#like the issue isn’t a lady was excited to eat her pancakes the issue is the lady is filming people without their consent

[gothdabi]

think it’s CRAAAZY the internet is labeling that one girl who made a face at dancing pancake girl as annoying and “unable to have fun” if i saw some freak filming a tiktok that included me in it without my consent i’d make the same face

[cynicalrainbows]

Writer’s Block Pt 1

(A/N: Three headcanons of mine- that Cathy can’t possibly like working super hard all the time. That Anne isn’t quite the chaotic gremlin she pretends to be. And that Parr would surely have some trust issues left over from finding out that someone you loved and who you thought loved you had actually signed your death warrant over what you had assumed were good-natured debates.)

When Anne bursts through her bedroom door, Cathy really wants to hit her.

(Not that she’s ever hit anyone really- in either of her lives. But looking at Anne grinning and swinging back and forth a bit on the open door, she imagines it would feel rather satisfying.

And god knows, she needs something to feel good about. Her eyes ache from staring at her laptop screen- her stupid, blank, empty laptop screen that refuses to turn into a fully written document, no matter how hard she glares at it- and her wrists are cramping from hours of endlessly typing and then deleting sentence after sentence. At the base of her skull, the beginnings of what promises to be one hell of a headache begins to throb.

It’s been five days- three days since she lost her appetite and two days since she stopped sleeping for more than ten minutes at a time- and the writing rut she somehow managed to fall into. Just. Won’t. End.

Nothing she’s typed for the last few days has sounded good, even in her own head: she’s all out of ideas, all out of innovation. Her newest book- something that she’s sure she’d been excited about, once upon a time- has become a millstone around her neck and she’s barely even begun it.

But… she’s talked about it now- people have begun to speculate excitedly about it on twitter. It’s too late to say she’s changed her mind- especially when it seems like every other mention of it online is begging her to write faster, to go faster.

‘So excited- don’t think I’ll be able to wait til it’s published!’ ‘Oh my god I’m counting down the minutes!’ ‘I want it nowwwwwww!’

Once, such comments made her feel flattered, invigorated. Now they feel like veiled threats.

It’s not that she doesn’t have a lot written. It’s that she has nothing written- whatever she tries, she ends up deleting, and although she knows that writing is a process, that a first draft is simply that- a first draft- she’s never felt like this before.

Burnt out. Empty.

Honestly, it scares her.

It doesn’t help that, working from home, she’s subjected to what feels like an endless barrage of interruptions from the other queens.

First it’s Kitty, calling through her door that Jane has made pancakes for breakfast (it sounds as if the giver of the message is running- rather than walking- along the landing and down the stairs, a suspicion then confirmed by what sounds like the youngest queen jumping down the last few steps). Then there’s Anne’s shouted demand that Kitty not use the last of the Nutella this time- it’s slightly muffled by doors and distance and not directed at Cathy but it’s still more than a little distracting. 

There’s Aragon, calling a general warning that the next person to borrow her hairdryer without asking should prepare themselves for many unpleasant things to happen to them- ‘And I mean it this time!’; and Jane- in the next room- asking Kitty if she wants anything from Costa (and Cathy doesn’t need to be there to see Jane’s slightly perplexed expression when Kitty asks for a small frappe with ‘as much caramel syrup as they’ll agree to put in the cup, please’.)

And then there’s Anna, knocking and asking if she’s coming down for lunch- How is it lunchtime already?- and perhaps her reply is shorter and sharper than she intends because it feels like no time at all before Jane’s tapping on the door too, asking if she’s alright, if she’s sick, if she needs anything?

Really, all Cathy needs is to be left alone- or, better still, for everyone to go out for a few hours- or days- so that she can just try to focus…but she can’t say that to Jane, she knows. 

Still, it’s so frustrating: every interruption cuts off her train of thought and although she isn’t really getting anywhere, shoe does wonder every time if perhaps she really had been on the cusp of a good idea at last...

Her attempts to sound well and normal are in vain because then it’s Catalina outside.

‘Cathy?’

Her ‘Mmm?’ is as politely interested as she can manage.

‘Are you alright?’

‘I’m-’ Just tired, she means to say. She really is too- the sort of bone-deep weariness that feels almost like an ache all over. But her head is also buzzing too much for her to rest- work to be done, work to be done, and behind it, the little seed of fear that has been steadily growing, fed by days of unproductiveness: What if this lasts forever?

It would feel good to be able to unburden herself to her godmother- to let her listen and nod silently as she always did, thinking carefully before answering and never wasting words on things she didn’t mean. Part of her wants to open the door- to let Catalina wrap her up in a hug and reassure her that all would be well- but she knows she can’t.

Opening the door will mean a hug, yes, but it will also likely lead to questions about is she getting enough sleep and whether she’s eating properly and when did she last shower, none of which she particularly wants to have to answer…. So she substitutes ‘Fine!’ for tired, even though the faux-perkiness in her own voice makes her wince a bit.

There’s a brief pause- Cathy can almost see Catalina raising one unimpressed eyebrow.

‘You’re not.’

‘No, really. I’m ok. Just busy.’

‘I’m worried about you. So are the others. You’re working too hard, and it isn’t healthy.’

‘I’m really ok.’

‘You’re a really bad liar, Cathy.’

One thing her godmother isn’t is equivocating. Blunt and sometimes tactless yes but never evasive.

Cathy chews her lip as she tries to think of the magic words that will get her godmother to leave easily, feeling a little spark of panic when nothing comes to mind- but all of a sudden, she feels a prick of anger too. Why is she being forced to spend time reassuring them all when she’s the one with the crushing workload, the endless empty pages to fill? If they care- if they really, really care- why can’t they all just be quieter, why is she being forced to take up more of her precious time and energy to field their interruptions?

The anger bubbles up quickly, too quickly for her to push it back, and her shout for Catalina to just leave her alone, leave her alone and stop nagging her because she’s sick of it, is a surprise even to herself.

But it’s more of a surprise when she hears her godmothers footsteps retreating down the hall. She’s relieved- relieved….but also a bit shocked. Catalina never backs down so easily….and suddenly the relief gives way to worry.

Why has she given up so easily?

She tries to focus on the fact that she’s now free to work again- but the concern gnaws away at her as she stares at the keyboard.

Why has Catalina just left if she’s as worried as she had professed to be? Was she really angry- angry enough that her worry had been expunged? 

(Has she stopped caring?)

Was one outburst all it took to turn someone’s feelings around?

Cathy immediately berates herself internally for even asking this.

 Of course it’s that easy- experience has taught her that.

The death warrant had felt light in her hand- lighter than it should, considering the weight it carried. She had rubbed her fingers over and over the smooth wax of the King’s seal, tracing the pattern. Had he been thinking of her as he’d pressed it down? Or had his mind moved on, already planning for himself the life he would have- the wife he would have- after she was gone?

Her ladies had impressed upon her the need for a great show of emotion in order to win him back but in the end, it hadn’t been at all difficult to cry as she begged for her life. When it was all over, she hadn’t been able to stop shaking. She was careful to never argue with him after that.

She wants to run after her godmother, to apologise, to beg Catalina to forgive her lapse….but then she thinks of how much she has to do, how many people are waiting, waiting, waiting for her to finish something that she hasn’t even started… and she knows she can’t. She can’t stop work until she has something, anything- She tries to blink away the sudden burning behind her eyelids and swallows hard.

Her hands hover over the keys.

Just- something. Please. Please-

[elo-kodon]

Untitled Iwaoi Short Story #1

(Part 1 here)                             

                                                        PART 2

           “That was such a great dinner, Auntie! I’m completely stuffed, right Iwa-chan?” Oikawa exclaims happily, his voice carrying through the small house in bright, musical tones.

           Iwaizumi receives a short but painful jab to his side with Oikawa’s elbow. The movement almost makes him drop the dinner plate he’s scrubbing into the soapy water. He gives Oikawa a short, annoyed look before responding. “Yes, thanks so much!” he calls out hurriedly.

           “Ohh it was no trouble at all boys,” Oikawa’s aunt says, gracefully gliding down the stairs in her long, summery-red pleated skirt.

           Once Iwaizumi had met Oikawa’s aunt, her sophisticated and bubbly personality was one of the first things he noticed about her. She gave the boys a warm hug, welcomed them in, and immediately turned to Iwaizumi. “Now Iwaizumi dear, let’s do away with the formalities for now. Why don’t you just call me Hisako? Goodness knows all my colleagues already do.” Hisako waved her left hand air in a quick flourish and lead the boys into her house. She showed Oikawa and Iwaizumi to their room upstairs. “I’ll leave you two to unpack for a while. I’ve got to head back downstairs to finish up dinner. Feel free to join me whenever you boys are ready to eat!”

           “She’s great, isn’t she?” Oikawa threw his duffel bag onto the ground, turning back to Iwaizumi proudly, “Mom says she’s a spitfire, but I like her a lot! She’s always been there for me, ya know?”

           Iwaizumi considers Oikawa’s past words as he continues to work on the last of the dinner plates. It’s no surprise that Oikawa would like her. Hisako had a lot of qualities that reminded him of his best friend. Their determined attitudes and boundless energy were practically the same. No wonder Oikawa was so excited to make the trip up here.

           Hisako calls out from the other room. “If you two are about done with the dishes, would you mind meeting me in the living room in a bit? I’d love to show you a few of my designs for the show on Sunday. Tooru, you also need to hear the rundown of the itinerary so you know what to expect.”

           Once the boys get done cleaning up, they join Hisako on her pink and blue floral patterned couch. It’s a cozy fit with all three of them, Hisako on the far left, Iwaizumi on the far right, and Oikawa snugly in the middle.

           Tucking a loose strand her wavy black hair behind her ear, Hisako reaches down to the side of the couch, picks up a thick shiny black binder and hands it to Oikawa to open. He carefully takes the huge binder from her and opens to one of the first tabbed pages.

           “So for this particular show, since it’s still only my second one, I really wanted to focus on kids’ streetwear. I’ve noticed that a lot of students like to have clothing that’s still modern and practical, but also wear things that fit to their own unique sense of style…”

           They spend the next half hour pouring through the thick and colorful pages of Hisako’s designs. Oikawa listens with keen interest as his aunt talks to them about her ideas and underlying concepts with model’s outfit. It seems like with each particular outfit and pattern, Hisako has a wonderful remark or funny story to recount on each model.

           “You see now why I wanted you to join me on this project Oikawa? I really need students with strong personalities, since the show’s main concept is based around stories of youth. So, this is where you come in…”

            Oikawa lounges back while he listens to his aunt talk about what she has planned for his design. He loves hearing about Hisako’s stories and inspiration behind everything, but he can’t help but wonder if Iwaizumi is starting to feel a little left out. Carefully, out of the corner of his eye, he slowly and surreptitiously directs his gaze to Iwaizumi. With Hisako’s voice still in the background, he puts his hearing on autopilot for a few moments while he stares at his best friend.

           Iwaizumi has his knees brought up to his chest, his hands wrapped around them as he gazes down at the sketch of Oikawa’s proposed design for the show. Oikawa’s breath hitches softly as he scans Iwaizumi’s face. There’s a fondness to the boy’s dark eyes, his lips are slightly pursed. It reminds Oikawa of how Iwaizumi used to look at him when they were children. But there’s also something else to it… With a confused realization, it dawns on him. Iwaizumi looks like he’s concentrating on something. Like he’s drinking in the design on Hisako’s drawing, trying to memorize the curve of each pencil marking, of each splotch of color on the roughly sketched pattern. Iwaizumi’s left hand reaches down to feel the small piece of fabric stapled onto the bottom right corner of the page. Oikawa catches his eye once Iwaizumi turns to pretend to look at Hisako.

           Iwaizumi locks the back of his jaw once he realizes Oikawa’s caught him staring. The pair lock eyes for a second. The light brown irises of Oikawa fixate on his own, like a curious tiger pup. Iwaizumi ducks his head down towards his lap, knowing that the heat traveling up his neck and onto his cheeks are definitely noticeable. “Stupid idiot…” he thinks.

           Goosebumps appear on Oikawa arms as he slowly averts his eyes. “Weird…Why did Hajime blush just now?”

           Guess he’d have to tackle that question later.

———————————————————————————————————

                                                       *Saturday*

           “Here you go!” Hisako sings out, beaming down at Iwaizumi and Oikawa, setting down a plate of pancakes and two tall glasses of strawberry-and-kewi smoothies in front of them. “Now, Tooru, dear, just so you know, I’m gonna be out at the office in town for the majority of this afternoon and the evening, so you’ll have to be in charge of making sure this young man,” she gestures to Iwaizumi, “gets fed a good dinner, okay? There’s a nice little market about a few miles still outside of town that you two can drive over to pick up whatever you’d like. I’d make dinner for you both but I need to stay late at the studio tonight so we can finish paperwork and make any last minute adjustments before the show tomorrow.”

           Oikawa nods eagerly and salutes his aunt, “Of course Auntie, you can count on me! Can’t wait to see my outfit in person tomorrow, I bet it’ll make all the girls swoon!”

           Hisako lets out a sparkling laugh, “Oh, I’m sure, Tooru.” She puts her breakfast dish in the sink, walking over to the front door to grab her sweater and her large canvas bag. “Hope you two have fun hanging out today! There’s a great beach nearby that you boys should go to if you have the time. I’ve got to run, take care now!” Iwaizumi and Oikawa hear the final few clacks of her shoes as she shuts the screen door behind her and walks down the steps of the front porch towards her car. They hear her engine start and then she’s off.

           “God, you really are a putz” mutters Iwaizumi, lightly smacking the back of Tooru’s head.

           “Not my fault you don’t know how to talk to women, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa says as he attempts to dodge Iwazumi, but ultimately failing.

           Iwaizumi rolls his eyes and gets up from his chair. He didn’t feel like bickering with Oikawa today. He was in too good of a mood, plus he really wanted to go somewhere with Oikawa to play volleyball anyways.

           “Sooooo Iwa-channn what’s on the agenda for today?” Oikawa asks. He stands up from his chair and stretches out his tall torso, his arms almost touching the bottom of the fan in the kitchen.

           “Wanna do a practice match somewhere?”

           “Hmmm. Yes, but I also wanted to check out that beach Auntie mentioned. Not like we really have a beach back home.”

           “Why don’t we do both? We can set up a court once we find a good spot.” Iwaizumi suggested.

           “Ohhh a beach match? You’re on, mothman.”

           Iwaizumi lets out a small, soft “Dumbass” under his breath, then quickly runs up the stairs to grab their duffels, Oikawa slowly following up after him.

———————————————————————————————————-

           Oikawa’s high-pitched falsetto voice pierces Iwaizumi’s ears while he tries to keep concentrating on the winding road in front of him. He sings out another lyric of the weird country song that they happened to discover on the local radio a few minutes ago.

           “Joooooooooooleeeenne, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Puh-LEASE don’t take my maaannn. Even though you totally caaannn-“ Oikawa drawls out in a feminine, old-lady voice, intentionally fucking up the lyrics.

           Iwaizumi lets out another round of loud barking laughter. He forgot how genuinely funny Oikawa can be once he lets his guard down. But that usually only happens when it’s just the two of them together. He scrunches up his eyes, tears of laughter pricking at the outer edges of his eyelids. He’s laughing and smiling so much that his jaw is starting to get sore. “S-stop it you bastard, you’re gonna make me crash this damn car.”

           Oikawa grins over at Iwaizumi, his eyes crinkling at the edges. He turns back forward and smiles quickly to himself. He absolutely loves Iwaizumi’s laugh. The sound never gets old. “Damn, what a stupid song. Who the fuck is Jolene??”

           “I don’t-“ Iwaizumi tries to respond but is stopped by another round of laughter. “I don’t know man, but she’s got some issues apparently. I feel kind of bad for her, honestly.”

           “Eh, not bad enough,” Oikawa grins. “Since when does Japan have American country stations? Is this a new fad or some shit?”

           “I have no idea.”

           “Oh, Iwa-chan, there’s the turn up ahead!” Oikawa says hurriedly, leaning forward in his seat.

           Iwaizumi turns off the main route onto another small, dusty dirt road. As they make a couple more turns, the truck spits up dust.

           “Oh wow, is this sand?” Oikawa tries to squint through the yellowish haze.

           “I guess so. We must be close.”

           They head around a row of trees and then make one final turn. Iwaizumi parks in one of the faded parking spots, then kills the engine. It doesn’t take too long to unpack the bed of the truck. With both duffel bags slung around Iwaizumi and Oikawa carrying the net bag, they walk down a sandy path to the beach below.

           They find a good, flat area of sand and throw down their bags. Iwaizumi sets up the volleyball net while Oikawa takes off his flip flops. He unpacks the volleyballs, water bottles, and snacks.

           “Hey, ‘kawa, the net’s done.”

           “Lit.”

           Iwaizumi throws the net bag down near the duffels and Oikawa takes a couple minutes to mark the edges of each side of the court using a stick. He squints at the line on each side, then runs over to the other side to check the dimensions.

           “It’s fine, Oikawa. Let’s play already.” Iwaizumi drawls.

           “Fine, fine.” Oikawa takes his sunglasses off and perches them neatly in his hair. He picks a light blue volleyball up from the ground and walks onto his side of the court. Iwaizumi’s already on his side, hands on his knees, ready for Oikawa to start. Using only one hand, Oikawa swiftly throws the ball high up in the air. “You know I’m totally gonna win this match, right?”

           Iwaizumi snorts and smirks at Oikawa through the holes of the net. “Not on your life, pretty boy.”

———————————————————————————————————-

           Soaring through the air over the net, the small blue volleyball heads toward Iwaizumi’s side of the court. With the quickness of a puma and the grace of a warrior, the spiky-haired male crouches down and receives the ball. The volleyball bounces back upwards, over Iwaizumi’s head and the boy looks up. He ends up timing the comedown of the ball perfectly, executing a three step approach. Calf muscles tensing, Iwaizumi swings his arms back and jumps up in the air. With a look of fierceness set in his face, eyes gleaming, his right arm whips forward and sends the ball flying straight down towards Oikawa’s side.

           Oikawa dives forward and manages to keep the ball up, but only enough to the point where it flys forward underneath the net. His sunglasses fall down crookedly onto the bridge of his nose. He groans. He almost got a mouthful of sand from this last one.

           Iwaizumi lets out a snicker, “What was that about beating me again?” He grins, watching Oikawa pick his lanky frame up off the sand.

           Dammit. Oikawa was sure his past spike wouldn’t turn into a chance ball, but somehow Iwaizumi managed to receive and turn it into a downward attack. He watches Iwaizumi take off his shirt through the lenses of his sunglasses. Iwaizumi grabs his water bottle and takes a long drink of water, his other hand resting on his hip.

           What a cocky bastard. Oikawa mentally convinces himself that he’s not taking this moment to run his eyes down the frame of Iwaizumi’s body. Nope. Definitely not taking in his wonderful, tan shoulders, and his stocky biceps, and of course that stupid lovely six pack- Wait what the hell? When did Iwa-chan get so buff??  Has he been doing extra strength training on the side or something?

           “Ready to get your ass whooped again, Shittykawa?” calls out Iwaizumi.

           Oikawa dusts the sand off his knees, sweat dripping down his bangs into his face. He takes a few ragged breaths. “You fuckin wish, biiiitttcchh.”

           Iwaizumi is about to make a retort when he notices Oikawa’s fast panting, his chest heaving in and out to try and steady his breathing back to normal. His hair is drenched, his shirt covered in sweat. Oikawa glances down worriedly at the wrap on his knee, reminding Iwaizumi of his past injury. He hastily looks at his watch.

           “On second thought, you look pretty tired, Tooru. It’s getting close to dinnertime anyways. Let’s call it a match and pack up, yeah?”

           Oikawa lets out an annoyed huff but then concedes.

———————————————————————————————————–

           They arrive back home, laughing about another funny joke Oikawa said when they were on the road. Iwaizumi and Oikawa tramp up the porch steps and through the screen door, both letting out relaxed sighs when the air conditioning hits them. They head towards the kitchen counter. Iwaizumi turns around and tosses his water bottle quickly to Oikawa, Oikawa wordlessly catching it in his hand.

           “Take this back up to the room, then we can go to the market and get some food. I’ll make dinner tonight if you want.”

           “Uh…sure Iwa-chan.” He replies, hurrying up the stairs in a daze.

           He sets both he and Iwaizumi’s water bottles on top of the dresser in their room. He takes a minute for himself, grabbing a towel and running it through his locks of hair to get the sweat out. He’s about to head out of the room when his eyes naturally find their gaze to the mirror hanging on the opposite wall. He walks closer to his reflection, placing the towel around his neck.

           Oikawa inspects his appearance in the mirror. Eyebrows knitted together, he turns his face to either side, looking at his cheekbones. His wide, almond shaped brown eyes. His thin lips, still nicely rounded out for a guy’s mouth. He had okay teeth, straight and not too big.

           “Iwa-chan’s still prettier though,” he thought.

           He shakes his head, trying to regain focus. Bounding down the stairs to meet Iwaizumi, he realizes he left his flips flops somewhere in the living room.

           “Almost done Oikawa? I’m starving, we should head out now.” Iwaizumi calls from the kitchen.

           “One second!” Oikawa answers. He’s slipping his toes through his sandals he found underneath the coffee table when something black and shiny catches his eye. “Auntie’s binder?”

           He reaches over and slowly slides the binder towards him. He opens to a random tab and somehow manages to get to the exact design that’s supposed to be what he’s wearing for the show tomorrow. Running his fingertips over the drawing of his figure, it finally dawns on him. His eyes widen and snap up from the book. “I’ve figured it out! I know what I need to do!”

           “Seriously Shittykawa let’s-,” Iwaizumi walks over and stops to see Oikawa staring at the designs, “go…”

           Oikawa quickly looks up at him from his sitting position on the floor. “Oh Iwa-chan, uh-“ Iwaizumi notices his eyes flit away from him for a couple of seconds. It looks like he’s trying to come up with something to say. “Right, about dinner…uh, could you go on without me? I uh, have a stomach ache. I’ll just stay here. Pick out whatever, okay?”

