#multiple commentators said it before their skates

[sunskate]

Tbh - and I’m aware this opinion might get me shot in V/M fandom circles - I put as much blame on Tessa and Scott for Seasons as I do Marina. More, even. They were experienced senior athletes who knew what it took to win Olympic Gold and create an Olympic moment and were fully capable of taking ownership of their careers. Meryl and Charlie had done their prep work and had their Sochi music picked out for THREE YEARS. By their own admission they knew very early on in the choreography process that Seasons didn’t feel right and it’s on them that they didn’t take the initiative to find something else that did. They were past the age to need handholding and I thought implying Marina had ‘sabotaged’ them with the music choice they had gone along with was a tiny bit���childish. Which I suspect they thought so too once they got a bit of distance and perspective and it’s why they doubled down on Moulin Rouge in the face of opposition from Marie and Patrice.

that doesn't sound like it should be controversial - ultimately, they had the opportunity to say no or to find music they loved and didn't

Tessa and Scott had instability going on that DW didn't have, especially concerning her health. but they still had agency. i had assumed when they said Marina wasn't in their corner, they meant many kinds of support - did they say outright she didn't give them winning programs?

VM were used to the coaches being the law, they'd been given amazing programs year after year - it might have been hard to break out of that mindset suddenly in an Olympic season. but you're right, they were adults and experienced athletes. i've never thought VM had no responsibility. i'm just more puzzled by Marina choosing Seasons than by why they stayed with it. the idea that they had to do a Russian themed FD came from her, and i'm perplexed she landed on Glazunov, when there are so many other choices - Russia has fantastic ballet composers - they could have skated Tchaikovsky or Stravinsky or Prokofiev

[ohforficsakelibrary]

You Brought Me Poison Flowers

Chapter 8: Beet - If a man and a woman eat of the same beet, they will fall in love.

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Series Summary: Joel and Ellie settle into life in Jackson, one more easily than the other, until Joel is reminded of what normal feels like. The kind of normal that he perhaps never had. A series of one-shot glimpses into a relationship (no true plot here, people.) Soft!Joel. Two touch-starved babes.

Chapter subtitles taken from Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham. Although herbal preparations are consistent with historic uses, nothing herein is to be construed as medical advice.

Pairing: Joel Miller x Herbalist!OFC (age-appropriate age gap)

Word Count: ~6.2K (It's a hefty one, y'all)

Warnings: Discussion of past character death, descriptions of loneliness. Please read with care.

Rating: Explicit 18+ / oral (f receiving), unprotected piv, multiple orgasms (f), creampie. Minors DNI.

A/N: Lenora breaks a bit but Joel Miller was a contractor and he's good with his hands.

This took me longer than anticipated to write, but it's a bit of a longer one and it's definitely one that moves them into new territory. Thank you all so much as always for your lovely comments and reblogs. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love these two so much and I sincerely hope that you all enjoy!

A soft knock sounds on Joel's door at 7:30pm sharp on Saturday evening. 

Lennie is on his doorstep, blue linen dress and a soft smile, canvas bag slung over her shoulder. 

Joel grins, checks both ways behind her, and yanks her through the door. He has her against the wall and she can feel the smile on his lips as he kisses her.

And Joel can feel the exact moment she melts into his hold.

“You stayin’ the night?” He quips, relieving her of  the bag on her shoulder. 

“No, Mom just said never show up empty handed.

“You wanna stay the night?”

“Feed me and we’ll see.”

“Kitchen’s through here,” he points, “leave your shoes on, you’re fine.”

“Smells, amazing. Ellie home?”

“Nah, she’s actually at a sleepover,” his eyebrows are arched as he sets her bag on the kitchen island, “for a birthday. She has friends.”

“Shame you’ve just got me.”

“Not a shame at all,” he samples the taste of her again before she reaches into her bag. 

“I brought her this though, had a copy in my collection,” she pulls 2001: A Space Odyssey from her bag, “she’s probably read it already, but on the off chance she hasn’t.”

Joel fits in behind her, pressing his chest to her back. “Ohh, that’s a classic. She’s gonna love that. Thank you, Len.”

She pulls an amber dropper bottle from her bag next, “and Tommy stopped by, said you wanted bitters?”

Joel takes the bottle from her fingers, holding it up to the light. “Tommy did some meddling then. He dropped off a batch of maple whiskey this morning.” 

“Well then, it only seems right to make an old fashioned,” and she reaches into her bag for a bottle of gin, “and you can keep that for whatever you’d like.”

“How the fuck did you make bitters?” One hand rubs at her hip as he places the dropper on the counter.

“Gentian root, ginger, lavender, cherry bark, black walnut, you want me to keep going?” 

“No,” Joel’s hips are pressed against her ass, “I want to kiss you.”

"Kiss me then." 

Joel spins her around, hoists her up onto the kitchen island and fits between her legs, fingers skating up her thighs. She fits both hands to his jaw as he presses soft lips to hers.

Slowly, tenderly at first before he slips his tongue into her mouth, drawing forth a moan from the back of her throat.

And it’s nothing short of relief, this flood of affection from a granite man.

Being left to her own devices these past few days had caused slippage. Even with the rush of him still warm through her blood.

He could still change his mind.

Lennie swallows hard when his mouth moves away, fingers still drawing light circles on her thighs with the flats of his nails.

