#kaye prompt

[darlingshane]

Jon Bernthal's booty.

[chelseasdagger]

FAVORITE MOMENTS IN: AMERICAN GIGOLO (2022)

[anna-hawk]

Getting down to business

Julian Kaye x F!Reader

Summary: You run across Julian Kaye on several occasions at the hotel your friend works at. Each time you see him, you are more and more fascinated by his easy charm. After one specific evening, you finally decide to make a business transaction with him in the hopes that Julian will be able to satisfy you in a way that no other man ever has.

Warning/Tags: oral sex (f!receiving), sex work, shy reader, body worship, fluff and smut

WC: 9.5k // Explicit 🔞

This is written for the Naughty or Nice Bernthirst Prompt Fest. The prompt was on the Naughty list and was “Keep your eyes open, look at me.” with Julian Kaye. Idk whose prompt it is, but I hope that I was able to work it into my initial idea well enough. I definitely had an incredible time writing for Julian, and it's some of the softest, yet still intense smut I've written. And we have a shy reader this time, which is also kind of a first for me.

Happy holidays everyone 🎉

Looking around yourself to take the whole restaurant in again, your eyes fell to the crystal chandelier hanging above the table you were sitting at with your three friends. It sparkled under the soft lights of the venue, giving the place an even more luxurious appearance than the rest of the decor already did. Your eyes travelled away from the chandelier and moved to the bar lying in your line of sight, where a man was sitting at, deep in conversation with the woman next to him. You couldn’t exactly pinpoint what about him had attracted your eyes enough that you’d kept looking back towards him every few minutes since he’d sat down, but you’d found him intriguing right off the bat. He’d joined the woman he was still talking to a good twenty minutes ago, and she’d welcomed him with a seductive smile, which he’d returned with a sultry twist to his lips. They were nursing a glass of wine each, taking a sip here or there, as they kept their heads together while they spoke. You had no idea what they were talking about since, even if there hadn’t been some soft music playing, they were too far away for you to hear anything. From the body language, however, it was still pretty clear that they’d be leaving the hotel together. Or maybe get a room. 

You finally returned your attention to your friends, laughing when, Chloe, the birthday girl, got all excited as the waiter arrived with a small cake, three sparklers crackling on top of it. Clarissa, one of your two other friends, worked at the hotel and had managed to secure a table for tonight, the restaurant being fully booked on most evenings. The food was as delicious as expected, and the dessert proved just as good. While you were savoring the rich cream of the chocolate dessert, you glanced back to the man, only to find him standing and holding out his hand for the woman. You watched how she shot him a falsely coy smile before taking his hand and joining his side. 

“Looks like Julian has found a new client,” Clarissa chuckled next to you, and you noticed that she was looking in the same direction as you. 

“Julian?” You frowned curiously at her use of the word client. “Do you know him?”

“Sure. He’s an escort. He’s good friends with the head concierge, and the costumers he brings in are always super rich and leave huge tips. Well… I think they’re this generous because something else is huge,” Clarissa cackled at her joke, while Chloe and Zara snorted. 

Your eyes widened at the information. An escort? Looking him over with a new eye, you thought that he did fit the part. He was dressed to the nines, not a piece of clothing out of place, as was his impeccable hair, while the fitted suit he was wearing perfectly highlighted his body. He definitely looked like his clientele was from the upper crust. 

“Wonder how much a night with him is,” Chloe mused with an appreciative glance over her shoulder to look at the man while the two others laughed. 

“I don’t know, but I don’t think you could hire Julian Kaye with your teacher’s salary,” Clarissa winked at her, and Chloe flipped her off good-naturedly. 

“So he’s that good, huh?” you asked without meaning to as you watched Julian vanish towards the elevators with the woman. So they would be staying at the hotel. 

“From what I heard.” Clarissa shrugged. “I mean, he’s really nice and all, and he’s always super discreet with his clients. I’ve never been able to really overhear them talk whenever I was serving drinks while he was there. I think that’s what the ladies like about him… But rumor is that none of his clients ever left unsatisfied. You only need to see the looks on their faces when they leave,” she chuckled. 

The conversation steered into another direction after that, but your eyes kept returning to where the couple had left, like you were expecting to see them again and witness the proof of Clarissa’s words. Giving yourself a mental head shake as it happened for the fourth time, you forced yourself to stop and spent the rest of the evening steadfastly ignoring that corner of the hotel. 

A few days later, you made your way through the main hall of the hotel and towards the bar of the restaurant, intending to find Clarissa. You’d left a jacket at her place a few weeks earlier and had asked her to bring it today since the hotel was on your way home from work. 

Since it was late afternoon, there was only a low number of people at the bar. Julian Kaye was one of them, however. The man was sitting at the opposite end of the bar from where you were standing. This time, you were much closer to him than the first time you’d seen him, giving you the chance to take him in some more. He was sitting with his profile to you, giving you a perfect view of his chiseled jaw and the straight slope of his broad nose. Your eyes traveled to his lips as he smiled at something he was seeing on his phone, the relaxed expression looking at odds with the flirty smiles you’d seen a few nights earlier. Appearance wise, he looked just as fetching as the other day. This time, he was wearing a dark green suit that flattered his skin tone, and a pair of shiny black loafers. His hair fell slightly into his face from how he was leaning over the phone, but he brushed it back up by sliding his fingers through it. Watching him like this, you had no doubt that this man could have any woman he wanted. 

“Oh, hey, you’re already here.”

You blinked back to reality and turned your head away from Julian to face Clarissa, now standing across from you behind the bar. 

“Uh, yeah, hi, I was done earlier than expected, so I figured I could just grab a drink while I’m here before heading home.”

Clarissa beamed at your decision to stay for a while longer before she returned to the staff room to grab the jacket for you. You thanked her with a smile and plopped down on the stool in front of her. 

“The usual?” Clarissa asked, already reaching for a glass on the shelf behind her. 

You shrugged with a thoughtful look. “Why don’t you surprise me and mix something for me?” 

She grinned brightly and nodded excitedly; Clarissa was always sure to come up with some delicious cocktail. 

After you’d been chatting for some time while she busied herself with cleaning this or that item or serving customers, you suddenly noticed a tall form moving closer to you and a pleasant scent reaching your nose. Turning your head in the direction of the person, your eyes widened when you saw Julian standing barely a foot away from you as he leaned over the bar and towards Clarissa. 

“Hey, Clarissa, could you send us two whiskeys down there, please? Top shelf.” He extended a hand with a crisp dollar bill clamped between his index and middle finger. 

His voice was smooth and low as he spoke. It wasn’t particularly deep, but the soft, almost private sounding tone he used along with his friendly smile had a warm tingle running down your spine. 

“Coming right up,” Clarissa grinned, snagging the bill from his fingers and going to work instantly. 

Julian smiled back, before his face turned a bit and his eyes landed on you. You could feel your face heating under his attention, and were only able to stare at him wordlessly. His head titled faintly to the side as his lips pulled up more to one side. He was smirking at you, but there was only curious amusement in it. 

“You’re Clarissa’s friend?” he inquired, turning his whole body towards you this time. “Think I’ve seen you here a couple times before.”

Your eyes widened slightly at finding out that Julian had noticed you, even if it was only in relation to Clarissa. 

“Oh — um, yes.”

You didn’t get the chance to say anything more, since Clarissa came back with two tumblers of whiskey and pushed them over the dark wood of the bar and towards Julian.

“Here you go.” 

Julian grinned at her and picked the glasses up with a soft “Thank you”, then shot you a light wink before returning to the end of the bar where a woman was sitting. 

“He seems nice,” you mentioned to Clarissa in a completely fake nonchalant tone as you took a sip from your drink, not wanting to give away how curious you were about this Julian Kaye.  

“Julian? Yeah. Like I said the other day, he’s a really nice guy.” She held up the money he’d given her. “And a big tipper too. I’ve stopped trying to give him back any change, and he’s stopped telling me to keep it,” she said with a small laugh, moving to the side to finish the transaction with the till. 

“And the owner doesn’t mind him … working here?” you kept asking, glancing back towards Julian to see his lips pull into a playful smile at what the woman was telling him. He really had a beautiful mouth.

Clarissa shrugged. “It’s LA, right? I guess everyone wins in this situation and as long as there are no issues, no one really cares.”

You nodded, seeing her point. 

“Besides, it’s not like he’s here every night, either. He probably has his regulars here and there, and I know that he’s taken one or two of the women here to some fancy events.”

Humming at her explanation, you chose to change the subject, no matter how much you wanted to ask more questions. 

As you finally made your goodbyes twenty minutes later, you noticed that Julian was standing too and offering his arm to the woman. She seemed to be in her late 50s or early 60s, the plastic surgery she had gotten done making it harder to determine. As you slowly followed behind them to get to the exit of the restaurant, Julian noticed you as they stepped outside. He sent you a small smile and a nod of farewell, which you echoed shyly. You consciously refrained yourself from looking back at where he’d walked off to this time, and headed down in the opposite direction.

In the following days, your mind regularly returned to Julian. And his job. You had no doubt that the man actually had several clients over the whole city. He was beautiful and charming, and the way he looked at the person he was talking to made it seem like they had his full attention. You’d seen it during the two times he’d been talking to either of these women, but also when he’d talked to you. As short as the encounter had been, he’d really looked at you. 

Clarissa’s words also kept repeating in your head: Rumor is that none of his clients ever left unsatisfied. You bit the inside of your cheek each time you remembered that part and thought of his lips, wondering if… but then you shook your head, feeling ridiculous for entertaining that thought for even a second. 

That Saturday evening, you once again made your way through the hotel lobby and into the restaurant, looking for Clarissa. You and the girls were going out tonight, but Clarissa had to work a longer shift than anticipated due to one of her coworkers calling in sick. You’d offered to run by her place and pick up a few things for her so she could change at the hotel, and you’d go straight from there. 

Clarissa watched you approach with a bright smile, making grabby hands at the little bag you’d brought her with her stuff inside. 

“You have no idea how happy I am to see you. I thought the day would never end,” she sighed as you handed her the bag over the bar. “Thanks, I’ll be out front in a sec. Wanna drink something while you wait?” 

“Nah, I’m good. I’ll just sit down over there.” You motioned to one of the small bar tables with your chin. 

Clarissa nodded and ran through the ‘employees only’ door at the back of the bar. 

While you waited, you let your eyes move around the bar, absently looking at the patrons coming in and out of the restaurant. 

“You’re by yourself tonight?” asked a low voice close by, making your head jerk in its direction. 

Julian was standing to the side of your table, smiling down at you with this soft expression that you realized was his natural smile. Today, he’d gone for dark gray slacks and a burgundy button down shirt, the top two buttons undone and the jacket thrown over one arm. Your heart started beating faster at the sight of him and the attention that was directed solely on you. You took in a deep breath to calm yourself, doing it slowly and hoping that Julian didn’t notice it. 

“Uh, no. I’m waiting for Clarissa to get ready to leave.”

Julian gave you a once over, making more heat run over your face and neck. 

“Going somewhere?”

“Uh huh… I mean, yes. We’re trying out this new, uh, restaurant down town and… yeah.”

You wanted to sink through the floor with how awkward you felt. Smooth? You didn’t know them. 

“Yeah? What’s the place called?” 

If he noticed your distress, he didn’t show it. Instead, he seemed so honestly interested that it rendered you to an even bigger stuttering mess. 

“Oh, um…” you blinked a few times, unable to remember the name of the restaurant. “It was, uh… something Italian?” 

Julian’s mouth quirked to the side in amusement, but it wasn’t mocking. If anything, it looked actually sort of fond, which had your heart doing double time. You also had to force yourself to not let your eyes stare at his expressive mouth.

You jerked in your seat at the call of your name a moment later, breaking the spell Julian had put on you with his eyes alone, and swiveled your head to see Clarissa walking up to the table. 

“I’m ready when you are,” she announced with a grin, before she looked at Julian. “Hey, Julian.”

“Hey,” Julian smiled, right before someone called out his name from down the bar, and he turned towards the voice. 

You and Clarissa followed his gaze and found a woman dressed in an elegant jumpsuit waiting for Julian at the entrance of the restaurant. 

“Ladies, if you’ll excuse me… Have a nice evening at that Italian place,” Julian smiled charmingly at the two of you. “It was nice seeing you again,” he added just for you, and the way he said your name at the end had warmth curling in your belly.

Somehow, the simple use of your name also helped you make a choice about something that you hadn’t consciously been thinking about; or rather, not allowed yourself to really think about. 

“You too,” you managed, as you got up and joined Clarissa, a rush of nervousness and exhilaration washing over you at your decision. 

Julian smiled again and gave you a nod while you and Clarissa said goodbye. You watched him walk towards the woman with long and smooth strides, making you instantly picture a panther. 

“Okay, let’s go,” Clarissa said, checking her phone. “Zara just texted that they’re already there.” 

You nodded and followed her as you hurried out of the hotel. 

“What’s the name of the restaurant again, by the way? Josh asked me earlier, but I couldn’t remember,” she asked a minute later, as you walked towards the nearest subway station.  

“Leoncini’s,” you replied automatically, still lost in thought. 

You mentally facepalmed a second later because, of course, now you remembered the name. If you decided to go through with your plan, then you would have to make sure that you would be able to string along more than one coherent sentence. 

Several hours later and after a fun evening with the girls, you laid in bed but were unable to go to sleep despite your tiredness. You felt both absolutely ridiculous, but also incredibly excited about your decision, which had you going back and forth on going through with it or not. 

But you were so curious, and the thought of Julian doing this to you had you squeezing your legs together. The fact that you were paying for his services was the part that made you the most self-conscious. But then, at least you could be sure that he’d take care of you, right? 

Grabbing one of your pillows, you pressed it over your face and groaned into it with exasperation and frustration, leaving it there for a good minute. As you finally removed it, your face now hot from embarrassment and the pillow itself, you stared at the ceiling and breathed in deeply. Once. You were going to do this once. For yourself. 

