#looking through my art tag feels like looking at someone else's work again...

[readymades2002]

remember when i used to draw. haha oh wow what a wacky and exhilarating period of time that was. anyway it will never happen again

[dxrlingluv]

I just want like....reader being giddy and giggly when having a crush on Telemachus cus that's lowkey me when someone drew him hehhehehehheheheheh👉👈

Tapestry

A/N : I love Telekinesis so much!! Telemachus art belongs to duvetbox from yt ! I am so sad. My posts don’t work on the tag “Telemachus x Reader” sighhhh

WARNING : GN!Reader, fluff

Word Count : 881

The grand hall of Ithaca was, as always, a place of bustling activity. Servants hurried to and fro, delivering messages, preparing meals, and attending to the myriad needs of the royal household. You, however, were currently engaged in a battle of wills with a particularly stubborn tapestry. It was a beautiful piece, depicting scenes from the life of Odysseus, but the threads seemed to have a mischievous streak, tangling and twisting at every turn. You tugged at a particularly recalcitrant loop, muttering under your breath.

"By Hera's loom," you grumbled, your brow furrowed in concentration. "This infernal thing is possessed! It's as if the gods themselves are conspiring against me and my tapestry!"

"Having a bit of trouble there, Y/N?"

That voice. Deep, warm, and laced with a hint of amusement. Your heart did a complicated series of leaps and bounds, a sort of acrobatic routine performed entirely within your chest cavity. Telemachus. He was leaning against a nearby pillar, arms crossed, his posture relaxed yet regal. The soft light filtering through the high windows illuminated his features, highlighting the strong line of his jaw, the gentle curve of his lips, the intelligence that shone in his eyes. He looked every bit the prince, and you, well, you felt like a complete fool, wrestling with a tapestry like a commoner.

Your face flushed crimson, the heat creeping up your neck and into your cheeks. You fumbled with the tapestry, nearly dropping the entire thing in your haste to appear composed. "Oh! Uh, Prince Telemachus," you stammered, your voice coming out in a mortifyingly high-pitched squeak. You cleared your throat, trying to regain some semblance of dignity. "Just... this tapestry. It seems to have... developed a rather independent spirit." You attempted a casual smile, but it probably looked more like a grimace. Why did your words always abandon you in his presence?

He chuckled, a rich, melodic sound that resonated through the hall and sent shivers down your spine. It was a sound that could melt glaciers, a sound that made you want to abandon all pretense of composure and simply bask in its warmth. "It certainly looks like it's putting up quite a fight. Perhaps it senses your... frustration?"

He pushed himself off the pillar and took a few steps closer, his gaze fixed on you with an intensity that made your knees weak. You could feel your pulse quickening, the blood rushing to your head. You suddenly became acutely aware of everything about your appearance: the stray strands of hair flailing out like wild animals, the smudge of dust on your tunic, the fact that you were probably still blushing like a newly ripened tomato.

"I... I have it under control," you insisted, your voice barely a whisper. You tugged at the tapestry again, this time managing to snag it on a loose thread, creating an even bigger tangle. You groaned inwardly. This was going from bad to worse.

He raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, that charming smile playing on his lips. "Are you quite sure? It appears to be winning." He was teasing you, you knew, but there was a warmth in his eyes, a playful glint that made your heart flutter even faster.

"Positive!" you squeaked, then cleared your throat again, trying to sound more authoritative. "I mean, yes. Definitely. Thank you for your concern, Your Highness." You punctuated the sentence with a jerky nod, nearly losing your balance in the process.

He watched you for a moment longer, his expression a mixture of amusement and something else... something that made your stomach flip-flop. It was a look that hinted at a deeper interest, a curiosity that went beyond simple politeness.

"Very well," he said, his voice a low murmur that seemed to wrap around you like a warm embrace. "But if it gets the better of you, don't hesitate to call for help. I wouldn't want you to be... overwhelmed." He paused, his gaze lingering on you for a moment longer than necessary, and your breath hitched in your throat.

"And Y/N?”

"Yes?" you whispered, your voice barely audible above the frantic beating of your heart.

He hesitated for a moment, as if searching for the right words. Then, a hint of that familiar, disarming smile returned to his face. "It's a... very impressive tapestry," he said, a hint of laughter dancing in his eyes. "I'm sure it will be... magnificent."

And then he was gone, striding out of the hall with that effortless grace that was so uniquely his, leaving you standing there in a state of utter disarray. You clutched the tangled tapestry to your chest, your mind reeling, your face burning with a blush that could rival the setting sun.

"He thinks my tapestry is magnificent," you sighed, your voice a dreamy, lovesick whisper. You knew, logically, that he was just being kind, offering a polite compliment to a struggling servant. But your heart, that treacherous, giddy organ, refused to listen to reason. It chose instead to revel in the fantasy that maybe, just maybe, Prince Telemachus saw you as more than just another face in the crowd. You were pretty sure your face was going to stay this shade of red forever, and you were perfectly okay with that.

[cybrasigilism]

All Mine (Player 333/Lee Myung-gi X Reader Drabble)

warning: smut | not proofread | lowercase intended | possession kink | this is my interpretation of this character, please be respectful even if my opinion on the character differs from your own

character: lee myung-gi (player 333)

A/N: been straight up desiring to write for this diva again, i got inspiration for this little drabble after listening to “ALL MINE” by brent faiyaz, hence the fic name. enjoy to all my fellow myung-gi fans!

MDNI! 18+ content beneath the cut, readers discretion is advised

if anyone is into possessive, jealous sex, it’s myung-gi without a shadow of a doubt.

you’ve seen jealous before. you’ve been in your fair share of relationships with guys who felt as though they needed to stake a claim on you if someone even so much as looked in your direction, but with myung-gi it was on a different level entirely. when you first met, you didn’t clock him as the kind of guy who would be into that sort of thing. when all is said and done though, if he feels like he has to prove that you’re his— you will not be walking right for the next few days.

⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°

you can’t deny that it totally turned you on; the way he would become totally thankless with you. pushing you up against the wall, leaving marks and hickeys all up and down your neck, whispering in your ear how you’re his— you were certain you couldn’t get enough of him like this. he was so rough, yet so gentle at the same time. it was as though he was taking out his frustration and envy out onto you while still reminding you how much he loved you. you really couldn’t say you minded how tenacious he became when eating you out during these fits of jealousy, working wonders with that tongue of his as if in an attempt to raise the bar to an unreachable point for all other men. trust he will take moments in between to dish out possessive comments, only because he knows it gets you going that much more.

“no one else can eat you this good, isn’t that right?”

“fuck, this is all for me right? nobody else’ll ever get to know how good you taste”

you better believe he becomes totally controlling when you guys fuck, too. he’ll demand that you tell him who you ‘belong’ to as he thrusts in and out of your pussy. even through tears, he won’t cease until you’re screaming his name.

“do i need to remind you who this pussy belongs to?” “a-ah! fuck! it’s yours— oh shit, it’s all y-ours!”

he may seem much rougher than usual while he’s fucking you in this jealous rage, but it’s completely out of love. he just despises the idea of a guy thinking he could take you from him so easily, that’s all.

▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰

thanks for putting up with my brief self indulgent post! i apologize if it’s ooc, i just got the idea and wanted to share it inbetween working through requests!

as always, any advice/constructive criticism on how to improve my art is appreciated and requested! have a spectacular day/night lovelies!

tags: @gongyoosgf @strangelife122 @agornotsworld @kvstjwonnie @marymustdie @luvlyfandoms @putrescentpoet

[crownpastelyellow]

Sticks and Skates

Went a little bit insane over Tangem with my buddy @chlmngo for the last 2 days and suddenly this was in my docs. So it was time for another sports AU oneshot by the guy who doesn't like sports!

Please make sure to check out the lovely art my buddy made over here. Helps get a better look on Gem's clothes because Tango does not have the words to describe it properly /silly

Pairing: Gem/Tango

Length: 7.2k words

Tags: THIS IS RPF, they are both idiots pining <3, high likelyhood of inaccuracies because I don't know either sport

Smut, Age Gap. Rest is pretty vanilla

Hope you enjoy!

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/64829926

Normally, Gem wasn’t like this. Most days she’d be entirely focused on skating, on landing her jumps, of making the most of her practice. The training hours are expensive for this rink after all, which is a crime considering that for the first hour it is shared with one of the hockey teams.

But this is only where Gem’s dilemma starts

“You’re ogling”, Cleo teases as they slowly skate by, only to leave Gem to stew on it. She clenches her teeth, muttering to herself, “not ogling.” 

Staring? Maybe. Getting distracted? Most definitely. 

And the sigh that escapes her is certainly not helping her case, hearing someone snicker behind her.

It is getting hard to deny as well. What started out as sending an occasional glance to the hockey team; And, who can blame her? Gem is also only human. Of course she had to watch, even if hockey isn’t a sport she’s normally interested in. Heck, she doesn’t even know the rules. But there is a certain respect for other sports. Yes, that’s it. Respect.

Not the way they move over the ice in their rather bulky uniforms but still with such precision, all while focusing on the tiny puck, navigating it around the field. Or the way the group erupts in cheers whenever a goal is scored. Gem may roll her eyes at the chanting of slogans, but in a way it is endearing.

And none of this has to do with one man playing center. Absolutely not.

It isn’t even that he’s a specifically good player, none of them are, but it is strangely endearing seeing him so excited, seeing how hard he’s trying.

So Gem catches herself smiling when he hits the puck towards the goal before falling onto his knees, gliding across the ice on his protectors, watching intently until it hits the goal. What if that smile then turns into a fond grin that she quickly masks again, when he starts cheering, before a teammate helps him up and pats him on the back.

Gem will just pretend that no one saw, that her teammates aren’t rolling their eyes at her and that she doesn’t care about this guy.

She doesn’t even know his name. Barely has seen him without his helmet on. Once, maybe twice, when Gem looked over as they were leaving the rink. And maybe she keeps thinking about his scruffy beard. Not that she could see much else all across the ice.

Okay, maybe things were worse than Gem would like to admit. 

Focus. Focus, Gem. 

Not wanting to be caught staring when he gets up, Gem tears her eyes away and focuses on her own practice. 

This goes well for about all of ten minutes before the shrill sound of a whistle indicates the practice match for the hockey players as over, alongside their practice.

Gem has to skate out of the way to let the men through but decides to linger close by the exit, pretending to fix something on her skate, fastening the laces anew. It doesn’t help that she can feel at least half her team eyeing her.

Getting up again, her eyes trail over the group as they’re taking off their helmets and she can now get a much closer look than previously.

His beard has more grey hairs in it than she anticipated and the little bit of short shaved hair quickly gets hidden beneath a cap. 

What Gem really wasn’t ready for was him putting glasses on, just simple, black frames. Why does this have to affect her so much?

Preferably she’d just bury her head in her hands now but someone behind her has to of course make it worse. “He could be your dad, you know?”

Thankfully her glare is enough to get them to leave her alone. Not that it makes their words go away or any less true. He could be her dad. 

At least she can focus on her training now that the hockey team has cleared the ice.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next week Gem misses practice because work kept her too busy but when she finally returns to the ice, she is in for a surprise. 

The hockey team apparently decided to finally get their own jerseys and not just use the ones for the rink. No, these all had their unique numbers on it. Numbers and… Names.

Even with her glasses she still has to squint a bit, which, despite her trying to at least wait a little, doesn’t go unnoticed. Cleo leans against the board beside her with a smile on her face. “Was wondering how long it would take you to notice. You know, you could’ve just gone and asked for his name. At this point you’re acquainted, with how much you’re staring.”

Gem gives her a glare which is met with laughter. “In case your squinting isn’t helping. His name is Tango. Skizz, the tall one over there, told me a while ago.”

Their words leave Gem with questions that she’s not entirely sure she really wants answers to. Maybe she just really wants to strangle Cleo right now, who is making the smart choice to leave to focus on actually training.

And Gem tries to focus too, but how is her brain supposed to think about jumps and spins when she just learned that Cleo has been talking to the hockey team about her. No way she’d have any other reason to talk to them.

And what kind of friend is Cleo to not tell Gem his name sooner?

It is nearly painful how slow practice passes and it frustrates Gem to no end that she is not on top of it lately. She is good at this. Really good. How can a single hockey player distract her so much? No, she needs to focus on herself for now and not how they practice guiding the puck on the other half of the ice.

Time to actually practice what she needs for the next competition in her mostly empty corner. After getting a few jumps in Gem has her confident smile back on her face.

Now for the more difficult part; She skates backwards and gets ready to jump only to feel herself crash into something. Or someone.

Gem yelps and braces herself to hit the ice, already tucking her hands in, just like she learned, to avoid any accidents but the impact doesn’t happen. Instead she feels two arms around her, holding her with apparent ease.

The clattering noise of the wooden stick landing on the ice ensures that everyone who wasn’t already looking over here most definitely is now.

And if Gem’s face wasn’t already beet red, it definitely was when she realized who caught her - and was still holding her. She sees the scruffy beard, the smile, the way his eyes squint slightly with it.

“You alright there?”, he asks, squeezing her gently as if to remind her that he’s still holding her. In fact, Gem is more than just a little aware of it. It takes her another moment to realize that he asked because he’s still holding her. Gem scrambles to her feet instantly and less gracefully than she would’ve liked but he doesn’t seem to notice.

The instant she’s standing again, they both start apologizing simultaneously. 

“I hadn’t noticed I was this far into your part of the ice, sorry about that. Did you get hurt?”

Gem can all but shake her head before getting out a quick “I’m fine. Good catch” She internally cringes at herself and they both just look at each other for one more moment before Tango gets called over again. “I’ll leave you to it then. Good luck with the jumps and uh, stuff.”

Gem wanted to both kick herself, because how can she be more endeared by him from just a few words and also because she wants to reach out. Thankfully her pride gets the better of her and she skates away, trying to calm her breathing as she gives him one last smile.

The next half hour passes slowly, as Gem’s eyes trail to the large clock on the wall, over to the hockey team, while trying actively not to glance at her teammates.

When the hockey team eventually leaves the ice, Gem quickly replaces her pride with all the courage she can find in herself and skates over to where Tango gets off the ice. 

Her skates break sharply, before she can stop herself and calls out “Tango!” which raises not only his head - now without helmet and with glasses - but also that of a few others.

“Huh? Oh hi. You again.”, he gives her a warm smile before coming over, now shorter than her, now that he’s off the ice. Gem can’t help her smile. “Wait, you know my name?” Gem’s smile nearly falters.

For a moment she fumbles before saying a bit too quickly,  “The back of your shirt. Jersey. Got your name on it now.” Nice save, hopefully? But he’s laughing and Gem can see the way his nose scrunches up. No man over 40 should have the right to be cute like this.

“Right, right.”

She has to take a deep breath before she can get her next words out. “I wanted to ask if you wanna grab a coffee sometime?”, then quickly adds, “As a thank you. For catching me.” 

At least this masks her ‘little crush’ as Cleo calls it a bit. 

“Oh, it’s all fine, I was the one on the wrong side of the ice. Didn’t even do anything.”, he brushes her off and it stings just a little. 

Someone in the back groans and then a glove hits Tango on the back of his head, startling Gem. Tango’s head whips back at whoever threw it before turning back to Gem who is now chuckling nervously, about to come up with any reason to leave so she can fix her bruised ego in peace. “But… If you’d want to, I can buy you a coffee. It was on me after all.”, he rubs the back of his neck, putting his baseball cap on.

Failing to mask her enthusiasm, Gem nods. “Does Tuesday sound good? 5pm?”

He keeps smiling at her, while his teammates are already heading for the locker room. “Sounds good. We can meet outside then?” And once Gem nods he’s about to leave, giving her a short wave. “See you Tuesday then…”, he seems to have realized he never asked her name. Gem laughs softly, taking pity on him. There was enough embarrassment today already. “Gem.”

“Alright, see you Tuesday, Gem”

She really doesn’t want to talk to anyone else right now but there is still about an hour of her training left. And only about 4 days till her date.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“When did you start skating?” Tango asks, a simple question, as he grabs his coffee before they head over to an empty table.

Gem sits down opposite him but he can briefly feel her leg brush against his but blames it on the table being tiny. “Oh I started quite late, when I was around 19.”

Carefully Tango tries to think how to ask her how long ago that was and Gem seems to read his mind as she casually answers, “So I’ve been at it for bit less than 9 years now.”

Her words in combination with her smile might need to get cited on Tango’s obituary. In his head he automatically does the math and… She’s 28. This might be worse than he thought.

He tries to school his expression into a soft, neutral smile as he takes a sip of his still too hot coffee. “Wow. 9 years?”, he feels like his reply falls short but how is he meant to reply when his head only supplies that she was born the year he graduated from high school. Or that when she graduated highschool he already had been working and thought about buying a house.

Thankfully Gem’s voice distracts him before his thoughts can continue spiraling in that direction. “And you?” Gem’s smile was hidden behind the paper cup with her, for Tango’s taste, way to sweet coffee in it, her glasses fogging up slightly. Why does this make it so much harder for him to concentrate? 

“Oh, I've only been playing hockey for a few months now. Still a beginner” he laughs, trying to brush over his nervousness. He shouldn't be nervous at all. They are just grabbing coffee. This means nothing. Unless it does. Nope, not going down that train of thought again either. He spent too much time thinking about it already before they met. Whether this could be considered a date or not. Whether he should dress nicer or not. Looking at Gem he wishes he had. 

Gem is still looking at him, so he feels the need to keep talking. “I started because a friend of mine got into it a short while ago and he dragged me along.”

“Wow, for only a few months on the ice you've been really stable. Especially if you can catch a whole person” She laughs and this time Tango can't deny how fast his heart is beating. What is this woman doing to him? 

“But I'm really glad you did. I've got a competition coming up really soon and I can't afford any injury now.” Tango can't help but smile back. 

“Well, it was definitely on me. Don't worry, during the next practice I'll make sure to keep my butt on the hockey side of things” he says and is glad that it makes her laugh. 

“Is the competition a local thing?” he can't help his genuine curiosity. He's never really had an interest in figure skating before, with it not being quite his type of sport. And he knows that now it's not the sport either that caught his eye.

“Bit more than that,” Gem laughs, “a regional one. But if I do well there I can still move up.” 

Tango can't help but notice the way her eyes light up when she talks about skating, and the sight might as well be addicting. So he keeps asking, just so Gem talks more about it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A lot more time than anticipated passes, Tango even got up to get them new drinks at some point, getting Gem exactly what she ordered earlier. 

After she asked him out for a coffee, Gem had been trying her hardest not to get her hopes up. She's barely ever talked to him, after all. But after having spent some time with him? He's incredibly sweet. 

Sure, some of his humor has her roll her eyes but it's fun. He is fun.

So what if she plays it up, just a little bit. Blinking up at him as he places down another cup. Asking him to talk about his nerdy hobbies. It’s too easy, when she sees him fluster, mentioning his DnD campaign.

The way he got just the slightest bit embarrassed at first but warmed up once Gem showed interest. Was he worried that she’d get up and leave? Call him a nerd? To be fair she did. But it’s not like she isn’t interested. In fact she played enough games similar to it that she can follow him more than just a bit. 

It’s just more fun hearing Tango explain it to her. Hearing the excitement in his voice as he talks about his character and it is just straight up cute. 

“But where’s the whimsy if there’s no romance? You’re playing a bard! Aren’t you meant to get it on?” Gem laughs, and when Tango’s face grows about five shades redder she can’t help but laugh more. 

“Bards do more than just flirt.” Tango retorts, shaking his head in mock-offense. 

“Well, guess you’ll just have to invite me over and show me then.” Tongue sticking out the slightest bit between her lips, gently biting down on it, watching Tango’s expressions go through all five stages of grief in quick succession. Gem has to keep herself from laughing when he finally settles on a drawn out “sure.”

She really can’t blame him for it. Which doesn’t mean she isn’t incredibly amused by his suffering.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When their date is coming to an end, Gem and Tango walk back to the ice rink, where their cars are parked. Going slower than necessary, as neither really want this to end. If it was a date for Gem.

