#knit beet

[knithacker]

UPDATED! Get The FREE Pattern For This Beautiful Knitted Beet ... The Only Beet I Could Ever Love: 👉 https://buff.ly/2VFPvZi

[pegglefan69]

planning on dyeing a bunch of white yarn in my stash with the onion skins I saved from the local farm last year, then knitting a vest out of it...planning even further ahead to try & dye yarn with some of their beets & marigolds too later this year... I think it'd be really cute to have an ongoing 'farm vest' project >:^)

[maryangelex]

loser!reader x simon riley

loser!reader who’s hired by lasswel to help price with the immense amount of paperwork that he never gets to. who’s assigned to sit pretty at the beaten desk outside of his office. but I like the idea of reader not being the typical “sexy assistant” but more like loser girl frumpy sweater and thick rimmed glasses type of assistant who still gets these Kyle and Johnny riled up working extra hard and making dorks out of themselves trying to woo you but you’re just too oblivious to men’s advances. not simon though, he’s the one that’s the most awkward yet somehow effective? you get hired and on your first day, as you acclimate to your office with your matching pastel supplies that you so delicately organize across your desk to give this t-filled office a feminine touch, one by one the boys drop off their report files at your desk to be revised and handed over to price. the first one’s Kyle, who showers you in compliments that go way over your head, “sargeant Garrick sure is polite!” Is all you really think of it; kinda frustrating for him. the next one coming over is Johnny, who hands you his files with his eyes eating you up like you’re a bar of chocolate. Johnny makes you feel um, intimidated? it’s the way he’s got that look in his eyes that feels like he’ll eat you whole, like he’s got X-ray vision staring right through that bulky knitted sweater. It makes your cheeks turn beet red in embarrassment when he makes comments and one-liners to get you worked up. the last one to visit your desk that first day caught you off-guard. while you were turned around alphabetizing the manila folders in the file cabinet behind you, you turned around to the large apparition of a skull-faced man that might as well have been a hallucination because 2 seconds ago he was not there and a man that size should be impossible to go unnoticed. your heart jumps and gets caught in your throat when you turn around and see him; dark and massive and the only visible human feature in him are the dark brown eyes behind that mask. you greet him politely through a stutter as you return to your seat, and all he responds with is an extended arm with the reports in hand. you mutter a thank you, your throat constricted, and what you get in return is a grunt before he turns on his heels and disappears down the hallway.

you’re scared shitless of that man on your very first day.

little did you know, simon’s face under the mask was scarlet red and flushed hot the second he saw your innocent glimmering eyes behind your skewed frames, making him unable to get a word out and having no other option but to retreat.

[mrskokushibo]

Dinner Party

Kyojuro x Sanemi x Tengen&wives x fem!reader

Warnings: Sex, Dirty Smut, MDNI, NSFW, strictly 18+. Group sex . Modern AU. Nearly 5k words Smut. Orgy. Rough oral.

Summary: Sanemi, your husband Kyojuro, and you enjoy dinner with Tengen and his wives at their place. The party ends with...sex. Essentially a pure smut. Enjoy!

Part 2: After Party out now

Masterlist

As Kyoujuro’s wife, you spent a lot of time with his co-workers. They all worked at a small, tight-knit firm that the three men founded together. Kyoujuro was friends with Tengen and Sanemi long before the two of you met, and they were the first people, even before his parents, that he introduced you to. And they were a lovely bunch. The flamboyant Tengen with his three gorgeous wives and the slightly on-edge Sanemi – a forever bachelor - the guy had much luck with women and yet did not seem to want to settle for anyone.

It was Saturday night and Tengen had you all over for one of his lavish dinners. His wives, Makio, Hinatsuru and Suma were the most gracious of hosts, preparing stunning meals and creating a lovely atmosphere with their bubbly personalities. The house was a modern villa, with a large and stylishly decorated living and dining space all wrapped around a Japanese-inspired closed-in courtyard that housed a garden and an onsen. You all usually stayed late into the night, chatting away, watching movies, and drinking.

The atmosphere tonight was just as friendly, however, something seemed to be on Tengen’s mind all night. He kept on giving you quick glances all through the dinner and lowering his gaze every time you caught him doing it.

After dinner, everyone made themselves comfortable in the large lounge, the girls snuggled up to Tengen, but he kept on looking at you, his gaze baring mischief. Kyoujuro, as always, was a bit too tipsy to even notice what Tengen was doing, he did not drink on a normal basis, so every time he did, he could not really handle it. He leaned his head on your shoulder and said out into the room,

‘Maybe we should go home now y/n, and leave our lovely hosts to enjoy the evening.’

‘Well, Kyo, good that you speak up, I was just about to suggest that you all stay here with us tonight’

The gorgeous white-haired man suddenly said, all the time looking you in the eyes, his movie-star smile was as wide as it got.

‘It is fine. Thanks for the offer, but we can take a taxi home, no need to have us mess up your guest room’ Kyojuro replied.

Tengen threw his head back and laughed.

‘Oh, no, my dear Kyo. Innocent as always.’ He smirked. ‘What I meant is, that you join us for our nightly activities this evening.’

He looked you in the eye again, as in anticipation, and then confronted you with zero shame.

‘What do you say, y/n. Would you mind sharing your husband with my girls?’

You looked at your husband and he was simply too stunned to even react. Before you could answer Tengen, he nodded toward Sanemi

‘How about you? Care for some fun?’

Sanemi smirked ‘You know I am always up for a good fuck.’

Tengen looked back at you and Kyojuro.

‘So, how about you guys?’ question directed more at you than Kyo.

You looked at Kyo whose cheeks were now red as a beet.

‘What do you think?’ you asked him

‘It is up to you, I guess’ he nearly stammered.

You looked back at Tengen and something very basic was waking up in you. His normally charming gaze was also turning darker and you now knew nothing better than to succumb to your baser instincts.

‘I am up for it. Yes, for sure.’

You looked at Kyo, who was staring at you in shock.

‘Baby, you will have fun. You will see. Besides, it would be rude to disappoint our gracious hosts.’ You smiled innocently at him, while your thoughts were anything but.

Tengen stretched out his arm to you and spoke

‘Come here then.’

When you walked up to him, he stood up and said to his wives:

‘Ok, you three have fun with the boys, I want this one to myself first’ With that he grabbed you by the hand and started to lead you away to their bedroom.

In the meantime, Sanemi shamelessly waved in Makio and Hinatsuru to come to him and soon enough the trio was getting on with clothes being ripped off and moans starting to fill the space. Kyoujuro was still seated in the same spot, but now with a visible erection growing in his pants. Suma walked over to him and knelt between his legs.

‘Do not be shy. I will help you relax’ she giggled massaging his clothed dick and making him moan quietly.

You were now being led through the spacious house to Tengen’s bedroom. His large hand holding yours softly and a sweet smile graced his handsome face. Your anticipation was growing with every step, your pussy slowly tightening and wetness forming between your legs. You always admired Tengen’s looks and physique, but honestly always dismissed any dirtier thoughts from lingering for longer than a flash of a second. But now, you were granted the possibility to finally explore and revisit all that you always pushed aside. At last, you reached the bedroom. It was big by normal standards, but not as large as you would imagine, most of it taken up by a huge bed. There were multiple doors leading to what you could make out as two ensuite bathrooms and nothing less but four separate walk-in closets. Walls were adorned with artwork and there was a large tv on the opposite wall. The room smelled of jasmine and other floral notes you did not quite recognise.

Tengen was standing behind you with his hands placed on your shoulders. He pressed himself tightly into your back and leaned down to kiss your neck. His large, muscular body was cradling you perfectly and he had to lean down far to reach your neck due to the considerable size difference between the two of you. You could feel his hard dick pressing into your waist and you started grinding yourself back on him. It felt huge, the hardness against your soft backside making you want to rip his clothes off and fuck him straight away.

His hands were now moving down your neck to your breasts. The feel of his large, warm hands on your exposed neckline was making you so freaking hot. Soon enough he was massaging your breasts with both hands, not being fully satisfied with touching you through your clothes, he reached down into your lowcut top and into your bra, playing gently with your nipples. You were eliciting some very lascivious moans as he took out your boobs from the bra and out of your top. He was tracing your neck and sides of your cheeks with his lips all the while you were bucking your back into his hard-on. He started to remove your top, with skillful hands unclipped your bra and tossed it to the side, and finally slid down your skirt and panties. All you were left wearing were your lace top stay-ups and high-heeled stiletto shoes.

Slowly, he started pushing you lightly, making you move toward the bed. He pushed far enough that you were now leaning over the edge of it supported by your stretched-out arms. He spread your legs wide and went down on his knees behind you spreading your ass cheeks and licking up a quick line along your wet folds. He kept on licking you between your legs with the flat of his tongue, but he needed better access to work more meticulously.

So now, he gently helped you switch positions and you were soon lying flat on your back with legs spread wide for him. He removed his shirt and you gasped at the sight of his naked torso. He grinned widely

‘You like what you see?’

He was very aware of what his looks did to women and found it amusing at times, but without being cocky about it. His fingers were spreading your labia and he focused on rubbing on one side while licking your clit area with slow and light movements of his wet muscle. A finger was drawing circles around the opening of your cunt with him increasing the pressure on the inside of your labia. You were experiencing so much pleasure now, all you could do was close your eyes and moan like a whore.

He kept his movements on you steady and firm, not moving from any spot until your moans were not as loud anymore, skillfully seeking out the next more sensitive spot by listening to your vocal response and the movement of your hips. He was essentially doing what you used to when you masturbated. His pussy eating skills were unmatched. As he felt your arousal intensify, your pussy clenching and spasming more and more he was now narrowing down his movements closer and closer to your clitoris, slowly sending you into overdrive. He was not cruel, however, and feeling you were about to edge, he now applied extra pressure on your clit and worked until you could no longer control yourself, the sensation of needing to pee quickly turning into an avalanche of ecstasy. You squirted all over him and kept on moaning even as you were descending from your high.

He climbed onto the bed next to you and started kissing you, making you taste your own juices.

‘You taste so good, y/n, I cannot get enough of you.’

Your hands were already fumbling with his zipper and soon you were sliding his pants and boxers off. When his dick was exposed, you stopped your action and grabbed hold of it, him doing the rest of the undressing. You were completely mesmerised by its size. Sure, Kyo was not small and you had your fair share of cock before him, but this? This was on another level. Tengen was nearly two meters tall and not directly lanky, with a strong muscular build so his size would most likely be reflected in his dick, but this was more than you ever thought was possible. Nine inches maybe? You swallowed and started slowly to lick him up his shaft, making him sigh in pleasure.

You were licking him and stroking with your hands for a while, lapping up the precum that steadily leaked out of his tip. Opening your mouth wide you started to sink yourself over his dick while pumping the rest of the huge shaft with one hand. He was rubbing you between your folds again, creating new wetness that was now running down your thighs. Come over here ‘he whispered and guided you to sit down on his face.’ You were in a full sixty-nine now. One of your favourite positions.

With a firm grip on your hips, he pulled you down so that you were fully seated on his mouth and started snaking his tongue into you. At the same time, you were now enthusiastically sucking him off, your cheeks hollowing and small gagging sounds coming out of your mouth every time you sank down on his length. He was gentle with your blow job, not bucking his hips nor pushing down your head. He was aware of his size and had enough control and experience to immerse himself in you doing the work for him instead.

His tongue was working relentlessly on your clit, with you bucking your hips back and forth to create more friction. You were edging now, but too focused on giving him pleasure to have your own release again. He must have felt you clench and get wetter as that went straight to his dick, you feeling it twitch, stiffen and a few more sucks later he came into your mouth, filling you up. You swallowed eagerly, the pleasant salty taste of him tantalising your senses. While you were licking him dry, he intensified his pressure on your crotch and you came again. Not a huge orgasm this time, but good enough to make you scream out briefly.

Now you lay next to each other, enjoying the lingering sensation of contentment and the warmth of still pulsing, blood-filled and swollen genitals. His hand was tracing lightly on your folds, smearing all the cum that leaked out of you.

You were now curious about what was going on in the living room… You lifted your head up a little and was listening to the distant sounds of pleasure. Tengen smirked and picked up a remote control. After a moment of fumbling the tv turned on and what came up on the screen was a bird’s eye view of Tengen’s living room.

‘You have cameras in there??’ you asked.

‘Yes, they are security cameras, but I just realised they could come to good use’ he said with a broad grin.

What was happening on the screen was a full-blown orgy.

Sanemi had Makio and Hinatsuru working on his cock, with Hinatsuru sucking his balls and Makio bobbing her head up and down with Sanemi pressing her head down in an unkind manner. His head was thrown back on the headrest and his teeth were gritted in pleasure.

All the while Kyoujuro was frenetically thrusting his hips and cock into Sumas backside who was moaning loud enough to wake up the neighbourhood.

You were staring at the screen with your pussy gradually getting wetter (if that was even possible from how soaked you already were). You were interrupted by Tengen, who was positioned between your legs with the large cock erect once again. Your look must have unveiled your worries as he said in a soft voice

‘It will fit. I promise. You are so wet anyway’. He smiled.

With that, he parted your pussy with his fingers and positioned his tip at the opening, pushing in slowly. The feeling of a cock this size filling you up was making you absolutely wild with arousal. You were moaning for every inch he was gaining on you. His actions were pure perfection, he really had an intimate knowledge of the female body. He could not bottom out yet, his cock simply too huge and your pussy clenching ferociously. But that did not bother him much. You would eventually open more.

He now started gently pumping his dick into you while watching the footage from the living room. He tilted your chin and turned your head toward him and with a delicate stroke to your cheek, he said in a soft but slightly condescending tone.

‘Do you like what you see?’ It was almost a whisper. ‘You are a very dirty girl, aren’t you?’

‘How about we give my girls a break and I call the boys in here for you? I think you might enjoy that…. I do not think you are satiated yet; I can see it in your eyes.’

You swallowed. You knew so well what he had in mind and the thought of all three males giving you this kind of attention made your body basically limp with arousal.

You kept on watching until everyone in the living room climaxed. Tengen pulled out of you, got up and disappeared into the living room. When he appeared on the screen you could hear him tell his wives to relax and put champagne on cooling. He needed the three men in the bedroom with you and him and you all would be a while, but you all would join the ladies in the hot tub for a relaxing soak and champagne afterward. The girls giggled and walked out of the living room.

The screen went empty and a moment later the three men appeared in the bedroom. Kyo with a heavy blush covering his face, the confident Sanemi with a smug smirk and finally Tengen with a peaceful expression in his smiling pink eyes.

‘Well, well, well. Aren’t you a horny one. Sure you wanna take all three of us at once?’

Sanemi blurted out in his usual cocky manner.

‘Did you know she was like this?’ he asked turning to Kyoujuro.

Kyoujuro’s normally gentle eyes started to narrow and you could see he was on the verge of saying something he would regret. Luckily, the tactically minded Tengen, being the older one here, took reign of the situation and said

‘Hey guys, let’s not bicker, we are all consenting adults here. I think we should get to it before your nagging puts y/n off’

he looked at you and when he was sure they could not see his eyes, he rolled his eyes in a conspiratory gesture toward you, something that made you smile through pressed lips and nod your head to him lightly. You were getting very used to his charming demeanour. 