Deciding on how to approach Julian about the whole thing took you several days of psyching yourself into actually doing it. It was one thing to decide that you wanted to do it, and another one to actually go through with it. One thing was certain, the only place you knew Julian to regularly be at was the hotel, which meant that Clarissa couldn’t be working on the day you went there. Thankfully, you talked about your respective jobs often enough that you knew when she was off the following week. You could only hope that Julian would be there as well, since Clarissa had told you that he wasn’t there every night. 

That Friday evening, you made sure to put extra care in what you were wearing. Julian would probably not be available the same night, which was fine by you, but you still wanted to look your best while making your request. 

Your heart was beating like crazy during the whole time it took you to get to the hotel, and you had to shake out your hands before going in to stop your nervous twitching. With one final deep breath, you walked through the lobby, nodding at the person behind the reception desk since you knew them — hopefully he wouldn’t tell Clarissa about seeing you today — and entered the restaurant. You scanned the bar and the tables lined up in front of it. Not seeing him, you looked towards the restaurant tables, but you were just as unsuccessful in finding Julian. Heaving a sigh, you bit over your lower lip, wondering about what to do. You couldn’t be sure that he would come at all, but maybe he’d be in a little later. With a look at the bar, you chose to take a seat there and have a drink. Thankfully, you didn’t remember meeting the bartender who took your order. 

Nearly a whole hour passed before you started to think that tonight would be one of those nights where Julian wouldn’t show up. You checked your phone for the time again, and sighed, about to get up, when you heard laughter and lifted your head towards the doors. Julian, dressed in a deep blue suit, walked through them with another man, the latter laughing loudly, while Julian chuckled and shook his head. Your heart, which had had the time to calm down in the past hour, found the same nervous rhythm as when you’d first arrived. You closed your hands into fists over your thighs before rubbing your palms over them. Julian was walking in your direction, and you tried to angle your body so he would see that it was you, but also not make it obvious that you were hoping that he’d see you. Picking up your second drink and surreptitiously glancing up from under your lashes as you watched them come closer, you saw Julian listening to something the other man was saying while letting his eyes drift over the room. Recognition sparked in his eyes as his gaze landed on you. You met his eyes when his lips pulled into a smile, and sent him a small one in return. 

“Hey, how’re you doing?” Julian asked, stopping at your level. 

“Good, thank you,” you smiled, turning your glass in your hands before stopping the nervous motion. 

Julian looked around the bar and tilted his head. 

“Clarissa here?” 

Your eyes widened briefly at his question. Of course, he supposed you were here for Clarissa again. 

“Uh, no, she’s off today.”

Julian’s eyes went back to you, but you were unable to meet them. You stared into your glass instead. 

“Julian?” asked the other man after a beat of silence. 

You lifted your eyes again to see Julian looking at the man and nodding. 

“Have a good evening,” Julian said with a small smile directed at you and began walking again. 

Shit. You’d had the perfect opportunity, but you totally blew it by not engaging more with him, and now he was walking away. 

Feeling like a fool, you stared at his slowly retreating back and sighed loudly.

“Julian!” 

Julian looked back at you with the same surprise that you were feeling, since you hadn’t consciously decided to call out his name. Tightening your jaw with new resolve, you put your drink back on the bar and slid from the stool to take a step in Julian’s direction. 

“Do you maybe have a minute?” 

Frowning slightly for a second, Julian shot a look towards the other man. 

“I’ll join you later,” he told him. 

The man gave you a quizzical look, but agreed and continued on alone.

With his hands in the pockets of his pants, Julian slowly walked back to you, stopping a few feet away. 

“What’s-”

“Could we do this somewhere more private?” you cut in, nervously glancing around you and wringing your hands. 

Frowning again and squinting at you curiously, Julian motioned for you to follow him out of the restaurant and towards a somewhat secluded alcove. 

“What can I do for you, Sweetheart?” 

Your heart missed a beat at the endearment. By the way he was looking at you and his soft tone, Julian was clearly concerned about your need to talk to him. It took you another second to find your voice again and get your thoughts in order. 

“Okay, so, um… First off, I need this to stay between us. Clarissa can’t know, okay?”

Julian nodded slowly, one eyebrow lifting questioningly. 

“Of course.”

Nodding as well, you blew out a loud breath and uttered a small, nervous laugh. Now or never.

“Right, so…” you stalled for a second before powering on. “I’d like to… um… hire your services?”

Now both of Julian’s eyebrows shot up towards his hairline, as he’d clearly not expected anything of the sort. His head tilted to one side as he considered you, his back straightening and his hands going back into his pants. 

“And what kind of services would you like?” he wondered, taking a step closer to you as his voice lowered, turning more private. 

Willing the heat of embarrassment suffusing your face away, you bit over your bottom lip and glanced into his eyes before looking away again. 

“I would like you to make me come with only your mouth,” you replied quietly, forcing the blunt words out so there wouldn’t be any doubts about what you wanted or expected from him. 

Julian was quiet for a moment before he spoke again. 

“That’s it? Nothing else?” 

Looking at his questioning eyes, you nodded with a one-sided shrug. 

“I’ve never been able to get there with my previous partners, so,” you trailed off with another self-conscious shrug. 

“Then you haven’t been with any decent men,” Julian said with an unimpressed look on his face at the knowledge that seemingly no one had made enough of an effort for you. 

A small, surprised laugh escaped you at the vehemence in his tone. 

“Maybe, I don’t know, but…” you sighed. “I tend to, you know, always be too much in my head. Like, I can’t fully let go, I guess.”

Julian observed you quietly for a few seconds. 

“What makes you think it’ll be different with me?”

You’d asked yourself the same question, so the answer came quickly this time. 

“I suppose, well, hope really, that since there’s no pressure whatsoever for anything else beyond that, I’ll be able to, well, get out of my head.” You laughed under your breath. “And I have more confidence that you know what you’re doing.”

Julian chuckled at the last part, and he hummed thoughtfully. 

“And when would you like this to happen?” 

“So you agree?” you asked, eyes wide at his easy acceptance. 

He huffed out a small laugh of equal surprise and let his eyes travel over you. “Why wouldn’t I?” 

Heat blooming on your face, you looked away with a small smile. 

“Well… I’m usually free on any nights, so… Whenever you’re free, I guess… And,” you hesitated for a second? “What do you charge for that?” 

Julian pulled out his phone from the inside of his jacket and scanned it for a minute. 

“How about tomorrow?” he suggested, throwing you a brief look over the top of his phone as he typed. 

“Oh… um, okay.”

“Here okay, or you wanna go somewhere else?” 

You’d thought about that and even considered asking him back to your place if he agreed, but you’d quickly decided that you’d rather it happen somewhere neutral. You laughed nervously.

“Here would be fine by me, but I can barely afford more than two drinks here once in a while without having to eat cup noodles for the following week. So paying you and a room…” you laughed with a grimace and let the end of the sentence unspoken, the meaning clear without you voicing it. You were in a luxury hotel, and the drinks definitely followed the general rates of the establishment. Only Clarissa working here got you a small discount. “I’ll have to think about-”

“Tell you what… I can usually get a room here without problem,” Julian told you with a smile. 

“Oh… Really? I guess… If you’re sure, then that would be… great.”

Nodding decisively, Julian shook his phone and motioned it at you. 

“Can I have your phone number?” 

“Oh… Yes, sure.”

You recited the number while Julian typed it into his phone, then your own vibrated in your purse.

“I sent you the rates,” Julian explained as you pulled your phone out of your purse. 

You stared at the price popping up in the texts. It was expensive, but far less than you had expected, which was a good thing. Looking back at Julian, you gave him a succession of quick nods of agreement. 

“Um… how… do you prefer your payments? Do I wire them or, um… ugh, I’m sorry for being so awkward about all this… I keep feeling like I’m going to say something really offensive and ask the wrong question at some point.” 

You huffed out an exasperated laugh and rubbed your palms over your arms. 

“Don’t be,” Julian smiled gently, leaning forward to catch your gaze, which you had averted during your muttering. “Never anything wrong with asking for what you want. Any woman should be taken care of the way she deserves to. That’s what I’m here for.”

You bit your lip at the heartfelt words, and gave him a small, grateful smile for putting you at ease. 

“As for your question. Wired, cash, however’s fine by me,” he added. 

“‘kay… Is there something… I should… be aware of? Like dos and don’ts?” 

Julian considered you for a little moment and shook his head minutely. 

“Think about what you’ll be comfortable doing. Or me doing to you. I’ll follow your lead. But we can always go with the flow, see how I can get you out of that pretty head of yours.” He pointed at your forehead with a small chuckle. 

“Oh… yeah, okay.” 

Your breathing ticked up a notch at his words. 

“Right… Wanna meet in this spot tomorrow around 9?”

“Yeah,” you stopped yourself from saying okay again. You couldn’t remember how often you must have said it tonight, or any variation of it.

“Good,” Julian smiled, pocketing his phone. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.” 

“Tomorrow,” you smiled back, nodding. 

With a last nod of goodbye, Julian turned around and walked back into the restaurant, leaving you to stare after him with a still baffled expression. This was actually going to happen. You were going to have that gorgeous man’s mouth on you. A shiver of anticipation ran down your spine. 

When you woke up the next morning after barely getting any sleep the previous night from all the excitement and nervousness of what was to come, you started wondering if going to the hotel was the best idea. What if someone recognized you and saw you with Julian, only to tell Clarissa about it? Sure, it was none of her business, but you still didn’t feel like sharing what you were going to do with her or any of your two other friends. You couldn’t be sure that they’d understand; it was quite an unconventional request coming from you. 

After lying around in bed for an hour and going back and forth with your emotions on the matter, you finally put a lid on all of it and decided to just go for it. It was only tonight, you’d be discreet and even if someone saw you, what did they actually know that wouldn’t be anything more than wild assumptions? With a decisive nod, you got up and went about your day, trying to push any thoughts of that evening to the back of your mind so they wouldn’t distract you too much. Which you weren’t that successful at since you weren’t working and hadn’t planned anything in particular except for doing some chores. 

By the end of the day, you were a nervous wreck and only managed to go through the process of getting ready on autopilot. Before you knew it, it was ten minutes to nine, and you were, once again, standing in front of the hotel. Quickly going through the lobby and avoiding the reception desk just in case, you arrived at the alcove and found Julian already standing there. He was leaning against the wall, his stance relaxed with one ankle crossed over the other, while he looked at his phone. He’d gone for a charcoal suit with a dark red button down shirt. You swallowed at the outfit, as well as at his sharp jaw that looked freshly shaved and at his nose that scrunched up in thought. That gorgeous man would be yours for the night.

Julian’s head lifted as you came closer, his hair falling slightly into his eyes from the motion. Your breath caught as he smiled, one side of his mouth pulling up more than the other. 

“Hey,” he said and turned to you, taking a few steps in your direction to meet you halfway while his eyes swept over you. “You look beautiful.”

“Hey,” you replied in kind, except that it came out breathless and almost inaudible. “Thank you,” you managed after another breath, your face feeling hot. 

“Is there something you’d like to do before we go up or…?” Julian inquired, putting his hands in his pockets, but still leaning closer to you. 

“Um, no, I think I’m good,” you muttered, trying to get your heart beat under control. 

Julian nodded with a small smile and extended an arm in the direction you were going into before leading the way. As you silently followed him to the elevators, you glanced down at his hands that were still sitting in his pants. He hadn’t touched you at all. He’d come closer, as he’d done yesterday evening, talked in a seductive voice, but he hadn’t touched you, keeping his hands to himself at all times. As excited for that to change as you were, you realized that he was doing it on purpose and clearly for your sake, considering how he hadn't refrained from touching his other clients. You felt immeasurably glad about him picking up on you being apprehensive of being touched in public. Thus far, Julian had been incredibly professional about everything. He had been surprised by your initial approach, but as soon as he’d understood what you were looking for, he’d never acted in any way or said anything to make you feel uncomfortable or ashamed about what you were asking for. You rode the elevator in silence, but you noticed that Julian was giving you furtive glances every few seconds. It wasn’t until you’d walked up to the suite’s door — yes, he’d gotten you a goddamn suite — that Julian finally spoke. 

“Just so we’re clear. Anything that is going to happen in this room, or not happen for that matter, is fully up to you. You choose that we stop here, that’s totally fine. Got it?”

You stared into his brown eyes, gentle and honest. Was your nervousness that obvious? You scoffed internally. Of course it was. You must have been fidgeting non-stop since the moment you’d seen him. 

“Got it,” you replied, infusing as much determination into your voice as possible. You did want this, after all. 

Julian nodded with a small smile and pulled a key card out of the inside of his jacket. He pressed it against the door handle, a click sounding instantly as the door unlocked. Taking a step to the side, Julian motioned for you to do the honors and open. With one last deep breath, you pulled down the handle and stepped into the room, only for that breath to whoosh out of you a second later as you took in the room. It was a small apartment rather than a room; it had a small living room dividing the room into two areas, a large bathroom showing through a door to the left, a balcony to the right, and the bedroom across from the entrance. The bed was bigger than any bed you’d ever slept in, and everything in the room showed off what a luxurious place the hotel was. 

“Please tell me you didn’t pay for this just for me. Julian, that’s-”

“I didn’t,” Julian assured you with a faint smile. 

You stared at him dubiously before looking around you again. 

“You got this for free?”

Julian shrugged noncommittally and walked to the mini fridge sitting next to the small couch to peer inside. 

You opened your mouth to insist on the matter, since you didn’t want Julian to pay any extravagant amounts of money for you, but Julian beat you to it. 

“Let’s just say that I have an agreement with the head concierge. This suite was available tonight, so he gave it to me.” 

You suddenly remembered Clarissa saying something along those lines during Chloe’s birthday dinner, and nodded, accepting the explanation. Julian smiled again as you slowly walked up to him while scanning the room and looking out at the city lights twinkling through the balcony doors and the bedroom windows.

“Do you wanna drink something?” Julian asked after he’d shrugged out of his jacket and let you take everything in. 

You looked back at him and then the mini fridge, which wasn’t that small for a mini fridge. 

“No, I’m fine, thanks,” you said softly, glancing at the couch and putting your purse on it. Biting your lip, you removed the envelope with the money from the purse and placed it on top of the fridge. 