           His wide orbs stare up at him nervously and Iwaizumi knows he made that last part up. “Sure….if that’s what you want…” he narrows his eyes at Oikawa. He just knows the little shit’s up to something.

           “It is, now please goooo Iwa-chaaann. Out, out, out!” Oikawa pushes him happily out the door, tossing his truck keys to him.

           When Iwaizumi’s finally gone, Oikawa sighs heavily and looks up at the clock on the kitchen wall. It was already 5pm. He does some quick math in his head, trying to see if he has enough time to leave and come back before Iwaizumi gets back home. It would probably take Iwaizumi about 20 minutes or so to get to the market Hisako had told them about.

           “There’s no way I can make it all the way into town and back without the chance of Iwa-chan knowing I was gone. Hm. Unless….yes of course! I’ll use that shortcut!”

           He grabs the house keys, changes into his running shoes, and sprints out the door. Instead of running alongside the road all the way into town like he usually would, he hops a small fence and takes a shortcut through the neighbor’s small forest. He ends up running through a wide barley field, the sun beating down on him in waves and his body starting to get sweaty all over again. The leaves of the plants in the field scrape against his calves but Tooru pays it no mind. He makes his way down to a large road on the corner of town. Once he crosses one of the main roads, he’s able to slip behind the main buildings and into a suburb which he knows will lead him to where he needs to be.

           He passes the last house in the long, narrow neighborhood street and makes another turn, leading to a small set of offices. He runs through the bronze double doors and takes the elevator up to the fifth floor, leaning back against the wall of the elevator to finally catch his breath. The door opens to a bright white hallway, giant black and white photos of models striking dramatic poses in different outfits line the walls. He gets to the end of the hallway and fast-walks into his aunt’s studio space. He scans the area and spots Hisako standing near her desk with two colleagues, leaning down and pointing to a areas on a printed photo with her pen.

           “Oh, Oikawa dear, I’m quite surprised to see you here. Where’s your friend, Hajime?” she asks curiously.

           Oikawa takes a deep breath, wringing his hands in front of him. “Yeah, about Iwa-chan… Auntie, I need you to help me out with a huge favor.”

———————————————————————————————————-

A/N: wooww wonder what happens next?? Yeah I meant to post this way earlier today since I was hella excited about it and I had already typed out the outline for this part but it ended up being pretty long lol. Anyways, thanks for reading, if you like the story so far let me know by liking and commenting on it! I’d love to hear what you think! Also stay tuned for Part 3 where we finally get to the day of the fashion show! 

Also if anyone knows how to get a quick AO3 invite/account set up, let me know. I’d love to be able to post this to that site as well. Thanks so much for all your likes and support for my first ever haikyuu fic!

-Elo

[onegayastronaut]

Road Trip (Kara Danvers x Emma Swan)

Requested by @argent-watcher:  I'm not sure if to this is where we send requests and if it's not I'm sorry but could you do another Supergirl and Once upon a time oneshot but that all meet when Kara saves Henry during a fight with another alien? A gain I'm sorry if this isn't where we send requests

Part 1 (here)

Words: 1443

Emma was driving around Storybrooke in her yellow Bug patrolling Storybrooke on this sunny day. She had the biggest smile on her face as she remembered what happened last week when she visited Kara in National City. Kara had forced her to go to every donut shop and hole-in-the-wall Chinese food restaurant there was in town. To no one's surprise, it seemed as if everyone knew who Kara was and know her orders by heart. It still blew Emma's mind how much food Kara could go through in one sitting, but she was used to Kara eating fifty chicken nuggets while watching Netflix by now.

This weekend was Kara's turn to visit Emma at Storybrooke. This visit was going to be special because Emma was taking Kara out on a road trip. Emma knew that Kara could take them anywhere in a matter of minutes, but Emma wanted this trip to be special. On this trip, the journey is more important than the destination. Nothing was going to disturb them from having a peaceful couple's trip this week, as Snow and Charming had promised to look after Henry while Emma was out.

As Kara flew through the speed force, she was beyond excited to be seeing her girlfriend in Storybrooke. Even though it has only been a few days, it was unacceptable to not wake up next to Emma every morning. Besides, she missed how Granny always gave her extra pancakes in the morning. She could feel her stomach growling at the thought. Just as Kara was about to exit the speed force, it felt like someone, or something, was trying to come with her, but whatever it was disappeared as quickly as it came. Kara shook off the feeling as she landed in Storybrooke. Nothing was going to take away from this weekend with Emma.

Five plates of pancakes later and enough maple syrup to feed ten people later, Kara was finally ready to leave. Emma could not help but stare at her girlfriend fondly as she waited for Kara to finish eating.

"Ready to go?"

"Always." Kara took this chance to quickly kiss Emma and run to the car. Kara loved using her super-speed to open the door for Emma if they were driving together.

"Wooow, such a gentleman!" Emma's voice was dripping in sarcasm. "Does this mean that you'll actually breathe between eating now?"

Kara rolled her eyes as she said "No promises!"

Emma couldn't help but snort in laughter as they got into the car together. Teasing has always been a part of their relationship, and it was good to see that it hasn't changed in the last few months. This trip was going to be fun.

The moment Kara got settled into the car, she closed her eyes and essentially passed out while holding hands. Emma couldn't help but smile at Kara as she drove to the edge of town. This moment of peace was destroyed the moment Emma felt the ground shake underneath the car. She let out a somewhat irritated sigh. Heroes can't have off days I guess. Turning the wheel, she started heading back to Storybrooke.

Sensing a sudden turn in direction, Kara forces her eyes open and looks at Emma. "What's wrong? Why are we headed back into Storybrooke?"

"I think I felt something while we were driving out. It's most likely nothing, but I just want to be sure before we leave."

Just as she finishes talking, the ground shook again. It seemed to be coming in shorter intervals, like something huge walking around town. This causes Kara to sit up and take notice of what might be happening. As they turn the corner into what is considered "Main Street" in Storybrooke, both Emma and Kara turn pale. There was what seemed to be a huge alien making it's way towards Granny's, leaving ruined pavement in its wake. And if that wasn't bad enough, Henry was standing right in the middle of the street brandishing a sword.

Neither Kara nor Emma waste any time jumping out of the tiny car to race towards the situation.

"Get out of the way Henry!"

Hearing his mom's voice, Henry turns around and starts to move toward Emma. The only problem was, the alien was close enough to step over Henry, essentially trapping him where he was. Thankfully, Kara was able to use her cape to shield Henry from most of the shrapnel that the alien tore up from the pavement.

"Henry, I'm going to need you to listen to me. On my mark, you're going to run to your mom and leave me to deal with this alien, okay?"

"Okay, mom." Henry looked scared, and it wasn't until a few seconds later that he realized that he called Kara mom. Kara looked surprised, but there was no time to discuss the issue as the alien punched the cape.

Taking a moment to shoot laser beams at the alien, Kara distracted him long enough for Henry to run to Emma, who quickly hugged him.

"Kid, what were you thinking?"

"I was trying to be a hero, like you and mom."

"Well next time wait for the adults to be here before making any rash decisions okay?"

As they were talking, Kara was punching the alien with everything that she had, while also being thrown against the street and the buildings. Kara instantly recognized the alien as an escaped convict from Fort R'azz and was the mysterious passenger that nearly knocked her off course when she was flying here. The amount of money and time to fix this part of town was going to be astronomical, and Regina was going to be pissed. But that was a problem for a later time, as Kara could not afford to feel guilty now.

It didn't take long for Kara to find out the weakness in the alien's physiology, a very fragile core that could be exposed once she used both heat and ice to crack it. Using her ice breath and laser vision, Kara managed to break off the alien's armor and land a punch that caused the alien to fall on the ground and not get up. It wasn't until everyone was sure that the alien was knocked out that the seven dwarves came out from hiding to congratulate Kara on her victory.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Regina could be seen running down Main Street with her face in the classic "Madam Mayor" scowl.

"Well, uh, hey Regina! So, there was this alien here, who may or may not have followed me here to Storybrooke when I was here to see my girlfriend." Kara ended her rambling with a smile, hoping she could get away with ruining half of the street.

"Not so fast young lady! You're not getting off the hook so easily." Regina looked less mad now that she saw it was Kara, doing her usual of saving the city.

"Hey, did somebody say my name?" Captain Hook walked up, trying to look like he was somehow responsible for helping save the day from the alien.

"No one called you Hook." Both Regina and Emma rolled their eyes.

"Well, the dwarves can fix the street, whereas Kara and I need to get back on our trip!" Emma seemed more than eager to get away from Hook, whereas leaving Storybrooke before Regina started handing down responsibilities seemed like a smart move.

"Mom, can I come with?" Henry looked eager to spend more time with Kara. "Kara can teach me how to fight and beat bad aliens!"

"No kid, you have to get to school now. Shoo!" Looking disappointed, Henry started walking away.

"Well, it was good seeing everyone again. But Emma and I need to go together after I drop this rogue alien back at the DEO." Kara walked over to Emma and hugged her. "And one more thing, I'm hungry again so I may need more of Granny's food."

"Is there a moment when you're not hungry?"

"Honestly, no. I'll see you in a little bit so we can get back to our trip!" With a chaste kiss on the cheek, Kara picked up the alien with one hand and was gone through the speed force. It didn't take long before the portal opened up again to reveal Kara wearing her civilian clothes. Emma was still confused on how the whole space/time thing worked, but as long as she could keep seeing her girlfriend, she didn't really mind. 
"I'm ready to go on our trip now."

"Finally. Are you sure you didn't bring any unfriendly aliens along with you this time?"

[taiblogcomics]

Rainbow Dash Has a Golden Galtime

Hey there, trans rights zombies. Sorry this one's a little late. You know how it is with the Thanksgivings and all. So it's been a while, but I finally got another order in. So expect pony comics for the next, like, month of updates. A couple of them I want to get to as soon as possible, so hopefully we'll sweep through them in no time~

Here's the cover:

Oh hey, it's some old people. Also Rainbow Dash. Honestly, this is probably a low point in pony covers. Like, it tells you pretty much what you need to know (i.e. these characters are in this comic), but it's not super exciting or anything. In fact, it's some very pastel stuff. It might stand out on that merit alone but I bet there's not too many folks who don't already follow this comic who would look at this and think "Man, I gotta know what goes on with this cool winged blue horse and a crowd of old ladies".

Required watching: Season 8, Episode 5 - "Grannies Gone Wild". Make sure it's the MLP episode before you download any old thing called "Grannies Gone Wild" though~

Okay, full disclosure: I've never seen The Golden Girls. So unfortunately, I won't be able to make any such references during this review. If you're disappointed, you may leave now. Anyway, the comic starts with Rainbow Dash relaxing on a cloud, as she so often does. Derpy comes along and delivers her a letter, in her usual disastrous way. It's an invitation from the Golden Horseshoe Gals, since Rainbow Dash is an honorary member of their club. She's invited to join them for their regular Saturday afternoon thing. Unfortunately for Rainbow Dash, this turns out to be bingo. Rainbow quickly begins to die of boredom.

Fortunately for Rainbow's sanity, the Golden Horseshoe Gals pipe up that they kind of agree with Rainbow Dash. Bingo isn't the most exciting thing they could be doing, much to Applejack's dismay. Rainbow takes no time in being invited to spice things up, and dashes off with the bingo balls. She quickly returns and writes some things down on the bingo cards. Rather than a boring ol' bingo tourney, she's set up a sort of scavenger hunt. The Golden Horseshoe gals are all thrilled, though Applejack of course begins worrying whether this will be too strenuous for them. Rainbow Dash assures AJ she knows what she's doing, which isn't super convincing to Applejack, and she tags along to keep an eye on the gals.

The first one ends up being on top of Cheerilee's schoolhouse, where an ornery griffon has set up a nest. Applejack volunteers to go up and get it, but the griffon returns home before she can leave, and doesn't take kindly to the intruder in their home. Granny Smith wanders off while Applejack deals with that. Another ball seems to be at Sugarcube corner, where Pinkie is manning the counter. She reasons that Dashie must've hidden it in a cake, and volunteers herself to eat all the cake until they find it. While Pinkie eats herself sick, Mrs. Cake returns to the shop, holding the ball Rainbow gave her. Oh, Pinkie~

At Twilight's castle, another is hidden. Twilight drives herself Twily-nanas trying to find it, until Spike turns up, worried he might have laid an egg. It is, of course, the bingo ball, but Twilight is still going to have to give Spike "The Talk" later. Bulk Biceps helps another Golden Gal get a ball off the windmill, at great personal risk to himself. Granny Smith retrieves another off the dam with Big Mac's help, and Rainbow admits that one may have been a bit perilous. See, it's right about here where the activity has stopped being what the old ladies would find fun--like fliriting with hunky stallions or tormenting Applejack--and started being what Rainbow Dash would find fun. You know, things like being in mortal peril.

After a lengthy montage of several more locations (full of unvoiced cameos, as all good montages should be), they arrive at the location of the last bingo ball: the Castle of the Two Sisters, deep in the Everfree. Even Rainbow Dash has realised that this was probably a bad hiding place, and Applejack agrees. She starts leading the Golden Horseshoe Gals back home for cider, when they notice that Granny Smith is missing. She's already gone inside the castle. She's determined to win the competition and prove she's still young enough to have adventures. And then suddenly the staircase under her crumbles, and she begins to plummet. Before she becomes a granny pancake (a grancake?), Rainbow swoops in and save her.

The issue wraps up with Rainbow Dash apologising for how she got carried away. Of course, the Golden Gals forgive her, admitting they had a wonderful time. Applejack apologises too, realising how overprotective she is. They agree they can maybe have some mild adventures every once in a while. But imperiling themselves over bingo is a bit too much. Then they all hug, even getting a very bewildered Applebloom in on it.

It’s... an all right issue! I mean, I could see this being an episode of the show, and that’s probably what’s most important. I’m just not super invested in these old lady characters. You might notice that from how I refer to none of them except Granny Smith by name. Ah well. A fun sort of issue with nothing actually wrong about it~

Next time, though, an issue with a subject I actually really like talking about! It’ll be a month late, but that’s okay. We can go back and have another... Nightmare Night~

[matthewmrdock]

You Never Know - College!Daisy Johnson AU

College!Daisy Johnson x College!Reader AU

Summary: y/n isn’t exactly interested in a relationship. Until she sees Daisy, then she’s just whipped.

Warnings: Very Slight Drinking?

A/N: This is an entry for the writing challenge @prettyyoungtragedy is having! And I noticed there aren’t that many Daisy Johnson fanfics, so I wanted to show one of my faves some love, but this may bomb but that’s okay. But I hope you guys enjoy it! And most of the characters are roughly the same age (college student age) except for the professor, and I know some are waaaaaay older than others in the movies but that’s not the case here.

Word Count: 1,760

“How about her? You two would be cute together.”

“I’ve told you a thousand times, Buck, I’m not interested in having a relationship right now. I’m not like you, you know.”

He chuckles at your comment. He knew it was true. It was practically a law for Bucky Barnes to have a lady by his side at all times. You on the other hand, not so much. Having no problem with this, it just wasn’t you.

The light brown haired girl across the diner was awfully cute, anyone with eyes would know that. Her black colored nails tapped on the side of the mug, as she sat with a platinum blond man who appeared to be her brother. Her green eyes sparkled from the dimly lit lights in the ceiling, casting an ominous shade of yellow light around the room and still she looks like an angel.

“Whatever you say, love. I know you.”

Yes, you. The same you who was busy enough studying for finals without trying to find a date. Bucky’s priorities on the other hand, were apparently not the same.

“Eat your pancakes, asshole. You can find me a girlfriend after school is done. Even though I am perfectly fine on my own right now.”

“Yeah, right before you go to medical school. Great time to start a relationship.”

“It’ll just have to be a summer thing,” you said with shrug, drizzling maple syrup over your waffles.

“Oh believe me, I will find you the perfect girl, who you will never want to leave.”

“Have fun with that, Buck,” you say, waving your waffle covered fork in his face before putting it in your mouth.

“Oh I definitely will. Hey, you never know y/n.”

You roll your eyes with a small laugh at your best friend. You have no idea how you dealt with all the crap he’s given you over the years, but it compensates for- “don’t you have a 10am lecture today?”

“Shit, I almost forgot.”

Sometimes Bucky Barnes turns out to be somewhat helpful.

You grab your backpack, fumble around in your wallet for a $10 bill, and shovel a few last bites of breakfast into your mouth. “Bye, Buck, I’ll see you at 7 for the party,” you spoke so quickly you worried if he didn’t understand you.

“You’re going with me to that?”

“Yeah, why not? I’ve had a long week with school work, I think I should get a night off after 5 days of hard work.”

“Okay, I’ll be at your dorm at 7 on Friday.”

“Sounds good. Oh fuck I’m really late, see you then, Buck.”

“Bye, y/n!”

The clock on your phone read 9:56, and your lecture hall was at least 10 minutes away. Sprinting is the only option at this point. Apologizing to the people waiting by the restaurant door as you run by, running across the crosswalk, you make it onto campus. The lecture hall is still far off, but finally in sight. You can feel the eyes staring you down as you hurry your way to class, but honestly you couldn’t care less at the moment.

You finally get to the building, and finally, finally into the room. Trying to get into the room as quickly and quietly as possible is in fact not possible, and it’s either a one-or-the-other situation, or neither at all. Sadly, in this case, it’s neither.

Most of the hall turns to look at you barging through the doors, nearly falling as the door cracks open. Class hasn’t appeared to have started yet, which you mentally thanked god for, and scanned the room for a seat. Finding one near you isn’t an issue, but getting there is.

“Sorry, sorry, excuse me, sorry, pardon me,” you whisper, trying to get through the row of people to the empty seat which was unfortunately in just about the middle of the row, so bothering the poor students was really the only way to get there.

Plopping down in the seat with a thud gave you a sense of peace, after the stressful past 10 minutes. You started to get out your laptop and notebook when you overheard the pair in front of you speaking in hushed British accents, “where is she?” The man said, slightly concerned.

“She’ll be here soon, it’s not like her to miss class,” the woman replied.

And as fast as you can say “perfect timing,” a fairly tall girl came in with her dark hair up in a messy bun. Looking up at see the person causing the noise coming in, in the row in front of you, you saw quite possibly the most gorgeous girl you have ever seen. In an over-sized Harvard sweatshirt and athletic shorts, she was absolutely adorable. You gave her a small smile, which she graciously returned,

“Thanks for saving me a seat guys, I totally overslept.”

“No problem, Daisy. You’re right on time,” the British girl responds.

Daisy. A beautiful name for such a gorgeous girl.

“Good morning, students!”

“Good morning, Professor Hill,” the whole class echoes.

***

As you put the last finishing touches on your makeup you hear a strong knock at the door of your dorm. You had on a tight navy blue cocktail dress with a pair of nude heels, and you have to admit that you look great.

“Come on in, Bucky!”

“Have you ever noticed how loud your neighbors are? And wow, you look hot! I mean, you look really good”  His eyes were practically popping out of his skull.

“First of all, yes, I live next to them. And second, thank you, kind sir,” you say with a courtesy.

“Why it is my pleasure, my lady,” Bucky said with a bow. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah, I’m all set,” you tell him, grabbing your purse of your bed.

“Great, we can take my motorcycle over to the party.”

“But my hair might get messed up.”

“Oh quit your complaining, do you want to walk?”

***

“Who’s ready to paaaartaaaay?”

“Well he’s obviously drunk,” Bucky said pointing to the frat boy behind the DJ table chugging a bottle of beer and stumbling around. The man had to easily be six feet tall, with short, spiky blond hair covered by a backwards baseball cap, and a short beard.

Laughing at Bucky’s comment, you can clearly see the man having a good night.

You look around for anyone from your classes, not wanting to stay with Bucky the entire night. Not that you didn’t love spending time with him, you just knew he would want to hook up with some girl and you really did not want to be around for that.

Seeing the two Brits from your 10am was fairly surprising, you didn’t think of them as part of the usual party crowd. But, you usually weren’t either. Hey, good grades don’t get themselves.

Next to the two you recognize, there’s one person you don’t. You could see the backside of a woman, who was clearly taller than the other. She had long black hair, and had a maroon dress on with black heeled boots. Holy shit. It’s the cute girl from the lecture who came in late. And you notice that she cleans up very well. So maybe this is a good ‘holy shit’ moment?

Torn between introducing yourself and staying with Bucky, he decides to make that decision for you. “Go talk to her,” he instructs.

“How did you-”

“I told you, y/n, I know you. And you clearly seem interested in talking to that girl over there, so you should.”

“Well you’re not wrong,” you say with a smile on your face.

“Am I ever? And you are completely smitten. You should fuck her tonight.”

“Bucky! You’re so gross sometimes. I’m just gonna get a drink and go talk to her,” you explain.

“But you love me. Go get ‘em,” Bucky says, patting you on the back.

With a red solo cup in hand, you make your way up to Daisy.

“Hi, I’m y/n.”

It’s shocking you’re able to get a sentence out with all the nerves stored up inside you.

“Hi, y/n. I’m Daisy.”

Oh my fuck her voice is like heaven.

“I know. I mean- I,” you sigh, taking a moment to get your story straight so you don’t end up sounding like an absolute creep, “I overheard your friends say your name in class today, I promise I’m not stalking you or anything I-”

“Hey, calm down a little bit, okay? It’s alright. You seem really sweet. Do wanna go somewhere a little quieter?”

‘Daisy is quite possibly the sweetest person in the world’, is the only thing running through your head.

“Yeah, yeah that sounds great.”

Soon enough you’re both sitting on the curb outside the frat house underneath the oddly slightly romantic street lights. Even in the dirty yellow glow she’s extremely kissable.

“What do you want to do after college?” Daisy asked, actually seeming to have an interest in what you plan on doing with your life.

“I want to become a doctor I like helping people, I like science, it just seems like it’s a good fit for me,” you reply. It’s true, you had thought for quite some time now on pursuing a career in medicine.

“That’s so cool,” she smiles. “I’m not really sure about what I want to do. I like computer science, but being a police officer or something like that seems exciting too, you know? I just think that’d be really cool. And like you said, I want to help people be safe.”

