#leaves me on delivered for days at a time

[aventurineswife]

Hello Sweetheart! I have returned once more to lend you an idea, a request if you may—for Mydei. If you’re feeling spicy, you could add Aventurine for some self indulgence on your part. Or a separate character you think would be fitting for the prompt!

I found an audio I thought would be adorable, perhaps our reader reminiscing with their partner or soon-to-be partner. Mutual pinning may work as well… either way! I have a dialog for reference this time around.

Fluffy goodness! Warm laughter, perhaps some sort of confession if they aren’t already established. Up to you! Enjoy 💙🫶

“You’re not what I thought you’d be like”

“Mean and scary?”

“Yeah-“

“Yeah, well. I actually thought, you’d be mean and scary too.”

“Me??”

“Terrifying!”

“You were the one I never knew I needed”

Summary: You and Mydei share a quiet evening after a long day of traveling. While relaxing, you play an old recording where you recall your initial misconceptions about Mydei being "mean and scary," which leads to a playful conversation between the two of you. As the conversation progresses, you confess that Mydei isn’t what you thought he would be, revealing a side of him that is caring and gentle. Both of you reflect on the bond that’s grown between you, with Mydei subtly hinting at his feelings for you, leading to a soft, unspoken confession of mutual affection.

Tags: Mydei x Reader, Fluff, Mutual Pinning, Slow Burn, Romantic Confessions, Character Development, Light Humor.

A/N: thank you for the req, love! 🤭💖

The night air in the cozy inn was quiet, save for the crackling of a small fire that warmed the room. You and Mydei sat across from each other, the light flickering gently on his features as you both relaxed after a long day of traveling. The usual tension that came with his presence had melted away, replaced by a warmth that had become more and more familiar over the past few weeks.

You couldn’t help but smile as you listened to the soft hum of the evening. It was hard to imagine that only a short time ago, you’d barely known this man—this fierce warrior who, by all accounts, should have been intimidating, cold, and ruthless. Instead, you’d come to know Mydei as someone who, while still fiercely loyal to his cause, was far more complex, with layers that revealed themselves only to those close to him.

“I found something earlier today,” you said, your voice soft as you glanced at him. “A... recording. It reminded me of you.”

“Oh?” Mydei raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued. “What’s this about?”

You chuckled, shaking your head as you brought up the audio on your device. It was a simple recording, just a little snippet of your voice from a while back, talking to yourself in a way that now seemed amusing. You played it, the words from a much younger you echoing in the room.

"You're not what I thought you'd be like."

“Mean and scary?” Mydei’s voice rumbled through the room, amusement flickering in his eyes as he teased you.

“Yeah—” you heard your younger self say on the recording. “Yeah, well. I actually thought you’d be mean and scary too.”

“Me??” Mydei’s tone was light, a playful challenge in his voice as he leaned forward, meeting your gaze. “Terrifying!”

You couldn’t help but laugh at the way he delivered the line, that same glint of humor now so familiar to you. The recording was an amusing relic of your past assumptions, but now, sitting across from the man who had defied those assumptions in every way, it was a reminder of how far your relationship had come.

“Terrifying, huh?” you teased, leaning back with a smile. “I guess that’s one way to describe you.”

Mydei leaned back in his chair too, his eyes never leaving yours. There was a certain softness to his gaze now, one that made your heart flutter despite yourself. He hadn’t said anything out loud, but his silence spoke volumes.

You cleared your throat, feeling a mix of warmth and uncertainty. “You know… I never thought I’d end up here, with you. You’re not what I thought you’d be like, either.”

He tilted his head, waiting for you to continue.

“I thought you were all sharp edges and cold determination,” you confessed, your voice softer now, “but… there’s a lot more to you than that, isn’t there?”

Mydei’s eyes softened, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “I think you’ve seen more of me than anyone else,” he said, his voice low and sincere. “That’s why I’m glad you’re here.”

Your heart skipped a beat at his words, the weight of them not lost on you. You had grown so accustomed to the warrior he appeared to be—fearless, unyielding. But in the quiet moments like this, you saw the man beneath that exterior. The one who cared more deeply than he often let on. The one who had fought for his kingdom, for the people he loved, and for the future he dreamed of.

And maybe, just maybe, for someone like you.

Your gaze met his, and for a moment, neither of you said anything. The silence between you was filled with unspoken understanding.

“Hey,” you broke the quiet, your voice soft. “I… I’m glad you’re not what I thought you’d be.”

His smile widened just a little, a touch of warmth in his eyes. “I’m glad you’re not what I thought you’d be either.”

You laughed softly, the sound filling the room, and for once, it didn’t feel like you were the only one taking a leap of faith. Maybe Mydei wasn’t as terrifying as you thought, and maybe, just maybe, you weren’t the only one who had begun to feel something more.

“So,” you said, your voice teasing as you leaned forward a little, “when are you going to admit that you’ve fallen for me?”

Mydei’s expression shifted, a flicker of uncertainty passing through his eyes, but it was gone so quickly that you almost missed it. He leaned in too, his voice low as he spoke.

“I’d never admit that.”

You raised an eyebrow, surprised. “Oh really?”

“No,” he replied, his gaze meeting yours with such intensity that it stole the breath from your lungs. “Because I’m not sure I need to. Not when you already know.”

And just like that, the last of the tension between you both seemed to dissipate, leaving only the warmth of the fire and the shared understanding in the space between you.

The future—whatever it might hold—seemed a little brighter now.

[maikelfist]

@chimneyz encouraged me to come off anon and take credit for my horny headcanon and I thought I'd do it by turning it into a fanfic. This kind of ran away from me. It was supposed to be quick and smutty but sweet, achy feels managed to sneak in, culminating into a pretty unhinged combination of tags. Don’t even ask. If you’re in the mood for hurt/comfort and self-indulgent smut this is for you. You can find it on ao3 here:

The Mechanism of Pain Relief

BuckTommy | 9k | rated: E

Summary:

For Evan and Tommy, intimacy is as natural as breathing, and the idea of going long without sex feels almost unthinkable. If it were up to them, they’d stay in bed all the time. But life happens—sometimes their shifts don't align, they're exhausted, or they prefer to cuddle and comfort each other after a particularly rough day at work. Those things are to be expected. What isn’t predictable or acceptable is when Evan ends up hospitalized with a head injury. Or: Tommy takes care of Buck and Buck is overwhelmed in so many ways.

Symptoms of a concussion may include headaches, dizziness, confusion, sensitivity to light and noise, fatigue, sleep disturbances, memory problems, slowed reaction time, irritability, anxiety, depression and sensitivity to stress.

If you experience any of these symptoms worsening, you should speak to your healthcare provider.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

For Evan and Tommy, intimacy is as natural as breathing, and the idea of going long without sex feels almost unthinkable. If it were up to them, they’d stay in bed all the time. But life happens—sometimes their shifts don't align, they're exhausted, or they prefer to cuddle and comfort each other after a particularly rough day at work. Those things are to be expected.

What isn’t predictable or acceptable is when Evan ends up hospitalized with a head injury.

Tommy’s heart stops for a moment when Eddie’s text comes through, and he doesn’t even wait for his supervisor’s approval when requesting time off work to rush to the hospital. This isn’t like a dislocated shoulder, where it makes more sense to wait until his shift ends to check on Evan, no matter how agitated he felt at the time. This is much more serious.

A sigh of relief escapes Tommy’s lungs as he steps into the observation unit and sees Evan awake, propped up in bed. Evan’s face is pale but relaxed under the fluorescent lights. A bandage covers the treated head wound, and the sunglasses perched on his nose—definitely Eddie’s—give him an oddly fashionable look despite the circumstances. Blocking the harsh hospital light in style. The tension in Tommy’s shoulders eases slightly when Evan greets Tommy with a sleepy, sedated smile and the reassurance that it’s “not too serious of a concussion.” CT scans have been done and pain relief has been given.

“Don’t even need to stay the night… pr-probably,” Evan continues, his speech more slurred than Tommy would like. “I-I told Eddie it’s not a big deal. Head wounds are a lot worse than they look.” Evan pauses, confusion flickering across his face before he corrects himself. “No, wait. Other way ‘round.” He thinks for a moment, visibly rearranging the words in his head, taking longer than necessary. “They look worse than they are!” Evan exclaims with more energy, pleased that he got it right. “The head has so many blood vessels that—that even a small cut can look like… like a crime scene… b-but it’s usually not that bad—”

"Evan." Even when he keeps his voice low, Tommy delivers the name with a seriousness that he knows will make Evan pause, hold his breath for a moment. "How long until you can leave?" Tommy has hundreds of other questions on his mind, but he doesn’t want to put any strain on Evan. He’ll squeeze out all the information he needs from Eddie later.

“Uh… they said they wanted to watch me for a couple of hours. I-I don’t know how long it’s been. Eddie will know. He wanted to—he’s…” Even with only half of his face visible, it’s clear that Evan is scrunching it up in puzzlement. “Water!” he exclaims after a few seconds, as if the word had just clicked into place. “He’s getting me more water.” Evan slowly turns his head toward the entry, as if mentioning Eddie's name might make him return more quickly. When Evan realizes that no one is standing there yet, he shifts his gaze back to Tommy. A dopey smile spreads across his lips. “They asked me if… if I had someone who could take care of me at home.” Evan sluggishly lifts his arm, fingers bumping into the back of Tommy’s hand before he manages to take it, his grip weak but warm. “I said yes.”

Tommy’s chest tightens, a mix of relief and affection flooding him as he squeezes Evan’s hand gently. He isn’t sure whether to feel glad or disappointed that Evan is wearing shades. On one hand, it’s good that the sunglasses are providing Evan with some comfort, but on the other, he’d give anything to see those sunny eyes of his—the ones that have the power to melt him inside and leave him weak in the knees. Right now, Tommy knows he needs to be strong for Evan, but he can’t help giving in to the widening grin on Evan’s face, returning it with a soft smile of his own. He brings Evan’s hand to his lips and kisses it gently.

“Yeah. Yeah, you have.”

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

Evan hit his head on a car door. That’s the short version of the story. Eddie almost makes it sound like a slapstick sketch with how casually he remarks on it. Tommy knows, though, that Eddie’s calm demeanor is just a cover for how worried he is. Tommy knows that feeling all too well.