After saying their goodbyes, Tango panics for a short moment. Should he go for a kiss? Way too early. What if he's been reading this entire thing differently. A hug instead? What if Gem would think he's some old creep? 

His brain turns off when Gem gives him a loose, friendly hug and without thinking he returns it. 

Then he feels her lips, soft, way too soft, on his cheek only for a moment. At first he thought he imagined it - wishful thinking - but Gem pulls away and he can see her bite her lips.

“Same time next week?”, she asks surprisingly quietly. 

“I'll be there ”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next time they see each other is on the ice, and Gem can’t help her timid smile as she starts skating and the way her heart pounds in her chest when she sees Tango giving her a small wave.

Before Gem can even consider anything - should she go and say hi? - that tall guy, Skizz, she thinks Cleo said, hits Tango on the back hard enough that he stumbles slightly. 

Watching their bickering for a moment, Gem chuckles to herself before she focuses on her practice. The big competition is coming up and after the past weeks have been less than productive she needs to train harder.

Surprisingly, it comes easier now. Tango is still there, on the ice and on her mind but less distracting. Maybe because she knows they’ll see each other again on Tuesday. 

Tango finishes his training with another wave to Gem and once he’s off the ice, Gem can practically feel his eyes follow her as she glides effortlessly into a spin. 

Knowing that he’s watching, Gem eases her spin into skating backwards and right into a jump - the same jump that landed her in Tango’s arms last week. Just this time she nails it. Of course she does.

And it feels better than ever before. Especially when she sees Tango’s impressed smile, all the way from across the ice.

This time she gives him a small wave which he returns with a silly salute with two fingers. Gem can only shake her head. Why did her heart choose this dork?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Their coffee date turns into a regular thing much to Tango’s delight. He can’t even admit to himself just how much he’s been enjoying having Gem around him so much. In a way he feels younger, more energized again. Or, more likely he is just - no, he’s not even going to think it.

On Friday, after Gem’s practice ends, Tango gets a text from her. He eventually asked for her number, mumbling an excuse about what if anything comes up.

But he enjoys getting texts from Gem. Pictures of her dog. She sent him an image of her new skates. A link to a new coffee shop that opened nearby that she wanted to try next time.

Tango feels inadequate, struggling to text back, not because he doesn’t want to but because he never knows what to say.

When Gem cancels their usual Tuesday date Tango doesn’t acknowledge the miffed feeling settling in his chest. Especially not when it is because of Gem’s competition that she occasionally mentioned.

It wasn’t until Monday evening that Tango was talking to Skizz about it;

“Dude, did you… not offer to go watch her?” Skizz groans over the phone speaker.

“No? She did not invite me.”, Tango replies quietly. He may realize right now that he’s an idiot. “I should go, shouldn’t I?”

The next hour is spent researching which ice rink nearby is holding a competition tomorrow afternoon. It’s just an hour out by car. He can still get a ticket.

Without allowing himself to overthink it he reserves it. Hopefully Gem wants him there.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To say he was nervous was an understatement. Tango has never been good at these types of things. Starting from what to wear, to thinking whether getting her flowers would be too much. 

He settled for wearing something nice, or as nice as he owns without getting fancy. Simple pants and a button down. After shaving his beard in shape he gets in his car, with just a quick stop at a small flower shop. Just something small, not wanting to overdo it. The employee still made something beautiful, a mix of yellows and soft pinks. Hopefully Gem will like it.

Tango learns quickly, during the competition, that he knows absolutely nothing about ice skating and regrets not having looked up anything beforehand. He had never really paid attention to the sport, only to the young woman gliding over the ice.

And while Gem obviously talked about it during their dates it was nowhere near as technical as what he’s seeing on the ice right now.

All competitors are wearing these elaborate outfits but it didn’t strike Tango that he’d get to see Gem like this, not until she is on the ice, handing her jacket to her trainer, leaving her in a dress short enough that Tango feels his blood first rush to his face, then elsewhere. It is green. And sparkly. To him it is the most beautiful dress he’s seen all night but maybe he is biased from the way Gem looks in it. Her hair is crowned with antlers, making her look entirely mythical.

Her smile is radiant as her eyes wander over the ice and for a short moment Tango is convinced she looked over to him. Just in case, he gives her a thumbs up and his biggest smile.

It is harder than expected to match his applause to that of the crowd, never knowing when Gem did anything right or wrong because it all just looks so perfect. Every spin and jump, it all mesmerizes Tango.

Seeing all her practice pay off fills him with so much fondness for her. Gem trained so hard for years so she can perform like this. 

During an elaborate spins Gem holds her leg all the way above her head and Tango considers looking away but his grey eyes are glued to her.

When the music fades out Gem comes to a halt and he can see the way her labored breathing moves her whole body as she holds the pose for a few moments more. Everyone is cheering and clapping. 

Finally, just before Gem breaks the pose and bows, she spots Tango, and when her face brightens he knew it was the right choice to come here. He just wishes he bought a bigger bouquet.

The rest of the event Tango could only focus on the way his heart beats in his chest, how he can’t wait to see Gem once she’s done and congratulate her.

He barely even registers when all competitors are done and the lights focus on the podium. 

When Gem gets called out and wins the second place, Tango cheers as loud as he can, earning a raised eyebrow from the woman in the seat next to him. Not that he cares, not with the way Gem is smiling, waving as the medal gets placed around her neck, careful of the pink flowers that ornate her dress and the antlers still on her head. 

Tango can’t deny that he’s in love.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It’s cold outside the ice rink but that doesn’t really matter when Tango waits for Gem to come out. The sun has set a while ago, only the fluorescent light of the building behind him illuminating the pavement, some lanterns farther down the parking lot not helping. 

A bit nervously he’s bouncing on the heel of his foot, waiting for Gem to come out.

When the doors finally open again a group of people walks out, the last few of them he recognizes as Gem’s teammates, and lastly, Gem. Now in her usual training clothes, purple hoodie and 

Suddenly very aware of his age and the way he’s waiting for a much younger woman with a bouquet in hand. As if everyone hasn’t seen it yet, he quickly hides the flowers behind his back and laughs nervously.

He hears some chuckling and even Gem is giggling right until she stands right in front of him.

“Go ahead guys, I’ll be right there”, she calls out and thankfully her teammates leave them alone. “You’re here.”

“Hi. I, uh, wanted to see you. Perform. And I brought you some flowers.”, he hands her the bouquet a bit too quickly. Why does she make him so nervous? 

“I really enjoyed watching you skate. Your spins,” He can’t think about that view right now, already feeling his face grow hotter, “and your, uh…” He motions with his hands above his head for the antlers. Thankfully Gem laughs and takes the flowers from him, nudging his foot gently with hers.

“I’m glad you’re here. I wasn’t sure if you wanted to come.”, Tango realizes how close Gem is to him.

“Since we couldn’t grab coffee today. Wouldn’t want to miss out on this.”, then an idea comes to his mind. “We could still grab one. If you’re not too tired, of course”

Gem does this cute thing again where she bites down on her tongue, seemingly considering his offer. “Cleo drove me here. Let me quickly let them know that you’ll drive me home.”

And with that Gem is off.

Tango finally exhales for the first time in minutes.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Their usual coffee dates pick up again and Gem actually explains her routine to Tango after he seemed curious about it. She explains the differences between certain elements, between the short program and the free skate and anything else he wants to know.

In turn, Gem makes him promise to invite her to his next game and explain hockey rules to her.

It’s not like she’s ever cared about the sport before, and that hasn’t really changed. But she wants to see Tango play without having to focus on her own practice and she wants to understand when to cheer - learning from his mistakes.

A few times Gem even invites him around on her morning runs. She’s been doing this for years so she goes easy on him but it’s nice, seeing each other more, off the ice and outside their dates. Even if neither of them actually have called them that out loud yet.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the day of Tango’s next game they meet up shortly beforehand to take a quick walk. The days are getting sunnier and warmer again so they slowly stroll through a nearby park until they need to head to the rink.

Before Tango has to go to the locker room, bulky gym bag in hand, Gem calls out to him. 

“Wait.” She leans the slightest bit up, feeling his beard scratch against her lips as she presses a quick kiss to his cheek. They haven’t done that since their first coffee, nearly two months ago. “For good luck. I’ll wait out here for you once you’re done.” and she turns to find her seat, leaving a mildly stunned Tango behind. Deciding to make it worse for him she calls out, “I’ll go home with the winner tonight.”, she laughs before quickly ducking through the door to find a good spot.

During the warmups on ice Gem keeps smiling over to Tango and even if she can’t see it with his helmet on, she knows by now the way his face scrunches up when he smiles back.

Then during the first period not much of note happens. The one thing Gem does notice now that everyone is here to watch the game, is that she’s practically the only woman under 30 in the entire audience, the only ones younger than her are children, their with family.

During the quick break she hopes to catch a glimpse of Tango again but in the end just settles for getting herself something warm to drink to warm her fingers on.

Things pick up in the second period. Her eyes follow Tango across the ice, admiring the way he keeps a hold of the puck, making it look easy to navigate the stick and other players while focusing on skating. 

Then, when Tango scores a goal, the first one of the entire game, Gem’s cheering alongside everyone else. She’s smiling and waving over to him as he and his team have a short celebration before it keeps going.

The third, and last period is where Gem starts to regret having promised to go home with the winner. The other team scores two goals and she can practically feel Tango deflate all the way over here. Of course he’s seemingly still having fun but her comment may have gotten to him. But it’s not like Gem hasn’t had an emergency plan ready.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She’s waiting in the foyer for Tango. 

When he finally comes out of the locker room, his jersey still on, Gem immediately walks over, her arms around his neck. 

“You scored a goal!” She tries to cheer and she’s glad to see Tango smiling.

“Didn’t win though,” the reply comes with a raised eyebrow.

But Gem just shakes her head. “You scored and that’s a win for me. If you’d want to take me home with you.”

“Moving the goalpost closer for me?” Tango teases as he holds the door open, leading her to his car before throwing the bag with his equipment into the back seat.

Gem waits with her reply until they’re both sitting in the car before she teasingly leans over, one hand coming to rest on Tango’s thigh, “You say that like you really don’t want to feel my mouth on you.” 

Maybe it was a good idea she said that before Tango started his car, with how he physically startles. “Gem,” his voice a bit higher than usual. Gem can’t wait to hear what other noises he can make.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gem’s mouth hasn’t left Tango since they closed the door to his house behind him. Despite her curiosity she had only eyes for him in the moment. The tour can wait till tomorrow morning.

She lets him lead the way to the bedroom, where he drops his bag off in a corner before Gem falls onto his bed, pulling him with her. They’re both giggling as he’s sprawled across her. “You’re crushing me”, Gem’s voice is whinier than it needs to be.

“You’re the one who pulled me down on top of you”, he laughs against her neck.

Gem lets Tango explore her, his hands crawling up under her shirt, she can feel the calluses on his fingertips brush over her sensitive sides as his mouth maps her neck, her jaw and eventually her mouth.

Her own hands feel up his arms and Gem can’t help herself but sigh into the kiss. 

Hours could pass like this before Gem decides to finally reward her winner.

The second she starts squirming beneath him, Tango leans up and lets her go, balancing on one arm and his hip alone. Gem uses that to flip them around, Tango now on his back as Gem slides off the bed and onto her knees. She knows exactly how to look up at Tango to fluster him, when he sits up. “Gem, you don’t have to.”

“But I want to. If you let me.” Her smile is innocent, even if her words aren’t. Taking the strangled noise as confirmation, her hands slowly move up, over his thighs, she can feel the muscles beneath her palms through the fabric, all the way up to the hem of his pants.

Looking up again, looking for permission to keep going, she only sees Tango nod. Gem can’t help her smile, relishing in the feeling that he’s already speechless.

The second her lips are on him, Gem can feel him tense up. With a quick glance she can see his head tilted backwards, obviously trying to keep it together.

Nearly in a comforting way she rests a hand on his hip, but also to slightly pull his jersey up, exposing his soft stomach to her, including the patch of her that trails all the way down to where her other hand comes to rest.

Her pace is slow and she makes sure to get all the spit she can onto him before her hand starts to move in time with her tongue. Above her Tango groans, quiet whispers of her name leaving his lips like a prayer that only serve to spur Gem on more.

His one hand helps him keep balance, the other lands on her shoulder, gently rubbing over her skin with his thumb, as if to ground himself.

Gem is ready to give it her all. She didn’t go into this night with any plans or expectations other than making Tango feel good. Loved.

So when Tango tries to pull back she only stops but doesn’t pull off.

“Gem.”, Tango’s plea is met with a devious lick over his tip, causing him to shiver.

“Gem. I want to taste you.”, he practically begs her, looking down with furrowed brows, the grip on her shoulder tenser now.

Despite him catching her so effortlessly on the ice, Gem had not expected Tango to just lift her onto the back, her back hitting the mattress, her red hair splaying out across the pillows.

Before a single noise escapes her, his lips are on hers, his beard scratching slightly on her cheeks and she can’t wait to feel the same scratch on her thighs.

They only part long enough for Tango to pull Gem’s sweater over her head, his glasses placed onto the nightstand, then his lips crash against her again with an endearing amount of enthusiasm.

She helps him kick off her skirt and underpants in swift motions leaving her only in her bra for now.

The exposed feeling doesn’t last long when Tango firmly plants one hand on her hip, the other trailing lower, stopping just short, earning him a frustrated whine.

“You sure you want this?” Tango asks, making sure. Like he always does, with everything.

“I thought you wanted to return the favor.” Gem’s words are teasing but her voice wavers just a slight bit. “God yes, I want this, Tango”

Not needing any further invitation his hand travels lower, thumb brushing over her clit, already taking in every hitch of her breath, every noise Gem lets through.

At least they are both impatient, as Tango can’t keep the slow pace up. He lowers his head, kissing her stomach, all the way down while his free hand slowly inserts a finger. 

Tango’s mouth finds her clit, tongue brushing over her in slow laps.

Somewhere in the back of her mind she notices the gentle burn of his beard as it scratches the sensitive skin on her thighs but it only adds to the pleasure.

Her body twitches sensitively as Tango works her. “Please, more.” 

The pleasure is already building, as Tango replaces his fingers with his tongue and Gem has to keep herself from wrapping her legs tightly around his head, only to feel more of him.

Instead her hands needily grab at Tango, holding onto the sleeves of his jersey before needing to pull him closer, feel more of him.

Since she can’t move her hips she opts for placing a hand on his head, feeling his warm skin and the soft stubble of the short shaved hair under her palm as she pulls him closer. The muffled groan against her only makes her moan louder.

“Tango. Please”, Gem moans and even the firm hand on her hip can’t stop her from grinding herself down on his tongue as the pleasure crashes over her body.

Gem is still shuddering as Tango’s tongue stills slowly, letting her lead through this.

When the pull of her hand eases on the back of his head, Tango pulls away and Gem can see him take a deep breath. She can also see how the entire lower half of his face is covered in her slick. God she needs this man to bend her over immediately.

But first she greedily leans forward, stealing a kiss from him, tasting herself on his tongue. Tango kisses her back with the force of a starving man. 

“I need you. Please. Fuck me.” Hearing Gem beg so directly kicks Tango into action immediately. 

“How do you want it?” And before Gem can even find the words to reply, she moves onto her hands and knees. Without any further words, Tango understands. He kicks the rest of his pants off, from where they were hanging at his knees, before he is immediately behind Gem, his back pressed against hers.

“Get your legs a bit further apart for me”, he requests and Gem obliges. A moment later she feels him slowly push in, her slick and his spit more than enough.

Both groan and Gem feels Tango push a bit more of his weight onto her back, just for a moment as he adjusts to the feeling of her. He is warm behind her, soft hair on his chest tickling against her back ever so slightly.

“Can I move?” Tango asks,his mouth close enough to her ear so she can feel his breath. Gem can definitely feel his beard against her neck and shoulder. 

“Yeah”, her voice comes out strained with need.

Tango’s thrusts are slow but firm, his one arm wrapping around her waist, as if to hold her closer, while the other supports himself. After a few moments the hand moves from her stomach down to her clit. Gem can hear his breath hitch every time she clenches around him. Her moans only encourage him further.

Every groan in her ear matches his movements and she can already feel his pace picking up, his thrusts getting harder, deeper.

“Not gonna last long like this. Can you-” another groan. “Can you ride me? I wanna see your face when I cum.” His voice is hoarse, maybe from eating her out, maybe from restraint. Either way she can’t say no to him like this, so she nods.

After a few more thrusts, Gem pushing back into him, Tango pulls out. The second Gem turns around he pulls her close, having her straddle his lap as he sits on the bed.

Before she can lower herself down, he stops her. Tango’s hand moves slowly up and down, stroking himself as he stares at her, his mouth hanging slightly open, his breathing heavy. “Your bra… Please.”

He doesn’t even need to say more, Gem’s hands already opening the clasp and removing the last bit of fabric. Another groan, this one higher in pitch, escapes him, brows furrowed as he reaches out, stopping just short of touching her breast.

Gem laughs. “You can touch me. I want you to touch me”

She makes sure Tango can hear the way her breath hitches when he brushes his thumb over her nipple. “You’re so beautiful.“

Gem leans down to kiss him and finally he pulls her forwards with ease, so she can lower herself down onto his member. Again they both groan as Gem fully lowers herself and their hips meet. 

As if he can’t wait for her to move, his hands guide her, once they find her hips again, even if Gem doesn’t need the help, her daily morning runs have prepared her for this moment.

The feeling of his palms is nice though.

They kiss again, both moaning into it with every move. Gem’s hands wrap around Tango’s shoulders, not letting him pull away the first time, only when he tries again a few seconds later. “‘m close.” His words come out mumbled. “Can I cum inside of you?” The plea is broken by a groan.

Gem takes in his face, his eyes lidded, barely open enough to see her. His lips are parted as he’s breathing heavily, groaning. His eyes rake over her entire body, her hips where they meet his, her soft but trained stomach. The swell of her breasts and the way they bounce with every bit of movement.

“Cum inside me”, half command, half request and she can just see Tango break. The hands on her grip just a bit tighter as she feels him twitch inside her. 

Tango kisses her again, making her swallow all his noises as he spills himself into her.

When they part, both are panting. Gem is smiling, letting herself sink against Tango whose arms wrap around her, pulling her off himself and into the bed.

Endearingly, he peppers her face with kisses while Gem catches her breath. “Cuddles or cleaning up first?” He asks, immediately ready to make sure Gem is comfortable.

“I don’t think I want to move any time soon.” She laughs softly, turning towards Tango, trying to ignore the stickiness between her legs and the way it pools onto the bed.

Tango brushes a strand of hair out of her face before asking, “Anything else? Water? A towel?” But Gem just pulls him closer. 

“I want you to shut up and just cuddle me.” Her words lack any bite with the smile on her face. He pulls her closer, letting her head rest against his chest.

Gem stays the night.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It has been a bit over a month since the night of Tango’s game and after grabbing their usual Tuesday coffee, they planned to head to their usual ice rink.

They’ve been doing a lot of small activities like that. Two weeks ago they went and played minigolf, and despite Tango mentioning that he has played golf before, Gem did beat him by a margin.

“More of a different sport than you thought, huh?”, she teases him with a victorious smile.

But today they just want to take it easy, so ice skating it is.

Neither of them can help themselves though when Gem leans in close and quietly challenges him, “I bet you I’m faster. From here to the board.”

Tango’s grey eyes meet her gaze and he smiles, dramatically pulling the cap lower into his face. “You’re on. Loser buys drinks?”

She counts them down and a few seconds later Gem cheers herself on in victory as she breaks only inches away from the wall.

Tango joins her there, just a second or so later. He’s getting better at this. “Might eventually outpace me”, Gem notes but of course he only shakes his head.

“Only if you let me win. Alright, drinks. Coffee?” Tango is smiling and leaves when Gem nods.

Turning around, arms resting on the board, she looks at his back, walking over to the small stall selling fast food and drinks, still in his skates.

There is a fond fluttering in her chest as she watches him. A feeling that hasn’t gone away in the last few months since they got closer.

When he returns he hands her the cup, shorter than her like this, not on the ice. With the few inches she has on him, Gem leans down and her lips meet his.