“Anything I can do to help?” She asks, tucking a curl behind his ear.

A need to feel useful.

“You can tell me how you like your steak,” Joel grins up at her. 

“Medium rare?”

“That a question or your answer?”

“Medium rare.” She says again and he steals another kiss before turning back to the stove. 

Joel doesn’t allow her to lift a finger. 

He fixes them drinks and ushers her to the dining table. 

He dishes out a salad topped with sliced beet and goat’s cheese. 

He places a perfectly-cooked medium rare steak in front of her with mashed potato and broccoli accompaniments. 

He keeps her water and whiskey glasses full.

He offers her strawberries and hand-whipped sweet cream for dessert. 

He doesn’t let her help with the dishes.

Instead, Joel again places her on the countertop, beside the sink this time, and Lennie swings her feet and laughs at his jokes and accepts the kisses he offers while dodging soapy hands.

And Joel thinks what a privilege it is to have a smart beautiful thing here purely to keep you company and not because your back needs watchin’.

_____

“You want the tour?” Joel finally asks, crumpling a dish towel between his hands before he hangs it on the oven handle and dries the backs of his hands on his jeans. 

“Sure.”

"You sure you're sure, you didn't sound sure."

"I am."

"Alright. Thought you'd say somethin' smart," he helps her down from the countertop and places her feet back on the floor, "like 'is this a ploy to get me into your bedroom, Miller?'" He pitches his voice up a hair and mimics her northeastern accent.

"Is it?"

"Do you want it to be?"

Lennie doesn't answer.

He refills their whiskey instead and starts with the bottom floor.  

Joel's home is still sparse because he hasn’t quite filled the space yet. The house had sat vacant for years before folks borrowed trinkets to adorn their own spaces and bartering for replacements had been too low on his list of priorities. 

The pictures of someone else’s family have been taken down and relegated to a box somewhere. 

Joel has none of his own. 

Lennie hangs back as he shows her Ellie’s ‘lair’ and ‘the good bathroom’ with the bathtub, her glass of whiskey clutched in both hands, always sticking to the doorway of each room as Joel guides her through. 

She never quite sets her feet over thresholds.

And Joel notices, but he can’t figure out why.

“You have a record player,” Lennie’s eyes light up when she spots it in the corner of the living room upon their return.

“Not sure if it works, haven’t tried it. But there are a few albums left,” Joel sets his glass down on the coffee table and slumps down on the couch, suddenly aware of the dull ache in his back from being on his feet far too long. 

He notices that she wants to check but it’s like she needs permission.

“Go on, take a look,” he urges her and Lennie sits on her heels in front of the media cabinet as she flips through the small collection. 

She hums to herself, “mm, we don’t have this one,” and he notes the use of the word but doesn’t ask, because she’s holding up a Diana Krall album with light in her eyes and asking if she can put it on.  

“Only if you’ll dance with me,” he stands, ignoring the way his back muscles protest because the need to hold her again is too strong. 

“Didn’t take you for a dancing man,” she takes his hand as the soft sound of jazz fills the room. 

He fits both hands around the small of her back as she encircles his neck.

He can feel the faintest tremor thrumming through her muscles.

And the way she's too conscious of her breathing.

“Hey, Len,” and she feels it rumble through his chest where she’s held tight there, “can I ask you somethin’?”

She hums.

“What’s up? You’re like a— a vampire.”

“Fuck, I’m sorry, Joel.”

“It’s okay if you are. Just. Warn a man.”

Lennie doesn't laugh.

“I’m sorry.”

“And stop apologizing.” She feels him smile into her hairline. “Len, what’s going on?”

“I’ll try. You made the most beautiful dinner, and damn good old fashioneds, and you have a beautiful house. It’s been such a lovely evening.”

“You leavin’?” Joel pulls back and stares down into her eyes because those are leavin’ words.

“Do you want me to leave?”

“Not even a little bit, baby,” he pulls her in close again, swaying her to the music, his tone suggesting what she’s just said is the most ridiculous thing in the world because it is. 

But she sniffs hard against his collar and he leans back again to get a look at her face.

Lennie’s eyes are swimming. 

The gold is lost. 

“Oh, Lenora. No, no, no, none of that. I ain’t kickin’ you out.”

He takes her face in his hands with all of the tenderness he’s capable of. 

Like clutching at a frantic sparrow with a broken wing.

And Joel briefly wonders if the kindest thing he can do is snap its neck.

He can’t. Its claws have already dug into his heart.

“You don’t have to leave, Len. Please don’t leave. Not yet.”

And gears gnash against each other in Joel’s brain because what he wants to say might lead to a flood.

Flood now and rebuild later. 

“I think we gotta clear the air on something though.”

She tenses in his hold even against the soothing of his hand down her spine.

“Yeah?”

“You gotta tell me what’s going on, baby,” he still soothes, keeping her head tucked under his chin.

“You closed up again tonight. M' glasses are gone.”

After a moment, “why the tears when I ask you to stay? And why don’t you ever ask for what you want, Len?”

She breaks from him to stare up into big brown eyes that are soft despite the firmness in his tone.

And the last thing Lenora wants to do is finish this evening by dropping her baggage off at his doorstep. But Joel can read in her expression that she’s about to deflect and his voice sharpens.

“Your honest answer, Len. We can’t do this if we ain’t honest. I may be out of practice, but I know that much.”

