie is with Lucifer. He send her a text early to go see him. It seemed important so hopefully is a new plan or something."

"Because all others have worked so wonderfully until now" let out Alastor with a little too much gusto. He opened up the newspaper with a little chuckle. "I can't wait for the next attempt to fail as well. That is going to be hilarious."

"Alastor, can you please not?" groaned Vaggie as he grabbed a juice box from the fridge. "None of this is relaxing for Charlie. She doesn't need the attitude on top of that."

"Mmm" Angel looked over at Alastor, spoon sticking out of his mouth. "If I didn't know you, Smiley, I would say that you are happy for keeping this short king around. People are going to start to think you like him or something if you aren't careful" The weight of his teasing was almost immediately undermined by a new yawn and slow blinking. "Although his cooking is good, I won't shame you for that."

"It's convenient to have him around for that and for that alone" admitted Alastor with a shrug.

"Is that why Niffty caught you playing checkers yesterday? Because it was convenient?" said Angel, waggling his eyebrows.

Alastor threw a glance to Niffty, who smiled with not a single trace of remorse.

"He knew you were cheating by the way" said, stabbing the fruit so hard that the knife went through to the other side. She lifted the fruit and shook it to get every drop possible before she finished her thought. "He let you play anyway."

Alastor narrowed his eyes to her for a moment before he amplified his smile.

"Just another way to pass the time before the next failure" declared, extending the pages of his daily dosage of tragedies in front of him. "It hardly matters. At the end of the day, all Lucifers are the same anyway."

"No, they are not" Vaggie sat on a chair, her glass full of juice landing hard on the table. "Charlie is still missing her dad. Can both of you don't be assholes about it?"

"The fuck did I do?" protested Angel, mouth full of cereal.

"You know what you do" Vaggie made a face of disgust at him before looking at Alastor. "It's nice that you are getting along better, though. Just putting that out there. Of everything that is going on, at least is good not to worry about another fight breaking out."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, dear" Alastor sipped his coffe without lifting his head.

"Pity that this one is married. At least the other one was divorced already" commented Angel and smirked big when Vaggie clicked her tongue, irritated.

"What did I just say?!"

Angel laughed. But after some more bickering, they concentrated on their own breakfast. Alastor looked over at the clock on the wall. Lucifer should be appearing on the next five minutes if he hoped to make him a decent meal. After those minutes, if he still haven't appeared, he would just go to pick something up with Rosie. With any luck she had more of the bull demon flesh that Lucifer bough the other day. That one was delicious.

Seven minutes later, Alastor finished his coffee and put the empty mug on the side. He was carefully folding the newspaper again when Charlie appeared on the entrance.

"Oh!" said, as if surprised. Alastor raised an eyebrow when her eyes concentrated on him for a second longer before registering everyone else. "You are all still here. Great. That is… fantastic."

"Everything okay, honey?" asked Vaggie, picking up on the tension on her face. "What did Lucifer want?"

"Yeah, yeah, everything good" said, looking to something on the hallway and then sighning. "It's just uh… Ah, fuck it, there is no way to prepare anyone for this. Come in."

Charlie came inside the kitchen. Just behind her walked a particularly smiling Lucifer. At the end of his arm was coming a tall demon with hair as red as blood and intense green eyes. Deer ears on top of his head and a yellow smile.

"Hey, everyone!" said Lucifer, bringing the demon closer by the waist. He looked up with a grin full of mirth, without minding or even noticing the aprehension on Charlie's face. "This is my Alastor, but you all can call him Al! He made me a surprise visit so now he is going to be staying with us until I can get back home!"

The entire table fell in complete silence. The tall grey demon chuckled with a radio noise behind him and conjured up a staff, stomping it on the ground.

"Don't tell me that you all can't recognize the face of your own old pal?" spoke with a radio filter and a smile that should be too big for his face, but wasn't. At the still stunned silence, he chuckled with the sound of static around him. "Perhaps this will make it easier?" proposed, lifting his sleeve slightly to touch his wrist.

Before any of them could see what he touched, his whole skin and face changed to be an exact replica of Alastor's. The table looked at them and then looked at their Alastor. Once again for good measure. Nobody with eyes could deny it.

"Holy shit" said Angel, still comparing the two. The other eyes on his face were open and he still had a hard time believing any of them. "Wait, you are the preggo Alastor then?"

The grey demon squinted his eyes in his direction without losing the smile.

"If you mean to ask if I am with child currently, then yes, I am" answered cheerpily. "4 weeks and a half to be more exact, but who is counting?"

"A very wanted child!" added Lucifer with a giggle, bringing him over to the other side of the table by the hand. "Before anyones asks, Al appeared last night, it wasn't really planned, so now we are both stuck here until we can get back home. It was all thanks to the connection through the pregnancy and I guess a lot of will! Here, babe" offered, moving a chair just for the tall demon who took it.

Alastor looked down a his lap and realized that his claws had been inscrustrated on his own palm, drawing out some blood that he took are to subtly clean with his hankerchief. For some reason it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to form any thought. He could only look in amazement as his exact same face smirked to Lucifer before red claws grabbed the tiny king, putting him on the tall demon's lap.

"Hello" said his same voice from that other demon and Lucifer chuckled, kissing his cheek as casually like one turns the light on every morning.

The tall demon put an arm to hold Lucifer's waist, rubbing his side. Alastor had never been stabbed so strongly in the chest by something that seemed so soft. He haven't really eaten anything yet, why was he feeling sick to his stomach? Had someone poisoned his coffee while he wasn't looking?

"You realize that there are other chairs, right?" teased Lucifer.

Just immediately as he said that, all the seats that were unoccupied around the table, except for one, dissapeared under black holes as they heard the sound of wood breaking coming from the garden.

"What chairs?" asked "Al" innocently. "I only see one for Charlie and you can't take that one, love. You have to let that poor girl to sit too."

Lucifer snorted.

"You realize you are going to repair those chairs later, right?" said, nuzzling against the long neck.

There was again, that radiophonic laughter that came from the chest and jolted the shoulders.

"Am I? That is news to me."

"Yes, you are."

"That doesn't sound like me. Are you sure you aren't confusing me with someone else?"

"No, I am sure" Lucifer kissed his jaw. His eyes had never looked brighter before. "Just send your minions later, lazy ass."

"If my king insist so much" The demon called Al smirked, turning his head slightly to kiss the lips of Lucifer.

Without any shame or reservation, like he had done it thousands, millions of times before. Why was anyone allowing such an indecent display on a communal area? Alastor went to search Charlie, but she seemed to be endeared by the whole display. A tiny smile was pilling a side of her mouth. Her damn bleeding heart was too easily swayed.

"Ooooh" said Angel suddenly. "Okay, now I see it. I was having problem visualizing it before but now I get it. Good for you, short king."

Lucifer blinked with a sudden rush of gold blood all over his face. Good, at least someone had a resemblance of decency still.

"Alastor of another dimension, just what we all needed" sighed Husk, pulling out his flask.

Niffty lifted her hand in the air, waving it until Al noticed her.

"Yes, dear?" asked and Alastor squeezed his teeth together, because that sounded exactly how he talked to Niffty.

"Are you still a bad boy?"

"On my own dimension, I am actually the King Overlord and I get to kill any other overlord I don't like for any reason I want. The most relaxing job I ever had" Al shrugged slightly, as if none of that were a big deal. "Does that answer your question?"

Lucifer nodded his head.

"He is terrible" confirmed, putting an arm around the shoulders of the tall demon.

"Within standards, darling."

"Standards you made up, babe."

"And therefore objectively correct ones. Your point being?"

Lucifer rolled his eyes fondly, accomodating against the chest.

Niffty lifted her hand again, but this time didn't wait to Al to address her directly before asking.

"Did you actually do the nasty to have your baby? Or it was all boring lame magic?"

A sudden noise of a record scratch was heard. Alastor felt almost proud for Niffty for off putting that arrogant demon, if the question too wasn't also the last thing he ever wanted enter into his mind. And now it was there. Rotting him from the inside out. The loud giggles of Angel were not helping.

"Alright, that is enough curiosity for a lifetime" declared Husk, lifting up from his chair and then picking up Niffty under his arm.

"Oh, come on, you can't blame her for trying" said Angel, still chuckling as he turned to Al and Lucifer. "Well?"

A sound of static filled the kitchen, one so loud that had the cristal on the windows shaking. The antler on top of the tall demon enlarged as his body grew. The crack of his neck as he tilted his head slightly, the expanding darkness around him bringing the screams of the dammned with him. Lucifer looked almost ridiculous still sitting on the lap of the monster, the only point of white as the table was consumed in darkness.

To the pornstar's credit, he took the hint rather quickly.

"Okay, that answers that then!" said chirpy, lifting himself from his chair. "Oh, well, look at the time! I am like super late for work now and you know how it is, the boss won't like it if I am late! Nice to meet you, Al!" said, taking a few steps backward before powerwalking out of the kitchen.

The second Angel was gone Al returned to his default form. Lucifer sighed.

"Was that necessary?"

Alastor was sure, would bet his own soul on it if he could, that the tall demon looked at him for one second, a blink and you missed second, before smiling down to the tiny king.

"Yes" said simple, nuzzling the blonde head.

Alastor also wanted to stand up and leave, but he realized that if he did there was no way that his legs wouldn't tremble underneath. Where that demon could no doubt catch it.