[leviathanlazarus]

In Your Fantasy

Pairing: Jake Kiszka x (F) Reader

Word Count: ~5300

Warnings: semi-public sex (like...very low-key), oral sex (F receiving), unprotected PIV sex. 18+ only ~

This took me forever to finish because I started it before my stupid tonsillectomy and I was totally useless throughout most of the recovery. Also, it's been absolutely ages since I wrote a Jake x Reader fic so I'm not sure how I feel about it...I really enjoyed writing this regardless of my trepidation though. I loved the idea of falling in love with him at work and him being so cheeky...hope you enjoy it too <3

P.S. also ages ago, I wrote a Josh x Reader fic that also took place in a library which you can read here. Links on my desktop masterlist aren't active for some reason...but I found it using a certain tag lmao. If you know, you know.

---

You were finishing up fixing the order of some art books in the back of the library when you felt Jake come up behind you. “Wanna hear something kind of crazy?” he whispered in your ear, his chin nearly on your shoulder, his hair brushing against yours. Without even seeing him, the closeness and warmth of his body and the low, husky whisper sent a tingle up your spine–he certainly added a level of intrigue to working in a library. 

“Always,” you said, slipping the last book into the correct spot. It was a quiet Thursday afternoon–you’d thought it’d actually be busier given the rain that kept bucketing down outside, creating an even cozier atmosphere, but maybe people just wanted to stay home with their books instead. That was fine by you. You liked it when it was nearly dead silent throughout the building and Jake was there to occasionally break through, his voice a river through your thoughts and his subtle touches all shockwaves to your heart. 

When you turned around to face him, Jake looked like he was holding back a hilarious joke or something, eyes all eager and a grin tight on his lips like he was bursting at the seams. “So I just went to the bathroom and guess what I heard?” he went on, raising his eyebrows. 

You scrunched up your nose, already worried. This wasn’t what you were expecting when he’d said ‘something crazy.’ What sort of craziness happened in libraries anyway? “There are a lot of things I can think of. Is this a gross story?”

Jake chuckled. “It depends on your definition of ‘gross.’ Okay,” he said, looking around to make sure you two were still alone in the section. Then he looked into your eyes again and lowered his voice even more to tell you, “There were people fucking in there.” 

You scoffed, offended on behalf of the library–the sacred, beautiful space where people went to relax and read, not deal with lewd conduct. That wasn’t crazy, that was just offensive! “What, like two guys?” you questioned, tilting your head, a little irked at Jake finding this all so funny. 

“No, a guy and a girl.”

“Ugh. That’s even worse. Women shouldn’t have to deal with getting laid in a men’s bathroom,” you said, then were momentarily distracting yourself with yet another out of place book on the shelf.  “I’d never do that. I can’t believe someone else is. I mean, kids go here.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Jake said slowly. He leaned against the bookshelf and looked at you pointedly, his dark eyes even darker in the dim light. “Then again–”

Before he could finish, you had another thought. “Wait, Jake–did you say anything to them?”

“No. What could I say? I just high-tailed it out of there as soon as I heard.”

You sighed. The whole thing would be far more redeemable if your boyfriend had at least tried to throw out some warning words to the perpetrators. “You should have told them to stop. I would have.”

“I’m sure they finished soon after I left.” He smirked. “It sounded like they were pretty close.”

You groaned quietly and turned away, preferring to find another thing to busy yourself with now. “Gross. They should be banned.”

Jake followed along right at your side as you whisked through the rest of the art section and back to the cart you needed to empty. “I didn’t see who they were, so no chance of that.” At the cart, he put his hands on it, keeping it in place. “I actually thought you’d find it sort of amusing, Y/N.”

You leaned over, almost close enough to touch your noses together. “You’re such a guy. Only a guy would think it’s amusing and not disgusting.” 

“I don’t know about that. Maybe you’re just a little stuffy,” Jake replied, tilting his head up as if he were challenging you. “Although maybe I shouldn’t be surprised, considering we’ve never done anything like that.”

You scoffed again and leaned back, surprised and still a little irritated, but also genuinely curious. “Oh, so you want to fuck around in a public place? That’s something I didn’t know about you.”

Jake’s challenging stance turned crestfallen, and he lifted one of your hands to press a kiss to. “Forget I said anything about it. I mean, I suppose you’re right–it is kind of gross.” He kept your hand clasped in his for a few seconds as he said, “But I’d never make love to you in a public bathroom. I’d hope you know me better than that.”

You looked over your shoulder at the sound of a man clearing his throat, settling down into a chair with a newspaper. He wasn’t paying any attention to you or Jake, but you gave the cart a push anyway, cajoling Jake off it so you could navigate to where you needed to go next. 

“It’s really the fact that it’s the bathroom that makes it so gross,” you whispered as Jake kept following you. You couldn’t deny you’d had some secret fantasies about getting it on in the library–after all, it was where you and Jake had met and where you continued to spend the most time together. But none of your fantasies included the restrooms in the hall, or the utility closet or that little corridor tucked away across from the restrooms where the vending machines were. Too grody, too cramped, too obvious.

“At least our bathrooms are clean.” Jake parked himself right next to you once you were in the biography section, and when you stepped away from the cart, he wrapped his arms around your waist and held you in place. “But if I’m being really honest, I have thought about us, well, fooling around here. I think it’s quite surprising we never have.”

“Jake,” you said in an attempt to protest, but his sweet, pretty face and ticklish touch on your waist made you giggle, and his confession that echoed your own secret thoughts lit a little spark. “We work here!” 

“So? All the more reason. It’s always been our special place.” Jake smiled as he got even closer to kiss you; you kissed him back, looping your arms over his shoulders. He was smiling even bigger when you both broke away and he said, “You know, it’s just me closing tonight. You should stay after with me.”

“God, and do what?” you replied, but, despite yourself, you were growing more intrigued. 

“Well, don’t you think the study rooms here are nice and cozy?” Jake questioned, still latching himself to your side as you started to put more books away. “There aren’t any cameras in any of them either. No one would know.”

You looked up at him from your crouched position, sliding a book into place. “Someone would know. Someone would find out somehow.” You were quickly finding even more perfectly good reasons in your mind not to do this, to not even really toy with the idea, but the more you thought about it, the more you thought, why not? Could the risk make it more fun? Even just the new, ill-fitting, sort of scandalous environment? 

Besides, Jake really did look hot today. He looked hot every day, but the second you’d seen him after he’d come into work earlier, he’d lit a fire in your belly that was more intense than usual. His hair had the perfect level of slight messiness and the relaxed black button-down shirt was perhaps one or two buttons shy of being overtly inappropriate for work; the smooth tan skin of his chest exposed and acting as a lovely backdrop to the long silver chain dangling, the pendant hitting his sternum. You could imagine tugging on that chain, grasping the pendant in your palm, to pull him closer while he pressed you against one of those thick wooden tables. You’d run your fingers through his hair and kiss him in the frozen silence, and maybe no one would ever know after all.

“I can practically hear the wheels turning,” Jake remarked, tapping your forehead once you were standing again. “You know you want to.” 

You let out an inadvertent nervous giggle and rolled your eyes. “Yes, I’m thinking about it.”

Jake stepped closer, pressing you back against the cart of books. “I’d love to hear some of those thoughts,” he said, putting his hands on your waist.

“You’re lucky it’s dead here today,” you said, keeping your voice a whisper despite the, indeed, dead library around you. You rested your arms over his shoulders, twisting a strand of his hair between your fingers; Jake just kept looking at you with that sweet, silently begging gaze until you giggled, relenting. “Okay. I was, um…thinking about you pushing me down on one of those big tables.”

Jake’s eyebrows rose. “What else?”

“Well…” you began, looking down at his dark jeans rubbing against your skirt. “You’re giving me some more ideas now.” You lifted one foot off the floor to rub your calf over his, the delicate material of your tights creating subtle but scintillating friction against his denim. 

Jake ran the tip of his nose up your cheek and whispered in your ear, “Same here.” 

Just as you were closing your eyes and allowing yourself to let your environment fall away around you, to forget about all the risk of being caught right there, and just as Jake’s hand was sliding down between your legs, a person’s incredibly soft–thanks to the clever carpeting job–footsteps headed your way yanked you right out of the moment.

Jake, too. He shot back and cleared his throat, ran a hand through his hair and looked in the direction of the footsteps; you did too, and soon enough an older woman with her nose already in an open book trotted past the shelves. 

“See?” you whispered, gesturing at the passer-by who was already out of view. “It’s so easy to get caught.”

“Please, that lady didn’t notice a thing. Alright,” Jake said before he stole one last hurried kiss. “I should let you keep doing your job and I should carry on with mine. But will you stay after with me tonight?”

You pursed your lips as you looked at him, considering, but it wasn’t long before you said, “Alright, Jake. I’ll stay after and we can play out your little fantasy.”

“It’s your fantasy too, baby doll,” Jake said with a wink before he half-turned, beginning to step away. “I think we’ve established that.”

-

There wasn’t a whole lot to keep your mind occupied as the afternoon carried on. The rain kept coming down, hammering hard against the roof and windows, and the sky outside was pure gray, all flat and blank. It reminded you of your first day working here, as a matter of fact–that morning in the previous late October, when autumn’s chill was officially in the air. A fine layer of frost had even been on the ground that morning; your shoes had crunched over it on the short walk to your car and you’d had to use your defroster once you turned the key, your anxiety peaking as you had to wait even longer to start the new job. 

How could such a quiet, peaceful place encite so much anxiety anyway? You remembered wondering that very question as you walked over the sidewalk to the library entrance for the first time since being hired, the concrete slick with that morning frost and the beginnings of a gentle rainfall. And just when you’d been settling in and getting comfortable, Jake had showed up and introduced himself, all casual and easy like he didn’t know he was the most beautiful man you’d ever seen.

Thankfully, Jake was also the sweetest man you’d ever met. It didn’t take long before his beauty and charm stopped intimidating you and instead just made you feel all light and full of joy–you were simply happy to chat with him whenever you both could spare a few minutes. Those few minutes steadily turned into shared breaks; then, shared lunches where you’d sit out back on the one picnic table when the weather permitted. Then he started bringing you special treats sometimes, things he knew you liked because he actually listened about what you liked, and then after that he started bringing you whole lunches packed with love and care that you’d never experienced before. 

So, after all that, was it really such a big deal to make love inside the place in which you fell in love?

None of your other coworkers even seemed to notice that you were staying later than planned this evening. But, just to be safe, you also made a point to hide out in the kid’s section when closing time crept up, busying yourself with cleaning up stray crayons and markers and then browsing through some of the newer picture book additions when you were done with that. 

When you were sliding one picture book back onto the shelf and reaching for another, you noticed the part of the library beyond the kid’s section dim; you stood up and walked out into the main area, and there Jake was behind the checkout counters flipping switches.

“Despite almost always being the one to close,” he said, flipping another switch. “I still sometimes forget which lights actually get turned off and which ones stay on.”

A path of yellow light led the way past the checkout and reception, past the few rows of public use desktop computers. Jake held your hand as you both stepped through the library, your heartbeat speeding up a bit with nervous yet delightful anticipation; a few more steps and you were further into the very back of the library, just about there. Four study rooms were staggered just beyond the teen reading section, two on the left and two on the right with a wall of windows in between. 

Jake opened the door to the last study room on the right. A large window was in there too, soaking in the deep sunset that was resting beyond the grass outside and the trees, and the mostly-bare branches of all the trees were throwing shadows across the library grounds. Then Jake flipped the light on, making it all disappear.

“Oh no,” you said, reaching behind him to flip it off again. “It’s sort of magical with the light off. Look at that sunset.”

Jake followed your gaze out the window to the wash of deep blue painted across the sky, nighttime so early in autumn that only a slight sliver of golden-orange remained just on the horizon. The rain had stopped a few minutes ago and had left a lingering mist on the ground, its faint haze trailing along just outside the windows–the whole scene was so much more peaceful than what was going on inside your head. You couldn’t shake the possibility of getting caught even though Jake was right about there being no cameras back here, and there was no one else around, not even any of the custodial staff, and not a soul out there in the fog. Just you and Jake in the little dark study room, his hand still warm around your own.

Your thoughts started to drift away, making space for your mind to comprehend the shadowed image of Jake before you as he gently turned you to face him. He smiled with the slightest bit of white teeth gleaming between his full lips, and you instinctively smiled back, pulled under his charm again. So, now effortlessly charmed and put at ease, you wrapped him in your arms and pulled him close, caressing his shoulder blade with one hand and the slight curve of his waist with the other as both of your smiles disappeared into a kiss. 

“You were making me crazy all day,” he remarked between the kisses that accelerated with both of your lips parted and the wet meeting of tongues. 

“Really? You kept it well-hidden.” Of course Jake did–you never doubted his affection and passion for you, but he kept everything so private. It was one of the many things you liked about him. You cupped the back of his head, sinking your fingers into his hair, scratching his scalp with your nails just the way he liked it, and kissed him again.

“God, your ass in this skirt,” Jake said, voice a little rough, and he reached down to grab you there. “The way your hips move.” He licked his bottom lip as he took a moment to just look at you, his eyes scanning your face. “So unbelievably pretty.”

You held the side of his face. “You are too, Jakey.” He really was, and even in the dark–perhaps especially in the dark, actually. The shadows enveloped him in even more mystery than normal, but you could still so plainly see the angles of his face and the smoothness of his skin in the faint, distant glow of the lingering sunset. Jake smiled at the sound of that little nickname coming from you, then disappeared as he pressed his lips to yours again and pushed you back against the table just like in your little fantasy. 

You felt the warmth of his hand travel around your hip then slide down over your skirt; you kissed him harder and spread your legs a little wider when his fingers skated effortlessly up your thigh over your tights. Jake purred against your mouth as he traced the seam of those tights, and subsequently the crotch of your panties beneath, with one fingertip, and your own hands hurried down his body with much less grace to squeeze his ass and feel the hardness between his legs as reciprocity. 

Before you could do much more than that, he was pushing your skirt up all the way with one hand and continuing to use the other to tease you. Your breath caught in your throat as you were finding yourself trying to stay silent despite the library being completely empty; Jake carried on with longer, deeper touches over the crotch of your panties and tights. The steady back and forth of his fingers over the two thin layers of fabric sent a delightful tingle of pleasure up your spine but you couldn’t forget his either–you kept that one hand of your own on his crotch too, gently squeezing his erection through his pants.

Jake huffed softly and kissed you again; you clutched his arm with your other hand, squeezing his bicep. Maybe other people didn’t mind getting caught–maybe there really was some sort of thrill to it. Maybe other people actually sometimes wanted others to witness their most intimate moments but you didn’t. You couldn’t imagine doing this with the lights on in the middle of the day, with the soft noises of people beyond the walls and the risk of someone catching a glimpse from opening the door or from outside the windows. You were perfectly happy with having Jake all to yourself in the shadowed little square study room, his skin so perfectly warm, his kiss so perfectly molded to yours.

“Was this part of your fantasy?” Jake questioned as he slowly sank to his knees, keeping your skirt bunched up over your hips with both hands now. But it was obvious what he was doing, so you took their place to keep it out of the way while his hands squeezed your thighs as he pressed his face between your legs.

The scant sharpness of his teeth over your crotch made you gasp. “Maybe,” you answered, thighs quivering against the table behind you.

“Oh, come on,” Jake beckoned, looking up at you with a sweet but slightly mischievous gaze, his eyebrows raised just enough to display teasing curiosity. 

“Seems like you already know,” you replied, stifling a giggle at him struggling to get your tights down from beneath your skirt. 

“I don’t know how you wear these things,” he remarked, which made you actually let out a laugh.

“Just rip them for fuck’s sake,” you instructed, eager now, already wet for him. “They’re not expensive.”

Jake didn’t hesitate. “If you insist,” he said as he grabbed a fistful of black nylon in each hand and ripped the tights right open, then quickly pulled your panties to the side next, giving you no time to think at all anymore. Whatever words your mind may have found merely turned to shaky breaths as you watched Jake’s face disappear between your legs again.

He gave a little hum just as he went straight in, the bridge of his nose rubbing up against your clit while he dove his tongue into your center like he really did want to eat up all the arousal that had been conjured up just for him. Your fingers found his hair again, knuckles curling to tug the long strands while your nails scratched his scalp again and he let out a little pleased sound, almost like a gratified laugh, and dug his own blunt nails into your inner thigh as he kept you spread open. 

One word finally emerged from your lips–Jake’s name, simply spoken in a soft tone as the ministration of his tongue and lips had you squirming and quivering even harder, your heels digging into the carpet below as you slightly struggled to stay upright. The repeated flicks of tongue over your clit disappeared for a brief moment, then slowed to one long drag of his tongue over your center just to start that quick pace again. Sighs and whimpers were dragged out of you with each lick; when Jake slipped two fingers in, the slow but easy stretch made you tremble and clench your fingers into his hair even harder.

“You’re so tight,” he commented when he pulled back just enough for you to look down again and see your own wetness glistening on his lips and chin. You could feel it too, how much tighter you were clenching around his fingers as he gently thrust them and teased, curling them and now rubbing your clit with his thumb.

“You’re so good,” you told him breathlessly, closing your eyes again when the sensations had you arching your back. You hissed and bit your lip when Jake’s mouth found you again, his tongue teasing your clit more while he slid his fingers in deeper.

You had thought it would take more of a conscious effort to relax in this space and just let go, but it was easy, so easy–you just let your body respond to Jake with each tremble and moan and gasp and tug at his hair until your legs were outright shaking. Panting, the peak rising deep inside, you pulled him closer and he obliged, sucking on your clit as his fingers curled and gently tugged deep inside you too as if he was literally trying to pull you right to the edge you were already rapidly careening to.

His name from your lips once more wasn’t a soft little sigh; it was a sharp, long whine that seemed to boom in the little study room. Your ferocity surprised you even more when the overstimulation came on so soon and you yanked his head back with one hand and shoved him away with the other, your hand gripping his shoulder. Panting, eyes still shut, you could feel how much wetter you were with his saliva and the rush of your orgasm, the fluid soaking your panties that were pulled to the side and even the very inside of your thighs. 

Jake pressing a kiss to your thigh made you look down but he was getting up on his feet now; your gaze followed the steady movement of his rise and then you were whisked away into blissful darkness again when he closed in and kissed you–close-lipped because he was so polite. But you parted yours and slid your tongue over his and gripped his waist tight for a moment before hastily getting those buttons on his shirt undone, fingers trailing all the way down to get his pants undone next. 

He tentatively pushed you back onto the table a bit more so your feet were off the floor, legs still spread wide around him and dangling when he pulled his pants and underwear down just enough to reveal that heated hardness. His cock leaked just a bit as he stroked it once, looking at you, and a blip of that old insecurity born from adoration and fascination stroked your brain, because Jake was just so beautiful and his beauty was so much more stark in contrast to the plain white walls behind him. 

“That was intense,” Jake said with a chuckle, leaning in to kiss you. You sighed against his lips as he slid the head of his cock all through your wet center, making a point to rub longer and harder over your clit. As he slid in, taking your breath away entirely, he sighed too and you watched his shoulders drop and his chest flush and he asked, so casually, “Is your fantasy being fulfilled?”

Even with the impact of Jake’s cock filling you so perfectly, you had to laugh. “You're a fantasy, Jake,” you told him, wrapping your arms around his shoulders to bring him closer, to make the head of his cock hit so deep inside you that you gasped again as if you weren’t expecting the feeling. “What about–” You had to pause when Jake gave his first thrust. “What about your fantasy? This was all your idea.”

“It was a shared idea,” he reminded you with the cutest little smile. How could anyone be so sexy and adorable at the same time, especially during the actual act of sex, especially when that sex was taking place inside a public library? But he was, and you kept your eyes on him as he steadily sped up with his hips and his hands explored your body over your clothes, one squeezing your breast through your shirt and the other smoothing down your waist, your hip, traveling around your thigh.

“Oh god,” you chirped when Jake’s fingers made contact with your still-sensitive clit; but he was gentle, clearly deliberately being slow with the little circles he was making. With your arms still a loop around his shoulders, you sank your fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck and held him there for a minute before the soft pink of his chest became too tempting not to touch.