“Because I’m afraid to want things, Joel.”

Lenora answers quick because Lenora knows where all of her shit is. 

She just doesn’t know what to do about it.

“Why.” He presses again. Firmly, but far from devoid of compassion.

“Because I’m terrified they won’t want me back.”

“I think it’s pretty clear that I do, though.”

“That’s exactly it. You terrify me.” She’s out of his hold now and he thinks better of pulling her in again. “All of this is terrifying.”

“But why, Lenora.”

“Have you ever felt needed, but not wanted, Joel?” She snaps back.

And Lennie watches the consideration of it ping around his brain.

Sarah, his precious baby girl who needed him for food and shelter and comfort, wanted him for the same from the moment she could parse the two. She loved her daddy. Screamed her head off the entire first week of kindergarten because she wanted her daddy.

Sarah’s mom didn’t need or want him. She made that clear.

Tess didn’t need him. A guard dog has his uses but she could have found anyone. Tess wanted him. Even after they blew up that night. When he screamed “I can’t love you” so loudly that their mismatched glasses shook in their cabinets. Tess still held him at night. Because Tess wanted him.

And Ellie, now safe in the want from the need side of things, still seeks just him out for comfort. She’s fed all day by the folks down at Mess and Mr. Hayes at the farm, and Jess who makes those maple candies. She is safe, her Uncle Tommy sees to that. But she still curls up at his side in lamp light on chilly nights. She chooses him.

“I can’t say that I have.”

“Yeah. It’s all I’ve felt these last few years,” She’s taken a seat on the edge of the couch cushion like she’s afraid to settle in, gaze locked on the rug. Biting back tears. “Needed but not wanted. And not, feeling unwanted, just, not experiencing it—proactively. In the affirmative.”

“People here need me, but I’m a fixture.” Her voice is monotone as she continues. “Permanently cemented to the floor in my shop. They come and go, they take and they give you something material in exchange.”

“They look at me and see through me, Joel.” She gestures at her heart with her hands.

“They seek me out because they need me. But slot someone else with my knowledge behind that bar and really, there’s no difference. Occasionally someone shares a mug of tea or a glass of gin and I love that, I really do.”

She swipes the back of her hand quickly over her cheek.

“But the one person who ever wanted me died in my arms and he took it with him.”

“And I felt so empty, Joel.” Her fragile whisper cracks. “Everything just became so cold.” 

“Tommy told me what happened,” he whispers, “to Andy.”

Lennie looks up at him through tears.

“I didn’t have anyone, Joel. For years. And I forgot what that felt like.”

And in this moment, Joel realizes that he’s never actually been alone either.

He had Sarah.

He had Tommy. 

He had Tess.

He had Ellie.

You keep going for family.

She had no one.

And she kept going anyway.

He can’t say he would have been that strong. 

He wasn’t. That first night without his daughter. 

Without his heart.

“I forgot what it felt like to have someone spend hours talking to you because they want to. To have someone just to sit with in front of a fire. To share a sunset with. To make…fucking dinner with so you don’t have to do it all on your own.” She gestures weakly towards the kitchen.

“To be held and kissed and touched, Joel.” 

Her voice is so small now, rasped through the pain that crushes her from the inside out and Joel wants desperately to hold her again but he settles for clenching his fist and shoving his fingers in his pockets. 

He wants her to let it out.

"And I'm sorry that it breaks me apart like this," she swipes at her cheeks again, angrier this time. "It feels like something that shouldn't even matter, like I should be able to do this on my own."

“Andy left and touch went out of my life. Companionship. This feeling of being wanted. And I convinced myself I didn’t want it anymore. Didn’t need it.”

“And then you came out of fucking nowhere.”

Lenora holds a hand out and stares into her palm, “and to have it placed in front of you like food after famine.”

“Knowing that at any moment you could do something to have it snatched away.”

Her fist closes now. 

“And I feel like I have no right to exist in someone else’s space and I think maybe if I just don’t take up room. Maybe if I’m not too loud, or too headstrong, maybe if I don’t ask, it’ll stick around for just a little while longer. I’ll make that compromise.”

“Because it’s the only thing I want. To have someone want me.”

“And I am terrified of fucking it up, Joel,” her voice is low as she finishes, finally angling her eyes back up at him.

Cheeks wet with tears that flow too fast for her to catch.

And Joel steps around the coffee table to kneel in front of her, noticing how she stiffens with the action of it, not unlike she did when Ellie hugged her in the stables.

How she flinches when someone gets too close. 

Where she melted before, she freezes up again for fear of having said too much.

Of having been too much.

Felt too much.

Taken up too much space here in his home.

Her nerves are still terrified of affection, regardless of how badly he longs to give it.

How badly she needs to receive it.

And Joel pushes the boundary a fraction, brushing a curl that clings to his finger off of her cheek.

Running calloused knuckles as softly as he can down the salty streaks that mar her skin.

“Because it’s perfect?” He asks barely above a whisper, mouch catching on the syllables.

“Because it’s perfect, Joel,” she breathes, relaxing upon her skin’s recognition of his.

His heart jumps.

“Because it’s a taste of everything I’ve always wanted and the last time I had that, my entire world shattered and I’m afraid, Joel.”

“But for right now?” The pads of his fingers trace one tendon of her neck, as his eyes meet hers again, “it’s perfect?”