“I can see you as a cop,” you reply.

“Thank you,” she giggles.

“Your laugh is really cute. And you’re really pretty,” comes out of your mouth in a whisper, before you can even comprehend what you’re saying.

“I think you’re really pretty too,” Daisy says bumping her shoulder into yours.

As soon as you lost physical contact, you longed for it. Daisy continued to look straight at you, as if she was memorizing your face. Your eyes darted from hers to her lips, negotiating in your head about whether or not to make a move.

Oh, screw it.

You cup her face and gently kiss her. She pulls you in closer, deepening the kiss. You could smell the alcohol, but you don’t care. All that matters right now is that the sweet, amazing, kind, caring Daisy Johnson is with you right here, right now. And you could not have pictured a more perfect night.

[carolina-bleus]

April 1, 2017 (Day 280)

The cold woke Michonne. She sat up in bed and rubbed her arms to warm them in the frigid air.

Why is it so cold in here?

Looking to her right, Michonne saw one reason she woke up shivering. Rick was curled on his side with the comforter pulled up to his neck. He had somehow managed to steal all of the covers during the night.

Seeing the contended look on his face, Michonne couldn’t even be mad at her husband. Where she couldn’t stand a lot of heat, Rick absolutely loathed the cold. He was used to the relatively mild Georgia winters. His first Boston winter was an adjustment to say the least, but he soldiered through the cold months without much complaint. Though Michonne did once catch him on his laptop staring wistfully at a sunny seven-day forecast for Athens, Georgia during their first year in Boston. Rick had quickly shut his laptop and looked shamefaced as if Michonne had caught him looking at a dirty movie. She’d just laughed and told him it was okay. And it was okay because Michonne knew that spending three years in Boston hadn’t originally been in Rick’s plans before he met her. 

When they graduated from UGA, Michonne thought that she and Rick would be spending the next three years attending graduate schools in different states. However, Rick had secretly applied to BU and presented his acceptance letter to Michonne at their graduation turned engagement party. He’d opted to forgo staying in Georgia and attending graduate school at their beloved alma mater just so they wouldn’t have to be apart. So Michonne would gladly let Rick steal the covers as much as he liked since he was enduring the Boston winters so they could be together while she lived out her dream of going to Harvard Law.

Michonne smiled down at her husband before getting out of bed. She glanced out the window as she grabbed her robe from a nearby chair. It was shaping up to be another overcast day. The forecast said there was a possibility for rain, but at least there wouldn’t be any snow as there’d been the day before. Michonne wrapped her robe tightly around her body and walked into the hallway. After turning up the heat on the thermostat, she went downstairs to prepare a little surprise for her husband.

By the time Michonne made it back upstairs with breakfast, the possibility of rain had turned into an actuality. The steady drizzle made her want to climb back into bed and while away the day with Rick. She pushed open the door with her hip and walked in to find her husband still fast asleep.

“Hey, sleepyhead, wake up. Rick...Rick. Richard Sullivan wake up!” Michonne sighed when all Rick did was turn over. She finally put the tray down on the dresser and sat down beside her husband. 

I hope our future kids are morning people like me or it’s going to be hell getting them up for school in the morning, Michonne thought.

“Rick, babe? Wake up so you can eat your breakfast while it’s hot.” 

No response. 

Michonne leaned down and began placing soft kisses along her husband’s jaw. When he sighed contentedly but still didn’t awaken, Michonne knew it was time to break out the big guns. She found that one spot on his neck, placed her lips there and sucked. 

Rick’s eyes immediately shot open. Michonne leaned back as he pushed down the comforter and sat up. He looked at his wife with a question in his eyes.

Michonne shrugged. “You wouldn’t wake up when I called you repeatedly. I knew a sure-fire way to get you up.”

“Well it worked,” Rick said as he looked down at his crotch, “in more ways than one.”

“That was already there and you know it. Don’t try to put that on me,” Michonne protested.

Rick scooted closer to his wife. “But I like putting this on you...and in you.”

“I’m going to go get our food now while you get that thing under control.” Michonne hopped up and walked over to grab their breakfast tray. She handed it to Rick before she joined him on the bed.

“This looks good, babe. But didn’t you forget something?”

Michonne eyed the tray. “No. Pancakes, sausage, eggs, grits, and juice. It’s all there.”

“No, I think you forgot the sugar.”

“Rick, there isn’t anything on that plate that we put sugar on.”

“I wasn’t talking about the plate.”

Michonne laughed as Rick tapped his lips. “Really, Rick? You’re asking for that type of sugar? What are you a 75-year-old Southern grandmother?” Michonne teased before she obliged her husband’s request. “Good morning, Husband.”

“Good morning, Mrs. Grimes.” Satisfied, Rick sat back and began to dig into his meal. “Thank you for cooking, babe. How did you sleep last night?”

“Fine, except I woke up freezing because my husband stole all of the covers.”

“Sorry about that, babe. You know I don’t mean to hog them. My body just still hasn’t adjusted to the cold nights, especially in springtime. I mean, it actually snowed yesterday!”

“It’s fine, babe,” Michonne assured her husband. “And it’s already raining but it’s not supposed to snow so that’s an improvement.” She reached over to smooth his wayward curls. “What are you doing today?”

“What I want to do today is open the curtains downstairs, snuggle on the couch with you, and watch the rain. Now ask me what I have to do today?”

“Let me guess, research, research, research.”

“Give that lady a prize,” Rick joked.

“I already won him,” Michonne remarked causing her husband to blush. “I’ll never understand how you can have the naughtiest mouth at times but still blush over a simple compliment from me.”

Rick chuckled. “You know I’m a delicate flower.”

“Yeah, a Pussy Willow.”

“MICHONNE!” Rick turned five shades of red while his wife fell over in laughter.

Two hours later, the couple had dressed and moved downstairs. They were supposed to be getting some work done, but Michonne was currently scrolling through her various social media accounts and sharing the details of their friends’ postings with Rick.

“Maggie posted some more pictures from the engagement party. I hate we couldn’t be there,” Michonne said glumly.

Michonne and Rick’s close friends, Maggie and Glenn, had gotten engaged recently. Glenn had informed them of his plan before the engagement occurred, but the couple wasn’t able to attend the actual engagement a few weeks back or the party that took place last night because of school commitments.

“Me, too. But they understand we can’t come to things sometimes because of our schedules.”

“I know, but I think I’ll give Maggie a call just to check in.”

“Michonne, I thought you wanted to get some reading done?”

“I’m going to, but I can make time for my friend,” Michonne said as she dialed Maggie’s number. “She and Glenn were our Maid of Honor and Best Man for our wedding. The least I can do is call.” 

Maggie’s happy face soon popped up on the screen.

“Michonne! I was just about to call you.”

“Hey, Mags. I just wanted to see how things went with the party.”

Maggie’s smile nearly filled the screen. “Michonne, it was so great! I couldn’t have asked for a better night. Did you get the pictures I sent you?”

“Yes. The farm looked gorgeous with all those lights in the trees.”

“Yeah. I was a little worried about having it outside because it was cloudy and hot earlier but the weather was perfect last night.”

Rick let out grumble.

“What was that sound?” Maggie asked.

Michonne laughed. “Just my husband being upset about the weather back home. It actually snowed here last night.”

“In springtime?!” Maggie exclaimed.

“That’s what I’m saying!” Rick yelled at the phone.

“Maggie, please don’t get him started,” Michonne pleaded. “But I’m glad everything went well. I hate we couldn’t be there.”

“That’s okay, Chonne. Glenn and I both know you and Rick would have been here if you could have.”

Glenn suddenly appeared behind Maggie. “You talking to Rick and Michonne?”

“Yeah.” Maggie turned the screen so Glenn could see.

“Hey, Michonne. Where’s Rick?”

Rick moved closer to Michonne. “Right here. How’s it going, man?”

The smile that appeared on Glenn’s face rivaled Maggie’s. “I feel a hundred feet tall and unstoppable...like I can conquer anything. Is that how you felt after you and Michonne got engaged?”

“I felt even taller,” Rick said to everyone’s amusement. “Having the person you love most in this world agree to share the rest of their life with you makes you feel like anything and everything is possible. I told Michonne that immediately after she agree to marry me, I should have gone out and gone skydiving, climbed a mountain, and punched a shark because I felt invincible.”

“Has the feeling worn off yet?” Michonne asked.

Rick looked at his wife. “Nope, it gets stronger every time you smile at me.”

“Aww, you two are the sweetest!” Maggie looked over to her fiancé. “Glenn, I know you wanted to wait to ask in person, but can we ask them now?”

Rick and Michonne turned back to the screen. “Ask us what?”

After and encouraging nod from Glenn, Maggie continued. “You are two are our very best friends and there aren’t any two people we’d rather have standing beside us when we get married. Would you do two do us the honor of being our Matron of Honor and Best Man for our wedding?”

Michonne and Rick broke out into huge grins. “Rick and I would be honored.”

“We sure would!” Rick agreed.

A sudden thought worried Michonne. “Maggie, how is Beth going to feel about me being your Matron of Honor? She won’t be upset, will she?”

“Beth’s okay with it. She mentioned it before I did. She knows how much you mean to me. All Beth asked is that she get paired with Noah in the wedding party. I think she wants to get some ‘walkin’ down the aisle’ practice in with your little brother.”

Michonne laughed. “I think Noah will like that, too...even though he’ll never admit it. But I’m glad Beth is okay with everything.”

“She really is,” Maggie assured her friend. “And the great thing about you being married is that she’ll still get to be named my Maid of Honor; I’ll just have you standing beside me.”

Feeling better that there was no issue, Michonne exclaimed, “I’m so excited, Mags! Have you guys set a date for the wedding?”

“Not yet, but I’m thinking a spring wedding at the farm would be nice.”

“Oh, that would be lovely. Are you going to wear your boots?”

Maggie’s eyes lit up at the thought. “I was thinking about it but I’m not sure how well that would go over with Daddy. But there is a pair I saw online that I absolutely love. I’ll send you the link so you can give me your opinion.”

“Okay. But, you aren’t going to make your bridal party wear boots are you?” Michonne asked worriedly. 

Maggie laughed. “I just might. I’m surprised Rick hasn’t bought you a pair yet.”

“Don’t give him any ideas, Mags,” Michonne said with a shake of her head.

Glenn raised his hand. “Uhh, do you two still need us here or what?”

Maggie caressed Glenn’s face. “Sorry, I’m just really excited now that Michonne is my Matron of Honor and we can start getting into wedding mode.” Maggie looked at Michonne. “You guys are going to be home this summer, right?”

“Yeah, Rick and I already have internships lined up in Georgia. As soon as school lets out, we are Georgia bound.”

“Great! We can start bouncing around ideas when you get home. You were the first of our friends to get married so I’m going to need your expertise.”

“I don’t know about expertise, but I’ll offer whatever advice I can. Thankfully, it’s still pretty fresh in my mind.”

“That’s right. Your one year anniversary is coming up,” Maggie remembered.  

“You guys planning anything special? You have to be, right?” Glenn asked.

Rick and Michonne looked at each other before Rick spoke up. “We hadn’t really thought about it. I guess we are trying to make it through the end of the school year and then we’ll focus on it.”

“Yeah,” Michonne nodded. “We’ll have plenty of time between the end of school and our anniversary to plan something.”

“Well, if you guys need help with anything, just let us know,” Maggie offered.

“Guys, I hate to cut this short, but the fiancée and I have to finish preparing for our date this afternoon,” Glenn said with an apologetic smile.

“It’s so beautiful out today, Glenn is taking me on a picnic.” Maggie laughed when she noticed Rick’s expression. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to rub it in. What’s the weather going to be like in Boston today?” “Rainy with a high of thirty-eight degrees,” Rick answered glumly.

Glenn grimaced in sympathy for his friends. “Ouch! Hurry back to Georgia before you freeze and also because we just really miss you guys.”

“We miss y’all, too. We’ll see you next month though,” Michonne promised. “And thanks again for asking us to stand up for you guys.”

“We wouldn’t have it any other way,” Maggie stated. “We’ll talk to y’all later.”

“Bye!”

Michonne disconnected the call and turned to Rick. “You happy now?” her husband asked. “Not only were Maggie and Glenn not upset at us for having to miss the party, they asked us to stand up for them at their wedding.” Rick picked his laptop back up. “Now maybe we can get a little work done.”

“I’m very happy. I’m still a little upset about the party though. I know it was my choice to come up here for school, but sometimes I can’t help but feel guilty about missing things at home and about you being here instead of there at UGA.”

Rick immediately closed his laptop and grabbed his wife’s hands. “Hey. It was our choice to come here. Wherever you are, I am going to be. I love home and I love our friends but neither of them hold a candle to the love I have for you. If you had said you wanted to go to law school in Alaska, I would have packed some longjohns and hopped right on the plane with you.”

Michonne looked dubious.

“Okay, I probably would have cried in the plane bathroom for a minute at the thought of all the cold but I would have dried my tears before I came back out to you,” Rick joked.

Michonne rolled her eyes and smiled.

“There’s that smile that makes it all worth it.” Rick moved his hands to Michonne’s face. “I don’t have any regrets when it comes to you, well, except for one.”

“What’s that?”

“I regret that I didn’t follow you out onto that dance floor freshman year and that I had to wait a whole year and a half before seeing you again and starting our life together. I’m greedy. I want forever and a day with you.”

Michonne moved into Rick’s arms and gave him a sweet, lingering kiss. Rick sat back with his arms still around is wife.They sat in comfortable silence and listened to the patter of the rain. When Michonne snuggled even closer to her husband with a contented sigh, Rick dropped a kiss on her forehead and let out a relaxed sigh of his own. 

“We aren’t getting any work done today, are we?” Rick asked, not the least bit upset by the notion.

“Nope.”

“I figured as much,” Rick said with a chuckle. “I was wondering, do you wanna take a quick trip home next week so we can see everyone before we have to buckle down and power through the last month of school?”

Michonne sat up and looked at Rick with eyes bright with happiness. “That’s a great idea!” She leaned forward and gave her husband a kiss before settling against him once again.

“Wait, sit up for a minute, babe. If we are going to do this, we need to do it right.” Rick hopped up and opened the front curtains of their brownstone then returned to the couch.

Once Michonne was in his arms again, Rick relaxed against the couch and watched the rain with his wife.

 @richonnefics

Monday 6-27-16 Tuesday 8-23-16 Wednesday 10-28-16 Thursday 12-22-16

Friday 2-10-17

[blackrosesfanfic]

Chapter143

One Week Later

Trey

"I got it, Daddy." Lane says moving my hand.

"Be careful."

He takes the scapula scooping up the pancake. He lifts it out of the pan and flip it over into the plate like he was a pro. I cheer for him. He stays concentrated on the other pancakes in the pan ignoring my innocence. We have been cooking breakfast on Instagram Live all morning. There's a lot of people up at this time of morning watching us. It's even earlier in America. I know some of these followers are in American. He gets all 4 pancakes out of the pan then he smiles at me.

"Put some more daddy."

"We don't need that many pancakes. They are only for you, son. You not going to eat that many."

He ignores me. "They for Buggiz."

I help him grab the pancake batter dispenser. "Okay."

"1... 2... 3... 4." he says as he fills the pan.

"What you need me for?"

"Nothing." Lane says watching the pancakes. "You stand there, k?"

I laugh and turn the Instagram Live off. I was getting a call from the doctor. Never enjoy these kinds of calls.

"Hello."

"Trey, I decided to call you early. I figured you start your day before I do."

I check on Lane then I go over to Chris. "Can you go make sure Lane doesn't burn himself? He is making pancakes."

"Alone?" Chris says jumping out of bed.

"What's the problem, Doctor?"

"This is a call about Cammie. I'm concerned with her health."

I shut the bedroom door. "This is the first I'm hearing about Cammie having issues."

"Yes she is. Her doctor reported that she has lost too much weight. She isn't eating, leaving the hospital, or taking her vitamins. I wanted to know when you were getting into town?"

"Oo... It's looking like next Friday."

"Okay. I have encouraged her to pump extra milk. She has enough for four days if you can get her out of the hospital."

I blow. "Why does she need to leave? I could get her to eat."

He clears his thought. "She needs to leave this environment. I'm worried about her developing postpartum. She hasn't been diagnosed by her doctor but it's a concern of her doctor."

"I could... Uh." I sigh. "She has to be... What is today? I've been ignoring my calendar. One second."

I look at my phone schedule. I would be going home in 4 days. Damn, it seems like it went by fast. I'm excited about this now. I go back to the conversation.

"4 days."

"Okay, good. She was talking as if she didn't know. The baby is a few test away from going home. He has gained 5 pounds and is attempting to breathe on his own. He could be out of here in a few days."

"Really?" I say excited.

He says something in the background. "I don't want to give Cammie any false hope so I haven't been discussing my predictions of his departure. I want him to be at least 9 pounds before he leaves."

I sit down a little relieved. "Okay. I'm glad to hear that about Caden."

"Yes, he is woke most of the day. I want to schedule his circumcision but I need to first know when you will arrive and when you will return. The sooner the better. I'm expecting for him to gain another 5 pounds by next week so his weight will be stable."

"You want me to take her home or out of town?"

"A vacation would be best."

I inhale slowly. "You asking a lot."

"I know she is stubborn but your mother says that you are the only one to do it. I want her going home a healthy mother so she can nurture a healthy baby. When she takes the baby home with unresolved issues it will be bad. There's a chance of her coming back and the baby being home without her."

"I can't guarantee 4 days. It took her a while before she could be without our first born for a day."

"2 days will be better than none. It's not an requirement but if she doesn't start taking care of herself I will hold the baby here until I'm 100% sure he will have no complications. Caden is my priority."

Damn, it almost seem like this is his fucking baby. I hired the motherfucker. Lane peeks into the room. He has been unwilling to let me out of his sight in the last few days. He doesn't come all the way in the room.

"I will do what I can."

"Great. I'll see you in a few days."

I hang up the phone and fall back on the bed. It is some shit around every corner. My infant son is doing increasingly better but as a result my wife is going through hell. All of it is a direct link to my absence.

"Everything good?" Chris asks.

"Yeah." I say sitting up.

He holds up a laptop. "Naked booty hoes."

I chuckle. "Are those babies, Chris?"

"MiMi sent this to me." he says playing the video. "It's baby porn."

I laugh taking the laptop. "Stop playing."

He stands in front of me. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah, Caden's doctor is worried about Cammie. This is Lane and JJ?"

"It's King, Lane, and JJ. MiMi slow ass sent that to me."

I laugh at them. It was a short video of them in the tub. JJ was already standing up dancing naked then Lane and King turn their butts to the camera and start dancing. It is a hilarious 30 seconds. Good enough to get me into a better mood to call Cammie.

"Tremaine, how do you always know when to call me?"

"I just called cause I was thinking about you."

Chris takes the computer. "You mean because you knew she just talked to the doctor."

I shoo him away. "I don't think you love me."

"Why not, Tremaine?"

"I don't feel it."

She giggles. "The little guy has gained 5 pounds. I didn't think about it much until now... Maybe because it was scary to think about. But he was born 5 pounds and some ounces. That means he was literally 1 pound. Can you believe that? I would have broken down if I thought about that. He isn't his birth weight yet."

"Damn, I didn't think about that."

"He is still skinny with a big head."

"I can't wait to touch you."

She smiles. "You will be home in a few days. I've been counting down the days. My men need to come home."

"Mainly me."

"No, you both."

"Lane not around. You can say me."

She frowns. "Where is Lane?"

I wait until I walk into the kitchen to say anything. "Say hey Mommy."

"Mommy!" Lane says taking the phone.

"I love you, Jay." I say before he takes it away.

  Alex

It's 5 o'clock in the morning and I don't feel like doing shit. I throw my housecoat over me and go to the door. Some idiot is at my door thinking it's okay to be up this early. I swing the door open. Jamaal holds a cup in front of my face.

"Jamaal, what are you doing up?"

"I told Kim to remind you last night. I knew she would and I knew you would ignore her. I even came a few hours early so you had woman time to get ready."

I take the coffee. "Only because I can smell the caramel in here."

He steps into the house. "My mother won't stop talking about you. Did she call you?"

"Your mother calling me? Oh I wonder why?"

"What was the bullshit I had to say?" he says sitting down on the couch.

I take in the sweet aroma of coffee. "I said no such thing. You acknowledging how right I was means nothing."

"How about me acknowledging that you single handedly made my life easier."

"I like that. I'm listening."

"We both know that my mother works in a male dominated world so she was secretly impressed by you. Come to find out you worked with my father."

I sip on my coffee. "Why don't I know who Senator Andrews' husband is? Why is she still an Andrews?"

"Well..." he says nothing else.

"Well, Jamaal? I'm not feeling your secrets."

He exhales. "I never wanted her to be the reason I got anything. You know how backwards ass impressed she is that I am where I am? She knows who you are now. She knows I've done something without her."

"Oh, I think it sounds like you should be kissing my ass."

"I said I would." He replies.

I laugh. "Jamaal, I was... Nevermind. Anyway."

He sits up in his chair. "We really have to be punctual this morning."

"Beauty doesn't always take long."

"Why do you answer the door in seethrough shit all the time?"

I glance down. "Oh dang. Okay, let me get rid of my company from last night and get ready."

"Your company?" he says upset.

"One minute." I say walking into the back.

There wasn't anyone back here. I just wanted to fuck with him. I was really going to show him that it doesn't take me long to get dressed. I usually spend time before bed organizing and picking out clothes for the next day. It's how I wind down.

"Aye."

"Out of my bedroom, Jamaal."

He doesn't leave. "All week I have successfully ignored you. You are putting me in a difficult position."

"No submission shit this morning. I'll be glad to put it on your ass another day."

"You be having me about to agree to some sick shit. I'm not thinking you really talking about my ass. Be a lady."

"You can't tell me that after we have fucked."

He puts his arm behind his back. "Alex, listen, I like to fuck. You like to fuck can we get pass all of this?"

"Nope."

"Selfish as always."

I walk up to him and slap his cheek playfully. His eyes drop to my breast. There is nothing more for him to be looking at.

"I like to think that I'm pretty constant. I know this."