"¿Qué carajos…?" let out Vaggie.

She also had to have felt it too. That overwhelming energy that seemed about to swallow the entire room in an instant, making the air heavy and poisoned with dread with every breath.

"He was just being an ass, don't mind it" said Lucifer, making a dismissive gesture and frowning to the demon.

Alastor swallowed up, forcing himself to stand up. He had to leave now. Immediately. He needed time and space to think without his whole body yelling for him to run away too.

"Oh, there you were!" said Al with a cheeky grin, the green eyes now squarely on him. Al tilted his head until it was on top of Lucifer's, his hand coming up to rest on his shoulder. "I guess I appreciate you kept my dear beloved some company while I was gone! Truly, what a great friend you have been, Alastor! My king told me all about it."

"I think you have it the other way around" replied Alastor, looking back to the demon. "It's your so called beloved the one who keep demanding my attention with me barely doing anything for it" He pulled away first, not because of Al, but because the eyes of Lucifer drilling into him with one glance. "If anything, now I am finally relieved."

"Oh, is that so? Good for you, my good man" Al chuckled, his voice becoming soft as he played with the hair on Lucifer's nape. Lucifer relaxed under his fingers, closing his eyes. "Don't let me retain you then. I am sure you have lots of things to take care of, just like we have lots of catch on to do my darling and I. The day of a radio demon is never a boring one, won't I know it!"

Alastor forced himself to laugh without grinding his teeth.

"Indeed it is! With your permission, estimated" said, calling onto his shadows to take him.

--

Alastor was still smirking when Lucifer looked up to him. Charlie and Vaggie had resigned themselves to start their day, leaving the both of them in the kitchen.

"A perfectly civilized interaction, won't you say?" said Alastor, beaming. "Not a single drop of blood was spilled."

"Wow, I am so proud of you" said Lucifer, deeply unimpressed. "You talked to an adult. What an amazing feat."

He huffed.

"That level of sarcasm is unbecoming of you, darling."

Lucifer snorted, kissing his cheek as he stand up. With a few snaps of fingers the chair were not only where they were supposed to be, they were all instantly repaired from the fall they took in the garden.

"I thought I was supposed to do that?" teased Al, reclining against the counter.

"For this one time only" said Lucifer, turning to him. He pulled on the bowtie of his husband until they were almost at eye level. There was no threat in the movement and he could easily free himself if he wanted to. "Just don't do that shit again. Not with the property of Charlie."

"Understood" purred Alastor, reaching forward until he found Lucifer's mouth.

Lucifer kissed him back. For a long instant that was all they needed to, the making out against the counter with the gentle tik tok of a clock on the background. They were on the wrong place, but at least they weren't alone anymore.

"Wait" said Lucifer, pulling back, his hand still staying on the back of Alastor's neck. "Shit, we actually haven't eaten anything. Do you want to go to Cannibal Town and pick whatever you want? My treat. I have gone a couple of times and the Rosie from here is just likes ours."

"Did you went with the other Al?" asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Yes, because you weren't here and I missed the taste" said Lucifer, brushing his hair back. It took Alastor a moment to realize that he was actually brushing it to put on a hairband. Being that the case, he stayed still to let him work. "I have you to blame for that."

Alastor nodded, even though the idea of Lucifer preparing sinner's flesh without him to eat it wasn't at all a pleasant thought. He had been the one to introduce him to that kind of delights, he should be the only one he got to enjoy it with. But he wasn't there and he wasn't going to be the kind to not understand when someone wanted to indulge on such meals.

When he finished with his hair, Lucifer looked upon with admiration.

"Did you liked it?" asked Alastor, arching an eyebrow.

"It's not the same without you" Lucifer frowned. "Did you liked it back at home?"

"I mostly had raws or living ones. Not the same either. I have you to blame for that."

Lucifer smiled, taking his wrist to press on the sigil and undo the illusion spell. He then kissed the portion of skin right above the symbol.

"Do you mind if I go as Alejandro?"

"Not at all."

[amysubmits]

Loving your podcast (except the amount of “ums” used in every sentence ;) )! I shared it with my husband as we venture into our dd/ds journey. It’s very refreshing to hear a real couple and their real perspectives from fetish/kink POV’s. I know you’ve talked a lot about your DD and spanking fetish; but how did you actually start/come out to CD about these things? What was his initial reaction?

Sorry for the late reply, I was a bit triggered by your 'joke' about my overuse of "ums". I believe in at least one podcast episode I addressed how I am self-conscious about how I am not a graceful speaker and how it makes editing difficult because I am not a linear speaker or thinker. I lose my train of thought frequently, struggle to find words, etc. So, I do say 'um' excessively, it's way worse IRL than on the podcast as we edited the vast majority of them out. Not all can be removed as it would break the flow of conversation or whatever else. We tried to edit to make things a little more cohesive and easier to listen to. So, yeah, what I basically got from your message was 'this person finds you annoying even when your way of speaking is cleaned up more than 50%' and that's painful even though it's true, I wish you hadn't told me that as I can't really do anything about it, it's just part of how my ADHD or other neurodivergence works. I felt like I should respond to that portion as I'm working on using my voice to defending myself, being less of a people pleaser, accepting myself and having more self-compassion/respect, etc. But I don't want to dwell so, moving on to the far more enjoyable part of your ask!

I think I've shared how I 'came out' to CD at some point in the past but I don't recall what blog post(s) that would have been in. If I come across them later I'll try to reblog for you. It's now been about 10 years since I asked for DD, and I had told CD about my interest in spanking prior to that, though I don't really recall when that was. So, my memory is not super detailed at this point but I'll try to give a general idea.

As wild as this is, he playfully spanked me before we were officially dating. About a week before he'd ask me to be his girlfriend, we went to the grocery store to hang out because that's all that is open in our town after like 7pm so we'd just go walk around the store sometimes when we were friends. And this day I had attended a funeral and I was still wearing a dress but I had switched into some flip-flops so my feet would be more comfortable. And as we're walking around I decided to buy some chips, but the ones I wanted were on a higher shelf and I am short, so I stepped on one of the lower shelves to get myself high enough to reach the chips I wanted, but one of my flip-flops fell off and he grabbed it while I was still up on the shelf and used it to swat my butt. I think basically in response to seeing that he was open to that sort of play (literally meaning play, no sexual connotation) I started leaning into that sort of play fighting, play wrestling kinda rough housing stuff with him and I'd slap his ass to get him to retaliate. He'd always do this harder, so I'd fight back harder, and I think it was after we were officially dating, but it eventually advanced to him using my belt on me over my pants! But it was all very giggly and playful. In hindsight, this sort of play probably should have made it clear to both of us that we were playing with spanking as a kink but it was never overtly sexual so I had compartmentalized it as just, innocent play. Haha.

I'm REALLY guessing here, but I think we had probably been dating at least six months before I actually told him I was into spanking. He's always had an easier time being open and direct with conversations in general, but especially sexual ones, than I have been. So pretty early on he would try to ask me questions to get a better understanding of my sexual interests and what I liked, basically. I had a lot of shame and anxiety around my sexuality and my kinks and had no experience with being open about anything like that, I found myself sort of just getting awkward when he tried to get me to talk about things like that, and so he never pushed too hard. I knew that spanking was a meaningful part of my sexuality but I was so young and naive still that I thought this was like a one in a million type of kink to have. So for a while I thought it was so weird that I would just never be able to tell him or anyone as it was so 'freakish' in my mind. But as our relationship progressed and I felt safer and safer, it just felt less possible to keep it from him. So eventually I did. I don't remember exactly what I said, sorry. I know that when I spilled the beans, I said something like 'I hope you don't think I'm weird' or gross or a freak or something like that, idk exactly. But I know his response to me was essentially "What? no….that's hot!" which was SUCH a relief because I was so in love with him and it would have been devastating if he was judgemental of it. I believe he also said something to make me think that being into it wasn't nearly as weird (I guess what I really mean is rare) as I had believed it to be. At this time, I had not yet come across the idea of DD, so really all I shared was I was into spanking as that's basically all I knew.

After finding that out, he'd smack my butt while we were doing sexual things but I didn't really enjoy that much so that didn't last. A few years later I came across the idea of DD online and shared that with CD. He was curious but also had some concerns and a lot of questions. He didn't feel like I 'needed' rules and worried that giving me a rule would cause me to break that rule to get spanked which was a dynamic he didn't want to create. I didn't really have good answers to his questions, and I also was still deeply ashamed of these desires so it made it hard for me to have conversations about any of this. I'd even try to avoid saying the word 'spanking' out loud which was really confusing. In hindsight, I just clearly was not ready to engage with any of this stuff because I couldn't talk about it clearly enough to keep things safe. And I didn't realize that, but thankfully, he did. So for a while we'd occasionally talk about it but he'd raise the same questions that I didn't have good answers to and so I'd get awkward and embarrassed and end the conversation and it wouldn't be brought up again for a while. But over time we worked through some of the questions and concerns enough to feel comfortable giving it a try, except we couldn't think of any good rules at first. But then one day I lost my debit card again, which was a recurring problem for me, and it occurred to CD that it might make a good rule so he suggested it as our first rule and that's how we started.