‘Ok, ok. We can get started. Btw, are you ok with taking it up your ass y/n? No offence, but there are three of us here’

Sanemi noted, but got quickly interrupted by Tengen

‘Nemi, seriously, It is up to y/n, however, she has not prepped herself. So no, I can answer on her behalf that that is off-limits tonight. Y/n, do you agree?’

‘Yes, totally.’

Sanemi sighed deeply, almost as if in disappointment. So, he was into anal, hey? You learned something new tonight.

Sanemi was the first to walk up to you, his erect heavy cock bobbing with every step. He knelt down beside you and started massaging your breasts and enclosed his lips on one of your nipples. You started moaning, his massage of your boobs getting more intense and his tongue flicking your nipple faster now.

‘You know, I might just fuck your tits then, since you won’t put up back there’ he said with a grin.

With that, he straddled your torso and positioned his hard dick between your breasts.

‘Now, sweetheart, squeeze them together for me so I can fuck them’

You did as he asked and soon his dick was sliding back and forth between your tits, his leaking tip coming close to your chin with every move forward. In the meantime, you could feel a large finger spread your labia again, Tengen was getting ready to fuck your pussy. You were so wet now, that he did not need any more prep, but instead, you started to feel that enormous dick of his being slowly pushed into you again.  He felt so fucking good and his movements were just perfect. You completely understood how the guy could satisfy three women. Kyoujuro was the last to join, standing next to your face, the blonde was pumping his thick cock next to your mouth, and looking at you with those hungry amber eyes you were so used to. You opened your mouth eagerly and he slowly pressed himself past your lips, your tongue snaking on the incoming length. His hand stroking your hair gently.

‘Fuck, Kyo, she is such a slut, taking us so good. I could though sense her being on the wild side the first time we met, she was too hot to be tame’

Sanemi spoke through gritted teeth, his little dirty monologue stopped by Tengen who flicked his finger at the back of Sanemi’s head.

‘Shut it, Nemi. Just enjoy yourself, will you? But, hey Kyo. Y/n is lovely and if she does not mind, I would love to have an encore of our evening’

He spoke with quite a strained voice now, being engulfed in his own pleasure. Right now, it was only Tengen and Sanemi who were making you weak with pleasure, Tengen’s cock hitting all the right spots with every slow thrust and Sanemi pinching and rolling your nipples with his calloused fingers. You were eliciting muffled moans onto Kyoujuro’s cock, but to be honest, you were not sucking him with much enthusiasm, being so engulfed in what the two white-haired hotties were doing to you.

Suddenly, Kyoujuro grabbed you by the hair and yanked your head backward. The look in his eyes was wild and fierce and he hissed through his teeth:

‘You are neglecting your wifely duties, my dear. I think I must show you how to behave properly.’

With that, he shoved his full length into your mouth making you gag. This really took you by surprise, almost so you did not recognise your so otherwise playful and gentle lover. You looked at him pleadingly, but he did not seem to care, continuing to thrust into you while holding your hair tight. You were completely at the three men’s mercy, taking whatever they were giving to you, and thanks to Tengen you were receiving a lot. The pressure in your belly was increasing and you were now edging. You tapped Sanemi on the arm

‘squeeze the other nipple too, please Nemi’

He smirked and granted your wish. The action of his rough hands on your hard buds was what was needed to push you over the edge and you climaxed, your scream only muffled by Kyojuro’s cock inside your mouth. The spasming of your pussy was now too much for Tengen as well, and soon enough your clenching muscles milked him hard and  you felt the warmth of his cum inside you. When he pulled out, you felt so empty, you pulled away from Kyojuro’s cock and tried to look around Sanemi to send your plea to Tengen, but right then it was Sanemi’s turn to orgasm and you were met with thick ropes of semen spraying your face and landing in your open mouth.

Kyojuro was now really annoyed, once again having your attention stolen like this. He shifted his position so that he was facing you just behind the top of your head where you were lying down and then hovered himself over you, with his hips over your face and his face toward your belly. His heavy dick now hanging down in your face, he tilted your head slightly backward and pushed himself in your mouth with the intention to mouth fuck you properly. He was fast and rough, almost choking you. His grunts were hoarse and deep. This was not the most comfortable fucking you experienced, to be honest, and you were surprised by his sudden roughness.

Luckily for you, Tengen dove between your legs and started teasing your now overstimulated clit. His licks and massage were just as good as the first time he made you come. You were slowly adjusting to Kyojuro’s actions and focused solely on enjoying what Tengen was doing to you, him now flicking your clit faster and faster until you dissolved in another orgasm, squirting all over his handsome face. He smiled and lapped up as much as he could of your juices. The sight of all this must have finally been too much for Kyo, who now actioned a sloppy thrust and emptied his balls deep into your throat.

His load must have been huge as when he pulled out a fair bit leaked out onto your cheek. You were too fucked out to even notice that your face and neck were literally smeared with cum. You just laid there in bliss. Sanemi and Kyoujuro were both also lying on their backs in the large bed, panting. Tengen though was too considerate to leave you hanging. He walked up to you and lifted you up in his arms.

‘You look like you need a shower’ and carried you to the bathroom.

‘Can you stand up?’

Surprisingly, you could.

‘Good. I am glad to see that you can.’

He turned on the shower and when he deemed the temperature to be just right, he led you in there and embraced you, whispering into your ear

‘Just so you know, I really, really want to see more of you like this. I mean it’

You looked into his enchanting eyes and felt like this would be a lovely arrangement.

After you showered you joined the group in the onsen and all of you enjoyed the rest of the night with champagne and conversation flowing freely.

Banners by @adornedwithlight and @cafekitsune

Tagging: @muzansfangs @doumadono @horror4themasses

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Code of Conduct 2

Warnings: this fic will include elements, some dark, such as cheating, noncon/dubcon, and other untagged triggers. Please take this into account before proceeding. It is up to curate your online consumption safely.

Summary: your boss has a difficult time keeping his personal life from bleeding into his work. 

Characters: Steve Rogers, this reader is known as Rosie.

Author’s Note: Please feel free to leave some feedback, reblog, and jump into my asks. I’m always happy to discuss with you and riff on idea. As always, you are cherished and adored! Stay safe, be kind, and treat yourself💜

💼Part of the Bad Bosses AU💼

"This is a nice place," you look around a the brunch bistro and rub your arm. The upscale venue isn't your usual joint. You're a grab and go girly aside from your girls' nights. 

"Peggy likes it," Mr. Rogers spreads his shoulders wide as he peruses the menu in his hand, dwarfing the patio style chair, "I'm more of a pub food guy but guess it's a bit early for that." 

"Oh, well, thanks for bringing me," you smile, "I... I don't eat out a lot." 

“No?” He wonders, “guess it’s no fun eating alone,” he chuckles and tilts his head, “kinda why I asked you to come.” 

“Uh, yeah, I don’t mind so much but I’m a homebody. I like to sit at home with Mitzy and knit.” 

“Mitzy?” He narrows his eyes, “so not a husband, a girlfriend. 

You chortle, “my cat.” 

“Oh,” his cheeks tinge a little pink, “right, the picture on your desk.” 

“Yeah, her,” you smile broadly, “she usually steals my yarn though so I don’t get much done.” 

“That’s cute. Peggy doesn’t like pets,” he sits back and puts down the menu. “I cat sat for Bucky for a week back when we were engaged...” 

“Mr. Barnes has a kitty?” 

“Don’t let his hard exterior fool you, he’s not as bad as he looks,” he scoffs. “So...” he slaps his chest and drags his hand down to his stomach, “getting peckish? Whatcha thinking of getting?” 

“Hmm,” you lean forward and browse the offerings, “maybe the beet salad.” 

“Beets?” He makes a face. 

“Uh, yeah, my mom always used to have beets. I dunno.” 

“Oh yeah, you’re close with your mom.” 

“Was,” you keep your eyes on the menu, “she... passed.” 

“Uh, wow, I’m sorry. I...” 

“It’s fine. Oh, reminds me, I sent your mom her flowers for the month. Lilies.” 

“Ah, thanks. Yeah, I should call her,” he says, “but lately, I just haven’t had a chance. Every time I do, it’s just another argument with Peg--” 

He stops himself as the server returns. Your chest pangs in sympathy. Peggy hadn’t sounded happier earlier. You wonder why. Marital stuff. You’re not so sure you ever want to find out. 

“Do we know what we want?” The pretty redhead smiles. 

“Ladies first,” Mr. Rogers gestures to you. 

“Oh, sure, um, could I get the beet salad?” You say. She scribbles on her pad and looks at Mr. Rogers. 

“Ah, sure, I’ll get the roast beef with the caesar salad, dressing on the side please,” he smiles and offers his menu, “oh, and a refill on the coffee.” 

“Sure thing,” she takes both menus and heads off.  

You turn your attention to the window and look at the flower boxes just on the other side. Your eyes wander up to a passerby walking a tiny white dog and you grin. You continue to watch the world pass by, a serene glaze rolling over your vision. 

As the waitress returns with the carafe to fill Mr. Roger’s cup, you sit up and blink away your haze. He smirks over the rim of his cup and sips. You give a guilty shrug. 

“Sorry.” 

“No, it was... it’s fine. You looked... peaceful,” he says, “what are you thinking about?” 

“Nothing, really, croissants.” 

“Croissants?” He muses as he places his mug on the table. 

“Yeah, for next weeks meeting. Croissants or scones.” 

“Both?” He suggests. 

“That works,” you agree. 

“Hm, you look like that, thinking of work?” 

“I was thinking but not,” you say.  

“Right,” he nods and looks down glumly. “Wish I could get my mind to stop.” 

“Mm, I guess... I guess you’d have a lot to think about.” 

“Well, I can’t complain, you take care of most of it,” he runs his fingertips along the cup handle, “you really do just make everything easier. I never have to worry about you, Rosie.” 

“It’s my job,” you trill. 

“And you do it well and with a smile on your face. Some days... that smile keeps me sane,” he says. 

It’s your turn to blush. He can be so cheesy. You’re quiet, not sure what to say. You should thank him, maybe? 

“Well, what about a gift basket?” You cheep. 

“Huh?” Confusion lines his forehead. 

“Oh, my, sorry, I was thinking out loud,” you giggle and sit forward, “for Mrs. Rogers? She seems stressed, you too. You could send her a surprise and maybe... maybe take her somewhere nice. Not a restaurant, too busy but—but--” you keep yourself from rambling and press your fingers to your lips as you cup your chin. “Sorry.” 

“No, no, I like it. A gift basket, yeah, chocolates?” 

“She likes vanilla lattes so maybe a gift card too? She can treat herself.” 

“How do you know that?” He asks. 

“She always sends me for one when she comes in,” you shrug, “I’m more into the cinnamon dolce myself.” 

“Cinnamon, hmm, me too,” he agrees. “Where we you thinking I should take her?” 

“Oh, now I think of it, it might be expensive,” you cringe and drop your hand to the table. 

“She’s my wife, I shouldn’t worry about the money,” he says, “so?” 

“I’ve never been but um, like, a spa? Or maybe a massage place? A couples’ massage? Get the tension out?” 

“Mhmm,” he nods and his eyes narrow, “that isn’t a bad idea.” 

You grin and twiddle your fingers restlessly. Now that you can smell the kitchen, you are pretty hungry. You jitter your leg under the table as Mr. Rogers toys with his tie. 

“Too bad,” he says, “any man would be lucky to call you their wife. Maybe one day, huh?” 

[pastlivesxpastlie]

I don’t wanna get in your way…

Vessel x m!reader • strangers to lovers

A snowstorm. A broken heater. Two lonely guys. What could go wrong?

strangers to lovers, instalove, shy!vessel, concierge!m!reader, they’re both clueless doormats, close proximity, snowed in together, flirting, teasing, consent and checking in, making out, slight praise kink, blowjob (vessel + reader receiving), brief deep throat, “mate” as a silly pet name

taglist: @lifemod17 @glitterghost @inv3ga @adenobabe @jeriiicho @ivys-thick-juicy-thighs @milk--bones @myaudiocommentary @kittydothedishes @intake-of-breath

🖤 18+ MDNI🖤

You’re not quite sure how you and everyone else in your sleepy tourist-trap of a town missed the announcement about snowstorm, but here you are fielding calls at the check-in desk about vacancies at the cabin (there were none), if the roads were clear over there (they were not), and if you’re open (“I answered didn’t I?” But you’d never say that). You have time for half an inhale after hanging up with someone before the phone rings again. After a closed mouth scream you answer through clenched teeth with a syrupy customer service voice.

“Thank for you calling Lodges at Eden, yes we’re open and yes we’re freezing here too, how can I help you today?”

“Uhm. Well,” the man on the other line starts. You look down at the phone and see the blinking light next to “Cabin 1.” Shit. It’s a guest. “Sorry to bother, mate, but uh…the heat’s playing up in Cabin 1. Is there a chance someone can come look at it? If not it’s totally fine or-“ Shit! It’s the handsome English guy who visits each December.

You wipe a hand down your face to muffle the heavy sigh. If this guy is having heat issues, then soon the rest of cabins probably would, too. And…you’re the only one working today who’s cared to learn how to work on the heat until the HVAC company can come out. So you’d have to face him after being snippy on the phone and face the bitter cold, all in one fell swoop.

“Sure, no problem. I can be over there in 10 minutes, ok?”

“Yeah, yeah, thank you. Really, take your time.”

This dude was too polite. You know how cold it can get even when the heat is working, and it’s almost like he’s resigned to it. You get your gloves on and shrug on your heavy jacket, setting out for the cabin. When you knock on the door, you’re greeted by your too-good-for-this-world guest who is pilled in a hoodie, sweats, a beanie, and a knit scarf. A lopsided smile tugs at his lips as he keeps one arm tucked against himself.

“Hey, you got here fast.”

“Of course I did—you need help.” You walk in and are immediately hit with a blast of cold air. It’s not the HVAC was out, the heater was out, leaving the blower working overtime to emulate a meat freezer. “Fuck,” you exclaim rubbing your hands together, “sorry. That was inappropriate but holy shit it is uninhabitable in here!” This gets a little chuckle from the guy. How is he not livid right now? You go to the thermostat and attempt to override the AC with your code, but it’s no use. You’re no HVAC professional and you don’t want to bullshit the guy. “Alright, so, it’s off now, but that doesn’t mean it will necessarily warm up in here.���

The tall guy nods and sucks in his lips, pondering something. You catch yourself studying his face, the gentleness of it. He looks like he couldn’t be moved to anger in the first place. He shudders from the cold and takes a shaky breath before speaking. “Right. Makes sense. Well, in that case, could I get some extra blankets? Don’t really want to venture out for new lodging and…I doubt you even have other vacancies or…”

“How are you not ballistic right now?” You ask with a hint of wonder.

He blushes and rubs the back of his neck. “S’not your fault, mate. Genuinely, I’ll be alright with more blankets.” His face is beet red from the cold and his shyness. It’s sweet. Something stirs in your belly. Sure you have fleeting crushes on guests—sometimes they’re flash-bang thoughts of how it would be to share the cabin with them for a night, other times you wonder what it would be like to explore your little town with them, hand in hand, seeing it through new eyes. But this was a very general warm, gushy, “heart-eyes,” feeling. Maybe you just felt bad for the guy. But then again he was being more than nice…he was being sweet. You take a deep breath and bite the bullet.