“Fuck yeah, that feels amazing,” Jake said in that deliciously hazy, husky voice after you slipped your hands past his open shirt to toy with his nipples. Bringing more attention to him put your lingering overstimulation in the background–you continued to tease with one hand while the other skated over the other side of his chest, feeling his warm, soft skin, up to his neck. You caressed him there, your fingers lightly touching the tender skin along his throat and then up to his ear, and Jake moaned softly and tilted his head to try and get more contact.

That was fine by you. You lightly scratched behind his ear like he was a cat and he sort of purred like one anyway, making you giggle; Jake giggled too and surged forward, picking up his pace as he whisked you away with another series of kisses that were deep but just sloppy enough for your mutual moans to be voiced. 

But, also to your surprise, Jake began to voice more thoughts between increasingly ragged breaths: “Remember when we first met?” he asked, his fingers over your clit sliding down to get slick again from your own arousal. “That was–fuck, that was such a good day.”

“It was,” you agreed, playing with one of his earrings as your other hand squeezed his pec. “I’m lucky I even got the job here. For a lot of reasons.” You stole another lingering kiss before adding, “You’re the biggest reason.”

Jake smiled. The sunset that had been just barely clinging to life when you’d both began was gone now–the only illumination was coming from a parking lot light that was too far away from the windows to see, but the pale yellow glow was scant enough to see that alluring, mystical beauty that your boyfriend possessed. Just looking at his face was enough to make you come again.

But Jake’s skilled fingers and the heat, weight and stretch of his cock still thrusting into you certainly helped. You buried your face against his neck now that you had access to all of him; a thick sob was muffled as you tightened and spasmed around him, and you heard him let out a quiet “wow” as the second orgasm rolled through you. 

His fingers on your clit, thankfully, moved away. He gripped your thigh again instead; his pace was now messy and fierce, and you had to fight to stay in place not only from the harsh movements and how the table you were sitting on was skidding a bit across the floor, but also from that second round of intense bodily excitement. 

“God,” you huffed, stifling another laugh. Apparently it didn't matter where you were–if you were with Jake, he just gave you the giggles. “You’re really going for it.”

Jake cradled the back of your head, messing with your hair a bit. “And I’m–hmm–almost there.”

You kissed him softly and sweetly, from his collarbone and up his neck to his ear. “Good boy,” you whispered there, giving his ear a nibble. Jake moaned wordlessly in response and gave one last deep, solid thrust that jostled you backwards and made the table creak, then he went slack over you, his whole upper body all loose and so hot that warmth was radiating through his shirt.

When Jake lifted his head, you leaned back and waved the back of your hand over your forehead with a silly “whew” motion; Jake laughed and nodded, then slowly pulled out. He collapsed forward again, resting his head on your chest, and you wrapped your arms around him once more. 

“Well, we’ve done it once. Do we ever need to do it again?” you asked, petting his back.

“Like, um, sex?” Jake asked, mumbling against your chest. “Or sex in the library?”

“In the library, duh,” you said with a chuckle, and kissed him when he lifted himself up and looked at you. 

“Where else should we do it?” Jake replied, his tone and little smile making it obvious he was kidding–finally. You were glad to have played out this little fantasy and do something new and a little risky, but you’d be even more glad to just go back to the way things were. Nothing wrong with a classic. 

“Our bed, definitely,” you said, and Jake smiled and nodded again; you began working on buttoning up his shirt. “Our couch. The floor. Maybe the shower.” 

“Maybe?”

“Last time we tried the shower, you nearly cracked your head open,” you reminded him, lifting a hand to cup his jaw. “And nearly broke your perfect teeth.”

Jake’s smile grew wider. “That would be terrible, wouldn’t it?”

“I’d never forgive that stupid shower.”

Jake patted his hands from your shoulders down the length of your body, stopping at your ankles. “Well, babe, we’re both in one piece now, aren’t we? Time to close up?”

“Definitely. The custodians are probably going to be here any minute.”

“Oh my.” Jake held your hand to bring you off the table. “That would have been quite the show for them.” 

“No more shows,” you said as you both put the finishing touches on getting yourselves decent before Jake opened the door. “I should be the only one looking at you when we fuck.”

---

If you'd like to be tagged in any of my fics, you can let me know here or DM me :)

Tagging: @kissingsun @starbuggie @lightsofthe-living-gvf @sanguinebats @gvfrry @milojames16 @mindastreamofcolours @wetkleenex-gvf @itsafullmoon @heckingfrick @peaceloveunitygvf @musicspeaks @clairesjointshurt @bizzielisteningtogreta

[catbolt]

— CRUSHING

[SOUNDTRACK] Crushing - Eartheater || ▶︎

[TAGS] rafayel x reader, fluff, slight angst/allusion to myth, slightly suggestive

[A/N] italicized text is taken from the lyrics of Crushing by Eartheater (aka literallyyyyy the most raf song ever which inspired me to make this fic and also make my raf playlist)

this is just my ode to raf in all his sweetness and glory. i really like this fic :') this length and this sort of free minimal plot slice of life style is exactly my comfort zone and something i want to keep doing for sure. hope u guys enjoy!

[WC] 1k

songfic 5/?

You’re the wave crushing the shells into sand  You’re the flame melting sand into glass

When Rafayel touches you for the first time that night, his hand sliding purposefully around your waist, each finger pressing with insistence like they’re trying to sear their mark into your skin with an invisible brand– it’s like he’s someone else. Behind the silly jokes and banter that both of you share, that someone else is always there.

You’re the glass holding the wine You’re the wine making me drunk

Among the clink of glasses, the hum of hushed, polite conversation as Rafayel steers you through the exhibition by his side, that palm of heat pressing firmly into the small of your back is unignorable, ineffable. You engage in small talk with passing socialites, as does he, appearing as jovial and engaged as ever, but the way his fingers gently slide through the sateen of your dress and play with the fabric at your hip is beyond distracting. 

Only he can do this to you– touch you so innocently in a way that makes your stomach clench, makes your lungs seize onto each gulpful of air like you’re drowning in a warm sea, makes your skin erupt with gooseflesh, every single tiny hair on your body standing on end.

You’re the drunk telling me lies You’re the lies that come to light

Each wall in the museum hall is decorated with a piece of him, canvases of bright blues and deep reds, pearlescent whites and seaweed greens that glitter with an unexplainable texture like crushed diamonds. You can’t help but look around in awe. You’ve been in his studio before, seen the man himself at work, but being in an exhibition of his work, a celebration of it, is different. It feels like you’re in a hall of mirrors– each painting that you see is a reflection of the man you love staring back at you, hours of dedication, suffering, and passion laid bare for all to see. 

It’s profoundly intimate and honest, almost uncomfortably so. You squeeze his arm gently in an unconscious protective gesture as your eyes scan over the walls of paintings, suddenly wishing everyone would disappear except the two of you.

“What?” Rafayel murmurs gently under his breath. “You okay, cutie?” 

“Yeah,” you respond. “More than okay. It’s so beautiful. All of it.” You gesture broadly with your hand. A soft smile rises on his lips, a twinkle in his lavender eyes. 

“I’m happy you’re here with me.” 

You’re the opening of a shell You’re the shell that has a pearl

When you’re back at Rafayel’s place after the exhibition, kicking off your heels and reclining into the couch, his hands snake around you again, greedy and beseeching around the circumference of your waist. He leans into you, head nestling into where your neck meets your shoulder, breathing in your perfume.

“You know,” you murmur, hand stroking through his hair as the two of you lie quietly on the couch in the moonlight. “I feel like I don’t compliment you about your art enough.”

He laughs, his warm breath ghosting over your neck. “What, you want to boost my ego even more? You’re the one who always complains I’m too full of myself.”

“Not because I want to boost your ego,” you correct with a chuckle. “Because I want you to know how talented I think you are. Seriously. Every time you draw the sea, I feel like I’m seeing Lemuria how it was.”

His body stiffens in your arms for a few seconds before relaxing again. He’s silent momentarily as you continue petting his hair, feeling his soft breath on your skin. You can tell he’s thinking. He presses a brief kiss to the side of your throat. “Thanks,” he finally responds, his voice tinged with roughness.

You’re the body that blows my mind You’re the mind that stays open

You could spend the night like this, holding him close on the couch, but he has other plans as he nuzzles closer to you, his hand slipping past the hem of your dress and lazily up your thigh. “I don’t deserve you,” he mutters. “But you give yourself to me.”

“Don’t say things like that,” you chide as his fingers rub circles on the inside of your thigh. His touch is delicate and light, his fingers a paintbrush drawing gentle strokes on your skin. “It’s true,” he says. “But I won’t let you go again. I’m not waiting another 800 years. I won’t wait for even one.”

You’re the turn on that I can’t refuse You’re the fuse that detonates my body

You want to ask what on earth he’s talking about, but he silences you with a soft kiss. You can almost taste the yearning, the way his mouth fervently seeks yours with a taut intensity. There’s something– someone else there in the way he kisses you, a searing, claiming force behind the way his mouth moves against yours.

You wonder if he’ll ever explain it to you, exactly what goes on inside his head in moments like this. The times you feel like there’s something stronger behind his kisses and the way he touches you. The times he gets serious, the times he’s uncharacteristically quiet, staring out off the balcony, watching the waves lap gently against the sand in the middle of night. When the shadow of that someone else is there, dark and visible, behind his eyes.

You have a feeling he won’t. And that’s alright– you can live not fully knowing why he looks at you the way he does, like he is now, like he’s afraid you’re going to disappear if he turns away for even a moment.

 As long as he never stops kissing you just like this. 

You’re a well of reasons to keep crashing To keep crushing on your shore I’m still crushing That’s for sure

[leighsartworks216]

Fine Arts

Rafayel x gn!graphic designer!Reader

This is the last one!!! THank goD!!

Warnings: pre-relationship, banter, bickering, if this was a full series it would be enemies to lovers

Word Count: 925

Main Masterlist

First Love and Deepspace Masterlist

Second Love and Deepspace Masterlist

AO3

Tag List Form

This meeting, compared to the other clientele you've dealt with over your career, was going well. The manager was taking over discussions of appearance, providing wants and desires, styles and color palettes, while the real client was pouting and making snide remarks with very unhelpful feedback.

So, really well. At least the manager was actually listening to you.

"If you want the exhibition to feel high class, I'd recommend a script or serif font. Sans serifs can work sometimes, but they have different connotations." You write down a few notes to yourself in your sketchbook.

Rafayel scoffs. "Art shouldn't be limited to the elite. My works are for everyone to view, not just the people on top with the deepest pockets."

You offer him a placating smile. "I understand what you mean, Mr. Rafayel, but given the area the gallery is in and the fame of your works, it may be better to appeal to the elites that are more likely to come and spend their money." You tilt your head, adding, "Though, if you'd like to broaden your audience to appeal to the layman, I'd be happy to create a few versions from that angle."

Thomas sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose like he's had this conversation a thousand times before. Given his client, maybe he has. "It's a charity event, Rafayel. We want buyers who will spend a lot of money for your work to benefit the charity. Normal people aren't our audience here."

"The charity benefits 'normal people', doesn't it? Why are they suddenly being excluded out of this?"

"If someone is willing to spend more, more money can be donated to the charity. It's not that hard to understand!"

"But they should still feel welcome to visit the gallery, even if they don't have the funds to buy anything."

You clear your throat. The men look at you. Rafayel stares at you like he wants you to burst into flames. "Rafayel's name will draw enough attention from the art world to attract buyers willing to spend big money. If you want the event itself to be seen by normal people, design for the normal person. Besides, a normal person will be more interested in the design of the promotional material than an elite just buying the work for their wall."

Rafayel looks at Thomas. The manager taps his fingers impatiently on the table, before sighing. "Fine. Elegant, but welcoming. You can manage that, right?"

You smile thinly at him. "Of course."

He sighs again, nodding. He checks his watch. "This meeting's run over. Contact me when you have drafts drawn up. I'll send you the info," he rambles off as his chair scrapes against the floor and he stands. He leaves with little else to say aside from a brief 'have a nice day'.

You make a few more notes in your sketchbook, crossing out the older notes you don't need anymore. Rafayel sighs heavily from the end of the table.

"You got what you needed. Are you gonna leave now?"

"Mhm. I just wanted to know if I could see the centerpiece for the exhibit. It would give me a better idea for color schemes and layouts."

He raises an unimpressed eyebrow at you. "Thomas already went over all that with you. Why do you need to see it in person?"

You chuckle. "Forgive me, but I don't trust a business man to know what looks good with what. I'd rather trust the artist he's trying to promote."

He stares at you for a minute. His finger taps a rhythm against his arm, contemplating whether he should work with you or send you right out the door.

Eventually, he sighs. "Fine, but no peeking at anything else!"

"If I want to see the rest of your stuff, I'll go to the exhibit myself."

He leads you through his house where the meeting took place. It's one of the nicer places you've ever been in when working with a client. You've seen mansions and manors before, once or twice, but this felt nicer than those. Those were stuffy and dark, trying to impress a higher class of people. Compared to those, this was casual. The sea breeze coming in through the windows was refreshing, enticing you to run out onto the beach after this.

When you reach the entrance of his studio, he makes you cover your eyes. You relent, letting him lead you through the place until he stops you. The heat of his hand lingers on your arm.

"Okay, you can look now."

You drop your hands and blink away the darkness until your eyes can adjust. Three canvases are all lined up on separate easels, coming together to form one scene. It's ocean-themed, as most of his works seemed to be from your brief research, depicting the story of a mermaid stranded on a beach, being saved by a passing fisherman.

"Oh, so it's a triptych."

He blinks at you. "I'm surprised you know what that is.”

You give him an unimpressed look. "I do have a bachelor's in fine arts, you know."

"Why? You work with computers all day for your job, why do you need to know the traditional aspects of art?"

"Well, aside from having background knowledge for clients like you who do traditional artwork, I don't just work with computers for my art. A lot of my job entails sketching, a traditional medium. Just because I know how to transfer it to a digital format doesn't mean I'm exempt from learning about it."

---

Tag List:

@nyx2021 @angel-jupiter @thelittlebutton @pomegranatepip @cordidy @an-ever-angry-bi @thejysemongko

[da-rulah]

Could you please do fan fic where Copia is gay or/and with a ftm(female to male) trans guy?

This has been on my mind since you requested it, and I apologise it's taken so long. Can you believe I missed out on writing this during PRIDE MONTH!? What a twat. I apologise. Usual stuff; work/life balance, writing for my big fics etc. etc but you had me at 'gay copia'. I hope you enjoy...

18+, MDNI! CW/ MxM, soft smut, comfort, gay sex, anal fingering, anal penetration, hand job, cumming inside, this is soppy as shit and I love it fight me.

OH MY GOD there's art to go with this now... Thank you so much to my incredibly talented bestie, @delulluart for this stunning pencil drawing. (Warning, it's NSFW... of course.)

Tagging my usual tag list, but if this kind of thing isn't for you, then that's absolutely fine. 💕

Do you know how tiring it is to always be in command? To always be the figure of authority? Copia does. There's no escape from it... He has no choice but to be the figurehead of the ministry, the one everybody turns to for help, for advice, for relief...

How was he ever supposed to feel relief? Who would take care of his stresses? Who would allow him the space to just let go?

Today, he practically crawls back into his chambers, just grateful to be in a place he can call his own again. No disturbances or expectations; just peace to unwind. Except, he wasn't alone. And he wouldn't have it any other way.

As soon as he shuts the door behind him, there he is; his lover, Brother Adan, stepping from the bedroom to greet him in his living space.

"Hello handsome," he smirks, his eyes soft with adoration. "I saw your schedule today, figured you may want to see me?"

He was correct; Copia very much wanted to see him.

"You always know what I want before I do, eh?" Copia chuckles, slumping back against the door. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting long..."

"You know I wouldn't mind if you did," he shrugs, walking over to Copia and wrapping his arms around his soft waist. "What do you need tonight, Papa? Cuddles and computer games, or do you need to uh... release your frustrations?"

Copia thought for a moment. He wasn't sure he had the energy, and frankly, he'd been commanding his clergy around all damn day. The last thing he wanted to do was come home and be the picture of dominance again. He wanted to be taken care of, to be reminded what it was like to let someone else take control. But in the arrangement Copia had with his Adan, they had never reversed the roles like that.

He was sure that he was capable, no doubt about that, but it just so happened that the natural roles of their situationship had made Copia the giver, and Adan the receiver. He hesitated, wondering if it might sound silly to request he give up his Papa authority for the night.

"Papa, what is it?" Adan asked, concerned. He could clearly see the inner battle going on behind his bewitching eyes.

"I... was wondering if..." Copia stutters, stumbling over his words like a fool. "If you would... maybe, eh... take control, tonight?" Adan tilts his head in question, the request sinking in.

"You mean... take care of you?" he smiles, running his fingertips through Copia's greying and overgrown hair. Copia nods meekly, unable to look him in the eye. "Oh, Copia... Don't feel any shame for that. Of course I can. You must be so tired of being in command all the time, hm?"

Copia meets his eyes, full of understanding and compassion. "Sí..."

"I'm sorry I never offered this before. You must have thought I was only happy to bottom, hm?" Adan chuckled. "I just thought that's what you wanted, but I can do both, my love." Adan moves the hand still around Copia's waist to his gloved hand, lacing his fingers with his own. "Come on, come and lay down with me."

Adan slowly leads Copia into the bedroom, gently as if guiding an exhausted gazelle to a watering hole. Copia could already feel himself sinking into a role of submission, tension beginning to drain from his shoulders from the relief of being allowed the space to fall.

Without a word, Adan sat him at the end of the bed, crouching down at his feet to remove his shoes and socks one at a time. Copia sat and watched, dumbfounded, as Adan meticulously and slowly undressed him layer by layer, until he was sat completely nude and vulnerable. Then as Adan stood upright and stepped back, he held eye contact with Copia, sweet and playful, as he too undressed himself.

"Lay back, Copia," he instructed, crawling onto the bed beside him and following until they both lay on the pillows, Copia on his back and staring innocently into Adan's eyes who lay on his side, propped up by his elbow.

Adan began to trace his fingertips over Copia's bare chest, running through the salt and pepper chest hair over his pecks and down across his stomach, only to tease as he got lower by retreating back up. Copia gulped, his bare hands balling into fists at his sides to refrain from moving. Adan didn't miss the way his cock, laying heavy and soft against his hip, had begun to fill out just from the lightest of touches.

Adan's hand travelled down the length of Copia's torso one more time, before retreating and coming to cradle his cheek and pull him towards him for a deep, slow kiss. Copia moaned immediately, gripping the sheets below him. His mind went blank, any and all stress from the day clearing out only to be replaced by fog.

As they lost themselves in their slow kiss, tongues marrying together deliciously, Adan reached his hand down one more time, finally reaching for Copia's length and palming him against his thigh. It hadn't taken long, but both men were completely erect, enjoying the sensual nature of their embrace.

As soon as Adan's hand finally wrapped around Copia's shaft, his jaw went slack, a moan rumbling from within. Adan kept kissing him, unbothered that Copia had stopped and only wanting to continue to please his Papa.

"Is this enough, my love? Or do you wish for more tonight?" he asked, wanting to give Copia the experience he needed tonight, utterly selflessly.

"Per favore, amore... will you fill me? I-It's been so long since I've felt that," he gasped, stuttering while Adan's hand worked him in long, languid strokes.

"Of course, sweet thing. Let me prep you first, hm? We can't rush this..."

"Sí, sí," Copia babbled, allowing Adan to roll him over onto his front and spread his knees just enough. Copia kept supplies in his bedside cabinet for convenience since Adan began staying the night a lot more often, and so Adan reached for the bottle of lubrication he knew he'd need.

He still lay beside Copia, wanting him to feel secure, loved and comforted by his body pressing into his, still able to deliver kisses and praises directly to Copia's ear.