Slowly returning your eyes to Julian, you saw him observing you quietly and not even glancing towards the envelope. You tried not to fidget as much as you wanted to under his attention, although your hands twitched at your sides as you forced yourself not to cross your arms. 

“Can I touch you?” he asked quietly, tilting his head minutely as he locked his gaze with yours.

“Well, considering what's supposed to happen, I think that you will have to touch me, yes,” you laughed awkwardly and bit over your bottom lip.

Julian came closer, standing toe to toe, and lifted a hand to stroke his fingers along your neck and to your nape. 

“I meant like this.” 

His voice was low and intimate and sent shivers down your spine, as did his fingers on your already hot skin. 

“Oh… um… yes, sure,” you breathed, unable to speak more loudly than a rough whisper.

He smiled, something soft but hiding more. You definitely wanted to find out about what this more entailed. 

“Can I kiss you?” His eyes were on your mouth, which parted in surprise at his question. 

“Isn't there like — I thought — Shit, I must sound so stupid but… is it, like, a misconception of mine or… I always kinda thought that kissing wasn't… part of this?” you babbled, as your brain tried to deal with his request and the idea of him kissing you.

Julian chuckled, amused, and stroked his thumb along your chin. 

“I'm not pretty woman.” 

You laughed under your breath and sucked in your lower lip, some of your anxiousness leaving you at his easy joking.

“No… but you're definitely a pretty man.”

Julian's mouth moved into a sweet and genuine grin before he leaned in closer until his lips were only an inch away from yours. 

“Some people don't like kissing. And I don't kiss all my clients… But I'd like to kiss you very much, if that's okay.” 

His voice was husky and soft, and you were unable to do anything more than stare into his brown eyes and nod. He smiled, soft and pleased, and moved in.

His lips grazed over yours and your eyes fell shut at the feeling. You slowly moved your lips against his, following his lead, as he alternated between pressing them more firmly against yours or retreating until the touch was barely there. Just as slowly, his other hand curled around your waist, his hand coming to rest on the small of your back. It was only then that you finally lifted your hands as well. You slid them up his back and held on to the fabric of his shirt at his shoulder blades. Your grip tightened as Julian tentatively stroked his tongue along your top lip, requesting access to your mouth. Access which you willingly granted. You made a small sound at the first touch of his tongue against yours. How could he make you already so weak in the knees with only a kiss? What would happen when he got to what you were initially paying him for? When his mouth slid towards your jaw, you instantly tilted your head to the side and moaned at the feeling of his teeth teasing along your skin. He ultimately stopped at where your neck met your shoulder and gently sucked at the spot. 

“That okay?” he asked, his rougher voice making you shiver. 

“Uh huh,” you panted. 

After a minute of this, Julian’s mouth climbed up your neck again to reach your lips. 

“Can I undress you?” 

Your eyes opened a fraction as your fuzzy brain tried to process his question. As you bit your lip, Julian’s eyes slid to your mouth, before they returned to yours with… Could it be desire? Instead of contemplating what his look could possibly mean, you finally nodded in silent agreement before whispering a tiny, “Yes.” 

Smiling, Julian kissed you again and rendered you just as breathless as earlier before he even began going for your clothes. He slowly pulled you forward as he walked you towards the bedroom, his lips and tongue still drawing moans and sighs from you. As you reached the bed, Julian pressed one last kiss against your lips, then stepped around you until he was standing at your back. He started removing every piece of clothing with slow and deliberate care, while his mouth teased at your nape and shoulders or behind your ears. Your entire body was wracked by shivers the further he went, until you were a trembling mess once he had you fully naked. His large hands slid over your sides and to your stomach, the heat and touch of them making goosebumps rise in their wake. 

“Julian,” you gasped softly, not exactly knowing what you wanted to say. His name just fell from your lips at the gentle care he was handling you with. 

“You’re so responsive,” Julian said with a note of wonder, as his fingers trailed up your chest and tickled between your breasts. He let out a soft chuckle as you arched your back and pressed your head against him when he circled his index fingers around your areolas. “So responsive.” 

You exhaled sharply and moaned when he took both nipples between thumb and pointer finger and pinched them just the tiniest bit. By now, you could feel the dampness between your legs, and pressed your thighs together as Julian continued his sweet exploration. When you had asked him to make you come with his mouth, you had expected him to do just that; get you on a bed or couch and literally go down to business. Nothing more and nothing less. You certainly hadn’t thought that he’d treat you basically like a lover, touch you in ways that had never gotten this kind of reaction out of you. He’d commented on how responsive you were, but you had never reacted this way with anyone before, which either really said a lot about your previous partners or about Julian’s talent. Maybe a bit of both. One thing was certain, if this was the service he was giving to all his clients, then his reputation was no surprise. At all. 

As one of his hands moved down your belly and towards your hips, he paused as he reached just above your mound. 

“Can I use my hands too, or just my mouth?” he asked against the shell of your ear, getting yet another shiver out of you.

A wave of heat ran through you, and you felt yourself getting wetter still at the idea of having his fingers right there. 

“Yes,” you breathed, before realizing that this didn’t answer his question, and you swallowed before you elaborated as best as you could. “Your fingers.” 

Julian smiled against your skin, then licked his way down your neck and back up. 

“Spread your legs a bit for me?” 

Despite your shaky legs, you did as asked and widened your stance, feeling the soft fabric of his shirt against your bare back. Julian hummed pleasantly and wrapped his arm around you just under your breasts before he let his other hand continue down its original path. Your mouth parted for your gasped out breaths as Julian slid two fingers between your legs to stroke them along your outer lips, as if testing your response. Both of your hands went to the arm around your chest and gripped it, as Julian moved one of the fingers to your center to gently slide it through your folds. 

“I think I’ll have a lot of fun making you come,” Julian said in a low tone, as he repeated the motion and lightly circled over your already pulsing clit. 

You keened at the touch, your head falling forward as Julian kept teasing and teasing over the same spot, the touch featherlight but still managing to light your nerve endings on fire. All through the haze of need, you still realized that Julian hadn’t said “try to make you come”, instead, he was clearly confident that he would. By how this was going, you were less and less uncertain as well. 

“Why don’t you go ahead and get comfortable on the bed?” he suggested after a minute.

Thankfully, and Julian probably knew to do it from experience, he didn’t pull back from you immediately after his request and let you gather your bearings enough to no topple over once he wouldn’t be behind you anymore. He slowly let go of you and let you walk out of his space in your own time. If you were honest with yourself, you could have stayed right where you had been all night, as long as Julian kept talking and touching you the way he’d done so far. Now that he wasn’t touching you anymore, a bit of self-consciousness returned, which stopped you from looking at him as you moved towards the bed and reclined on top of it, feeling suddenly exposed. Especially since he was still fully dressed. 

“Look at me,” Julian said softly. It was a request, not an order.

It was this small difference that made you do as asked. You slowly met his gaze, and saw him smiling at you tenderly as he knelt on the foot end of the bed. 

“You’re beautiful, Sweetheart.”

You uttered a surprised and shaky laugh and closed your eyes for a moment. When you looked back at him, you gave him a small smile and managed to relax against the pillows. Clearly pleased by your reaction, Julian pressed his other knee to the bed as well and moved up until his was kneeling in front of you. You’d bend your legs at the knees but had squeezed your thighs together. With his eyes on your face, Julian leaned down and placed a small kiss on each of your kneecaps, a tiny smile on his lips. The act had you giggling lightly and exhaling a deep breath. Your lips parted as Julian’s hands drifted down the outside of your thighs, only to move back up again, the touch soothing but also turning you on some more. You observed him as he kept pressing kisses along your knees, silently waiting for you to part your legs. As soon as you did, Julian shot you a pleased smile and proceeded to do the same thing he’d been doing to the outside of your thighs, but on the inside this time, and with his mouth. Air rushed past your lips at the ticklish yet arousing touch. You were unable to tear your eyes away from Julian’s head as he went further down until his mouth stopped at the juncture between hips and thighs. You were panting in anticipation at the idea of Julian finally moving to your center, except that he had other plans. He quickly turned his head to the other side and did the same as with the other leg but in the reverse, kissing his way up, until he was back at your knee. The small smirk he sent you had you groaning and squeezing your eyes shut. He was teasing you deliberately, and you had to admit that you liked it a lot. Your stomach quivered with need. Julian knew how to drive you high without even touching you where you needed him the most. 

“Julian,” you breathed, as your fingers gripped the comforter at your hips. “Please?” 

Julian ducked his head and shook it with a small, affectionate laugh. 

“So responsive,” he mumbled, as if to himself. “Keep your eyes open,” he added with one last glance at you, before he knelt down all the way and pressed a long kiss against your mound. 

Your mouth fell open as his tongue slowly flicked out and made its way down your outer lips. He traced patterns over them in such a way that you had no idea what he would be doing next; up, down, left, right, but never in the same order. At the first pass of his tongue through your folds, your eyes opened wide and the air came whooshing out of your throat sharply, accompanied by a surprised moan. Julian went slowly, taking his time as he drew his tongue over every part of you, leaving nothing untouched. When he began suckling at your lips teasingly, one of your hands automatically went to his head, your fingers gripping his soft hair. 

“So — sorry,” you gasped at Julian’s grunt, and instantly let go of his hair. 

Before you could retreat your hand all the way, Julian’s own hand shot out to snatch your wrist and pull your hand back to his head. 

“Go ahead,” he said, looking up at you with intense eyes. 

He spoke against your flesh, and the rush of air and small vibrations caused by his words had you uttering a small gasp. Licking your lips, you slid your fingers through his hair again. He had you tightening your grip again a second later when, with his eyes still on you, Julian sucked your clit right into his mouth. You cried out at the unexpected move and the pleasure coming from it. Your hips bucked into his face, and you had the need to apologize for that too, but Julian only groaned and held you tighter to him with his arms around your thighs. He took it easy after the first initial suck, clearly wanting to take his time there as well and not overwhelm you. You were grateful for that, since you were still unsure if hard and fast could do it for you, no matter how aroused you were after the foreplay. He still kept your hips from moving too much, making you take his ministrations with just the right intensity. As he nibbled around your lips before tonguing your clit with light strokes, you felt one of his arms let go of your legs and the hand moving to under your thigh. 

“Only my mouth, or can I use my fingers too?” Julian asked again, except that this time, he meant if he could use them at the same time. Just the thought had you moaning without meaning to. How could you say no to having his talented mouth and gorgeous hands on you? 

“Both… I want… both,” you got out, panting rapidly. 

With his eyes on yours, Julian used his thumb to slowly rub through your drenched flesh, moving it up until he could press it against your clit and circle it a few times. You whimpered, unable to look away from him, and moaned long and high as he slid the thumb back to slip one of his large fingers inside you. As the second one followed, this time, you couldn’t keep your head from falling back and closing your eyes. Julian kept his fingers barely moving for a few seconds, before he had your eyes flying open again when his mouth descended on your clit to flick at it with the tip of his tongue. He sucked and lapped at his continuously, while his fingers started moving for real, curling against your walls with each plunge in and out. 

You were… a mess. 

Julian had transformed you into a moaning and begging ball of need, your fingers flexing in his hair or the comforter as your hips moved against his mouth and fingers on their own accord. It was with both surprise and no surprise that you felt the tendrils of your orgasm assembling in the spots where Julian was touching you. You could feel them coiling together, gathering and getting bigger and warmer as your belly contracted, and your legs began to shake without your control. 

“Julian,” you gasped, sounding nearly panicked at the idea that he could stop and rip this feeling away from you. 

But Julian never relented. He worked his mouth and lips like a magician with his best trick, his fingers adding the last element that had you suddenly flying over the edge with a shocked gasp as your hips bucked. Everything went white and silent as the peak of your orgasm hit you, pleasure of the most intense kind you’d ever felt with someone else being the only thing that registered with you. After the more intense part began to fade, you felt Julian kissing the inside of your thigh as he spoke to you in a low and soothing tone. Words of praise hit your ears and made your body glow with another form of pleasure. You slowly opened your eyes as you felt Julian coming to lie next to you on the bed, and turned your head to gaze at his smiling face. Since you were still drifting on the pleasure, you couldn’t even feel any form of embarrassment at the sight of his glistening nose, lips and chin. Julian reached across your body and pulled at the comforter to tug it around you. You smiled drowsily at the gesture and the softness of the fabric against your cooling skin. Julian held himself up on an elbow and put his head on his palm as he watched you. Despite the messy hair, which you were responsible for, the flushed and shiny face, and the wrinkled dress shirt, Julian still looked as gorgeous as always. Maybe even more so because he looked utterly relaxed and at ease. That thought had you wondering about Julian’s needs. Did he get aroused while doing this? Should he do something about it? Or maybe he didn’t get turned on at all and- 

No.

You forbid yourself from letting your mind go down that road. This wasn’t a relationship. Julian didn’t have to get turned on by any of it. This had been about you, and Julian had gone above and beyond what you could have ever expected from this. 

“Do you ever get actually turned on when you do something like that?” you asked anyway, your mouth not listening to your brain, apparently. “Wait, no, don’t answer that. I didn’t mean to ask this,” you groaned as you closed your eyes, and cursed under your breath. 

Julian didn’t seem fazed and chuckled softly. “You’re sure?”

You glanced back at him and huffed in thought. 

“I… I wasn’t asking if this…” you made a vague gesture at yourself as a whole. “Turned you on… I mean… I'm not expecting you to be… and I'm aware that escorts down always have sex with their clients but… um… I guess, I’m just… curious,” you sighed at the end of your word vomiting.

“About the mechanics?” Julian smiled, clearly not bothered by your curiosity or babbling. 

You thought about that term and nodded. It was a job, after all. Julian shrugged and for a second, he got a far away look that held such a strong note of sadness in it that you nearly stopped him from going on before the look vanished completely and Julian smiled again. 

“It’s a question of working with the moment, I guess. Creating a special connection with that person. Setting the mood… and, well, habit is a factor, I suppose. Let's say that being able to get it up is different from being turned on.”