“Yeah,” she breathes, warm against his skin.

“Then let it be perfect, Lenora.”

And Joel closes the gap that opened between them with his lips. Feather-soft brushes at first before they feel the need to convince her more ardently.

He kisses her until she kisses back.

Until she winds her fingers in his hair and opens to let his tongue slip inside.

Until she lets herself feel his face in her hands and the taste of him in her mouth.

Joel only stops when she breaks for breath, chin reddened from the scrape of his beard.

“For as long as it is, Lenora” he whispers against her lips, “let it be perfect.”

And she clutches his massive face in her palms, searching his eyes.

Receiving nothing but sincerity in return.

She presses her forehead against his, “yeah.”

“Promise me, Lenora.”

“I promise.”

“You swear that’s the truth? The whole truth and nothing bu…”

“Stooop, Joel,” she chides weakly at his poor man's joke, touching the tip of her nose to his before kissing him again.

He smiles and hums from deep in his chest.

“Len?” He whispers against her lips.

“Yeah,” she sniffs, attempting to stuff it all back inside.

“What do you want?" Another kiss pressed to her mouth, "right in this moment, what do you want?”

“No thinking,” he adds, head spinning from having her this close. “What do you want?”

“I want you to touch me.”

“Where?” Joel breathes against her mouth.

“Everywhere.”

Joel stands, uncaring of how his knees click with the motion, and holds out a hand.

Her small palm is skittish in his hold.

Joel laces his fingers with hers.

“It’s warmer upstairs.”

"Is this a ploy to get me into your bedroom, Miller?" Lennie sniffles and Joel looks her dead in the eyes.

"Yes. Yes it is."

_____

Joel guides her to sit on the edge of the bed, kneeling before her again to slip her sandals from her feet, encircling her ankles gently with each hand before trailing his fingers up the backs of her calves. 

She shivers but not from the temperature.

Joel pulls off his socks before shedding his flannel and t-shirt, tossing both onto a chair in the corner.

He makes himself more vulnerable than she feels.

Her eyes track him around the room before he settles beside her on the edge of the bed, cupping her cheek and turning her face in towards him.

“Are you cold?” He presses a kiss to her lips.

“No.” Heat from the kitchen has risen, warming the whole upper floor.

“Are you sure? I can start a fire.” He nods behind him at the fireplace in his bedroom.

“I’m okay,” she reaches to run a hand down his forearm.

“Whatever you need. You tell me, okay?”

“Yeah.”

His mouth is a quick distraction before his tongue slips against hers. 

Joel's palm fits to her cheek, thumb tracing one cheekbone.

Fingers trail down the side of her neck and skate gently over the front of her throat before his hand flattens over her breastbone, tucking under the collar of her dress. 

His lips break from hers to kiss her neck and suck on her ear as he palms one shoulder.

Lennie reaches down to undo the tie of her dress before Joel asks if he can instead.

Chill bumps form on her skin when he unwraps linen, broad palm soothing warm over her stomach when it’s finally bare.

He shifts with her to help slip it from her form, mouth never far from hers before he lands the dress on the chair over his own clothes. Lennie's hands fly to his hair slipping soft strands between her fingers as she finally turns her body in towards him.

The warmth that radiates from his skin sets her head spinning.

He presses kisses to her collarbone before returning to her mouth. 

“Lie back, Len.” He whispers there.

Joel follows, fitting one knee between her legs. A palm on either side of her head, careful of her long hair.

“This okay?”

“Yeah,” she hums with arms around his neck when he tips his head to run his nose over the lines of ink on her left arm, licking at the sensitive ditch of her elbow before he nips at her bicep. 

The press of his bare chest against her skin when he mouths at one breast through her bra makes Lennie moan and arch up against the solid weight of him.

He shifts lower to trail his nose over her ribs. Inhaling the cedar scent of her soap and pressing kisses to every inch of skin, pulling soft gasps from her throat.

He notes what makes her breath catch. What makes her fingers tighten in his hair and nails sink into his shoulders.

Joel worships down to her hipbones before Lennie grows too impatient to allow him to continue. 

“Joel,” she pants and he angles big brown eyes up at her, “I need you.”

He wraps one hand around the meat of her thigh, shifting on the bed to settle properly between her legs, rubbing at her hips.

He mouths at her stomach before hooking fingers in the waistband of her underwear.

“May I?”

“God, please yes,” she pants.

Joel slips fabric down her legs and off of her toes, hanging her panties off the footboard before his lips trail up her inner thighs.

Lennie trembles.

"This okay?" Joel runs his palms over the creases of her thighs as she nods, thumbs brushing at soft fluff before spreading her open with a deep, needy groan.

One thumb gently starts rubbing circles over her clit and Lennie gasps.

“Mmm,” he growls as he lowers his face and breathes the scent of her deep, exhaling with a moan before his tongue darts out to lick his bottom lip.

She’s already slick with anticipation.

Joel tentatively trails the flat of his tongue over her slit and Lennie moans and writhes in his hold. He continues, thumbs holding her open, tongue learning what makes her cant her hips towards his face. 

What makes her moan his name.

His tongue dips inside of her and she keens and fists the sheets, tipping her head to the side as he curls the tip of it before one hand slings a leg over his shoulder.