He began with one finger, allowing the slick digit to circle Copia's already fluttering rim before he attempted to dip inside. Copia felt incredibly relaxed already, but with the stimulation to his hole he was struggling all the more to keep his hips still against the bed, rutting his erection into the mattress. Adan just smiled at his responsive partner, knowing he was already feeling the pleasure he'd intended.

With an extra drizzle of lubrication, Adan began to press his fingertip into Copia, slowly to accommodate the stretch that he certainly wasn't used to these days. Copia groaned in pleasure, his eyes squeezing shut as he buried half his face in the pillow below him. His paints were going to transfer to the sheets, but that was a problem for later. He needed grounding in that moment.

Adan did his best to work Copia open with just the one finger at first, eventually adding two. All the while, Copia was losing his mind at the sensation. So close to his prostate, and yet, not enough for stimulation; it was winding him up, building a knot of dull tension in his abdomen.

With some time, Adan was able to use three fingers, widening the gap for himself to fit neatly inside when the time came. Copia's groans and whines were muffled by his pillow, and yet each one travelled straight down to Adan's cock, which Copia could feel against his hip while he toyed with his hole.

"A-Adan, please..." Copia begged, professing that he was ready without having to say the words.

"Shhh, it's okay Copia. I've got you," he soothed, retracting his fingers and rolling Copia onto his side so he faced away from him. He reached for the lube again, this time coating his own length generously, before dribbling more where Copia would need him. "We'll take it slow, hm?"

"Yes, yes, just please... I need you, Adan..." Adan chuckled a little at that, sliding his palm between Copia's thighs so he could lift one and allow him the room to line his tip up with Copia's hole.

The initial stretch was uncomfortable, but not entirely unpleasant thanks to Adan's careful preparation. And still, he was gentle, giving Copia plenty of time to get used to him inch by inch. Already, Adan was becoming drunk on the gasps and moans that spilled from Copia's lips, and he couldn't help but press kisses to his neck, nipping gently at the skin whil his hands squeezed Copia's thigh in an attempt to control his own pleasures. It had been a while for Adan too, to feel the tightness of another man around him. Fuck, how he missed it...

Copia gained some confidence, rocking his hips back into Adan's and reaching his arm back to hold his hips in place to bounce against. Adan groaned against Copia's shoulder, losing himself to the passion of the moment too.

After a little while, he could take it no longer, rolling Copia to have his back pressed to his chest and sitting himself up enough to grip tightly onto the back of Copia's neck, pulling him in for a deep kiss as he pistoned his hips deep into him. Copia lifted his leg for a better angle, wrapping his own arm around Adan's bicep and holding on tightly as he groaned into the kiss, each thrust audibly stuttering his moans.

The pair were completely wrapped up in each other, losing themselves together. Adan's grip on Copia's neck tightened, before dropping down to press into Copia's stomach and digging his fingertips into the softness of his belly. Fucking hell, Adan loved his body, soft and warm in his grip. He could feel the way his stomach turned into rolls each time he thrusted into him, Copia curling up tightly each time.

With every upward thrust, Copia's prostate was throbbing with pleasure, his cock bouncing from the force of Adan's movements and aching from the lack of contact. He could only whine at the feeling of being so close, so fucking close, that he thought his entire body was about to burst.

He wanted to beg, to plead, to tell Adan how much he adored him, how much he needed this but just the thought of parting their heated kiss as he fucked into him was regretful. but it was Adan who parted first, grunting and growling in a way Copia rarely heard from him. He was about to cum deep inside his Papa, unable to stop himself and so his pace picked up, determined to finish Copia off before himself.

He reached his hand down to wrap his deft fingers around Copia's shaft, beginning to pump him to completion while he hammered into his prostate. Copia cried out, his nails digging into Adan's arm as his eyes rolled back into his head and his body lost it's fight to stay composed. Copia's cock jerked in Adan's hand, thick ropes of warm cum erupting onto his own stomach with the last remnants dribbling down Adan's fist. The sight and sound alone was enough to finish Adan off, his rhythm falling off as he shot his own load deep inside Copia.

Adan stilled, enjoying the last few minutes of connection sheathed inside Copia's warmth as the two of them came down from their highs, heavy breaths and gentle whimpers filling the silence. Copia's eyes fluttered open, searching Adan's who seemed to be doing the same - asking a silent question, or confessing a silent thought.

"I think... I think I am I love with you, Adan..." Copia whispered, losing his confidence the moment he uttered a syllable. Neither of them had expected something quite this serious when their arrangement began, but there was no denying the electricity between them.

Adan just grinned, once again holding Copia close to him by the back of his neck, his fingers playing with the sweat dampened locks of hair at the nape.

"And it would seem, Papa, I'm in love with you too," he admitted, not a moment of hesitation now he knew where Copia was too. The two men shared a soft kiss, longing for one another as if they weren't as close as could possibly be right then.

"I suggest a nice, soothing, hot bath to recover, hm? Let the stress just melt away, together?" Adan proposed, stroking the hair from Copia's forehead. He could only nod in response, too tired and drunk on him to form words. "I'll be right back, my love."

With a kiss to the tip of Copia's barely painted nose, Adan gently removed himself from his side and made his way into the bathroom to run a hot bath filled with salts and essential oils to soothe his poor Papa's body and mind.

The two of them spent the evening in the bath together, Copia enveloped in the warmth of the water and his lover behind him. He'd never been so cared for, so loved by another than he was with Adan around. Suddenly, the burden of being Papa didn't feel quite so heavy anymore...

[myokk]

✨WIP tag✨

Thank you so much @anto-pops for the tag🥹🫶🫶🫶 I already know that dark Ominis would destroy me and I would let him😌😌😌 AND IM EXCITED TO READ THE FULL ONESHOT‼️

Here we have: ANOTHER excerpt from the oneshot im writing🫠 (at this point I will just post the whole thing in these wip snippets)

And a paragraph from chapter 27 of my fic that I am still working on♥️ (yes ik I already posted this but I really really love this paragraph ALL OF MY PLANS ARE COMING TOGETHER🙏)

He’s so different from the exasperating boy she thought he was. Before, he was mischievous and charming and annoying and always getting into trouble with his sister. But now…now, he’s angry in a way she isn’t used to: his fists clenched so hard his knuckles turn white, his dark brow always furrowed in displeasure.

She finds she wants to smooth it away with the pad of her thumb.

At the end of the class, they get a rare ‘well done’ from their professor, and then before she can blink Sebastian is striding out of the classroom just as quickly as he has been for the past month. She hurries to shove everything into her bag and stumbles out after him, almost sprinting to catch up as he’s already at the end of the hall.

“W-wait,” she gasps, reaching out a hand that grazes his sleeve. He slows down a bit but keeps walking, not acknowledging her presence otherwise. “Sebastian.”

He stops at the sound of his name, the fury in his glare makes her pause - maybe she shouldn’t be addressing him like this, but they were friends before, weren’t they? And now he continues walking, much slower this time, but still with purpose.

She takes this as an invitation.

She doesn’t let go of her grip on his robes, not wanting him to disappear on her again.

The truth is, although everyone knows she hates Sebastian Sallow, she always kind of liked the attention he gave her. Out of all of the girls he could have pursued - almost any of them - she was the only one he ever had eyes for. As much as she was exasperated by him in previous years, there had been a few moments last year when…

She shakes her head to get rid of the thoughts. Clearly, that Sebastian lives in the past, and the one she is following now is someone else entirely.

Sebastian pulls her into an empty classroom and whirls around to look at her after the door slams shut, his cheeks colored and more ruddy than usual, and her heart is pounding as she stares up at him. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to follow him, and she curses herself for her damn curiosity. But…she can’t deny that a thrill runs through her body, heat pooling in her stomach as she sees him glower at her. Maybe she’s missed having Sebastian’s undivided attention, and now she has it.

And here she was, feeling a strange twinge in her chest as she stared up into the handsome face of her betrothed. Augustus opened his mouth as if to say something, but the amused expression on his face turned to one of puzzlement as he slowly brought a hand to her hair. She didn’t dare take a breath until he had moved his hand away, and even then she wasn’t sure if she could breathe. In his hands was a rotted flower, its delicate pink petals mottled and wilting, and Eloise watched in horror as it finished decaying in his large hand. Black petals fell to the floor, followed by a shriveled stem.

A lot of these WIPs are Lioise @starry-slithers & I have MORE but it’s late and I don’t want to take pictures rn😆♥️

I will tag ANYONE WHO WANTS TO DO THIS PLEASE I LOOOOVEEEEEEEE SEEING WIPS🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹 @holdmymallowsweet @poison-erica-art @hara-matsuura @tricarti @starry-slithers

[olath124]

WIP Wheneversday

Damn you Wednesbleurg! I don't even know how you're spelled!

Tagged in the recent-ish past by @wanderingaldecaldo

Tagging with no pressure for everyone except for @blackrevell who's gonna have some additional daily hai_bebes if she doesn't comply (I'm kidding. Or not. You probably will get them anyway, at this point it's an habit!).

@ouroboros-hideout @barghest-ripperdoc @sweetmage @theviridianbunny @streetkid-named-desire @alabasterfury @chevvy-ryder

and anyone else who wants to share what they're working on! Art, writing, VP, modding... whatever! Do it and tag me!

Well, brace yourselves, it's gonna be long!

Modding

There are two projects I'm working on in the modding department (+another 4-5 in my head).

The one I'm wrapping up right now and preparing to share for a beta, pics and publishing. You might have seen it in a bunch of Vio's pictures, because I have it laying around for a while: The pearl necklace Vio wears... well, quite often lately! Same style and different colors (Yes Vio has also the earrings, but they work for her earshape and I'm too lazy to fix them to work for every shape).

Actually for this one if ya'll want to take pics for the preview feel free to reach out!

Second one is a posepack focused on sweet and happy couple times, inspired by a photo Boro sent me with the comment: "It would be perfect for old Violad!"

I started collecting other pics and inspo (always a bit vintagey, because that's ma jam). I've finished the MF poses, working on retargetting for FMB. And maybe for MMB for ma fella Les. But I already feel my energy about it dropping down to the pit, so I'll probably won't do many retargets. For this one is still too early for the testing and taking pic phase, but come back in [REDACTED]!

In the meantime: Enjoy drunken Vlad drooling on Vio.

In one pic, not all of them.

Writing

I dunno, maybe some day I'll share it with the world, but for now I don't really see a point in doing it and I'm not completely convinced about it, it will probably need a bunch of serious hardcore revisions, so I'm keeping it all in my dungeon. Anyway, I've left in a hiatus the Dead Inside version of the nuggets (even if after rereading it yesterday in my mega hangovered state I still like it A LOT!) and I'm fully invested in the Little Talks AU. Well, I like the idea of Vio, Roy and Vlad growing up together, knowing each other before everything went horribly wrong. And, even if I still don't know if I'll share it I can give little peaks on it:

Violet grabs a box from Elroy's room, then enters the room Vlad used when he came to visit. Still the same, as he left it the last time, three years before. She sits on the bed, opening the box of old photos, neatly ordered by year.  Elroy will kill her if she doesn't put them back in their exact order.  It doesn't matter. Her eyes are caught by the closet, where Vlad places his clothes in a precise order as soon as he arrives, every time.  Maybe… She stands up.  Opens it. An old shirt he might have forgotten.  Or might have left for the next visit.  A visit that now might or might not even happen.  She cloaks herself with his shirt. She hides herself under his sheet. And starts looking at the images of them.  Some of them, she has already seen. Elroy was more than glad of showing off when he was proud of something.  Many others, he has kept them for himself. In a few of them Elroy was in, but mostly they showed her and Vlad through the years. Some of them, taken in moments when she thought they were alone. As children, teenagers, in their early twenties. Then nothing, anymore. Three years when they didn't see each other at all.  “And now it could be forever,” she whispers.  Violet closes her eyes, covering her head with the blankets. It's egoistic. And maybe cruel. But if they can truly use cyberware to bring someone back from death, at least she'll see him again. And she will have a chance to make up for her mistakes.  Get back to where they were.  And be happy.

Art

A lot of drawings, more or less finished, but that still need some tinkering or don't convince me completely.

And yes, the drooling theme goes on. I'd say it's a cornerstone of their relationship. Also, wasn't joking when I said I'm really invested in this AU and them...

And yeah, this wip Wedbleurgh is particularly rich because it's been a while! Gome back in a month and the list of stuff will probably be roughly the same. Because I'm a bufoon.

As shown in the biggest most bestest achievement of the week, month, year. After a small, little hangover I had the brilliant idea of drawing Vio like this: Scrubs The Effects of Alcohol by Age

Elroy put that fake arrow through her head. It was him. He did it. And is extremely proud.

Soon to join Aon and Alt in the role of Carla and Elliot.

[fueledbysano]

𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐖 Izana Kurokawa

ligaw. [noun] courtship; dating; woo. the university's local rockstar tries to win your heart in his classy ways ♡

♱ izana kurokawa x fem!reader

♱ tags, and for my favorite people in the fandom, Izana stans 🖤 : @hiraethsdesires @fuyuluvr @izanazqueen @iluvizana @half-baked-biscuit @ask-the-insect-hashira @sukunassuka @izanapogi @em-plosion @chrofeisnightmaregf @mattsune

♱ a/n: belated happy birthday to our king 🫀 I'm sure all my filipina girlies will agree when I say that Izana is that expensive guy who hangs out a lot in bgc and is probably famous in campus.

Izana Kurokawa was quite a popular guy on campus at his university in the Philippines. He was a part of the “Tenjiku” band, playing the guitar, and he was known for his love of motorcycles and his skill on two wheels. He was known to make quite an entrance when he parked his bike before his classes.

Izana had always been a bit of a control freak when it came to his precious guitar. It was the day of the university’s annual festival night, and his band was going to perform. Izana's instrument was like an extension of himself. He took great care of it, tuning it to perfection before each show and making sure that no one else touched it without his permission. Not even his band mates, he knew they were professionals themselves, but he trusted it to no one but himself.

So as Tenjiku bandmates were doing a soundcheck on the empty stage, Izana’s heart dropped when he saw a stage crew carrying his guitar. Her name plate read “[ Y / N ]” at the front, carrying his guitar carefully. If she wasn’t wearing the pass, he would’ve mistaken her for another performer, considering how attractive and how nice she was styled too.

He usually would’ve thrown a fit, but it wasn't just that she was touching his precious instrument, but the way she was carrying it. She was holding it with such care, like it was a priceless work of art rather than just a tool for playing music.

“What are you doing with my guitar?” he asked, his tone serious.

“Some amateurs and I think… fans managed to get backstage and peek at your instrument,” [ Y / N ] explained. "I couldn't let them touch it, so I took it to you. Sorry if I intruded."

Izana was impressed by her care and consideration. He knew how much his guitar meant to him, and he was grateful to have someone like her who understood that. “I’ll get someone to bring you guys’ your water bottles too, the performance starts soon.”

And so as Izana was performing on stage, his guitar ringing out over the crowds as they cheered and clapped. He was in his element, the music flowing through him like blood, the energy of the crowd pulsing through his veins.

But as the set went on, he started to notice that his guitar was sounding a little off. It wasn't much, just a slight distortion that seemed to be coming from the speakers, but it was enough to rattle his concentration. He couldn't focus on the music, constantly worrying about whether the audience was hearing the same thing.

Luckily, [ Y / N ] seemed to be listening in, because she quickly rushed up to the sound booth to fix the distortion. "There we go," she whispered, her voice low and calm. Izana quickly peeked at her from a distance, grateful for the assistance. She quickly started to tinker with the equipment, checking the cables and fixing a few loose connections after giving him a quick nod.

Izana couldn't help but feel a pang of attraction at what she just did. She seemed so passionate about her work, and he couldn't help but admire that.

Izana was still riding the high of his band's performance at the end of the night, when he spotted [ Y / N ] at the parking lot. As he made her way towards her , he felt a sense of anticipation, eager to see her again. “Hey.” he said, catching up. “Thanks for all the help again today.”

[ Y / N ] couldn't help but feel her heart rushing as she looked up at him. She felt a mix of emotions– admiration, attraction, and a bit of nervousness. “Of course,” she said, a hint of exhaustion mixing with her kind tone. “You guys did so well. I liked your set.”

Izana smiled at her words, feeling a sense of pride and satisfaction. “Thanks,” he said. “You know, I never let anyone touch my guitar, but you carried it like a pro. Not to mention, you noticed the off-distortion in the middle of my performance. I must say, that was really impressive.” He smiled. “At least let me take you to your place. It’s getting late too.”

As they rode through Taguig City, [ Y / N ] couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and adventure. She loved the feeling of the wind in her hair, and the way the city lights stretched out before her like a dazzling kaleidoscope. Izana was the perfect driver, making their trip smooth and comfortable.

Despite the late hour, the streets were still full of people– college students, young professionals, and tourists alike. The city was alive with energy, and it felt as though they were being called in.

As they neared the corner, Izana spotted a food bazaar and immediately made a left turn. [ Y / N ] followed his lead, smiling as she took in the sights and sounds of the bustling night market. “I love this place,” Izana said, dismounting the motorcycle and helping [ Y / N ] down. They were immediately met by the colorful stalls, the sizzling sounds of meat cooking, and the call of the vendors. [ Y / N ] followed Izana through the maze of tents and stalls, trying to make sense of the smells, sounds and smells that attacked her senses.

Finally, they reached a stall that seemed to capture Izana's attention, and she watched as he ordered a plate of sisig (spicy pork dish) and a serving of white rice while [ Y / N ] settled with a simple order of Lumpia (egg rolls).

[ Y / N ] couldn't help but smile, appreciating the joy on his face. She had never seen a grown man enjoy food so much. As they sat there, she couldn't help but think about how much they had done together in such a short amount of time. It had only been a night, and she had gone from never having heard of him to having a well-deserved late dinner together after a long day of putting up a show for everyone in the university.

The night air was cool and crisp, and the sounds of the street vendors and bustling crowds filled their ears as they walked. The vendor poured the frosty coconut juice into two glasses and handed them over to Izana, who smiled and held out one of the glasses to [ Y / N ]. She took a sip, and the cool liquid refreshed her after the long, hot day. The juice was creamy and sweet with a hint of coconut, and [ Y / N ] found herself finishing the glass before she knew it.

As they rode through the city, the lights and billboards shining brightly against the nighttime sky, [ Y / N ] couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder and amazement. It was one of those moments that made her feel tiny and insignificant, like she was just a spec in the vastness of the universe.

Izana rode with a sense of ease and grace, his eyes scanning the streets for any potential hazards. She felt safe and secure in his arms, like he was her personal guardian from the world's dangers.

As they neared her dorm, she couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness. The night had flown by in a flash, and she wasn't ready for it to be over. But she knew that it was only the beginning of their time together. She knew that there would be many more nights like this, many more adventures and experiences to share.

and she was right, it was just the beginning of something beautiful with Izana. Him being a man of class and culture, Izana went on going above and beyond to truly show [ Y / N ] that he was serious about her.

He would surprise her with gifts, take her on unforgettable dates, and become her personal rider as they go to and go home from school together on his bike. He was a true gentleman, and made sure she was comfortable.

He was a natural leader, someone who was always in control, always focused and driven. And yet, he was also sensitive and compassionate, always putting [ Y / N ]'s needs above his own. He was a man with a kind heart and a fierce love for those he cared about, and [ Y / N ] knew that she was one of the lucky ones to have him in her life.

Izana was a true connoisseur of the finer things in life, and he loved sharing that with [ Y / N ]. She was flattered that he took such joy in showing her the luxurious and artistic side of the city, and she knew that these experiences would be forever etched in her memory. These activities not only brought them closer together, but also made them appreciate the beauty of life and the world around them.

So as an arts lover through and through, he loved taking [ Y / N ] to art museums and galleries, where they could spend hours gazing at the incredible works of art, appreciating the beauty of each piece. From the historically rich walls of Manila into the imposing architecture in Bonifacio Global City, they would stroll along the streets, surrounded by high-rise buildings and lush greenery. The city was alive with energy, and there was always something new to discover.

As much as they loved high-end corners of Taguig, Izana and [ Y / N ] would often venture out to Cubao, the place to be for the local music scene where they could catch local bands jamming out and performing live music. It was a unique experience, and they could feel the energy of the crowd as they watched the bands on stage.