You hummed thoughtfully as you took in the information. You were glad that you didn't ruin the moment and that he was willing to share as much. 

“Well, you sure know how to create that connection,” you laughed softly and turned on your side. 

Julian snorted softly through his nose and grinned at you, rubbing a hand over your covered arm once you faced him.

“Some connections are much easier to create than others.”

His soft look had you smiling and looking down, feeling suddenly shy again. 

“Thank you for doing this, Julian,” you muttered, glancing up at him once more. 

His hand moved to your face and his thumb stroked over your cheekbone in a gentle caress. 

“It was my absolute pleasure, Sweetheart.”

And you actually believed him. Believed that he’d enjoyed giving you this pleasure, no matter if you’d paid for it. 

You stared at him for a while, just looking, and Julian didn’t seem to mind. 

“Do you have to get back?” you asked at length, looking around yourself for a clock, but not finding any. 

Julian didn’t reply immediately, but he shrugged when you looked back at him. 

“I can stay a little while longer.”

That statement had you smiling and closing your eyes. Julian’s fingers played with your hair as you drifted for a while, his presence and the comfortable bed pulling you under.

The next time you opened your eyes, he was gone. You hadn’t even realized that you’d fallen asleep. It couldn’t have been that long, however, since it was still dark outside. Turning around with a long sigh, you glimpsed a folded piece of paper on the bedside table. You sat up to reach for it, the comforter falling around your waist as you moved. 

Please stay for as long as you want. The room’s all yours for the night. Take anything you need from the fridge, it’s on me. 

Julian

You smiled fondly at the neat script and put the note back on the table. 

A nice bath in a fancy hotel room sounded like the perfect way to end this incredible night. 

[lucy-sky]

Friends and Benefits (Julian Kaye x f!Reader)

"You’ve never had that many friends, especially straight male ones. But somehow with Julian it was so easy. In a way, everyone in the escort business are actors and actresses. You play roles, depending on your client needs and requests, and at some point you get so used to it that you keep on playing even after the client leaves. With Julian, for the first time in ages you suddenly felt like yourself. He didn’t try to hit on you, and it was fine - you weren’t sure you needed a relationship at the time. You just genuinely liked each other, had a lot in common, and enjoyed each other’s company. There was a pinch of flirting between the two of you, but nothing more than that, and the both of you were okay with it."

This was supposed to an innocent night at your place, you and Julian just drinking, talking and chilling. A suddenly revealed fact about you leads to an offer that's gonna make the night way spicier.

Prompt: “Keep your eyes open, look at me, baby.” with Julian Kaye?

Warnings: the reader is in the escort buisiness as well as Julian; obviously smut

Words: 2 829; AO3 link

A/N: This is written for @bernthirst-events Naughty or Nice Prompt Fest 2023, and it's probably not great because I got super rusty. Last time i wrote something more than 1K words was on January 14th. So I apologize in advance :')

“Wait, wait, wait. No way. You serious?”

“Uh-huh,” you nod, taking a deep drag of the cigarette Julian just handed you.

“Not even once?”

“Nope. Okay, well… There were a couple of times I was close, you know, like… Really fucking close. But that’s it, believe it or not.”

When a couple of colleagues who also happen to be good friends meet up, what do they usually talk about? Right. Of course they talk about work. You and Julian are no exception, even considering your job. 

You met Julian Kaye about a year ago. At first you noticed each other at some fancy event you both attended with clients. You didn’t even need to ask him about his job, as well as he didn’t need to ask you either. People like you just know. For a while you kept seeing him here and there, he recognized you as well, but you didn’t really have a chance to talk. And then, on your night-off, you went out with the girls and saw him at the bar. Since he didn’t seem to be at work, you decided to finally come say hi. You ended up talking until closing hour.

You’ve never had that many friends, especially straight male ones. But somehow with Julian it was so easy. In a way, everyone in the escort business are actors and actresses. You play roles, depending on your client needs and requests, and at some point you get so used to it that you keep on playing even after the client leaves. With Julian, for the first time in ages you suddenly felt like yourself. He didn’t try to hit on you, and it was fine - you weren’t sure you needed a relationship at the time. You just genuinely liked each other, had a lot in common, and enjoyed each other’s company. There was a pinch of flirting between the two of you, but nothing more than that, and the both of you were okay with it.

Since then, no matter how busy you are, you and Julian try to meet up at least once a month. Sometimes you go to the bar or a party, but tonight you’re not really in the mood for a crowd, so you invited him to your apartment. Sitting on rocking chairs on your balcony (you bought them in a thrift store, and Julian likes to make fun of you having these rocking chairs like an old lady, but you know he loves them as much as you do), you drink wine, smoke, watch the city lights and talk.

As always, it started with funny stories about work. Julian told you about that time he almost got bitten by his client’s angry chihuahua, and you told him how a couple of weeks ago you had to hide from an unexpectedly arrived wife in a closet like in a bad anecdote. And as always, the more you drink, the more intimate your conversation gets. At some point you start to share your clients’ and your turn ons and offs, and you complain that most men get really turned on when the woman orgasms, and at the same time they’re totally unable to actually make her come.

“It’s ugh… They don’t even try! I mean… I can’t name any guy who made me come, to be completely honest.”

You said it just casually, but this sudden confession surprised Julian more than you expected.

“No way.”

“Oh yes way,” you laugh. “But like… You know I didn’t have any serious relationships. When I had my first boyfriend we were too young, and then… Kinda complicated considering the business, am I right? So it’s been a while since I had sex without being paid. And when you do that for work… Tell me how many of your clients actually cared for your pleasure, huh?”

“Yeah, guess you’re right,” Julian nods with a slightly bitter chuckle.

“I don’t blame them though. They pay for our service to please themselves. To be selfish. Desired. To not be judged. They don’t have to impress us, it’s just an easy way to feel the greatest and the hottest lover ever. So yeah, it’s not my fault I don’t come with them,” you take one more drag of your cigarette. “Although… You know, actually that’s something about me as well…”

“Nah, come on, there’s nothing wrong about you, sweetheart, it’s-”

“I didn’t say there’s something wrong about me, J,” you cut him off. “The thing is, when I work I always have to be in control. It’s like uh… It’s like a show, you know. Like I’m on stage, so I just can’t relax and lose it, you know what I mean?”

“I do, yeah.”

“So like… It is what it is,” you shrug. “Not a big deal. There’s plenty of ways I can please myself when I need to. And as for work… At least I know my show’s a damn good one,” you smirk.

“No doubts about that,” he returns a smile.

The conversation fades for a few moments, while Julian refills the glasses. You already feel tipsy, not too much, just relaxed and pleasantly warm despite the night air getting a bit chilly.

“You know,” Julian suddenly says, “Some of my clients tell me they keep seeing me because they’re tired of pretending. Husbands can’t make them feel good, and don’t really care ‘bout that, but I do.”

“Yeah, yeah. The sex is not exciting any more, so the husband calls me, and the wife calls you, and everyone is happy,” you chuckle. “It’s way easier than doing something about the relationship after all. Funny that they mostly think they’re doing it secretly, but everyone knows anyways.”

“One of them told me she already thought she couldn’t enjoy sex any more,” he continues, faint smirk on his lips.

“Oh, so now you’re showing off, Mister Sexy!” you laugh, giving him a light punch on the shoulder.

“I mean… It is what it is,” he shrugs with that adorable boyish laugh of his.

“I know you’re good, J,” you say it more seriously than expected.

“Yeah, uh… You know what, y/n… I just thought of something…”

“Yes?” you glance at him curiously.

“Pretty sure I could make you come for real.”

“What?” you almost choke on your wine, “Is that like… An offer?”

“Maybe.”

You notice that slight change in his voice and the way he looks at you. Somehow it gives you a strange tingle. You feel your cheeks warm up.

“You serious? And uh… Why’d you wanna do this? ‘Cause I already told you it’s not a big deal, so if you feel pity for me or something-”

“No, that’s not it, it-it’s just,” he stumbles a little, “When you said it’s been a while since you had sex without being paid… It’s been a while for me as well, and… You know what, forget it,” Julian shakes his head and runs a hand through his hair with an awkward smile. “Guess I’m just drunk already.”

“Actually I don’t mind.”

You surprise yourself when these words tumble from your lips. Guess you’re drunk too, but there’s definitely a sort of chemistry between the two of you that could work. You’ve always found Julian attractive, and the way he looks at you makes you think it’s mutual. Maybe you’ll regret this in the morning, but right now the idea of having casual sex with Julian Kaye doesn’t seem all that bad.

“Really?” Julian stares at you, his dark eyes scanning your expression. “You wanna?..”

“Yeah,” you breathe out.

He doesn’t say anything, just gets up off his chair, approaches and kneels next to you. He looks into your eyes for a few moments before bringing his hand to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear. Then he reaches your hand and gets up, urging you to get on your feet as well. His fingers gently caress your cheek and the side of your neck before he leans in. He doesn’t capture your lips right away, it’s just a light touch of his nose against yours, a chaste press of lips, a soft lick of his tongue asking for invitation. You part your lips and the kiss is deep and unhurried. It tastes like wine and cigarettes but it’s so blissfully sweet your head is spinning. When did you have a kiss like that last time? Or maybe you’ve never had… Well, he’s a professional after all. It makes you think of something.

“Julian,” you whisper when your lips part, his hand on the back of your neck, foreheads pressed together as you catch a breath.

“Yeah?”

“I have one condition, okay? Let’s try to just be ourselves tonight. Otherwise… What’s the point of all that, am I right?”

“Okay,” his voice is a little husky, and you find it pretty hot.

“Okay,” you reach to get your glass from the table, bring it to your lips and drink down the remains of the wine in one big sip.

“Let’s get inside.”

“You know… You’re actually the first person I invited to this bed,” you murmur in between the kisses. Your clothes are already discarded, except for the underwear, and Julian’s deft fingers are already reaching to unclasp your bra.

“Really, am I?”

“Mhm.”

“That’s quite an honor,” he kisses along your jawline and down the side of your neck. “You smell nice.”

“That body lotion’s my favorite.”

“Like almond cookies,” he bites on your skin gently, careful not to leave the marks. You appreciate that. Sighing with pleasure you let your fingers run through his thick hair, as Julian slowly keeps kissing his way down your body. You must be crazy or too drunk, and maybe you’re on your way to ruin your friendship, but it feels too good to stop. The way he pinches your nipple between his fingers makes you shiver. You shift uncomfortably as the heat rises up in your core. A part of you wants to tell him you need more. Another part wants it to last longer. He continues his descent. Leaves a trail of kisses between your beasts and further down. He licks the skin of your lower belly, right above the waistband of your panties, fingers brushing the inside of your thighs. You still have your panties on, but you feel like you know where it’s going.

“Uhh… J?”

“Yeah?” he glances at you from between your thighs.

“Look… I’m pretty sure you can make me come with your tongue in no time. That’s too easy, man. I wanna come on your cock.”

“Yeah, I’ll make you come on my cock, darlin’, I promise you that,” he chuckles. “Just need to warm you up, you mind that?”

“Alright, do your magic.”

“That’s what I wanna hear,” he smiles, pulling down your underwear. You’re now completely naked, exposed for him, and maybe he’s not the love of your life and not even your boyfriend, but it feels way more intimate than with any client you’ve ever had. Even though there were times a client wanted to go down on you.

“Relax, okay, sweetheart? Will you do that for me?”

That’s it, that’s the difference. A client would never talk to you like that. He would never be that tender. Julian is incredibly good at that. Not that you had any doubts though. He kisses and licks and hums against you as if he’s tasting something absolutely delicious. Your soft moans become louder, fingers tug on his hair as you writhe. And then he adds his fingers to the mix, and your toes curl. 

“J, I… I’m gonna…”

“Shhh, I know, I know, baby,” he whispers soothingly, withdrawing his fingers, dripping with your arousal. “C’mere.”

He moves back up your body and kisses your mouth deeply, to which you eagerly respond.

“You’re enjoying yourself, do you? Making a mess out of me?” you pant as you pull back for air.

“I am, actually,” he admits, brushing your hair away from your heated face. “‘Cause you’re a beautiful mess, you should’ve seen yourself.”

He kisses you again, and you can’t wait any longer. Your hand skims down his belly and under the waistband of his boxers. Oh, you love the sound he makes when you start to slowly pump his length.

“You think we’re warm enough already?” you tease.

“Condoms?”

“Upper drawer.”

It’s impressive how fast Julian manages to get rid of his underpants, find the condom, tear its wrapper with his teeth and put it on with just a bit of assistance from your side. He’s pretty thick, and you can feel it as he slowly pushes inside you. It feels good, especially after all the foreplay.

“You good?” Julian asks as he bottoms out.

“Yeah. You?”

“I’m great,” he smiles and leans in to kiss you again before gently rocking his hips. He’s still unhurried, as if he wants you to get used to it. You suddenly think how nice it would’ve been if your very first sex was like that, not the mess you had with your first partner. Julian Kaye can really make a woman feel special. Although you know he wasn’t always such a talented lover. Everyone has their awkward moments. Everyone has moments they wish they could forget, especially when it comes to your job. It is what it is. There’s no point in regretting it. 

Julian doesn’t let you think about it for too long, he’s busy kissing your neck, breath hot against your skin as he gradually picks up speed. It still doesn’t feel like enough for you to come, but after a few thrusts he urges you to bend your knees a bit more and lift up your legs, and the sudden change of angle almost makes your eyes roll as he hits exactly the right spot.

“That good?” he whispers on your ear when you dig your nails in his shoulders, every thrust causing you to arch your back.

“Mmm… Keep going,” you manage to mumble. Your mind is clouded, walls already fluttering around his length, and it’s getting more and more intense with each snap of his hips. Julian is getting close as well, you can tell from the way he breathes, the noises he makes, his moves getting slightly more erratic. He nips on the crease of your neck and you don’t even care about any possible marks any longer. He’s a hot mess; he’s panting as he presses his forehead against yours and his hand finds its way between your bodies

“Look at me, sweetheart, c’mon. I know you’re close.”