And since then it's been a whole lot of communication and learning as we go, adapting regularly to insight we gain into ourselves and each other along the way. :)

[twilightmalachite]

Altered - Prologue 2

Author: Akira

Characters: Eichi, Wataru

Translator: Mika Enstars

EN Proofer: PitXRoxas

"You killed me not because you hated me, but because you loved me."

Season: Winter

Location: Hospital Room (Private Room)

⚠️ This is an import from a unproofed Twitter Livetweet!

Eichi: Those who are geniuses are biased. I feel that you are trying to convince me using a common narrative, whilst concealing your true intent from me.

To get me to think that there’s not actually anything interesting hiding there.

Wataru: That does tend to be the case… I simply do not wish to cause much trouble to my parents.

I owe it to them for taking me under their wing, you see. I love them as parents and as family, and respect them as human beings.

Although, during the war, your strategy was to question our qualifications as idols and criticize us to the public.

You didn’t cut into what would be our private life, such as our family, didn’t you?

For that, I am very grateful. It is customary to kill an idol through gossip, yet you didn’t choose that method.

Myself aside, it would have been quite troublesome for those such as Kanata for that area to be poked around.

You fought as much as you could on the stage, to settle the matter as an idol.

Eichi: Do you think I fought fair and square as an idol?

I manipulated the very mechanisms of the showdown itself, and did underhanded tricks like inciting the public to drive you into a wall, did I not?

Wataru: I cannot say it was fair and square, but I can agree to the induction of the audience and off-stage brawling as tactics.

You did not raid a dressing room and kill a player before the game started, nor did you take a family hostage and use blackmail.

Eichi: I avoided fighting with Sakuma-senpai, and instead kept him away from the stage, didn’t I?

Wataru: You never forced him. You merely guided him.

Rei then chose to forfeit by his own will—You could have chosen to take away even that choice, am I wrong?

Eichi: ……

Wataru: Your deeds are not wicked nor are they wretched. That is an important detail.

You used every possible means in order to rise victorious over us, but only within the limits of your own reasoning and ethics.

From there, I can see who you truly are.

I can then understand you.

Eichi: ……

Wataru: Eichi. What you love is idols.

And so you wanted to win against us… as an idol.

Is that not so? For the heir of the Tenshouin Zaibatsu, the public’s leading mega-conglomerate, eliminating his enemies would be easier than twisting a baby’s hand.

Eichi: That is true. There are many thugs in this world who would break the law in exchange for spare change.

Using lawless methods such as that, it would have been easy to simply eliminate you all.

But I didn’t.

Wataru: Indeed. You instead were insistent on winning against us as an idol.

Although you used deceptive strategies to make up for the gaps in ability you could not fill, if all you truly wanted was to destroy us, there must’ve been more rational ways to do so.

But say if you had eliminated us through assassination, for example, you would never have been satisfied.

And so, such a method never crossed your mind.

To you, we are not enemies nor obstacles, but something more precious.

Your ultimate goal wasn’t victory, and certainly not our downfall—but to grow as an idol, and find recognition and validation for it.

That is what I read of you. Do you have any corrections to make?

Eichi: …Huh, I see. Right, I hadn’t had the room to analyze myself for quite some time now, but…

I get it now. I loved idols, huh?

I loved you guys, and myself too, as idols.

That is the purpose for which the story of Yumenosaki’s war, the story of fine’s glory and the Five Eccentric’s ruin, was written for.

For my love for idols, and for my self-realization as one.

If I could overthrow and surpass even highly-esteemed idols such as yourselves…

I could become what I love, and find worthy of love—

I wanted to become an idol.

Only once I could triumph over you, and receive public recognition and praise for it, would I have been convinced I was as good as, or better than you.

I can feel it. That’s what I wanted.

I loathed myself, but that is why I wanted to become something that could be loved.

And so for that reason, the process of crushing you all who I loved, and triumphing over you, was essential.

—It all makes sense now.

Fufu, you read into and deciphered the goal that the author himself wasn’t even aware of, it seems.

You’re amazing, “Wataru”.

Wataru: Praise me more! If anything, as the idol of your dreams, it is only natural for me to have this level of greatness!

Eichi: You even deciphered my favoritism towards you, huh. I’m embarrassed. You had recognized my love for you and had begun to call me as a friend to return that love—

Wataru: That much had always been obvious though, no? With how you always would gaze at me, anyone could tell!

However, the majority of people would not be able to understand the love you have for us, and the love you have for idols.

Even those with the full backstory may see nothing but malice in your actions that have so inexcusably wronged and ruined the poor and innocent Five Eccentrics.

But your seemingly contradictory actions and inner feelings connect at one point; your love for idols.

You killed me not because you hated me, but because you loved me.

Eichi: That line alone makes me sound like I’m some freak in some B-class horror movie…

Wataru: In other words, more or less a yandere!

Eichi: Yet another dated term…

Haa… Thank you, Wataru. I feel lighter, somehow.

I was beginning to lose track of my own self. My actions and my feelings felt contradictory, and I had started to feel like some incomprehensible monster.

But, thanks to you, I’ve been able to make sense of myself. I’m relieved. Rather than a performer, aren’t you better suited to be a counselor?

Wataru: No, this is just another skill required of a performer.

It is a matter of deciphering the feelings of the characters; seek your own interpretation, and convey it through dialogue and gesture.

Eichi: If you put it that way, then being a performer must truly be your calling, then.

I too wish to be more like you. I don’t need to be the hero of the story, I painfully know now that I’m not suited to such a position—

But, I do wish to be someone.

I want a role that suits me. Next time, I’ll do it right.

And if my role is of one of my beloved idols, that would be wonderful.

No, rather, shall I prepare a plan to set the stage to achieve that? I won’t be out of the hospital for a while, so I have plenty of time to plan things out.

Wataru: Fufufu, suddenly life has returned to you, hm? Ah, the desire to obtain is mankind’s primary rationale! The driving force that keeps the story rolling!

Hold onto that desire. From here on, to forever, for as long as you live.

And, if possible, please allow me to join you, too.

So that one of these days, please bring me onto the greatest stage once more, Eichi.

Eichi: I’ll lead you to that stage you wish for, then.

It’s a promise, Wataru.

I suppose, perhaps by leading you to the stage you want, I can atone for all those people I’ve wrongfully hurt.

← prev | story directory | next →

[fourseasonsfigs]

Tom Ford (Fat Body)

There truly never can be enough Tom Ford figs in the world! So I was happy to scoop up these two little well-dressed men in this cute "fat body" style.

The inspiration for these figs of course is this epic picture:

I've written about the Tom Ford event before, so I won't repeat myself, but you can check out the prior Tom Ford figs I've posted about if you're interested here and here.

Here's some pics for fig outfit comparison purposes:

The background for these figs is a dual sided diorama that is based off of this background:

Let me get a full image of it -

There we go. Tom Ford's signature does look a bit like a stylized Junzhe, doesn't it?

The yellow lettering says (as always, poorly machine translated):

Orange Peel Civil Affairs Bureau Marriage Registry

I love it!

This diorama is actually the other side of this:

Which of course you've seen before. I realized my mistake when I bought these that I had only bought 1. I like both sides and I have figs for both sides! I had to snag a second one when the remainders came available so I can have both sides displayed.

These two are so nicely detailed! Please take a look at the dog and cats in their eyes, so cute!

Zhehan's whole outfit has just a wealth of wonderful little touches. For something as casual as this jacket, there's actually has a lot going on. There's the mesh layer to it, the hanging tag on his zipper, and of course the light tan edging setting off the light blue. We also have all this fantastic detail on his belt and shoes.

Haha I love them pointing at each other like this, it's so cute! We've got Junjun's normal slim silhouette and Zhehan's more curvy one.

The figs stand up just fine on their own, despite their even larger than normal heads. Quality fig engineering, and I also think the body style provides a sturdier base.

I know Gong Jun's flowered shirt has given factories difficulties before. It looks sharp and beautifully detailed here. This is also a great angle to see the mesh on the back of Zhehan's hoodie.

Oops! I missed an angle! I'll leave this as a placeholder and come back to it.

I like the slouchiness of the jacket riding up with Zhehan's hand in his pocket.

Their hair also looks great. We get Junjun's styled look and Zhehan's shorter sides / longer top artfully tousled hair.

And we're back around! This isn't their position in the pics, but I think it always looks a bit different to have them standing in different places. You can see that Junjun is just a smidge taller than Zhehan.

Zhehan's belt even has a bit of a 3-D effect. This is a really nice set of figs.

We can really see Zhehan's tousled hair here! I love it.

Here's a comparison of the fat body style next to the more typical fig style. I love all the styles! I have to say I wish all figs had the larger feet, it would really make it much easier for standability and / or fig stickers.

The box cards and the beautiful boxes.

Material: PVC

Fig Count: 376

Scene Count: 26

Rating: A+ product for a joint endorsement!

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

Alright, everything beyond this is a discussion not around the figs but around the actual lipstick our two faves sold. I'm retired as a beauty blogger (although I kind of miss it sometimes) but this is definitely beauty-blog adjacent. So click right out if that's of no interest!

For those of you sticking around, I'm going to start with these pictures:

Can I just say the photographer for this last picture is a genius?