“Look. I don’t feel great about just giving you some blankets and calling it good. Hell, I don’t even think our spare space heater would do much. I…I’m renting a little apartment above the concierge office…check-in…thing… the heat in there always works. Too good sometimes. Stay there for the night. Or however long you need. And I wil—“

“What about you!?” He looks at you like you’ve asked him to do something unspeakable.

“I can…stay in here or…sleep in the lobby. No one is going to come in there when I close up. Because, it’s locked, and—“ you rub your neck and stare at the ground like it’s incredibly interesting. Your new tall friend cuts you off.

“If it’s for the night, just let me sleep on the couch or something. Come on, mate. Don’t…don’t set yourself on fire to keep me warm. You don’t even know me.” There’s a pause. He mindlessly licks and bites his lower lip as he studies your face for a second. “But, seems like we could friends.”

“…Yeah. Friends,” you say, breathless from his stare. “Well…I close up in about 30 minutes, but I have to put a work order in for the HVAC so, might be close to 45 minutes before I’m back in my room. So…you could uhm…” He looks around a bit awkwardly.”

“Right, yeah, I’ll, pack my stuff. Not a lot. Just here to write and…well you didn’t ask…” he says quickly as he starts stuffing things in a backpack.

“Hah, no worries. Just come to reception when you’re ready.”

“Yeah, cheers, man. Thank you.” No man has ever given you such a sincere thank you. Not here at least. Here, you were the fix-it and go-get-it boy. People said “thank you” but that’s because they knew you were just doing what you’re told. This guy seemed to genuinely appreciate you already. It was a strange, warm feeling. It felt nice, but that didn’t mean you needed to imagine him bundled up under a blanket on your couch as he typed away at his computer or what it might feel like to warm his hands with yours. It’s just a nice, friendly feeling. At least that’s what you tell yourself.

About an hour later, you’re wondering if he’s actually coming. You run through the different scenarios. Maybe the heater fixed itself (unlikely). Maybe he found somewhere else to stay (unsafe considering the roads, but fair). Or he noticed how you looked at him for a bit too long between sentences (highly likely, valid, and worthy of banishment). But the creak of the lodge door pulls you from your worries, and there he is. He gives you the same shy lopsided smile and awkwardly stands at the check-in desk. “Hi…do you have a honeymoon suite with a hot tub and mini bar available?” He asks sheepishly. His little attempt at breaking the tension is adorable and makes you chuckle.

“I am sooo sorry, but that suite is for couples only. So unless you’ve got someone you can call…” you tease. He rolls his eyes and laughs.

“Quite the single-phobic policy. Bet you came up with that one, yeah?” he shoots right back with a cocked eyebrow.

“I did. I get the satisfaction of hating lucky, happy couples when I book them and disappointing single people when I turn them away.” You shrug. “Just bring everyone down with me.”

He snorts but his face goes back to serious and stoic. “What a charming young man. Bet the girls love that.”

“They would if they could get me,” you joke as you look at your nails. He gets your meaning immediately and shakes his head.

“Oh, so we will definitely be friends then.” You’ve never locked up the lodge faster, but you don’t make it up to your room just yet. He presses you against the door, his excitement resting between his thigh and your ass. You let out a shaky sigh as his hands run down your sides. It’s a firm grip that tightens when he leans in pants against your ear. “How big’s that bed of yours up there, hm?”

“Big enough…” you grind back into him, “for spooning. Someone on top of the other. Take your pick.” He growls against your neck and timidly lets his hand trail below your belt. “Wait!”

He pulls back quickly with his hands. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry!” He looks miserable and worried, making your heart melt.

“No, no,” you shoot forward and cup his face. “I just need to know your name.” He smiles has your thumb rubs over his bottom lip. You give him your name and lean forward a bit more. “And who do I have the privilege of sharing my bed with tonight?” His hands run down your back and cups your ass.

“Call me Ves,” he purrs before placing a sweet, chaste kiss on your pout. “….was that ok,” he asks, whispering shyly. Your eyes are still squeezed shut as you process how sweet he is all while being so goddamn tempting. You can only answer by leaning back in for another kiss. His face feels perfect in your rough hands, which are weathered from the cold and having to do so much work around the lodges. But he wants you to stay put. His arms snake around you as your fingers move to hold him right behind his ears. Ves moans in your mouth and gives your ass a firm squeeze. “Fuck, mate,” he pants.

“Hmm…is that what you’re into? Playing with your ‘mates’?” You chuckle with your tongue out.

“You have no idea.”

It’s a race to your attic apartment. Ves pops you with a little spank as he gets past you on the stairs. “Idiot. You won’t know which way to go with out me,” you call up to him. Damn this weasel of a man is fast. When you get to the second story corridor, he’s leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, a sly smirk across his perfect lips.

“Does it always take you that long?”

“Are you always that fast,” you tease back as you unlock the door. Ves steps into your humble abode and puts his stuff down. It’s much toastier in here than most of the cabins, which almost seems unfair. He looks a bit sheepish, like maybe he’s changing his mind. “Hey…alright there?”

Ves looks up with a little smile. “You’re being…outrageously kind to me. And…hot. Why me?”

The question gives you pause. You consider your answer for a bit because you’re not doing this for moral gain and certainly not just to get laid. “I’ve worked a lot of stressful shifts here. I’ve had a stressful life. You’re one of the few strangers who has never asked me for anything. You were ready to freeze to keep me ‘inconvenienced,’ which by the way was just your perspective. So I ask you this…Ves…why not you?”

This elicits an eyeroll and tsk. “You can’t just say things like that.”

“Like what?”

“The kind that…fuck…makes a pathetic man like me fall in love too fast.”

“Takes one to know one, perhaps…?”

In two quick steps he’s on you again. One hand holds the back of your head while the other snakes under your shirt. His hands are still cold, making you shiver. Ves pulls away for a second to chuckle at you before licking softly into your mouth. You capture his tongue between your lips and move as if you’re sucking him off. A throaty pathetic moan reverbs against your lips before you both stumble to the couch in a jumbled embrace. Ves stands up just to look down at you with a ravenous stare. “You want it?”

You’re out of breath as you sit lazily on the couch, head spinning. “Want…want…what?”

Ves smiles a little and his chest heaves a bit faster with his breath. “You know…don’t you.”

The thrill of finding another non-straight stranger who is your type clouded your judgements and inhibitions but it comes crashing down when you’re faced with this decision. You weren’t much of a thrill seeker like this. Hook-up culture wasn’t your thing but this felt different. Something rewarding could maybe come from this. But you also felt safe enough to say, “no. I don’t want it. I’ve never…never done it with another guy…but I know I want you, Ves. Would you still have me? Even if I’m…I’m not ready?”

The softness and tenderness in his face makes you want to cry. Is this moment even real? Ves shakes his head and chuckles softly. “You could make me sleep on this couch right now and never touch me again, and I would still wait for you to be ready.”

Your mouth quirks up in a surprised smile, your words sputtering a little as you take in the nicest thing you’ve heard from a lover. “What are you, a poet? And…why me?” you whisper.

Ves waves off your first question with a groan. “Why not you, hm?” Without moving your gaze you unbuckle your belt and start to take off your jeans. Ves kneels between your legs and takes over getting you naked. He’s not wasting anytime. You can see the flames of lust in his eyes as they land on your cock for the first time. He licks his lips and cracks his neck. “Got a preference? Hands versus mouth, that is.”

You want to say ‘anything please daddy whatever you think,’ but that’s a bit much right off the bat. “Uhm uh…no preference. Love both, honestly.”

Ves nods and grins as he moves closer. He massages your warm, hairy thighs and bites his lips as your tummy moves up and down quickly. “You like that? Muscles are tight…you work too much, huh?” He moves his hands up to lift your shirt, smiling and moaning softly as more of your skin is revealed. Leaning over, he places feather light kisses down your chest and stomach, his hoodie creating a soft, warm barrier between his body and your shaft. You’re desperate to feel him but there’s something about a guy on his knees looking cuddly and adorable and being desperate for your cock. He makes a show of kissing your belly and making his way to your lap again. He lets his left hand trail lazily along your stomach as he finally takes your cock. His eyes close but his face betrays how he really feels—he’s in heaven. A soft moan vibrates against you as he works only a bit of you at a time. This shallow mouth fucking is teasing but you feel like he’ll make it worth your while. He pulls off and lets a line of spit coat the head of your cock to keep it nice and lubed. Ves jerks your cock with a deft touch that makes your brain go blank. It looks exquisite in his wide hand…he makes it look exquisite.

“Ffffffuck, babe” you moan with your eyes rolling back. Your hand tangles with his hair when he sucks you again. You have no intention of maneuvering him, but you’re desperate to show any kind of affection. He doesn’t look up at you as he sucks you off, just closes his eyes and lets himself enjoy you. A strangled moan rips through you as Ves lowers his head further, letting the head of your cock just tap at his throat. “God…fuck Ves slow…slow down….”

Ves quickly retreats and sits back on his knees, panting. His lips are puffy and wet…he looks like a good boy. “Sorry.” You reply by sitting forward and pulling him in for a kiss. He pulls at your bottom lip with his, making your growl softly.

“Don’t apologize. You should be proud.” You move his hair a bit out of place to caress his temples. “Never apologize for being a good boy.”

Ves shakes his head and mixes a laugh with a sigh. “None of that, please.” You lean over and give him a chaste peck.

“I’m sorry. Can I make it up to you? With that Ves is on his feet pulling down his boxers and sweats. He moves to take off his hood but you stop him. “I like how it looks,” you say plainly before fixing your gaze to his throbbing cock. Before long it’s in your mouth…and he’s louder than you expected. His whimpers and grunts fill the room, interrupted only by your own moans and the occasional wet crackle of your throat being gently fucked. He can’t get his speaking voice above a whisper.

“You’re….you’re so good. Oh that’s it…fuuuuuck, love.” Ves holds your head with both hands and looks down at you. “I think you’re the good boy…you like hearing shit like that, huh?” His voice gets louder. “Like being used and praised?” He wrenches you off of him and stares at you as he tries to catch his breath. “Where’s your bed, mate?”

If you weren’t cock-drunk and totally gone for him you might be mad that he was still calling you “mate” but there was something about this chance encounter between barely-acquaintances that made it irresistible. You hop up and lead him to your room where you pull back your covers and land face first in your pillows. Ves pinned you against him, his hard cock rubbing against your ass as he writhes on you. He kisses and bites as your neck when your head falls back. His hand finds your cock again, and you revel in the warmth. “Feels s’fucking good,” you moan out. Your hand quickly shoots behind you to stroke Ves’s cock, but he stops you.

“Roll over, darling,” he growls against your skin. “Want to watch you.” You squirm and turn around to face him—he’s already stroking himself. “Show me what you like.”

“A-a-a-re you sure? You don’t want m-“

“Shh shh shh shh. Stroke yourself for me. Let’s watch each other.” You nod and bite your lip as you stroke yourself for him. After doing this an infinite number of times yourself, fucking your fist in front of Ves…it’s erotic. Pure pleasure for the sake of pleasure. He murmurs for you to “C’mere.” Desperate little kisses pepper your lips as the head of Ves’s cock rubs against your own, making your both moan into each others mouths.

“I’m not going to last long,” you huff.

“Me neither…s’fucking hot.”

“No, that’s you…”

Ves growls softly and quickly lifts his hoodie. “I’m imagining what you’d look like…ffffuck….bent over for me.” As he soon as he voices his fantasy, you’re imagining it too and bucking your hips into you fist harder.

“Keep talking.”

“You’d be…so…so good for me,” he whispers, “so fun to play with…just…fuck reach around and—“

He’s cut off by your gasping moan and how hot your cum is running over his knuckles…soon enough he’s cumming, too.

After you get cleaned up, you come to a little. What did you just do? Ves notices how solemn you’ve become and rubs your back. He asks if you want him to leave. You lean in, holding his face, and kiss him deeply. “Stay with me. Let’s figure this out together.”

Ves threads your hair through his fingers and studies your face. “Together.”

[moonstrider9904]

Never eat a furry beet and other valuable life lessons

Chapter 4 of Le Coeur

Series Masterlist | Read on AO3 | Next chapter (coming soon!) | Previous chapter

Chapter summary: When Nea invites Steb over to her apartment for the first time, a quiet movie night results in both Nea and Blu getting tipsy.

Tags/warnings: Steb x Original Female Character, other OCs are in the fic as well. Canon divergence, flirting, pining, crushes, teasing, fluff, alcohol consumption and mild drunkenness.

Word count: 7.2k

Music: how many times, le coeur

A/N: Happy new year 2025, everyone! Sorry for taking longer with this chapter. I would have written this quicker, but I got a gigantic cold and only had so much brain space. Anyways, thank you to everyone who reads this and to the lovely people who comment. You all give me so much life 💖

To be the pastry chef of the Coffeewick meant being up considerably earlier than most of the people in Piltover. Blu was so used to it that she would often be awake that early even if it was a day off, and while most would whine about an early schedule, Blu cherished the opportunity to see the sky getting brighter with the sunrise. Her fuzzy, mouse-like ears would twitch in the direction of bird song, and her feet would carry her around in little dances in front of the oven while the pastries baked, oftentimes without her even realizing her acts. She could tell what time it was by the amount of people walking outside the coffee shop and the sounds that came from the street as well as from the Coffeewick's second story; Blu was all too familiar with the sound of water running through the pipes within the walls letting her know that Nea was already awake.

On that particular day, the water began running through the pipes about an hour sooner than it usually did, and the moment it began sounding, Blu stood completely still and stared at the spot in the wall where the pipes hid behind with her brows furrowed together like her own knitting needles. Had Nea mentioned she'd be up earlier? If so, for what? Blu could recall every detail from her century-and-a-bit-more of life, but she didn't recall Nea mentioning anything about getting up exactly one hour before she usually did on that day. Blu shrugged it off and continued her own activities, figuring she'd eventually find out the reason behind Nea's sudden change in habit.

But the next thing that caught Blu's attention was that, despite Nea having gotten up a whole hour before, she didn't head downstairs to begin prepping the Coffeewick earlier. It would seem that Nea's spare hour would be dedicated to her place, and Blu could pick up sounds of steps and shuffling from upstairs in the meantime, but it was hard to guess what Nea was doing without getting too creative or too dull. She could have been doing anything from getting a head start on cleaning to rearranging the apartment to house a dragon egg—one wouldn't know until they saw Nea's place.

There was some idle time in which her pastries would only sit in the oven and bake, and Blu decided to head up the stairs and figure out what was going on with Nea. She gave three gentle knocks on the door before opening it and letting herself in, and at first glance, Nea's apartment was unchanged. Squinting her eyes in mild suspicion, Blu stood under the doorframe and looked around, finding telltale signs of Nea's antics from furniture surfaces without a spot of dust on them to the faint scent of cinnamon-apple that filled the apartment. Finally, Nea emerged from her bedroom looking fully ready to head down to work, and she smiled brightly at Blu when she noticed the Yordle standing there.

"I'm just about to head down," Nea said.