He’s right - you feel like you’re getting close to something completely mind-shattering. With his fingers on your clit and his cock buried so deep within you, hitting what feels like all the sweet spots at once you’re balancing right on the edge.

“Oh fuck, J!..” you moan, throwing your head back.

“Keep your eyes on me, look at me, baby,” he urges you, gripping the back of your neck. “That’s it, just let yourself go, come for me. I know you can.”

You obey, meeting that intense gaze of his dark brown eyes, and finally, as if in response, your body finally gives in. The climax hits you with such a force you think you’re about to pass out. You gush beneath him, gasping and moaning, your walls pulsing and spasming around his length. Through the haze of your bliss you hear Julian’s low grunt as he climaxes too, shuddering against your body. He nuzzles into the crook of your neck, and for a while you just stay like that, holding each other, sweaty and breathless, getting down from your high and still shivering from the aftershocks.

“Hey,” you smile and let your shaky fingers run through his damp hair as he lifts his head to look you in the eye. “That was… Wow.”

“Yeah,” he hums and pecks on your lips.

“I have to return the favor next time.”

“What?” he laughs in surprise. “Nah, sweetheart. You don’t owe me nothing, no favors done.”

“Yeah, but… Come on, J. There must be something you want but don’t get much. Like… How often do you get a blowjob? Or a really nice massage? I’m quite good at that, actually.”

“Okay. You got me at massage.”

“You won’t regret it,” you smirk and lean in to kiss his lips and the bridge of his nose. His thumb caresses your cheekbone, and that soft look in his eyes makes your heart shrink with sudden tenderness towards him. It scares you a little, because it’s so new. You’re not quite sure what to do about it.

“Julian?”

“Mm?”

“We… didn’t just fuck up our friendship, did we?..”

“Course not,” he reassures, pressing a kiss on your forehead. 

“Guess we’re more like friends with benefits now though.”

“I’m fine with that if you are,” he shrugs.

“Okay,” you sigh with relief. “You wanna stay the night?”

“I’d like that.”

Thanks for reading!

No pressure tags: @darlingshane @anna-hawk @munsonownsmyass @itwasthereaminuteago @slavic-empress

[vexillology-for-brains]

The State of Maine Has Chosen a Final Design!!

This is the new design of the Maine state flag that will be voted on by the public in November!

Personally, I feel that this design will be spectacular flying across a state that has become a second home to me as I've been living in the Portland area for work this summer. I can safely say that if I was registered to vote in Maine I'd be thrilled to have this as my official state flag. I only hope it passes this coming fall. It's been interesting seeing all of the various 'pine tree flag' designs that several members of the community had made. While I didn't see all of the submissions, just this specific design being worked on, I'm told that many of the submissions will be made public for viewing.

I'm not the biggest fan of the fact that the green is two-toned, an opinion I held in the final drafting meeting, but I believe that it may grow on me. It's a nice touch that will be visible up close and look nice on TV broadcasts while not being distracting from a distance. And from a distance you'll still be able to tell that it's a green eastern pine tree. I like the asymmetrical tree, it’ll stand out a lot. The background color, which is called ‘buff’ is also distinct and should look great at a distance.

The design prompt was to base the modern flag on the 1901 pine tree design. And the panel of Maine judges went through a lot and I mean a lot of design configurations for the pine tree. They were happy with this one, the Maine Secretary of State was happy with this one, and NAVA was happy with it after we redesigned the tree several times.

I'm excited to say that I was a (very small) part in the final drafting process this past Sunday (Aug. 4, 2024) with the designers and more experienced NAVA members. In attendance was our amazing Secretary Ted Kaye, and the Maine Secretary of State: honorable Shenna Bellows, and the designer Adam Lemire, among other vexilographers. I'm happy I can finally talk about this publicly, even a day not talking about it drove me crazy.

As I was present for the final drafting meeting, for any interested in more details can send me an ask or reblog and I'll respond as best I can. I won't have all the answers seeing as I'm not exactly the most senior member of NAVA, but also consider this as a general blog AMA.

I can't wait to welcome a new changed state flag later in 2024! Have a great day y'all! (Just realized this is two posts in less than a week, NEW RECORD!)

[do-it-for-the-fandom]

Fic prompt: after 4x05, Kate thinks Castle is on a date with Serena. She goes somewhere she thinks he won’t be, and is surprised when he joins her at the bar.

Whiskey.

Neat.

And keep 'em coming.

She nursed her third, mindful of the situation she was in. Drowning the pain in smooth, spiced golden liquid: that was an awfully familiar scene. She washed away the bitter taste of hypocrisy with another sip and grimaced as her father's voice echoed in her mind: I didn't even realise I had a problem until I hit rock bottom.

With that in mind, she pushed the half-empty glass just a few inches away from her. She knew she'd more than likely reach for it again as soon as the next wave of negativity washed over her, though. Whether it be anger, or frustration, or sadness, or just outright jealousy... it had been relentless thus far.

The worst part was, she completely understood what Castle saw in Serena. She was beautiful, confident, smart. And she went after what she wanted. Serena wouldn't have trekked across town simply so that she didn't have to worry about the microscopic chance she might run into the man she was in love with because he was on a date with someone else. Serena was fun and uncomplicated and sexy. God, she didn't even want to think about they were doing right now. Chances were she was drinking alone in a dive bar in the Bronx for no damn reason: Castle and Serena had probably skipped dinner and drinks in favour of dessert, anyway.

The mental images that accompanied that thought had her reaching for her glass with a groan. She didn't understand why she was torturing herself like this. She wasn't ready, and she couldn't expect Castle to remain celibate while he waited for her. Maybe that was something they could have discussed if she ever actually worked up the gall to ask him to wait for her; instead, they'd had one conversation that had been so heavily reliant on subtext she really wasn't sure if either one of them had walked away with any sort of clarity. The whole situation with Castle was just... messy.

"I'll have what she's having."

The familiar voice startled her. She turned her head to look at him, not completely convinced she wasn't imagining his presence.

"Castle?" He sat on the stool beside her, turned to her and smiled. "What are you doing here?"

"Lanie told me you were here," he said.

Beckett frowned. Had she even told Lanie that she was here?

"She happened to be in the neighbourhood and saw you come in here," he explained. He smiled at the bartender when received his whiskey. "She asked me to check in on you."

She deflated, folded her arms on the bar in front of her and dropped her head onto her forearms. Of course she knew he didn't have some sixth sense that told him where she was, and that she needed him. Still, the confirmation was disappointing.

"Didn't mean to ruin your date," she mumbled incoherently into her arms.

"What date?"

She sat upright and rolled her shoulders. "With Serena Kaye."

She didn't mean to say the woman's name with such bitterness. Serena was... lovely. Beckett may not have agreed with ever life choice the woman had made but Serena had never been anything but polite to her. Courteous, forgiving. She didn't deserve to be treated the way Beckett had treated her.

"I didn't go on a date with Serena," Castle said, sounding somewhat confused.

Beckett looked him in the eye. "You didn't?"

He shook his head and she narrowed her eyes; she didn't understand.

"Why not? I-" She swallowed. "I thought you liked her."

Castle's eyes dropped to the drink in her hand, then back up to meet her eyes. "Is that why you're here?"

She dropped her gaze to the golden liquid in her glass, scared he could see the truth in her eyes if she let him look for too long.

"What do you mean?"

"This isn't really your scene, Beckett," he stated as he looked around them.

The bar wasn't overly crowded but it was the busiest place she had dared to go alone in months. Since her shooting. But the unseen danger that had haunted her for all that time wasn't even on her mind tonight.

Tonight, it was just Castle.

And Serena.

And the date she had, apparently, imagined.

"Thought I'd try somewhere new," she mumbled.

Castle placed his hand on the opposite side of her stool and leaned closer to her, tilting his head to make eye contact again. "How's that going for you?" he asked sarcastically.

A huffed, both amused and frustrated by just how easily he could read her.

"I hate it here."

He smiled as if he had won some prize - which only frustrated her more - but at the same time, his smile filled her with warmth and she couldn't help but smile, too.

"Then, let me take you home," he offered.

His hand shifted from her stool and rested on her lower back, the heat of his palm seared through the fabric of her shirt and she flinched, as if his touch had branded her.

She knew it wasn't what he had meant, yet she couldn't stop the words from slipping from her lips.

"What? Serena didn't pan out so I'm the consolation prize?"

She winced, hearing the words aloud. She couldn't believe that they had actually come from her mouth.

What the hell was she doing?

She lifted her glass, ready to drain the remainder of her drink, but Castle's hand on her wrist stopped her. She turned her head to look at him, his gorgeous blue eyes an unusually dark shade of cerulean.

"Let's get one thing clear, Kate," he said in a low, warning tone that sent a shiver down her spine. "You are not a consolation prize." He took the glass from her hand and placed it back on the bar. "And I never wanted Serena."

"What do you want?" she dared to ask.

Castle shifted even closer, until their faces hovered just inches apart. She could feel his warmth radiating from him. He stared at her, desire in his eyes, until something - a thought, a memory, she wasn't quite sure - doused that fire within him. He blinked and looked away; the tension that crackled between them, gone in an instant.

"I want to know that you are safe and in your bed so that I can actually get some sleep tonight," he answered.

She knew it wasn't a lie, but it was definitely the safe answer.

He slipped off the stool and held his hand out for her.

Accepting that this conversation was over she took his hand and allowed him to lead her out of the bar.

The cab ride to her apartment was long, tense, and all too silent.

When the driver pulled up out front of her building, Castle placed his hand on her knee, effectively stopping her from getting out of the cab.

"Talk tomorrow?" he asked her.

Uncertainty pervaded his tone. It glimmered in his eyes as he studied her face for the answer she was yet to give him.

She nodded, unable to actually verbalise her agreement.

But they both knew that tonight would just be one more thing added to the list of things they never talked about.

It was easier that way.

[sotwk]

I was wondering who are your fancasts for your headcanon world?

<33

Hiiii Quickie! @quickslvxrr

Am I right in guessing that your question was prompted by my reblog of your reblog of Charlie Hunnam's gif set? XD

Because if so, I will just say that I am very excited to have selected Charlie as my fancast for Théodred of Rohan! (Excited because I hope to start writing chapters of my Eomer x OC fic soon, which actually co-stars dear Théodred.)

I have a growing fancast list for the SotWK AU! I still need to get around to making an official and complete list, but since you seem curious, here is majority of what I have so far.

Apart from Reader Insert stories I write in response to requests, all fics and characters I create are grounded in the SotWK AU, so these characters exist consistently across and crossover between my stories.

SotWK AU Fancast List (a work in progress)

The Royal Family of the Woodland Realm

Elvenking Thranduil - Lee Pace

Elvenqueen Maereth - Jennifer Connelly

Crown Prince Mirion - Henry Cavill

Prince Turhir - Sam Heughan

Prince Arvellas - Rupert Friend 

Prince Gelir - Sam Claflin

Prince Legolas - Orlando Bloom

Crown Princess Itarildë  - Teresa Palmer

(later Crown) Prince Aranion - Bradley James

Princess Anariel- Gabriella Wilde 

Elvenking Oropher - Jason Isaacs

Greenwood Elves

Darthol (Gelir's birth-mate) - Dan Stevens

Olondir (cousin of the Thranduilions) - Jake Gyllenhaal

Rivendell Elves

Elrond - Hugo Weaving

Celebrían - Connie Nielsen 

Nimeithel (oc cousin of Celebrían & mother of Itarildë) - Rebecca Ferguson

Elladan - Richard Madden

Elrohir - Sebastian Stan

Silmarillion / First Age Ancestors

Glorfindel - ???? -still searching!-

Elemírë (oc wife of Glorfindel & sister of Elenwë) - Vanessa Kirby

Maglor/Kanafinwë - Ben Barnes

Velcálë (oc wife of Maglor) - Zendaya Coleman

Círdan the Shipwright - Iain Glen

Eäriel (oc wife of Círdan) - Olivia Hussey

Eärondir (oc son of Círdan & father of Maereth) - Alexander Skarsgard  

Laurinwen (oc mother of Maereth) - Lily Collins

Dwarves / Line of Durin

Durin III, King of Khazad-dûm- Hugh Jackman 

Frerin, son of Thrain - Gerard Butler

Gondorians

Aerdis (oc love interest of Boromir) - Freida Pinto 

Anarlas (brother of Aerdis) - Oscar Isaac

Imrahil, Prince of Dol Amroth - Eric Bana

Ivriniel - Isabella Rossellini

Finduilas - Monica Bellucci

Erchirion - Adam Driver

Lothíriel - Gal Gadot

Rohirrim

Théodred - Charlie Hunnam

Signyr (oc shield-maiden & Éomer's love interest) - Katheryn Winnick

Léodor (oc in Éomer's Éored) - Chris Hemsworth

Héothain (oc in Éomer's Éored) - Will Poulter

Haradrim

to be revealed OC - Pedro Pascal

YUP. I almost didn't want to insert that little spoiler of my upcoming fic, but I'm just too excited about fancasting the widely adored Pedro Pascal in my AU. It will be one heck of a character, too! I am SO VERY excited to create Harad OCs (Pedro's will be the main one)!

Thank you for the Ask! Although this list is still messy and incomplete, answering it puts me one step closer to getting an official fancast list done! :)

Just tagging people whom I think/hope might be interested in this:

@hobbitwrangler @scyllas-revenge @ass-deep-in-demons @emmanuellececchi @from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras @konartiste @hippodameia @a-world-of-whimsy-5 @achromaticerebus @aduialel @asianbutnotjapanese @entishramblings @heilith @ladyweaslette @laneynoir @quillofspirit @stormchaser819 @g-m-kaye @mirra-kan @alwayssevvy @marsharmonicorchestra @laurfilijames @coopsgirl @jane0error @jezzibee @lathalea @cuarthol

Other useful links:

Introduction to SotWK

SotWK HC Masterlist

Fanfiction Masterlist

Fanfiction Request Guidelines

[streets-in-paradise]

By Duty and Chance - Hector x (Fem) Reader

Troy (2004) Oneshot

Requested by Anon

" (...) Soo basically anything you write about Hector is gonna be greatt. But i was thinking maybe that hector and reader are in arranged marriage ( yk enemies to lovers) but they end up falling for each other. "

YES, YES, YES!! ( ok, I'm gonna calm myself down now).