Joel’s lips latch to her clit and she rolls her hips but one palm holds her firm, splayed against her stomach as two fingers tease before slipping into her heat, the slide made easy by her arousal. Joel quirks them, feeling for that spot where the silk of her gives way to texture before he beckons, coaxing a soft cry from her throat.

He presses his hips into the mattress in an effort to give his aching cock some manner of relief.

“Joel…oh fuu—” she whimpers as the tip of his tongue flicks against that sensitive bundle of nerves before he soothes with the flat of it and repeats. One of Lennie's hands tangles in soft ashen brown curls, raking, caressing, tugging when his fingers become more insistent. 

“Taste so fuckin’ good,” he murmurs against her, rubbing the high bridge of his nose where his tongue just left, fingers still building in pace.

Lennie reaches up with her other hand to clamp it over her own mouth when his tongue starts twirling soft circles around her clit before he sucks hard.

Her hips buck against him and his eyes flick up towards her face.

Cameras are a thing Joel misses.

Lennie’s head is thrown back, resting on a halo of black curls splayed against his pillows, palm doing a poor job of stifling the moans that come from her chest now. 

A chest that heaves for breath.

Breathlessness that he’s causing.

And so he stares for a moment, pressing the image into his mind like a wet flower between the pages of a book. 

One that succumbs to the weight but leaves an imprint of its own against the text.

“There’s no one here, baby,” he whispers, reaching his free hand up to soothe over her sternum, “it’s just me.” He laps at her again, “you can be as loud as you want.”

The hand over her mouth slips down to run across his, holding him holding her as her ribs heave.

“Joel?” She gasps in warning.

“Go on, beautiful,” he murmurs against her heat. “Come for me.”

And she falls apart between his fingers and his tongue with his name lodged in her lungs on an inhale.

She only breathes again when her muscles give up their grip. Joel promptly stuffs his fingers into his mouth, cleaning them with an audible pop.

Stuttering breath catches in her throat before she swallows hard. Joel makes his way up her body again until she tastes the tang of her release on his lips.

“I’m a bit out of practice, but I hope…” he starts.

“Jesus, Joel.” She laughs and rakes her fingers through his hair. “You were…that was.” A breathless whisper. “Perfect. That was perfect.”

He hums and nuzzles her jaw as she basks in the heat of him. 

Basks in his attention as plush lips suck at hers.

And as his tongue slips inside he feels it.

Feels her melting again.

“Joel,” her hand clutches the hair at the nape of his neck before he tips his face to look into her eyes.

“Hmm.”

“I need you inside me,” she whispers.

“Whatever the lady wants,” he mouths at the curve of one breast through the fabric of her bra. “the lady gets.”

She sits up as he leaves the bed for a moment to undress, propping herself up with hands behind her back, knees knocked together.

Watching as generous fingers deftly unlatch his belt. As he steps out of his jeans and hangs them over the arm of the chair, careful not to leave them lying on her dress where the weight of denim would cause linen to wrinkle.

She watches as he bends to slip off his boxer briefs, noting the hole in the hip just below the elastic band from where his thumbs have worn threads away. 

Lennie watches the breadth of his shoulders and the curve of his bum and the strength of his form and the smile on his face when he turns to her again.

She tucks her chin against her shoulder, staring up at him through big, bright eyes before her gaze slips lower to where his cock stands thick and proud against the soft swell of his stomach.

This man. 

This broad, rugged, brutal, yet tender-hearted thing.

Wants her.

“Hey,” the corner of his lips quirk as he settles back onto the bed to sit beside her.

“Hey,” she echoes, tipping her face towards him. His fingers find her jaw and his mouth finds hers again. He feels her smile and it makes his lips spread into a grin, teeth accidentally clacking against hers.

“Sorry, baby.”

She just wraps a hand around the base of his strong neck and pulls him down with her against the pillows.

Joel’s palm splays across her stomach, rubbing warm circles into her skin as his tongue slips against hers, cock pressed against her thigh.

“Skin ‘s so soft, Len.” Joel presses his lips to her collarbone, shifting to kiss down her sternum.

“Mm, you’ve said that before,” she runs a hand through his hair before soothing across the span of his shoulders, briefly fascinated by the size of him.

At how much space he takes up.

“‘Cause it’s true,” he drags his nose against where the underwire of her bra bites into her flesh, “I like it. I like you, Len.”

Joel rubs his bearded cheek down her stomach and she squirms.

“Jesus, Joel that tickles—”

He hums a laugh that turns to a low growl, big brown eyes angled up towards her for permission.

She parts her legs and he settles between them, palms dipping into the curves of her waist and smoothing low over her stomach.

Joel meets her eyes as he rocks his hips, tentatively sending his cock slipping through the slick at her core.

She gasps and reaches for his wrists as he continues coating his length to ease the slide.

Massive palms hitch at the creases of her thighs, one thumb guiding his cock to notch at her entrance.

Brown eyes lock and Joel slowly presses inside of her.

Watching as her lids flutter shut while his mouth falls open. Tongue tracing the inside of his bottom teeth.

He pauses until her grip on his wrists relaxes, starting up a slow rock of his hips as her teeth catch her lip.

He takes his time with her.

Time to adjust.

Time for her to sink into the feel of him. Into how he presses and stretches and pulls and grips.

Time to build. In pace, in pressure, in urgency until finally he lets the reins out.