"You are supposed to say thank you. Do I have to teach you how?"

I laugh. "Fuck you."

"Now?"

"You think that because you buy me pearls you get to fuck whenever? No, pearls or no pearls."

His eyes once again scan my half naked body. "It's the house coat."

He had touched my gown. I smack his hand away. He had a look on his face that spelled out each of his thoughts loud and clear. I turn away from him. I decided that I wouldn't go there with him again. It might be trouble. We had a go thing for a few weeks but it wasn't nothing special. His dick is pretty good. I can't lie about that. I was just supposed to be an onetime thing.

"Alex." he says slightly above a whisper.

"Jamaal." I snap back.

He startles me a little by grabbing my waist. Okay, Jamaal, no. I keep walking toward the bathroom. I mean it may not turn to shit. Worst case is that we actually get somewhere outside of this hole he keeps digging. I stop at the bathroom door. It was only a few inches away from where Jamaal stood. He attempts to persuade me once again. I let it ride. We will see. His hands admire the glory of my body. I put a lot of time into this thing. There's a lot to admire. I know.

"Jamaal, don't go getting all addicted to this."

"When I nut, leave the money on the table. I know."

I back up from him but fall into a chair. I sit all the way down. "Bitch, don't play."

He leans down over me getting into my face. I move my face away from him. I didn't want to kiss him. I love kissing. Kissing could give me a powerful orgasm with the right kisser but I didn't want that right now. Jamaal gets the message completely. He goes from unfamiliar take it easy type of demeanor to heated TV sex. He takes his clothes off without any further delay. I'm waiting to forget that he is Jamaal. I stand up. I didn't want pussy juice on my $5,000 imported chair. He picks me up. Plus 1. I glance back as he lowers me to a surface. Damn, I need less expensive shit. Not the overpriced duvet.

"What?" he asks.

I am ecstatic that he picked up on it. I push him back and throw the duvet all the way off the bed. He stares at it on the floor.

"Why did I think you would be different?" he says chuckling. "Anything else not worth the damage?"

"Your feelings if this goes bad."

He ponders over it for a bit. "Turn it down."

I chuckle. "If you shut my mouth my tongue will relax."

"Or fill it..." he mumbles grabbing his dick.

I stay quiet out of respect of the dick. I was tired of hearing his mouth and I refuse to lose a battle because his dick silenced me in mid sentence. He seemed to be waiting for that moment to claim victory. But I'll let the victory be in satisfying me.

"Hmm." he says as he enters me slowly. He pulls out. "Condom?"

"Oh my fucking gosh!" I retort. "Does it look like I have a fucking dick? Is that my responsibility?"

He looks at my funny. "They teach you in school that you should."

"Will what about you, Jamaal?"

"Yeah, sure. I would love to have that conversation with a 5 year old. That's not candy it's a fucking condom. Make sure you stock your house up dick or not."

I laugh. "Nobody fucking comes to my house and if you haven't noticed I haven't had a 'relationship' for quite some time. You killed it."

He takes the split second of me laying here with my shit whole open to test the fucking waters again. He presses his dick into my pussy. I freeze as his dick glides perfectly across my spot. I moan unconsciously pleading for more. He pulls his dick out again with a rush of pleasure. I sit up a little and stare at him. He opens his mouth at the same time I start to say something. I stop to see what he says. He pauses as well.

[twistednuns]

March 2019

ॐ नमः शिवाय oṃ namaḥ śivāya ♥ / reading a book about the background and effects of different asanas

Friday evening with Lena: Yuzu ramen at Takumi, watching Green Book at the City Kino near Sendlinger Tor. Getting my favourite mix of sweet and salty popcorn.

Still: Obsessively reading the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch. It's like one of those nasty TV series you just can't stop watching.

Noticing more visible veins and sinews on my body. Getting stronger and leaner! Yes! I can even see a little shadow where my ribcage is supposed to begin and my tissue is getting softer which means I'm losing fat and I can feel more muscles than before. Very rewarding.

Saturday lunch with Lena and her family. I hadn't seen her brother in maybe 10 years. My highlight: warm banana bread with slightly salty, thick caramel and homemade vanilla ice-cream.

Dressing up for the Of Sailors and Whales concert at Gasteig. I felt incredibly stylish in my outfit: mustard yellow headscarf, a side braid, oblong hoop earrings in rose gold, a green dress and coat, mint-blue purse, a dark plum-coloured lipstick, black tights and satin heels.

The PhysioFlow yoga teacher (Ulf, what a comical name) complimenting me on my perfect Viravadrasana pose because apparently I did the advanced version with my arms held up high over my head. Unfortunately my poses only look so good because of my hypermobility but the other day we started talking after class. He is such a nice and calm person. And married to a lady from my hometown. I love how he touches our faces, heads and shoulders in Savasana.

Thai massage. The best treat after messing up my neck with futile headstand experiments.

The perfect batch of smoky veggies in tomato sauce. Add a hand full of couscous and tiger beans and you'll feel full for hours.

A week-long holiday. Not leaving the bed after waking up, reading for one or two hours. Enjoying the morning light, having warm breakfast. Lena sending me a picture of a bunch of purple flowers she saw on one of her walks on Monday, telling me to enjoy my vacation.

Gorgeous yoga mats - I just ordered one with a gemstone design from Mala. // EDIT: It just didn't have enough grip for me so I had to send it back. Got a simple purple one from Jade Yoga instead. They're supposed to be the best.

Fried Tom Yum seaweed strips.

A dinner and movie date with Lena, Barbara and Maike. We watched Vice (2019), the movie about Dick Cheney. Quite uncomfortable. But I loved the scene with Alfred Molina.

Spending an afternoon with Franzi at Trachtenvogl. Pear juice spritzer. Decidedly non-vegan spinach dumplings. Stopping at &otherstories as usual, getting two beautiful bowls at Motel a Miio. Finding a purple edition of H.P.Lovecraft's ghost stories on top of a trash bin.

My mum visiting for the first time since I moved in. She helped me get rid of my old clothes and other miscellaneous items from the basement. Then we got a trunk full of flowers for my balcony and had dinner at VorOrt - vegan pizza and celeriac schnitzel. I got so many presents that day. A dark purple orchid with pointy blossoms, some books and a bottle of Jo Malone perfume. She also paid for some of my plants... It kinda felt like my birthday. Maybe she had a guilty conscience because my brother still keeps raiding the fridge at home? Anyway. It's funny that I can actually talk to her now that I'm older, have my own thing going on... and we have so much in common, I notice that all the time. Or interests and taste, habits. Could be worse though, she's an amazing woman.

Swiss cat ladders.

My first time at Boulderwelt! Frank finally took me with him and we spent two hours there, climbing up the yellow (me) and white (him) routes. I even dreamed about climbing up a tree that night and I could hardly move the next day. Hardcore sore muscles, oh boy.

Hanging out with Frank. Playing Scrabble. Acting really weird around someone who just gets it or isn't put off at the very least. Making gross jokes about guacamole-producing guys over burritos in Werksviertel.

Hanging out at bridal shops with Lena, making her put on gorgeous dresses.

The fresh spring green gradient you get on your cutting board when you're chopping up leek for a potato gratin.

Staring at a long-haired guy in a club for a pretty long while on a Friday evening because he was just that gorgeous. Then he suddenly showed up on the internet a few hours later an we have been talking ever since. Exciting! And yeah, I love good coindidences. I would have never mustered up the courage to talk to him that night.

The other day we saw a cat from our classroom window, casually walking down the stairs. And we had nothing better to do than running up there in middle of our English lesson to catch her. I guess I'm a quite easily distracted teacher.

Hand embroidery on linen. It's baby bonnets, okay. But still super pretty.

This idea I had while in downward facing dog pose during one of my yoga classes. I really want to go to a yoga retreat in the summer. Either in Bali or, even more exciting, an ashram in India. I'd also visit Nepal or Bhutan while I'm there.

Aidy Bryant. She's my gorgeous heroine. I loved watching the first season of Shrill.

Alpro cherry soy yoghurt.

New earrings from &otherstories and COS. And a new hair ribbon, too. Can't help it. Building my collections.

That whole Margo-banging-Josh-situation on The Magicians? I'm into that. And when she was tripping on lizard and saw Eliot in a python trenchcoat performing the Pretenders' "Don't Get Me Wrong"? The 80s choir they formed in the desert? So amusing. Seriously, this is one of the few shows which is absolutely not afraid of weird shit and doesn't take its writing too seriously. I don't entirely get it and it doesn't have anything to do with Lev Grossman's books anymore but I'm so grateful it exists. And I'm always down for a good musical episode (see: Once More with Feeling a.k.a. the single best Buffy episode ever made).

Finding the most incredible reed green silk dress at Hallhuber one afternoon after seeing a dermatologist in the city. Unfortunately even my ribcage is too wide for its narrow cut but perhaps I can convince Lena to buy it for the summer.

New idea: should I ever get a cat I want to name it Miso.

Seeing the first butterfly (European peacock) of the year enjoying the sunshine while sitting on my pink hyacinth.

After more than 20 years I accidentally found out that one of my favourite songs from the ZDF Christmas series Anna is in fact a Queen song! I'm also pretty sure that my taste in men, my "type", was significantly affected by João Ramos who played the role of the dancer Jacob. Swoon!

Using a sheep skin as a pillow. Oddly comforting. I was reading a book about the sense of touch when I noticed this connection. I also learned that most people prefer firm hugs and massages over soft strokes. Apparently gentle touching reminds some of insect's feet but it seems to be a matter of personal preference.

The crispy greasiness of butter croissants.

Finding out about banana twins (two fruits in one peel).

Enjoying a nice, sunny Sunday. Cycling over to Westpark and playing badminton with Frank in the middle of hundreds of families having picnics. Clumsy yoga poses on a towel. A little boy telling me that his penis was more important than my face when he hit me with a football. But to be fair, I made him choose. I even went to the gym afterwards, doing my strength routine and an hour-long spine workout. I was pretty exhausted that evening and made a delicious dinner with ratatouille, soy "meat", olives and capers, whole-wheat pasta and pine nuts.

Breaking news: my body contains over 66kg of muscle mass! Am I a superhero or what? (Well, also 36% body fat, gotta work on that...)

Giving the avocado seeds a new home. I've given them a large pot now so each time I eat an avocado a new member can join the gang.

Spending most of the week with my favourite colleague, espectially on Girls'/Boys' day duty: I liked meeting at the fire brigade in the morning, getting to know a firewoman, making one of my students climb up the pole at the station. Walking over Viktualienmarkt and Gärtnerplatz, getting some fresh juice, talking all the time. We visited an old folk's home, a garden center, a vet and an architect's studio. So much better than being stuck at school until 4pm.

Pancakes with mushroom filling. Strawberries with coconut cream. Delicious.

Finally performing a Nina Hagen Song on karaoke night. And Elle King's Ex's & Oh's which made Carlos, the Spanish guy, think of old ex-girlfriend trauma.

Uhm. I read 21 books this month. Wow? To be fair, I spent most of my weekends in bed with a stack of books next to me. I'm kinda hoping to read less in April - but since I'll be in Canada for two weeks this will probably not be an issue anyway.

My breakfasts keep me healthy, I really believe that. Extremely tasty and full of good nutrients. Latest addition: strawberries and pumpkin seeds.

Spending the whole afternoon with Anika in my kitchen, making vegan macarons. I almost couldn't believe it but chickpea liquid works just as well as eggwhites! And we came up with pretty good fillings: lemon buttercream, chocolate-raspberry and banana-peanut butter. Nom. Now they're sitting in my fridge, tempting me to eat them. Sigh.

Going to the gym after a week-long hiatus. Breaking the spell, you know?

[smugsmythe]

The One With Fervor || Seblaine

Date: March 4th, 2017

Locations: Westerville, Ohio. The Smythe Residence.

Who: Blaine Anderson & Sebastian Smythe

Notes: Blaine and Sebastian prepare for Sloane’s birthday party together but have difficulties finding a moment alone to express their thoughts and feelings. It isn’t until the party is in full swing that they finally say what’s on their mind.

fer·vor /ˈfər-vər/ adjective

1. intense and passionate feeling. “to speak with great fervor.” synonyms: passion, ardor, intensity, zeal, vehemence, emotion, warmth, earnestness, avidity, eagerness, keenness, enthusiasm, excitement, animation, vigor, energy, fire, spirit, zest, fervency "even the smallest of tasks he tackled with fervor" 2. intense heat.

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine slept soundly next to Sebastian the entire night, not even waking up once. He felt happy when he woke up the next morning next to the taller man and in Westerville, excited for the day ahead. Sebastian was still asleep when Blaine sat up in the bed; he looked down at the man sleeping peacefully next to him, smiling at him. Their moment from the night before replayed in his mind, thinking of the kiss they shared and how it felt different from any other kiss they’d shared before-- like something between them started to erupt slowly. Blaine could still feel the tension that was still left over, his heart skipping a beat just thinking of the feeling of Sebastian’s lips against his own. He was hoping that it wasn’t only the nostalgia of being back in Westerville and in Sebastian’s house with his family that was making him see things clearer, hoping it was only giving him that push he needed to move on from Kurt officially and tell Sebastian how he was truly feeling.

After leaning over to press a kiss to Sebastian’s temple, Blaine got up out of bed and got ready for the day. A million thoughts swirled through his mind as he got dressed, and it was after fixing his hair, when he was finishing up brushing his teeth that he made his decision. He was going to tell Sebastian how he felt and give the all-clear the moment he woke up. His plan was foiled, however, when he came out of the bathroom and Mr. Smythe was coming down the hallway. The older Smythe smiled brightly at Blaine, greeting him warmly. Blaine hugged him carefully and offered to escort him downstairs for some breakfast or coffee, stopping on the way down to get the small gift he’d brought for the man. He spent a little while in the parlor with the older man, catching up with him and sharing a couple of laughs before Sloane joined them, pulling Blaine away to help her with some party plans. He decided it best to wait and tell Sebastian later at the right moment when they could actually have time to talk, considering it seemed he would be preoccupied by the youngest Smythe for most of the day.

Blaine finished helping Sloane tie up the loose ends of some plans she had for the party later that night then she asked him to help her pick out her outfit for her big birthday bash. As he lay there across her bed, watching her try on the few new dresses she had bought to show him, Blaine chuckled to himself as she was trying her best to pry into his mind for what exactly was going on between him and Sebastian. “C’mon, B. I promise I won’t tell him you told me anything. I just wanna know what’s going on with you and my brother.” He couldn’t help himself, she was a Smythe and it was obviously just in his DNA to trust that family with all of his heart so that’s why he barely hesitated before telling her about the kiss the night before and how it made him feel and his plans to tell Sebastian, causing her to squeal with joy. Sloane expressed her happiness about the news, excited for them. “I am just glad it’s finally happening. You know you have always been considered a part of this family, Blaine. And you know my brother is just head over heels for you-- even when I was eleven I could see that.” She smiled brightly at him.

Blaine felt like he could cry when she said those words to him, feeling a happy warm bubbling up in his chest and spreading through his entire body. “Thank you, Sloane. That...that means so much to me.” The girl patted him on the shoulder before kissing the top of his head. “No need to thank me, Anderson. He’s just common sense.” She crinkled her nose at him. “Now c’mon, I need to pick the perfect dress for tonight.”

Sebastian Smythe:

Unlike Blaine, Sebastian slept in and awoke with no one in bed beside him. Frowning, Sebastian used his super-speed to get dressed in the bedroom and freshen up in the bathroom in a matter of seconds. Poking his head out, he could faintly hear Blaine’s and Sloane’s voices coming from down the hall and figured the two were spending time together. Since Sebastian hadn’t eaten since before the flight the evening before, he was feeling especially voracious-- light-headed, even. His super-speed demanded he consume massive amounts of food to keep his energy and glucose levels adequate. Though his first instincts were to eavesdrop on Blaine and Sloane’s conversation through the door, he knew he needed to eat equivalent to about a horse in calories without raising suspicions. Leaving the house undetected would be no issue thanks to his speed.

Once his issue was taken care of, Sebastian sneaked his way into the house and walked up the steps and down the hall to his sister’s bedroom. “Knock knock,” he announced as he entered through the open doorway, seeing Blaine sitting on the bed. “Hey, you.” He greeted, joining his friend on the bed. Sebastian placed a hand on Blaine’s knee, giving him a meaningful smile. “I missed you this morning.”

Before Blaine had the chance to respond, Sloane came bounding out of her walk-in closet, sporting a pink dress. She stopped in her tracks when she realized what she’d interrupted. “Oh, um, sorry,” she covered her mouth with her hands like she was trying to hide a smile before Sebastian stood up to insist there was nothing to interrupt. “Hey, no, it’s fine,” he chuckled, aware that he probably looked a little flustered. There was obviously still something between he and Blaine that hadn’t been addressed yet. He pointed at Blaine, shooting him one of his signature smirks. “I’ll meet you downstairs for breakfast? I’ll whip something up for everyone.”

Sebastian proceeded to rummage through the kitchen, he and his mom both cooking up a hearty breakfast for five. Eggs, bacon, pancakes with strawberries, and toast along with biscuits filled the Smythe dining table. Soon everyone gathered for breakfast, Sebastian’s father sitting at the head of the table with the ladies on one side and the boys on the other. All throughout the meal, while Mr. Smythe boasted about his daughter’s accomplishments all before turning eighteen, Sebastian and Blaine exchanged glances with one another. It seemed so far that they hadn’t had the chance to themselves-- to enjoy a little privacy. Sebastian noticed that it seemed Sloane kept giving Blaine certain looks as well, though he couldn’t quite figure out the reason.

“You know, Sloane is thinking of moving somewhere closer to you,” Mrs. Smythe mentioned to her son and Blaine. He’d only been half-listening to the conversation so his mother reiterated the fact: “She was accepted into both Harvard and Yale, but I think right now we’re more interested in Yale. Sloane is going into law, just like her father.” She stated the fact proudly, giving her daughter a genuine smile. “I think it would be nice if you kids were able to spend time together without you having to come all the way back to Ohio.”

Sebastian supposed he could understand that thought process though he honestly had no problem with coming to see his family, flying anxiety aside. “Y-yeah, you could totally come up to see me in New York and we could show you around. Blaine knows all the great places to eat.” In the back of Sebastian’s mind, he had a niggling feeling like his mother had an ulterior motive to the two siblings spending time together without their parents… Though he knew it wasn’t the moment nor the day to bring up his somewhat unusual concerns.

The following afternoon was busy as Mrs. Smythe began making assorted dishes for the guests who would arrive later that evening, leaving Sebastian and Blaine to help with that as well as helping with decorating the house. Sloane was relatively popular in her class and many people were expected to arrive. Every family member chipped in to make sure it would be the best eighteenth birthday for the youngest Smythe.

“Do you remember my eighteenth birthday?” Sebastian asked Blaine as the two of them hung streamers in the parlor. Mr. Smythe was sitting at his usual spot in his lounge chair, though he was focused on whatever show was playing on the television. “It was the last one we had together before you left for New York. We had it Halloween-themed; I remember specifically requesting a Halloween party because costume parties are your favorite.” The memory made Sebastian laugh fondly. All of his memories that involved Blaine were typically good memories that he cherished.

Blaine Anderson:

"I think you should try on the pink one next, I think it's going to be the one." Blaine called as he rolled over on his back to stretch. He lifted his head when he heard the door open, his face lighting up when he saw Sebastian coming through the door. "Well good morning, sunshine." He said as he sat up, smiling sweetly at the taller as he sat next to him on the bed. Blaine's heartbeat got a little quicker when he felt Sebastian's hand on his knee, making eye contact with him he sighed softly with a smile. "I'm sorry, I tried to wait for you but you were sleeping so good I couldn't bother you." Blaine placed his hand on Sebastian's, rubbing it slowly. He bit his lip gently, feeling that tension building again as it made the air thicker. He glanced down to hide his grin. "I was-" He stopped when Sloane came walking out of her closet.

Blaine shook his head gently, clearing his throat. "Yeah, no, you-you're good." He gave her a warning look when she covered her mouth before looking up at Sebastian. "Y-yeah I'll be down in just a minute." When the older Smythe was out of the room, Blaine took a breath, chuckling softly. "God."

Sloane giggled, placing her hands on her cheeks. "Oh, you guys are so dumb. It's so adorable."

Blaine finally helped Sloane choose a dress for that night, the pink one winning by a mile. Once he was finished he made his way downstairs to meet Sebastian for breakfast, greeting his parents with another hug and his usual politeness. Blaine listened to everything the family had to say about Sloane, genuinely impressed by how accomplished she was already at such a young age. He was also excited to hear that she would be living closer to New York and they could see her more often. "That's wonderful, Sloane." He said, delighted, shaking his head. "I am very proud of you and you know, of course, you are always welcome at our place." Blaine glanced at Sebastian, slipping his hand in the taller's under the table, smiling. "I know how much Sebastian loves you and misses you." He said as he turned his attention back to Sloane. "I can also show you the best train to take between us and New Haven.”

He piped in when he could between bites of food and exchanging glances with both of the Smythe siblings. Blaine was beginning to feel anxious for his forthcoming conversation with Sebastian, trying to enjoy the morning with the family but also wishing that the day would go faster so they could just talk. Blaine felt a little silly considering the whole reason they came to Westerville was to celebrate Sloane’s birthday but being there all wrapped up in the memories and his feelings were making him impatient.

Blaine got more and more eager as the day progressed, not really leaving Sebastian's side. His stomach fluttered anytime they would exchange glances or touch- which was often. Every time their hands brushed as they hung the balloons and streamers the tension between them would thicken. The shorter couldn't help but grin when Sebastian brought up his eighteenth birthday party, Sloane having taken a moment to go check on Samantha to help her with the food. "Mm, yes, I remember that party vividly." Blaine chuckled as he looked fondly at Sebastian, the memory igniting a flame deep in his stomach. "That was the night when you kissed me for the first time."