The full story is far less comedic. Two cars collided, leaving one severely damaged. It ended up wedged against a concrete barrier, with the passenger side crumpled like tissue paper. Thankfully, the father and son had been seated on the driver's side, and they managed to pull the unconscious father through the broken windshield. Extracting the son was more difficult. The child, sitting in the back seat, was trapped by twisted metal around the rear door, crying, panicking and in pain from a broken leg.

Evan was tasked with prying open the car door using a hydraulic spreader. He placed it between the door frame and the car body and began to apply pressure. The metal was severely bent and difficult to move—until it suddenly gave way. With a loud cracking sound, the door swung open so abruptly that Evan lost his footing and fell face-first into the swinging metal, a sharp edge striking his temple. The force was so strong that it cracked Evan's helmet.

Tommy’s stomach churns as he listens to Eddie’s retelling. Seeing Evan in his patched-up state is already bad enough; Tommy can’t picture what a terrifying sight he must have been to their friends—unconscious, blood gushing from the wound down his face, soaking into his clothes and hair. He doesn't even want to imagine what Evan's head would have looked like if he hadn't been wearing protection.

Eddie says he’s pretty sure Evan put too much pressure on the spreader, trying to get the boy out as quickly as possible.

Tommy doesn’t give in to the urge to rub his eyes. Instead, he quietly jokes, “Well, kids are a weakness of his.”

Eddie exhales a humorless puff of air in reply. “Yeah.”

They are whispering back and forth in Evan’s kitchen, the only illumination coming from the faint streaks of light peeking through the edges of the closed blinds, loft darkened to keep the fading day from hurting Evan’s eyes and allowing him to sleep peacefully upstairs. 

“Hey,” Eddie adds softly. “Thank you for taking care of him.”

Tommy shifts his weight from one foot to the other, hoping the lack of light conceals the awkwardness of it. “You really don’t need to thank me for that.”

“I’m gonna do it anyway. How many of your vacation days did you use to get two weeks off work? Just to be stuck in the Bat Cave?”

“You’ll keep us alive by providing us with food and supplies, so who’s the real Batman here?” “I think that makes me Alfred.”

"Who has been called Batman’s Batman," Tommy points out, raising a finger at Eddie.

“Yeah, yeah, okay, we’re both awesome,” Eddie relents, batting the finger away. “I’m just saying, I… I would’ve looked after him at my place, but I just got Christopher back and I don’t think it would be good for him to see Buck like this, so…”

“I get it. You can count on me, all of you.”

“Well, except that one time,” Eddie drawls.

There will likely never be a time when Tommy won't feel shame when reminded of how he ran away from Evan out of fear of getting hurt. At the same time, it floods him with relief knowing that Eddie and the others are casual enough about it to use it as roasting material. He would listen to their quips every day if it meant being with Evan. However, that doesn’t mean he will just take it lying down. “Yeah, we all need to make a monumentally stupid mistake once to learn not to do it again, right, Eddie?”

The blow makes Eddie close his eyes for a moment, and Tommy can practically see the Kim fiasco flashing behind them. When Eddie opens his eyes again, Tommy is met with an unimpressed look. “You’re lucky this ended well for both of us.”

Fond amusement quirks Tommy’s mouth. “So are you. And this will turn out well for Evan, too. Alright?” Tommy assures Eddie.

The first genuine smile of the day brushes across Eddie’s lips, so small that it's nearly unnoticeable. “Yeah. Alright.”

Shoulder bumps turn to hugs turn to goodbyes. Tommy holds the door open, promising to regularly send Eddie updates, lists of groceries and other things he needs from his own place, while Eddie swears he’ll come by as often as possible. When the door closes, Tommy listens for a moment until he can no longer hear Eddie’s muffled footsteps. Then he turns to face the dark.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

The recovery time is a bit of a whirlwind. Or rather, a tornado.

Tommy learns to navigate Evan's loft almost blindly because he refuses to turn on any of the bright lights at night. Who thought open-space architecture was a good idea? The evening he broke up with Evan was filled with many moments that make him shake his head—mostly at himself—but Evan asking him to move into a place that was essentially one big room was certainly one of them. Then again, even through walls, Tommy feels an odd sense of guilt whenever he has to make a sound louder than his toothbrush. It will probably be a while before he stops cringing every time he needs to flush the toilet.

The stairs end up being Tommy's biggest source of stress. Through eye contact alone, Tommy knew that he and Eddie were on the same page about the desire to simply carry Evan up the stairs and into bed if Evan hadn’t insisted on climbing them himself. Instead, Eddie led the way, walking backward and holding on to Evan's arms, with Tommy behind Evan, hands on his back, ready to catch them both. 

Tommy keeps having nightmare visions of Evan stumbling and falling down the stairs or over the railing. He considers taking Evan’s bed apart and moving it to the lower level, but their current situation isn’t exactly ideal for playing IKEA. Not for the first time, he curses his neighbors for having the most obnoxiously noisy construction work done on their house at the worst possible time. Otherwise, he would take care of Evan at his place. As it stands, he plans to keep Evan as far away from the stairs as possible until he’s healed.

Thankfully, it seems to be quite easy to look after Evan, his dizziness and confusion turning him pliant and receptive to Tommy's care. Tommy ensures that Evan stays in bed, always having water and Tylenol within arm's reach so he can remain hydrated and pain-free, and regularly prepares light, nutritious meals for him—though, trying to make sandwiches by the dim light of the open refrigerator is certainly an experience. He tends to Evan's wounds with gentle hands, is by his side when he takes a bath, washes and combs his hair, and stands by the closed but unlocked door whenever Evan needs to go to the bathroom, ready to help if needed. Evan sleeps a lot, but rarely a full night’s worth in one session, waking up every couple of hours, and Tommy is there to give him whatever he needs or simply keep him company.

His demeanor softened by the lingering haze of his injury, Evan soaks up all the attention and care Tommy gives him, and Tommy is more than willing to provide it. Evan is sweet and easy, and Tommy really should have learned from Billie Boils' “curse” that it wouldn’t stay that way.

After a couple of days, dizziness turns to irritation. Evan keeps getting up from the bed, desperate to move, run around, exercise, and he argues till his head aches when Tommy tries to coax him back to bed.

After getting the okay from Buck’s doctor, Tommy researches suitable activities for someone with a concussion and begins to incorporate light, slow seated stretching and range-of-motion exercises into their daily routine. They don’t work out for very long, only a couple of minutes at a time, until Evan realizes this isn’t what his body actually wants while it’s healing.

Tommy can tell what Evan misses the most is going outside and running in the park, but since that’s not possible, Tommy tries to bring the park to him. One afternoon, they lie in bed together, both of their eyes closed, as Tommy tries to create scenarios for Evan to imagine.

He describes the scene in a soft, soothing voice, painting a picture of clouds drifting overhead, leaves rustling in the wind, and even attempts to mimic the sound of the breeze, puffing out his cheeks and blowing air through his lips.

Evan cracks one eye open, unimpressed. “Your wind sound is almost as bad as your fake mouth static.”

Determined to make up for his apparently less-than-convincing sound effects, Tommy pulls up a video of city park ambience for relaxation, which turns out to be a huge mistake.

"I miss my phone," Evan whines behind his hands as the pads of his fingers rub his eyes in frustration, having remembered that the internet, with all its vast knowledge, exists.

"You're not allowed to look at screens, you know that," Tommy retorts, his voice gentle yet firm, as he lies on his side on the bed next to Evan, propping up his head with his hand.

Evan lets his hands thump to the pillow next to his head, his face sulky and disgruntled. “But I want to know how big jellyfish can get!”

Tommy’s brows furrow slightly and he can feel amusement tug at the corners of his mouth despite himself. “Why?”

"I had a dream about an ancient god-like jellyfish the size of a whale. It talked to me but I forgot what it said," Evan says, arms crossed and pouting, as if the universe itself has wronged him.

The largest known jellyfish apparently belonged to the Lion's Mane species, boasting a bell diameter of 7 feet and tentacles around 120 feet long—if one can trust the Wikipedia article which Tommy slowly reads to Evan. Normal research often sends Evan spiraling down a never-ending rabbit hole of information. However, Tommy is happy to discover that research-via-boyfriend, listening to the calm, deep rumble of his voice, helps Evan fall asleep.

The research bouts aren't the only way Tommy engages Evan's mind. A nurse advised Tommy to regularly assess Evan's cognitive function. Initially, Tommy tries using crossword puzzles and simple math problems, but Evan quickly becomes bored. So, Tommy starts asking questions to jog Evan's memories—about birthdays, how their friends take their coffee, recipes and special events.

"What was the first city I flew Eddie to?" Tommy asks, fingers brushing through Evan’s curls as he’s sitting behind him on the bed, Evan leaning against his chest.

Evan grumbles, "I have a concussion, not amnesia."

"Do you know the answer or not?" Tommy presses.

"Vegas, and I also remember that you stood me up for it," Evan says, lifting his chin defiantly to look at him with accusatory eyes. 

"You did get to buy me a beer later.”

Scorn tinges Evan’s voice. “Oh, it feels so good to be a second priority.”

Tommy stifles a sigh, managing to keep a straight face. "What was the name of the restaurant we went to on our first date?"

"Abandon-me-at-the-fronteria."

Laughter threatens to break out of Tommy's chest but he suppresses it as well, pressing his lips together and burying his face into Evan’s hair. Evan can be really fucking funny when he's acting like a brat, Tommy will give him that. That’s not a compliment Tommy should ever say out loud, though.

"Close enough," Tommy deadpans.

Eddie isn’t spared either during his visits. One time, he foolishly believes that Evan would be interested in hearing about the science project he’s working on with Cristopher and how well it’s coming along, only to throw a startled look at Tommy when Evan replies with a curt, “Good to know you’re having so much fun without me.”

Eddie texts him later.

Eddie: Please tell me he doesn’t act like that all the time

Tommy: He does sleep occasionally

Eddie: I bet you fluff his pillows and tuck him in after he curses your ancestors

Tommy: Don’t forget the kiss on the forehead

Eddie: You have the patience of a saint, man

Tommy: You’re patient with him too

Eddie: Because I get to leave

Tommy: I very much plan on screaming into a pillow when I can be loud again

Eddie: TMI

Laughter spills out of Tommy, and he just finishes replying with an emoji wearing a halo when Evan pipes up, “Rub it in my face that I can’t talk to anyone, why don’t you.”

“You just talked to Eddie.”

“That’s not the same.”

Tommy spends the rest of the evening catching Evan up on the 118 group chat, reading messages aloud and typing out Evan’s replies. Unable to resist, he puts on a different impression for each person—like a deep and steady tone for Bobby or a high, nurturing one for Maddie. He keeps it up until Evan starts to complain about his headache getting worse.