"I heard you were up earlier," Blu stated.

"Yeah," Nea confirmed nonchalantly.

"So, what gives?" Blu put her Yordle paws on her hips. "You never clean before work, and even when you do clean, you never leave the place looking so..." Blu looked around the apartment again as she searched for the correct words. "Effortlessly perfect."

"Thanks," Nea smiled. "I was going for that."

Blu raised a brow. "But why?"

Nea's look of relaxed confidence turned into that of a puppy who'd just made a mess on the carpet and knew he was in for a spanking. "Okay, I have a confession to make."

"Oh, yay," Blu deadpanned.

"I couldn't exactly leave this cleaning for after work because, well..." Nea began as her cheeks started getting pink. "I'm gonna need the time after work to touch up my makeup, do my hair, change clothes, lay out snacks..."

Blu tilted her head. "Impromptu movie night?"

"Yes," Nea said. "But... not with you."

"Oh, just say who you invited," Blu blurted.

"Steb."

Blu's eyes widened in shock and a hint of protest. "Um... what?"

"I invited him over," Nea said. "He's coming here tonight and we're just gonna hang out."

A series of emotions ran past Blu's eyes from curiosity to distaste.

"Um... how did that happen?" Blu walked herself over to stand in front of Nea.

"Well, you'll be pleased to know that despite the bird incident, your party wasn't a failure," Nea began.

"None of my parties are failures," Blu intervened. "Go on."

"And judging by the fact that he felt he needed to bring someone to a large gathering, I figured maybe something more lowkey would help Steb feel more at ease," Nea explained. "So a simple night to hang out and talk seemed alright. I was waiting for him to know when he'd be off duty so that he could hang out without any pressure, and, well, tonight's the night."

"The night for what?" Blu pressed.

"For us to finally be alone together for a bit," Nea replied calmly. "Get to know each other."

"Unchaperoned?" Blu questioned.

"Oh, unclutch your pearls," Nea snickered. "You sound like a first generation councilman."

"Look, he seems nice and I get you like him but don't you think it's a little soon for you two to...?" Blu asked, and her eyes suddenly widened in shock before she ran herself to Nea's bedroom. Nea followed after her and saw Blu was searching the top of her made bed and her bedside tables as if she were looking for clues in a crime scene.

"What are you doing now?" Nea leaned on the doorframe and crossed her arms.

"Trying to find rose petals, aphrodisiac scented candles, anything that might suggest-" Blu paused to shudder. "I don't even want to think about it."

"Okay, just stop," Nea reached for Blu on her bed and set her down on the ground, kneeling in front of the little Yordle. "I'm not planning on getting into bed with him tonight. So you can stop worrying about that. All I want is to spend some time with him. But if it makes you feel better, you're invited. I'm sure he won't have any problem with you being there, and neither will I."

"Really?" Blu frowned, but Nea could pick up on the softness hidden behind her furious mask.

"Really," Nea replied. "If he's gonna come here more often, he'll have to get used to you either way."

"Get through me first is more like it," Blu muttered.

Nea leaned in and hugged Blu tight, just enough not to squeeze the air out of the Yordle. "Thank you for looking out for me."

Blu finally softened and leaned her head on Nea's shoulder. "Can I pick the movie?"

"Only if you don't hog the potato chips," Nea replied softly.

"Deal," Blu gently pulled away from the hug. "Now, I have to get back to check the oven."

"I'll be right down," Nea replied. "And don't you worry about a thing. I'm the one who should be nervous for tonight."

Blu giggled. "Wait 'til I tell Donnie and Lily about this."

Nea chuckled. "Knock yourself out."

Feeling mildly less distaste for what the night had in store for her, Blu retreated downstairs one more time and checked on her pastries. Not long after that, Nea went downstairs to open the Coffeewick, and from that moment on, it was business as usual. Blu kept a close eye on Nea, finding that even with the plans she had for the night, Nea was fairly focused on the job. She wasn't giggling like a schoolgirl or constantly blushing, she wasn't confused or off in a daze. She was simply Nea, the trustworthy, professional barista acing every order in the queue and brewing every cup with the same intent and passion.

For a moment, Blu felt as if her best friend wasn't being taken away.

Still, the day went by quickly, and it was time to close in what felt like a blink of an eye. Surely, the hours had zoomed by as quickly as Nea had wanted them to, and with the Coffeewick closed up, Nea was ready to head back upstairs to her apartment. She changed into one of her nicest sweaters, a fitted black one that was more like a wool blouse that greatly enhanced her silhouette and had a wide outstanding neckline that nearly reached her shoulders and showed off her collarbones. She styled her short hair into curls rather than the usual waves, and she touched up her eye makeup and lipstick. She didn't add any blush to her cheeks. It was enough simply to think about Steb for her to feel the apples of her cheeks turning pink, and if she dwelled on the thought of her welcoming him into her home and sitting next to him on the couch, she'd be flustered enough to be on the verge of swooning.

Finally, Nea sprayed herself with her favorite perfume. She took one last look at herself in the mirror and feared for a moment she may have dolled herself up a little too much for a simple night watching movies on the couch, but she brushed off the thought. As simple as the encounter would be, it was worth cleaning up nice. Steb was worth it. And with a little smile at her reflection, Nea wandered from her room to the kitchen and set out all the snacks that they would need on the coffee table in front of the couch, making sure not to neglect the bowl of chips specifically meant for Blu. Outside, the sun was beginning to set, indicating that the time for the date to begin was near—was it really a date? Nea still wasn't very sure what to call it. Either way, Steb would be there soon, and Blu would probably be at Nea's doorstep in mere seconds.

When the sky outside was almost dark, Nea heard the doorbell ringing from downstairs. Coming to a brief halt, Nea looked around her apartment to make sure one last time that everything was in top shape, and in her stillness, she could feel her heart beginning to race. Finally, she let herself out the door and down the stairs, approaching the Coffeewick door. Nea couldn't help the wide grin that appeared on her lips when she opened the door for Steb, and when he smiled back at her, she let out a little giggle.

"I'm so glad you made it," Nea said as she invited him in.

"Thanks," Steb said, making the one-syllable word sound elegant in his thick accent. "I just still think it's lucky both of our days off lined up for tomorrow."

"That just means we can enjoy movie night even more," Nea said, her tone shy and hopeful as her eyes appeared to shine at Steb.

In return, Steb gave her a chivalrous smile. "I'd like that."

As Nea closed and locked the door again behind them, the two shared a gentle look in silence. It let Nea observe what he chose to wear that night, dark trousers and a gray wool sweater with a white collared shirt underneath. She could feel the words glaring behind her lips, aching to come out, but it still felt too soon to utter how handsome he looked. For that night, she'd continue keeping that fact to herself.

"You look..." Steb began, contradicting Nea's inner decisions. "You look nice."

Nea's eyes widened slightly in surprise, but she smiled at him in return. "You think so?"

"Yes," Steb smiled shyly, wondering how much further it would be appropriate to take the compliment. "Curls suit you."

"It's one of my favorite styles," Nea gave her head a wiggle, and the curls crowning her head followed. "You, um... you look nice too."

Steb opted to remain silent this time, but the gentle look in his eyes spoke of gratitude and undeniable affection. The tender nature of the moment made it feel like they had lingered on each other's gazes for an age, and Nea began to feel like perhaps it was time to move things to the apartment. She gestured to Steb to begin moving deeper into the Coffeewick, and she led the way past the darkened coffee shop to the staircase until they made it to the second floor and were just outside Nea's door.

"This is it," Nea said, reaching for the doorknob.

"It felt... strange, seeing the Coffeewick empty and from the inside," Steb observed.

"Oh, I know what you mean," Nea said. "I feel it too. But the Coffeewick deserves her rest too."

"Of course," Steb agreed as Nea opened the door, and when he was granted a clear sight of the place where she lived, he found himself unable to focus on anything other than the Yordle who stood on the coffee table with her back turned on them as she reached into the bowl of chips.

"Hands up, chip thief," Nea joked.

Blu turned around on the coffee table and shoved one last handful of chips into her mouth, after which she hopped from the table to the sofa and plopped down on it. "I picked the movie."

"Good," Nea stepped inside and let Steb in as well. "I told Blu she could join us, I hope that's okay."

"Of course," Steb smiled at her. "It's nice to see you again."

Blu seemed to hesitate for a moment, a sight so rare for someone as sharp-tongued as her, but she gave Steb a cheeky little smile.

"Of course it is," Blu said. "I'm a delight."

Nea playfully rolled her eyes and started making her way toward the kitchen, but first, she gave a quick glance at Steb. "Make yourself at home. Do you want something to drink?"

"Sure, I'll come with you," he said as he began to follow.

"'Kay," Nea smiled. "Blu, do you wanna put the movie in?"

"Yep," Blu hopped from the couch and went towards the television.

Meanwhile, Nea made her way swiftly towards her kitchen, knowing the steps all too well, but Steb inevitably lingered in his pace, observing as many details as he could. He found himself comforted by the earthy colors of the walls and the forest greens of the blankets and cushions on the living room. He found the warmth of the apartment enjoyable, and even with the snacks that had already been laid out, the place quite obviously smelled of coffee, though the scent was delicately mixed with the aroma of flowers, mainly lavender and rose. He stopped and looked, though not for too long, at the different potted plants around the apartment, each one well taken care of, and overall the cozy aura of the place was enticing, inviting him to spend his days and nights there.

Of course, the company he'd find in that apartment was very inviting as well, and when his thoughts circled back to Nea, Steb observed her as she took out a bottle of stout ale from the fridge.

"Blu, do you want a beer?" Nea called.

"You know which one I like!" Blu replied from the living room.

"What about you?" Nea asked Steb.

"I wouldn't mind one," he replied somewhat shyly, feeling out of place for a moment between these two lifelong friends.

"Light or dark?" Nea asked.

"Light, please," Steb said.

"Okay," Nea said as she took out one more bottle of dark beer and one of light.

"You and Blu drink stouts?" Steb's voice carried obvious surprise in it.

"We like our beer like we like our coffee," Nea said. "My liver's used to it by now, but don't be surprised if Blu begins asking some very forward questions halfway through the second bottle."

"Yes, fear me," Blu mumbled from the living room.

Nea giggled and acknowledged Steb again. "Would you like a glass?"

"Bottle's fine," Steb replied.

With little more, Steb and Nea made their way back to the living room, drinks in hand. As Blu finished setting up the film, Nea handed her the bottle of stout, which Blu took with a little grin.

"Why, thank you," Blu looked adoringly at the bottle. "Come to mama, my sweet, bitter little baby."

Nea chuckled when Blu began drinking from the bottle, and even Steb couldn't help but laugh softly at the sight of the little Yordle gulping down beer from the bottle angled nearly vertically as she held it in her little paws. Then, Nea and Steb sat side to side on the sofa, facing the television, and once more their gazes met, prompting a shy little smile from one another. On the screen, the film was just starting, followed by Blu pit-pattering her way around the coffee table with her beer in hand. She set it down on the coffee table and hopped on the couch, shamelessly sitting herself between Steb and Nea, and when she was fully seated, Blu made grabby hands at her beer on the table.

Steb and Nea shared another look, this one full of mischief and amusement at the Yordle's antics. Steb reached for the beer before Nea and handed it to Blu, who looked at him with a certain degree of approval.

"Hm," Blu said as she took the bottle. "Good move, officer. Pass the chips."

"Blu, say please," Nea reminded.

"I'll say thanks for the chips," Blu added.

"Here you go," Steb said as he gave her the big bowl of salty snacks.

"Thanks," Blu said and snuggled into Nea's frame.

"So, what movie did you pick?" Nea asked her.

"Only a timeless classic," Blu replied as a delicate piano melody began playing on the screen.

"Oh my," Nea giggled. "You actually picked Arrogance and Prejudgment?"

"Yes," Blu snickered. "You remember the tradition, right?"

"When it gets to the potato scene, we both quote the phrase in unison," Nea recited.

"And then we drink," Blu snuggled deeper into Nea. "I like movie night."

With a little giggle, Nea looked at Steb again. "Are you comfy?"

He nodded. "Yeah, thanks."

Nea blinked with a little grin. "Let me know if you need anything."

He gave her a quiet smile in return, and though they would have loved more conversation, both Steb and Nea felt that if they talked during the movie, Blu would have their heads. The movie played its course, and as it was with every rewatch, Nea enjoyed every bit of it the way she always did. The only difference was that Steb was present; knowing looks and lingering gazes were exchanged, and even with Blu sitting between them, Nea and Steb could feel how close they were to one another. It added a sweet variety of tension to the hours as they passed by, and even in the absence of words, it was what Nea had wanted—time spent near him, and the fortune of gazing upon him simply by looking at her side.

The movie eventually came to its end, and each one in that living room had roughly two drinks down. Even with the quantity being the same, the three were all at a different level of inspiration, with Steb being fully in his five senses, Nea with a faint sensation of lightheadedness she wasn't sure came from the ale or the extended proximity to Steb, and finally, being the worst of all, Blu quietly giggling to herself as multiple thoughts crossed her mind.

"We should watch that again," Blu slurred as she tumbled off the couch, falling with a light thud on the carpet. The sight prompted a laugh from Nea, one that brought to light just how tipsy she was.

"Oh my gosh, are you hurt?" Nea asked as Blu stood up and began a wobbly stride towards the kitchen.

"Yes," Blu mumbled. "On the inside. It needs alcohol."

Nea snickered.

"Are you sure you can handle another drink, Blu?" Steb asked when he noticed the Yordle reaching into the fridge for another three bottles.

"What, you wanna give me advice?" Blu challenged as she closed the fridge and made her way back to the sofa. She gave Nea one of the bottles and kept the other two for herself, giggling as she climbed on the coffee table and took a seat. "Fun game. Gimme advice, fishy boy, I dare you."

Steb turned towards Nea, his aquamarine eyes full of concern. In her lightheadedness, Nea suddenly wished he wasn't looking at her like that, but then again, any expression he could adopt would have the same effect on her. She wasn't fully sure she'd be able to resist him, and against her will, she grinned widely at Steb, and a dreamy sigh left her as she unconsciously stirred on the sofa and shifted her weight towards him.

"She's fine," Nea said. "She'll mumble nonsense and then pass out, but we're at home, so there's nothing to worry about."

"If you're certain," Steb told her, not at all oblivious to the change in Nea's aura.

Slowly, Nea nodded and smiled at him. "I am. But thanks for worrying. Now, please, humor her."

Steb chuckled, and he figured he'd enjoy himself as well. By logical deduction, he'd determined that the third bottle of ale was meant for him, and he reached across the coffee table in an attempt to take it only to earn himself a fluffy slap on his hand coming from Blu's hand. When he met eyes with the Yordle, she was frowning, looking about as ruthless and menacing as a marshmallow.

"Valuable piece of advice number one," Blu slurred, pausing to hiccup. "Never take a bottle from a Yordle."

"I thought—" Steb began.

"Never," Blu reiterated.

"Behave," Nea reminded her friend.

"Valuable piece of advice number two!" Blu enunciated as she attempted to stand up on the coffee table, only to quickly find out she was too woozy to properly keep balance and sat down again. "Never—hic!—ever eat a beet if it's furry."