Blaine replayed the memory in his head, remembering how the two had snuck away from the party to talk in Sebastian's room, the feelings similar to the ones he was feeling again, the air thick with tension and yet they were still so comfortable together. They were deep in conversation when Blaine asked Sebastian to kiss him. It was the first time he'd given into his feelings for Sebastian and it was something he would never regret. He remembered their first kiss like it just happened-- Blaine felt things when their lips touched for the first time that he had never experienced with anyone else before.

"I remember that I came dressed as Kitten Boy." Blaine laughed softly. "That silly superhero costume I made for myself in high school." Another giggle escaped him as he pictured the scene. "We made out on your bed in costume-- I'm sure that would've been silly to see." Blaine stopped for a moment, looking at Sebastian as he came out of his little flashback, smiling at him with a soft sigh. “You know, Seb, I’ve been thinking…” His hands trembled ever so slightly as he stepped closer, reaching for Sebastian’s hand, he decided to take advantage of the short moment they had been left alone. “I-” And as the universe would have it, Sloane barged right in on the moment.

“Oh! Boys, this looks so great!” She came in, spinning around to look at the whole room taking in how wonderful the decorations were looking. She stopped in her tracks when she looked at the two, down at their hands. “Shit,” The younger Smythe cursed, chuckling. “I’m sorry guys, I did it again.” Sloane giggled softly. “I was just...I came to see if Blaine wanted to help me and mom with my hair.”

Blaine dropped his head, shaking it gently as he chuckled. “Y-yeah.” He gave up on the moment as it had been burst. “I’m coming.” He looked up at the taller man and brought his hand to his lips, kissing it gently. “I suppose I will just see you at the party tonight.”

Sebastian Smythe:

Sebastian chuckled at the memory; the days where he and Blaine were happy together for those few short months seemed to pass by in slow motion at the time, only to be remembered as a distant memory now. Back then, Kurt wasn’t in the picture because he and Blaine had broken up-- Apparently the distance between them was too much to handle. The news had rekindled his and Blaine’s relationship, turning their friendship into something a little more. The kiss they shared that night was the first of many and was what Sebastian had based all of his hope on that he and Blaine actually had a chance.

“Kitten Boy,” Sebastian parroted, fondly remembering the costume well. Blaine had looked so cute that night-- absolutely irresistible. “I hope you still have that outfit.” His eyes followed as Blaine stepped closer and reached out to take his hand, about to extend his hand when Sloane had the best fucking timing yet again. When his sister had stepped into the room, Sebastian cursed under his breath and shot her a dirty look. Shrugging and unable to really dispute Sloane’s offer for Blaine to help out with Sloane’s hair, he reluctantly agreed to see Blaine at the party. “S-sure, I’ll finish up out here and see you at the party.” Sebastian finished up decorating the parlor, letting out a heavy sigh.

“Sloane’s not the only one with terrible timing; did you know you were born on a night I was going to take your mother out for a romantic dinner… I had a night of dancing and live music with dinner planned and, heh-- Just terrible, terrible timing,” Mr. Smythe chuckled through a cough. “You know what I ended up doing? I brought your mother’s favorite CD to the hospital and we danced with you in the hospital room.”

The story made Sebastian smile as he approached his father and sat across from him. “I never pegged you as the romantic type, Dad. You were always so serious when I was a kid.”

Mr. Smythe nodded with a wheezy laugh, “I have my moments, son. I can be very romantic at times. And so you know, it’s genetic.” He made a nudging gesture and winked at Sebastian, “You and that boy back home here again? Don’t let this opportunity go to waste.”

With his father’s words of wisdom in his mind, Sebastian was determined to get his moment with Blaine. He continued helping around the house and even volunteered to pick up the cake when the time came. As the day grew later, guests began to fill the house and the party was soon underway. Teenagers danced as music flowed through the house and many mingled with Sloane, wishing her a happy birthday.

“This party blows-- There’s not even any alcohol,” Sebastian whispered to Blaine, joking with him as they stood somewhat along the sidelines and watched as the party progressed.  

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine took Sloane’s hand and let her pull him away and up the stairs, sighing heavily. “Sloane, sweetie, you know I love you as if you were my own sister but you have the worst timing.” He chuckled, following her into her bedroom to help her get ready, helping her curl her blonde hair and then zipping up her dress once she was all ready. He gave her a once over before nodding, she looked gorgeous in the pink dress that sparkled and hit her right at the knee. “You look like a princess.” Blaine told her before kissing her cheek. “Now you have to help me out.” Sloane then helped him pick out the best outfit to look the most handsome that night, letting her know that he was going to tell Sebastian how he felt and ask him to officially be his boyfriend that night. They both took a moment to squeal and jump up and down before she helped him get dressed, advising him to use a normal person’s amount of gel and not how she remembered him wearing it in high school.

Later that night the party was officially underway and all of the teenagers filled the room, dancing to the loud music booming out of the speakers. As Blaine watched the teens dancing, it brought him back to when he and Sebastian were that age and made him think of the taller’s eighteenth birthday party. It looked almost the same just with different decorations and less Warblers. He chuckled when Sebastian whispered to him, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed loosely. “We could always spike our own punch- if I remember correctly, your father has quite the liquor cabinet.” Blaine joked right back, looking at the taller. He looked Sebastian up and down slowly, appreciating how nice he looked, it made his heart skip a beat.

“C’mon, let’s make it less boring.” He said, setting his drink down on the nearest surface, turning his back to the crowd to grab both of Sebastian’s hands, pulling him closer to the sea of dancing teens. “Dance with me.” Blaine found the medium rhythm of the music with his body and he began to dance. “When’s the last time we danced together, hm?” The shorter asked, pulling Sebastian closer to him by his shirt. “Also, you look extremely handsome tonight. Like, you are always handsome but tonight you look exceptionally good.” His voice was low just for him to hear over the music.

Sebastian Smythe:

Sebastian followed suit with Blaine, setting his own drink down before the two made their way where everyone else was dancing. “Spiking our punch with a little somethin’-somethin’ sounds like it’ll definitely liven this party up a bit. In the meantime, however…” He placed a hand on Blaine’s waist, moving his hips to the music. Dancing among the crowd of teenagers definitely made Sebastian feel like he was back in high school and courting Blaine to rejoin the Warblers and date him. Maybe all that flirting had paid off in the end considering where the two were now. “I want to dance all my dances with you, B,” Sebastian murmured back, enjoying their close proximity. “I don’t think we’ve danced like this since back at my party… We were the hottest piece of Warbler gossip then.” Sebastian chuckled low in his voice, enjoying the shorter man’s moves. Of the two, Sebastian always considered Blaine the better dancer.

As they continued to dance, they somehow stepped closer together, their bodies all but pressed up against one another. They locked eyes with one another and Sebastian could feel that same tension he’d felt earlier that day. Words that weighed heavily on both their minds, impatiently waiting to be spoken. “Hey,” Sebastian spoke up, some of the tension between them lifting but only slightly. “Do you wanna get outta here?” They both knew that his parents had situated themselves in the smaller family room where they could enjoy slight peace and quiet, and Sloane was most likely off somewhere else entertaining her guests.

Sebastian took Blaine’s hand and swiped a bottle of Bacardi from his father’s liquor cabinet before sneaking off upstairs to his bedroom. They managed to make it inside and Sebastian locked the door behind him. He opened the bottle of rum and took a generous swig, the liquid burning as it traveled down into the bottom of his stomach. “Want some?” He asked, offering the bottle to Blaine. He hoped that a little liquid courage might coerce the words out of them.

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine’s insides fluttered and he fell a little harder for Sebastian when he used that cheesy line on him, agreeing with the sentiment wholeheartedly. He wrapped his arms tight around Sebastian’s neck to dance even closer to him, the tension between them causing his cheeks to warm as if he’d taken a shot of alcohol already. Blaine’s eyes never left Sebastian’s and when the taller suggested they get out of there all he could do was bite his lip and nod gently. Blaine laced their fingers together when Sebastian took his hand and he held it tightly, allowing the other to lead him through the house. He grinned to himself as Sebastian grabbed the bottle of rum and they made their way upstairs.

Blaine’s heart beat hard against his chest once they were alone in Sebastian’s bedroom, his palms starting to sweat ever so lightly. This was it, they were alone for the night and this would be his chance. He kicked off his shoes and undid his bowtie, letting it lay untied on around his neck as he kneeled onto the bed, maneuvering to sit with his legs crossed underneath him. “Yes, please.” He nodded, reaching for the bottle, taking a big gulp or two. “Mm, I’m having a really good time with you, y’know.” He offered, smiling at his best friend. “It’s so crazy being back here… back in this house… in your room.” Blaine shook his head, glancing down for a brief moment before looking back at Sebastian. “Feels like that night of your birthday party.”

Blaine patted the bed in front of him for Sebastian to come sit with him. “C’mere.” His voice was soft and his insides felt as if they were melting so he took another drink of the rum, drinking just enough to attempt to calm his frazzled nerves, not enough to get drunk because he didn’t want anything getting in the way of what he wanted to tell Sebastian. “I’ve been thinking a lot today...especially since you brought up your party. I was thinking about it and that night.” He smiled, shaking his head. “I’m...I’m really happy to be here with you again.”

Sebastian Smythe:

Sebastian undid the first few buttons on his shirt, allowing him to feel more at ease before he toed off his own shoes and moved toward the bed. He sat down across from Blaine, making himself comfortable before he took back the bottle for another swig. It didn’t seem the alcohol was having any effect on him yet but he hoped it would at least help him relax further. It felt freeing to be alone in his room with Blaine, just talking and being together.

He smiled at Blaine’s sentiments, knowing that being back in Westerville-- in his childhood home-- that there were definitely memories and feelings that came rushing back for the both of them. “It really was an unforgettable night-- one of my favorites, really.” Sebastian admitted honestly, placing the alcohol on the nightstand. “I’m really happy that you’re here with me, too. I have a feeling that before this night is over, it’ll be one of my new favorites.”

Sebastian leaned forward and brought his hand up to cup at Blaine’s face. “You mean everything to me.” His voice was just above a whisper, as if the words he was speaking were meant for Blaine’s ears only and he was afraid anyone else might overhear him. The music from downstairs could be heard faintly through the bedroom door, not nearly loud enough to obstruct their conversation. “I’d do anything and everything to make you happy.”

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine’s eyes fluttered when Sebastian cupped his cheek, leaning into the taller’s touch as he let out a soft breath. The words that rolled off his tongue made the butterflies in his stomach multiply, he could feel the emotion building up inside of him, pushing his heart up into his throat. “You mean everything to me, too.” He whispered, looking Sebastian right in the eyes, his own eyes slightly glossy. “I am happy. Because of you.” The tension that had been following them all day making it’s presence known, thickening the longer they sat there. “Sebastian, I...I have really been wanting to talk to you and it seemed that every time I tried to today, your sister took my moment.” He chuckled softly, biting his lip as he glanced down, letting his fingertips graze over Sebastian’s forearm down to his hand. “I meant what I said last night, you know.” He began, knowing there was no turning back from this moment.

Blaine’s honey eyes wandered up to lock with Sebastian’s and he shook his head. “Sebastian, I love you.” He repeated his words from the night before, they fell heavily off his tongue. They held more meaning this time than they ever had before. “I regret everything that I have done that kept me away from this, away from you.” He felt intensely as he spoke, allowing himself to feel the emotion he’d been trying to suppress since they met was overwhelming. It almost made him dizzy. “I should have never left you in high school and I should have never gotten back with Kurt; that was the worst mistake I have ever made and I am so, so, thankful that I have gotten this second chance with you.”

Blaine sniffled softly, the feelings getting to him a little. “I’m thankful that you are giving me this second chance to make everything right again. I still want to apologize to you for putting you through everything that I did. You deserved-- deserve-- so much better than that. Better than me.” He spoke intensely as he confessed all of those thoughts to Sebastian, conveying just through his body language and tone that he meant every word with all of his heart. “You...you are the most wonderful man I have ever known, Seb.” By that moment Blaine had managed to take both of the taller’s hands to hold them in his own.

Sebastian Smythe:

Sebastian remained quiet as he listened to his dear friend speak, chuckling only when the comment about his ill-timing sister was made. It was obvious that Blaine was genuinely speaking from the heart-- pouring out his soul to Sebastian. A slight frown faltered Sebastian’s soft smile when he noticed Blaine’s eyes gloss over, wet with tears wanting to spill over. Before he could make a move to reach out to him, Blaine had already taken his hands into his own. He felt Blaine’s words reverberate through his entire body. They’d both said “I love you’s” to each other countless amounts of times since they were mere teenagers and Sebastian always understood the boundaries then; he knew then that those words didn’t mean what he wanted them to mean for all those years. Tonight, however, he knew that Blaine meant them differently. He knew that Blaine was very purposefully trying to communicate the depth and intensity of his feelings for him. Sebastian could feel it pulsating in and around him.

“I love you too,” he replied to Blaine, unsure if those words would ever be enough to describe the adoration and yearning he had for the other man. “I’ve always loved you.” He could sense the deep regret within Blaine for the mistakes of the past but Sebastian wouldn’t ever hold it against him or make him feel bad. Maybe Sebastian might’ve done that with someone else, but not with Blaine.

Blaine was special. Blaine would always be special to him.

Sebastian brought Blaine’s hand to meet his lips, kissing it softly and lingering for a moment. “B, I’ll always give you a second chance-- a third and fourth chance, even. Maybe that’s stupid or reckless, but I’d risk losing you again and again if it meant I could be with you, even if it’s just for a little while. It’s the least I could do after what you did for me.” Sebastian swallowed a lump in his throat, his hands trembling just a bit in Blaine’s. Now he was the one to feel the buildup of the day’s tension bubbling up and spilling over all at once. He laughed wetly, amused that he ever really showed any type of real emotion only when he was with Blaine. He was the only one who could pierce right through every wall he ever built up. “Y-you don’t have to say such nice things to me or act like I did this big, heroic thing by accepting you after everything between you and Kurt happened. I mean, you thought that Kurt was your soulmate.” He tried his best to communicate his understanding and that there were never any negative feelings about anything that happened back then, but he still couldn’t help but to look away. In reality, Blaine leaving all those years ago had been a big blow to Sebastian; it had left him an emptier kind of man for sometime before he could pick himself up and move on. “... I wasn’t going to keep you from being happy even if it meant I couldn’t have you.”

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine was thankful for the few chugs he'd had of the alcohol because if not for that he might've spun out and tripped all over his words but instead he was saying the things he wanted to say loud and clear and he was positive he was getting his message across. He smiled sweetly at the taller when he told him that he'd always loved him, the words he'd always known of still causing him to melt. Blaine was also thankful that he was definitely one of the ones - if not the only one - who could pass right through Sebastian's walls and get through to him.

Blaine felt guilty that Sebastian gave him any credit for doing anything for him after all he'd put him through, knowing how Seb felt for him, teasing him with hope of a relationship and then just leaving him alone. He'd been terrible to Sebastian and he didn't deserve that second or third or fourth chance. He watched as Sebastian kissed his hand, the kiss sparking a flame underneath his skin. He shook his head. "I know I don't deserve another chance, I know that. And that's why I'm promising you right now that I will do everything within my power to make sure you never get hurt again." Blaine promised him, Sebastian unknowing that Blaine meant emotionally and physically, seeing as Nightbird would always be there to protect Sebastian from getting hurt.

"No," Blaine shook his head again, moving to sit on his knees so he could be closer to Sebastian, holding his hands. "I do have to say these things to you because that's just it. I thought Kurt was my soulmate but he is not. He is so far from it and I should have realized it then but I was so dumb." He took Sebastian's face in his hands. "I should have seen it because you were the one who was there for me, you are the one who has always been right there when I called for you, you are the one who always knows just what to do or say to make me feel good about myself. You are the one. You are my soulmate, Sebastian, and I know that now." Blaine's eyes were locked with Sebastian's as he spoke, urgent and sincere.

His voice softened as he looked at the other, he could feel the words bubbling up in his chest, the words he had never said to Sebastian before even though he knew he felt them deep down. He had never felt as if he were allowed to feel them so he suppressed them and moved on with Kurt. But in that moment he felt them and he knew he was going to say them and he knew the gravity of it. “Seb,” Blaine whispered, brushing his thumbs over the other’s cheeks. “I’m in love with you.” When the words jumped from his tongue he felt free. More free than he had ever felt. Blaine pulled Sebastian’s face closer to his to close the space between them, crashing their lips together, kissing him in such a way that he never had before- letting all of his feelings pour out of him into the kiss.

Sebastian Smythe:

Sebastian couldn’t look away from Blaine as the words echoed through his head. He wouldn’t look away. He felt like the entire world had stopped revolving and only he and Blaine existed in this point of time, staring into each other’s eyes as Blaine declared that they were soulmates. Sebastian felt claimed; he felt that Blaine was accepting him wholeheartedly and completely into his life-- wiping away any and all doubt in Sebastian’s mind that what they had wasn’t real. Having Blaine’s hand on him made him feel grounded; it was as if Blaine were his anchor and he had a purpose for existing. Blaine was his reason for being here.

When Blaine admitted that he was in love with him, Sebastian felt something catch in his throat and it was as if something inside of him had been unlocked. They were words he had been dying to hear-- words that Sebastian only dreamed and imagined the Blaine Anderson would ever utter to him and here he was, sitting right in front of him and openly admitting it. Before Sebastian could collect his thoughts or admit that he, too, was very much in love with Blaine, they were suddenly kissing and that was all Sebastian needed.

He kissed Blaine back with fervor, all the resistance he had put up for himself melted away in but an instant. His hands wrapped around the smaller man’s waist as they maneuvered closer to each other on the bed with their bodies pressed together. He had longed for Blaine to kiss him like this-- to want him like this. It was something in which Sebastian had waited years. He pulled away breathlessly, his eyes glossed over from sheer happiness as he looked at Blaine’s flushed face with an overjoyed laugh. “God, Blaine, I’m so fucking in love with you,” he declared, the words ringing clearer and truer than ever, since it first became just a thought within Sebastian’s subconscious.

Sebastian leaned in for another kiss, hungry for more from the man-- for his soulmate. His lips parted slightly, deepening the kiss as he led the man to lay down on the bed, his hand holding the small of his back for support as their legs tangled together. Sebastian could feel his heart beating against his chest, quicker than its usual speed-- even for a speedster. He continued to kiss Blaine as they laid in bed together, flashes of memories when they were in high school fading into the forefront of his mind. Just like that night, he had always wanted Blaine. His hand found its way to stroke up and down Blaine’s side, relishing in how the man’s body felt so much like home. “Bl-Blaine… I want you so bad,” Sebastian murmured as he kissed Blaine’s neck, sucking little marks into his hot flesh.

Blaine Anderson:

The shorter whined against Sebastian’s lips after he reciprocated Blaine’s feelings and leaned in for another kiss, moving with him so he could lay back on the bed. His heart was beating so hard he feared it could burst out of his chest at any moment, a fire spreading through his body as they both deepened the kiss. It was very reminiscent of the night they shared on Sebastian’s eighteenth birthday, only the clear difference was that everything was out in the open. Both of their hearts were completely open and those honest, raw feelings were out in the open, never to be taken back.

When Blaine was laid back onto the bed, he wrapped his arms around Sebastian’s neck just to slowly drag his hands down the taller’s neck, over his jawline to cup his face again, kissing him deeper. Chills rose on his skin at the feeling of Sebastian’s hands on his sides, his entire body shuddering when his lips touched Blaine’s neck, causing the shorter to bite his lip. Blaine’s eyes fluttered closed and shaky breaths left his lips when he could feel the hot breath from Sebastian's hushed words against his skin and it stirred something inside of him that traveled quickly to his lower regions. With his hands traveling lower, he tugged at Sebastian’s shirt so that they could gain access to his skin, nodding his head gently and quickly as he ran his hands up Sebastian’s back and then down again, relishing the feeling of his skin. “P-please.” He breathed, pushing at the top of the other’s pants. “I want you. Need you.”

Blaine had envisioned having sex with Sebastian a thousand times - it was hard not to when Sebastian was so suggestive throughout their entire relationship. Not to mention the few times they had gotten each other off by just grinding against each other back in highschool. He never thought they would really go all the way but he knew that if it turned out anything close to what he imagined then he was going to be blown away. Images of the two naked in the bed, moaning and gasping, clutching to each other for dear life, flashed through his mind and it only turned him on further. He arched his back a little as he kissed Sebastian hungrily again, spreading his legs under the other and tugging at his clothes a little. “Please, Seb.” His voice was soft, desperate, just barely audible as it was surrounded by his shaking breath.

Sebastian Smythe:

Sebastian felt too hot in his own skin. Every touch and noise that came from the man underneath him sent thrills throughout his body that needed to be addressed immediately. Reluctantly pulling back from an eager kiss, Sebastian undid the buttons of his shirt and whipped it off somewhere, forgotten. So many times he had pictured this scenario in his head and it was really happening right here and now. He loved the way Blaine begged for him-- how the other man’s hands fumbled with his pants. It took little to no time for Sebastian to make work of Blaine’s cute top, pulling it up and over his head and tossing it in the same general direction that he did for his own shirt. He sat back for a moment, looking down at Blaine’s naked torso and breathed in awe. Of course there were times he’d seen the man topless before but in his bed? Pleading for sex? The sight alone sent a rush of blood to his cock and Sebastian whined as he bit his lip. “I want to give you everything,” he told Blaine, undoing and getting rid of his own pants before he helped Blaine out of his.

Though Sebastian was no stranger to sex, there was a thoughtfulness he had with Blaine that he hadn’t ever had with his now-irrelevant sexual conquests. “Want to make you feel good, B,” he whispered, palming at the other’s groin over the cloth of his snug underwear. He could feel Blaine begin to harden directly under his touch and he leaned down to press another hot and fleeting kiss to the boy’s lips before moving down and kissing his neck and down to his chest. “I love your body,” he told Blaine, letting his tongue skin over one of the other’s pointed nipples. He relished every little sound and movement Blaine made as Sebastian continued to explore Blaine’s body, pressing soft kisses down his torso.

With quick movements, Sebastian pulled Blaine’s underwear down and off of him, revealing the man’s hardened cock. “Oh, baby,” Sebastian could see how hard Blaine was for him already and it made his stomach do flips. He licked at the thick shaft before wrapping his lips around the head. Wrapping his hand around the shaft, he kept his eyes trained on Blaine’s face for a reaction.