Not everything they do requires patience. In fact, there is one moment in particular that will forever be etched in Tommy's memory as one of the happiest of his life.

Only a small light in the living room is on, casting a warm, indirect glow up to the bedroom on the upper floor. Tommy has Evan in his arms, giving him support, and they're gently swaying back and forth, Tommy humming the melody of a song whose title has slipped his mind, intermingled with nonsensical lyrics he only half recalls. Slow dancing counts as low impact exercise, right?

Evan seems to agree, judging by the way he happily sighs into Tommy's neck, his warm, wet breath sending shivers down Tommy's spine.

If heaven exists, and if Tommy were allowed in, this is what it would feel like.

Until Evan starts kissing his neck. Tommy mindlessly leans his head back, giving Evan more room to explore Tommy's skin with his mouth. Evan's movements become more heated and demanding, and Tommy hisses when Evan bites a bruise into his throat. Only when Evan begins to open the buttons of his shirt does Tommy put up any resistance.

"Evan..." Tommy half-heartedly tries to push him away. "Evan, we can't—not yet."

Evan keeps clinging to Tommy and insists, "Come on. It's been so long. I'm almost healed." Nuzzling into the spot where neck meets shoulder, his breath comes hot and uneven against the sensitive skin. Fingers fumble with the buttons of Tommy’s shirt, lips trailing downward until they reach the coarse curls of his chest hair. Evan buries his face into the dip between Tommy’s pecs, inhaling deeply and moaning as if intoxicated by the scent.

The sensation sends a flush of warmth through Tommy, electric currents racing up his spine. He can feel himself getting hard in his pants at a speed that makes him dizzy, his body betraying him even as his mind fights to stay in control. Still, he doesn’t budge. "Almost isn't fully." 

He tugs at Evan's hair to lift his head, which in hindsight isn’t a great idea—Evan moans at the feeling, a soft, involuntary sound that sends a jolt of heat straight to Tommy’s core. Evan follows Tommy's lead for a moment, but then leans in, pressing his forehead against Tommy's. "Tommy, please," he begs, his voice barely above a whisper, plush lips brushing his. "I need you." The yearning in his voice reverberates in Tommy’s chest, and it’s just as delicious as the feeling of their bodies rubbing together when Evan starts to grind against him.

It’s impossible not to entertain all the vivid images flooding Tommy’s mind. It would be so easy to give in. They could be gentle. Tommy could blow him or ride him or hold on to Evan’s spread legs as he carefully rocks into him, letting Evan do nothing but lie there and look pretty, his breath hitching and thighs trembling as Tommy surrenders to his wishes, gives him what he wants. Evan’s back would arch, his hands gripping the sheets, and his moans would fill the room as he throws his head back in pleasure—

"No." Tommy tears himself away, allowing no contact between them. His voice has been in quiet mode for almost two weeks now, so his rejection comes across as startlingly loud, despite it still being softer than his usual conversational volume.

The ceiling lights don’t have to be on for Tommy to know that big, fat tears are starting to well up in Evan's eyes. The wet huff escaping his lips and the way he hugs himself tell Tommy enough.

"I don’t actually need you, you know?" Evan spits, voice corrosive with acidity and venom. "I can take care of myself. You can't stop me."

A pit wants to open in Tommy’s stomach, and he’s holding it together by sheer force of will. 

Evan doesn’t mean it like that. He’s just upset. He doesn’t mean it. This isn’t about you.

Tommy closes his eyes for a second, as if that could help him ignore the ache in his chest, and reminds himself to breathe. Squaring his shoulders, he focuses on the situation at hand. Part of him actually wants to try to stop Evan, but he knows he won't win this fight. 

"Be careful then,” Tommy says, his voice purposely steady. “Make sure to do it lying down. And don't finger yourself. Your coordination isn't quite there yet, and you could move your head too much trying to get the right angle."

The next sound leaving Evan's mouth is less of a huff and more of a snarl. " Fine. Have it your way." Evan takes off his clothes and climbs onto the bed, all of his movements filled with spite, uncoordinated as they may be.

Tommy picks up the clothes that Evan has haphazardly thrown across the room and says, in the calmest voice he can muster, "I'll be downstairs if you need me."

The short, bitter laugh that bursts from Evan makes him realize how unfortunate his word choice has been.

"I’d say the same, but clearly you don’t need me,” Evan talks back, his tone dripping with resentment. “So I’ll just stay here, all by myself, moaning and begging for it."

Tommy balls his fists into the clothes he’s carrying to keep himself from arguing about how wrong Evan is. That wouldn’t actually be doing Evan any favors right now. He doesn’t mean it. Instead, he feigns an unaffected hum. "Have fun."

The pillow Evan throws at him nearly makes it to the lower floor, but Tommy manages to catch it just in time. He drops Evan's shorts in the process, but oh well—Tommy takes a deep breath—he can just pick them up again.

Tommy puts the pillow back in its place, unable to resist stealing a glance at Evan, who lets out a performative moan when he wraps his hand around himself. Tommy quickly averts his gaze and hurries down the stairs.

If Tommy spends longer than necessary in the bathroom, that is between him and the sink. And the floor. And Evan’s shirt, which he presses to his face, inhaling deeply and moaning into the fabric as the muffled, exaggerated sounds of pleasure from upstairs make his stomach twist with arousal and longing. He's just here to do laundry, that’s all.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

For Evan and Tommy, intimacy is as natural as breathing, and the idea of going long without sex feels almost unthinkable. If it were up to them, they’d stay in bed all the time. But life happens, and sometimes one of them is stuck in bed for entirely different reasons, needing the other to care for them while they're recovering.

That makes it all the sweeter when the doctor finally gives Evan the green light to return to normal.

They could just attack each other's lips and exchange blowjobs or handjobs for quick relief when they get home. Evan could fuck him. Tommy would be more than happy to spread his legs for Evan and let him do as he pleases. But he knows that's not what Evan wants right now. Once Evan gets his hands on him, he will want all of him. Once he gets his hands on Evan, he will want to give him all.

‘All of him” requires some work, though. If Evan gets fucked regularly, he generally has a pretty easy time taking Tommy without too much preparation. Getting fingered or licked open is usually enough. A dick that big leaves a lasting impression, Evan has joked—multiple times.

However, when there's a long break, Evan needs to go through an entire routine to prepare himself for Tommy, to get his hole adjusted to that size again, similar to what they did when he made love to Evan the first time—good hydration, some stretching and breathing exercises, a hot bath to relax Evan's muscles and ensure he's nice and thoroughly clean.

Tommy starts by massaging Evan's back, digging his fingers into his shoulders and along the curve of his spine until Evan groans. He tries to keep it relaxing for Evan, but soon Evan begins to wiggle, urging Tommy to hurry up. Evan demands it knowing that Tommy won't.

It's moments like these when Tommy enjoys teasing Evan's hole with his fingers without ever actually entering it for a while. Instead, he taps, strokes, pulses and circles around it until the ring starts to pulsate as if trying to draw him in—until it remembers him. 

Evan has gone through his prep routine, and now it's time for Tommy to go through his, which involves tongue and finger-fucking Evan until he's crying and begging into the pillow.

He licks and sucks at Evan’s hole, devouring it like it’s candy and moaning at the taste. Excess saliva fills Evan up from the inside, dripping down his taint and balls, making him even wetter than he already is. Tommy spits on it for good measure. 

When it’s not Tommy’s lips and tongue teasing Evan—his stubble providing a fine rasp against sensitive skin—it’s his fingers pumping and scissoring inside him, massaging his prostate regularly but nowhere near enough for Evan’s liking. Every now and then, Tommy hooks both his index and middle fingers into Evan, spreading him wide so he can push and flick his tongue into the gaping opening.

Tommy is scraping together the last remnants of his patience for this, and he has no idea where they’re coming from, other than the knowledge that he doesn’t want to hurt Evan.

And maybe, just maybe, he wants to chastise Evan’s hole for having forgotten him.

"Tommy, I can't," Evan whines, punching the mattress with his fist in a pitiful release of frustration. "I need it so bad! Come on, give it to me—"

Tommy must be closer to his breaking point than expected, and he only realizes it when he hears a loud smack followed by Evan throwing his head back and fucking yelling at the top of his lungs. With a startled flutter of his lashes, Tommy registers what just happened.

He just spanked Evan's hole.

There's a moment of stillness as Tommy tries his damned best to assess the situation based on Evan's reaction. Then Evan turns his head, and Tommy catches a glimpse of his beautiful face—red and splotchy to the point where his birthmarks are almost invisible, with pillow creases marking his skin and lashes damp with tears. Both his lips and eyes are shiny, red and wide open with surprise and something that Tommy would like to call wonder.

"Was that okay?" Tommy asks, his voice extra gentle as if to compensate for what he just did.

A shivery, wet exhale flows from Evan’s lungs before his arms give out and his head falls back onto the pillow. Tommy can still see Evan’s pretty profile, and it takes him a moment to realize that the way Evan is rubbing his face into the fabric is meant to be a nod. “Yeah. Yeah, that was okay,” Evan whispers.

"You want more?" Another nod. That wouldn't do. "Words, Evan."

A kittenish noise escapes Evan and he starts squirming again. "Yes, Daddy. Please, Daddy, I want more." Evan stretches his back and lifts his ass, as if he thinks he needs to bring his hole closer to sway Tommy.

A ball of arousal tightens its grip on Tommy's insides before bursting, sending bolts of intoxicating pleasure through his body. It's reminiscent of the rush he feels when he's flying—that swooping thrill so addictive in nature one can't help but crave to relive it again and again. As Tommy's eyes flutter shut, he takes a moment to savor the sensation, his mind already replaying the sight and sound of his boyfriend trying to entice him—and succeeding. God, Evan is exquisite. Always, of course, but especially when he falls into a mood like this.

Tommy takes a deep breath and calms his nerves. He needs his bearings for what's to come.

"Evan." Tommy's hands settle on Evan's waist, his thumbs lightly digging into the curve of his spine as he holds him steady. He trails his fingers along the line of his back, shaping Evan’s form to his liking and making him arch prettily. Tommy’s body follows the upward motion of his hands until he can speak into Evan’s ear, attempting nonchalance, though the rasp in his throat betrays him as he asks, “How many days has it been since I last fucked you?” “Seventeen,” Evan replies without a moment's hesitation, a breathless hitch in his voice revealing his anticipation. The corners of Tommy’s lips curl up at that. Of course Evan would know the answer. Tommy could probably ask him about the hours, the minutes, the temperature, and Evan would fondly reminisce about the last time Tommy's cock was buried in his ass, down to the very last detail. Over the past two weeks, Evan hasn’t answered any of Tommy’s questions with as much eagerness as this one. Cognitive function? Check.