Just because I'm a simp, the enemy vibe was reduced a bit and the core conflict happens more on them falling at different paces. She was once on the geopolitical enemy side, cause she is a greek, but the marriage happened as a first step of negociations with another greek kingdom acting as nexus before the peace mission in Sparta.

Warnings: arranged marriage, reader starts fancying Hector before he gets into her. Pre war, but it adresses the political situation going on in Greece at the start of the movie and includes mentions to some Iliad characters that weren't in it because she is from Pylos and the movie showed nothing of Nestor's kingdom.

Summary: Your concerted political marriage to Prince Hector of Troy starts as a total disaster. Ashamed of your growing interest on him while the sorrow of a lost love keeps him distant, you focus on proving him you are a fitting wife to deal with his domestical problems before the conclussion of the peace mission started with your union would signal your first political act together.

Back in Greece for a diplomatical trip to Sparta, you come across a souless marriage product of another arrangement and the impact of that meeting calls you to redefine your relationship.

Note: Inspired by the arranged marriage prompts by @creativepromptsforwriting

" My love for one person could never trump the love I have for my people."

Tags: @g-m-kaye @thorsslxve

Sailing away for marriage so nobody else would have to do it for war was a noble act, but you were given the most abnormal circunstancies for the development of the plan.

King Menelaus of Sparta had had finally convinced his brother of creating an alliance with Troy, but the sons of Atreus weren't trully well versed on the language of peace. For so, King Nestor of Pylos offered himself to start the arrangements hoping to accomplish better results. As the only of his daughters available for a political marriage, you were selected to represent the first collaborative gesture of the greeks.

Once Prince Hector of Troy would have made you his wife, he would be in optimal conditions to deal with the Atreides and pact peace as a royal with bonds to he land already established. You father and his were of similar ages, they knew and respected each other despite of standing in opposite sides of the world. It made perfect sense that you would be given to them as a good will present to start the negociations.

The journey was too long and the advice of Nestor was required by the mycenaeans for the ongoing war on Thesaly. Without him, Agamemnon wouldn't be able to persuade Achilles to do his part in the way it would be commanded for him to do. Since your father couldn't split himself in half to attend the needs of each king, the leadership on the diplomatical mission was given to one of your brothers. Antilochus, favorite of the king and your people, delivered you to Troy doing his best to provide a supportive company for you in the difficult time. However, knowing that your father wouldn't be there increased the transactive feeling of the situation.

It was all a bargain between nations, and you were an object being moved from one place to the other.

Bonded for the rest of your life to a man your parents didn't even bother in meeting face to face.

Fame spoke wonders of your future husband, so worthy of trust that your father felt relieved and genuinely happy when the news of Priam's acceptance for the proposal reached Pylos. Hector was claimed to be the sort of man that any father could want for his daughter, that all mothers would feel proud to call their new son, and any respectable lady would dream of marrying. You got sick of being congratulated for having to move to the opposite corner of the world for him. While they were celebrating, you were aware to be essentially loosing your family to live arround strangers for the future chance to share a throne you never wanted.

You hated it and you thought you hated him, untill you saw him for the first time.

Hector was the most handsome man you ever had the pleasure of laying eyes on, but he advanced towards you with the calm resignation of a man sentenced to death. He did a great job restricting himself to the formalities, but that was all. In fact, it could be said the meeting had subverted expectations. Charming him on that occasion was your task as the lady of the couple, but he managed to awake a bit of your interest without even trying. While Antilochus noticed how your complaining reduced after meeting your fiance, Paris was struggling to get a smile out of his brother by doing cassual jokes about your beauty.

Polite indiference was all you got from him, even in the day of your wedding. His kiss after sweeping off your veil felt like a handshake to seil the political deal. Logically, you weren't expecting him to hold any feelings for you, but stumbling with his coldness was frustrating. At least in a surface level, you were starting to like him, but you didn't want to humillate yourself trying to make him like you.

Nightfall brought the end of the first day of celebrations, and for the first time, you were meant to be all alone with him. Trojans had similar customs for their hymenaeus, only that the choir of girls following you with torches to light the way to the thalamus was more espectacular than what you would have pictured back in Greece.

It was a magnificent display, romantical sight that contrasted with what was about to happen in that bedchamber.

Lookwise, you were very proud of yourself once the maids finished to prepare you for him. You hair was perfect, your smooth skin impregnated with a delicious perfume, and the thin white nightgown you were wearing was the perfect balance between coverage and exposition of your body. Enough to guess what awaited underneath, but discrete enough to not present yourself naked in front of him.

The color simbolized the purity you were meant to give away for the prince's consumption in the consumation of the marriage. Many greeks would have claimed they wanted to switch places with him, it would have been a joke in the friend group of your brother if they would have seen your transformation and you chuckled to yourself thinking of that as you nervously awaited.

The arrival of your prince changed everything. Amazement of him was strong in your virginal perspective. His toned body was considerably more exposed than before, since he was then only wearing the skirt typically matching his armor, and the perfumed oil freshly applied was giving a subtle shine to his skin. You could have started to feel lucky despite your understandable nerves, if he wouldn't have appeared to be so unaffected by the sight of you in comparison.

A brief look and a smile from afar before proceeding to sit on his side of the bed was all he had for you while your eyes unwillingly feasted on his image. His feet were still touching the floor and he seemed absorbed in some contenplative thinking while staring at the opposite side of the room.

Desperate to break the awkwardness, you attempted to get his attention hoping to help him relax. As a start, you kneeled behind him to caress his neck an shoulders.

" This isn't working. " You commented in a friendly mock. " Normally, the woman is the doubtfull one and it's the man's work to talk her into it. "

Hector was perfectly able to feel the squeeze of your front against his back, how you played with him in a convincing performance of your duty as wife.

" We have to be married, but we don't have to pretend a passion for each other that is clearly not there. "

His warning didn't work to completely dissapoint you.

"I'm just trying to be nice." You excused yourself in a sweet tone. " If it works as consolation, I was the only option Pylos had to offer. I have seven brothers and two sisters: one is already married and the other one is twelve years old. Father convinced me to get here only so none of my brothers will ever have to fight you. "

That simple reference to your family life evoked something stronger than mercy. A memory of someone he loved.

Andromache was a princess and once a sister of seven brothers that had fallen in battle. The reminder that you were just trying to stop the same tragedy from falling upon yourself acted as small comfort for his crushed heart.

She would understand.

" It's not your fault, I accepted the sacrifice. " He vaguely explained. " … My love for one person could never trump the love I have for my people. "

In that simple sentence, he let you know there was someone else in his life before the arrangement and that was the cause of his distant demeanour.

You hugged him from behind with comforting gentleness.

" I was starting to wonder why the brave trojan warrior that almost all greeks fear to face seems so afraid of facing me. " You teased as reply. " Nobody would expect Hector of Troy to flee from the touch of his wife like he has never done for the strikes of the enemy. "

The provocation didn't cause the wanted effect, slnce he didn't mind to live up to his legend in the intimacy of the room.

" I think this is a space safe enough to leave my pride behind. "

He had a point, but he would have to listen yours.

" All I'm going to ask you is to accept you are stucked with me. It's not much, ladies all over the world pretend for husbands they don't like all the time. "

You gave up, collapsing on the matress to bitterly claim your side of the nuptial bed.

" … They fake ecstasy while the strangers on top of them lascerate their virgin insides with their careless thrusting. Women can hold their pain perfectly pretending it's pleasure. You, my friend? All you had to do was giving me a decent kiss for the public to cheer, and you couldn't even do that because you are just so heartbroken. Do you get the cruel irony here? "

Hector followed you, watching you closely as he meditated in your words.

" I have nothing to reproach, you were a flawless bride, but I broke a third fraction of my moral code today. This marriage confronted two of the three rules in it and I had to choose which one I could still follow: to defend my country, I had take a woman I don't love."

He approached a bit closer to kiss your forehead.

" I'll allways respect you, but ríght now I can't be the husband you expected. You have my word, I will do my best, but for a while I believe my company won't be much comforting. "

You turned arround so you could be the one avoiding him.

" I never said I wanted you, I just hoped we could resemble a marriage. "

That wasn't how things were supposed to be like. Despite you weren't a hopeless romantic, you never imagined you would end up with a man who didn't feel the most elemental attraction towards you. Lack of desire in an arranged marriage wasn't supposed to flow in that direction, but the other way arround.

A wife shouldn't be seeking the attention of an indifferent husband instead of commiting to his desires. That wasn't what you were prepared for, since you always guessed it would be expected of you to be sexually required even in a loveless marriage. Rabidly denying your discovered attraction for the heartbroken prince was all you could do to protect your pride after realizing you were useless to him on the most bassic function of your union.

During the week of partying you foud out you weren't the only greek struggling to capture the trojan sensibilities. Antilochus fancied the cousin of your husband, but the girl rejected his every attempt of flirting with frustrating disdain. Keeping the peace mission in mind, your marriage was the best possible outcome. If Briseis would have been to Pylos as your new sister in law instead, her attitude would have caused a political disaster.

The royalty of Troy habitated one strange reality in which their princess freely rejected men with amusing harshness while the youngest prince seduced the most beautifull women arround free of commitement during the celebrations for the heir prince being forced to marry you. It was as if Hector had to assume all the sacrifices so everyone else could live how they wanted. He was the warrior prince so Paris won't have to fight, he had lost the chance to marry the woman he wanted to get trapped with you in an arranged marriage so Briseis could remain a virgin as she had choosen.

The man was a sacrificial bull whose fate was never being questioned, as if he existed to save everyone else.

As his wife, at least in title, you were going to take his side. When the first voices of concern from his relatives started to raise given the obvious fact that he wasn't happy on his marriage, you were not afraid of speaking up.

" I have been going to the temple of Aphrodite every night to pray before reaching my bedchamber. " Briseis was once commenting to him, with sweet naivety. " We need a miracle, but I don't loose the hope for you. "

She meant well and you knew it, but you didn't care. Hector límited himself to thank her and smile, but you couldn't let it pass.

" How about some gratitude instead of your condescending prayers? Are you aware this could have ended up the other way arround, ríght? Under the rules of my world, you should have married my brother. Hector is stucked with me so you won't have to marry one of those warriors you look with pity. "

He couldn't believe what he had witnessed, and he felt relieved it was late enough after dinner for his father to have already retired to his bedchamber.

" You have no reason to scold her for seeking to comfort me. "

Briseis raised up from her seat.

" It's alright, cousin. I understand she is under a lot of pressure. "

If you would have to hear one more pityfull comment, anger would have made you burn on the spot.

" You wouldn't survive in Greece, girl! The life of wives there would slap you in the face and get you off your high horse. " You cutted her off. " Maybe your cousin knows it, and that's why I'm here. "

Paris almost choked in his struggle between drinking wine and stiffling chuckles, what made him an easy target.

" What's so amusing? In greek standards, you aren't even suitable for marriage. No father would give his daughter to a coward archer that only shows off his weapon for hunting. " You inmediately called him out. " I think you know that and marriage terrifies you. Charming the girls is way easier than proving their fathers that you are a man, and if the woman you sleep with is already married you don't even need to worry because the position is occupated. "

Hector slowed you down before your brutal honesty could bring chaos.

" What do you think you are doing?

" Being your wife. " You simply explained. " I couldn't help noticing that your family is a mess and I want to help you fix it. You need a rest, and some acknowledgement of your daily sacrifices ... not like any of them notice. "

The preoccupation sounded sincere and that impressed him. After all, he showed no early emotional investment in you justifying such loyalty.

" We like the mess, but thank you for trying."

For the first time since your wedding took place, Hector gave you a genuine smile expressing real complicity.

If not the wife he loved, he discovered you were at least willing to be a support in his domestic life that was different from the kind his family could provide. You were behaving exactly like your role and rank demmanded, only reproaching your surroundings because you two were the only ones submitted to such thankless pressure.

When Antilochus returned to Pylos with the crew that brought you to asian shores, Hector took the day off to be with you. The last reminiscense of your old home had left on that ship, so he conforted you by actively helping you to slowly build a new one. It was agreed that once you would be established, you would accompany him and his brother on a diplomatical tour bringing you back to Greece, but for that you had to be well adjusted to the new city and your husband.

Under that pretext he convinced himself for seeking to take you out in order to get to know you more. Excuses would pile up whenever he would decide to break the routine and show you some new wonder of his country you could experience together. The wound of his unfullfilled love story from the past remained fresh for a while, so he couldn't admit to himself that there was some interest for you already growing.

However, that didn't stop his father from trying to cassually interfere whenever he could against your mutual resistance.

Priam often approached you by himself to give you history lessons, advice, and all sort of support helping your cultural adaptation. He wanted you to autentically feel as his new daughter and, for the most, he was succeeding.

After one particularly stressfull morning Hector was returning to the section of the palace complex that belonged to both of you since the wedding and found you attending a visit of his father. The servants rushed to welcome him, but he commanded you shouldn't be disturbed.

The King of Troy was asking you news about the heroes emerging in Greece and you were storytelling for him.

" That is a complete misconception. " You were cheerfully correcting him. " Achilles isn't our strongest warrior, that's Ajax of Salamis. He is like a mountain made a man. So strong that a swing of his battle hammer can easily pierce shields."

Priam's curiosity got stronger after the correction.

" Rumours have come to my shores saying the Pelide is the greatest threat Greece has for my kingdom … What is then the cause of such notoriety? "

" He is the fastest: an hurricane bringing devastation wherever he is unleashed. " You completed the tale. " You will never see the lethal blow of Achilles coming before it's too late. King Agamemnon has conquered the majority of Greece by the edge of his sword, but they don't get along. The man holds loyalty to no country. "

The last part didn't surprise the king as much as it should.

" I guess greek heroes just can't compare to my son. "

His comment of pridefull parent purposedly encouraged you to ramble about the virtues of your spouse.