They enjoyed exploring different venues and checking out different genres, from rock to indie to even jazz. Izana was a big fan of rock and indie music, so they often frequented places like the Hard Rock Cafe, which featured local bands playing these genres. [ Y / N ], on the other hand, enjoyed exploring different genres and discovering new bands that Izana loved. They loved the experience of trying out different sounds and seeing the different reactions of the crowd.

It was during these moments that [ Y / N ] felt the most in tune with Izana. They would rock out to their favorite songs, sharing headphones and singing along together. It was a way for them to express themselves, and even though they had different music tastes, they found common ground in their shared love of live music.

[ Y / N ] couldn't help but feel grateful for the love and commitment that Izana showed her every day. She was truly blessed to have found someone like him, who was not only her lover, but also her best friend, her confidant, and her soulmate. She knew that their love was something special, something that would last a lifetime.

So when [ Y / N ] gave Izana her sweet "yes", everything was worth it. As Izana held [ Y / N ] in his arms, the whole world seemed to fade away. All he could see and feel was her, and their shared love. He had waited for this moment for so long, and now it was finally here. Everything had led up to this moment - the long nights of studying, the late nights of conversation, and the sweet moments shared together.

It was now as if they were one, united in their love for one another. They had started as friends, and now they were partners, companions, and lovers. It was a journey that had taken them from strangers to soulmates, and it was one that they would always share from now on.

[queenrogah]

𝐈𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐬 𝐓𝐨 𝐁𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 ― part one.

₊˚⊹ᰔ summary: Two childhood best friends who both shared their young love that is truly so unforgettable, but then their friendship was separated by unforeseen circumstances. After 20 years, they saw each other again in a summer getaway from a mutual friend of theirs. What would happen in that whole week of the getaway?

₊˚⊹ᰔ pairing: song kang x OC x rowoon

₊˚⊹ᰔ tags: fluff, angst, forgotten childhood memories

₊˚⊹ᰔ word count: 4.6k

₊˚⊹ᰔ a/n: ahh its so good to be back here again after 5 years of not updating my masterlist hehe. in this series, i didn't use song kang's or rowoon's name, instead i made up names for all of the characters, kinda feels like a whole kdrama series. this part is just fluffy and a bit angsty at the end. so, enjoy reading!

₊˚⊹ᰔ cast names: song kang as LEE HOJUN, rowoon as KANG TAEHA, and wi hajoon as HWANG DOHYUN

𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 | 𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐓 →

Fate.

Years ago, I believed solely in fate. Where there is someone who is writing my own life, and that someone who is writing is making sure that I'm happy. How I have my parents, my friends and most importantly, my best friend.

Fate brought us together when my father's childhood friend unexpectedly lived just beside our house. He also has his own family and they would set us up on a play date whenever they have the time.

He introduced himself as Lee Hojun, and he's two years older than me. We were just 5 and 7 years old when we first exchanged our names. The play dates lasted until I turned 9 and he's 11, and our time together suddenly felt a bit different.

Puppy love. That's how everyone describes it.

My feelings for Hojun back then were indescribable. I always think that we should get married already. We were adorable. Those cute interactions made my heart skip a beat for the first time—and I want to experience it for much longer.

Well, I told you earlier I believed solely in fate? What happened next made me forget about fate.

Hojun's family moved to Australia just a month after I confessed to him. And he doesn't know when they will come back home because his mother has been calling Australia their new home.

Fate?

That doesn't exist in my life anymore.

SUMMER OF 2025

“Don't forget your art project to be completed in three days” I announced through the classroom as I watched my 5th grade homeroom class pack their bags and get ready to go home for the day.

“Yes teacher” some of them said in unison, others just nod and smile.

It has been my dream to become a teacher since I was little—from acting like a teacher to finally being a real teacher. I'm grateful that I entered a job that made me smile whenever I start my day.

Even though it gets hectic.

Finals week is happening next week and those are the days where students and teachers are busy and at the same time—thinking about the summer break.

When the last student finally left the classroom, my head automatically rested on my table, catching sleep for a bit. Just a few minutes later, I didn't know someone came inside my classroom and felt their finger poking on my cheek.

“Miss Eunji…it's already 5 in the afternoon” I heard that familiar voice and saw it's Taeha, the music teacher in this school and also the work crush of most teachers here. He really is good-looking.

Me and Kang Taeha had been friends since college and that's the part where other teachers are jealous about—my closeness with Taeha.

We also share one apartment, since it's affordable, and when they found that out—his admirers were scowling at me again.

I groaned and stretched out my arms, “You should go ahead, or else I'll hear their scowls at me again. They irritate me now” I said to him.

Taeha laughed, “Who cares? Besides, I think you need a helping hand” He looked over the mountain of activity sheets that I needed to check and record back home.

I playfully rolled my eyes at him, “Fine” I stood up from my chair and fixed my things. I'm so glad it's finally the weekend—but our weekends are still full of work.

I stared at the activity sheets and closed my eyes as I took a deep intake, “I love my job, I love my job” I mumbled to myself.

I put the papers neatly in a box and as I'm about to lift it, Taeha beat me to it and that made him stand so close beside me, smelling that faint masculine cologne and his veiny and surprisingly huge arms on display since he rolled up his sleeves.

“Helping hand…remember?” His voice came out deep since he's too close to me.

A faint blush appeared on my cheek and took a step back away from him, “Okay, helping hand. Let's go” I nervously laughed and took my things.

I can hear Taeha chuckling behind me and that made me blush even more.

“Hey, remember Hwang Dohyun back in college—” I abruptly stopped in my tracks when I saw Taeha without any shirt on and only wearing those loose gray sweatpants that are so tempting to look at while he’s watching some random series.

“Why is he being like this nowadays?! Did he start working out? Is he feeling confident?” I am fighting my inner demons right now.

“Hwang Dohyun? I just received a text from him.” Taeha responded to my unfinished sentence earlier. I saw him give me a questioning look because I am just standing here, clutching my towel that I used after taking a shower earlier, “Why…are you standing there?”

“Oh! Me too! That’s what I’m going to ask.” I shake off the inappropriate thoughts and take a seat on the sofa where he is—but I’m keeping a distance from him, or else he will see me flip out.

“It’s been years since we last saw each other and I’m surprised to hear an update from him.” Taeha smiled and put his arms up behind his head, causing his biceps to flex a bit.

“Fuck. Can he stop?!” I mentally screamed.

I try to regain my composure, “And that update is…he’s getting married.” I chuckled.

That made me think of most of my friends getting married, already married, and settled with their own family. People have been saying that my age is the perfect time to get married and start a family, but fate is not on my side anymore—since that time. So I’m ignoring those stereotypes and just live where the wind might take me.

“He mentioned that instead of having those typical bachelor’s parties where they go club hopping, he will just use their family summer cabin and spend a week with his friends.” Taeha said while looking at Dohyun’s message.

“Seven days means there will be seven different summer activities that we will be doing?.” I asked.

Taeha shrugged, “Maybe? And I hope so, because I really miss those summer activities we did in elementary school before.”

I smiled on the ground and reminisced about those times, “Yeah, I do too.”

My smile faded away when he entered my thoughts again, causing me to sigh deeply.

“What’s wrong Eunji?” Taeha asked and felt him scoot close to me. Feeling the heat of his exposed torso dangerously close to mine.

“What's wrong? You're all shirtless and shit is what's wrong. Put on a damn shirt.” I slapped my towel at him and stood up from the sofa, getting ready to go and enjoy my sleep.

“It's warm here!” He hollered from the living room.

“Then turn off the heater!” I argued back and entered my room, leaning my back against the door.

Damn you Kang Taeha.

Time really passes by so fast and I'm glad finals week is coming to an end. I kept remembering Dohyun's summer getaway so that I just have the motivation to check every exam papers and projects that my classes have passed. When the school bell finally rang, a wide smile appeared on my face upon seeing the students get all excited for their summer break. With just two and a half months, I'm sure they will make the most out of it.

“Have a great summer, teacher!” One of my students came over to greet me.

“Have a great summer too!” I grinned, then I was surprised when my student suddenly gave me a pretty shell bracelet, “Oh! Is it for me?”

The student nods while showing that adorable smile. I immediately put on the bracelet and my heart swells when they hugged me again before waving goodbye to me. I admired the bracelet once more and soon I was interrupted with someone knocking on the door.

“Come in.” I said.

Of course it's Taeha.

“Miss Eunji,” Taeha always calls me whenever we're here in school and I think it's cute hearing it from him, “We have a small get-together with the other teachers in the faculty room.”

“Oh okay, I'll be right there.” I nodded and started tidying everything I accomplished today. I also applied some lip gloss and powder to make myself presentable.

Then I just realized that Taeha is still here, leaning on the door frame with his gaze at me.

My brows furrowed, “What are you still doing here? You go ahead.” I tried to shoo him away.

“We'll go there together.” He smiled.

I rolled my eyes, “And cause a whispering scene between your admirers again? You go ahead.”

Taeha soon found himself walking towards me and took my bag from my table.

“Hey!” I tried to get my bag from him, but our height difference is hindering me.

“Come on, let's go, you look pretty already.” He said and that made me look at him again, not realizing my cheeks are blushing again.

I huffed out in disbelief, “Fine. I'll just turn the AC off here.”

I tidy up the classroom and turn off everything that's plugged in before leaving the room with Taeha still holding my bag. I was about to tell him something but a phone call interrupted me.

“It's from my bag,” I told Taeha and he gave me my bag, pulling out my phone to see it's Dohyun calling me, “Oh, it's Dohyun.”

I pressed the button to receive the call and I'm surprised it's actually a video call.

“Eunji! Hello!” I saw Dohyun's contagious smile again.

“Dohyun! It's been a while! Taeha is also here with me.” I showed Taeha in the video call as they greeted each other too.

“Since both of you are now on this call, I'm sure you're both aware of my bachelor's party slash summer getaway that is happening on sunday.” Of course, me and Taeha nodded on what Dohyun said.

“Yeah, and congratulations too on your upcoming wedding!” I greeted and Taeha did the same.

Dohyun grinned, “Thank you guys. I'm kinda skeptical about contacting you and Taeha because it's been years since we saw each other, maybe you won't remember me anymore.” He chuckled.

I giggled on what Dohyun said, “What do you mean we won't forget you? You literally saved our last semester in college before.”

“You're the reason we have this degree!” Taeha buts in.

I watched Dohyun laugh so hard and probably remember the time back in college where we literally begged on our knees for his review notes for us to pass our exams. Me and Taeha were so crazy to pass with flying colors, and Dohyun is actually a smart student that we met. He is our guardian angel.

“This is why I really missed you both. Your craziness as a duo in college made me feel so belonged, even though I'm older.” Dohyun sighed, “Anyways, I'll see you guys this sunday and you will be also meeting my other friends. Hope that's okay.”

“Yes of course, see you this sunday! And, will there be a motif for our outfits?” I genuinely asked.

“Nah, any outfit is fine, as long as it's comfortable. See you guys! I'm hanging up now.” Dohyun waves goodbye on the video call as we waved back before he ended the call.

I sighed deeply and returned my phone inside my bag again, “Can't believe we will be spending a week in the woods.”

Taeha tried to uplift my mood because he knows I'm a bit nervous when it comes to the woods, “Relax, I'm sure the place where the cabin is would be nice. With those lake views and everything.” He patted my shoulder.

“I hope so.”

Sunday finally came and I am blankly staring at my two luggage that is filled with my things for the next seven days in the woods. I brought some insect repellant, sunblock and other necessities to make the getaway problem-free. We are just waiting for the driver to drive us to the address that Dohyun gave. He mentioned that he got us a shuttle together with his other friends for us to get to the cabin. I'm overthinking again that it would be a bit awkward to be in the same vehicle with some strangers.

I heard footsteps behind me and saw Taeha wearing a baby blue billowy shirt together with a denim three-fourths. He looks very summery, compared to mine that it's just a plain yellow sundress.

“Ready to go?” Taeha asked while locking our apartment.

“Yeah…I think.” I put up a small smile.

I was taken aback when Taeha suddenly cupped my cheeks and squashed it lightly, “I swear you'll be fine. I'm here for you if you got scared in the woods.”

I took his hands off my cheeks, “You promised that, and don't play pranks on me in the woods or else I'm gonna leave you back there.”

I immediately took my luggages and began walking in the hallway towards the elevator.

“Hey! Wait for me!” I heard him scrambling behind me as I snickered a laugh.

“The driver should be any second now, keep up slowpoke!” I hollered through the hallway of the apartment building and hoped our neighbors wouldn't be annoyed.

We took the elevator and just in time the driver notified us that they are now in front of the building. Taeha helped me put my things in the trunk and now we finally leave the apartment complex.

On our way to the place where the shuttle is, it is full of interesting stories. Taeha mentioned he was once a boy scout in his elementary years and he always has awards whenever they have their tasks, almost as if he's assuring me that I'm in good hands when we stay in the cabin. The driver also added that there's a beautiful lake where the cabin should be because someone he knew also owns a cabin around that place and he saw how beautiful the view is outside.

What they said made me calmer and now full of anticipation of what the cabin would look like—of course with Dohyun's wealth and status, I'm very sure it would be so beautiful.

We finally reached the place and immediately saw a shuttle service waiting by the bus stop. We took our things and said our thanks to the driver as he drove off.

“Oh wow, this shuttle service is…expensive.”

Right before me and Taeha is a white colored shuttle service that almost looks like a whole bus. We made our way towards the man waiting by the car.

“Excuse me, is this the shuttle service provided by Hwang Dohyun?” I asked the man.

“Oh! Yes! Can I ask your names?” He asked as he took out a list from the pocket of his jacket.

“It's Kim Eunji and Kang Taeha.” I said with a warm smile on my face.

Me and Taeha waited patiently as he went through the list and noticed his face lit up, “There you both are miss Kim Eunji and mister Kang Taeha. Let me help you store things inside the shuttle's compartment.”

“Thank you so much.” I thanked him as we also helped put our things inside.

When we are now good to go, we enter the shuttle and our eyes widen to see how cool it is inside. The seats are probably so comfortable, there are small TVs on the seats and a champagne corner? This shuttle has everything.

“This freaking looks like a first class seat in an airplane, holy shit.” I muttered to Taeha since I saw there are now people inside who are chatting with each other.

“Let's find our seat now.” Taeha ushered me towards the seats that are close to the front since he doesn't like to be that far behind a bus.

When he settled, I sat down on this comfortable chair and felt like I'm just about to pass out to sleep on how freaking comfortable it is. I just want to stay there, I'm already content with this damn shuttle service.

After a few minutes, more people came and now the man and also I think is the driver now entered the half-filled shuttle service.

“Good morning everyone, I am Hongchul and I will be your driver today. We will be having a 3-hour drive to the Hwang's family cabin. Mister Dohyun actually gave all of you some snacks and other necessities in the box that is just under your seats. If you have problems or emergencies during the trip, press the button that is beside the TV and just stay your concerns through its speaker. Have a great day everyone.” Hongchul bowed at us and now got ready to drive.

My face is making a very weird look because of what I'm feeling right now. Taeha noticed that I'm making a face now and that sent him from stifling a laugh.

“What the hell is that face?” He covered his mouth.

“It feels so new as a person who only lives an average life. I can't believe we have a friend like Dohyun who is literally wealthy like a president.” I chuckled and soon took the box that Hongchul mentioned earlier. I opened to see some chips, biscuits and a juice to help with our hunger during the trip.

What I'm shocked about is that there's a jacket inside too and summer necessities like sunblock and some sunglasses. Dohyun really planned everything for this special week, and that made me think how many weeks or even months that he planned this. That made me even more grateful to be one of his friends.

The 3-hour drive went by smoothly as we now entered some secluded place that is surrounded by woods. I'm glad it's not one of those places that is too deep within the foliage but this place seems light. During the trip, we actually met one of Dohyun's friends named Yoobin. She's one of Dohyun's closest friends way back in high school and she's so extroverted that she introduced herself to everyone in the vehicle. We can't help but also socialize with everyone in the shuttle. I noticed this woman who is a bit silent and just wearing her headphones while looking at the view. Of course I just ignored her or else she'll be annoyed that I interrupted her quiet time.

After a few minutes, we are now surprised by the cabin. Words can't explain how beautiful the cabin is, how it was standing between the trees and the lake just in front of it. It's like this place came from a storybook.

“The cabin is so beautiful.” I said in pure admiration.

“Told you it would be beautiful.” Taeha added.

“I overthink too much.”

Taeha snorted, “Yeah you do.”

When the shuttle service parked beside the cabin, Hongchul; the driver, now helped us leave the vehicle and unload our things from the compartment. My eyes are not leaving on how beautiful the cabin is.

“Welcome everyone to my family cabin!”

My eyes widened to hear that voice and finally saw Dohyun walking out from the cabin with that same warm smile on his face. All of us greeted him and took turns hugging and greeting the man of hour—or week?

When we exchanged glances, Dohyun's smile widened even more as he saw me running towards him and gave him the biggest hug. Taeha also entered and now turned into a group hug.

“Oh Taeha and Eunji! I'm so glad you're both here! Thank you for making the time.” Dohyun said as we broke our hug.

“Anything for our dear friend, who is close to being a married man.” I nudged his side as he laughed.

“So when's the wedding?” Taeha asked Dohyun.

“It will be happening next month already. Me and Haewon have been together for 6 years now and she's the love of my life. Both of our families are so supportive that this wedding should already be happening. I just proposed to her two months ago, and now the ceremony is now happening in a month.” Dohyun shared this story that made us look like some smiling freaks.

“I'm so happy for you Dohyun, and thank you for planning all of this. So don't worry, this summer getaway will be amazing.” I said to Dohyun.

“Of course it will be amazing, and speaking of amazing, can I have the attention of everyone,” Dohyun stood on the porch of the cabin, “Through the seven days, we will be having different activities to make our summer getaway the vacation of your lives. For this day, we will be barbecuing some food and just a simple campfire.”

I glanced at the large space between the cabin and the lake to see a grill and the campfire already laid out. But first, Dohyun said about our rooms, me and Taeha picked the room that is on the second floor and the window has the perfect view of the lake.

I threw myself on the large mattress and indulged how soft and comfortable this bed is.

“I hope I won't sleep in because of how soft this bed is.” I chuckled and prop myself up to see Taeha also enjoying his own bed.

“Me too,” Taeha agreed, “It's like we booked in a five-star hotel but for free.”

When we finally settled our things inside our designated room. We went back outside the cabin to see most of the guests are having fun in the lake. They were kayaking, skipping rocks and just relaxing. I caught in my peripheral vision the quiet woman during the whole trip talking to Dohyun and sharing some laughs. I didn’t notice how pretty and tall she is. She looked like a model or some sort.

But I just mind my own business and told Taeha that we should have a skipping rock competition.

After several rocks were thrown in the water, of course, Taeha won.

“Why are you so good at everything?” I grumbled and crossed my arms together like some kid that lost in a game.

“At least you also skipped three rocks.” Taeha tried to console me.

“But you skipped ten.”

Taeha chortled, “You’re so adorable.”

My eyes widened on what he said and that made my cheeks blush again.

“A-anyways, let’s just relax on the bean bags by the campfire.” My words stammered as I quickly went my way towards the bean bag and sat on it comfortably.

Taeha has been making me blush for weeks now and I don’t think this is a good sign for our friendship that lasted for years. And when I let my feelings overcome me, maybe it’ll be like that moment again—where someone would just leave me behind. I breathe in the fresh air and close my eyes to what I’ve been thinking again.

I didn’t realize that I already took a nap—with the help of this comfortable bean bag. While everyone is making the most of the beautiful scenery of the lake and the cabin, here I am, passed out.

Smoke. Such indulgent smoke.

My eyes slowly opened to see it's already sunset and the others are now grilling some delicious meat and preparing other foods. How long was I out?

I stretched out my arms and legs before getting up from the bean bag that I comfortably slept on.

“You're finally awake, we finally started preparing for our dinner. I really didn't want to wake you up, you're so comfortable sleeping on the bean bag.” Taeha came walking towards me with a drink in his hand.