“And why is that?”

“C-cause I got hurt?” 

Evan’s reply is endearingly timid, which is why Tommy doesn’t tsk before he retorts, “Close, but no. Try again.”

A miserable little mewl escapes Evan’s mouth, disappointed that he didn’t get it right the first time. Happier noises start filling the room—musical, airy notes—when Tommy’s dick finds the cleft of Evan’s ass. “Please—” Evan starts begging, distracted by the contact. Tommy’s grip on Evan’s shoulders tightens before he can lose himself completely. “Evan. Evan,” he repeats with more force when Evan continues to writhe. “Try again.”

Evan fusses and hides his face in the pillow once more, his voice muffled as he admits, “Cause I was careless.”

Evan's curls feel damp as Tommy begins to stroke them. The gentle touch gives Evan the courage to glance at him again from the corner of his eye. Tommy leans in and kisses his cheek, cooing, "Good boy, Evan." Another one of Evan’s sweet sounds chimes through the air, but Tommy doesn’t let him bask in the praise for too long. He continues, "Yes, you were careless. But that's not the reason either."

"Wha—why then?" Genuine confusion furrows Evan's brows, and he pouts in a way that Tommy can only describe with one word: adorable, adorable, adorable.

Tommy leans in, his forehead touching Evan’s temple, careful of the healing wound there, and nuzzles against Evan’s cheek. “Because you’re precious and I had to be gentle with you. Wanted to be, so you can heal properly.” His tone shifts from soft explanation to a husky tease, a wicked, feral edge creeping into his words when he rasps, “But I can be rough with you now, can’t I, Evan?”

Pouting lips part to release a floating, weak little gasp, followed by a needy, “Yes, pleasepleaseplease—”

Tommy plants a quick kiss on the corner of Evan’s mouth to quiet him before continuing, “You know what that means?” Evan shakes his head as best as he can. “I will give you seventeen hits, baby boy, one for each day we couldn’t do this.” Tommy emphasizes the last word with a thrust, making Evan moan eagerly. “And you will count them all and say ‘thank you, Daddy’ after each one. Alright?”

“Yes! Yes, thank you, Daddy, yes—” “After I spank your hole, Evan, not before.” Tommy lets sweet condescension drip from his tongue, underlining the lewdness of the words, ensuring he voices what Evan is begging for out loud.

Another high-pitched mewl leaves Evan, followed by a distraught cry as Tommy pulls himself away from him. Tommy keeps one of his hands on Evan's back to prevent him from following his movements. “Stay.”

Evan goes still, except for his fists kneading the sheets, desperate to release his pent up energy somehow. Tommy should give his hands something better to do. “Hold yourself open for me.” Evan scrambles to follow his order. “Very good, sweet boy.”

Tommy takes a few precious seconds to enjoy the sight in front of him—Evan presenting himself for Tommy, his hole wet, puffy and pretty in pink, winking at Tommy eagerly.

The first smack comes as a surprise to both of them. For a moment, Tommy considers dragging things out, but apparently, he doesn’t have that in him anymore. The sound of shock that shoots out of Evan’s lungs tells him he made the right call. Evan likely also assumed Tommy would tease some more.

Tommy waits, then chides when he hears nothing. “Evan.” Evan gasps, realizing his mistake and hurrying to correct it. “One! Thank you, Daddy.” Two, three, four and five follow in quick succession, the slapping sound made even more obscene by the wetness of lube and saliva spread between Evan’s cheeks. The next strikes follow a more irregular pattern, keeping Evan on his toes, each impact ripping through him like an earthquake. Tommy spanks with enough force to make it sting, to make the nerves feel raw and exposed—the kind of pain that makes you hiss and lean into it. 

Evan’s howls turn into keens with each hit, but he doesn't forget Tommy's instructions again. He does struggle to maintain a firm grip on his cheeks every now and then, his hands slick with sweat, but he manages to regain control each time.

Tommy takes a break at ten to check on Evan’s condition. Evan has stopped burying his face in the pillow, head tilted to the side again, likely because he needs air. His chest heaves beneath him and soft whimpers leave his mouth with each exhale. 

“You okay?” It takes Evan a couple of seconds to realize he’s being spoken to, but once he does, he nods. “Seven more, you think you can take it?” Tommy asks more clearly. A nod, again. “What did I tell you about using your words, Evan?”

“Yes, thank you, Daddy,” Evan rushes to deliver breathlessly, having reached the point where he mindlessly uses the phrase like a punctuation mark. Tommy couldn’t be prouder.

Tommy leans down to kiss Evan's skin, first grazing his hand and then his ass with a gentle brush of his lips, punctuated by another sharp smack to his hole. 

All the sweet reactions he used to elicit from Evan come flooding back as he remembers slapping his dick against Evan's cheeks and hole, teasing him with the heft of it before letting him feel it from the inside. He should have realized earlier just how into this Evan would be.

By the time Tommy reaches the end, an endless string of sobs is wracking Evan’s body, interspersed with heartbreaking hiccups whenever Evan is forced to inhale. Tommy makes sure that the last spank is the hardest one.

“ Ah! Hah- oooh, s-se-sev'nteen, th'nkyuDaddy,” Evan barely manages to slur in between his whimpers, but like a dutiful little trooper, he perseveres.

Tommy takes a good look at his creation.

Evan’s right cheek is squished into the pillow, his mouth slack-jawed, and he’s either uncaring or unaware of how much he’s drooling. His eyes, red-rimmed and glazed over, appear to gaze at nothing at all, unfocused, feverish and fuck-drunk, despite Evan not even having had a dick inside him yet. Maybe next time they do this, Tommy will place a vibrating egg against Evan’s prostate, see if he can come from that and the sting of spanks against his hole alone. A different kind of fucking.

Evan’s cock is a mess, just like the rest of him, twitching when air touches it and slowly but steadily leaking an obscene amount of precum onto the towel beneath him, thoughtfully placed there just for this purpose. Tommy’s mouth is watering with the urge to lap it up, but he resists. No distractions. He can still taste a hint of Evan’s ass, rich and carnal, on his tongue and that is enough to sustain him for now. 

Speaking of... Tommy's eyes fixate on the focal point of his masterpiece. A bright red circle glows around Evan's hole which pulsates to the rhythm of blood pumping beneath the skin. Tommy hovers his hand above it, dead certain he can feel the radiance of heat emanating from the area. He’ll have to treat it later, with Evan spreading his cheeks for Tommy so he can apply cooling, soothing aloe vera gel to the skin.

A deep, primal groan rumbles up from the depths of Tommy’s chest, and he can feel the last shreds of his self-control coming apart. He hurriedly grabs some lube to slick his cock, hissing in discomfort as he touches it and quickly pulls his hand away as if burned. His dick has been neglected for so long, and it’s letting him know just how displeased it is—angry red and overfilled with sensitivity. Tommy softens his touch; the caress of his feather-light fingers gradually gives way to careful strokes, maintaining the movement until he no longer feels like he might burst out of his skin. Once he feels ready, he gives Evan’s hole a soft parting kiss and crawls up his body, making sure his chest is fully pressed against Evan’s back.

Evan isn’t begging anymore, too out of it to understand what’s happening when Tommy starts feeding him his dick. Tommy didn’t forget that it’s been a while, but he isn’t taking it anywhere near as slowly as he usually would. He can’t.

A beautiful, silent O forms on Evan’s lips when he realizes that he’s finally getting what he’s been panting for all this time, eyes widening in pleasure-shock at the feeling, and his hands clawing at any part of Tommy he can find. His feet begin to lift off the bed at the same measured pace Tommy is entering him, as if every muscle in his body contracts more and more the deeper Tommy goes. All muscles, that is, except for the ring around Tommy’s cock, stretched wide and striving to stay open. Tommy can only imagine what it must feel like to be filled after such sweet torture to his hole—nerves oversensitized and rewired to perceive pleasure and pain as one and the same.

Only when Tommy’s hips are flush against Evan’s ass does a wanton moan break out of Evan, his legs thudding down onto the bed as his eyes roll into the back of his head from the pressure of Tommy’s cock against his sweet spot.

Evan chokes on a sob, saliva-garbled exclamations of “guh-good, s-so good” spilling from his lips, and tries to call for him, if his broken “Da-!” is supposed to mean anything, letting Tommy know that he can start moving and—

God.

This.

This is the moment Tommy has been waiting for over two fucking weeks—the moment where he’s finally allowed to snap, not a single cell in his body capable of patience or self-control anymore.

He practically throws his cock into Evan’s hole, not holding back on the power in his muscles, pistoning in and out as if trying to punch Evan’s prostate with each snap of his hips.

Tommy should probably put a hand over Evan’s mouth, muffle his howls and wails and sobs, his cries of yes! and please! and Daddy!, but he’s too far gone to deny himself the reward of Evan’s ecstasy. If Evan’s neighbors end up struggling with eye contact after this, that’s their issue.

For some reason, Evan’s orgasm takes him by surprise, untouched and early as it is, even though it really shouldn’t, considering how long Tommy has been dragging him along. The tight, spasming clench of Evan’s hole makes his hips stutter, but even that isn’t enough to restrain him. He grabs a fistful of Evan’s hair, both to pin him down, to stop him from thrashing around too much, and as leverage to put even more force behind the relentless push-pull-shove of his thrusts.

Normally, he would comment on how quickly Evan came, especially when it happens solely through prostate play. Evan has told him how much he adores it, unpredictable as it is—both the physical sensation and the meaning Evan has given it, the feeling of being a good hole for Tommy. Depending on the mood, Tommy either rewards him with soft words for surrendering to his pleasure, or teases him for being easy, praise glazed with honey-sweet mockery. Tommy doesn’t even have that in him anymore.

“I’m not stopping,” Tommy warns instead, voice guttural and feral with savagery, unrecognizable even to him.

Evan accepts his fate if the way one of his hands shoots out to the headboard is any indication—support to hold on for the ride. He could say his safeword if he truly wanted Tommy to stop. Instead, Evan grabs the pillow and bites into the fabric, bearing the overstimulation with scrunched shut eyes, gritted teeth and desperate grunts, unable to sing his pleasure through pretty moans anymore with how shot his voice is.