" At risk of ignoring some evidence, I think i will agree. Hector is the best warrior Troy has ever seen, but also a wise, noble, … magnificent man. Of such kind heart, and beautifull as an artwork of Apollo. "

You didn't realized of your mistake after delivering the last part of the sentence and covered your embarassement with laughter.

" … I'm so sorry! That was totally innapropiate!! "

Priam was smiling, easing you with his complicity as if you had given him exactly what he wanted to know.

" I can't blame you for rejoicing of your husband, that's how things should be. "

At that precise moment, Hector revealed himself to make you aware of his arrival.

" Most people would say Paris is the pretty one. "

Your shame was such that you would have wanted earth to swallow you.

" I was merely pointing out you perfectly fit the idea of masculine beauty preferred in Greece. "

" Are greek wives not allowed to like their husbands? " Priam teased you and glanced at his son with amusement. " I haven't visited the country in decades, but I was never aware of that. "

You tried to joke your way out of the situation.

" We are forbbiden from liking them in advance. "

Hector gave a few steps closer in your direction before replying.

" I'm not blind: I can perfectly see i'm married to a beautifull woman. "

Despite he had probably thought about that before, it was the first time he was saying it out loud.

The trip to Greece was a crucial point, not only for the mission started by your marriage, but but for your relationship on itself. It was meant to be structured in two phases. First, you were going to Sparta, where Menelaus would receive you and give you news of Nestor and Agamemnon. If the war against Thesaly was over and the rulers had returned to their kingdoms, you would continue travelling on land to visit Pylos. There, Hector would meet the rest of your family and your father would later accompany you to Mycenae for the hardest part of the tour. After Agamemnon would have accepted the terms of the concerted peace, you would return to Sparta and finish to settle the deal back where you started.

Frightening news for Troy was getting to hear Menelaus saying his brother had conquered the last corner of their country. Suddenly, Hector felt that the inconvenience of being married to a greek that was once a stranger seemed very small in the big scheme of things.

Only once he had the oportunity to dive into greek politics in person, the eldest trojan prince had fully realized what meant to be a son in law of Nestor. The eldest rulling king In the country was highly respected by everyone, and specially the Atreides. He was probably the onlyone whose opinion was completely trusted by Agamemnon, besides from his own brother, and that anecdotic detail was shared by the spartan king himself.

Relaxed on the political front, Hector found time to notice other things.

As intended welcome, Menelaus offered a great celebration that was an autentic show off his fortune. You were drinking, eating and dancing like you didn't properly do during your own wedding party. The promise you made when on the sea of keeping an eye on Paris so Hector could do the deals got sidelined by the mutual discovering going on between you and your husband. Too absorbed in each other to care, being an actual couple instead of an institutional facade.

For a brief instant that disrupted the cheer, he glanced at Helen quietly observing from her seat how everyone else had fun while her husband fooled arround careless of her. Then, Hector looked at you and realized how far you had made it together.

The woman he had in front wasn't the same he awkwardly danced with to keep the appearances on that farse of a wedding celebration. Lonely observant like the spartan queen, only daring to engage in the fun if dragged into it by her brother because she clearly felt she didn't belong there.

You have trully become his wife, his princess.

The realization came to him in the most unexpected moment, on a loud place very innapropiate to talk about feelings.

" Was that what you had in mind when you told me you wanted us to resemble a marriage?" He teased you in whispers, subtly pointing at the royal couple while purposedly leading you into taking a prudential distance from the dancing people. " I see them, and i'm so glad we didn't turn out like them."

It made you chuckle.

" It wasn't them specifically, more of an idea of how a loveless marriage works. "

Hector smirked and pulled you closer, attempting of letting you give in for a hug.

" I understand now what went wrong from the beggining. " He teased the reveal of his conclussion. " … You desired me that night, but noticed I didn't feel the same and that confused you. The uses of your home prepared you to give yourself to a man you wouldn't want, never to not be wanted. Or even less, to find yourself wanting the man rejecting you. It wasn't your fault, as it wasn't mine, but you closed yourself for self preservation after the embarassement you must have felt … And you shouldn't had to feel that way. "

You pressed one hand on his chest as a measure of distance.

" Is this some sick test, Hector?" You called him out, distrustfull. " I'm not the wife you wanted, so I should never want you. I can't do it, that's not how the world works. "

Hector grabbed your wrist softly, gesturally inciting you to accept him.

" Then our world is upside down, but that's fine." He calmed you. " I thought I was respecting the honor of my maiden bride, only to find out she was the one waiting for me. "

You groaned with exasperation, unsure of how to make him understand the real problem going way deeper than that failed episode.

" … You have no idea of how frustrating it is to love you knowing I will never match your lost love. "

The exposure of your hushed suffering made him feel a bit heartbroken for you, but you were also confessing your love for him and that was enough encouragement.

" We needed time … I was not ready to love you, but I am now. "

His metaphorical use of the phrase merged all the possible forms of love he was feeling into one. To make your amazement complete, he grabbed both of your cheeks so you won't be able to escape the passionate public kiss he once couldn't give you on the wedding.

No choir of singing girls guided your way to the bedchamber that time, but you were following Hector and your hearts were beating as one.

[forasecondtherewedwon]

1, 13, and 36!!

Oooh! Thanks for these, Kaye!! I'm not gonna lie to you, it goes a little beyond hand-holding 😂

1) SHIP: Penelope x Colin

13) LOCATION: the Modiste

36) SCANDAL: seen holding hands! BARE hands!

more Bridgerton-themed fic prompts

Wallflower After Hours

Pairing: Penelope x Colin Rating: M Word Count: 2270

Summary: Coincidence finds Penelope and Colin alone at the Modiste one evening, but it's with intention that they address feelings which may have intensified since their kiss.

“Hello, Pen,” Colin said, inclining his head in greeting as Penelope unlocked and opened the door of the shop for him. He stepped inside and smiled at her with evident confusion. “I did not think to see you here.”

She laughed nervously.

“No,” she agreed.

They stood together in the otherwise vacant front of the shop, Colin staring at her as though he would say something, but Penelope glanced towards the door he had just closed. She was wondering whether she ought to relock it. Before she could decide, Colin followed her gaze, emitted an understanding, “Ah,” and reached up to lock the door himself.

She grew even more nervous than before. Not to be alone with Colin (although the circumstances were affective—profoundly), but because Madame Delacroix had only just disappeared into the back of her shop. Everything with this latest edition of Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers had seemed to go wrong. Penelope had been forced to feign illness and slip away from her home in order to deliver her pages by hand, and now Genevieve had dashed out to call back the man hired to deliver them on to the printer, who had apparently left after turning up to the Modiste at the agreed-upon hour to find she had nothing for him.

But Penelope could certainly not tell Colin that.

“What brings you to the Modiste?” she inquired brightly. It was wiser to ask a question of him rather than wait for him to press her on her own reasons for being there, and alone at that.

“An unusual errand, is it not?” he said agreeably. “My mother was to send someone to collect a parcel, but I fancied the walk. I did not think it should cause too much speculation, seeing as everyone is at home for the supper hour.”

“Everyone but the two of us.”

“Quite.” He gave her the sort of look she adored on him, one that wordlessly declared them co-conspirators.

“It is kind of you to fetch Lady Bridgerton’s parcel. You are a good son.”

“And you are a good daughter.” He glanced about them. “I assume you were dispatched on a similar errand?”

Penelope readily grasped at this explanation.

“Yes, quite.”

Suddenly, Colin’s eyebrows drew together.

“It is odd that the door was locked. I believed I would find the Modiste yet open at this hour.”

“Oh, it is! It is only, with most people at their supper, as you have said, and with me alone in the shop—” Penelope winced and cut herself off. “Not alone in the shop. Madame Delacroix has only gone to—to retrieve something.” She was flustered.

“She… thought it best to lock the door. For safety,” Colin interpreted. He nodded. “Most sensible.”

“She did not expect anyone else tonight. That is what she told me.”

Penelope fumbled these words from her mouth, but Colin seemed to accept them unquestioningly. And why should he not? Was she not good, dutiful Penelope, ever obedient to her mama? She was assuredly not a young lady who would be assumed to be out alone for some scandalous reason, such as delivering the most-read gossip sheet in the ton! Not the little Featherington wallflower!

“It is good, perhaps, that I have seen you. That I am seeing you now.”

Did Colin seem slightly flustered as well? Now that the lie had been told, the excuse that explained Penelope’s visit to the Modiste, she regarded Colin with renewed awareness. They had not been alone together—completely alone—since she had pleaded with him to kiss her, and he had surrendered to her plea. She had sworn to ask nothing of him, but it was not her eyes, she felt, which were full of questions when Colin caught and held her gaze. Her heart began to pound.

“Is it?” she asked. The words came out sounding ragged, departing a mouth that had gone dry. Penelope licked her lips and blushed to see Colin’s gaze drop to follow the path of her tongue.

She was surely imagining things; it was what her mama would have told her if she had gone home and divulged where she had been and how she believed the Bridgerton boy-turned-man had stared. But she would never attempt to describe it. She could only hope to remember it when, like the kiss they had shared, it inevitably passed. A moment. The flame of a candle.

“You have been… on my mind,” Colin said carefully. He had his hands behind his back so that the step he took towards her felt leisurely and incidental. Except that Penelope’s heart raced.

“I-I have?”

“In truth…” She watched him exhale and release his hands’ restraining clasp. They hung by his sides. She longed to know where he would place them next. Colin stared into her eyes. “In truth, you occupy my thoughts until I am driven almost to distraction.”

“Colin!”

“It is the truth, Pen. Though I know I should not say it, I must swear that it is true.” Colin gestured emphatically.

He was now so near as to be looking down on her. The summer evenings were still long, but Penelope noticed that the room had dimmed since her arrival. Genevieve, for the sake of the surreptitiousness of their business, had not lit any candles. There were the windows—large, for enticing customers with the beautiful dresses on display—and yet the front of the shop began to feel quite close, quite removed, quite… private.

“You are the reason for my restlessness this very evening,” he confessed in a hushed voice, gaze roving her features. Again, he dwelt on her lips.

“Do you think,” Penelope whispered, “that you should not have kissed me?”

“Pen.” Colin lifted his hand and, with just the tips of his fingers, skimmed her cheek. “I think I should have kissed you much more.”

She gasped until his lips descending upon hers stopped her breath. She whimpered into his mouth. His fingers stole across her cheek and dove into her hair, amorously pressing her face to his. Penelope stretched up to meet Colin in the kiss, to meet him firmly, to let him know that she knew what it was to be alone in one’s feelings, and that Colin most definitely was not. The only reason their previous kiss had not undone her as it seemed to have thoroughly undone him was that she had not allowed it to; her one-sided attachment to him had been forever laced with fear. Following the moment in which it had been given to her, Penelope had locked the kiss away, hidden more securely than coins beneath the floorboards. That way, she had believed, she would be able to go on. She could marry someone else, or, likelier, resign herself to spinsterhood as her mama wished.

This season, Penelope had finally forced herself to acknowledge that it would be best for her to rid herself of the silly dream of Colin Bridgerton. As a child: the dream of Colin Bridgerton selecting her as his teammate in every game the two of them and Eloise played in the garden. As a young lady still two seasons from her debut: Colin Bridgerton escorting her gallantly on his arm to her first-ever ball. As a woman who begged for a kiss while longing for far more: Colin Bridgerton in her bed. The privilege of the sight of his skin under the glow of not a Mediterranean sun but the candles in their marital bedchamber. She had decided to banish all of it from her mind. But Colin had now kissed her twice, and this time, she had not requested it.

Nothing in their current actions felt like mercy or pity or even the sweet devotion of a long friendship. Penelope came to the feeling like a traveler to foreign land, but she knew it to be passion. Colin’s tongue had parted her lips to stroke inside her mouth, and she tugged the collar of his shirt to urge him on. He backed her against the wall of fabrics and Penelope moaned as his body crowded close. The hand that was not in her hair landed on her waist. Hers moved freely: a squeeze to the back of Colin’s neck, a helpful brushing of his rapidly disheveled hair out of his face, a caress of his chest, where she could feel his heart pounding as fiercely as her own behind the layers of his shirt and waistcoat.

When she unbuttoned his jacket, Colin answered the action with a soft groan that set her all aflame. Penelope fairly grabbed at him. He matched her every touch with equal frenzy. The hand upon her waist ran down over the curve of her backside. She slid her fingers beneath his collar, stroking the thin skin of his throat, and felt him shiver. His hips nudged against her, and she felt more than that.

It was not until Colin’s warm hand, which had trailed from her hair down the back of her neck, left that spot and was replaced by the sensation of cool satin that Penelope remembered herself. Remembered the windows that looked out onto the street. Remembered Genevieve, who could return at any moment. Penelope abruptly broke the kiss and slipped out from between Colin and the thick rolls of satin.

“We… we cannot,” she panted, blinking quickly.

“Oh,” Colin said numbly. Then, “Oh, oh, I do apologize. Pen, let me fix—”

“No, Colin, hold still. I must button—”

They worked to restore order to one another’s appearance. Colin bowed his head that Penelope might smooth his hair and she felt it was a shame, such a shame, to right something which was so extremely tempting when mussed. He then insisted on running his hands over her dress from waist to hips, claiming he ensured she did not appear rumpled; she suspected he was merely attempting to memorize the shape of her that he might later do with it… well, whatever might assist him in combatting the restlessness that had driven him from his home this night.

Finally, she prevailed upon him to stand up straight so she might refasten his jacket. Their fingers met as they both reached for the buttons. With a soft touch, his stilled hers, and Penelope raised her head to gaze wonderingly into the face of the man her heart had long ago decided was beyond compare. She watched as he swallowed as though readying himself to speak.

“Oh! Monsieur Bridgerton!”

They both turned and had the good sense to spring away from each other as Madame Delacroix stepped through from the rear of the shop. Their hands disconnected their hold as they moved, but Penelope knew Genevieve had seen the linked fingers. Her eyes found Penelope’s and communicated much, including a promise that she would reveal nothing. Though Penelope sighed in relief, she feared the pace of her heart might never return to normal. She had Colin to thank for that.