Blaine Anderson:

Every move that Sebastian made caused Blaine's heart to race even faster. His face flushed red with heat when they were both finally unclothed and he reached forward for Sebastian, wanting to feel him. He took advantage of every moment he could, touching any part of the taller that he could get his hands on, his breath coming out heavier, Sebastian's words making his insides twist and turn every time. "I want everything, want you. Wanna feel you." He begged softly.

His divorce and Kurt were so far out of his mind that if asked he might not even remember Kurt's name. He was so close to being out of that marriage and he was so done with Kurt that it didn't even matter anymore.

As Sebastian touched and kissed Blaine’s body, it moved with him-- arching his back, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths, his hands shaking, humming and moaning softly with every little touch. He tried his best to take in every moment of what was happening, every move-- breath, touch, kiss-- felt incredible and he could feel his nerve endings sparking as Sebastian made his way down his body. As much as he tried to keep his cool, it was impossible. His body shaking and his cock hardening with every second that passed completely gave away how he was feeling and how badly he wanted this-- how badly he wanted Sebastian.

He helped Sebastian take off his boxer-briefs by lifting up his hips, his hazel eyes glued to the taller man that kneeled over him, he was finally completely naked in front of Sebastian in all of his hard glory. He only briefly felt insecure because he hadn’t been naked in front of anyone in a really long time. When Sebastian called him baby, Blaine bit his lip, his cheeks deepened in color and the corners of his mouth quirking upwards. He spread his legs a little more for Sebastian, pressing his feet into the mattress. His eyes fluttered, letting his head fall back onto the pillow when Sebastian’s warm mouth surrounded the head of his member, a gasp catching in his throat at the feeling of other’s hand wrapping firmly around him. “Oh,” Blaine’s voice was low, just a breath. He carefully rolled his hips upwards, trying to feel more, needing to feel more. “Mm, please ‘Bastian.” Blaine whined, shamelessly desperate for everything that was about to happen.

He gathered up enough strength to hold himself up on his elbows so he could look down at Sebastian, giving him a soft nod, his chest moving with soft, deep breaths, giving him encouragement to proceed. He licked his lips slowly, letting them part as their eyes caught one another again. Sebastian was so attractive-- so intensely hot-- just the sight of him between Blaine’s legs made the shorter even harder, even more excited for the experience they were sharing.

Sebastian Smythe:

When Blaine rolled his hips forward, Sebastian hummed around the other’s cock, hollowing out his mouth to take in more of him. He gently pushed Blaine’s legs apart further, his free hand rubbing comfortingly up and down his thigh. He sucked in earnest, doing his best to make Blaine feel as incredible as he felt whenever he was with him. He watched as Blaine’s back arched back as he was enraptured in pleasure, pulling off and licking his lips with a slight smirk. Sebastian’s ego inflated greatly when he saw how needy and wanton Blaine was for him. His hand worked Blaine’s dick lazily, stroking up and down the shaft as his thumb swiped at the head, precome spreading. ` “Gorgeous,” he mumbled, leaning down to capture Blaine’s lips in a messy kiss. He closed his eyes and sucked in a breath of air, willing his own erection to not rush into things. As much as Sebastian would’ve love to just have his way with Blaine, he knew what tonight meant. This was his first time with Blaine and he wanted more than to just get off. He wanted this to be an experience neither one of them would ever forget. So when Blaine whined for him again, Sebastian leaned over to the nightstand and rummaged until he procured what he’d been looking for: a condom and a bottle of tube. Sitting back with his knees pressing into the bed under him, Sebastian tore the condom wrapper and easily slid the rubber onto his cock. He looked up from his erection to Blaine, who seemed just as ready as him.

He instructed Blaine to spread his legs and bend his knees, unable to stop himself from licking his lips when the other’s puckered hole came into sight. “Fuck,” he cursed under his breath, temptation winning out as he slicked his fingers with lube before pressing a single digit into Blaine’s entrance, experimenting. Sebastian wanted to know what made Blaine feel good and what he didn’t like-- to make this experience the most noteworthy. The smaller man felt so tight around his one finger, he wasn’t sure how he could possibly fit his cock inside of him but God willing, he would try his damnedest.

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine gripped the comforter beneath him, letting himself fall back against the pillows again as Sebastian took him into his mouth even further, all it took was gentle direction and Blaine moved exactly the way Sebastian wanted him to whether it be spreading his legs at the right moment or pushing his hips up to help the taller take more of him in when he wanted. Sebastian left trails of fire under his skin by the way he rubbed Blaine’s thighs. The shorter arched his back, gasping loudly at one point at the way Sebastian skillfully sucked on him, feeling himself growing even harder. He could see himself easily getting addicted to the feeling that came with being inside of Sebastian's warm, moist mouth.

Blaine's forehead wrinkled and he whined looking up at his lover, his face fell into a grin when he saw Sebastian's smirk, giggling softly. "Seb, don't tease me." He whined, squirming under the taller, arching his back again more exaggerated and slowly, enticing Sebastian to continue. "Mmm," He moaned softly against the other's lips when he kissed him, kissing him back with desperation. Blaine could see what Sebastian was doing and it only made him fall for him harder. This was their first time. It was Blaine and Sebastian's first time having sex and it was a moment for the history books.

He smiled lovingly up when their kiss broke. "You're gorgeous." He whispered softly, pulling him down to kiss him again before letting out a whine, running his hands along Sebastian's sides, holding onto his hips as he pressed his hips up to brush their erections together. Blaine leaned up to kiss whatever parts of Sebastian's neck and jaw he could reach as the taller reached for the nightstand to grab what they needed to proceed. Blaine obeyed Sebastian's wishes and spread his legs more, bending his knees to give them a better position. After licking his lips, he bit down hard on his lip, his eyes had long since grown dark and he watched Sebastian’s every move with a ravenous expression, mentally preparing himself for what was about to happen.

Blaine’s lips parted when he felt Sebastian’s finger push past his entrance, gasping Sebastian’s name, a deep wrinkle setting in his forehead. As his body slowly got used to the intrusion, a light smile pulled at his lips and he moved himself down to try and feel more of the other’s finger, rolling his hips slowly. “Mmm, more.” Blaine groaned, moving himself down again against Sebastian’s finger, letting his body get more used to the feeling as he ran his hands up his sides, stomach and chest slowly, another whine escaping him while wrapped around his words. “Want you.”

Sebastian Smythe:

Sebastian felt the ring of muscle tensing around the width of his finger as he pushed in deeper, waiting until Blaine’s body grew relaxed and used to the intrusion. He watched with adoration and lust as Blaine asked for more, deciding it would only be right to comply with his wishes. Sliding his finger out, he watched as the gaping hole flexed itself, gripping around nothing as if shocked by the sudden loss.

His cock bobbed unflaggingly, hard and ready to bury itself inside of Blaine once and for all. He positioned himself accordingly and lined his hard cock with the man’s tight entrance. The blunt tip of his cock rested against Blaine as Sebastian looked up to gaze into Blaine’s golden eyes. His hand gripped at Blaine’s hips, non-verbally communicating to ready himself. He began by slowly squeezing his member inside of Blaine, nearly overwhelmed by the incredible tightness that surrounded him. His jaw fell slack with a stilted gasp, trying his best to not rush. He knew that he was a lot to take in so he entered Blaine slowly, watching him carefully to be sure he wasn’t causing him any harm. “I’m sorry, I love you, I’m sorry,” he murmured quietly, coaxingly rubbing up and down Blaine’s sides in an attempt to help him relax. Sebastian just wanted to make Blaine felt good. He wanted to feel him close. Sure, he was really turned on and desperately hard, but Blaine was of the utmost importance. There wasn’t any other instance where he’d ever felt closer or more in love with Blaine Anderson and he wanted to make every moment count.

Once he was fully seated within Blaine, Sebastian stilled. He leaned forward as much as he could, kissing Blaine’s chest. He didn’t want to start moving until he knew his beautiful boy was alright.

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine never let his eyes leave Sebastian's as he slipped his finger out of him, only fluttering when a whine fell from his mouth again. He felt very empty in that moment and he wanted to feel full, he wanted Sebastian deep inside of him, only imagining how it would feel made his cock throb harder. His heartbeat fluttered in tune with his eyelids at the way Sebastian looked at him. He knew the other man better than anyone and he knew that he was the only one in the history of Sebastian's sexual encounters who ever got the kind of loving, careful treatment he was getting. They were so in tune with each other that they could communicate non-verbally just by looking and touching and it was something he himself had never had with anyone else.  When Sebastian took his hips gently, yet firmly, he pushed down on the bed a little to position himself better to make it easier for both of them.

The shorter felt Sebastian begin to push into his entrance, sucking in a sharp breath, he bit down hard on his lip. His forehead wrinkled and he gripped the comforter between his fingers. It was definitely a lot to take in and as masochistic as it might've sounded, he loved that stinging, burning feeling that came with being stretched by the other man's cock. He thirsted for it as his own erection throbbed, aching to be touched.  Letting his teeth drag over his bottom lip he looked up at Sebastian, letting out a shaky breath and shaking his head. He thought it cute the way Sebastian was so concerned for him-- if he only knew how much Blaine loved that feeling. "Mm, no, don’t worry." he shook his head, placing his hand on the other's, speaking words of reassurance. "Love the way you feel."

When Sebastian was finally as far inside of him as he could be, Blaine lifted his legs higher to hook them on the taller's body near his waist, wanting to feel him closer. "Seb," His whole body trembled, causing his soft whispers to shake as he ran his hands up Sebastian's back, his touch gently and loving. The feelings he was having in that moment were almost too overwhelming for him to handle, never having felt so in love with someone before. "I love you," He parroted the words back to his lover, nodding his head gently as he smiled up at him. "I love you."  

Blaine knew that Sebastian was waiting for his signal to start moving so he didn't waste any time after his words of affection,  he pushed himself up a little to let Sebastian know he was more than ready for him to move, his eyes fluttering again. His lips parted and a trembling whimper fell from him. "Please," He knew that's all he needed to say.

Sebastian Smythe:

Sebastian ran his hand up and down Blaine’s torso, his fingers tracing the little bends and dips of muscles along his body. It was evident that the man probably still kept a somewhat active regimen, though that it wasn’t something that took priority in his life. He loved that Blaine wasn’t too lanky nor too muscular; the man was absolutely perfect. Blaine was perfect for him and when he was inside of him, that feeling only strengthened. He could feel his cock within Blaine pulsating, his strong heartbeat reverberating throughout the boy’s limber body. He knew that this feeling was the most physically connected and intimate he could ever be with another human being, and he was forever grateful he could share this experience with Blaine.

“Doing so good for me, babe-- taking me so well,” his broken sentences fell gently from his lips as he praised his lover, moving only slightly at first. Sebastian could see that Blaine was desperate for more. He bent forward, sliding his hands up and under Blaine's chest. Fingers slowly circled Blaine's nipples in time with slow, gentle thrusts, and Sebastian kissed wherever he could reach. Soon, he found a steady rhythm that benefited the both of them and his breath began coming out in shorter pants. He could feel Blaine opening up for him more and more with each thrust, allowing Sebastian to move with a bit more force each time. “So good for me,” Sebastian repeated, snapping his hips forward with a sudden jolt as his hand found Blaine’s thigh, gripping it for stability. He had to be careful that his powers not slip through-- that he took his time with everything and that he wouldn’t get ahead of himself. He rolled his hips in time, chuckling breathlessly as Blaine moved his own hips to meet him and deepen each thrust. “You’re so tight-- I fucking love you,” he growled, nipping at Blaine’s neck.

Blaine Anderson:

Chills rose on Blaine's body when Sebastian praised him, the words making his insides tingle all over.  "Ugh, god." He groaned as the taller moved, arching his back slightly when he felt Sebastian's thumbs over his nipples, the sensation almost enough for him to have an orgasm right then and there.  Everything felt so intense, almost too intense when Sebastian moved a bit faster, both of them finding a rhythm perfect for them.  Blaine felt so hot as if a searing fire was running wild underneath his skin, melting it from the inside out. He was certain at any moment they would burn right through the comforter and sheets spread across Sebastian's bed.

The way he felt, feeling Sebastian deep inside of him, feeling so full, it was indescribable and it caused him to moan out in immense pleasure. He began moving his body in tune with Sebastian's to meet his thrusts, being sure to take him as deep as he possibly could, his hungry entrance clenching around the other's hard cock every so often.  Desperate whimpers of Sebastian's name and a couple of profanities jumped from his tongue as his breaths began to come out harder and quicker. A grin pulled at the corner of Blaine's lips when Sebastian growled against his neck,  groaning louder as a reaction to the way the other bit at his neck. Blaine gripped onto Sebastian's back, arching his own again as he moved his hips a bit faster, letting one of his hands run up the other's neck and tangle in his hair. He turned his head to pant against Sebastian's ear, murmuring against it. "Harder." His voice was low, wrapped up in a soft growl of his own before it melted into a desperate whine, tugging at Sebastian's hair. "Sebastian, please."

Blaine could feel himself getting closer and closer to the edge with each thrust, his rock hard erection rubbing between their slick bodies, he tried his best to keep his cries of pleasure quiet but he was failing to do so. It just felt entirely too incredible and he was eternally grateful for the music that continued to boom loudly from downstairs. The room full of teenagers did not need to hear Blaine moaning and swearing and calling out Sebastian's name like he was in some pornographic film.

Sebastian Smythe:

Hearing Blaine whisper little profanities as he was being fucked was something Sebastian fantasized many times but he never thought he would look and sound so delicious. Blaine’s fingers raking through and tugging his hair spurred him on even more, snapping his hips forward again to thrust into the man especially deep. Doing so had Sebastian letting out a guttural moan, feeling himself getting close to his tipping point. Sebastian's hips shuddered into an erratic rhythm. He sucked in a shaky breath and closed his eyes, willing himself not to come just yet. “Fuck, B, you’re making this way too fucking good,” he warned, looking down at his lover through half-lidded eyes.

His hand reached out and grasped at Blaine’s incredibly hard cock, feeling it nearly throb in his hand. Sebastian timed his hips with his hand, stroking Blaine as he thrust into him. At this point he could feel beads of sweat begin to form at his brow and down the back of his neck, and he knew Blaine was growing closer too. He leaned in as much as his body would allow while still multitasking fucking into Blaine while jerking him off at the same time. He could see the way his brow furrowed up, a wrinkle settling into his forehead as he was overcome with pleasure. Sebastian loved that he was the one to see Blaine like that. He was the cause of Blaine feeling so overwhelmed with excitement and intensity-- that he would be the cause for Blaine eventually coming all over his childhood bed sheets.

“You’re mine,” he said in a low voice, hot and heavy. “You’re mine and no one else is ever gonna get to see you like this.” Sebastian spoke the words as if they were fact; he was very certain of himself that he could keep Blaine satisfied and that as long as he was around, no one else would get the privilege of having Blaine this way ever again. “Want you to come for me.” He emphasized the last word, his hand pumping up and down on Blaine’s cock with vigor.

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine kept his body moving in tune with Sebastian's as they moved harder, chasing the orgasm that was building rapidly inside of him. His breath came out in hard pants and the noises he made only got louder when he felt Sebastian's hand wrap around his erection. Blaine's body shook, his hands trembling as he grabbed the taller wherever he could reach, gripping onto him for dear life. He was so close to the edge that all it took was Sebastian's possessive words to push him right over.  "Gonna come for you, Seb. Wanna come only for you." He definitely liked the dialogue between them when they had sex, it was nothing like Kurt at all- Kurt was quiet except for his high-pitched moans and screams and god forbid Blaine say anything like the words he just uttered to Sebastian. He really liked the way Sebastian spoke to him, he loved the possessive nature in which he spoke. It was a big turn on for him.

The overwhelming, emotional feelings caused the fire in his body to isolate to his stomach, and he felt his bottom half beginning to tense. It started in his hips, the muscles in his thighs burning as the muscles near and around his groin tensed. When his orgasm began to hit him, his eyes slammed shut and he threw his head back, completely letting go.

Blaine's jaw fell slack and all of the muscles in his body contracted as he moved desperately against Sebastian to ride his orgasm for everything it was worth, bright stars exploded behind his eyelids and he barely recognized his own voice when he called out Sebastian's name. He chanted it like a mantra as his body shook with the intense pleasure he was feeling, fucking himself into Sebastian's hand as he came, his abs glistening in the low light with his own come.

"I'm yours, I'm yours." It was the most intense orgasm Blaine had ever experienced and that was no exaggeration. He had never felt so connected with someone both physically and emotionally. He used to think he and Kurt were that connected but, boy, was he wrong. Having sex with your soulmate was way more intense and way better than having sex with anyone else. He didn't know that an orgasm could feel so good that he almost blacked out.

Sebastian Smythe:

Watching the way Blaine so eagerly fucked into Sebastian’s hand, making noises that should’ve been deemed illegal drove Sebastian mad. He was pumping his hand furiously, watching as thick spurts of come shot out of Blaine’s cock and onto his gorgeous, glistening body. He swore he never saw another human being so absolutely breathtaking in his life. He loved the way Blaine’s voice sounded when he affirmed the fact that he belonged only to him; it gave Sebastian the satisfaction of knowing he and he alone was the one to give his lover what he needed. He continued to stroke Blaine through his orgasm until he felt it shudder in his hand and as it began to fall flaccid, he let go.

As Blaine’s body began to fall limp, experiencing aftershocks from his orgasm, Sebastian’s hands moved to grip the smaller man’s hips. His thrusts became moreso erratic and though Blaine had already finished coming, Sebastian shoved in anyways, holding Blaine tight at the hips. He felt his orgasm teetering on the edge. He tilted him just right so he could hit Blaine's prostate with one especially sharp thrust. The shock of it made Sebastian gasp raggedly, mouth hinged open, brow scrunched up with a mixed mixture of pleasure and delicious pain. “Mine, mine, mine, mine!” Sebastian chanted possessively as he was sent toppling over his limit. He let everything go and came. Hard. Had he not been wearing a condom, he knew that his orgasm would've been a messy one. WIth eyes screwed shut, his hips ground into Blaine as he rode out his incredible orgasm.

“Fuck,” he shuddered as soon as he began to descend from his climax. His body felt like it was shaking from his very core. He was becoming over-sensitive at this point, his hips moving slower as he stumbled forward. His hands caught himself against the headboard before he lowered himself onto Blaine, his chest heaving with exhausted gasps for air. He looked down at Blaine and gently eased himself down against him, slipping his soft cock and wincing in the process.

His body still shook from such an intense orgasm, his brain scrambled and unable to form a coherent sentence. “.. ‘mazing,” he mumbled against Blaine’s neck, attempting to nuzzle against him but his overtired body unwilling to do so. He could feel his hot breath bouncing off of Blaine’s skin and back against his face. “... I love you.”

Blaine Anderson: 

Blaine came, shaking and groaning, covering his body and even some of the sheets in his hot liquid until he couldn't come anymore. He bit down hard on his lip as Sebastian continued to ride out his own orgasm even though Blaine had come.  Just like the initial stretching of his entrance when they first started, the masochist in him thoroughly enjoyed the slightly painful feeling that came with Sebastian fucking into him as his orgasm started to wear off, before it could get to be too much to handle the taller was coming and Blaine kept his eyes glued to his lover.

"Mmm, Sebastian." He hummed, still panting and whining as the other moved against him, he still had a tight grip on him-- definitely leaving marks in the shape of his fingers on Sebastian's sides that would make for nice bruises the next morning. He whimpered out loud when he felt the other hit his prostate, clenching around Sebastian's pulsating cock and his forehead wrinkled.  He knew how sore he would be in the morning but he wasn't about to regret one moment or movement; it felt entirely too good.

Sebastian was done before he felt too painfully sensitive and he tried to stay as still as possible, the uncomfortable feeling not overshadowing the absolute euphoric state he was in, feeling intoxicated by everything that had just happened. His honey eyes gazed up at the taller's green eyes, his breaths still coming out short and heavy, his body trembling and wet with the mixture of their sweat and his come.  He had never felt so good while also feeling so sticky. A grin pulled at Blaine's lips as his eyes fluttered, a daze look upon his face and he let out a soft chuckle. "Wow." He breathed, loosening his grip on Sebastian's sides to rub his face a little, attempting to make sure he didn't just dream the events that just occurred in Sebastian's bed.  Blaine winced as well when Sebastian pulled out of him, hissing quietly.

When the taller was finally relaxed against him, he didn't even mind the sticky feeling between them; he was just happy to hold Sebastian. A content, happy sigh fell from his lips. "I love you, too." He replied easily, turning his head just a little to press a kiss to his head. "I love you so much. That was...wow." Blaine whispered again, chuckling. "That was even better than I imagined."

Sebastian Smythe:

Sebastian’s body was worn out and he could feel it down to his bones. It didn’t matter that Blaine’s come had smeared between their bodies as the taller man nearly collapsed onto the man underneath him. Sebastian loved that he could literally just reach out and Blaine was right here with him, holding him and speaking to him in such a sweet voice. Sebastian’s eyes fluttered shut as he just breathed the man in, the stench of sweat and ecstasy thick in the air. A smile curled from his lips when he felt the gentle kiss to his forehead and he opened his eyes, looking up at Blaine. At his lover.

“You rock my world,” Sebastian laughed, his voice sounded more tired than he had intended. Managing to find just enough energy, Sebastian pulled himself off of Blaine and plopped down onto the bed, shifting close enough they their bodies were still touching. His hand seeked out Blaine’s hand and when he found it, he immediately took it, lacing their fingers together. Clean up was still required but for now he wanted to revel in what he and Blaine had just accomplished. He turned to face the other man and gave him a genuine smile. “I’m so in love with you,” he stated, unabashedly. His chest still rose and fell with each breath but he was soon able to catch his breath. He cleared his throat and shifted closer, wrapping an arm around Blaine’s torso. He waited until Blaine turned his head also before leaning in and kissing him slowly and gently.