Steb laughed softly and tilted his head. "Why?"

Blu directed an unamused look at him. "What do you mean, why? It's a beet! It's not supposed to have fur." Blu looked at Nea. "Can you believe this guy?"

Nea quietly chuckled and looked over at Steb with a little spark in her eyes. As Steb looked at her too, he felt a sensation in his chest, perhaps that of his heart swelling at the sight of her curled up on the couch hugging one of the cushions and looking up at him in adoration. He couldn't help but smile softly at her, and he found himself controlling the urge to reach out and take her in his arms—not only would it be wrong in her current state, but he didn't need Blu lunging toward him in an attempt to end him, funny as that would be.

"Valuable piece of advice number four!" Blu said as she tried to hop from the coffee table to the armchair.

"You skipped a number, genius," Nea said as she reached out and helped Blu get on the chair.

"Valuable piece of advice number five," Blu continued, unbothered, as she found a comfy seated position on the arm chair, holding her beer not unlike a child would hold their sippy cup. The Yordle looked over at Steb and, for a moment, an unavoidable seriousness peered through the tipsy cloudiness of her overall aura. "Don't you dare break this woman's heart."

In the few seconds it took for Blu's words to sink in, Nea felt herself sobering up as well. An alarming embarrassment threatened to creep up on her, and just before she could slip into overdrive and erupt in attempt after attempt to convince Steb that Blu didn't know what she was saying, the Vastaya let out a deep, soft laugh and he too straightened his posture, looking deep into Blu without a hint of hesitation.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Steb assured.

With his words, the plethora of worries that had invaded Nea vanished. Her features softened and her chest sank with the soft exhale that left her as she turned around to face him, and for a moment, she didn't know whether to thank him or to confess her feelings to him. But even in her lightheadedness, she knew that worrying or speculating, much less hiding from him, wasn't an option anymore, and with that realization, a smile curved her full lips. Steb's gaze then landed on her, smiling softly at her as well—if she had looked beautiful before, the current sight of her had Steb feeling as if he'd swallowed a box of fireworks, about to burst in the many things she made him feel.

"Then my work here—hic!—is done," Blu said and brought the beer bottle up to her snout, downing its entire content before setting it aside. With one more hiccup, she curled up on the armchair facing away from them and mumbled a few things no one else was able to make out, and in seconds, she fell asleep.

Giggling softly at the sight of her furry friend sleeping like a baby—as if she hadn't just chugged a whole beer—Nea turned around on the couch and faced Steb again. As she looked at him, she could feel her entire guard being let down, and she smiled dreamily at the man in front of her. Everything around her seemed blurry, but no less enchanting, and Nea felt her heart skip a beat when Steb shifted closer to her on the couch. His eyes held a blend of concern and affection in them, and the first thing he did was reach for the bottle in her hands when it tilted in a perilous angle that would let all the liquid drain from it, a fact that had been irrelevant to Nea before he reached to grab it. He took it from her and set it on the coffee table only to look at her again, managing a soft smile.

“Are you okay?” Steb asked.

Nea smiled and hummed in approval, feeling her body angling itself closer to Steb as his deep, rich voice allured her not unlike the song of a siren.

“Yeah,” Nea replied. She looked at him and her hopeful grin widened and a shimmer adorned her gaze. “Did you really mean that?”

Steb chuckled and found no harm in answering. “Every word.”

With another soft hum, Nea found herself ever closer to Steb. Her hand hovered over to his forearm and delicately brushed down toward her hand, lingering on the sensation of the wool beneath her fingers. The bottles of beer finally caught onto her, dimming her senses, and she was barely able to register the flash of recognition in Steb’s eyes when she leaned even closer to him and perked her lips up, intent on sealing the space between them and indulging in the perfect first kiss she’d been yearning for. But instead of feeling his lips on hers, Nea suddenly felt a force applied against her shoulders followed by the sound of Steb’s voice hazily filling her ears.

“No, darling,” Steb said as he gently kept her at bay.

“What?” Nea whimpered. “Steb…”

“You’ve had too much to drink,” he stated.

“No…” Nea’s whole face dropped into disappointment, well near breaking Steb’s heart, but a kiss in those conditions was out of the question for him. Delicately, Steb took Nea in his grip and helped her up to standing, and his own resistance built tension up in him as he looked at Nea, so beautiful yet so far off in a distant world.

“Oh, dear,” Steb said so quietly, just barely above a whisper. “I don’t know if I’d rather you remember this when you’re sober or not.”

“You don’t want to kiss me,” Nea mumbled.

Steb felt the words she spoke burning through his skin. “I do. Believe me, I do…”

From the couch to her bedroom, the only thought Steb could register was how much he’d only wanted to kiss her since he met her, how it ached to long for her embrace, her dark brown eyes gazing into him, waking up beside her in gentle sunlight… It hurt to even think that any part of Nea might suspect he wanted anything other than that, but now wasn’t the time to prove her wrong. When they arrived at her room, Steb sat Nea down on the bed and he kneeled in front of her.

“Hey,” Steb said. “I’m gonna get you a glass of water, and I’ll be right back, okay?”

Nea nodded softly, but she didn’t say anything else. Steb got up to head to the kitchen, but he stopped in his tracks when he felt Nea grabbing his hand.

“Wait,” she said, with a brief hint of desperation in her voice.

“Yes?” Steb’s whole frame softened when he looked at her again.

“Don’t go,” Nea pleaded.

“I’m just going to the kitchen,” Steb reassured her. “I’ll be right here with you until you can fall asleep, okay?”

Nea gave a soft nod and let her hand drop, letting go of Steb. Through the buzz, she could recognize the tenderness of Steb’s gaze as he looked upon her, and with a few quiet steps, he was out of her room. As he made his way through the cozy little apartment, he didn’t forget to check on Blu as she slept on the couch—she was still positioned on her side and her breathing was deep and steady, giving no reason for concern. Steb then finished his way into the kitchen and, though he didn’t love the idea of rummaging through Nea’s cupboards, he found a cup and filled it with water to take it back to her room.

When he arrived, Steb was greeted by the sight of Nea sleeping already, curled up on her side in a fetal position facing the bedside table. Of all the ways Steb had pondered on the slightest possibility of seeing her sleeping soundly near him, he didn’t think it would involve her being drunk. In fact, he would have hoped it wouldn’t be the case had he ever stopped to consider that course of events. But things were as they were, and all in all, Nea did look adorable. With a soft smile, Steb set the glass of water down on the bedside table and turned off the lamp, and he reached for the blankets on the opposite side of the bed, folding them over to cover Nea so she’d be warm. He then left the room and opted to leave the door open, making it easier for him to hear if she needed him throughout the night.

When Nea had fallen asleep, she had no recollection of what time it was, and no such conscience until the first moment she felt sunlight gleaming on her eyelids the following morning. She didn’t even remember at what point during the night she’d gotten up to drink the now empty glass of water that rested on her nightstand, but as soon as she’d remembered who’d left it there for her, all the embarrassment returned. With a grimace, Nea pulled her blanket over her face and pressed her palm to her forehead in an effort to soothe the cringe and the piercing headache, and the realization that she couldn’t do anything to undo the way she drunkenly came onto Steb plunged a void right in the middle of her chest. She hoped to avoid facing anything and anyone that day—thank goodness it was the Coffeewick’s day off—like a troll retreating to a cave for as long as the sun lit the sky.

Nea got up from her bed and decided not to open the curtains just yet. As she made her way to the door, she wondered a lot of things, mainly how she would ever make it up to Steb. Now in the living room of her apartment, Nea squinted and used one of her hands to shield her eyes from the natural light that peered in through the windows, and her feet carried her over to the armchair where Blu was still sleeping as soundly as ever. Nea remembered seeing Blu curled up on one side, but in that moment, she was splattered face down with a blanket covering only half of her body, and Nea couldn’t help but laugh quietly at the sight. Blu looked as if the three bottles of beer she’d had the night before were actually full of hard liqueur.

When Nea laughed, she quieted down instantly when she heard a deep, sleepy moan coming from the ground, and she quickly faced the direction of the sound to find Steb sleeping on the carpet, his head and lower back supported by the cushions from the couch. One of his forearms covered his eyes, shielding him from the light, and he was almost entirely scrunched—Nea feared he’d been cold all night. She then looked at the coffee table and realized it was spotless. The empty bottles had been rounded up and placed next to the trash chute, the bowls of chips had been emptied and cleaned, and whatever droplets of beer or crumbs had been lying around the furniture weren’t there.

Nea looked at Steb’s sleeping figure and it dawned on her. She realized the motivation behind all his actions, particularly—and perhaps, especially—his decision to not kiss her the night before when she wanted to. Though part of her would have wished he would have left to avoid further embarrassment, now she was happy he’d stuck around if only to thank him for tidying up when he didn’t have to. She smiled at the sight of him and controlled the urge to plant a gentle kiss of gratitude on his forehead, and instead, she turned towards Blu.

With the lightest touch, Nea lifted the blanket off of Blu and draped it over Steb, hoping to give him some sort of comfort in what clearly was not an ideal sleeping position, and then she picked Blu up from the couch and headed for the door. In little time, Nea was in Blu’s apartment setting the Yordle down on her bed for her to keep sleeping to her heart’s content, and Nea then returned to her own apartment, taking her time with each step she took. Perhaps she’d brew a pot of coffee—whether it was for the hangover or to cure a night of poor sleep, coffee was never an inadequate form of gratitude. She reached for the doorknob of her place and twisted it, pulling the door open with her gaze trailed on the living room where Steb was sleeping, and when the scene was revealed to her, she found he wasn’t there anymore.

“Good morning,” Steb’s deep, rich voice emerged from her bedroom.

She found him standing under her doorframe and smiled at him, closing the door behind her.

“I heard the door and thought Blu had gone on her own,” Steb said. “I thought I’d check in on you, but then saw you were gone.”

“Yeah, I took her,” Nea said, giggling at the memory of how she found Blu on the couch. “There’s no way Blu’s gonna move on her own.”

Steb laughed softly and walked over to Nea. “And… how are you?”

When she saw how tenderly he looked at her, Nea nearly broke into a flustered amalgamation of embarrassment and thanks. Judging by the way Steb’s eyes softened at her, she knew all the emotions must have manifested in her gaze, and Nea chose to lead with the one thing that was eating her inside, prompting her to cover her eyes with her hands.

“I am so sorry about last night,” Nea whimpered.

“Hey, come on,” Steb comforted. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I put you in a difficult position, and I shouldn’t have…” Nea uncovered her eyes and looked at him again. “It wasn’t supposed to happen, I’m sorry for letting myself go like that.”

“You had a couple beers in your own home,” Steb reassured. “Don’t apologize for that.”

“I tried to kiss you!” Nea blurted.

Steb chuckled softly, his ears giving a faint wiggle. “I’m… honestly flattered by that.”

“Don’t tease me,” Nea looked away from him.

“I’m not,” Steb reached, albeit without thinking, for her hand and squeezed it gently. The gesture instantly brought her eyes to look at him again, and though he considered for a moment swatting her hand away in regret, he kept it there and his ocean eyes softened as he continued to look deep into her.

“I mean…” Nea began. “It’s not like you don’t know how I feel…”

Her words abandoned her mid sentence, but she didn’t need them. Steb knew what she was trying to say, and the only thing that would pain him was for her confession to be clouded by remorse. He’d turn that around if he could, and in his eyes, he still had the chance. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and smiled at her, gesturing with his eyes toward the kitchen.

“You need to eat,” Steb said. “And hydrate.”

Still holding her hand, Steb led her toward the kitchen and stood in front of her fridge. “Mind if I make us some breakfast?”

Nea smiled at Steb with mild disbelief and she gave a soft nod. With her approval, Steb opened the fridge and looked around before taking out eggs, ham, and cheese.

“Here,” Nea went to the pantry and took out oil for the pan Steb was already putting on the stove, as well as a spatula and a whisk.

“Let me,” Steb smiled at her. “I wanna spoil you a bit.”

Nea felt herself blushing furiously. “Steb, you really don’t have to…”

“I want to,” he emphasized. “Scrambled?”

“What?” Nea asked.

“Are scrambled eggs okay?”

She chuckled and let him take the lead. “Yes, that sounds perfect.”

With that confirmation, Steb ignited the stove top and got to cooking, and in no time, the kitchen smelled amazing. Nea paused for a few moments to watch him move around the kitchen, until she moved on her own and prepped the coffee maker to brew a whole pot.

“So, you also brew coffee on your days off?” Steb asked her, still focusing on the eggs frying on the pan.

“Of course I do!” Nea beamed, walking up to him when she was able to leave the coffee maker to its own devices. “Coffee’s something I love.”

Steb could feel her proximity, and when he noticed the way she was looking at him, he turned off the stove so he could focus fully on her, his eyes beckoning her to speak up in the gentlest manner. Nea smiled softly at him, and her own gaze continued to hold an apologetic tone to it.

“Thank you,” she said, looking around the apartment for a couple seconds before looking at him again. “You didn’t have to clean up, by the way. But… thank you. For everything.”

Steb smiled at her and angled his body to face her. As he looked at Nea, he could see her anticipation growing when her eyes sparkled up at him again and her chest began to heave in soft pants.

“Steb?” She pronounced his name so endearingly, full of hope.

“Yes?”

“I…” Nea blushed. “I can think straight now.”

Steb gave a soft chuckle. “I’m sure you can.”

Nea’s smile widened. “So… Can I kiss you?”

The frills around Steb’s eyes flared in subtle waves as his own smile widened at her, and with a delicate grip, Steb rested his hands cupping Nea’s neck, his thumbs gently brushing the bases of her jaw. The adoration in his aquamarine gaze faded into something quieter, but no less adoring, slowly leaning down closer to her.

“Can I?” Steb asked her quietly.

Nea giggled. “Yes.”

No more barriers were placed, and beaming with joy, Steb leaned down to close the space between them. The initial contact of their lips was warm and unprecedentedly soft, both moving in tandem like waves dancing on a shore. Steb smiled into the kiss when he felt Nea’s chest rising with a deep inhale infused with soft surprise and a tender shyness that faded when she let her hands brush up his shoulders, resting on his broad frame. In turn, Steb took one of his hands to the back of Nea’s head, pressing her closer to him as he kissed with more strength, prompting her to wrap her arms around him. She also began to kiss with greater strength, letting everything—the yearning, the uncertainty, the many beats skipped by her heart whenever she thought of him—rest in that much anticipated kiss. Now that she was with him, she knew she wouldn’t want to let go; she was ready to give herself to him just as she could feel the same from him.

When the time was right, the kiss relented, but neither of them were quick to pull away. With little space between their lips, Nea looked up at Steb, who smiled lovingly at her blushing figure, a sight so endearing it prompted another flare of the frills on his eyes, tickling Nea’s cheekbones and drawing a soft giggle from her. She made no attempt to resist the desire to kiss him again and, wrapping her arms around his back, she kissed him with equal strength and he embraced her waist, gently spinning her away from the stove and swaying her gently to the sides until he pulled away with a final peck to her forehead.

“Sit down,” Steb whispered. “You need to eat.”