The way Joel fucks is devastating.

Hard, driving strokes that move her to brace one palm up against his headboard. 

The roll in surprisingly loose hips that causes his cock to catch on her g-spot with every stroke before pressing farther against the deepest parts of her.

Palms that knead the flesh of her hips. Gripping to bruising.

A pace that builds in speed before slowing again when he presses himself deeper, grinding his pubic bone against her clit

Lennie twists in his hold, hands gripping at down and cotton as she sinks her teeth into a pillow that smells of woodfire and Joel and her ponderosa soap.

"Joel," she moans, "wait, I want—"

Immediately he stills, sucking in breath through his teeth.

"Y' okay?" He murmurs, watching her chest heave.

"Yeah," she rakes curls out of her face, "'m gonna boss you around for a minute though."

Joel bites his bottom lip and gently bucks his hips against hers. "Good."

"Move for a second?"

Joel pulls out and they both whimper at the loss as he sits back on his heels.

Lennie turns to lay flat on her stomach before casting an expectant look back over her shoulder.

Joel let's out a soft "oh fuck" and she arches her back slightly, accentuating an ass that Joel just has to touch.

She hums as he palms her flesh before fitting his thumbs into the dimples at the base of her spine.

"C'mon, Joel," she moans, tucking her nose back into his pillow, "don't keep a girl waiting."

"Yes, ma'am," and he shifts to straddle her form before sheathing his cock inside of her again, moving slowly, testing the angle. His fingers dig into her hips as he alternates between hard thrusts and a slow rock that grinds the head of his cock against the mouth of her womb.

And Lennie can't keep quiet now even if she tried.

He smirks when one hand again reaches to steady herself against the headboard and takes it as license to hook a hand over her shoulder to pull her against him when his hips slam forward.

"Oh ff—" She moans from her chest.

“Still with me, Len?” he growls over the staccato of skin on skin.

"You're too far away," she pants and Joel folds to brace his palms against the mattress and press his chest against her back.

The soft swell of his stomach fits perfectly to the curve of her spine.

He envelops her in his breadth and his weight and his heat and finally the wet of his mouth where he sucks at the delicate skin just behind her ear.

"Better, baby?"

“God yes,” she moans, “don’t stop, Joel.” Lennie’s head falls back against his shoulder and he grins.

“There she is.”

And she comes white hot with his name on her lips and his nose buried in her hair.

Joel presses deep for as long as he can before he feels himself hurtle towards the inevitable brink.

The moment he moves to pull out, Lennie reaches to catch a scruffy cheek that's burning with heat.

"Joel, stay," she moans, turning her face towards his.

"'Y— fuck — y' sure—" he grits out, panting frantically against her cheek.

"Want you inside," she gasps against his lips and it sends his hips slamming against hers as he comes with a shout, cock throbbing as he spills himself deep, weight briefly collapsing against her.

"Lenora," he whispers when his senses return.

She hums, boneless underneath him, basking in the way one palm trails down her ribs as he shifts to pull out and settle to one side of her.

Fingers skipping over the damp skin of her back before engulfing the base of her skull.

"Lenora, look at me."

She does, hazy and molten, eyes glittering with low lamp light.

"Can you stay the night?"

And her face splits with laughter before he pulls her in against his chest.

"Yeah, Joel," she nuzzles his collarbone, "I'd like that."

_____

“God she’s such a fucking bitch!” Ellie screams when she bursts through the front door just after 8 o'clock the next morning.

Lennie immediately stiffens, looking to Joel for all the world like the panicked deer that’s jumped out in front of a car. He holds up a hand in her direction and Lennie has no idea what the fuck that’s supposed to mean because she’s sitting at Joel’s kitchen table in nothing but his brown flannel shirt and her come-damp panties and by all accounts she’s not supposed to be here.

“Hey, don’t slam the door,” he calls in Ellie’s direction, her heavy footsteps getting louder as she makes her way towards the kitchen.

“She tore up my fucking book, Joel!” She’s rounded the corner now, “she tore up Will Liv—heeeyyy, Lennie.”

Fucking caught now.

“Hey, Ellie,” she tugs Joel's shirt further down over her bare thighs.

Ellie’s eyebrows are in her hairline, eyes flitting between the pair of them before she speaks after what feels like an hour.

“Good job, old man. You bagged the prettiest girl in town,” Ellie slaps Joel on the back before moving to grab a plate from the dish rack.

“Ellie…”

“Oh shit,” something connects for her as she takes a seat, “that’s where you were the other night. When you came slinking in at like four in the morning.” She locks eyes with Lennie, “your house.”

And Joel’s been struck dumb because “Ellie” with varying degrees of annoyance seems to be all he can bring himself to say as she dishes out bacon and eggs.

“Honestly, though, it’s about time he got laid.” This to Lennie, who’s wide-eyed, red in the face, and certain that she wants to die.

“And there are worse people I could be forced to sit across the breakfast table from,” she shovels a forkful of scrambled eggs into her mouth. “You know Martha has a crush on him right?" She throws a thumb in Joel's direction. "The school teacher? The ditzy one.”

“Okay, Ellie, room, now.” Joel grinds out.

“What, she does! Everyone in town knows that.”

“Ellie, wha…who is Martha? What are you talkin’ about?”

“Actually, everyone in town does know that,” Lennie murmurs.