The tight heat of Evan around him—his body safe and sound beneath him, right where he’s meant to be—consumes Tommy entirely. He pounds into Evan’s hole with enough force—hard and deep—to make the flesh of his cheeks ripple with each slap of skin on skin. Evan’s knees start to slip on the sheets, drifting further and further apart with each punishing pump, until the insides of his thighs must be aching. Tommy imagines the tip of Evan’s cock brushing through his own spilled cum, steadily leaking a delicious mess onto the towel, as it bops up and down each time Tommy’s hips bounce off of his ass.

His climax creeps up on him like a bird of prey, lurking but undetectable until it grabs him by the throat—pleasure clawing its way through his body until it releases itself in unrestrained, rapturous groans resounding through the loft as he fucks his load into Evan, filling him up with hot fluid. That of all things earns Tommy a small delighted squeal from Evan, sweet, little cumslut that he is.

Tommy doesn’t give Evan a chance to think it’s over. While his length still twitches and jerks with the force of his orgasm, he reaches for Evan’s. He doesn’t know if Evan’s cock has refilled or if it never really went down, and it doesn’t matter. All Tommy cares about is the silky-wet feel of it in his hands as he begins to stroke it.

“Nnng-ooh—!,” Evan whines pitifully, reflexively placing his hand on top of Tommy’s but doing nothing to move it away. Tommy’s not sure if that was a moan or a no, and Evan likely doesn’t know either. Another thing that doesn’t matter. Tommy’s hand is wet in seconds from how much Evan’s cock is drooling for a fist to fuck into.

“You’re not done yet,” Tommy growls. It will take a few more minutes for Tommy’s erection to fully go down. He clenches his jaw against the sharp sting of overstimulation coursing through his body and makes the most of that timeframe, rolling his hips into Evan and scraping his sweet spot in staccato rhythm. “Come on, sweet boy, give it to me,” Tommy urges, echoing Evan’s earlier plea, the gentleness of the pet name contrasted by the roughness in his voice.

Evan doesn’t stand a chance against the double stimulation, torn between arching back into the stretch of Tommy’s cock deep inside him and thrusting into Tommy’s fist as he empties his balls again, thick ropes of cum adding to the mess already on the towel. Evan makes his own anguished bliss known to the walls as his body convulses uncontrollably, giving Tommy a reminder of just how strong Evan is. It’s almost as if he’s trying to put his feet flat on the bed and lift up to get Tommy off him, bucking like a mechanical bull that doesn’t understand it’s meant to be ridden. Tommy puts Evan in a loose chokehold to gain better control and then flings them to their sides, still milking Evan for every last drop. Only when the hand on top of his starts pulling at his wrist does Tommy let go.

Tommy stares at his hand for a second, moving his fingers in a come-hither motion to marvel at the beauty of the pearly white fluid covering it. He contemplates licking his skin clean but ultimately decides against it. He knows he would get lost in the taste, and his desire to touch Evan takes over. Instead, he wipes his hand on the towel and then rests it on Evan's heaving stomach, mindlessly playing with the trail of hair there. Tommy buries his nose in Evan's hair, inhaling deeply as he catches his breath and holds him through the twitches and trembles rocking his body.

Peppering sweet, light kisses along Evan’s neck, Tommy waits for him to calm down—keeping them connected, Evan filled up the way Tommy knows he likes—until Evan feels ready to part.

After a little while, Tommy lifts his head in confusion when he notices that the shaking doesn’t subside, sniffling sounds filling the air.

“Evan?” Tommy asks carefully, receiving a hitching breath in response. “Evan, what’s wrong? Is it your knee?” he adds in alarm.

Evan digs his stubby nails into Tommy’s wrist and shakes his head, his voice thick with tears as he stutters, “I-I-I’m sorry, ‘m s-so sor-”

Tommy tightens his grip on Evan and hushes him as gently as he can. “Shh, sweetheart, there’s no need for that. Why would you be sorry?”

“I-I d-didn’ mean t-to hurt.” 

Tommy tries to make sense of the phrasing. Hurt who? Himself or others? Regardless, his heart aches for Evan at the thought of how exhausting the last two weeks must have been for him—physically and emotionally vulnerable, feeling both overwhelmed by and disconnected from the world. He must have felt incredibly isolated and confined when everything he usually loves caused sensory overload—stuck in a dark place in more ways than one.

“My sweet darling,” Tommy soothes. “I know you didn’t. This wasn’t a punishment. You know that, right? I just wanted to make you feel good.”

“I-I know. And y-you do— you take s-such good care of me…”

A shivery exhale escapes Evan and he starts curling in on himself. Tommy mirrors the movement, embracing him more securely—as if holding on firmly enough could stop the shaking of Evan’s body. He caresses the skin beneath his palms and responds in a gentle, calming tone, “Of course I do. I care about you.”

“M-me, too. Me, too,” Evan returns, the words spilling out in a breathless rush, as if trying to convey far more than they can express. He gently squeezes Tommy’s hand and lifts it, pressing it to the rapid beat of his heart. Tommy takes a moment to treasure the words and the proof of Evan alive beneath his palm, his mind already racing for ways to make him well again. He infuses a teasing lilt into his voice as he jokes, “You care about me or yourself?” Thankfully, that has the desired effect—soft, wet laughter bubbling out of Evan as he lightly slaps Tommy’s wrist. “You, of course.”

Tommy hums gently at that. “Well, you should care about yourself. Make sure you come back to me safe, healthy and happy every day.” The light-heartedness fades from his next words, but there’s still a casualness to them, proof of how self-evident they are. “But even if you don’t, I’ll be right beside you.”

“Right beside you,” Evan repeats, his voice carrying a dreamy cadence as his breath evens out more and more.

A sound of agreement rumbles in Tommy’s throat. “For now, we’re going to cuddle a little longer, then I’ll clean us up, we’ll drink some water, and after that, we’re going to sleep. How does that sound?”

Evan nestles his face into the crook of Tommy's arm and gently kisses the skin, his reply a soft brush of lips against it.

"Perfect."

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

Bright sunshine is streaming through the window, warming Evan’s skin and making him glow. Just as it should.

A small, content smile curls on Tommy’s lips as he watches his boyfriend sleep, a picture of sweet serenity. When Tommy woke up, he considered getting out of bed to make coffee, but then he decided he was allowed to indulge in the beautiful and dearly missed sight before him: Evan bathed in sunlight.

Tommy’s smile widens even more as he watches the tell-tale signs of Evan waking up: the way his eyes struggle to open, how he scrunches up his nose, the small grumble in the back of his throat—all betraying his reluctance to leave the comfort of rest. Until his eyes find Tommy. Then his expression transforms into one of sleepy joy, his smile slow and sweet, reflecting the bright light of the sky—Tommy’s favorite sight.

“Good morning,” Evan croaks, voice still hoarse and groggy from sleep and sex.

Tommy’s voice is steadier, filled with warmth, as he returns the sentiment in a gentle whisper.

They had fallen asleep facing each other, Evan’s head tucked under Tommy’s chin. Evan must remember this, because after staring at Tommy for a moment longer, he returns to that position, closing his eyes and burying his nose in Tommy’s neck with a pleased exhale.

“You okay?” Tommy can’t help but ask, recalling how last night ended.

Evan makes another satisfied sound. “More than,” he replies happily, a sense of satiation tinting his tone.

It’s Tommy’s turn to sigh and close his eyes in contentment, his fingers gently tracing over Evan’s skin.

For a moment, Tommy thinks Evan has dozed off again until he starts to feel him vibrating in his arms. It takes him a second to understand that the warm puffs of air hitting his skin are giggles bubbling out of Evan's chest.

Evan carefully stretches in his arms, his movements languid and indulgent, and tilts his head to look at him again. “ What the hell, Tommy,” he exclaims through breathless, incredulous laughter, his sleepy expression a mix of reverence and playful accusation, as if to say, How dare you ruin me like that?

Tommy’s lips quirk in amusement. “I take it you enjoyed yourself last night?”

Evan raises an eyebrow in mock offense. “I think I saw the face of God. And I’m not very religious.”

It’s Tommy’s turn to laugh. Evan is so damn lovable Tommy wants to squish him. He does exactly that, tightening his arms around him as he jokes, “Was he good-looking?”

The sun has nothing on the grin Evan is giving him. “Yeah. He had a cleft in his chin.” One of Evan's thumbs finds its way to said spot, a favorite resting place, as he leans in to give him a chaste kiss—morning breath be damned.

Tommy hides his smile against Evan's lips, adding another moment to his ever-growing collection of Happiest Memories. There have been many more since Evan came into his life.

Evan slowly pulls away and makes sure to rub their noses together before leaning back to look at him again. His eyes lock onto Tommy's, and for a moment, he simply stares. "Tommy?" Evan breathes, his voice laced with achingly soft tenderness. "Thank you."

“I think you said that enough times yesterday,” Tommy deadpans.

“No, I mean—thank you,” Evan repeats emphatically. “For—for everything. For being there. For being you. God, I—,” breathless laughter interrupts Evan’s words for a moment, “I-I can’t believe how lucky I am.” His eyes are filled with unapologetic warmth and sincerity, that unique brand of earnestness he exudes. It always makes Tommy feel small and delicate, as if he’s looking at something much larger than himself—something that could crush him but promised it wouldn’t. The desire to cherish is palpable, and Tommy feels like he’s staring at the sun. He has to look away.

“You would do the same for me,” Tommy shrugs awkwardly. It’s supposed to be a wave-away statement, a Don’t mention it, and Tommy freezes when he realizes the true implications of his words.

Two thoughts fill his head simultaneously. How can you possibly think someone could ever feel such devotion for you? and Of course Evan would take care of you, he’s the best person you’ve ever known. Ideas so at odds with each other that the cognitive dissonance makes Tommy’s head hurt.

Evan must see something in his expression, something that stirs his urge to comfort, because the next thing he does is take Tommy’s hand. Tommy looks back just in time to watch Evan press a kiss against it. The words he breathes against the skin carry such a profound sense of truth that they act like Tylenol on Tommy’s nerves.

“Yeah. Yeah, I would.”