Nea felt her cheeks starting to ache from grinning so widely and, enamored by his selflessness, she resolved to let him finish what he started. But instead of sitting down, Nea wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek to his back, hearing his soft laughter rumbling deep in his torso.

“I’m not letting you go now,” Nea whispered, not necessarily intending for him to hear her.

Still, Steb eventually turned around with two plates ready to be served, leaning down to gently kiss Nea’s lips again before leading her to the table.

“I should hope not,” he whispered and took the plates down to the table. “Should I pour the coffee?”

His words slid Nea out of her trance, suddenly rendering her able to stand in the real world where, next to Steb, everything looked far more beautiful.

“No, that’s my job,” Nea smiled.

Like he’d done many times already, Steb watched as Nea expertly poured the cups of coffee, finally for the two of them to sit down and enjoy together. As she made her way back to the table, he took the cups from her hands and set them down, pulling her close one more time to kiss her, and what he’d initially meant to be a quick kiss before breakfast evolved into Nea leading Steb to the couch where they continued, shy yet loving, without any need for fire or rush, merely adoring one another for as long as they’d wanted to since that first encounter, and long enough for the coffee to go cold and the sun to continue its way across the sky.

Thanks so much for reading! Please reblog to help me get out there!

Next chapter -> (coming soon!)

[auxcordlawd]

Part Three: Wandering Thoughts of a Ravenclaw

Words: 1024

Summary: You continue your detention with Professor Snape, finding yourself thinking of him a bit too much.

Warnings: PG-13, talk of heavy petting, sexual fantasizing, drinking, 18+ student and professor

18+

Part 3

Tuesday morning instead of going to the Great Hall for breakfast, you went to the library. Your head was buzzing with your dreams from last night. Images of your professor looking down at you with his onyx eyes, with hunger. Straddling over you, kissing your neck with a light bite at the end. Feeling his large hands grab your waist tightly. You felt heat between your legs.

“Uh hello?”

You were startled out of your thoughts when Miles suddenly sat down next to you, tapping your shoulder. “How long were you sitting there?” You asked feeling embarrassed for your concealed thoughts.

“Not long, enough to say hello a few times, you seem kind of out of it. I felt like I haven’t seen you in days between Quidditch practices and detentions with Professor Sprout, thanks to that asshole Snape.” Miles stated with clear anger towards the end of his statement.

“I know, I’ve been suffering too,” you stated meaning it in a slightly different manner, “after Easter break I will no longer be in detention.”

“Yeah but I still have another week after we are back. At least I’m visiting my family over the break. Are you going home for break?”

“No, I would but my parents are on a cruise, so I didn’t see the point. I have studying I want to catch up on though, especially if I want that Potions position.”

“I can’t see how anyone in their right mind would stay here after we graduate.” He said, seeming to regret the way he said it.

“I have to get to class.” You stated before quickly leaving him in the library.

Classes dragged on, you wished you had a DADA (Defense Against the Dark Arts) today. After what felt like forever it was time for dinner. You thought about sitting down and enjoying yourself, but decided to grab a ham and cheese sandwich and a butterbeer and head to your dorm to primp yourself before detention. You decided to change out of your uniform top and put on a deep v-neck cable knit sweater, and decided on not wearing a bra, wearing a necklace to draw more attention to your breasts. You left your skirt as is, but put your hair up.

Professor Snape was waiting for you at his office door, with a hand full of empty bottles. “We’re going to the Potions classroom, grab the remaining bottles on my desk and meet me there” He stated before turning on his heel leaving you standing near his doorway. You walked into his office, and took a deep breath in. You saw his pensive sitting there on top of the potions cabinet, desperately wondering what a peak in his mind would be like. You found a cloak of his hanging on the back of his chair, and smelled in his stimulating scent. His smell led your dream to creep back in your mind, his lips on your neck, hands gripping your waist trailing down to your skirt, slowly pushing it up to reveal your panties soaked- “Miss (y/l/n).”

You quickly stood up straight to see Professor Snape looking at you impatiently yet with some question in his eyes. “Quickly now, grab those potions, we have much to do.” He stated grabbing a few of the potions leaving me with only a couple to carry. You followed him beet red in the face, grateful he did not question you, only hoping he did not use Legilimency on you.

He had two teas sitting on the teachers desk, one near him, the other in front of the desk. You sat down at the chair in front of the desk, and he pushed the other tea towards you without at word. He was writing down notes, ingredients for his potions you assumed. You sipped you tea in silence as he continued scribbling. After several minutes passed he handed you the list and instructed you to get the ingredients needed while he readied the cauldrons.

“Good,” he stated as you returned with the needed ingredients, “I want to see you create each of the potions. I will watch over you, of course, but I want to ensure you can successfully recreate even some of my most complex potions.” He stood back and allowed you to get started. He leaned on the desk behind you sipping his tea while you worked. You made several potions to his liking over the next hour. You came across one you had never seen. “Professor?”

He was standing next to you before you finished asking for him. “Mm yes, I tweaked that one myself.” He said with a proud smirk. “Care to guess what it does?” After a minute of you attempting to figure it out he announced it was a modified version of The Elixir to Induce Euphoria. He began walking you through it. You’d never seen him so relaxed and in his element. Your arms touched from time to time, as you were standing so close together, you could feel his heat. “I didn’t know how you take your tea.” Snape said in a surprisingly warm tone.

“It was very good professor, thank you.” You stated smiling up at him. He looked down at you, his eyes trailing down to your lips, and then your chest. You followed his eyes down. You felt his large hand on your chin, pulling your eyes back up to his. Your breath hitched in your chest. You thought you were back in your dream. His thumb traced your lip with your chin still in his hands. He leaned down until you felt his breath, close enough to kiss you. “Very good.” He said in a dominating tone yet being a whisper. Heat spread throughout your body focusing between your legs as you looked up at him doe eyed. After a few seconds he released his grasp, shifting his focus back on the potion. You attempted to gather yourself. As he began to bottle the potions you started to clean up. “Alright Miss (y/l/n), lets bring these back to my office, then you are free to go.”As you followed him to his office your thoughts were all over the place, all you wanted was to be locked in his office, on top of him. You didn’t want to be free.

Inside his office you took the liberty of putting the newly filled potions in their appointed places. He seemed pleased by this, but also noticed that you were in no rush to leave. “I have a bottle of red elf-made wine I am going to open,” Snape hesitated unsure of how to continue “if you'd like a glass..” he trailed off. “I’d love that.” You said a bit too quickly. He conjured up two long stemmed wine glasses that looked ancient as well as the bottle uncorked. He poured two healthy glasses, handed you yours, and swirled his around in his glass before taking a large sip. You followed in his lead.

You both sat in content silence sipping wine until he put on some quiet classical music. “Most applicants for the Potions position are atrocious. If I must train someone who has promise, I will do so.” He said staring at you, waiting for a response. You had none so instead you took another drink. “You show promise Miss (y/l/n).”

“Thank you, sir. It truly means the most coming from you. You’re truly the master, I’m lucky to be under you.” You spoke without thinking, realizing you finished your glass. You blushed deep red. He refilled his glass and walked around to the front of his desk and refilled yours. Snape sat on the front of his desk, looking directly down at you. His leg just brushing yours.

“However,” he said in a more commanding tone “I notice you are still distracted.”

“Sir, I have only briefly talked to Miles, he is not on my mind anymore, I pro-“

“I am aware.” Snape said looking down at you. He took drink of his wine as did you. “After your detention is complete I’d like to start tutoring you. But I feel certain things are getting in our way.” His gaze once again drifting to your lips, then chest, then thighs which were now exposed more than planned. You shifted in your seat. “Do I make you nervous?”

The alcohol seemed to fuel your words at this point. “Yes, but not in the way you make most students nervous.” He tilted his head as to let you continue. “I think about you in ways a student shouldn’t.” You look down, silently cursing yourself. Snape grabs your chin like before to look up at him. “I am well aware of how I make you feel Miss (y/l/n), I’d like to say I have no intentions of giving in to your desires.” Snape states slowly while his hand traces down your neck to your shoulder, pushing the sweater to the side revealing your bare shoulder. You get goosebumps.

“Alright Miss (y/l/n)” Professor Snape said in his normal tone standing up, turning to walk behind his desk, “tomorrow, as you know is your final for this term of Defense Against the Dark Arts. I will need time after to grade, so you will be reporting back to be the following day to resume detention.”

“Yes, Sir.” You said breathlessly.

“Take the rest of the evening to rest, as I have kept you here late. I will send food to your common room. Goodnight Miss (y/l/n).”

“Thank you, goodnight professor Snape.”

You quickly made your way to the common room. Still unsure what happened, goosebumps still present, and a needy aching below your stomach. As you walked in you saw a delicious looking charcuterie plate, along with a folder. As you opened it you found something truly surprising.

Miss (y/l/n), I have taken study time you surely needed, although you found yourself in this predicament, I feel you shall find this useful. Tell no one - S.S

A study guide. After a few hours of studying the personalized guide and your wandering mind you found yourself quite sleepy. You dozed off thinking of the day, no need to fantasize.

[thewitchoftheweed]

Bathin follows her gaze. “The kitchen crew are… a tightly knit bunch. They tend to get irritated by newcomers.”

“Is…that…why?” Heket asks as they sit down, gesturing toward Bathin. Her Witness was not known for her skills as a handywoman, but rather her exemplary cooking ability. If anything, she should be the one leading those twits. Perhaps then they could make a decent meal. “You…can do…better.”

She looks down at her meal, not eating, just moving around beets and cauliflower. “The Lamb offered. I refused to cook for anyone who wasn’t you.”

Suddenly the Lamb’s comments and pointed looks at Bathin make sense. They’ve been wanting her to take the position for some time; that could be an opportunity. “Could…accept. Would be…helpful.” She lets the words hang in the air. Leshy is also working in the kitchens, but the kitchen crew seems to be purposefully keeping him away from any actual cooking.

[minimomoe]

Love Bites

Baker Fem Reader x Toji Fushiguro (mafia au)

word ct: 15.1k, 11 Chapters

tags: Fluff, grumpy x sunshine, found family, a little angsty but nothing too bad, marriage proposal, established relationship, (last chapter only: kitchen sex, creampie, oral- fem receiving, other sexxy funtime stuff)

Chapter Eight: Sparkling Juice

“I want you to open my present first!” Yuji shoves his present into your hands. Nobara plucks the haphazardly wrapped present out of your hands and puts her own to replace it. It had crisp edges and was topped with a bow. “She’s obviously going to open mine first, Yuji!”

“The only correct answer is opening mine first,” Megumi says, taking the basket holding your present out of his white dog’s mouth. Both black and white dogs had reindeer horns, but the white dog had Rudolph's nose attached to his snout. You laughs

 as the kids argue with each other, and Toji watches you from across the room. He smiles to himself, adoring the way that you are fully relaxed with everybody in the family. The dogs lay beside your feet, their tails wagging lazily and tongues lolling. Before the kids dragged you to open their presents, you were showing off the christmas sweater you had handknitted to Suguru, which you had made for Megumi and Toji to wear as well. Toji didn’t know how you knew his size so well, and the same went for Megumi, but they both fit perfectly. Forest green cable knit sweaters that had snowflakes carefully embroidered into it. You had shyly presented them to Toji and Megumi along with their other presents, as if you were afraid they wouldn’t like your first gift. He was speechless when he opened the box. How you managed to make them both sweaters and take care of the bakery was a mystery to him. Megumi had taken off his shirt right away and put it on, then tightly hugged you. Toji followed suit and ignored the pestering questions from Sukuna who wanted you to make him a sweater too. 

You open Megumi’s small box first as he wished and you are greeted with a tiny ceramic butterfly. It’s a blue morpho, and in one of the wings your name was painted into it. You gasp and carefully take it out of the packaging. 

“You made this?” You say in a hush voice. 

“Yep. You said butterflies were your favorite!” Megumi smiles up at you. 

“I mentioned that ages ago. Thank you, Gumi-bear,” you wrap your arms around him and press kisses into his forehead. The little boy's face was beet red when you let go of him, but when he turns to face Yuji and Nobara he sticks out his tongue. 

“Beat that!” 

When the gift exchange is over you, the kids, and the rest of the adults move to the dining area to eat. Gojo decided to be the host of Christmas this year, and you could tell that he really loved it. Him and his girlfriend decorated the chairs and seating arrangements with tiny Santas and wreaths. Glasses of non alcoholic, sparkling juice in fancy champagne flutes were placed right in front of the plates and Yuji grabs his and downs it in one sip. Nobara is quick to smack the back of his head and lectures him on table manners. You sit in between Toji and Megumi, and directly across from you sat Choso and his partner. She’s a pretty yet quiet girl, just like you. You give a soft smile and she returns it. Toji grabs your hand under the table and brings it up to your lips. 

“After we eat we can go home. I still have to give you your present,” he says. 

“You got a present to give me, big guy?” Sukuna says from down the table. Toji shoots him an annoyed look but everybody else snickers. 

“Yeah, let me get the right sized boot to shove my foot up your ass. You can keep it after that.”

“Language,” Nanami warns, making the other two men stop barking at each other. He carries a gorgeous honeyed ham baked to perfection from the kitchen. “Do you want ham?” He asked you softly and you nod enthusiastically.

“Did you make this yourself? It smells amazing, Kento.”

He grins and cuts you a slice. “Nanamin is a great cook. He makes a lovely wife,” Gojo pipes up. 

“Being a housewife doesn’t sound too bad,” he mutters for only you to hear and winks. “I poisoned one item on your plate,” he says offhandedly to Gojo. “Eat it if you dare.” 

Gojo gasps dramatically and all the children burst into laughter. The meal was filled with jokes and laughter the entire time. You forgot how wonderful Christmas is when you have people to share it with. 

You and Toji decided to leave once Megumi could barely hold his head up anymore. He had stayed up all night just for the sake of staying up and now the lack of sleep was catching up to him. Toji hauls him in his arms while you carry all the gifts you three received and herd the dogs into the car. Toji safely buckles Megumi in and climbs into the driver seat and immediately holds your hand. 

“You didn’t cry this time,” he comments when he starts the car. You roll your eyes and scoff. 

“I didn’t cry on thanksgiving! I had something in my eye.”

“For thirty minutes?”

“Eyes lashes are tiny,” you mumble and he laughs. “So… do I have to beg for my present or is it waiting for me when we get home?”

“I like it when you beg but it’s already there.” Toji runs his thumb over your knuckles. You stare at him curiously but if Toji didn’t want to explain something you couldn’t get more information out of him. What you did notice is the nervous tapping his forefinger made on the steering wheel, making you wonder what sort of present could make him this nervous. 

Arriving at Toji’s home looked the same as always. You thought maybe he had gotten you a new car but that didn’t seem to be the case. You gather the presents once again and the dogs dash into the backyard. Megumi, bleary eyed and still sleepy, forces himself to walk so that he can see your present too. Toji stills at the entrance into the houses and looks back at you one last time. “This is only one part, but I figured you should see this first.”

“Open the door!” You and Megumi say together, and you drum on his arm and he shakes his head. 

He opens the door and you enter the home hand in hand with Megumi. There was nothing new that you could see immediately. The foyer looks the same, there’s nothing on the stairs or in the living room. You look back to give Toji a confused look and he points to the dining area. You creep over there, noting the way that Megumi’s hand tightens around yours. To your surprise it’s not an object that’s waiting for you in the dining chair, but rather a person who’s back was facing you. The person hears you moving behind them and turns around, making you freeze completely. 