Anyway, I take this side journey not just to post beautiful men advertising lipstick, but as I said, to actually talk about this lipstick for a few minutes. Lip Lacquer Luxe Matte in Lark 03 sold out everywhere. Like, globally. I tried to buy it too late, so despite everywhere I searched, including all my international beauty sites, I had zero luck. I mean, good for our boys, right? I'm so proud of them.

I did eventually manage to buy it from a reseller here in the US (and fairly recently, at that), but at this point of course the liquid lipstick is several years old, and I have to responsibly advise against using old makeup, no matter how pricey or beloved.

I've been checking in periodically at Tom Ford and various retailers to see if they ever plan to restock this color (why do people hate money???), and GUESS what? A couple weeks ago I searched on Sephora and I got a hit. I couldn't believe it! The item that came up was not, in fact, Lip Lacquer Luxe Matte in Lark 03 - it was the Liquid Lip Luxe Matte in Lark 121. I would actually research what the difference is between the two formulas, and do an analysis of the ingredients, but as I said, I'm retired from that (plus I have tomorrow's blog post to write!).

The color looked the same to me though, so into the cart it went. It arrived on my doorstep and sure enough, it's the exact same color.

The one on the left is the new one, and the right is the original one.

The original formulation is definitely less matte. It goes on creamy and smooth, it's really nice. It takes a little longer to dry down because of it, but that also allows you to blot it and get a nice diffuse color. The new version is slightly more liquid, sets very fast, and blotting only seems to get rid of the excess / reveal where I didn't apply evenly. I definitely like the original formulation better, but that's just my personal preference.

So this is a moon I made on my arm, with the original in the center and the new formula outside of it. You can see how even though I drew the interior moon first, it's still quite creamy, while the exterior outlines of the moon have dried down almost completely.

The color in real life is absolutely gorgeous. I'd say it's very true to the color on Gong Jun's lips in his photos. This is actually my perfect lipstick color, and I don't say this as a JZP. I have tried so many lipsticks, I can't even tell you. There's a reason I've been hunting this down so religiously.

I will say there's another red advertised in this video and it is definitely not my color at all. I wish it was! It's gorgeous:

There's two things I don't love. First, the price. $59 for a liquid lipstick is ridiculous. I searched Sephora's site by "liquid lipstick" and sorted by Price, Highest First, and guess what was at the very top of the list? Yeah, you got it in one. This literal product. Absurd. The YSL lines of lipsticks are some of my favorite and you get a gorgeous case for about half the price. For a quarter of the price (or less!) you can get an awesome formulation at Target or Ulta, or for that matter, Sephora.

Second, I also don't love lipstick as a product in general. I like to say it's because it's too fussy for me, but the truth is, I had terribly crooked teeth as a child and wore braces (twice), and I think I've never subconsciously gotten over wanting people to not look at my mouth.

Unfortunately, my lips lost the genetic dice roll and have very little natural pigment in them, and it brightens my face up to have a little bit of rosiness in my lips. So, it's nice to have a go-to color for work and going out. And I will say, I have found that it's true that there's something about putting on a fresh coat of lipstick, taking a deep breath, and going out to face the world when you have to but really don't want to.

[rhejac]

convention post

This year, I had the chance to attend my first anime convention, SwampCon, held at the Reitz Union. As someone who's been fascinated by anime for a long time, attending a convention has always been a dream of mine. However, factors like distance, cost, and not having friends who shared my interests had kept me from going. The closest I had come to participating in a convention before SwampCon was through my long-distance friends, who would buy merch for me from Otakon. While I couldn't attend in person, receiving those items felt like a piece of the convention experience. I got prints of Kurapika, my favorite character from Hunter X Hunter.

Walking into the Reitz Union, I didn’t expect what I saw. One of the most exciting aspects was seeing people dressed in cosplay. It was my first time seeing cosplayers in person, and it felt surreal to see characters from my favorite series brought to life. I think cosplay is a fascinating aspect of fandom; it's a way for people to express their love for a character and be part of the fandom community. My friend and I had a blast pointing out different cosplays, from intricate, detailed costumes to creative, casual interpretations. It was like a parade of creativity and passion, showcasing the diverse ways people connect with their favorite media.

The highlight of SwampCon for me was definitely the artist alley. This area was filled with booths run by independent artists selling a wide range of merchandise, including stickers, prints, keychains, and more. It was incredible to see the sheer variety of art styles and the unique takes on popular characters. Supporting small artists felt rewarding, knowing that each purchase was helping someone pursue their passion. I picked up some fantastic items that you can't find anywhere else, making my collection even more special.

While SwampCon was smaller compared to some of the major conventions, it was the perfect introduction for a first-timer like me. The more intimate setting made it easier to navigate and less overwhelming, allowing me to fully enjoy the experience without feeling lost in the crowd. It also gave me a taste of what to expect at larger conventions and left me eager to attend more in the future. I definitely wish there were more people attending and that the con was more lively, but then again I didn’t get to attend during the more busy hours. 

Reflecting on my experience, I thought about how I could participate in cons in the future. As someone who enjoys drawing and digital art, I feel like I would enjoy selling fan art and stickers. I've dabbled in fan art, drawing characters in different styles or imagining them in new scenarios. I could also see myself participating in cosplay, maybe more casual than intricate so I can keep my sanity. I would also like to go to bigger cons that have panels or meet and greets, so that I can participate even more with fandom culture and learn more about the inner workings of my favorite anime and manga.

In reflecting on this experience, I've come to appreciate how anime conventions serve as a unique cultural phenomenon. They are spaces where fans can come together, celebrate their interests, and feel a sense of belonging. The joy of seeing cosplayers, the thrill of discovering new art in the artist alley, and the overall sense of community all contribute to a truly immersive experience. For me, SwampCon was more than just an event; it was a gateway into a vibrant and welcoming world of fandom. I can't wait to see where this journey takes me next.

[carolinashypnousa]

April 09, 2024 Class: Erotic Hypnosis 101

Date/Time: April 09, 2024, 6:30pm - 9:30pm (if there’s good discussion or practice ongoing, we don’t mind going over) Location: private residence in Charlotte, NC: vetted RSVPs will be provided the address Cost: $10 + see potluck details in description below Dress code: vanilla to door, collars allowed inside, be comfortable

FetLife Event Page: https://fetlife.com/events/1485357

Description: Curious about hypnosis in general? Wondering what the hell erotic hypnosis is? Interested in seeing how erotic hypnosis can be used to enhance your scenes? Come to our class and learn the basics, see some demos, and maybe try it for yourself in the practice session!

We'll go over our working definition for what hypnosis is, handle some common myths and questions, and give perspective of where it can fit in into sexy and/or kinky times and dynamics. We'll teach a basic how-to for both tops and bottoms, and go over safety so you can do it with a RACK mindset.

Full 101 Class: 6:30 - 8:30 Practice/Social: 8:30 - 9:30 (can go over)

Bring a snack or nonalcoholic drink to share, a dinner for yourself, or a suggested donation of $5 to offset food prices, as we'll be providing some food, as well (likely pizza). We can heat any food brought, if needed.

We will have limited attendance capacity, so please do not assume we have space for you, even if you've been to one of our classes in the past, unless you receive confirmation from us of your RSVP. Our main way of tracking RSVPs will be through FetLife Event Page RSVPs, but we will review private/direct messages, as well. For FetLife Event Page RSVPs, Maybe RSVPs are NOT guaranteed a spot in attendance.

This is a Hypnokink in the Carolinas event at a private residence. We require attendees be vetted, so please see our Vetting Policy posted here, it’s probably easier than you think.

If you can’t make it to the event, please check out the Discord server, join us for discussion in the FetLife HKiC Group, or add your kink-friendly email to the Email List for updates that way. We also just love to talk about erotic hypnosis, so feel free to contact us!

How do You RSVP or Contact Us?

Got questions or want to RSVP?  There’s so many different ways to reach out to us or to start discussions:

E-mail carolinashypno@gmail.com

Via IMs here on Tumblr at @carolinashypnousa

Via PMs on FetLife to either AmHypnotic or MentalConfetti

Via DM on Discord to AmHypnotic (help me know you’re not spam by saying in your first message why you are DMing me)

I mentioned the Discord Server before, right? Feel free to chat freely and ask questions there!

Hypnokink in the Carolinas’ FetLife Group, join and start up or continue discussions

We are most immediately responsive on FetLife, but we will review each listed above prior to the event.

Is there a social media platform that you wish we were on, feel free to let us know!

[saskiamcc]

Critique of process - One More Day

One More Day was the first project that I have worked on as a head of department production designer, and I had the best experience. The communication between the crew made it so much easier to do my job, in particular Alfie, our director was so helpful and was open to my ideas - allowing me creative freedom, while still being true to his vision of the film. Having a location that was basically a blank canvas was both a blessing and a challenge for me because while I had complete freedom to fill the space, I also had to find a way to fill the room in a way which made narrative sense and also in a way which was visually interesting. It was a bit tricky having such a small team for production design as it was quite a big project, but it also meant communication was a lot easier as it was only me and one person in the art department. Occasionally, I found it difficult to find a balance between the work I was doing and the work the art department was doing, and sometimes I felt like I had quite a big workload, however that may have been a mistake in my planning. Initially, I felt like I wasn’t always being listened to within my department, however after a bit more communication, I felt that we worked very well together and we collaborated well, prepping and dressing the set. I would have liked to have been at the recorded rehearsal but unfortunately due to personal reasons I couldn’t attend, which meant that I missed an opportunity to see the blocking for the actors and see a rough lighting plan. While this could have made my job difficult for the dressing of the full set, I felt that I was very good at communicating with my team - especially with our director - which meant that this did not affect my work and this was not an issue I faced on shooting days. My biggest strength for this particular project was planning and communication. I have been on projects where I felt that I wasn’t respected in my role as production designer and I communicated that at the start of this project - this was definitely taken in by the rest of the crew and I was really happy with how the set ran, it was incredibly professional. Additionally, I felt that I was quite good at paying attention to detail, I always made sure that there was intent behind all of my creative decisions and it really payed off. I wish that I was more assertive with my team as I think sometimes I wasn’t getting my point across like I wished, and at times when we were setting up I think we wasted a bit of time focusing too much on things that weren’t going to be seen on screen as much - so I think next time I will focus more on organising my priorities as well.