I look at the drink he handed me over to see it's iced tea. I took a sip and it was the most refreshing drink for the summer.

“Thank you for the drink, and yeah…I didn't realize I passed out already. I still have to catch more sleep.” I put up a small smile.

Taeha sighed and soon showed me his hand, “Come, let's go with the others.”

I held his hand in caution as we went towards the table where everyone is socializing. Me and Taeha sat down and saw Yoobin; the one we talked to during the trip.

“Taeha! Eunji! Hi!.” She waved at us and we greeted back. Yoobin also introduced her other friends, adding more stories and random things in our interesting conversation.

“Did y'all notice Haesoo being overly quiet since we arrived here?” Sunhee whispered to us.

My brows furrowed, “Who's Haesoo?” I genuinely asked since I still haven't known everyone on this trip.

Yoobin discreetly pointed behind me, I took a peek to see the same quiet woman who was talking to the other groups, “Her. That's Choi Haesoo.”

“She's Dohyun's friend who he met when he was working in Australia before.” Sunhee added.

“Dohyun worked in Australia? I didn't know that.” Taeha was taken aback.

“Yeah, he worked in a company as part of the marketing team. He also met his soon-to-be wife in Australia.” Yoobin explained further.

I nodded when I got that new information, “Wow, that's why he has a bit of an accent.” I chuckled.

We all stifled a laugh, “Yeah, he does.” Yoobin agreed.

We all ended the gossip when we saw Dohyun coming towards our table and joined us here, “How are y'all liking the day so far?” He asked with that contagious smile again.

We're loving it. The cabin is beautiful. This place is amazing. We're thankful you planned this. We all said those words in unison.

“Actually, I want to introduce myself to Haesoo since I remember we used to be in the same university.” Yoobin suggested to Dohyun.

Dohyun scooted closer to us, “She's not in the mood and I think she's pissed at me.”

All of us at this table were surprised.

“What happened?” Sunhee asked.

“Well,” Dohyun chuckled, “I actually invited his ex over. The one she dated for four years when we're still working in Australia.”

So that's why she's not that excited during the trip. But I respect her since she still agreed to come just for her friendship with Dohyun.

I was about to ask Dohyun something, we heard a car engine approaching the cabin. I looked over to see a black Range Rover and soon parked beside the shuttle service we used earlier. Who arrived so late?

“Fuck,” Dohyun cursed and stood up from his seat.

“Who's that?” Yoobin asked. Also has that bewildered look on her face.

The Range Rover car opened and revealed the person inside. Since it's a bit dark where the parking space is, I don't have a clear look on their face. All I know is that they're tall—very tall.

“Speaking of the devil, that's the person I've been talking about…” Dohyun said.

When they are now walking towards our direction. My heart stopped when the light shone down his face. All of the memories, either good or bad ones, played in my mind. My balled up my fists, trying to hide what I'm feeling right now.

“Is that…” Sunhee's lips curled to a smirk.

“Oh my god he's the ex.” Yoobin covered her mouth.

“The ex that Haesoo still has feelings for,” Dohyun added and that made Yoobin and Sunhee gasp but enjoying the drama.

Dohyun soon approached him and gave him a friendly hug, “Everyone, meet Lee Hojun. One of my friends from Australia.”

My frozen self watches Hojun politely bow, “Good evening everyone, sorry for being late.” He apologized.

That's Lee Hojun. The Lee Hojun I've known since I was little, the one that I spent my whole childhood with, the one who I shared my feelings with, and the one who left me behind.

After 20 years…I finally saw his face.

Is fate doing this all over again?

𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 | 𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐓 →

[ninadove]

For any fandom(s): 12, 15, 16, 19, 23! 💌

As always, you spoil me! 💌

12. Compliment someone else in your fandom

GOD I HAVE TOO MANY FRIENDS TO COMPLIMENT

@beezonia comes up with the coolest AUs and designs. I’m always blown away by their Pokémon team compositions — they’re spot on to the point I consider it its own form of character analysis!

@purplecatghostposts is the genius who showed up out of the blue and took us all by surprise with their amazing prose. Soap, reminder that the reference to Copycat in consider the spare legally binds you to pay for my therapy.

@trishacollins is single-handedly remediating to the lack of platonic bedsharing between the cousins and I can’t thank her enough! She’s also one of the chillest and most approachable people I know.

@luckychatons is our favourite entrepunpurr and constantly lifts our mood with the cutest, most joy-filled sketches! Patting her OCs on the back because they sure need it.

@graythegreyt is such an awesome artist you’d almost forget they’re also one hell of a poet who wields mythological references like Odysseus wields his bow. Did you know they wrote me a poem inspired by God Games? I think everyone should know they wrote me a poem inspired by God Games.

@hartwign is a talented translator and draws hair like no one else. Seriously. I want to run my hands through the cousins’ hair and nestle in there forever.

@phieillydinyia is the picture of dedication! Can’t recommend Candle In The Wind enough, it’s a roleswap rewrite of the Miraculous movie that includes the songs. How cool is that. Thank you for your regular comments on my fics, they always make my day!

@alexandriaellisart words cannot express how much I love your depiction of Feligami. Your writing has made me tear up so many times! AND YOUR ART LOOKS SO SOFT AND COLOURFUL. What a double threat!

@faiirygrahamdevanily we need more fics about the Sentiplot as a metaphor for othering experiences and you’re doing God’s… I mean, Duusu’s work with yours!

@bbutterflies did you know your piece for Sentitwin Week is the best characterisation I’ve ever seen of Felix? This is what people mean when they say a picture is worth a thousand words. And of course your Adrino is always brilliant!

@bittersweetresilience not only are you an extraordinary writer, but you’re constantly looking for new ways to express your love. Always GIFing and weaving and canonising tags and making AMVs and running zines… I can’t wait to see what you do next!

And there’s so many more people I’m forgetting! To say nothing of my friends outside the Miraculous bubble! People are amazing!!! 💖

15. The character that always makes you smile

At the end of the day, it’s all about Clive. He’s been my muse for nearly 15 years! 💙🕊️

16 was answered here! 💖

19. Your current fandom(s)

Professor Layton, forever and always. I can’t wait to share my Big Bang fic and the amazing art that I was blessed with! 💙💛

RWBY, even if I’m lurking more than participating… I love love love love RWBY, yet it doesn’t strike my creative and analytical chords the way Miraculous does. Sometimes you just need to let yourself be swept into a story, you know? Although, it did teach me a couple of writing tricks I’ve used for other fandoms!

EPIC! Wisdom Saga coming soon! 🩵🦉 It makes my little mythology nerd heart supremely happy. The music is a banger and you can feel the knowledge and passion of all the people involved in this project. Jorge in particular is always so excited to share his progress, engaging with creators, explaining his musical choices in a fun and pedagogical way… And the lyrics! It’s free real estate for a fanfic author looking for inspiration and/or titles!

I’d love to start Monte-Cristoposting like I’ve been Cyranoposting and Draculaposting, but I’m afraid of spoilers so for now I’m just screaming in your DMs. As you know. I’m also slowly getting into Honkai: Star Rail, and I’d like to pick up Pokémon Black and White again because a N character study would look great on my AO3 resume.

And of course, Miraculous! 💚💜❤️ It’s the most creative I’ve been in years and it’s all thanks to these sad beautiful silly genius kids. Heart emoji, peacock emoji, sob emoji, etc.

23 was answered here!

Thanks for the ask! 🖤🪶

[cupcakestreets]

Growing Pains…

Ben Drowned/Jeff the killer fan fic that you can read here or on AO3 for the full tag warnings and stuff. I’ll just be copying and pasting the work here along with my authors note. Tumblr does get the special art piece tho so here you go:

Warnings for Graphic depictions of violence in the beginning.

Summary: Jeff reflects on his life over the past decade. He thinks about the pain and some of the feelings he can never describe properly or he knows with perfect clarity. Ben is here though. He is always Ben. Ben makes those feelings numb. He can never truly hurt him… Right?

Author’s note: This writing is more of a character study/exploration, as I have not thought about Jeff the Killer or Ben Drowned in a decade. I was really into these characters when I was young, like the tween years, and I thought about how Jeff was like my age or older when I got into him. So I thought it would be interesting to put myself/the reader in his shoes, still using elements from his original text, and making my version of the slender house as I am using it more as a proxy so Ben and Jeff to be together. I did catch up on Ben Drowned lore and didn't even know about the ARG before, and I also explored him a little bit too. In short, this fic is for me and my younger self. I never had the skill and courage to write like this before, and I am hoping it will relate to someone else at some point. I don't know.

“Shhh… Go to sleep…”

I whisper to my latest victim, straddling them and placing my hand over their mouth to muffle their screaming. It was a young man, they seemed to be in their early twenties… Probably 23 or 24? That’s around my age now… Right? My leathery white hands are covered in his blood from the slits I cut into his mouth. I slowly pierce their chest with my jagged knife, it is old and dulled a bit, so it takes my full force to puncture him and his heart. His eyes widen, my heart races, and that familiar feeling returns to me. I start to stab him feverishly over, and over and over, AnD OvEr, aND OvER, AND OVER…Their body become limp and they bleed out.

I remove my hand from his face and take a good look at the man. Pale, his eyes were wide before but they became dull. The slits I placed on his mouth gave him a smile, similar to mine… He looked so happy… And at rest… 

I stand up and look around his room. He was a messy guy. Clothing around the floor, empty boxes stacked on each other, and pill bottles opened. I go over and steal some of the pill bottles and other drugs the guy had left around. Not like he needs them anymore. The medicine names over time are getting harder to read if I am honest with myself, but my middle school educated self can always recognize and read the word “ibuprofen,” and the bottle was still full. Jackpot!

“Thank you, random guy.” 

I climb out the window, and take the leap of faith into some nearby trash bags. Faith was kind to me as the bag was full of plastic plates and cups, mostly. I do remember there was a party here the other night… Party… It’s been a while since I’ve been to one of those… That feeling returns to me in full force whenever I think about parties. I grip my knife tightly before I loosen it again. I need to get back home…

I walk through the woods. My body always aches after my killings lately… I must be getting old, this walk felt a lot lighter before. How long have I been like this now? What was I when I started killing people? 12? 13? Holy shit… Has it been 10 years? Fuck dude… I am old. Within those 10 years I found out multiple people want me dead, my brother Liu is alive and pretty normal actually, some screws loose but society accepts him for the most part…Oh yeah and cryptids, ghosts, and gods exist I guess... I follow the crude pages that are tacked on to the tree trunks. My mind starts to fog and my ears ring… They’re nearby… Great! Maybe they can carry me back! Before my vision blurs completely a tall and slender man in a fancy suit and no face appears. I mutter some words before things turn black, and I feel my body hit the ground. 

I woke up with my sleep mask on. I pull it up to see I am back in my room! All my hoodies, black pants and shirts I’ve stolen! Lovingly in piles on the floor. All of my old sweaters that I grew out of have been hung up in the closet. I’m sure they still reek of old blood. I look at the analog clock on the wall and pretend it says 12 am, because it still looks dark out and I’ve forgotten how to read those. Honestly, this house has electricity, and it’s run by a tall guy in a suit. Why hasn’t he put a digital clock in my room yet?  Now that i think about it, this house is so weird. I think kids were killed here or the house itself is alive, because it has endless hallways, the boards creak and moan in some places. If you leave you black out and practically spawned near the road where the woods start. Which is really cool, but still feels weird. There are other human freaks in this place but I do not give two fucks about them. They’re all annoying and make that feeling of wanting to stab them extra strong!... I want to talk to Ben… Ben was the only tolerable freak in this place, and they’re a ghost stuck in a game cartridge. 

I step out of my room to the endless hallway. There are multiple doors lining the walls. Ben's room was the most obvious because of the tv light shining out of it. I strut down to his room and give the doorframe a knock. I don’t think this TV has ever been turned off… I remember CR-TVs like this start to degrade after a while, and the screen starts to warp. But this one is completely fine… I think the house does that to things. Like, keep things new? Or Heals things? I don’t know, but I'm sure I would be mostly dead by now if this house wasn’t so weird. Static can be heard coming from the TV and the ugly-looking elf statue appears. The text box appears, and I hear his staticky and muffled voice in my head. “Hi, Jeff!”

Ben’s static and spectral form crawls out of the TV. His polygonal form turned into this hyper realistic ghostly form with blackened irises, and red pupils. His bloody tears start to stream down his face. He was beautiful… Guh, whenever I see him I have the urge to stab him… But not like how I want to stab the others. This feeling was different. I like talking to Ben… I’ve felt like I’ve known him since I became like … This! I go and sit on the lone bean bag chair in the middle of the room. The way the room was decorated reminded me of Liu’s room when they were little. Game posters on the wall, a night stand that had a lamp on it, a bed with this sporty themed covering, the old TV propped up on a dresser stand, and the Nintendo 64 connected to it… The room still looks a bit worn, but I think that’s because the house itself is like that. Creepy, musty, and old. Ben floats above me smiling at me. I smile back.

“What are you so happy about?” I asked, cocking my head.

“I learned new ghost tricks today.” Ben chirps, eagerly floating around my head. I slouch back more into my beanbag chair and allow him to show me his ghost trick. Usually, it is just him possessing other electronic devices we place into the room or manipulating objects around him. This time, Ben got close to me and placed his hand on my cheek. I could feel it. This has never happened before. The hand becomes glitchy and just goes through most of the time, and I don’t feel anything. This time I did, and it felt exactly how it feels when your hand falls asleep. Basically, how I imagine static TV feels. Numb with pins and needles. After it took me time to process that feeling, I felt the static feeling on my lips. I feel my face getting hot!  Ben pulled away to look at my reaction, and it must’ve been priceless with how I heard his signature Skull Kid laughter come from him. My anger took over after the shock wore off.

“What was that?” I snapped.

Ben pokes my nose, making it feel numb.

“That was a kiss.” He said smugly. “It was probably your first one, right?”

I scoffed. He was right, but I hate how smug he looked about it. I got over my anger as I looked away from Ben and started to think. My first relationship ever is with a ghost… A guy ghost too. I Must be fucked in the head. Ben can never leave this place. Even in the game he haunts, he can’t do much because he’s a statue. Apparently, there are other ghosts in that cartridge, but they do not try to leave the TV like Ben does.

“There is actually something I’ve been thinking about lately…” Ben says floating near me, his face becoming more serious. This is not like him at all. He’s usually more mischievous and cunning. Like he has some practical joke that he’s dying to play on you. This felt off. I had to hear this.

“Remember how I told you that I do not think I am really Ben?...”

I just nod along. I remember him mentioning it before, yeah. Although back then it seemed to be in more of a joking tone.

“Well… The more I remember about my past the more it feels like it is true… Especially now…”

I don’t know what to say about all this, so I just let him speak. Ben looks at the N64 on the ground.

“I was promised something… Eternity?… I didn't know what that meant, but they said I could live forever in my favorite game. I loved Majora's Mask so getting the chance to be put into a video game seemed really cool! But now…”

His form began to blink in and out, glitching a bit as he thought about how he was basically trapped in that game forever now. I rub the back of my neck and give him a pat on the head. My hand did go through him at first, but he concentrated on making his head solid enough for me to really pat it. It made my hand go numb, though.

“The lies grown-ups tell us so we fall for their schemes…” I say, thinking about the words my mommy said before she ran to dad. The lies she spouts about caring about me or Liu… It was always about appearances and making sure we fit in… I carved this permanent smile on my face, because I couldn’t cope with my unhappy reality… I was in pain. It still hurts. 10 years later… And it still hurts. Ben laid on top of me and I felt my body turn to static. It was nice… the pain was numbed by his presence.

“Jeff… You will die one day.” Ben says. It was so matter of fact that I did not fully process what he just told me.

“ What?”

“You’re bigger now. You still have flesh and must eat… Soon your body will give up on you…”

This along with not being able to feel my entire body right now… There was this feeling…Fear?... Yes, it's when you can't control something… I am familiar with fear. Fear rushed over my body in an instant. Ben stares directly into my eyes. 

“I think… I am envious of that… You will die and your pain will be gone…”

There is a long silence. We only look at each other, I can hear my heartbeat, and then I hear myself laugh. I don’t know why. Ben starts to laugh with me and we just laugh it all out like psychopaths.

“What’s so funny?” He asked, still laughing really hard.

“I’m going to die!” I replied back, laughing extra hard before I turned around and began to puke. I don’t remember the last thing I ate… Might be meat and pills. Either way, it was gross and out of me now. I turn back to Ben, who looks grossed out, which is really something when the guy crying blood is looking at you like you’re the gross one here.

“Welp… That was dinner and lunch…”

Ben snorted a bit before floating above me again.

I felt a sharp pain in my chest after hearing that. He would forget about me, and the years we’ve been together… Now that I think about it… Ben was most likely around the same age as me when he was put in the game, right?...A kid? Would that mean he would just revert back to the mind he had when he was put into the game? Honestly, now that I'm thinking about it, he sounded so different... I just look at him.

“Seriously though… I envy you… I wish I could leave this place… I was told that the house is the only thing that is keeping us conscious… If the system was unplugged or the cartridge tampered with all of our memories would be wiped… I would go back to being a lifeless statue. I will forget about you…”

“You sound… Older… Like… Grown up.” 

Ben did a little chuckle before looking down at himself.

“I’ve … Never been kept on for this long before… Maybe that’s why I don’t feel like I am Ben…”

I can’t help but think about that… Although I’ve aged… I don't sound all that grown up. Even Liu was able to grow despite the things I did to him… Ben literally is a cyber ghost, and he grew, but I… I wear the same white hood and black pants, I refuse to part with the same old dulled and bloody knife, my face can only make the same expression… I am Jeff, a killer, and still the same boy that was in pain all those years ago… That familiar dark feeling started to bubble inside me… The same one I got before I killed my parents… I can’t even express this pain that I am feeling. It hurts… He caused me pain… I feel Ben look at me, his expression twisted into a horrified look. It pissed me off. 

“Don’t look at me like that…”

Ben looked away from me and down at the N64. I stare at it as well. If it was broken or tampered with… Ben will go back to being Ben… Ben will not make me feel pain…My body moves to grab the console. Ben shouts something before I smash the console onto the ground, causing Ben to blink out of existence and static screams from the TV.

“Oops… Game over… ”

I stare at the console for a while… The cartridge still looked intact and the console started to repair itself…Will Ben be the same?... I hope not… Then he'll remember what I did… Fuck… Am I crying? My eyes are always so dry and irritated I didn't even know I could still… My brain begins to fog and I hear that familiar ringing go through my ears… The tall man is behind me. Before I can say anything, my vision turns black, and the fog takes over.

[littlemissgeek8]

Reflection Ruesday

So there's two versions of this post game going around today, and while I did get tagged by @thedissonantverses for the one version, I figured I might as well be an overachiever and do BOTH! I will warn in advance that only one of these examples is Bioware related because I really didn't do much in the way of fanworks for Bioware games until like, last year? But hopefully someone out there appreciates it anyway! And thank you to @becausedragonage for creating this fun little idea!

Also preemptively tagging some folks b/c the bit under the cut might not be everyone's cup of tea: @hyperions-light @biowaredisasterbisexual @mageofquandrix @sandcastlekings @seaglassmelody and anyone else who has anything they want to share!

First, @woundedsoul12 wanted people to share a published work that they personally liked that they felt didn't get much love. So, I'm gonna bring around a sketch I did back in November of Darvia and Varric getting a little quiet moment during the mission to Halamshiral. I hadn't really poked my head into the fandom much at that point, so it got a bit lost in the shuffle.

And secondly, we have the usual version:

What to do: Go through your writing, art, gifs, etc. that you started but never finished and find something you love. Brush it up a bit if you want and share it. Tag me and use the tag Reflection Ruesday (it'll grow on you, I promise) and I'll comment and reblog. Then tag some other folks you think might enjoy it.

As previously stated I don't have any Bioware-related works to dredge up, but I got hit by an old special interest this week and realized I still really love the snippets from a magical-boy-inspired Ghostbusters AU from like, 2013. So, uh, if anyone feels like reading some 11-year-old writing from me, here's a little taste. Who knows, maybe I'll actually finish it someday!