“Merry Christmas,” the man says to you, and tears quickly fill your eyes. 

“Ezra?”

Chapters: I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI.

M.list || Ao3 || Twitter || Ko-fi

[knithacker]

UPDATED! Get The Pattern For This Beautiful Knitted Beet ... The Only Beet I Could Ever Love: 👉 https://buff.ly/2VFPvZi

[ashyyslashy]

can I request a Renfield x reader where he has a praising kink but so ashamed of it first please?

author's note: this shit is so hot ty for the request

warnings: language, sexual content

word count: 667

Renfield was conditioned to be useful. The saying "Idle hands are the devil's work" had been ingrained into his mind over decades by, ironically, the Prince of Darkness himself. He was constantly eager to please by completing the tasks others assigned him. And admittedly, he felt awash with a strange sensation when they thanked him for doing a good job, a fuzzy feeling swelling up inside.

It was even worse when it came to a romantic partner. That warm feeling in his gut spread downward and caused the warmth to grow scalding hot in sudden arousal. He was so ashamed at the effect that praise had upon him; whenever he was caught in a vulnerable position as a result of you innocently expressing your appreciation for a job well done, he was always sure to cover up his flushed reaction.

But he wasn't that lucky every time.

You were laying on the bed, wincing in pain from the tightness of your back. You'd probably pulled a muscle earlier in the day from moving boxes into the apartment you shared, and it had grown difficult to ignore.

"What's wrong?" Renfield asked from beside you, turning over to meet your eyes.

"Just pulled my back or something."

"You want me to give you a massage?"

"That'd be great, Ren, thank you." You flipped over onto your stomach, angling yourself towards him.

You felt a chill run across your body as his hands worked up your back, meticulously kneading out the stiffness.

"Fuck. That feels so good," you praised. His touch faltered as he quickly murmured a "Thank you".

The feeling of his hands was like a jolt of electricity coursing throughout your being. Suddenly the pain in your back migrated to the peripheral of your brain, thoughts of your boyfriend consuming all of your senses.

You flipped back over, and he quickly moved away, in apparent embarrassment.

"What?" you asked, your eyebrows knitting together in confusion. His face was beet red.

"Uh-" he paused.

"Tell me." Your tone was stern, searching.

"Um, I just got a little- nervous- when you liked my massage so much."

You slowly grinned as understanding registered.

"Are you... turned on?"

"Um- uh-"

You moved closer to him, pushing his hair out of his face.

"You like to be praised, don't you?"

"Yeah- shit- I just really like when you thank me for stuff, make me feel like I'm doing a good job-"

Your hands brushed across his trousers, glancing over the hard-on that was making itself evident.

"Take off your clothes," you told him.

He complied eagerly, stripping off articles of clothing until he was fully bare.

"Good boy," you praised, his cock twitching in response.

You peeled off your own pants and underwear, your fingers circling your clit and the wetness that had formed. You pressed the finger against his lips, and he sucked off your slick obediently. You trailed your hand down his body, gripping his cock and gently pumping it as pre-cum leaked from the tip.

"You good?" you asked.

He nodded. Hovering above him, you slowly lined your entrance up with his cock, pushing him inside you.

He threw his head back, breathing heavily. You started to move against him, gaining traction as your pace quickened.

"You're doing so well, Ren," you reassured him.

Your enjoyment at the blush that colored his cheeks was indescribable. You kept riding him, the noises the two of you elicited forming a cacophony of pleasure. You gripped his shoulders as your body trembled under a sudden rush of pleasure, signaling your orgasm.

He followed suit. He was always the gentleman, holding himself back until you came.

He gently extricated himself from you, allowing you to lay down by his side. Your fingers traced his jawline as you stared into the eyes of the selfless, worshipping man you were lucky to call yours.

You leaned against him, eager to be armed with this new information. You were gonna be praising him so much more now.

[five-thousand-loaves-of-bread]

a terrible practice in what not to do when plant dying: an example

[a terrible practice in what not to do when plant dying: an example]

every year family friend send us expensive premium giant!!!!! waxberry/bayberry/idk what english speaking ppl usually call it. they delicious!! only slightly smaller than mouth open widest

n every year there juice inside package. this year had idea do plant dying. < impulse decision

not prepared. have unmordanted cashmere yarn (really inexpensive got second hand idk if it real) & unmordanted cotton fabric. this be interesting.

[id: left picture show waxberry, there 4 stack on top of eachother in small bowl size of hand. right picture have bowl of waxberry & bowl with little juice with fruit fork in it & cone of yarn n some already dyed pieces on paper. end id]

grabbed white vinegar as “last minute mordant”, n to be honest was just at most dip soak, few seconds at best, so it do anything? shrug

mid way realize should probably pre wash fiber (should specifically scour but ehhhhh)—especially for this cashmere (“cashmere”) yarn because for easy (machine) knit it been coated with something that help cashmere down not get all fluffy fuzzy hard knit with. n you suppose wash out after knit n yarn will bloom n be softer. so, thought may affect dying. so pre washed some samples before dye. by “wash,” specifically mean run under regular temperature water for like some seconds until complete wet n maybe use hand soap. it do anything? shrug again

n also. know animal protein & plant fiber sometimes have different dye process. but ehhh *throw hands*. proceed “mordant” one of cotton scrap same process as wool yarn.

previous dye experience: need heat source. last time was get help keep boil. this time too little liquid n don’t want get help boil anyway. so got help put in microwave…

[id: line up final product taped on white paper. labeled as yes/no prewash, white vinegar, & heat. there 5 pieces for yarn with varying amounts. all yarn visually look same color & stiff. there 2 piece cotton fabric. they look same as eachother but slightly more vibrant than yarn. end id]

result is…. everything pretty much look same.

because like. yeah. “mordanted” but not really, not suprise 10 20 second dip in room temp white vinegar going make giant difference. microwave for 10 seconds especially without proper scour mordant fixative, also doubt make big difference.

but, is really pretty color. it prettier in liquid, n when squeeze liquid out, get more muted, but still very pretty color, pinkish purplish. beet color but lighter?

n this without wash afterwards—found that. when wash, because not soak for long, n not mordant fixative properly, not heat properly, color mostly get out. some color still stay n become more of a muted almost pastel (as pastel as natural dye can be). n normally like pastel, but want keep this as waxberry-like as possible. so, didn’t wash. result is keep about same color when dry, but stiff n not that soft, as expected.

was just for fun, not going make anything out of, not to wear, not going hang as decoration so not worried abt lightfastness. so, satisfy with whatever this is.

then, with leftover dye, didn’t want waste, so threw in as much vinager dipped yarn as can cover liquid. heat it n let it be in heat for 20 minutes.

bad lighting, but. when wet:

[id: very saturated reddish pink yarn in bowl stained slightly pink & brown. end id]

n after, still damp so feel softer:

[id: first photo two small skein of yarn in pinkish purplish color on top of plant notebook. second photo in ball with one strand yarn lighter than rest. end id]

same yarn, main color difference because lighting not because inherent yarn.

except that one strand lighter than rest—that was test how yarn look like how much dye actually took with all improper but still slightly more effort process (more heat, longer). took more dye than when no heat or 10 second heat, but still visibly lighter.

when dry, that washed strand much softer than rest of stiff unwashed yarn. unwashed yarn slightly darker than previous attempts.

now room reeks of white vinegar.

but. will be enjoying delicious waxberry for rest of week >:)))

.

google search results: “did you mean: how NOT to dye natural fibers”

ultimately knew bad practice from beginning, but not really care, because meant be impulse fun anyway. n occupied me in special interest land for afternoon.

[justanothervigalanty]

in the shirt I used to wear (part 1)

name:y/n L/n (your name + last name)

Age:18 (in college)

Relationship : u are ex girlfriend to Jason Todd and have a rather toxic dorm mate

warning:idk language hinted sex and emotional Jason 🥺

info:Bruce is yet to announce Jason’s return

Jason Todd was your boyfriend the one you loved more then life itself but he was taken from you just as things were getting good. You and Jason had lost your verginaty to one another you stole that boy’s heart (and hoodies) but that monster took him from you at only 16 he was dead and you were never quite the same.

Now as red hood he couldn’t help but check up on you by sitting on the roof side of the building opposite your dorm window just to get a glimpse of your eyes again. One off these nights he was sat eating a sandwich Alfred gave him as lunch that he had forgotten about watching as you sat reading a work book. After a while you stood up to put it back on the shelf which revealed exactly what you were wearing skin tight black leggings and a slightly big red T shirt with the words “I 🤍 books” in bold which Jason noticed and was shocked to see as you never read a book for fun that was surprisingly one of the reasons your relationship always worked you could be sat on Jason’s bed listening to the playlist Jason made for you on his vhs tape and Jason could be next to you with book in hand other playing with your hair peaceful for hours one end so why the hell did you have that shirt? “Oh come on really you need to move on from that street rat Jason!” Came a voice from inside the dorm “jace was not a street rat and no I don’t think I will Lexy!” You responded as you put on a knitted hat (from Alfred) and shoes “Y/N it’s been 4 years yet you still refuse to move on wearing his old shirt visiting his grave every chance you get you’re going to get yourself killed walking around Gotham alone!” Lexy said grabbing your hand as you walked towards the door “I don’t give a fuck about my life I’d rather just let the fucking joker beet the shit out of me so I don’t have to wack up knowing Jason isn’t there next to me and he never will be so get the hell off me!”you shouted grabbing your bag before storming out with tears in your eyes Jason hated seeing you like this in all honesty he thought you had moved on but as far he could see you definitely had not. Jason wiped the tears forming in his eyes and made his way back to the manor.

At around 10pm Tim was sat watching a movie with dick sat with him .Rain hit agents the windows wich meant the Ty had to be all the way up so everyone could hear. When all of a sudden the door knocked and Alfred came out of the kitchen to answer. He opened the door to see you standing there soaking wet “hay Alfred” you said as you walked in the house “good evening miss L/N what do we owe the pleasure for you to come in this time?” Alfred said closing the door. “Well it’s Tim’s birthday sio though I’d drop by.” You answered pluling out a plastic bag full of cookies. “Y/N! YOU CAME!” Tim said running over to you before hugging you tightly. “Happy 11th birthday Timmy” you said picking him up and handing him a cookie before kissing his forehead dick came round to where you were and hugged you before Tim pushed him away. “My y/n!” He declared cookie in hand holding on to your arm. You and dick laughed before you put Tim down to try and find one of his presents he wanted to show you from upstairs. Just then you heard a weirdly familiar voice “Jesus Christ. You’re fucking strong for a replacement!” Said the voice “well you were in the way!” You both hurd Tim yell. You stood up from the table where you and dick had been talking “hay Y/N you don’t want to go out there!” Dick said holding your arm “what!? Tim could be hurt I’m going” you said walking out to see tim and a familiar person arguing on the stars the man holding his gut and tim hand over eye the other holding his gift “tim! Are you ok?!” You said running over and crouching down to his hight to check his eye. But then you and the other guy locked eyes. They were green but had turned a shade of gray blue you recognise those eyes not the previous neon green no you knew these eyes they were normal to anyone else but for you well you could look into them all day if you could then it just hit you. “Jace?”

[anomalyaly]

Secrets of the Silent Stars

Chapter 21: Christmas Eve (snippet)

Happy Christmas Eve to those who celebrate!

I'm sharing a snippet of my Christmas Eve chapter from my fic in honor of today. You can read the rest of it on AO3 or Wattpad.

Relax.

Home wasn't exactly the most relaxing environment, especially during the holidays.

Elsie packed up her truck and heaved a sigh. She was out of uniform, instead choosing to wear a warm, knit brown skirt and a white blouse. Her brown scarf and matching overcoat sat by her bedside, ready for her to put on when she left for the train station.

Her roommate Samantha entered the room, her hair pulled back in her usual loose bun. She had chosen an outfit more casual, opting for a Ravenclaw sweater and a pair of trousers. She already had a black overcoat on, ready to leave when Elsie was finished.

"Can you believe it's nearly Christmas already?" she asked. "I feel like we've only just gotten here."

Elsie smiled at her roommate. "Me too, sort of. I think it'll be nice to be away from studies for a while."

Samantha hummed in agreement. "Are you and Sebastian going to write then?"

Elsie sat up straight. "What?"

"You know. You both have been inseparable since the beginning of term, but he's staying here." She shoved another few items into her trunk. "I'm surprised you didn't decide to stay here, too."

"We're not –" Elsie was getting tired of having to explain the concept of her friendship with Sebastian over and over. The fact that people were talking about seeing the two of them together made her uncomfortable, like she was once again the main topic of their gossip. And since the last time they spoke, she wanted nothing to do with him.

"Sebastian is my friend," Elsie said, "but…I think he's cross with me right now."

She could admit that much to Samantha. Rooming together had allowed her to open up at least a little, even though she was still out of the loop with Elsie's secrets when it came to exactly what all she had gone through during her first few months at Hogwarts.

Samantha nodded her understanding as the two girls prepared to leave for the train station. "Well, I'm sure whatever it is, you two will work it out. I couldn't imagine staying angry at someone like you for very long."

Elsie snorted, toying with the empty fudge container she had left on her desk from hers and Sebastian's trip to Hogsmeade. He had bought her sweets from Honeydukes, despite her protests, and though she wasn't particularly a 'fudge' person, she had picked it out to appease him. Being the overly sentimental person that she was, she had cleaned it out and used it to store other various trinkets that she had deemed important. It was a quality box, after all - metallic with an intricate design that was meant more as a souvenir rather than a student's snack box.

It seemed like so long ago.

"Believe me, it's not that difficult. You're just a nice person, Sam. You forgive people easily."

"I do," she grinned. "But what's the point in holding a grudge? It's exhausting. If I held a grudge every time my brother William went and mucked something up, we'd never speak again."

Elsie had heard Samantha share a fair amount of stories about William - including how he broke into their family tomb and had his feet turned into beets. The Dale family had to find a Curse-breaker from the Ministry just to reverse the curse. Samantha thought her brother needed the humbling - perhaps he would listen next time to the warnings.

"It'll be nice to see him again without his beet feet," Samantha mused, and Elsie let out a laugh.

"Come on," she said, giving Argos, her owl, a pet. "We'd better say our goodbyes to the others before we head to the station."

~

Elsie gave Natty and Poppy each a long hug before departing. Natty and Professor Onai were traveling for the holiday - an excuse to get off of the castle grounds, and for Professor Onai to keep Natty out of the trouble she suspected she was getting in. Her mother had heard of a gazelle wandering around Hogsmeade - Natty's animagus form, which Elsie had only recently learned of. Professor Onai thought the distraction might help.

Poppy, on the other hand, was going to visit with her Gran. She missed her terribly. After Elsie and Poppy had returned the dragon's egg a few days ago and told the centaurs to look for the once thought-to-be-extinct snidgets that the poachers might be after, she believed now would be a safe time to visit, if only for a few days.

Elsie stood on the platform, cursing the bitter Scotland winds and silently praying that when she returned to complete the third trial, it wouldn't involve flying on a broom to some faraway place. Traveling in this weather was difficult enough - flying on a broom felt like flying through broken glass.