[nicekaylee]

july fucking 31st

it's 2 am

after the show i said fuck all of THIS

and went on a fucking vacation. and getting therapy

and it's been going pretty sick, therapy not started. but anyways thats a write up for another day. im just going to talk about something specific that happened today.. im so pissed, and heartbroken.

CONTEXT

in my past 3 years of wasting my life on this god damn album, someone i knew a bit lit up my life in the last year,2022. this girl. the way she dresses just opened up a new sense of inspiration for me that ive never had before. so i get to know her a bit more once we hang out, and then i get to know how similar our interest in things are. we talk on the phone, and it's really nice. i knew after my birthday that this girl was someone special to me. and even though she's inspiration, i wanted to know i wanted to be there to care for her and be a closer companion, especially after knowing her past history and how i feel like she may have not felt that. fast forward 10 fucking months and im no where closer. in fact, even further away. i bet this girl doesn't think about me at all. and i'm just confused cause she barely shows any emotion at all. like one of the hardest people to understand, yet im still so invested. but it's getting very one sided. I got very depressed after my birthday, and then super focused on my album so i had little social life.. if any at all. not one message of empathy from her.. a couple of times seeing her, but never alone.. but whatever that's not the real point of the story. that was all just context. THE REAL STORY

so it's july 2023 i can't look at her as a friend, cause i have too many feelings. we talk minimally but theres a group chat thats kinda our saving grace. and just recently, she started med school in galveston. fuck. during my vacation, i'm trying to enjoy my life more. ive always wanted to wait till after my album is done, where i feel like my life will be easier, but now a days im thinking.. fuck that. i'm tired of waiting to be in the right time of my life because i can't bottle these feelings any longer. like fr this shit is bothering me so much. i'm getting older and just wishing and having this crush with no substance makes no sense.

so i need to tell her asap.

i wanted to see her in galveston. somehow ended up into a group friend thing to visit her in galveston, then her mom shut that down.

because she is in the most complicated situation literally not meant for dating at all. no car, mom takes her everywhere, curfew as fuck,her mom doesnt even want her around guys, what the actual fuck. but fuck it, she makes time to hang out in houston..for like 2 hours.. but i appreciate it honestly i understand her life situation.

TODAY she pulls up to my friends house with her brother cause her moms a freak about her going out. it's another group hangout. how tf am i gonna tell her my feelings?? anyways,

i mention i went to galveston and she seems UPSET THAT I DIDNT TELL HER?? CAUSE SHE COULDA MADE A WAY TO SEE ME..

NOW SHE WANTS TO SEE ME? WTF. idk dude it's so hard to understand her. so that was some good insight. but it's the past so whatever..

we play mario party on the switch. finish and it's about time to go. i whip out a surprise bag with gifts i wanted to treat my 2 other friends and her with! snacks for one, a fork for another, and i got her these super cute pens. she seemed to like them! she then says i didn't have to get this cause she knows im broke. WTF. honestly, shit was funny. idc but then she starts talking to me or us about some more details of her school life. she seems to always looks at me more. like most of the time. i LOVE that, but i have no clue how basic that is for her. she tells me shes finally gonna start her dream cover band, which is sick, love to hear that. someone said i should do a cover band.. i made a face and was going to say i actually do plan on it--

THEN SHE FUCKING CUTS ME OFF. AND FUCKING SAYS I SHOULD MAKE CUTE JINGLES FOR MY GIRLFRIEND(S)?? LIKE HALLMARK CARDS w pretty messages and simple JINGLES?? .....WHAT THE FUCK...

im staring at her like about to fucking lose my mind... cause i want to do that FOR HER. i almost impulsivey confess everything i feel to her. but everyone was right around me, her brother too. and i didn't know if it would be bad for her brother to hear..and have him spread info to her mom ..which will fuck her over more. i didn't wanna do that. so i just calmed down and played dumb. she left and said it's gonna be a long time till she'll see us again. what the fuck. im so mad. my friends said i shoulda just told her right there.. but idk it was so much random pressure and i wanted to be courteous and not fuck her over..

but jesus fucking christ im so mad. or some other word to describe how riled up that got me. this woman needs to know how i feel. i actually dont give a fuck anymore. im a grown dude and that annoys me that this is all weird puzzle solving teenage shit. cause if she was hinting, fuck her so im going to galveston this wednesday. giving her A SPECIAL hallmark card with a beautiful art of her and a BEAUTIFUL SONG only for her. not for OTHER girlfriends.. FOR HER. she is the one i want to make these things for . she needs to know shes the one i care about. before some asshole gets to her in galveston. honestly i actually dont care. i just wanna make sure she knows how special she is to me. that'll give me peace of mind. and she says no, then honestly im okay. anyways im doing it. wednesday. cant bottle this in anymore. i really hope she lets me see her man. i just want to let her know how special she is to me. it'll hurt my heart knowing if i never did anything. and maybe she'll share something loving as well

maybe

[more-than-a-princess]

Sonia gave him a sympathetic smile. Perhaps, like her, he had an undesirable talent or one that attracted controversy. She didn't dare ask: it was impolite, to assume out loud that someone's talent wasn't favored by the school or its alumni. "I hope I do not forget my time here so quickly," She replied. She didn't fault him for it but it did seem rather sad to have such memories fade. "I have adored my time here and, come next spring, I shall be sorry to see it end. I hope to hold onto those memories for the rest of my life, I should not wish to forget a thing!"

Perhaps it wasn't wise to 'peak' in high school, but that wasn't what Sonia envisioned anyway. Rather, she felt certain that high school and university would likely be some of the happiest times in her life, or at least times with the most amount of freedom and least amount of expectations. Even the media kept themselves at bay near school campuses, often unwilling to snap and record candids of young royals simply trying to obtain an education.

He insisted he didn't want to monopolize her time, and the men that surrounded her, crowded her, seemed to be in vehement agreement with that assessment. Sonia swallowed: it was easier, in a way, to defer the attention when she had her armor on. A modest dress and matching coat, or a full-length gown paired with select pieces of the crown jewels, and several members of her security detail flanking her ready to strike should she need them. In her brown school uniform, matching flower headband, and loafers, she felt vulnerable: the downside of blending in, she supposed, as she fixed a more pleasant, tight smile upon her face. Looking all manner of normal high school girl meant anyone would treat her like a normal high school girl. Even one poised to wield unimaginable amounts of power one day, she was still a girl, impressionable and easily swayed, in their eyes. And afraid, always, of being rude and untoward.

"I would be most pleased to assist you, sir," Sonia agreed with little time to deliberate. Frankly, insisting he had no intention of flirting with her was enough to secure her agreement. It was almost ironic: she'd just explained to Anzu and her sister her philosophy on romance and dating and not five minutes later she was surrounded by men looking to do exactly that, doubting that any of them actually cared to get to know her and were truly interested in what she, and her family, could offer them. The age gap aside, of course: being royal, it wasn't the first thing that stood out to her as terribly off.

Stepping out from behind the table, she passed by grumbles and glares, all in the direction of the newcomer who didn't seem to share the same sort of peacocking attitudes the other men possessed. Sonia led him out of earshot, to the opposite side of the courtyard, before letting out the large sigh she'd been holding in since she'd been bombarded by attention. "Truly, thank you," She told him, pushing a lock of blonde hair over her shoulder. "I am not usually so ill-prepared in such situations, but I should have expected such things from a normal school and on a day like today. I am not sure what constitutes a can't-miss attraction, but I suppose if I were in your shoes I would want to meet my old classmates and teachers to re-establish our friendships and learn about their lives nowadays. There are displays set up for the past ten years of graduating classes that your peers may have contributed to: perhaps you may wish to see those first?"

At first, Masaru had thought that the men surrounding the girl were all alumni in similar situations to himself, but he was quickly realizing that that might not be the case. Frankly, he had a hard time believing that guys that fashionable somehow couldn't figure out which way to the party. "Oh, cool," he said, nodding along to her explanation. "When I was a student here, they used to set me up on the far side of campus, out by the track on the backside of campus, so I never really got to see all the festivities." Maybe that had been a downer, but back then, he'd had other things on his mind anyway.

Refreshments sounded like a good idea, especially cooked by someone with experience and talent, but as Masaru tapped at the mark on his chin, eyes flitting over towards those men who were regarding him with some kind of animosity, an idea struck him. "Honestly, it's been forever," he admitted. "I graduated six years ago, in the 71st class, and that feels long enough that I've forgotten almost everything." That wasn't a lie, although it was less about the time, and more about a conscious attempt to put Hope's Peak Academy behind him.