Here's a horny headcanon for you. If Buck gets fucked regularly he generally has a pretty easy time taking Tommy's dick without too much preparation. Getting fingered or licked open is usually enough. A dick that big leaves a lasting impression, you know? When there's a long break between sex though, Buck needs to go through an entire routine to prepare himself for Tommy, to get his hole adjusted to that size again. A warm bath to relax his muscles and get himself thoroughly clean, breathing exercises, Tommy needs to give him indulgent massages, first his entire body, then focusing on his hole. It's moments like these where Tommy likes to play with and finger at Buck's hole without ever entering it for a while. Instead he uses his fingers to tap, stroke, pulsate, circle, until it starts winking at him. Until it remembers him. You see, Buck has gone through his prep routine but now it's time for Tommy to go through his. Which involves tongue and finger fucking Buck until he's crying. Tommy partially drags things out out of genuine concern, to make sure Buck doesn't feel the slightest bit of pain. Another part wants to tease and chastise Buck's hole for having forgotten him.

oh my goodness anon... this is beautiful. i have no words, this is perfect, this is beautiful, this is everything.

i will love you forever and forever anon

[neeeooon]

when you’re sick ;

blue lock x gn!reader

isagi yoichi

-> the unlikely return of momsagi????

-> he doesn’t even really have to say anything. he just hangs out with you, subtly checking your temperature when he thinks you’re sleeping, and making sure you have enough blankets and water

-> you are suspicious. “how did you learn to be so… caring?” “?! i’m always caring!” “you laughed when i fell down the stairs.” “cause it was funny! who falls down the stairs anymore, y/n? be honest.” “😐”

-> despite that, he does take good care of you. if you ask him for something, he doesn’t argue or tease you. isagi will simply kiss your forehead and get whatever it is you need

itoshi rin

-> rin doesn’t miss practice. not even when he broke three fingers on his left hand. so for him to call off when you tell him you aren’t feeling well, you panic a bit

-> you had the flu, and while it was annoying, you’d live. rin’s sudden presence made you think otherwise

-> “i’m dying.” you’d announce as rin feeds you soup, and he’d raise a brow at you. “you’re not dying.” “you wanted to spend my last moments together. i’m dying.”

-> eventually he convinced you that you’re not dying and that practice was going to get canceled anyway due to half the players getting the flu as well

barou shouei

-> ocd clean freak maid barou is struggling

-> you have a common cold, nothing too bad, and are still able to be a functioning member of society (at least you think so)

-> when barou heard that first sniffle from you, you were placed on house arrest and locked in your room so he could disinfect them entire house

-> after a few hours, you got bored and went downstairs to get some water. when barou spots you by the fridge, he freaks

-> “y/n?! what are you doing out of the infectious zone!!” “i’m thirsty..?” “go back upstairs! i’ll leave water outside the door for you.” “…”

-> you know he means well, so you don’t argue as you trudge back into solitary confinement

mikage reo

-> he goes all out

-> you’re sick?? nope. reo is with you all the time, asking what you need, getting whatever that is, and even offers to call an in-house doctor for you when you don’t instantly get better

-> “reo, it’s just a cold. i’ll be better tomorrow.” “but that’s so far away :( what do you need? i’ll get it for you!“

-> he surrounds you with plushies and puts on your favorite tv shows and makes sure you never have to lift a finger until you’re all better

nagi seishiro

-> he becomes your shadow

-> when you tell him you’re sick and want to lay in bed all day, he simply nods and slips into bed with you

-> “you’re gonna get sick,” you tell him as he buries his face into the back of your neck. “hmm you can take care of me next, then.”

-> nagi just hangs out with you until you’re feeling better. he lets you watch as he plays games and will bring you delivered food since neither of you would survive his cooking

-> he does get sick, and you do end up taking care of him

michael kaiser

-> he gets worried whenever you aren’t being your normal self, and the flu sucked all the energy out of you

-> kaiser doesn’t want to bother you or risk annoying you while you’re sick, so he kind of sulks around and pokes his head into your room every now and again to ask if you need anything

-> you find his behavior cute and a little pathetic, so when he appears a third time, you ask him to mask up and join you in bed

-> he’ll hold you tight as you watch youtube together, and you assure him that you’re fine and will be better in no time

[judesmoonbeauty]

A Day With Jude Jazza: Chapter Two "13:00 Working at Raven & Lunch"

TW: Weight discussion. Idk if this really needs it or not, but I added it just in case.

Please expect grammatical errors and translation inaccuracies. This is a full translation. Creative liberties are taken for characterization and smoother translation process. Cybird owns everything. Re-blogs are appreciated, but please do not post my translation elsewhere. Thank you for your support! ☾.

I’m working hard at Raven today too —

(I’ve been working non-stop, but I wonder if I’ll be able to finish this….)

The moment I gulped at the mountain of documents in front of me…..

Jude: Do ‘em perfectly.

He showed up and said that, so I stopped what I was doing and puffed my cheeks.

Kate: Isn’t there some kind of reward for your girlfriend who works so hard?

Jude: What kinda reward?

Kate: Hmm, like taking me out for lunch…?

Jude: ….Tch.

Then his finger came up to my forehead,

Kate: Ouch!

I reflexively squeezed my eyes shut because of the force of the forehead flick —

(…..It doesn’t hurt as much as I thought it would.)

Opening my eyes, he let out an annoyed sigh and turned around.

Jude: Let’s make tracks.

Kate: What?

Jude: Lunch, let’s go.

Kate: Coming!!

Kate: It’s my first time coming to this restaurant, but it’s super delicious.

Ellis: Good, I’m glad you’re happy Kate.

While eating a tasty meat-dish and chatting with Ellis,

Jude: ……

I heard the sound of a fork being put down next to me, and when I looked over he had stopped eating, leaving the fatty part untouched.

Kate: That’s such a waste.

The plate was silently brought to me, as if telling me to eat, so I ate the fatty portion.

After that, Jude made an exasperated look.

Jude: You’ll gain weight if ya eat like that each ‘n every time.

(Actually, I have been a bit worried about that recently….)

Kate: Isn’t it because you’re handing your plates over to me, Jude?

Jude: Didn’t say t’eat it.

Jude: Yer the one sayin’ it’s a waste not t’eat it.

(I can’t deny that…..)

Jude: ‘N ya eat more sweets than me’, innit?

Ever since we started dating, I felt like it was a waste to leave any of the fat and sweets on the plate,

So when I look over, the plate gets closer to me, and before I know it, I end up eating it.

Ellis: But I think it’s nice to see Kate eating it deliciously.

Kate: Ellis……

Ellis was sitting across from me and kindly smiles.

Feeling a bit happy, I brought the dessert to my lips without hesitation.

That’s when Jude’s fingers stroke my thigh under the table —

Kate: Urk!

Jude: Ya really have put on weight, haven’tcha?

His warped smile irritated me, so I lightly pinched his hand.

Kate: This is what I do to people who say such things.

Jude: Ha, don’t hurt none.

His hand let go of my thigh, and he took a bite of the dessert,

Jude: Work back the weight gain.

He didn’t seem to like the sugary taste, and immediately put down his fork.

Jude: Got the perfect job for ya.

Kate: What is it?

Jude: Deliver all o’ the finished documents to the department heads in the company.

Kate: That much?!

Thinking back to all the documents left on my desk, I felt overwhelmed.

Jude: Kate.

Kate: Yes, [MUMPH]

Bite by bite, he feeds me his dessert.

Kate: Wai-, Jude, Ju-

As soon as I gulped down the last mouthful, he flashed a wicked smile.

Jude: Ya ate desserts for two, so ya can work fer that much, yeah?

Kate: —You DEMON!

Jude: Ha!

As we glared at each other, I heard Ellis’ heartwarming voice,

Ellis: Hehe, Jude and Kate, you both look like you’re having fun today too.

Jude & Kate: Ain’t havin’ fun. • I’m not having fun.

And so, the lunch break ends.

[Event Master list] [Next - ⏱♡ 16:00 - Negotiations at Twilight]

I want to be spoiled and fed by Jude too.......

Dividers: @.adornedwithlight

If you wish to be added to my translations tag list, and are +18 YO, then please comment below! If you wish to be removed, please do the same.

Tag list: @sh0jun @theimaginativelyreticent @sapphire-323 @velisle @nateko @greatwitchsongsinger @injudescoat @aeyumicore @complexivelovely @cosmowgyral @lunaaka @rosalyne08 @8the-perfect-lie8 @voydsoul @goustmilk @kraiyne

[bouquets-for-fandom]

💐 FAQ 💐

Can I send multiple bouquets?

Yes! You can send as many bouquets as you'd like!!

I'm just asking to leave it at a reasonable amount and not to request 50 or so at a time!

You can send up to 10 blogs in a single ask

Will my bouquet be anonymous?

I send the bouquets anonymous on default.

You do not need to send them on anonymous in order to keep your name a secret

If you would like to have your name or @ included you need to tell me in your ask specifically!

Can I send a message with my bouquet?

Yes! Just let me know what you want written on the card and I shall deliver it with the bouquet

Can I choose a color or flowers?

Yes absolutely! The background color, flower color and flowers can be chosen by you but it's not a must.

Please keep in mind that I can't fulfill all wishes flawlessly but I try to do so to my best ability!

If I don't get any color or flower wishes I just send a random bouquet

How do I know if my bouquet will be sent?

If you send your request off anon I will answer your ask privately to let you know that your bouquet has been queued and will be sent out within the next hours or days

Please do not send in your request a second or third time because it hasn't been posted yet. All requests will be posted! (See further down on how to reach me if you have questions)

Why can't I send an ask?

To avoid long waiting times between request and delivery I close the requests every few days for a few days.

If you have any questions in that time you can always dm me

How long does it take until my bouquet gets sent?

That depends on how many have been requested!

At the moment there's an average waiting time of 2-3 days which is when I close my requests.

If you have any concerns just message me and I'll let you know when your bouquet gets posted!

Does it cost money?

Nope! Sending a bouquet is completely free of charge. All it takes is a few seconds of your time to let me know who it goes to

I do not take any payment or donations for running this blog. It would make me very uncomfortable if anyone sent me money on kofi or wherever for spreading love as this isn't something I do for myself. This blog is about spreading love and making people happy - nothing more.

If you would still like to donate something I'd ask you to send your money to a good cause instead of into my pockets.

How can I reach you if I have questions?

If asks are open you can contact me via asks.

My dms are always open as well!

You don't need to be scared about showing your face / staying anonymous. I'm running this blog alone and I don't tell anyone anything - not my friends, not the bouquet recipients.