“See?" Ellie gestures towards Lennie. "Thank you.”

“Hey, Joel?” Tommy calls as the front door slams behind him. “Jimmy wanted to see if we could help with the barn today and I told him—heeeyyy, Lennie.”

“I suppose this is the first and last time you’ll ever spend the night,” Joel looks over to where Lennie’s clutching the sleeves of his flannel in her hands and covering the bottom half of her face.

“It’s the first and last time I don’t leave before sunrise.”

“Alright, look,” Tommy reaches over Joel’s shoulder for two strips of bacon, “I’ll get outta here, you swing by whenever and we’ll discuss the barn, Ellie, you’re with me kid. Len?” He grins. “You enjoy your morning.”

“I’m not finished breakfast,” Ellie protests.

“Bring the plate. I don’t care. It’s across the way. I got a kitchen table too, c’mon, hustle.”

And to their surprise she grabs her plate and heads for the door. Tommy follows, throwing a wink over his shoulder before they hear the front door swing shut.

Keys jingle and the lock latches.

Lennie’s eyes are wide when she finds Joel’s stare again.

And to her surprise, he bursts out laughing.

The way it shakes his shoulders and rounds out his cheeks is contagious and she can’t help but follow suit. 

When the mirth calms he reaches out for Lennie and encourages her onto his lap. 

“‘M so sorry about that, Len.”

“It’s—" she rubs at his heart over the fabric of his t-shirt, "it’s okay.”

She means it too.

“You know," she wraps an arm around his neck, "I’m actually just fucking you to get back at Martha,” she teases, sucking languidly on Joel’s bottom lip.

And it drags another laugh from his chest.

“Is that so?” Joel nuzzles her neck before kissing a path down her skin. “Sounds like you’re puttin’ a target on your back being here.”

“Make it worth my while then, Miller.”

And he does.

He eats her out again on the kitchen table, right there between the bacon and eggs. Has her coming on his tongue with one of her hands tangled in his hair and the other clamped over her mouth lest anyone hear. 

He’s tempted to rip it away.

Let this Martha know exactly who Joel Miller is fucking.

The prettiest girl in town.

At least the door's locked.

And Lennie's safe here.

She's wanted. Right here.

Taglist: @iamskyereads @harriedandharassed @jessthebaker @anoverwhelmingdin

Old chapters are hosted on the OFFS Library page. New chapters will be posted to Ohforficsake - follow me over there for future updates.

Shoot me a message @ohforficsake or comment under this post if you would like to be added to the taglist for updates! Thanks so much for reading.

[babydollmarauders]

One thing John absolutely wouldn't stand for is a member of any opposing team (possibly the rags) trying to get to him by making a comment about shortcake. It would not end well

Also, given the fact she's related to Dawson and friends with Jack (and most of the team)... yeah other player is fucked

oh god i can definitely imagine a rags player chirping John about Shortcake, maybe making a comment like “tell your girl that when she decides she’s done fucking a loser, a real man is right here for her.” or insults her

either one, John absolutely loses his shit, and if Dawson overhears? absolute hell breaks loose! and based on both of them fighting one guy, all the other guys can safely assume something was said about Shortcake, which means it turns into an all out brawl of multiple men fighting each other.

though i do imagine that something like that is how Dawson comes to the realization that John really is the perfect man for Shortcake.

****

“aww is your whore here watching you guys lose?” John’s head snapped from Shortcake in the stands to the Rangers player, a heated glare in his eye.

“the fuck did you just call her?”

the man beside him in the faceoff circle laughs.

“a whore. that’s what she is, isn’t she? heard she’s fucked half the guys on your team.” the player huffs, “fucking gold digging whore of a puck bunny it seems.”

John is blinded by rage, his blood boiling underneath his skin, so distracted that he completely misses the fact that play has started. it isn’t until the player beside him skates off that he realizes the faceoff is done.

it’s impulsive, the way John skates after him, not wasting a moment before cross-checking the man in the back.

the fight breaks out immediately, John gloves dropping to the ice first, his fist colliding with the Rangers player’s jaw.

“don’t fucking talk about her.” John grits out through clenched teeth, another punch thrown towards the man, this one missed as the player moves.

“don’t tell me you actually fell for her tricks.” the man chuckles, throwing a punch that hits John hard in the cheekbone. “damn, if the pussy is that good, tell her to call me next.”

John lunges forward, knocking the other player on his ass, throwing another punch and hitting the man square in the nose. punches continue to be thrown, both men ignoring the refs whistles, pushing through until blood is drawn from both players.

it’s then that the refs actually intervene, pulling them apart with the help of their fellow teammates.

John is served with a roughing major, instigator, and match penalty, effectively ending his night of playing. but to him, it was worth it.

the Devils still got two more goals, winning the game, but John knew what to expect when they got back to the locker room and he was right.

“what the fuck was that?” Nico yelled at his teammate, John’s head hanging low as he sat on the bench, already back in his suit.

“he fucking asked for it.” John huffs.

“so what, you let a fucking chirp get to you?” the captain is infuriated, shaking his head.

“you didn’t hear what he said! you would’ve done the same fucking thing!” John lost his cool, rising from the bench to look his captain in the eye.

“what did he say?” Jack chimes in from his stall, brows furrowed in curiosity.