His smile was easy and genuine, if a bit crooked, as Masaru shrugged. "I really wouldn't want to monopolize your time, but, I could really use some more serious help, probably. I'd hate to wander off and get lost in that labyrinth of a school, and it'd probably give a bad impression if I was walking around on my own without a nametag." Those were compelling enough reasons, as far as he saw it - the kind of justification that could be made convincingly.

Again, he shrugged. For all the anxiety that had been knotted in his stomach that morning, things were starting to melt away. He really was different from that anxious, panicky boy. And why shouldn't he be? He had a decent job, his own place, the world's most amazing girlfriend. Masaru hadn't spoken to his father in six years, and he'd left archery behind in favor of playing piano and occasionally bartending. Some people might have seen that as a waste of his 'talent,' but it was hard not to see it all as growth, not when he could wake up in the morning and breathe in a way that it felt like he'd never done as a teen.

He offered the girl another smile, as he pushed his hair back out of his face, then tapped at his chin again. "Looks like you've got a lot of guys crowding around," he added, dropping his voice into a low whisper. "If you're looking for a break, I'd be happy to be your excuse to leave your post." He wasn't even sure if that was allowed, or if she wanted to, but he might as well make the offer. "Don't worry, I'm not here to hit on students or anything, but, it looks like you could do without the posse."

Was he overstepping a boundary? Probably so. Then again, when Masaru looked back on his own adolescence, the thing that he always came back to was his wish that someone in any kind of position of experience or seniority had reached out to help him. Obviously, a couple of overly-familiar guys didn't necessarily measure up to what he'd gone through, but wasn't the principle of it more or less the same? If he was going too far, the girl could just tell him off, and he could find his own way. "By which I mean, I really am lost, and it'd be a big help to have a current student show me around, including giving her opinions as guidance as to what are the can't-miss attractions."

[maneskintifoso]

Date night 🫶

Victoria x reader

— warnings— smut, fingering, oral (female receiving) and bdsm dynamics —

— summary: you and vic go on a date and it ends with fun at the hotel —

So when she asked you out on a date you were taken aback, why would the hot famous rockstar want to date you? It was definitely a shock and you weren't sure whether you should just say no but you were more ready for a relationship now and you really liked her. So you said yes. And now you were standing in your room mildly regretting it.

Victoria had sent you the address and it was a fancy restaurant that was in the east village. You knew that Vics vibe was very rock n roll and very fashionable. You on the other hand felt very unfashionable, you tended to for floral prints and sweaters and midi dresses. After lots of changes and fresh outfits you decide on a tight black dress with little pink flowers on and lace details. You feel sexy and pretty and you feel like it kind of matches Vics vibe. After applying makeup and finishing your hair, you get stuck on what shoes to wear. Black converse or platform doc martens. You settle on the doc martens as they are easier to get off.

Your phone rings and its vic

“Hey i'm just leaving now” you are running down the stairs in a rush not be late.

“Cool cool, yeah i was just ringing to check you are still up for tonight but clearly you are '' she lets out an awkward laugh and you can tell that she's also nervous.

“Yeah no i'm really excited”

“Yeah me too, i'll let you go cause you sound like you are running a marathon”

“Haha ok i'll see you soon”

“Ciao” you put your phone safely in your pocket and keep walking as fast as you can.

When you are just around the corner from the restaurant you stop and take a deep breath, you don't really know how adult first dates work and your friends have given you advice but what if you forgot or it was awkward.

You walk towards the restaurant and you see vic casually leaning against a wall, you put on a smile and walk up to her.

“Hey you look really nice” you chastise yourself for saying ‘really nice’ why did you say that? Why didn't you say really pretty or sexy or something more enthusiastic?

“Ciao,you look absolutely stunning, shall we go in?” she nods toward the door and extends her arm.

“Yeah lets go” you link her arm with yours.

The waitress shows you to your table which is tucked away in the corner of the restaurant and for a minute you are worried it will be awkward but vic is already talking to you and you are sucked into the conversation. Vic asks you about your job and hobbies and your college major and what life for you was like. You try your best to ask her questions about her job and what the whole fame thing is like and her friends back home but vic seems more eager to talk about you then herself. You order the only vegan thing on the menu which was a vegan burger and when she realises you are vegan she apologises profusely for not picking somewhere more vegan friendly. The date had gone really well and you were proud of yourself doing something that is out of your comfort zone.

“Nightcap at my hotel?” vic asks on the way out of the restaurant, you are pretty sure she is just asking you back for sex but who are you to disagree.

“Yeah sure” the uber ride to your hotel you talk about music and the models of basses that you wished you owned. It was sweet and you were so happy to have someone to talk about this with. You loved your band but the rest of the band played their instruments and had no interest in yours.

“So do you and your band do shows or anything?” you nod

“Yeah we play the occasional bar show and clubs sometimes, people are really getting into indie music so we are definitely getting more and more shows” she smiles widely

“Would you ever tour?”

“I would love to, I mean I guess it would need to be after we finish college but definitely” she looks like she is plotting something and you aren't sure what she is going to say next.

“You're always welcome to join us on tour”

“Ummm thats really nice of you, we wouldn't want to intrude”

“You could never intrude” she runs her hand up your thigh and a shiver runs through you.

“Do you like that princess?” you nod adamantly and she puts her hand closer to your pussy. You hold back a whimper for the sake of the poor taxi driver.

When you make it up to her hotel room you look around at the luxury interior, the dim lights and the neatly made bed. This was something you had never experienced, you had always lived in new york, the furthest you had moved was to your new flat. You stand in the doorway staring at the room, vic clearly notices you freezing and wraps her arms around your neck. You initiate a kiss, it's not even really a kiss, your mouths are just slotted together. She runs her tongue over your teeth, ist a funny feeling but not a bad one. She signals for you to jump and you are confused, you aren't sure how she's going to hold you. You are both similar sizes but you are a little bit taller than her and you are worried that she won't be able to hold you and it will be awkward. So the only thing to do is redirect her, you start kissing her neck. She makes these little throaty noises and you can feel yourself getting wetter.

She runs her hands over the bottom of your dress and you expect her to pull it over your head but she just runs her hands over your wet underwear. She lingers on your clit and you let out a moan, you expect her to withdraw her hand but she then pushes your underwear to the side and slides in a finger. Without any trouble she finds your g spot and your knees buckle no one has ever been able to do this. You had just got out of a relationship when you met victoria and lets just say that it had been very dry sex. But with vic it was magical.

You expect her to do something more or you hope that she does something else but she just pulls out her fingers and you try to almost chase after them. She lets out a raspy laugh and you know she's laughing at you but you don't feel embarrassed at all. You decide enough is enough and pull your dress over your head, when you look at her she doesn't look happy with you at all.

“Did I tell you to do that?” she says in a dominating tone. You look down in guilt.

“No mistress” she yanks your hair making your head snap up toward her face.

“On the bed and on your hands and knees now” you instantly get onto the bed in hope that Victoria will go easy on you. But you know that was probably unlikely.

She spanks you hard on your thigh and it causes you to jump and tumble onto your elbows.

“You will count for me cucciola and when i am done you will thank me”

“Yes mistress”

She starts hitting you alternating between each of your cheeks and your thighs. You keep count and after 20 you wonder if she has plans to stop but she doesn't she just keeps going. You can feel the tingling and stinging in you ass and thighs and you know sitting down tomorrow will hurt like a bitch.

“Puppy you are getting slow on the counting” she hits you again and again and you consider safewording but she must sense that you are getting close to your limit because she announces that she is doing the final 10 spanks.

After she's done you managed to stutter out a quiet “thank you miss”

“Do you want to keep going princess?” she gently rubs your back and its so soothing.

“Yes mistress” you can see her smile and she spanks you again.

“Lay flat on your back” she commands from behind you. You quickly lay on your back and lean up on your elbows to see what she is doing.There is a sharp pain on your ass from the spanks “I didn’t say you could look at me puppy” you quickly put your arms down so you are laying flat and look at the white ceiling.

She straddles your waist and her face is suddenly above yours.

“You look so good beneath me” she leans down and places a gentle kiss on your lips and it throws you off. You try to deepen the kiss and chase her lips but she sits up before you can. “Show how much you want me, touch yourself for me cucciola” you have never mastrubated in front of someone else before.

You weren’t really sure what to do, you never really did much to get off when you were alone and you were worried that it wouldn’t be good enough for Victoria.

You apphenively reach your hand down and toward your clit. You start rubbing slow circles and occasionally going up and down, it’s not doing a whole lot for you especially with the nerves. You let out a fake moan and vic pulls back from the kiss to look at you.

“Tell me you aren’t for real” she sounds snappy and you feel more embarrassed.

“Sorry princess I didn’t mean to make you feel self conscious” she rubs up and down your arms and you are unsure of what to say.

“I just rather have you touch me” you say quietly.

“Do you deserve it?” She’s got a more dominant tone again and instantly you are back into the scene.

“I took all your spanks mistress” it comes out slightly bratty and she’s got a frown.

“Tell me what you want then baby”

“Just touch me anywhere”

She runs her hand down to your pussy and rubs her hand over it. She starts to circle around your entrance and puts part of her finger in, you buckle your hips toward her fingers and she completely moves her hand away. You make a keeling noise and she shakes her head at you.