“Madame Delacroix,” he said, recovering from the surprise. “My mother—”

“The Dowager Viscountess has sent him to retrieve an order. Much as mine did.” With her eyes, Penelope requested that Genevieve play along.

“Ah, naturellement! I have Lady Bridgerton’s parcel ready for you, Monsieur. Your mother, she is well?”

Penelope exhaled as they conducted their business. When it was complete, Colin turned to her expectantly.

“Well?”

“Well,” she replied.

Colin chuckled.

“The item you were meant to collect. You know I would not leave without you.”

“Yes, of course. Madame Delacroix?” Penelope glanced anxiously towards the Modiste.

“It was necessary to make an unforeseen alteration to the… stitching,” Genevieve improvised, “but please inform Lady Featherington that her item will be ready in time for her occasion.”

“Ready in time,” Penelope sighed, knowing their true subject to be the edition of Whistledown she had hurried here to deliver. She smiled at Genevieve in gratitude. “Thank you, Madame Delacroix. I shall pass on the message.”

With a nod from the proprietress, she and Colin turned to leave the shop. He reached for the door handle. Rather than opening, the door rattled in its frame. Penelope saw the flush blossom on Colin’s cheeks as they were reminded that the door was locked, that he had locked it, and of what they had done with their increased, though fleeting, privacy.

Madame Delacroix swept in and turned the lock, releasing them. They mumbled their embarrassed thanks and stepped out.

Colin hailed a hack for Penelope, and she did not tell him it was the same that had conveyed her to the shop to conduct her business. He handed her up. With the door still open, they exchanged a meaningful look.

“Would you like to…?”

With evident effort, Colin shook his head. “I think I should prefer to walk.”

“Very well.”

She could tell he had heard the hint of disappointment in her tone, because he hastened to reassure her.

“It is not that I would not like to. I would.” His eyes burned into hers and her heart, falsely cued, resumed its earlier gallop. “However, I believe it would be prudent for me to… ah… regain control of my thoughts before I reach home.”

Penelope smiled and said, “I quite understand.”

He leaned closer as though to impart a secret: “My heart I have no hope for. It is entirely ruled by you.”

As he shut the door, that organ swelled within Penelope’s chest, and she smiled her overwhelmed delight. She and Colin maintained an expressive stare through the window as the hack pulled away, until she could see him no more.

[howlsmovinglibrary]

Tagged by @books-are-portals thank you!

prompt: post a poll with five of your favorite characters and let your followers choose their favorite

(this is my second poll, so I'm going to try and go for all female characters this time!)

tagging @eldritchcow, @dolceaspidenera and @novarunestone

[cherrybombfangirlwrites]

Blood Red, Lavender's Blue

Thank you for the prompt @flashfictionfridayofficial ! I worked on General Cinderella with Tris and Kaye because I really need to work on them more, and this prompt helped me finally write out the scene I've been daydreaming for them. The Princess Tournament for the prince's hand in marriage is well under way, with it being down to the last few fighters, and Kaye's parents (the King and Queen) along with the rest of the kingdom are eager for blood and death. Tris's fight in the arena doesn't go the way the crowd and Kaye's parents want it to. Violets will be involved towards the end of the snippet, don't worry ;)

Wordcount: 948

Warnings: mentions of blood, fantasy typical violence, Kaye's parents being terrible

Fractured Stars Falling, Book 1: General Cinderella - Character, Dynamic, and Plot Exploration - Kaye's POV

The opponent struck first, swinging the heavy, spiked iron ball in a wide arc. It missed Tris by a mere hair, one of the iron spikes grazing her armor and sending sparks flying.

Tris rolled out of the way, adjusting her grip on her sword as the crowd roared excitedly. She charged at her opponent before the spiked iron ball could come back around, swinging her sword in a gleaming arc.

Her opponent jumped back to avoid the sword, the movement briefly stopping the movement of the spiked iron ball as it dropped to the dirt. They rolled, attempting to kick Tris’s foot out from under her, as they yanked on the chain and brought the spiked iron ball closer to them.

Tris charged with her sword raised, dropping to the dirt and sliding under the chain.

The crowd was loving this, cheering gleefully and chanting for blood and death. Kaye’s parents were also enjoying this, leaning back in their thrones and watching Tris with great interest.

Kaye wished he could snatch the wine goblets out of both their hands and pour it all over them.

Tris dodged under the chain again as her opponent swung the spiked iron ball around, but was just a little too late for the second time the ball came around, and it smashed into her shoulder, throwing Tris back into the wall with a crash.

She rolled out of the way before her opponent could close the gap, shortening the length of the chain so they could use the weapon at a closer range.

Tris dodged under the next pass of the chain, charging with her sword raised. She managed to land a hit, the blade drawing blood as a clean slice was taken out of her opponent’s leg.

The crowd roared, chanting for more as terrible and violent thoughts filled his head- of stabbing both his siblings and spraying the blood everywhere, pushing his parents out of their box seats high over the arena and watching their bodies splatter on the ground, using a sword to slit Tris’s throat-

Kaye’s breath hitched as he quickly looked away, hugging himself and rubbing his arms in a specific pattern in an attempt to make the thoughts go away. Finally, the thoughts relented as he looked back down into the arena to see if Tris was alright.

Tris attempted to attack again, and was a second too late in evading as the spiked iron ball smashed into her and the chain wrapped around her sword arm. Her opponent yanked the chain towards them, sending Tris to the ground, and dragging her towards them as the crowd chanted for death and blood.

Tris dug her heels into the dirt, grabbing the chain with her free hand and pulling back. Taken by surprise, her opponent was pulled down towards her into the dirt as well. Tris yanked the chain again, and her armored knee connected with her opponent’s gut.

Her frosted glass, enchanted armor and matching sword gleamed in the weak sunlight as Tris rose to her feet and her opponent doubled over, gasping for air.

The crowd went wild, everyone in the stands chanting for blood as her opponent tried and failed to get back up, chanting for Tris to ‘finish the fight’ and kill her opponent like all the other fights in the arena had ended.

Tris stood there for a moment, not moving with her sword clutched in her hand.

The crowd fell silent, excitedly waiting for the blood and death.

She turned and looked up at Kaye in the box seats, having eyes only for him. Despite all the awful things around them and what had just happened, Kaye thought she looked absolutely beautiful- her huge curves complimented perfectly by the armor, her gorgeous dark brown skin having a sweaty sheen from the fight, a few tight coils of her hair peeking out from under her helmet as she lifted the visor.

The crowd and arena fell away for a brief moment, and it was just the two of them looking at each other.

Then Tris lifted her sword

and sheathed it at her side, stepping back away from her opponent.

The crowd gasped in shock, the thousands of seats around them falling silent in dumbfounded silence.

Then the thousands of the crowd erupted in outrage, demanding blood, death, and glory.

Kaye’s parents sat back in their thrones with sighs. “How disappointing…” His mother mused with fake concern, “I thought she would make it farther than this.”

His father said, directing the words at Kaye, “We thought she could be one of us.”

Kaye couldn’t stop himself from snapping back, snarling, “She will never be like you.”

His parents glared at him in disappointment and barely contained rage at his disobedience. Kaye glared back at them defiantly, before standing from his seat, and walking to the edge of the royal family box seats, leaning over the edge into the arena a little bit as he reached into his tunic for what he’d carefully hidden there.

Tris turned to Kaye, and walked over to him as the crowd continued their outraged cries and mockery, and she bowed to him with a soft smile.

His heart melted and he forgot his parents' furious glares behind him as he gently pulled the frost violets out of his tunic, and gently tossed them into the arena below.

The beautiful purple flowers with the frost-like sheen on them gently fell down, into Tris’s hands as the crowd screamed in outrage at their own prince approving of this.

He ignored them, smiling softly down at Tris as she softly smiled back, holding the violets close to her heart.

FSF Taglist: @rose-bookblood @chalcid @evethenovicewriter @writing-is-a-martial-art 

@mjjune @fiercely-raging-writer @wildswrites @corishadowfang 

@surroundedbypearls @serenanymph (send me a message to be +/- from the taglist <3)

General Taglist: @enchanted-lightning-aes @thatprolificauthor @wip-nook @writeblrsupport 

@outpost51 @dustylovelyrun @thelaughingstag @jacqueswriteblrlibrary (send me a message to be +/- from the taglist <3)

[mothdruid]

HAPPY ALMOST BORKDAY ABBY

can we have “That’s so unfair!” “What’s unfair?” “You can’t just do that without warning me!” + any character of your choosing hehehe

kaye!!!! thank you for requesting something!! i've chose this prompt to be for Joel Miller because he is my favorite old man <3

It was quick, something you didn't really think through. Honestly, you didn't think it through at all. The urge inside of you had been building up for weeks, hell, even months now. Continuous patrols would do that to you. Daily eight hour shifts of sitting next to him, staring at those gorgeous brown eyes and imagining how that salt and paper scruff would feel against your skin. Now you were finding out how it felt.

The scruff was lightly poking around your mouth, sending shivers of excitement through your body. You felt his hands move up your back, the touch barely noticeable due to the heavy coat you wore. Your hands were pressed to the front of his own coat, one starting to grip around the collar. It was better than you had ever dreamed.

"That's unfair," Joel whispered when you broke a part.

There was a small smirk on his face. You smiled at him, deciding to throw on a innocent facade.

"What's unfair?" You asked while gripping the collar of his coat.

"Can't jus' do that without warning me," Joel pressed his forehead to yours, nose nudging yours.

"I've been wanting to do that for a while," you whispered.

One of Joel's gloved hands came up to cup your jaw. He tilted your head up, those rich brown eyes staring into yours. His eyes flicked down to your lips for a moment, wishing he would have gone out on a limb and kissed you first, if only he hadn't chickened out weeks ago.

Joel normally wasn't a chicken with anything. Fatherhood was the last thing he remembered being a chicken about. Worried about everything little thing that could go wrong. And now here he was in his fifties feeling the same level of anxiety over someone who was almost half his age. God, he was too damn old to be feeling this way.

"Me too," Joel whispered before pressing his lips to yours once more.

i hope you all enjoyed my first little Joel piece!! i have more in the works for my favorite dilf!!! don't forget to send more blurbs in!!

birthday weekend blurb event

[missjamiekaye]

Hey yo today only if you donate $10+ to my Ko-fi with "[character][what they're from]" I'll do a sketch of them for you

Here's my Ko-fi!!!

Feel free to give a pose prompt/mood too.

I up and down debating getting coffee as a special little treat and spilled the entire fucker all over my keyboard. I'M SO MAD!!!!!!

[lucy-sky]

Smiling Julian Kaye for @bernthirst-events Naughty or Nice Prompt Fest 2023 🌞

btw here's my older Julian's smile appreciation post

I wish you all a very happy New Year! ❤️

[llondonfog]

hello, met gala was last night, and the theme was "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion" with a dress code of "The Garden of Time." i'll be the first to admit i was a little disappointed with the looks overall, but given the theme / dress code + how big a role fashion has been playing in my fics as of late, i was definitely a little over-excited.

however. i did getting absolutely demolished by the idea of lilia (general lilia era, specifically) in something akin to Wisdom Kaye's look:

had to share this idea with someone, you were the first to come to mind

i feel like every met gala i've seen since the heavenly bodies: fashion & the catholic imagination prompt has been so lackluster, but it should come as no surprise that the religious prompt was my pinnacle of hedonistic extravagance lol

to that end, i was soooooo excited when i saw the sleeping beauties: reawakening fashion prompt because 1) the obvious option to reference the sleeping beauty iconic costumes/aesthetic that has become a pillar of romantic fashion and 2) "garden of time" the intent for artists to go absolutely mad with unconventional materials and designs that harken back to the natural world!!!!!! while also playing with various eras of fashion history and even futuristic visions!!!

and yet, for the most part, i feel we were let down yet again by prosaic takes with minimal stretches of the imagination :( there were a ton of beautiful outfits no doubt (and i was pleasantly surprised to see elle fanning in a very aurora-esque outfit!!), but nothing that really took my breath away or made me swoon at the very thought of wearing it myself.

ANYWAYS— general lilia with his vivid eyes and dyed hair in that scarlet, regal coat with the charred and burned edges, evocative of not only the physical scarring and wounds he received on the battlefield, but of himself. the decay of his magic hinted by the crumbling edges of the fabric, the tattered and torn material a reference to his orphaned status, the lowly bat fae that he is to have risen from the ranks to stand by the royal family as a beloved friend. and an homage to wild rose castle with that oversized flower in his breast pocket!!

he's a harbinger of death, a bloodstained slash among the dark and gloomy colors of the draconia clan. you can't take your eyes away and you can't help the shiver down your spine— he's beautiful, raw, and feral, a fae of the wild woods through and through.

[pisceaneclectic]

Notes on the books shown:

I haven't read any of these yet and am not endorsing them. Just sharing a #haul -- I will review any you're curious about. Below I've shared the titles, authors, and why I chose them >>

Healing Herbs by Michael Castleman

A plant ref. is the reason I went to the used bookstore. I have many books on plants but needed one with a certain ease-of-reference. So far, this one appears well organized!

Raymond Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft -- To be clear, I'm not Wiccan and don't plan to join any labeled or grouped spiritual endeavor any time soon. However I do study all religions and studies of practice that I can, to be an informed human and keep my references clean. I didn't choose this book for the Wiccan study, but rather for some specific resources found inside. I'll be sharing more soon. 🌙

Medicinal Plants of the Heartland by Connie Kaye & Neil Billington

In my effort to expand my knowledge on foraging, plant medicine, and plant magick, I was seeking a local focal book for my current location. I opened it to a page covering plants that are in my natural garden, and I said yep -- this one is perfect. I can't wait to learn more.

Crystals for Healing by Karen Frazier. Again, I have other references on crystals. But this one is organized I two ways, first by energy/intention/need and then alphabetical by stone. I like the brief, quick-ref page structure, too.

Awakening -- Conversations with the Master by Anthony deMello.

I have been seeking a daily meditation or thinking prompt book that is short and accessible each day. This one fulfills that, while building on itself day after day. I was enticed.

That's it for now! 📚