As they broke the kiss, Sebastian stayed close, letting their noses brush against one another. “So,” he spoke up, his voice now a little more lively now that he’d regained some of his energy, “Does this mean we’re ‘officially’ dating now?” He chuckled, thinking that it was probably an unnecessary question.

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine laughed with Sebastian when he praised him for rocking his world, shaking his head and taking a deep breath. "You are incredible." He said, giving Sebastian's hand a squeeze when he felt their fingers lace together.  Blaine turned his head to face the taller automatically smiling when he was greeted with Sebastian's gentle kiss, he hummed happily as he returned it just as slow. When it broke he licked his lips to relish in the taste of Sebastian's kiss.

One of his signature cheesy grins spread across his face and Blaine bit his lip, looking into the other's eyes, shaking his head. "You're so cute. You wanna be my boyfriend, huh?" He turned onto his side carefully, ignoring the soreness he was already feeling to get closer to Sebastian.  Before he gave him an answer he leaned in, placing his hand on the taller's cheek, capturing his lips with a very slow, loving kiss. Blaine was very good at showing his feelings through acts of affection, especially kissing. His heart was still beating abnormally fast against his chest as their kiss slowly came to an end. Taking a deep breath,  Blaine let his thumb brush gently over Sebastian's face. He took the moment to just look at him, really look at him. He definitely wasn't the teenager that he made out with on this same bed all those years ago. He didn't look old by any means but he wasn't a child anymore- they weren't children anymore. Sebastian was so handsome- he was a man now. He was his man.

"Okay, well, I'm going to do this right." Blaine said before he took Sebastian's hand, holding it close to his chest, caressing it with his thumb. "Sebastian," He smiled, his eyes crinkling in the corners like they did when he was that happy. "I love you, a lot. Will you be my boyfriend?" Blaine giggled, crinkling his nose. He knew he was cheesy, and he knew Sebastian loved that about him.

Sebastian Smythe:

Sebastian watched as Blaine propped himself up and kissed him slow and steady. He loved that Blaine paid attention to details and took extra care in making sure every affectionate gesture meant something to the both of them. His lips parted slightly to bring Blaine into the kiss deeper, reciprocating with equal passion. He hummed happily as he smiled into the kiss-- a smile that remained even as Blaine leaned back. Sebastian watched with amusement as Blaine took his hand and held it against his chest, the words coming out of Blaine’s mouth warming his heart so. When Blaine scrunched his nose and laughed, it was like music to Sebastian’s ears.

Propping himself up in a similar fashion to Blaine, he nodded and replied, “I love you too-- very, very much. I would be honored if you would consider me as your boyfriend.” He almost felt like he was reciting some sort of vow he prepared beforehand and the fact made him chuckle out of sheer delight. He searched his mind and his heart to continue his declaration of love. “I, uh, I promise to always protect you and to always put you first.” He looked down at his hand held against Blaine’s chest and smiling, looked back up to lock eyes with him. “I know I’m not perfect but I’ll always try to do right by you, B.” Sebastian felt a little silly after saying all of those things. He was very rarely ever the type to speak his feelings even though his usual demeanor had others seeing him as crass and too blunt. Blaine was one of an especially exclusive group of people who ever saw his true self.

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine’s grin only grew wider as Sebastian smiled at him, he loved being the reason for such a happy smile on the other man’s face. He was one that always believed that Sebastian was the most deserving person of all of the happiness he could possibly get his hands on, and now here he was being the reason for the man’s happy smile and it warmed him from the inside out.

He chuckled as he looked at his now boyfriend in adoration, thinking it really sweet that Sebastian felt the need to add to his answer, he knew that Sebastian wanted this as badly as he did and he knew that neither one of them wanted to mess it up. He knew that - as cheesy as it sounded - his heart was in very good hands. Sebastian was the perfect one to piece it back together and make it whole again. “Seb,” He shook his head, bringing his hand up to his lips to kiss it softly before letting it go to place his hand back on Sebastian’s cheek, wanting the taller to really hear him when he said his next words. “I’m not worried, okay?” Blaine smiled, leaning in for a quick, soft kiss before continuing. “I trust you. I know that you love me and I know that you would never hurt me.”

Blaine let his teeth drag slowly over his bottom lip and he glanced down. “I’m the one who promises that I will always do right by you. I promise that I will do everything to never hurt you or make you sad ever again. I….I never want to take this, take you, for granted again. Don’t wanna lose you.” His thumb brushed over Sebastian’s soft cheek before letting it trail down his neck, nodding his head gently. Blaine took another soft breath. “I’m going to prove myself to you, prove that it isn’t a mistake to give me another chance, that I love you.” His eyes fell down to where his hand rested on Sebastian’s chest, right over his heart. Blaine could feel Sebastian’s heart beating rapidly under his hand even though there were no signs of him being out of breath or worked up. Tilting his head, a soft chuckle left his lips. “Your heart is beating so fast.” He shook his head, looking at the other, only mildly concerned. “You okay, handsome?”

Sebastian Smythe:

Sebastian knew that by his and Blaine’s track record, he should be worried that this could be a repeat of what happened all those years back when they were still in high school. Blaine was still legally married and that fact wouldn’t go away but Sebastian still didn’t care. He put his entire trust in Blaine because he loved him and knew that if his heart was going to be broken, he had no one to blame but himself. Sebastian smiled sweetly and nodded, “Hey, I believe you, Blaine. I trust you, too.” He made sure he gave Blaine a meaningful look and sounded genuine because he meant every word. “I’m not going to regret taking this chance with you.”

When Blaine commented commented on his irregular heartbeat, Sebastian chuckled nervously. “You always give me heart palpitations,” he joked, gently taking Blaine’s hand off of his chest and pressing it against his lips. “Being around you just does crazy things to me, I guess.”

He leaned forward to give Blaine another kiss before he pushed himself off of the bed. He quickly disposed of the condom and rummaged through one of the dresser drawers for a towel. Once he found one, he wiped the come from his torso before coming back to the bed to clean Blaine off. “Next time, I really want you to blow your load down my throat,” Sebastian said in a casual tone, leaning in closer to his boyfriend to whisper in his ear, “Sound appealing?”

Knowing that Blaine’s cheeks must’ve flushed red, Sebastian reared back with an amused laugh. “I like making you all flustered; I plan on doing it as often as I possibly can-- especially now that we’re dating.” He patted his boyfriend’s lap, letting him know that everything was alright. Things didn’t need to be tense and the past was both forgotten and forgiven. Sebastian wanted to focus on the future-- specifically, his future with Blaine.

Blaine Anderson:

It made Blaine feel good that Sebastian trusted him enough to let him have another chance and it made him feel better to know that no matter what happened, Sebastian wasn't going to regret them. He would do everything in his power to make sure he never had even the slightest reason to.  When Sebastian got up from the bed, Blaine moved just a little to sit more against the pillows, smiling at the other when he comes to sit back down, his hazel eyes never leaving his boyfriend.

He smiled, humming softly as Sebastian cleaned off his torso. Blaine raised his eyebrows, his cheeks turning a deep shade of crimson, the words Sebastian spoke made him shiver. "Sebastian." The shorter giggled, liking that even after having sex the other could still make him blush and grin his big bashful grin. Blaine also liked that even though he knew Sebastian could be sweet and loving, he still had his crude moments. One of the many things that made him fall for Sebastian in the first place.

Blaine laughed softly, shaking his head as he looked at Sebastian. "You're the worst, you know that? But yes, sounds very appealing." He moved to stand up, carefully, so they could pull the soiled comforter from the bed.  "We should probably wash this ourselves- I can't live my life knowing your mom washed our sex bedding." Blaine chuckled again, looking around for his boxer-briefs - he felt a little self-conscious just hanging out naked with Sebastian. He picked them up when he finally found them,  Sebastian catching his eye and making him stop for a moment. He stood there a moment just to take in the sight of the taller man, he was so extremely attractive. He noted the new muscle tone the man was carrying nowadays and he had a great appreciation for it. Blaine also made a mental note that the next time they had sex he wanted to take his time and get to know every inch of him intimately, wanted to find every freckle on his body and kiss it. "You're really gorgeous, you know." He said, still holding his underwear in his hand as he walked towards his boyfriend, voicing his thoughts as he slipped his hands over the taller's sides, pulling him closer. "I really just want to find and kiss every single freckle on your body." His voice was low as he pressed his lips against one of the many freckles peppered all over Sebastian's chest.

Sebastian Smythe:

Sebastian watched carefully as his boyfriend moved to stand up, knowing that he must’ve been in pain from such rigorous activity just moments ago. As Blaine moved to remove the comforter from the bed, Sebastian dragged it over to the corner of the room and agreed that they could wash it themselves later on. He suggested that when it got later in the night and the party was long over with, maybe the two of them could fix themselves a midnight snack while the sheets were in the wash. Hopefully by then there wouldn’t be anyone up and about in the house.

The both of them still very much naked, Sebastian couldn’t help but to grin when he noticed Blaine checking him out. Sebastian was always the type to have an abnormally inflated ego and he knew that recently he had gained an impressive amount of muscle tone after the lightning strike. If only Blaine knew what he got himself into whenever he was the speedster. As Blaine approached him, Sebastian’s arms immediately moved to wrap around his boyfriend’s shorter frame, humming contentedly as Blaine gently kissed his chest. “That’ll be a long night; I have a lot of freckles-- all over.” Sebastian was aware that his skin was littered with freckles like he was a freaking star map, though he never thought of it as a sexually appealing trait. Imagining Blaine pinning him to the bed and exploring his body for all of its freckles sounded like a worthwhile experience.

Sebastian placed a soft kiss against Blaine’s forehead, lingering for a moment to again, relish the feeling of the other man belonging to him. Blaine was standing right in front of him and they were hiding nothing from each other anymore. They were actually together and the fact put Sebastian in a state of bliss. He could not for the life of him even try to get rid of the smile on his face.

He let Blaine slip on his boxer-briefs while Sebastian looked for his own. When he sat back on the bed now at least partially clothed, he eyed the bottle of rum and realized that between the two of them, they had consumed a fair amount of alcohol yet Sebastian didn’t even feel slightly buzzed. The thought occurred that perhaps his abilities had something to do with the lack of effect the alcohol had had on him tonight. Still, Sebastian took another swig of the rum for the sake of experimentation. “For the record, Blaine, you’re way more gorgeous than me. I mean, you’re flawless; I’m going to keep saying that until the day I die.”

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine chuckled softly, grinning up at Sebastian. "Well, I mean, we have all the time in the world now together, right? I might take more than a night to get to know your freckles, maybe give my favorites special attention." He placed a kiss on a different freckle, caressing Sebastian's sides slowly.  Blaine hummed happily when he felt the taller kiss his forehead, crinkling his nose as he took Sebastian's face in his hands, giggling. "You're so cute. I love that smile." He said, pushing himself up onto his toes to kiss Sebastian's forehead before letting go so he could slip on his boxers.

After his naked bottom was covered, he looked over to the man on the bed, rolling his eyes.  "Whatever, that's just the alcohol talking. You know how attractive you are." He kicked his other clothes into a pile with Sebastian's before going over to the bed and sitting next to Sebastian, close to him. He leaned his head against his shoulder as he looked around the room, smiling to himself and it continued to settle in what they were doing. He let out a soft chuckle. "We're boyfriends. We had sex." Blaine said out loud to help himself believe it. "That was so much better than just rutting against each other half-clothed on your bed in high school-- and let me tell you that was incredible itself." He tilted his head to look at Sebastian. "You remember that time we were caught making out by Sloane?" Blaine laughed softly at the memory, shaking his head.  "That's when she started teasing us.  She was only like, what, twelve?"

He knew now that they finally took their big leap,  Sloane would practically throw another party in celebration of them having sex. Blaine laughed again at the thought. "Our story's pretty cool, y'know?" He said, thinking of the day he met Sebastian and all of the events leading up to the moment they were currently in, thinking it funny how it was always Sebastian he was meant to be with. How stupid he was for not realizing and acting on it in high school, they could've lived the past years happily instead of apart and miserable.  "It's gonna be a cool story to tell when we're old."

Sebastian Smythe:

Sebastian leaned back with his hands pressed against the bed for support, looking at Blaine lovingly as the shorter man spoke. It made him laugh when Blaine blamed Sebastian’s insistence on the alcohol, though Sebastian neglected to mention he didn’t feel the slightest bit tipsy. “Alcohol or not, you know I always speak the truth. Hell, usually I spill more truthful things under the influence than not,” Sebastian contended, knowing that the other knew fully well what he was talking about. Whether they were at Scandals or were getting high at the Dalton dorms, Sebastian always had a knack for speaking without filter. At least when he was sober he had the control to hold his tongue. “But I will admit that I am extremely attractive,” he acknowledged, “though I’m only second to you, of course.”

When Blaine declared out loud that they were now boyfriends and had just had sex with each other for the first time, Sebastian couldn’t help but to chuckle. Blaine was so incredibly cute and Sebastian almost couldn’t believe he was his boyfriend. “I look forward to doing anything and everything with you now that we’re officially dating,” Sebastian told Blaine with a flirty tone, waggling his eyebrows.

At the mention of his little sister, Sebastian rolled his eyes at the memory. His sister always had a way of sticking her nose into his business, especially as unopportune moments similar to his days in high school when he just wanted to make-out with Blaine in peace. “God, she’ll be living in Connecticut if she’s going to Yale and what if she barges in on us at our apartment? We can not give her a key.” The thought of his little sister walking in on the two of them, bare-ass naked on the couch was mortifying.

Sebastian reached under his nightstand to pull out a slightly dusty hardcover photo album, presenting it for Blaine to peruse through. “We should bring this home-- add the photos from it to the ones I have at our apartment. We should tell our story in full, with photos to prove it.” Sebastian watched as Blaine carefully opened the album to discover older photos of them that they’d taken back in high school. Photos of their time together that Sebastian deemed should stay in Ohio. Now, however, he was ready to bring those memories and photos back home with him because they no longer made him sad to reminisce. He leaned into Blaine, wrapping an arm around his waist.

Time was irrelevant as they laughed about moments that the photos reminded them of and before either one knew it, it was past midnight. Sebastian suggested they fix themselves a little snack while the soiled comforter was in the washer-- maybe even fit a shower in somewhere. The party was long over and Sebastian’s parents were already fast asleep so they had the entire house to themselves.

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine’s face lit up when Sebastian handed him the photo album, eagerly taking it and opening it up. “Oh my god, Seb.” He exclaimed softly, grinning from ear to ear as they looked through the photos. He sat there with his boyfriend as the time passed, not even noticing that it was well past midnight, having lost track of time with all of the stories and memories they shared. It made his insides fill up with warmth to relive some of those moments and feelings, telling Sebastian some things he hadn't told him before. Thoughts he’d had that he only kept to himself.

When Sebastian suggested they go ahead and emerge from the bedroom to wash the blanket and make food was when he realized that he was starving. He agreed and got up to put a pair of Sebastian's pajama pants on the he'd brought, slipping on one of his shirts as well. Blaine always felt most comfortable when he was wearing Sebastian's clothes, he didn't even bother to pack his own pajamas, instead he packed Seb’s.

When they made their way to the kitchen, Blaine hopped up to sit on the counter, swinging his legs gently, looking at Sebastian. “Do you believe in love at first sight?” He asked with a soft smile. Before Sebastian could answer him, though, they were interrupted by the younger, blonde, Smythe trotting her way into the kitchen from the back patio, stopping when she saw them. “Oh!” She was surprised to see them, still in her dress from the party, she was barefoot and her perfectly curled hair was looser now. Blaine gave her a once over and a knowing smile. She was still hanging out with someone out there.

Before Blaine could say anything to her about what she was doing, she gave both of them a quick once over to assess the situation and that signature Smythe smirk settled on her lips. “Hello boys.” She held her words out with a knowing tone, getting closer to them both to stand between them so she could reach both of their faces, placing her hand one one of their cheeks each. “Why, you two are absolutely glowing. Must be a great reason why you missed my party.” Sloane teased them, patting their cheeks and winking at them before going over to the fridge to grab two bottles of water.

“Sloane…” Blaine chuckled, his cheeks blushing hard.

She smiled at him, giggling softly. “Nice pajamas, Blainey. Sea Bass, don't you have those exact same ones?” Sloane was clearly amusing herself and very happy to see that the two had finally woken up and gotten together.

Sebastian Smythe:

Sebastian also thought it a better idea to put on some pajama pants and he had a pair that were similar to the ones Blaine wore so it almost looked as if they were matching. Sebastian had been rummaging through the pantry for ideas on what to make when Blaine had asked him a fun question, of course, only to be foiled-- yet again-- by his ill-timing sister. Sebastian quirked an eyebrow when he put two and two together, realizing that she’d probably been out on the back patio talking and/or making out with her boyfriend. He challenged his sister’s smirk with one of his own, only slightly amused by her teasing. Though the girl liked to tease, Sebastian knew his sister meant well and was genuinely happy to see the two of them together at last.

“The pajamas are mine,” Sebastian stated matter-of-factly, “Blaine likes to wear them because it makes him feel especially short.” He couldn’t help but to grab the opportunity at teasing his boyfriend, though he knew that they looked extremely obvious even if Sloane wasn’t as sharp as she was. “But yeah, we totally banged during your birthday party-- Sorry.” Sebastian hadn’t meant to be so blunt but at the same time he was proud to share the fact that he and Blaine were finally together. He couldn’t wait for morning so he could tell his parents the great news, though probably with some level of modesty.

Sloane managed to stifle a laugh and seemed only slightly taken aback by her brother’s crudeness. “Well, you do you, Sea Bass. I’m just glad you two finally got it through your thick skulls that you belong together.”

Unfazed, Sebastian steered the conversation to Sloane’s focus, noting that she was bringing out two bottles of water. “One of your friends still here? Is it that guy-- Paul, or Parker, or Perry-- Whatever his name was?” Sebastian asked, poking fun at his little sister’s boyfriend.

Sloane, however, had had eighteen years of combating her brother’s wit under her belt and shot back a coy smile. “Actually, Peter and I broke up sometime after New Years’, so he’s old news now. I’m just hanging out with a… friend.”

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine rolled his eyes, shoving playfully at his boyfriend when he joked about his height. “Alright, two short jokes in twenty four hours is your limit.” Then he snorted, covering his mouth, Sebastian's blunt statement about them banging made him laugh out loud, his blush deepening. “Y-yeah. We did that.” He agreed, pointing at Sebastian with his thumb before rubbing his face and taking a breath. “I also asked him to be my boyfriend.” He added before Sloane praised them for finally being smart.

The shorter listened as the two exchanged sass, chuckling softly. He frowned slightly when he heard Sloane and her boyfriend were no more but his eyebrows quirked when she said the word friend.

“Friend, huh?” He asked, a smirk similar to hers before gracing his face. “Yeah, your brother and I have always been friends. I know that tone. Who is he, Blondie?” Blaine teased the younger Smythe, chuckling softly.

Sloane tried to hide the stupid grin on her face, giggling softly. “Well-” Before she could finish, the back door opened and in walked a girl with a short faux hawk and a black button up, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows and the first few buttons of her shirt were undone. “Ba-oh.”

Both Sloane and Blaine's head snapped towards the voice and Blaine's jaw fell slack. Oh. Sloane’s cheeks blushed just as Blaine's had before and she went over to the girl, taking her hand. “C’mon, you don't need to be subjected to these two yet.” She laughed, ushering her friend back out onto the patio, turning back to the other two. “Not a word to mom and dad about us, you two. Also-- regarding you two-- fucking finally.” She said in shooting them a wink before leaving.

Blaine looked at Sebastian, a little taken aback. “Oh.” He chuckled softly. “Well, I want hear that story.” With a smile, he shook his head. “Anyway…” He swung his feet a little more. “Back to my question.”

Sebastian Smythe:

Sebastian fell silent when Sloane’s friend walked through the door. He’d been expecting some macho-looking guy that he could stare down and intimidate for fun, but instead it was a girl. Even though Sebastian himself was gay, he never calculated that it was possible for his sister to be gay too. Or bisexual, he supposed. Whatever. Sloane and her friend were long gone by the time Sebastian had even thought of something to say, that he didn’t say it at all. Instead, he blinked and filed it away to be addressed-- in detail-- at a later time.

“Yes,” he answered, remembering Blaine’s question as he began setting down breakfast ingredients on the kitchen counter. He stopped to look Blaine in the eye and smiled softly. “Yes, I believe in love at first sight.” He remembered the fateful day Blaine Anderson had walked through the doors of the Dalton Academy senior commons room during Warbler practice. They hadn’t even said two words to each other and Sebastian had already felt drawn to the boy. He had never lost interest in Blaine since that day. “Y’know, maybe when I first saw you my first instinct was to find my way into your pants,” he explained further, “But I knew from the first time I saw you that there was something about you that was more than just superficial.”

Sebastian decided that because he was absolutely ravenous, he would cook up a bunch of different things. There were still leftover food from the party so while Sebastian made eggs and bacon, he helped himself to a slice of cake and other junk foods. “How about you? I know that when I first spoke to you, you were kind of blindsided by my amazingness,” he chuckled at his own smug comment, “but did you fall in love with me? Even though you were already with Kurt?”

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine grinned from ear to ear when Sebastian told him that he did, in fact, believe in love at first sight. It made him feel that warm and fuzzy feeling start to build up inside of him again. He loved knowing Sebastian, he loved being the one to know him inside and out. Blaine knew that outside of the other’s family, he was the only one to know him- he might’ve even known him better than his family. With an adoring look on his face, he watched Sebastian’s every move, giggling softly at his smug statement. “You know,” He shook his head, his gaze falling to his feet for a moment before it wen back to Sebastian, the smile still on his face. “As hard as I tried to be the model boyfriend, I-” He chuckled, shaking his head. “I fell so hard for you that day we met.” Blaine remembered the moment he stepped into that room at Dalton that day just as the Warblers were beginning to sing. He remembered the new guy catching his eye right away and he didn’t look away throughout the entire performance, something about the way Sebastian looked at him made everything inside of him shift and it was like everything in the universe suddenly made sense and all of his senses, mutant and human, screamed at him that he was the one. But he was an idiot who didn’t listen.