“If you can’t stay still then I’ll have to tie you up” you moan at the idea of her tying you up again. “Oh you really are a slut, wait there then Princess” she gets off you and goes to her suitcase. She gets out a tie and a scarf, it surprises you that she doesn’t carry round a whole sex shop with her.

“Have to improvise” she has a smile on her face and she is pulling your arms above your head and tying them to the headboard. She moves down to your ankles and uses one of her scarves to tie one leg apart and then the other to the headboard.

“Thank you mistress” she is kissing down your body and working towards you pussy. As she gets closer you start to get worked up and she gets closer but she just misses it and kisses your thighs instead. You roll your head back in annoyance and she just keeps going on her mission.

“Please vic” she moves up again and finally her mouth is on you. You let out a loud moan at her tongue on your clit and she uses her fingers to finger you slowly. She keeps going and your moans are getting louder and louder as you get closer to finishing.

“Do you want to come?” You nod ferociously.

“Let me hear you then baby” you moan loudly as she gets you closer to finishing and you let out little cries. “So pretty baby” your legs are starting to shake from how intense it is.

“Come for me” you come loudly with her tongue on you. She licks up the aftermath of your orgasm and it feels so sensitive, you are letting out little sounds from how sensitive you are.

She moves to lay beside you and you switch positions with her. You kiss her neck and she is letting out whimpers, you kiss down her chest and slowly start to finger her. She spreads her legs more and more as you start to go faster. “Put a second one in”

“You aren’t ready”

“Just because you are on top does not mean you are in charge” you mutter a quiet sorry and put a second finger in, it takes a bit of a push but when you do it she moans louder than she has so far today.

“Thank you Princess” she starts to get more frantic as she gets closer and you are starting to get more worked up. You can tell she’s getting closer when her moans get more and more frequent.

“I’m so close baby” you start to move your hand faster and swipe your thumb over her clit. She almost screams as she comes and you smile at her.

You lay beside her and she is breathing loudly and you watch her chest rise and fall.

“I’ll go get some cream for you ass and a glass of water, just give me a second” she rolls over and just lays there for a minute.

She gets and gently rubs a cold cream into the marks. You let out a little gasp from the temperature and she quietly apologises about it.

“I really enjoyed today” she lays back next to you and you smile at her. “Thank you for putting up with me” she seems a bit insecure about it

“I love spending time with you vic, I will always put up with you” she cuddles into you and kisses you lightly and you hope this will be forever.

[victoria-daydreams]

The Dressmaker

Part I

AN: I did not expect this story to do numbers like it’s doing now lol. I posted this thinking it would be a niche fic for my own enjoyment that I would come back to read whenever I wanted to, but I guess not. Trying to get the timeline right for this season with an OC was an absolute nightmare, but I did it (hopefully) and tried to make everything make sense. Didn’t think I would make this a series, but I’m willing to make a taglist if interested.

So, back by popular demand, I present to you Part II.

Word Count: 2.9k

Trigger warnings: dated (offensive) language, mentions of hate crime

The Dressmaker: Part II

The sound of Selina’s heeled shoes against the floor echoed in the corridor as she strode to Tommy’s office in his factory. With every step she took, the grip she had on her clutch grew tighter and tighter. In the most diplomatic way possible, Selina was going to tell her older brother what transpired on Christmas Eve. Of course, that’s easier said than done. She could already foresee Tommy’s piercing blue eyes looking any sign of an omitted detail. And possibly flying off the handle

Selina turned down another hall of the factory, her clacking footfalls reverberating loudly through the empty hall. With the ongoing strike at the factory, the place was practically a ghost town. As she grew closer to his office Selina spotted Niall, Tommy’s secretary, sitting at his desk. The sound of her heels alerted the man to her presence to which he stood up abruptly from his seat.

“Miss Shelby—”

Selina silenced him with one look. Niall was about to stop her from entering the office. Without speaking a word, he backed down and slowly lowered himself back into his seat. Selina moved a strand of hair from her face and marched right up to the door. She didn’t even bother to knock, she just entered into the room. And oh, how she wished Niall stopped her from walking into Tommy’s office.

Whatever Selina was going to say, died right on her lips as she  didn’t utter a word while standing in the doorway.

Two sets of eyes had landed on her, one was Tommy’s, who was doing a fantastic job of keeping his expression blank. When her eyes shifted to the other man, it made her do a subtle double take. He was dressed in a navy blue, buttoned down suit and slicked black hair, a toothpick lazily dangling from his lips.

“Oh, bloody fucking hell,”

Selina quickly concealed the stunned expression that briefly flashed on her face, conscious of the fact that her brother was without a doubt scrutinizing her like a hawk.

“Mr. Shelby, my apologies,” Selina said quickly. “I didn’t know you were with someone,” she continued, hoping no one caught the quaver in her voice.

“No apologies needed, Miss Clarke,” Tommy replied, his voice tight. “Mr. Changretta was just leaving,” he informed, his eyes drifting to the Italian.

“He’s right, Miss Clarke,” Luca agreed, walking towards her. Selina felt like her heart was in her throat. “It’s funny though,” he said, now towering over her. “I thought you said you didn’t know the Shelbys,” he recalled.

“That’s not what I said, Mr. Changretta,” Selina pointed out, trying to keep her breathing steady. “You asked me if I’ve heard them and I said yes,” she reminded. “You didn’t ask if I knew them,” she clarified, watching a half smirk grow on Luca’s face.

“Miss Clarke does love her semantics,” Tommy said, and she darted her eyes in his direction.

Luca only hummed looking Selina up and down with a smirk. And with that he turned to leave, but not before his heavily ringed hand reached out and took her own, lifting it up to his lips.

“Ciao, signorina,” Luca said before dropping her hand back to her side, and leaving the office.

Selina loudly let out the breath she had unconsciously been holding as she pushed the door close.

“Lina,” Tommy called, his voice was too calm for her liking. “You want to tell me what the fuck that was about?” he asked, pointing to the door.

“Er-that’s actually why I came down here to see you Tommy,” Selina explained, playing with her hands nervously. “But…it seems that Luca—I mean Mr. Changretta beat me to it,” she stammered.

“Oh, so he’s Luca to you, is he?” he questioned, venom laced behind the statement.

Tommy’s penetrating gaze went right through her soul, causing Selina’s body to tense up.

“No, he’s not. I—”

“You’ve been fucking fraternizing with the enemy! Knowing what he did to John and Michael!”

“He came to me on Christmas Eve!” Selina shouted back. “I just got back from Paris the day before myself. I didn’t know the family was at war with the New York fucking Mafia!” she exclaimed.

“You’ve gotten careless Selina! The girl I knew would’ve told me that information immediately!”

“And who’s fucking fault is that, Thomas?” Selina retorted, folding her arms against her chest. “Polly, shipped me off to Paris after Grace’s funeral for my protection with your blessing, and I had no say in the matter,” she stated, pointing her finger at him. “So forgive me if I got a little lackadaisical upon my return home.” she went on. “While living in Paris, I wasn’t constantly having to look over my shoulder, worried about getting mowed down! And it’s not like you all were telling me everything that was occurring here while I was away in your letters or calls,” she pointed out.

“Why did he pay you a visit?”

“He wanted information,”

“Fuck sakes Lina!”

“I didn’t tell him anything that can be used against us,” Selina reassured, moving towards the desk.

She watched as Tommy took a cigarette out of his case and lit it before taking a puff. He pinched his nose, pacing back and forth.

He pointed the cigarette at her, “You were here before Christmas Day and didn’t tell me?” he asked, raising his cigarette to his lips

“It was supposed to be a surprise Tommy,” Selina answered quietly. Momentarily, his face softened for the time throughout their argument. “Since you’ve alienated half the fucking family, I was going to surprise you at Christmas dinner,” she explained, plopping down into the chair in front his desk.

Immediately, her eyes landed on the bullets neatly lined up across the polished desk. Mentally, she counted one by one.

“There’s one for each Shelby, minus the one that John fell victim to already,”

The realization sent a chill down her spine.

“How long were you keep it a secret that you met Changretta?”

Tommy’s voice snapped Selina from her thoughts.

“Like I said before, that’s why I’m here,” she said, looking up at him. “Would you have liked me to tell you when John’s body was lying on the morgue table? At the family meeting? Or perhaps, at his funeral which you used as goddamn bait for the Italians,” Selina listed off.

“You know he’s going to be watching you very closely now,” Tommy said, exhaling a puff of smoke. “You lied to him,” he continued. “Playing fucking semantics with a mafia leader, that takes some balls to do Lina,” he said, shaking his head.

“I’ll have a cover story ready as to why I came here,” Selina explained, and her brother nodded his head.

“I hope it’s a good one Lina, I really, really hope it’s a good one. Because if not you’ll be receiving a Black Hand in the post soon,” he told her. “And then one of these, with your name on it,” Tommy warned, gesturing to the desk.