She breathed a sigh of relief when the Hogwarts Express finally arrived. She climbed aboard and followed Samantha into one of the compartments.

"What are you doing for the holidays?" Samantha asked.

Elsie sighed. "My family lives in London. Nothing unordinary - a church service on Christmas Eve, a dinner party. The usual."

Samantha tilted her head. "Church?"

"A religious thing." Elsie waved her hand dismissively. She had forgotten so easily how different wizarding customs were from muggle customs, and explaining it to Samantha would be tedious. "It's one of those muggle traditions."

"Ah," Samantha said. "I really need to brush up on my muggle studies. We live close to so many of them. I know I even have muggles somewhere in my family line. It's important information."

"Not everyone would agree with you on that, from what I've heard," Elsie snorted.

"That's utterly barmy." Samantha rolled her eyes. "Those people can shove it. And if anyone says anything to you, I'll tell them to shove it."

Elsie giggled. "Thanks, Sam."

At least even without Sebastian, she had someone like Samantha who stayed positive and knew how to cheer her up. She had a feeling that if she could tell Samantha the full story of all that had occurred between them, she would have a few things to say to him as well.

"If I were to get you a present," Samantha spoke up after a long silence, "what would you want?"

"Oh, you don't have to do that."

"Elsie," Samantha scoffed, "you're my roommate and my friend. I'm not going to not get you a Christmas present."

Elsie toyed with her coat buttons. "I just don't want you to feel obligated," she murmured.

"Obligated to get you a Christmas present," she said flatly. "Honestly - do they not have Christmas gift exchanges in the muggle world? Because you're acting like this isn't something completely normal."

Elsie let out a short laugh. "No, they do, obviously. I just don't want you to have to go out of your way for me because you feel like you have to simply because we're friends."

"Now you sound barmy." Samantha shook her head. "I'm not going to buy you the entirety of the trolly or anything extravagant if that's what you're worried about."

Elsie had already been planning on getting her friends some gifts when she returned to London. She had a few ideas in mind - new beast care supplies and a stuffed animal for Poppy, a new scarf and a travel journal for Natty, and some seeds and gardening tools for Samantha.

She didn't know Ominis well, but she thought about getting him something simple and elegant, like a pair of gloves or a handkerchief - something that he could feel the textures of. It wouldn't make up for everything she and Sebastian had been putting him through - not that she was trying to buy his friendship - but at the least, she could give it to him as a subtle way of letting him know that she did care.

That left Sebastian. She wasn't going to think about him right now.

"I like sweets," she told Samantha. "And…books. If you happen to find anything interesting. I know, it's cliche –"

"Who cares if it's cliche!" Samantha laughed. "I'll see what I can find for you."

The train pulled into King's Cross Station. Elsie chewed her lip nervously.

Time to face whatever home life had for her. After her time away at Hogwarts, she wasn't sure what to expect.

Read the rest of 'Secrets of the Silent Stars on AO3/Wattpad

[bbyquokka]

desperate love

pairing: seo changbin x gender neutral reader

genre: mutual pining, friends to lovers, non idol au, smut – MDNI

synopsis: months of pining for one another, you both indulge in each other after being left alone for the night 

warnings: smut, chan is readers brother, masturbation, dry humping, sexual thoughts, cum in underwear.

words: 2.5k ~ (2566)

☆ m.list — ☆ you can also read it on my ao3

dont repost. dont translate. minors, ageless & default blogs; dni! feedback and reblogs are highly advised and appreciated!

it's wrong.

you shouldn't be doing this. he shouldn't be doing this but neither of you can help it. it feels good, too good for you both to just stop.

you're his best friend's sibling. it's goes against all the rules to be doing something like this. but he's loved you from day one and when an opportunity like now presented itself in front of his eyes, he snatched it with greedy hands.

chan introduced you to his two best friends, changbin and jisung, a few months ago. changbin knew chan had a sibling but he wasn't expecting it to be you. he first met you several months ago, and by ‘met’, you served him at the local music shop you work at.

he shops there on the regular, it's where he gets all his equipment from. one day, he was struggling on what to pick and you helped him. as soon as his eyes rested upon you, he fell in love instantly. his heart beating against his chest, his works lodged in his throat. he felt his brain melting and the ability to be a human, failing.

he started visiting the store on the regular. he didn't need anything, he just wanted to see you. he thought falling in love was bullshit. no one could possibly fall in love with someone when they don't know the person on a personal level; yet here he is, smitten for you in an instant.

same as changbin, you too, also didn't believe in love at first sight. you've been watching him from afar, picking up on his small and cute habits. how his brows would knit together when thinking. how he'd chew his lips whilst contemplating. 

despite not knowing anything about him, you picked up on his hobbies. you knew he either liked to create or work with music considering he shops at the store, you also know that he likes to exercise. some days, he would come into the store dressed in nothing but shorts and a plain tee. you thought about him on the daily, hoping that he would come to the store on your shifts and when he didn't show, you couldn't help but feel disappointed.

you spoke to chan about it, told him how you think you've fallen for a regular. when you described him to chan, he laughed and said it sounded very much like his friend, changbin. you refused to believe him until he introduced you to changbin and jisung.

changbin was shocked to his core. he knew chan had a sibling; he talks about you all the time! but he didn't expect it to be the person he has fallen for and thinks of on the daily. you to, also shocked because chan was right and you hate that, but you decided to play cool. not be over the top and be too full on, after all, it is just one sided feelings to you.

it slowly became a regular thing to see changbin and jisung around the apartment. chan knows about your feelings towards his best friend but he had no idea that changbin feels the same way, until changbin started to show telltale signs.

a simple touch from you would be enough to make changbin flustered and beet red. he acted so shy and gentleman-like around you, making sure you were well cared for and your needs were being met. both your feelings for one another slowly, but surely, started to escalate and that's when you both realized it was becoming a problem.

a simple touch. a brush of the shoulder. looking into each other's eyes accidently; it's all enough for you both to feel tingles of pleasure. a desperate ache between your legs forming. mind numb and consumed with changbin and vice versa.

on days where changbin would hang out with chan, which at this point, he was using chan as an excuse to see you, he would go home, horny and hard.

you're so innocent, so sweet to him. the thought of wanting to corrupt you, consuming and indulge in your body and warmth is too much for changbin. his eyes fluttering shut, hand around his hard cock as he pumps himself to the dirty thoughts of you.

he'd whine and whimper your name, silently praising you. flashes of your pretty face and perfect body would spring into his mind which only fueled him. sometimes, masturbating once wasn't enough and he soon found himself doing it twice, sometimes three times a day.

bedroom. taking a shower. at the gym. once he felt brave and did it in your bathroom. his strong urges to just steal a piece of your underwear and take it home to use, overwhelming him. but he's a rational man, he could never do that to his friend's sibling.

you too, also couldn't help the strong urges. every time you saw changbin sitting back on the sofa, his legs spread, you felt the urge to straddle him. to bounce on his cock. to hear his pretty moans and watch his face scrunch up with pleasure. you often wondered what type of moaner he would be. is he loud? quiet? does he whimper and groan or does he sound soft and gentle.

one day, changbin left behind his hoodie. you stole it and rushed to your bedroom before hiding under the sheets. you nuzzled his hoodie, his musk, manly scent making you feel dizzy and foggy with lust. you touched yourself, masturbated to changbin whilst inhaling his scent from his hoodie. 

you couldn't help it; neither of you can. seeing each other is just too much for your minds to comprehend. the sexual tension between you both is thick with chan and jisung knowing, but choosing not to say anything.

aside from the sexual tension, you and changbin also became very good friends. with the common interest of music, it was easier for you both to talk to one another. you exchanged numbers, went out for coffee dates and shopping trips together.

changbin took you to his favorite restaurant, paying for the expensive meal. you promised to make it up to him, his mind instantly turning to dirty thoughts to which he shook away and soothed you that's it's ok. you started to spend more and more time with each other, the love that you both feel for each other, blooming and exploding in the form of erratic butterflies that lay dormant in the stomach.

you both want each other. both need each other, so how did you end up in the situation you're currently in?

chan has a date with someone he's been seeing on the regular. as soon as he left, you phoned changbin, explaining that you're bored and wanted him to come over; to which he did. you watched some movies, ate some food before winding down for the night.

you got a text from chan saying he won't be home. the date went well for him then.

“seems like it's just us two for the night.” you state, putting your phone down.

“what do you mean?” changbin asks, gently stroking your legs that's currently draped over his lap.

“chan won't be home, so it's just us..” you trail off. “that is, if you want to sleep over..” 

“huh? oh! oh yeah, yes! i mean, if that's ok.” you giggle, sitting up and shuffling closer to changbin. the tips of his ears turn red, faces inches apart.

he could kiss you right now. the tension between you both thick, making it hard to breathe. your eyes flicker to his lips, tongue licking your own. changbin clenches his jaw as he fights every fiber of his being and thoughts. 

“would you like that, bin?” you ask sweetly, fluttering your lashes. you boldly place your hand on his thick thigh, feeling it tense under your fingertips. he swallows thickly, words lodged in his throat.

he's fighting a battle that he knows he will lose. he's weak to you. he wants you so badly and you want him. the way your heart beats against your chest, nerves swimming in your stomach.

“i would.” he whispers. he leans in close, lips threatening to touch yours. “but we can't..”

“why..” you whisper, bottom lip grazing his own.

“you're my best friends sibling..” 

“but bin. i want you. i've wanted you for so many months. call me weak but i just, please..”

he can't believe what he is hearing. you? the person he has thought of day in, day out, also want him.

“what do you mean, yn?” he asks carefully. he wants to make sure that it is what you're implying, that's it's not just for sexual pleasure.

“bin.. i–” you flush a deep red, suddenly feeling shy and embarrassed. it's now or never. you take a deep breath and close your eyes, swallowing your pride and the feeling that it could all go very wrong.

“i love you bin. i have done since i first saw you. the day you walked into the store was the day my heart leaped from my chest and never came back. i think about you all the time. wonder what it would be like to be yours. i want to be involved with you, bin. romantically and sexually..”

“seriously?” changbin cannot believe his luck. you also feel the same way as he does. months and months of pining for you, wondering and feeling anxious about confessing to you has all led to this moment.

“fuck yn..” changbin groans, kicking his head back as he pushes back his curls. you bite your lip as you look down at your lap. your thoughts of whether it was the right thing to do, silenced by changbin grabbing your hips and pulling you onto his lap.

your eyes widen as you straddle him, hands placed on his shoulders as he strokes the skin of your hips.

“binnie?” you whisper, swallowing when you see nothing but love and lust glazing over his eyes.

“how can you say something like that so casually. it's taken me months and months to pluck up the courage to tell you how i feel and you've done it so effortlessly.”

“well, i am nervous bin. it's not easy..” you giggle, wiping your clammy hands on your t-shirt. “wait, does that mean..?”

“mhm.” he hums, nodding slowly. “i've wanted you for as long as i can remember yn. my feelings and thoughts were innocent, i swear! but the more time we spend with each other, those innocent thoughts became dirty..” 

you flush red, shifting on his lap to which changbin lets out a soft groan from the friction. you bite your lip gently, deciding to test the waters. 

holding onto his shoulders firmly, you sit flush on his crotch. he's in sweatpants, his typical comfy wear meaning you can feel him. you can feel everything; from his size to his thickness. you slowly and cautiously rock on his crotch, providing friction for you both.

you watch changbin fight a battle inside his head. his head telling him to stop, you're his best friend's sibling and it's so wrong. but he wants you, he wants you so badly-so he will have you.

“y-yn..” changbin softly pants, fingertips digging into the soft flesh of your hips. you nuzzle into the crook of his neck, your soft pants fanning against the skin causing goosebumps to rise on the surface

“binnie..”

“we shouldn't..” he whispers, hips bucking up and matching your tempo. his actions and the sweet sounds that emits deep within his chest contradict his words.

“why?” you ask out of politeness. you know changbin wants it just as much as you. he shows no signs of slowing down or stopping. his length slowly turning hard, poking and rubbing you.

“because chan.” you lift your head up to look at the flustered man. his cheeks holding a nice, pink tone to them, lips parted and glistening from his saliva. brows furrowed together as nothing but lust is evident in his eyes.

“fuck him.” you mumble, brushing your lips against his gently. “just, indulge in me bin and i'll indulge in you. we want each other so give in.”

his lips press against yours in a sweet but messy kiss. tongue and teeth collide and clash together. desperation evident in the way his hands roam your skin. throaty groans and moans escape the two of you. the built up hunger for one another finally being set free as you grind faster and harder on his clothed length.

his hands squeeze and caress your skin, fingers brushing and teasing your nipples. he holds you close, holding you so tight like his life depended on it. pleasure surges through changbin, tingling in the tips of his fingers as he indulges in your warmth. he swallows each and every gorgeous moan that escapes your lips, his mind going foggy with lust.

“fuck fuck fuck..” he pants, lips trailing down your neck to suck on the skin. you whimper softly, fingertips digging into his broad shoulders. his underwear feeling sticky as the material soaks up his pre cum that's free flowing from his slit. 

“fuck bin. good.. feels good..” you moan softly. his teeth gently sink into the skin of your neck, canines scraping the skin softly as you hold onto his biceps for stability.

you feel like you're floating, your body hot and sweaty. your hips moving so fast that it's uncoordinated and sloppy. you give a few bounce as if you were to ride him before going back to rocking back and forth; this time, adding more pressure.

you can feel his size and thickness rub against you. it makes you shiver, only heightening your fantasies of sexually pleasing changbin.

“i can't..” he whispers. he kicks his head back, tilting it to the side as he lets out soft whimpers. his chests heaves up and down, beads of sweat slowly roll down his temples. the burning knot he feels in the pit of his stomach, threatening to snap with each rub, bounce and groan from you.

his cock twitches in his underwear. he bawls his hands up into fists, desperately trying to hold on. it burns but he doesn't want to cum, not yet anyways. he wants to be inside you in order to do that but with the way your hips are moving so deliciously along his length, you're making it hard for him.

and then, you whisper those three words he has longed to hear.

“i love you.”

his stomach dips, muscles contract as he grips onto your hips tightly. your eyes widen at the sudden movement but you soon smirk once you see changbin's head hanging low, broken sobs and moans escape his lips as his body shakes. his sticky mess coating his underwear, making him feel gross and ashamed. it pools in his underwear, seeping and creating a wet patch that you can feel from his sweatpants.

“sorry. so much, so much cum. it's never been this much before.. fuck fuck..” he pants as he's in a world of his own. his body trembles with each release, however, his cock remains hard.

“everything I've ever wanted and more. but i want more.. i want so much more. i want you. i want to feel you. fuck; i need you.” he groans.

“take me, binnie. we have all night to indulge in one another.”

note: part of starry's treasure trove! i know its been a while since i uploaded something, it might be like that for a few months. im still writing (kinda) but uni is taking up majority of my time. i will upload when i can (when i have something completed, lmao) ty for being patient with me! 🖤🥺 don’t forget to leave feedback, reblog and tell me what you think here. curious as to what is next? here is my wips list! i hope you all enjoy! ‹3

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