Lastly, I do not care if we have personal issues and you would like to send bouquets to people. This is peaceful grounds and will not look at you sideways, make fun of you or ignore your request. Any issues between us stay between my personal blog and you - see this as just a service not run by me. I'm staying professional and send bouquets regardless of our relationship or lack of it.

[pe4cht3a]

happy new years!! could we have a one shot about Killua who emotionally hurts the reader because he doesn't pay much attention to the reader anymore (because for example he is too busy with his job as a Hunter) and who comforts him after realizing it :D (i really like your works💕)

ᯓ Come back to me ⋆˙

── .✦ a/n: i miss killua SMM pls lets revive the killua tags on tumblr 😋 and tysm ^^

you bit your lip anxiously as you were going back and forth. deleting and re-typing messages, fingers hovering above your mobile phones keyboard as your mind ran wild with every possibility you could possibly imagine.

eventually, you settled on just taking a phone call instead of messaging. to be fair, calling definitely took way more courage, so your heartbeat was speeding up like crazy.

you shoved your phone up against your ear, as you placed your other hand on your hips. the rhythm of the ringing tone of your phone kept pacing on, as the person on the other line continuously had not picked up.

“yo, this is kil. sorry i can’t take a call, say what you want into my voicemail though.”

ah, how nice. the familiar recorded audio of killua’s voicemail had spoken for him, once again. you held your phone against your ear for a good minute, even once the voicemail audio had finished playing.

returning your phone back into your pocket, you stared up at the clear sky, longing for any sort of response. other than hopeful wishing, you only had one thought on your mind.

where even is he?

4 years had gone by in a flash, since you three had chosen separate paths.

gon had returned back home to whale island and aunt mito, you decided to go to yorknew city to have a fresh start, and killua chose to travel the world as a hunter, as well as scouting for a hiding place for his sister.

the three of you were once 14 year olds who needed to restart all over. except, something didn’t restart, and that was you and killua’s relationship.

every single time, when the messages sent to killua were consistently left on delivered, or when you’d hear his voicemail audio again, you would always recall one memory.

“so.. you’re gonna go travel with alluka?” you questioned as you turned around to face the young albino. you fidgeted with your hands in a fit of anxiousness, as you looked up at him.

“yeah. to be exact, i'm heading out to go find a safe spot for alluka. illumi and the others wanna get their hands on her.” hands shoved in his pockets as usual, he returned back a some what.. sad look? was it because of regret and his feeling of knowingly being unable to continue a consistent relationship with you?

“ah… i see. thats.. where are you going after?” you held a glimpse of hope in your heart. praying killua will tell you that he’ll turn around and reunite with you, once he’s settled alluka down.

“i’m gonna go travel around the world.” the silverette smiled gently, although the smile was tainted with slight uneasiness. “you’re gonna go.. travelling?” your eyes shot wide. shocked that your fantasy was being dragged to ruins, right in front of you.

“i.. i know, you want me to come back to you. don’t you?” he said as he stepped closer to you. “mhm.” you were forcing yourself to sound undisturbed so hard, plastering on a fake smile. “i’m sorry, y/n. theres just so much for me to experience out there.” he took one more close step towards you as he placed his hand onto the top of your head, planting a soft kiss onto your forehead.

“lets not keep alluka and gon waiting back there.” you walked off away from his embrace, feeling unsatisfied and bitter. leaving killua’s arm hanging in the air and heart hurting.

that was all too long ago. yet, you remember everything as clear as day.

what even were you guys? were you guys dating? it surely was something, or else he wouldn’t have given you that kiss on your forehead, 4 years ago.

“never mind, fuck this.” you sighed under your breath. finally, deciding to snap out of your daily over thinking. you went on with your way, as you continued walking through the busy sidewalks of yorknew.

it was a comforting sunny morning. sure.. your relationship with killua was pretty cold but at least the weather was giving you warmth.

it was meant to be a usual, regular and totally not out of the ordinary morning. so why the fuck is killua suddenly standing in the distance, across the ocean of people.

you had to do a double take, as well as a couple of blinks to knock some sense into yourself. you could feel your heart practically sink into your stomach, as your mouth was hanging agape.

you were about to do a 180 degrees and run off, but just when you were about to turn away, killua’s head turned at your direction.

you were frozen in place, you could have ran but you felt as if some unknown force held you down in place.

“shit” you repeatedly muttered under your breath agitatedly. killua’s eyes soon fell onto you. sapphire eyes had matured, looking even more and more like his father’s.. except when his gaze laid upon you, those blue eyes looked just like how they were when he was 14 and infatuated with you.

killua began pushing himself against the big crowd, aiming to get closer towards where you were standing. unfortunately, he did end up reaching you.

“hey.”

“uh— killua… hi.”

you stared at the busy street in front of you, desperately not wanting to look at killua, who was now sitting beside you.

you two had decided on settling down at a bench on the sidewalk, in the middle of the lively city. though, you certainly did not wanna be alive right now.

“you can’t ignore me forever, y/n.” the albino turned to you, desperately trying to get any sort of acknowledgment out of you.

the only acknowledgment you gave back was you folding your arms in response to his desperation.

“you know what, killua? im leaving.” you stood up frustratingly, not looking at killua even once. you held onto your shoulder bag angrily, as you began heading off.

“you’re not leaving until you tell me whats wrong with us!” killua grabs onto your hand and interrupts your departure.

you take a harsh turn, and glare at killua fiercely. “fine, you wanna know whats wrong?” you question with a tone of bitterness. you were about to let out everything you had ever held in.

“i don’t know how you can’t tell whats wrong with us! we go our separate ways and you barely contact me even though we aren’t technically single! you knew how bad i wanted you to come see me once you dropped alluka off somewhere good.. so why did you barely call or return my messages? fuck, you never even tried to come find me! its like as if i was never anything to you! do you not remember how much we meant to each other when we were always going on adventures with gon? and yet you have the nerve to ask me whats wrong with us.”

everything felt slower and quite, despite all the noise from the city and cars. you didn’t dare to look at him, you just ran away.

away from everything. away from killua, and all the nonsense. you just had go go back home and calm down.

once you returned back to your apartment, you slammed your bedroom door and collapsed into bed. you basically passed out into sleep, immediately.

the next morning arrived way too soon.

your hair was messed up, lip gloss smudged off onto your bedsheets and mascara stained on the bottom of your eyes. you felt so dusty and heart heavy.

you got up and pulled out your phone from your bag. you had around 20 missed calls and 50 messages from killua, that awoke something inside of you again.

a fit of anger and even resent washed over you. you held your phone up against your ear, as you returned a call back to the albino you were about to scream at. although, you were too tired to actually scream.

“hello? OH SHIT— Y/N ARE YOU OKAY? WHERE DID YOU GO? WHERE ARE YOU?”

“shut the fuck up kil.”

“at least you still call me that.”

“leave me alone, don’t come looking for me.”

“i don’t care, y/n. after you ran off, i realised how terrible i’d been for so many years towards you. i took time to think to myself about everything… everything about us.”

“wow. so suddenly you wanna be my boyfriend after four years.”

“y/n—

you hung up on killua before he could even continue speaking. you threw your phone onto your bed as you decided to head out for breakfast. leaving your phone behind, so you could escape killua probably spamming you again.

as the cafe door opened, the bell above the door rang happily. you stepped into the cafe you usually visited for breakfast, trying to hopefully calm yourself down with a nice peaceful breakfast. no way would killua ever find you here. that bastard barely tried to contact you, so how would he even know this is where you regularly visited?

as you stepped into the cafe doorway, you opened your eyes with a newfound sense of peace… only to have it be immediately thrown out the window.

you opened your eyes to see killua leaning against the cafe barista counter.

you felt like running away all over again.

“y/n, can you please at least listen to me?”

“how the fuck do you know i come here?”

“i know its been a few years but, no way are you that stupid to forget that my brother is milluki zoldyck.”

“why am i even surprised at this point?”

the awkwardness and unease in the air between you two was definitely apparent. the whole cafe could practically feel it, even the barista’s were moving slower than usual just to be quiet, scared that if they made any sudden sounds would cause you or killua to kill them.

your usual breakfast order of earl grey tea and blueberry muffin sat in front of you on the wooden table. across that, was an opposing chocolate muffin and a tall glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.

unfortunately, this brought back some nostalgic memories for you. killua still had his insane sweet-tooth, some things never change..

“i thought about what you said yesterday, y/n.” the silverette muttered as he munched on his chocolate muffin. “good.” you sharply shot back, legs and arms crossed firmly.

“y/n, i know i’ve hurt you. i shouldn’t have put all my focus onto being a hunter and travelling.” killua placed his unfinished muffin onto the table as he gazed up at you.

you were still just as beautiful as you had been as when you three separated, years ago. killua still fondly remembers how your skin looked as it was kissed by moonlight, during the times when you, him and gon would be hiding in the lush forests while planning to take down the chimera ants.

“yeah right.” you still looked off to the side as you sunk into your seat. voice filled with a long aged resentment and hostility.

“you do realise you also hurt me, right? so calm the fuck down.” killua hissed back, patience coming to a breaking point. his sapphire eyes grew narrow and sharp.

“and how the hell did i do that?” you angrily snapped as you finally looked at him directly.

“maybe because you left me hanging there after we finally confessed to each other? being a hunter is important to me, but so were you. you were the only one there for me when gon was caught up with kite’s death…” killua’s voice trailed off as he remembered all the simpler times between you and him and when you were the only pillar of support he had during the mission against the chimera ants.

“please, y/n. let me make it up to you.”

“fine.”

you and killua… at last, decided to try to smooth over the bumps in your relationship.

you stood at the central park of yorknew city, in the middle of mass amounts of greenery and the moist air. you stared off into the distance, as killua had gone off to go get something, apparently.

“hey.” killua abruptly said from behind. you jumped around in a fit of surprise, “WOAH! damn kil, i forgot you walked completely silent.” you sighed in relief as you fixed your hair in a fit of embarrassment.

you were now face to face with the handsome silverette.

“oh?” you let out curiously as you spotted two things in killua’s hands. in killua’s pale hands, were two ice cream cones. one was chocolate, the other held lemon.

“ah… i see. you still remember that lemon is my favourite?” you mutter softly, pleasantly surprised by killua’s kind gesture. “of course i do, idiot.” the albino offered the ice cream cone towards you, as he felt his face burning up nervously.

you two decided to sit down on the grass against a tall willow tree, that overlooked a small pond in the park.

as you two were sat beside each other, the willow tree provided great shade from the sun. as you ate away at your lemon flavoured ice cream, your heart felt odd.

you had felt annoyed at killua for so long, but suddenly when he’s finally beside you. you felt in love once more and like a young teenager all over again.