Selina glanced down at the bullets again and swallowed thickly.

~~~x~~~

“I’m worried about you Lina,”

A sigh escaped Selina as she listened to Naveen’s concerned voice on the other end of the line.

“I want to tell you I’ll be fine Naveen, but I can’t guarantee that,” she admitted, pulling the fur collar of her coat tighter against her to shield from the frigid English winter air.

Selina thought that if she stood in the telephone box she would at least find some relief from the bitterly cold wind. She was utterly wrong.

“I’ll spare you the details for your safety, but there’s a plan in place. Unfortunately, it hinges on if I don’t get myself and my family killed,” she mentioned.

“Don’t talk like that, please,”

“I’m just trying to prepare you for the worse,” Selina explained, her eyes sweeping over her surroundings. “Look, it’s dark out and I need to get home,” she said, bouncing nervously on her feet. “I’ll call you later, yeah?” she assured.

“As soon as you get home, okay? Stay safe,”

“I’ll try,”

Selina hung up the receiver. Stepping out the booth, she pulled out her cigarette case and lit one up. To be walking alone at night, without any protection when there’s a hit out against her entire family, was an absolutely foolish thing to be doing. However, for the time being, Selina wasn’t a Shelby because Luca Changretta didn’t know she was a Shelby and that could be used to their advantage.

“Everyone received a Black Hand except Lina?” Ada asked curiously.

Selina’s brow quirked, “Did you want me to receive one in the post?”

“No, that not what I meant,” she quickly clarified. “I’m just trying to figure out why—”

“It’s because she’s coloured, Ada,” Tommy cut in, standing at the head of the table. “Their ignorance, that’s something we can capitalize on,” he stated

“I could go undercover,” Selina offered.

“You fuckin’ crazy Lina?” Arthur questioned. “Changretta is an animal, I don’t even want to think what he’ll do to you if he finds out your spying for us,”

“Perhaps, a woman’s touch is what is needed to tame a rabid dog,” Polly commented, a plume of smoke coming from her mouth. “Just long enough for him to be put down,” she suggested, taking another drag from her cigarette.

Suddenly, Selina felt a hand tightly grip her arm and her heart began to beat a mile a minute. A strangled cry escaped her throat which was immediately covered by a gloved hand. Her assailant swung her around and slammed her against the wall of an abandoned building, knocking the breath from her temporarily. Selina cursed herself for not having her gun with her or even her pocket knife. She’ll have to improvise. Without thinking, Selina sunk her teeth into the hand covering her mouth.

The man hissed in pain, letting out a string of curses that sounded an awful like Italian and raised his hand to strike her. Selina braced herself as the hand descended towards her and she closed her eyes. That’s when she heard a light thud in front of her.

“Hit her, and you’ll lose your fucking hand,” a familiar raspy voice stated.

Selina’s eyes snapped open. Looming over her and the Italian henchmen was Luca Changretta, restraining the man’s arm. The mafia leader’s face was dark in silent rage and the man cowered in fear.

“Get out of here! Go!” Luca ordered, shoving her assailant away.

The henchman stumbled away, running with his tail between his legs. Warily, Selina stared at Luca who was still watching the man run away into the night. Finally, he turned back to face her.

“I’m sorry—”

With lightning speed, a sharp slap to Luca’s cheek made his face jerk to the side. Selina’s hand began to throb with pain, she didn’t know her own strength.

“You were trying to have one of your men abduct me, and all you can say is ‘sorry’,” Selina said incredulously, as he slowly turned to look at her.

Her hand rose to strike him again when Luca darted out his hand to intercept, wrapping his fingers around her wrist.

“You were not supposed to be roughed up like that, for that I apologize,” he replied. “He was supposed escort you to my car so you and I can have a little chat,” he explained, as she yanked her wrist from his grasp.

“I don’t know why that is,” Selina responded. “I think we’ve said all we needed to say to each other,” she remarked.

“I don’t think we have,” Luca disagreed, a calm expression on his face as he stalked towards her. Selina slowly backpedaled until her back collided with the brick wall again. “You lied to me, Miss Clarke,”

“I did no such thing,”

“Right, because ‘know’ and ‘heard’, two different things,”

“Words have meaning, Mr. Changretta,” Selina retorted.

A muscle in Luca’s jaw clenched in response to her sarcasm. She was glad that she had the wall to support her, because otherwise she would’ve collapsed right to the grounds. Her legs had the consistency of jelly.

He shook his head, “If anyone else said that to me, they’d be dead,” Luca informed casually.

“Then why aren’t I?”

“You intrigue me,” he answered, pushing a strands of stray hair from her face. “And what intrigues me more, is your connection to the Shelbys” Luca added, gently tucking the hair back into place.

She pushed herself from off the wall, “If you must know, we run in the same circles, being a dressmaker, his clientele blurs with mine,” Selina explained, with a shrug. “Occasionally,” she remarked, and began to circle him. “Making dresses for men like The Shelby brothers and their associates to give their women dresses is a lucrative business,” she finished.

On the exterior, Selina still exuded an easy confidence, however, on the inside she felt like she was going to hurl. One wrong word, one wrong gesture and she could end up with a bullet to the head.

“And?”

“And what?”

Just as she was about to walk around him again, a large hand gripped her bicep. Selina’s reaction was subtle, her throat bobbing as she inhaled nervously.

“Why were you at Thomas Shelby’s office today?” Luca asked, the usual playful glint in his dark eyes gone.

His gaze was both hypnotic and bordering on intimidating. A familiar feeling began to creep within her body, spreading slowly like vines of a tree. It was fear, and the sudden gust of air blowing made Selina feel even more uneasy. The cold cut through her coat and seeped into her skin causing shivers up her spine.

“Answer me!” he demanded.

Selina assumed that Luca expected her expression to falter, to wilt beneath his gaze, but it just the opposite. Her expression was just as neutral, not giving anything away.

She exhaled deeply, “I pay the Shelbys for protection of my business,” she admitted, trying to gauge his reaction.

“Why?”

A scoff escaped her, “Why do you think?” Selina questioned back. “My shop was getting torched countless times with petrol bombs,” she stated, as he let go of her arm. “It’s not easy being a coloured businesswoman,” she added, wrapping her arms around herself.

“That’s good a sign, he believes what I’m saying,”

“So, there it is,” she went on, sticking her arm out briefly. “We had an appointment this afternoon. Today was Boxing Day, I made scarves from leftover material to give to the orphans at the Grace Shelby Institute,” Selina finished.

All Luca did was hum in response and that’s when her nerves started to get the best of her again. Selina wondered if she shared too much, and now her story didn’t sound that believable anymore. Her foot repeatedly tapped against the ground, a mix of impatience and anxiousness.

“I’m going to be blunt, I’m freezing my arse off out here,” Selina said, as another visible shiver went through her to emphasize her point. “So glad we could have this enlightening conversation. Good night, Mr. Changretta,” she wished, sarcasm laced in her voice as backed away from him.

“Don’t you think it’s past time to stop calling me, Mr. Changretta?” Luca asked, getting her to stop while he took steps closer to where she was. “Friends call me, Luca,” he pointed out, causing Selina’s lips twitch in a reluctant half smile.

“Is that what we are? Now that you vetted me?”

“I’d say we’re helluva lot more than friends after we did in your shop,”

“Or what you didn’t do,” Selina reminded, moving towards him. “So close to the holy grail and yet so far, Luca,” she teased.

“That pesky, pesky telephone call you had to answer,” he commented lowly.

“I do have a business to run. My customers don’t appreciate the feeling of being ignored,“

Raising his right hand, Luca gently cupped Selina’s cheek, stroking his thumb along her cheekbone. She couldn't help her heart fluttering and skipping a beat from such a simple gesture. Or the swirling of butterflies that was forming in her stomach. His fingers drifted to the corner of her mouth, thumb tracing the soft curves of her full lips.

“It’s a relief to know that you’re not a Shelby, or one of their lackeys. Your just a poor soul that has to pay their protection fee,” he murmured.

Her eyebrow quirked, “A coloured Shelby? Don’t be ridiculous,” she interjected, with an incredulous grin.

“Otherwise, I would have to kill you,” he remarked calmly.

She snickered, “Oh, quite a relief—”

Luca suddenly pulled her into a deep kiss, one Selina readily melted into, her eyes closing in sheer bliss at the embrace. A soft exhale escaped her as her lips meshed with his. She ran her hands up his chest, her fingers brushing against the fine wool of his coat. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Selina deepened the kiss as her fingers buried themselves in his hair. Luca let out a raspy groan against her mouth in response to the action.

He snaked his arm around her waist, drawing Selina closer to him. It wasn’t long before dizziness slowly filled her head as her lungs also began to beg for oxygen. Abruptly, Selina pulled away from Luca, leaving a few centimeters between them. Both were panting heavily and Selina leaned her forehead against his. Luca’s lips were red and slightly swollen and she was sure her lips mirrored his. Selina’s heavy breath mixed with his before she let out an airy laugh.

Their eyes met again, “It’s as the rumors says, you American men are awfully forward,” Selina said, still trying to catch her breath.

He smirked, “You say that as if that’s bad thing,” Luca remarked, his hand sliding up from her waist.

“Maybe it is,” she suggested. “My mother, god rest her soul, said men like you are trouble,” she mentioned, playfully bumping their noses together.

“Lies, all of it!” Luca exclaimed softly, causing to Selina giggle. “I’m only known for one kind of trouble,” he corrected.

“And what kind is that?”

“Good trouble,”

Luca tipped her chin up, bringing her in for another searing kiss that drew her lips against his once more.

Part III