Excerpt 1: Ray

The floor under my feet lurches. I look around nervously to see my friends responding the same way. Egon shoves his glasses back up his nose with a slightly unsteady finger. "It would appear that the defeat of the node guardian is having an unexpected seismic effect on this structure," he says matter-of-factly. "In English, Egon?" Peter asks. "This whole building's coming down!" I say, hoping my voice doesn't sound as nervous as I feel. The ground is growing more unsteady by the minute. "By my estimation we have less than five minutes to get out," Egon says. Winston swears. "We're on the top floor! We'll never make it down in time." "Unless..." All three sets of eyes shift to me. My hands go all clammy, and it feels like my heart's going to beat right through my chest. "Me?" I ask, my voice squeaking through my tight throat. "It's the only chance we have, Ray!" Egon's voice is urgent. "But--" I swallow and try to talk again. "I've-- I've never transported anyone but myself! And the battle took so much of my strength... I don't even know if it will work! Or even if I can get us outside of the building!" By now, the floor is buckling so much it feels like the deck of a ship during a storm. Debris from the ceiling is raining down around us. "Ray, for heaven's sake, JUST DO IT!" Peter shouts, nearly falling over. Winston grabs him and hauls him upright. I tighten my grip on the staff. It just has to work! "Hold on tight!" I yell. When I can feel three hands holding onto my coat, I raise the staff and visualize our intended destination. "Mass Shadow Transport!" The dark purple shadows swarm up around us and for a moment the bottom falls out of the world and the dark building fades into spinning purple nothingness. Then, I can hear wind. Birds. We made it outside. Winston and Peter stagger back, Peter collapsing onto the grass with a thud. Egon doesn't seem to have been bothered by the disorienting transportation, though it's always hard to tell with him. I turn to face the dark structure that we left. With a massive groan, it collapses in on itself in a shower of obsidian black rubble. My stomach lurches as I realize we would have been trapped if I'd waited any longer. With the adrenaline gone from my muscles, it's all I can do not to collapse on the grass in a quivering lump. "Admirable job," Egon says from behind me. "Yeah, thanks Ray." Winston's voice is shaky, but relieved. "Does anyone else's mouth taste like socks?" Peter asks dryly. I know he's trying to diffuse the tension, but it's not helping. I can still hear the structure collapse in my head. Peter must have noticed, since all of a sudden he's poking his head around my shoulder. "Are you all right, Ray?" Winston asks. "He looks kinda green," Peter says. "Not pretty. Your hair's the wrong color for it." "Ray?" Egon says. Just as I open my mouth to speak, my stomach heaves. I only just make it to some nearby bushes before my lunch comes up.

Excerpt 2: Peter

Dana is at her locker with her back turned. I take a deep breath and wander over, trying to be as nonchalant as possible. She looks up as I lean on the locker next to her. "Yes?" she asks. "Can I help you?" Sometime between kindergarten and now her voice has gotten deep. I'm not complaining or anything; it's kinda sexy. "Dana Barrett, right?" I ask. Not that I needed confirmation or anything, but it's a great conversation starter. "Yes." Whoops. I guess Ray was right; she almost immediately gets defensive on me. Not what I was planning on, but she hasn't shut me out completely. I decide to play my trump card now and hope that does it. "Pete Venkman. I just moved back into the area. We were in the same kindergarten class, remember?" She softens just a bit, and actually smiles. "Of course I remember you." Score! "You were the one that got sent down to the principal's office for eating glue on the second day of school." Crap! I mentally slap myself in the face. I was hoping she'd forgotten that. "They called you 'Peter the paste-eater' for about four months, right?" Mayday! This is not going well. I need something for damage control, and I need it fast. Otherwise, I'm going to end up as "Peter the paste-eater" for the rest of my LIFE! I slide in and decide to throw on the charm. "Yeah, well we all do dumb things as kids. It's a miracle we even live to see Middle School, much less High School." She chuckles. "Some more than others." Ouch. "So, you have first lunch period or second?" I ask, trying to change the subject without sounding desperate. "Second, and I need to get to class," "But the Minute Music hasn't started yet--" Right on cue, the music comes on. You know, I get that all the teachers in this school are nostalgic for the sixties, but this is the third straight day that we've had nothing but Beatles hits. You'd think they'd shake things up once in a while. Dana grabs her books and straightens up. For a moment, I catch her eyes, and I can just feel a connection-- "PETER!" --and the connection shatters like a shot-put through the neighbor's good china as Ray nearly bowls me over in his enthusiasm. "C'mon Peter! We need to get to the cafeteria so we can claim our table! Egon's got some great ideas he wants to discuss." Dana smiles. "Goodbye, Peter." She closes her locker and melts into the crowd. I'm so frustrated, it's all I can do not to throw my ridiculously heavy history textbook at that stupid speaker in the hallway that won't shut up about how it wants to "hold my haaaannd." Instead, I just push my way through the crowd and down the hall to the cafeteria, Ray right behind me and still talking. Like the overachiever he is, Egon's already gotten a table. Thanks so much for ruining my moment for nothing, Ray. I dump my books on the table and line up for food. With tray in hand, I return to my seat, sandwiched in between Winston and Ray. "How'd your meeting with Dana go?" Winston asks almost immediately. I shoot Ray a glare, then turn back to Winston. "Well, she didn't slam the locker door in my face." "She's probably saving it for the second date." Egon doesn't even look up from his notebook, and his expression never changes. Until that stone-faced mask cracks a bit with a tiny smile. As nice as it is that Spengs is showing a bit of humanity, I wish it wasn't at my expense.

[olsenmyolsen]

Chapter Thirteen: For You

The Farmer's Daughter - (A WandaNat Story)

Masterlist . Tag list: @xenaizogie

Summary: Wanda talks to her mom about Natasha just before Pietro comes home..

Word Count: 2.8K

Content: Feelings, Mother-Daughter Talks, Awkward Kate Bishop

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Kate asked as she looked from the road to her friend in the passenger seat. Natasha had her head rested against a neck pillow—a bag of semi-frozen peas from Kate's freezer on her head.

"I could've won," Natasha stated for the nth time today.

Kate laughed again. "Yet you lost and have a black eye and bandage on your nose." Natasha turned her head, and instead of bickering, she looked at her friend with whom she had missed time and spoke honestly. "I'm glad you found someone, Kate." Natasha turned her head back and let her friend sit in the moment.

A playlist from Kate's phone quietly played in the background as Kate smiled. She then thought about how to ask Natasha about Wanda.

Since Kate found her in the stairwell at the art show, she hasn't brought up the younger woman.

"It's just a little after lunch. Do you wanna stop somewhere?" They weren't far from the farm, so Natasha shook her head no. Plus, she wasn't hungry. "Have you talked to her?" Kate then asked, making Natasha lift the peas off her face.

"Since last night?" Natasha asked for clarification. Kate nodded. Natasha slightly nodded and shook her head. "I texted her after my shower."

"Oooohhh!" Kate said, making it sound a lot sexier than the text actually was. "Kate, I just told her we were about to head on the road."

"Oh," Kate said, disappointed.

Natasha wasn't sure how to explain or talk about her bruises and fight with Maya over the phone, so she was just gonna save it for her face-to-face with Wanda.

But she did take some pictures of her bruised face and body after the shower. Natasha sometimes thought it made her look sexier and that the selfies of her face were fun.

"Anything else?" Kate asked, wanting to know anything else that might be going on with Natasha and Wanda. Natasha put the peas back in her head and eye. Natasha smiled. "I'm excited to see her."

Kate looked over at her friend for a second. "Oh, she's gonna flip when she sees you."

Speaking of Wanda, not long after that, she was returning home after crashing the night at Sam's. As Wanda entered her home, the smell of something cooking in the oven worked its magic, creating a desirable smell in the air. Wanda turned to see her Mama on the couch working on a cross stitch.

Magda lifted her head to the sound of slip-on shoes hitting the ground. She smiled at her daughter, who crash-landed on the couch—wearing an oversized scarlet shirt and black leggings. Wanda sprawled out all over the sofa.

"Hi, my baby girl." Magda laughed at Wanda's actions.

"Hi, Mama," Wanda said before turning to face her mother upside down. "Did you have fun with your friends?" Wanda nodded, but Magda could see something bothering her daughter. "Up," Magda said, moving her cross stitch to the table beside her. "Up!" She said again directly to Wanda, making the younger woman pout and sit properly on the couch.

Magda slightly turned to her daughter as the TV played re-runs of a 90's comedy in the background.

"Talk to me. What's up." Wanda sighed. Of course, her mother saw right through her. "It's silly." Wanda tried to dismiss the conversation. Magda shook her head. "Wanda, you should talk to me if something bothers you." Wanda deflated her body and looked away.

Magda allowed her daughter to gather her thoughts.

"I..." Wanda looked at her mother. "I really like Natasha..." Magda kept her eyes on her daughter and nodded. "Okay... as more than a friend, correct?" Wanda slowly nodded. "Yes, Mama."

Magda, of course, had her suspicions, but it was nice to see it confirmed and for her daughter not to shy away from telling her the truth. Plus, Magda had been watching Natasha, and she was confident the redhead was infatuated with her daughter.

"Well, that's okay," Magda said, and while Wanda wasn't asking permission or anything, it was nice to hear. "You're an adult, Wanda. I trust you know what you're doing."

That was just it. Wanda knew she wanted Natasha, but since last night, something had been in the back of her mind.

"What else is it?" Magda asked of her daughter. Wanda opened her mouth and let out an anxious breath before speaking. "I just don't want to mess anything up." Magda's heart almost shattered at seeing her daughter this soft and scared.

Wanda had never felt this way about someone.

Sure, boyfriends and girlfriends have come and gone. But this Wanda was growing up, and Magda could see the actual care behind those eyes. "Plus.. you don't think she's too old for me... do you?"

Magda wasn't expecting that, but it would've been a lie if she had said it hadn't crossed her mind. Magda leaned back against the sofa and was quiet with thought.

Wanda watched and softly picked at the skin on her thumb.

"I think Natasha is mature and has had a very different life experience than you have had so far..." Wanda's face began to turn into a frown. "That doesn't mean you and her can't share new experiences. Yes, she is older than you, my dear." Magda paused for motherly dramatic effect. "But like I said, you're both consenting adults and should do what you feel is comfortable." Wanda felt closer to her mom and had her eyes sting with gratitude. "She's a very nice woman," Magda added.

"Thank you, Mama." Wanda leaned forward and hugged her mom. "Of course," Magda said before pulling Wanda's face to look at her. "Just be safe and remember that your heart belongs to you until you trust someone to share it." Wanda nodded as she sniffled. "I love you, Mama."

"I love you too, my Wanda."

Magda released Wanda from her hold. "But if she hurts you, I swear-" Wanda raised her hand with a smile. "I know we have witches in our blood. You'll curse Natasha." Wanda wanted to roll her eyes at the speech she heard numerous times before. "Don't say anything to Papa, please," Wanda asked of her mother.

Magda scoffed. "Please, if anyone is going to be telling him anything, it better be that Natasha." Wanda couldn't help but laugh. "That works." She said before her stomach growled. It was just after lunch, and the intoxicating smell of food was too good to ignore.

Magda had gone back to her cross-stitch. "Don't touch the stuff in the oven. It's for dinner." Wanda rose to her feet. "What is it?" She asked as she made her way to it. "Take a look, but don't touch it!" Magda yelled from the living room.

Wanda listened and took a peek. She quickly turned the oven light off and tilted her head slightly, confused. She then turned around and saw ingredients for Baklava on the counter. "Mama!" Wanda shouted from the kitchen before walking towards Magda on the couch.

Magda turned her head to her daughter and waited for Wanda to keep talking.

"You have Dolma in the oven!?" Magda smiled at her daughter and nodded. Wanda smiled back. It had been forever since her mother made a dish that was so unique to Wanda and her brother. "Is there any special occasion?" Wanda asked.

Magda shrugged. "I just thought it might be nice since my children will be under one roof again."

That made Wanda freeze. "Pietro is coming home?" Wanda's accent thickened as she spoke about her brother. Magda stopped her art and turned around on the couch. "Surprise! Papa is on the way to the airport now to pick him up!"

Wanda smiled wide and grew excited. She hadn't seen her brother since the new year. He was meant to come home before his trip abroad but was so busy wrapping up classes that he couldn't make it home. "Why is he coming home? Shouldn't he be in Russia or Sokovia right now?"

Magda shook her head. "He said he had a two-week break before he had to start his thesis." Wanda joking rolled her eyes. Her brother was not only a super athlete but could never stop studying.

On the flip side, Wanda was taking her summer to relax and forget about the ups and downs of college.

A redhead was inadvertently making sure of that.

"Between you and me, I think he's homesick," Magda said with a certain smile. "Mama, I think you're the one who missed Pietro." Magda waved Wanda away. Wanda laughed and went back to the kitchen. Doing her best not to steal food that was meant for dinner.

By the time Magda finally made it halfway through her cross-stitch, a black car was pulling up the gravel driveway.

Wanda heard the car approach, and before it parked, she was running down the stairs from her room. Magda laughed at how her daughter fumbled with her shoes. "Wanda." Wanda looked at her mom, calling her name. "She's not going anywhere."

Wanda knew it made her look downright bad for Natasha, but she could barely think about anything while she was gone.

Still, Wanda slowed down and breathed before tossing her hair and looking over her face in the mirror by the front door. "She missed you too," Wanda whispered to herself before opening the front door and stepping out.

Her green eyes squinted as she exited due to the sun reflecting off of Kate's car, but they soon adjusted themselves as Natasha stepped out of the passenger seat.

"Hi- oh my god!" Wanda's smile turned to one of panic as she looked over Natasha's face. "What happened!" Her Vans kicked up some rocks as she ran around the front of the car to Natasha's bruised face. Wanda's soft hands immediately touching Natasha's delicate skin.

Kate stepped out from her side and grabbed Natasha's bag from the backseat. Smiling as she watched Wanda's worried eyes scan Natasha's face with care until they turned to Kate as she walked up behind Natasha.

"Did you do this!?" Wanda barked as she clenched her jaw and waited for an answer.

Kate's eyes widened as she could've sworn she saw red instead of Wanda's green eyes. "No- I- She-" Kate stuttered and fumbled over words as Natasha tried to gather Wanda's attention.

"Wanda!" Natasha grabbed Wanda's face and made her look away from her scared friend. "I did it." Wanda knitted her eyebrows together. "What?" She asked as her hands moved down to hold Natasha's wrists.

Their touch sent butterflies to their stomachs.

"I did an expedition boxing match with Kate's girlfriend." That made Wanda scrunched her face more.

Since when did Kate have a girlfriend?

Oh, Natasha was in love with the scrunch and couldn't stop the smile and laugh that escaped her. "What?" Wanda asked as her eyes continued to look over Natasha's face before falling back to her eyes again and again.

Natasha stepped closer into Wanda's space. Her thumb pads rubbed the sides of Wanda's cheeks. "You're cute," Natasha said quietly, making Wanda beam. "You come back bruised, with a bandage on your nose after getting into a fight on purpose, and that's what you have to say?" Wanda said with a stern but gentle tone.

These two knew exactly what they were doing.

Natasha grinned. "I missed you," Natasha added, and Wanda melted at that. "I missed you too, Natasha," Wanda said quietly in between the space they created. Her heart beating rapidly.

"Who exactly did you fight?" Wanda asked as she moved her right hand to Natasha's barely open eye. Her fingertips glided along the edge of the bruise. "Maya Lopez." Wanda looked behind Natasha for any additional information, but she only found Kate on her phone several yards away.

"Don't worry; it was all good fun," Natasha said as her hands fell to Wanda's. Grabbing them and bringing Wanda's attention to her again. "Plus..." Natasha drew out. "I think you like seeing me like this."

Wanda inhaled quickly. "And what if I do?" She raised an eyebrow while trying her best to contain her nerves. "Then I can get bloody and bruised for you," Natasha growled as she stepped closer, placing her boots right next to Wanda's Vans. Their bodies closer than ever. Wanda was trying to control her breathing as they stood in the gravel driveway.

"For me?" Wanda questioned. Natasha nodded. "For you."

Without saying it, they told each other what they wanted to hear.

Wanda smiled and pulled her hands up Natasha's side, stretching herself to make herself taller as her arms wrapped around Natasha's neck. "I know I said it before, but I really like you, Natasha."

There it was. The softness that bled from Wanda.

"Even though I did this to my face?" Wanda smirked at Natasha, making her blush. "Well, technically, I didn't, but-" Wanda stopped Natasha by placing her lips onto the redheads. Natasha wasn't one to ramble, but the nerves were getting to her.

Once Wanda's soft lips touched hers, she grinned into the kiss and felt her stomach flip.

Kate had turned around just in time to finally see her friends not be idiots and tell each other how they felt. She then turned back as the sound of a truck engine and gravel rolled down the driveway.

"I like you too, Wanda," Natasha said as she caught her breath and held Wanda's hand in hers. Wanda bit her bottom lip and went from Natasha's black eye to the sound of her father's truck.

Natasha heard it, too.

In a flash, Natasha and Wanda's hands separated from one another as they stepped back. Natasha picked up her bag from the ground and stood near Wanda as they watched Erik's truck park on the opposite side of Wanda's SUV.

Kate walked up to the two, hung up her call with Maya, and watched Erik step out of the truck and go to the bed, pulling out a suitcase and duffle bag.

Natasha tilted her head before the creaking sound of the passenger door was heard. The redhead watched as a tall man around Wanda's age with dark hair and silver highlights stepped out. He wore aviators, brown boots, slim-fit dark wash jeans, and a graphic tee.

He reminded Kate of a modern-day Ryan Gosling in a certain way.

Natasha wasn't occupied with who the man looked like. All she cared about was who he was.

The man with Erik behind him stopped in front of the porch of the house and opened his arms side. "Sestra!" He yelled in a heavy accent. "Pietro!" Wanda yelled back before running to the man.

Shit.

"Pietro?" Kate quietly asked. Without taking their eyes away, Natasha answered. "Wanda's twin brother." Kate looked shocked at Natasha and could see Nat's green eyes studying the man.

Kate turned back just in time for Wanda to point to Kate and Natasha behind her. Erik nodded to something Wanda said before they started to move closer. Natasha took steps forward to be polite.

Kate followed and started questioning if she should've just dropped Natasha off and left.

Wanda arrived in front of Natasha with a hidden smile while the other two men looked at Natasha differently. Erik was the first to speak with concern while Pietro looked at Natasha through his sunglasses. "Natasha, what the hell happened to you? Are you all right?"

Kate stepped forward. "It's okay. Natasha just got into a fight with my girlfriend." Kate smiled as she didn't hear her own words. Natasha and Wanda opened their mouths to correct Kate, but Pietro spoke up. "Did you win?" Erik smacked his son's head, making his sister cover her mouth to hide a laugh.

Natasha smiled. "No, and it was an exhibition match anyway."

Pietro hummed with a tone of disappointment before he lifted his sunglasses up. It was in the eyes that Natasha could see how similar Wanda and Pietro really were. "Think you could take me?" He smirked, and that got under Natasha's skin for some reason.

However, thankfully, before she could utter a single word, Wanda and Erik had better suggestions. "Oh, quit it!" Erik patted his son's shoulder. Wanda stepped in front of Natasha and nervously laughed. "Trust me, Pietro, you don't want to do that." 

Kate thought the same thing.

He shrugged. "Maybe someday." He looked Natasha up and down. His eyes stopping in one place along the way. "Solider." He smiled and turned with his father to greet Magda on the porch. Her eyes moved from Natasha and Wanda to her son.

"What the hell was that," Natasha whispered with her arms crossed over her chest as everyone else, aside from Wanda and Kate, disappeared inside the house. "He's just trying to get a rise out of you. He's annoying like that."

Wanda was correct, and for a moment, Natasha remembered that that's what siblings do to their sisters and their friends.

"Plus, knowing him, it's his way of flirting." Wanda shook her head at that gross thought. "Ew." Kate audibly said, making Natasha laugh.

dividers by @/benkeibear