“I was crazy about you from that day. I don’t know what was wrong with me.” He bit his lip, letting out a sigh as he hopped off the counter. “I’m just glad I wised up and finally got my man.” Blaine said as he slipped his arms around Sebastian’s waist from behind as the taller cooked, pressing his cheek against his back to hug him. “Mmm, I love you.”

By the time the food was ready Blaine was more than ready to eat, that is if Sebastian would leave anything for him. He noticed the other’s appetite was still as ravenous as ever-- even more so. He never understood how Sebastian could eat so much and still look the way he did. He even looked better than he used to. While they were eating Blaine flirted with Sebastian, staying as close to him as possible. He would feed him bites of food between soft kisses here and there as they continued to talk about their days at Dalton. When they were finally finished with the food, Blaine leaning his head against his hand, running his fingertips slowly up and down Sebastian’s arm. “So, you know, that stuff we did earlier tonight? When we were naked in your bed? That was fun, yeah?” He smirked before letting his nose crinkle. “Wanna do it again?”

Sebastian Smythe:

It gave Sebastian a satisfaction that tasted so good in knowing that he managed to make his then-crush, now-boyfriend fall for him even though he was already in a relationship. Though it proved to be a struggle to entice and persuade Blaine to be at his side, in the end it was all worth it. He liked the way Blaine claimed him as “his man”. It gave Sebastian the impression that he belonged somewhere permanent, regardless of where he went. “I love you too, killer.” Sebastian hummed happily, savoring in the way it felt to have Blaine so close to him.

The food Sebastian made for them wasn’t nearly enough to satisfy his appetite so he was thankful for the leftover cake. It was nice to cook together and eat together at the table; it was a nice glimpse into the future domesticity of their relationship. Sebastian made a mental note to take Blaine out to an honest-to-god date-- different than their usual weekly dinners. He expressed to his boyfriend that now they were dating, Sebastian wanted to do especially boyfriend-type things such as a classic dinner date at a fancy restaurant.

Sebastian was just wiping off the crumbs from the corner of his lip with a napkin when he felt Blaine’s fingers skirting up and down his arm. After having had his fill of food, the prospect of more sex sounded more than appealing to Sebastian. “Fuck. Yes.” He took Blaine’s hand in his own and rushed off to the bedroom. Clothes went flying and by the time they were finished, they were both a sweaty, sticky mess. The bedsheets would need to be washed after the comforter and Sebastian didn't want to move after an especially powerful orgasm. He could definitely get used to sex with Blaine any and every night. Heck, it didn't even have to be night; he could see himself enjoying a little afternoon delight or quickie blowjob before leaving for work. Sex with Blaine was quickly becoming Sebastian's new drug.

By the time they'd had as much sex as possible stuffed into one night, a dull light was beginning to filter into the room through the translucent curtains. “Fuck, it's morning already?” Sebastian whined, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He turned in bed to caress Blaine's side and press gentle kisses to his naked body. “I wanted to go for another round before breakfast.” Though he was physically spent and probably couldn't even get it up right now, Sebastian was ambitious and longed for a day where he could do nothing but eat, sleep, and fuck his boyfriend. They could spend the whole day having sex and Sebastian wouldn't complain about a damned thing.

Blaine Anderson:

Blaine giggled as Sebastian took his hand and the two ran up stairs to lock themselves away in Sebastian's room, tearing off each others’ clothes and getting wrapped up together again until the were both panting and sweating, groaning each other's name in ecstasy. Sex with Sebastian was definitely the best sex he had ever had in his life and the feelings were unlike anything he had felt. The burning, aching sensation that lit his stomach with fire when they would kiss was enough to make him crave it  like a raging addict. To have such a lustful need for someone while simultaneously feeling those feelings of being so deeply in love with him- there were no words to describe it. It was like a trembling burst of bright colors inside of him every time they touched.

Once again the time had gone unnoticed as they stayed wrapped up in their own little world and before they knew it he sun was up and it was time to pack up and get ready for breakfast with Sebastian’s family. After spending a fair amount of the morning with the Smythe’s, letting them know of their newly developed relationship, to which they were delighted to hear. Blaine even took a few moments to speak with Sebastian’s father regarding his divorce with Kurt, getting some free advice that he was forever grateful for. After they said their goodbyes, they headed to the other side of Westerville to meet up with Blaine’s parents for lunch. The Anderson’s were extremely happy to see their son and Sebastian, happy to hear of their relationship although they were sorry to hear of Blaine’s impending divorce.

The Anderson’s were very welcoming to Sebastian and they didn’t hide their relief to hear that Kurt would not be returning to their home. Blaine had never known how much his parents didn’t approve of the man until that day and he was slightly amused.

He was sad to say goodbye to his parents, making them promise to visit sooner rather than later before they tiredly made their way to the airport to catch their flight home.

[terrierontour-blog]

Week 11 - 6/11/17

I did incredible things yet again!

This week was another unforgettable one for numerous reasons. First of all, I started one of my 100% absolutely voluntary teaching jobs and had a great time in both classes. The children I teach range from about 18 months to 5 years old and honestly they’re the cutest little terrors I have literally ever seen. I think that I might actually have to steal one before I come home.

Because the children I teach are so young in some ways it’s a pretty easy job for me – I don’t have to think about things like phonics or reading and writing, but just get to teach things like the alphabet or feelings and generally have fun with the kids. The only thing that can be a little disheartening with it is the language barrier. The students I teach are a little too young to understand that I can’t speak much of their language so only being able to work out half of their questions and odd words in sentences can be pretty difficult. However, I’m choosing to use this as motivation to learn more Mandarin rather than dwelling on it and being upset.

The most exciting thing this week was that I finally ventured off to Beijing! I have mixed reviews about Beijing really… To say it’s the capital city of China it seems incredible old fashioned and behind the times in comparison to the rest of the country I’ve been to. We couldn’t even use AliPay (the greatest invention ever where your bank card is connected to your phone and you pay for things by scanning QR codes) so we had to carry around cash. Cash is a foreign concept to me even in Britain now thanks to Apple Pay, and here it’s almost unheard of. I haven’t carried cash for months so it was incredibly weird for us to need it in the capital.

Somehow we managed to get a whole weekend of blue skies in Beijing. How did we do it? Not a clue, but the air quality (for Beijing standards) was incredible. It was actually at a relatively low, safe level for most of each day and anybody with a less sensitive chest than mine would have been fine. I still lived in a mask however, just in case, as I always do whenever the AQI is over 50. The blue skies made for an all-round better experience I think, and not to mention our pictures look significantly better than they would have if the air was in its usual state.

I headed off on Thursday with Alicja, Chris and Ollie for the shortest flight of my life (2 hours) and before we know it (after only a slight delay of almost an hour…) we finally landed in Beijing. My initial impression? FREEZING. After waiting around for a shuttle bus almost a billion miles away from the actual airport I was surprised that I hadn’t actually become an ice sculpture. Even my big, fluffy teddy bear coat, hat, scarf and mittens couldn’t save me – talk about a drama queen. We got a taxi from the airport to our incredible Airbnb with the best host ever who had prepared us a detailed plan for our weekend and went straight to bed as it was already almost 3am.

On Friday we headed straight for China’s biggest tourist trap – The Great Wall – and in the infamous words of Karl Pilkington “It’s an alright wall”. If by alright we mean incredibly long and incredibly steep and super-mega-incredibly slippery. So steep and slippery that I genuinely debated sliding down some parts on my bum rather than trying to walk out of fear of falling and breaking my hip once again. We managed to spend a few hours at the wall and took some really good pictures (another one for Grandma’s living room wall perhaps..?) but actually we only moved about 2km along the wall, and that’s if my measurements are generous. The part of the wall we went to was built over the mountains so involved more climbing and descending steps/slopes than it did actually walking the wall. Unfortunately, the bit we visited didn’t have the crazy slides to get down off the wall so we had to walk – very disappointing.

Saturday was pretty manic in that we covered the rest of the tourist attractions Beijing has to offer other than the Summer Palace. Our first stop was the Temple of Heaven, which we kind of ruined for ourselves by heading in through the North gate rather than the South (oops). The silliness meant that the big temple was the first one we saw, which led to massive disappointed after we wandered around a little longer trying to find the proper one and realised we’d already seen it.

After the Temple of Heaven, we went on the hunt for food and found a nice little food court that had the kind of Chinese food we get at home. Sweet and sour chicken never tasted so good, and after the god-awful food in Anhui last week it was such a relief to find such good food in Beijing. Pit-stop over, we headed onto the metro to Tian’anmen Square, which was possibly the most confusing and complicated place to access in the whole of China. I actually think it was easier getting a Visa than it was to be granted access to the square.

Security checks over we finally got to have a look around, and if it wasn’t for Chris and Ollie’s constant tank jokes, you’d never think that the place had been the setting of such a dreadful event as it was. The square is so colourful and decorated with giant flowers, flags and statues commemorating the struggle of the Cultural Revolution that there is no trace at all that anything bad ever happened there. It’s a little surreal to stand there in the hustle and bustle of the everyday tourist life and think about the things that had actually happened right where we stood…

At one end of the square stood a building with a huge painting of Mao overlooking the square. I think that might have been the mausoleum but I’m not quite sure – the only thing I could focus on was the missed pun opportunity of naming it the ‘Mao’soleum…

Through the other side of this building was the Forbidden City, now known as the Palace Museum. The grounds of the Forbidden City were huuuuuge and we didn’t get even close to covering the entire place at all. I honestly think it would take at least 3 hours and getting lost multiple times to explore the whole place. The buildings inside the Forbidden City were all huge too and pretty impressive, but because we only have just over an hour to look around and there was a lack of signs around the buildings I couldn’t tell you what any one of them actually was. Probably a few temples but that’s all I could say, and that’s only because everything pretty here seems to be a temple.

Once we got kicked out of the Forbidden City (because it was closing time, not because we did anything wrong!) we headed off in the direction of a pretty fancy duck restaurant that had been recommended by our Airbnb host. As someone that absolutely hates duck it wasn’t the easiest of places to find something I could eat on the menu, but the prawns I ordered were incredible and the portion size was so big I think I might have actually become a prawn myself. I can’t comment on the duck myself because I think all duck is icky, no matter how well cooked it is, but the others seemed to enjoy it and polished off an entire duck plus numerous duck themed sides between them.

After eating more than our own body weights combined we went to see the Olympic stadium lit up, seeing as we’d missed the lights the night before. The London stadium genuinely hasn’t got anything on Beijing. I can’t even remember anything of ours other than the giant helter-skelter, but the Birds Nest alone is so cool, even as somebody that isn’t at all interested in architecture I was super impressed. We also discovered that the Winter Olympics are being held here in 2022, trip back over anyone?????

Sunday was a pretty chill day after the super jam-packed Saturday. We headed out at 11 rather than 8:30 and even had time to fit in breakfast at a cute little local café. Special shoutout to the really kind lady with the super cute baby that could speak English and so helped us to translate the menu – without her we’d probably still be there desperately trying to express that we wanted some “laobing” (pancakes).

Post-breakfast we headed to the Summer Palace, another place full of temples and other fancy buildings and Buddha statues. We spent a little time exploring here and then decided it was probably for the best if we left for the train station quite early as the metro there took just over an hour and we didn’t know the station at all. We got to the station about 2.5 hours early so decided to have some food, get a coffee and just sit around and chill.

Here’s where everything went wrong.

It turns out that Alicja, Chris and I are too laid back for even Ollie to be stressed around, so when it got to 17:30 before we decided to head through security for our train (at 17:43). On the way we popped into a shop to get some drinks and snacks for the train back as it was over 5 hours and how else would we entertain ourselves if not by eating… However, we may have overestimated the amount of time we had to get to the gate. After pushing our way to the front of security in the least British way possible (yeah, I’m picking up the local culture), we were then faced with a huge issue. Three minutes until the train left, three escalators between us and the gate, and NO STANDING TO ONE SIDE SYSTEM. Not even all the shoving in the world could have helped us get up those escalators, and there wasn’t a flight of stairs in sight. We finally got up to the departure floor after what felt like hours and literally ran to our gate. It was 17:42 when we got there, “phew, lucky you” you’re probably thinking, right? WRONG. They wouldn’t let us through the ticket gates. After all the stress and trauma we actually made it to the gate in time and still were not allowed to get on the train!

At this point I wasn’t sure if I wanted to cry or laugh. Only we could turn up to a train station almost THREE HOURS BEFORE our train was due to leave and end up MISSING IT. I honestly can’t even explain how completely useless we are. Every single thing over the weekend we had timed well, and the one thing that actually mattered we messed up. I genuinely have no words for us.

Thankfully the Chinese rail transport system is a billion times better than ours and when you mess up they do let you just exchange your ticket – or at least they do with the foreigners anyway… Our only issue now was that we had booked onto the last high speed train to Suzhou, every other train that left that night would take at least twice as long and cost us extra too. We debated getting a high speed train to Shanghai and then a taxi back from there, but decided it would just be easier for us to get a sleeper train straight into Suzhou. It would be an experience at the very least.

So, a palaver to find a cash machine and 200 kuai each later, we had booked onto the 19:34, 11 hour, soft sleeper back to Suzhou. This time we found our gate, nipped to the loo and didn’t move from in front of it for fear of messing up again. As soon as the gate opened we joined the queue, got on the train and swapped about tickets with a few people so the four of us could share a cabin without any other people, and we actually had a really funny time. Other than the initial stress of the situation, and the extra money that I hadn’t factored in spending, the sleeper train was actually really fun. And as an extra positive, at least we know now that the soft sleepers are worth paying for in future when we’re heading on trips further afield.

We arrive back in Suzhou at 7am this morning, and after the hour long tube ride and short walk back to our accommodation, I arrived just about time for my 9am lecture.

I keep promising that I’ll stop with the incredibly long posts but they just keep getting longer and longer – I promise I won’t do anything too interesting for a little bit now! Anyone that has made it through to this point I salute you, thank you for reading through my ramblings once again. I really don’t think my life is all that interesting most of the time but I’m glad you’re all enjoying hearing about it.

心想事成

Bry x

Strange Experience Tallies

Live Animals Awaiting Death in a Restaurant: 10

Squat Toilets Experienced: 70

Bad Squat Toilet Experiences: 5

Photos Taken by Random Locals: 400

Full Body Metal Scanners: 65

When You’ve Adapted to Heat...

The Wall Was Alright, So I Made it Great.

Mega Steep Steps (Plus A Random Chinese Couple)

Temple of Heaven

The Bluest Skies Beijing Ever Saw...

“Flower Bucket” As Alicja Put It...

Embracing The Local Way of Life

Classic Dragon Pic

The Cutest One And I’m Not In It.

Actually Candid Candid Pic

Quack Quack...

Spot The Terrier...

Pretty Towers

Smoggy Summer Palace

He Couldn’t Be Anymore Sick of My Shit

When You Miss The Last Train Home...

Sleeper Adventures.

[zaraehedderman-blog]

State’s Videos of the Week #14

I used to pride myself on my extreme lack of culinary skills. A lot of people find their thrills whilst cooking, for some it is relaxing and to others it is a way to get friends and family together and converse over a roast dinner. I was far away on the other end of the scale, secretly taking delight in my kitchen catastrophes. Perhaps it was a mechanism to lower people’s expectations if I ever found myself in the situation where I was required to cook something for them. I would recount the time that I tried to make big fluffy pancakes (the kind with baking powder and bananas cooked into them) and instead of making breakfast I transformed the kitchen into a smokehouse. The pancakes were inedible and charred, yet the middle was raw. I attribute my lack of interest and basic scientific knowledge (I once put tinfoil in a microwave) to my wavering attention span. It is easily challenged, especially when it comes to following instructions. I’m constantly trying to find the quickest way around a task and unfortunately I have the worst time management in planning things to be fulfilled at a particular time and in a set manner. This is why I dismissed following recipes for so long.

On Monday evening, I made a vow that I was finally going to make an effort to become a dab hand in the kitchen. A friend gave me a recipe for a medley of spinach, mushroom, onion and a bit of soy sauce to accompany ravioli. It was so simple, and yet so incredibly perfect. This incentivised me to be more adventurous with my meals and each time I  grew increasingly surprised with myself at what I was achieving and gaining, in both life skills and presumably weight. Thinking about it afterwards I thought about how cooking and music are related. Making music or, indeed, a music video is like following a recipe. There are the necessary ingredients; a collection of talented musicians, talent, originality and a vision. The right combination of these components can make for a memorable medley, just like my ravioli. Making a visual story that will be associated with a song can really pepper a person’s perceptions of either the sound or action of the video. An awful video will leave a bad taste in your mouth, similar to the common belief that we eat with our eyes. This week, I decided to extend my newfound love for recipes and adapt them to the videos we were graced with throughout the last sevem days.

Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam – ‘A 1000 Times’ (Glassnote Entertainment Group)

Frontman of The Walkmen, Hamilton Leithauser has collaborated with Rostam from Vampire Weekend and they have shown that you can never have too many chefs at the helm of a project. Returning two years later with a more jubilant sound to Leithauser’s solo album, Black Hours, his first since the demise of The Walkmen. Coincidentally, Rostam worked with Hamilton on that album and their compatibility lead them to this new and welcomed endeavour. So, what recipe did the duo decide to test out for the video for their debut single together, ‘A 1000 Times’? Let’s take a look…

– A handful of moments following a woman singing along to Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam around the city. We can all recognise that mime endured nose crinkle when you’re signing away to yourself in public.

– A drizzle of nostalgia in the video’s narrative with the young boy growing into Hamilton who then, presumably is represented by the older gentleman at the end performing with a suave cohort of musicians.

– Set the video in a well palleted area to bring out the flavours and tones of the song. In this instance, a school gym ensures minimal distractions from the lovely sound of the melody.

– Serving suggestion, add a dishy bassist in the band to make the video even more appetising.

Moses Gunn Collection – ‘Dream Girls’ (Independent)

If one video was to be awarded three Michelin Stars this week based on obscurity and more than one chuckle throughout the near four minute duration, then Australian psychedelic pop ensemble, Moses Gunn Collection eat up the competition. ‘Dream Girls’ possesses that nonchalance all bands need to just have fun with making music and not taking themselves too seriously. In saying that, they still manage to create something worthwhile and addictive.

If you are in a band and want to recreate the fanciful and frivolous fun of ‘Dream Girls’, follow this step-by-step guide…

– Four ladies wearing pastel silk nightdresses accessorised with oversized unicorn heads. Lazed motions by these silky unicorns will provide the illusion of the dream girl in said song.

– Peel away any inhibitions you may have with regards to the image you emanate as a band. Forgo fashion quandaries and dedication to jean tightness, these will spoil your ability to feel  free and at ease when it comes to shooting the video. Instead, opt for comfort and wear pyjamas and a sleeping hat. As you can see, you won’t have to sacrifice the span and breadth of dance moves because your circulation won’t be cut off from your outfit.

– Make a marinade of makeshift sliver glitter stars, over the top dance moves, and a speaking solo to one’s dream girl for the perfect base to enhance this already lighthearted song.

No Monster Club – ‘I’ve Retired’ (Mirror Universe Tapes)

Dublin band, No Monster Club played a rogue card this week by releasing a music video for a song not on their current album, but its predecessor, People Are Weird. The video for ‘I’ve Retired’, was filmed over a two year period and compiles snippets of their live shows in Whelan’s, Bello Bar, Record store day at The RAGE and many other gigs, festivals and shows.

How did the band manage to make ‘I’ve Retired’, fresh and exciting again, and not appear like a lingering leftover?

– Capture the essence of your live shows. Demonstrate that you are Cayenne Pepper and never Vanilla in the seasoning rack of life.

– Add a frontman, Bobby Aherne in this instance, with inimitable style and chameleonic hairstyles to keep the visual exciting and memorable.

– Don’t be afraid to break away from the regimental rules of releasing music. Sometimes it’s good to revisit work and remind people why they love what you do. The same can be said for a “famous dinner dish.” We all know someone who makes the best chicken and vol-au-vents, and the evenings when they bring that to the table you’re hit with a special kind of happiness found in familiarity.

Massive Attack ft. Hope Sandoval – ‘The Spoils’ (Virgin)

I’ve always been a little afraid of Massive Attack. Growing up in the 1990s with older siblings I was exposed to music that was chilling and unsettling such as Faithless, Nirvana and Massive Attack. The fear of the latter grew from the video for ‘Teardrop’, and since then I have always been conscious of watching their videos in the day time and never, ever before sleeping. ‘The Spoils’ is no exception, while it is in no way gruesome the video has a sinister undertone and the lethargic, eery beat combined with Hope Sandoval’s vocal – which can be likened to a subdued Lana Del Rey – make for an atmospheric song. ‘The Spoils’ is fine dining personified. To recreate this high-end production you will need the following…

– When you’re a meaty band like Massive Attack it is important to maintain quality. This comes in the form of Oscar winning actress, Cate Blanchett and director, John Hellcat who has previously made videos for Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and Gemma Hayes.

– Add a substantial amount of graphics to Cate Blanchett’s face and leave the virtual and prosthetic changes simmer for six minutes and watch her transform from the Hollywood personality  into an indigenous head for a lasting effect on the viewer.

– Keep things simple. This video is so easy to watch and enjoy because your lulled into the monochrome world created by Massive Attack and Hillcoat. Simplicity doesn’t mean boring, there are dressings of blues and reds to ignite the energy between the sound and visual of this video.

Notable Mention…. Recipe for Disaster…

Green Day – ‘Bang Bang’ (Reprise Records)

There isn’t much to be said about Green Day at this stage in their career, however Billy Joel Armstrong still feels that his voice sings wisdom to the masses. ‘Bang Bang’ is an attempted critique of the insatiable appetite people have for instant fame, along with other devious moral issues. The animation and colours of the video manage to keep your attention, the song however is milk that has spoiled and needs to be poured down the drain. And so, Green Day have fully morphed into a recipe for musical disaster.

http://state.ie/features/massive-attack-no-monster-club-green-day-more

Originally Published on State.ie, August 2016.

State’s Videos of the Week was a column I wrote for State.ie from May 2016 - May 2017. It provided a summarised insight into music videos released each week.