“i’ve uh.. missed you kil.” you couldn’t believe you finally had a chance to utter those words out to him.

“i can tell.” killua sneakily smirked as he continued munching on his chocolate ice cream. the albino continued focusing on his ice cream, but he could see you glaring at him jaw dropped, from his peripheral vision.

once you two had finished the icy delights, you both looked off into the distance of the pond, in silence. except, this time was a comfortable silence.

“i’m really sorry, y/n. i turned to being a hunter, i didn’t know how to face you. i didn’t want to face the possibility of you rejecting me.” killua gently whispered as he started playing with locks of your hair.

you were now leaning onto him with your head on killua’s shoulders, up against the bark of the willow tree.

“you’re so stupid sometimes… kil. i wouldn't have ever rejected you.” you smiled sweetly as you nestled your head into the crook of killua’s neck.

“i suppose what happened to gon overwhelmed me too much.” killua sighed unhappily. “hmm.. yeah i know.” you gently muttered back.

killua soon wrapped his arms around you as he placed his head onto yours. “i just wish i talked to you sooner…” the albino now sounded sleepy.

“mhm.. me too.” you responded with a tone of sadness, but also hope for a better future for the two of you.

“this time, i’ll stay with you y/n.”

“promise me that you’ll bring me with you, if you ever go back to being a hunter.”

“i promise. i’ll always come back to you no matter what.”

“im glad you did this time.”

[tremendouskoalachild]

Some differences between the Nosferatu script and theatrically released film

(comparing the script published by Deadline here with my notes/recollections and screencaps of the digital release)

(only looking at scenes and their order, not exact dialogue)

Scene 42: Ellen and Anna discuss Ellen bringing her wedding dress to the Harding residence, and Ellen expresses her wish to go to the beach (between scenes of Thomas meeting the count and waking up on the floor the next day) - not in the film

Scene 51: Ellen at night, as Orlok speaks to her; between scenes of Thomas being told he can't leave Orlok's castle and attempting to escape - not in the film

(my opinion: the omission of these two scenes is beneficial for Thomas' storyline without taking much away from Ellen's. the jarring cut from Thomas in distress at night to waking up with vampire bites the next day puts us right there with him, disoriented and freaked out at losing time.)

Scenes 56 and 57: Thomas fleeing Orlok's wolves - in the film but shortened and moved location-wise, with the beasts no longer chasing him all the way to his bedroom

(i might be wrong about this being a change but i believe in the finished film Thomas runs through the crypt, bolts the door behind him, and then gets mind-controlled right there into opening it again. there is then a disorienting location change to the tower chamber where Orlok assaults him, which i interpret as him not remembering walking there)

Scene 60: the Hardings fucking while Ellen sleepwalks in the hallway and Orlok hypnotizes Thomas - not in the film

Scene 63: Ellen sleepwalking into the street - film version omits the Hardings and a servant running after her and calling out

(my opinion: taking the Hardings out of this sequence streamlines it nicely, as it isn't about them)

Scene 85: Knock in his cell, strapped down, screaming about providence and his lordship's coming - kept as is but moved after scene 88, so the sequence of shots of the Empusa and its cargo is uninterrupted and Knock's elation serves as the bridge between it and the Wisburg plot, segueing into Sievers and Harding seeking out the professor in scene 89

Scene 96: sailors on the deck throwing a corpse overboard and the First Mate deciding to descend into the hold and destroy their cargo - kept as is but moved after scene 98, so the professor's consultation with Ellen transitions directly into his interrogation of Ellen in her trance that night, and the First Mate's mission is uninterrupted by a cutaway

(my opinion: great changes, building and maintaining momentum in the finished film. the soundtrack does wonders here too)

Scenes 101 and 102: Anna watching over Ellen, who is drawn to the window and storm outside, and the ship about to crash in the harbor - not in the film

(my opinion: neither scene seems critical to me and i like the later reveal of the rat-infested wreck without seeing the crash or immediately preceding events)

Scene 111: Ellen pleading with Thomas to wake up, and saying his presence has saved her; between scenes of Knock delivering the sarcophagus to Grünewald and Orlok informing him Thomas is alive - not in the film

(my opinion: this short scene would have added a bit of context to Orlok's the broker lives line but doesn't seem necessary at all)

Scene 116: Von Franz's lore dump using leeches as a demonstration to Harding and Sievers, after his and Sievers' morgue scene - not in the film but reportedly included in the extended cut

(my opinion: i don't think we need this scene, since we are familiar with the vampire legend, but it's a nice callback to the original film, and likely fun with Defoe's performance)

Scene 124: bloody Orlok making a point to Ellen after feeding on Anna - not in the film

(my opinion: i would have appreciated this! both because him counting down the three nights is kinda missing in the final version and because it emphasizes that he personally bit Anna, and did not just set his rats on her)

Scene 137: Orlok speaking to Ellen as Thomas embraces her, before he goes on to kill the Harding girls - not in the film

(my opinion: i wish this had stayed in! he's counting down the nights again, but it also transitions well into the next scene. he's a busy guy!)

Scene 148: the Vampire Hunters look for Harding in the streets of Wisburg - kept as is but moved right after scene 145 of them going out to search for him, instead of the sequence being intercut with Harding in the cemetery

Scene 150: Thomas realizes where Harding has gone, between scenes of Harding in his family tomb and the Vampire Hunters arriving at the cemetery - not in the film

(my opinion: not gonna lie, i think this scene is really stupid. yeet)

Scene 160: Orlok hears Ellen's call - not in the film

(my opinion: extremely on the fence on this one, would need to see the full edit. love the continuation of the night countdown motif, don't like how it takes away from his slow arrival to Ellen's house and bedroom, no idea how i feel about the fact that he's in the Grünewald chapel moments before the hunters burst in. not a fan of the rat swarm being seen before the hunters arrive, either. hate how it seems to reveal Orlok not being in the sarcophagus prematurely, though it probably could have shown differently from what i'm imagining)

[roseamongroses]

so nobody’s going to talk about the episode where Mel and Sevika had a blow up arguement and broke up (but weren’t even in a relationship technically bc ofc they have to make things difficult ) and then spent the rest of the episode throwing themselves into their work—until they realized that the other wasn’t taking care of themselves so they’d still find little ways to make the day better for each other

(buying coffee for the “office” from their favorite cafe, leaving their favorite treats at each others desks on lunch breaks, water bottles that are always mysteriously refilled, walking each other to the train station when they’d leave late at night, but not talking the entire time)

until Mel just showed up at sevika’s office door ready to apologize— finding sevika arranging some flowers she was about to deliver with a note. they startle each other—not really expecting the other to “crack” bc they’re both pretty stubborn.

“Here to admit you’re wrong—“ cause ofc Sevika is trying to hide the fact that she was about to apologize too

“I’m not—“ Mel evenly replies, eyes caught on the , she sight of the flowers tucked behind the woman’s back. white, gold, expensive—undeniably her favorite bouquet to get to brighten up her office. a bit of relief bubbled up her throat at the sight, giving her courage, “I missed you,” she admits, arms folding as she leaned against the door.

“I’m right here,” Sevika mutters, eyes looking off as she rubbed the back of her neck.

“I miss us,” Mel corrected, smiling bitterly at the thought. They were nothing but co-workers, truthfully. Different departments that every so often happened to collide—it was hardly enough to form a relationship. Surely nothing to justify the ache in her chest seeing them walk past her office everyday—knowing she couldn’t call out their name.

It was silly—how she didn’t even notice how often she looked forward to their brief interactions until they stopped all together.

Sevika studied her for a moment, eyes stirring as she thought. She let out a heavy sigh—reaching behind her to grab the flowers, “I miss us too—“ she admits, fingers settling the curve of the vase, brows furrowing as she considered how that truth solidified the air between them—a hopeful something emerging into the light.

Heels clicked lightly against the floor as Mel crossed the distance, a familiar perfume easing into Sevikas space—she gravitated towards her so easily.

“We should do something about that,” Mel whispered, unsure as she broke that tentative quiet

“We should.”

Cautious fingers extended, tracing the sides of the vase, pointedly avoiding brushing against the others woman’s hand. Polite—avoidant. Not sure if she wanted to know if they’d let her rest her hand on theirs even as she easily invaded their space, “Eat lunch with me?” she asked instead.

“No—“ Sevika said, not missing how her face fell—a twitch of disappointment at the rejection,“We should go to dinner instead,. We need…privacy,” she added, handing off the flowers. She had no idea what the conversation would entail—but she always suspected that their argument fell outside of the confines of a simple professional disagreement.

Mel stilled, a small, girlish smile growing on her face “I can do dinner,” she said, nodding a bit, “ I’ll make the reservations,”

“None of that froo—froo shit—“ Sevika said, fighting back a smile of her own.

“Mhm—“ Mel waved them off, mind flying as she cradled the vase to her chest, heart fluttering as she left the office with a pep in her step, “I’ll text you the dress code—Oh can we go to the theatre afterwards—? There’s a lovely performance we just can’t miss. You’ll love it—“

Sevika snorted at that.

After—? The busy body was already planning the entire night, wasn’t she? That’s fine—Sevika will plan the next one.

“We’ll see—“ Sevika said, non-committedly, watching her go with a fond look. a/n: this accidentally turned into a little fic. unedited bc it was unplanned. Maybe I’ll edit and post to ao3 later

[keirawantstocry]

.

[bogkeep]

so so sick of every courier service that's not just Regular Local Mail. why do they make everything so difficult and complicated all the time auuggghhggg

[cinnamnt]

can the hulu era futurama writers please for the love of god understand that not every episode needs to be an ensemble piece

[ferronickel]

I am famously bad at replying to messages and often leave things for days before responding.

That said, I think that if you are a company that works with time sensitive projects and have to engage in back and forth communication to get anything done, I ought to be able to get in touch with you faster than I would be able to send a message to the voyager spacecraft and back.

[uhode]

i’m going to strangle this man with my bare fucking hands i can’t wait to see him just to set some things straight

[gayspock]

i rlly fucking hate where i live sometimes lol =_=

[nitw]

why do you gotta tell me the same thing THRICE if it's still not out for delivery!!

[racewinner]

"go interrailing" they say "it's a formative experience and so much fun" they say. but they don't tell you about the Horrors