John’s throat closes up at the mere thought of the players words, and when he makes eye contact with Dawson, who stands to the side, eyeing his friend, John’s lips downturn.

“i can’t even repeat it.”

“it was about y/n, wasn’t it?” Dawson pipes up, a solemn tone to his words.

John avoids eye contact with him, nodding his head.

“and you defended her.”

John nods again, “of course i did.”

Dawson’s hand floats in John’s vision, making the older boy face him in confusion. at Dawson’s expression, John claps his hand against his, letting Dawson pull him in for a bro-hug.

“welcome to the family, man.”

John chuckles at the younger boy’s words, shaking his head.

“the family?”

“yeah man, if you’re willing to break a guys nose for my sister, i think it’s pretty safe to assume you’ll be sticking around for a long time.”

the men grin at each other before John speaks.

“forever, dude.”

[beyondthesefourwalls]

Yo! Rooster + fluff + snow + "it helps me concentrate!"

Here you go, Nonny! This is very self-indulgent because the trip described is also on my bucket list.

----

warnings: fluff, coldness in the physical sense.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

It had always been a dream of yours to spend Christmas in New York City, and this year, Bradley was finally able to make it happen for you. He had gone the whole nine yards for this trip. You visited the tree in Rockefeller Center. You saw the Rockettes perform and caught a showing of the Nutcracker, and ice skated in Bryant Park. You bought enough at the holiday markets that you had to buy an extra bag just to be able to have room for everything to fly back to California. Bradley had even been able to snag tickets to a carriage ride through the city. It had been the perfect trip, bar one thing. 

You absolutely hated the cold. 

Unlike him, you were a California girl born and raised. You had barely ever been off the west coast. He had warned you of the temperature differences, but in all of your excitement at the possibility of finally marking this off your bucket list, you had assured him it wouldn’t be a big deal and that he was being overdramatic. 

And to your credit, you hadn’t complained the whole time. You had barely even let on how cold you were. Up until now, at least. 

Bradley was doing his best not to laugh. Really, he was. But it was getting harder and harder to keep silent as he watched you. It was Christmas Eve, and the two of you were standing outside in line for a popular bar that apparently had the best holiday cocktails. Your eyes were squeezed shut and your chin was tucked as far into your thick scarf as you could get it. You were bundled up in a red winter coat and your head was covered by a white knit beanie with one of those adorable poof balls on top. You rocked back and forth on your heels, and you were aggressively humming the melody to Rockin Around The Christmas Tree. 

“Baby?” he asked, humor evident in his throat, “you doing okay?” 

“Fine,” you said quickly, resuming your humming. The woman in line in front of you glanced over her shoulder, and Bradley saw how she raised her eyebrows before turning back around. He coughed to cover the chuckle that escaped. 

“You’re humming pretty loudly over there,” he commented. If you had bothered to open your eyes, he knew you’d be glaring at him.

“Yes,” you snapped, “it helps me concentrate!” 

“Concentrate on what, exactly?” 

“Not freezing my ass off, Bradley!” 

This time, multiple people turned to look at you at your outburst, and Bradley couldn’t keep his laughter in anymore. When you scrunched up your face and elbowed him in the side, he laughed even harder, but held his arms open. “C’mere.” 

You didn’t hesitate to step as close to him as you could, burying your face in his own scarf and thick jacket. He wrapped his arms around you tightly, and after another verse of Brenda Lee, you quieted down. He heard you mumble something about the magic of his body heat and laughed again. You lifted your face from his chest to glare up at him, your nose scrunched in mock annoyance. 

Bradley saw the moment it happened, and your wide eyes and gasp quickly followed. You tilted your head back even further and took a step away from him as you stared up at the sky. 

“Oh my god,” you breathed, your voice full of wonder, “it’s snow.” 

A soft look took over his face. You had never seen snow before, and the streets of New York had been without it when you arrived. He had thought you’d go the whole trip without experiencing it, and as watched you take in this moment, he’s so glad that the weather forecast seemingly changed. 

You twirled in the drizzle of the slowly falling flakes, giggling at the feeling of them hitting your nose and cheeks. It was almost like you had forgotten how cold you were. You turned back to him with a wide smile on your face. “Baby, it’s snowing. A white Christmas in New York!” 

“Is it everything you wanted?” he asked. 

You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. “And more. So much more.” 

You kissed for a long moment, shuffling as the line moved forward. Even as you remained pressed together, another shiver went through your body. Even if your mind hadn’t caught up yet, clearly your body had processed that the magic of the falling snow wasn’t enough to keep your internal temperature up. 

“Hey baby?” He started.

“Hmmm?” 

“How about we ditch this line and go back to our room? It’s warm there, and we can order hot chocolate instead.” 

You pulled away from him faster than you ever had, grabbing his hand and starting to power walk down the sidewalk. “Oh, for the love of God. Yes. Please.” 

word count: 818

-----

Wanna participate in the party? See details here.

[endless-summer-soldier]

ice ice baby - chapter nine

pairing: CollegeHockeyPlayer!Bucky x CollegeFigureSkater!Reader

summary: Bucky is a college hockey player, Y/N is a figure skater without a partner. What's happens when these two opposites start sharing the ice...

warnings: enemies to lovers trope, some alcohol use

word count: 1.3k

taglist: @sebsgirl71479 @whiskeyrosepoetry

series playlist

series masterlist

Y/N was pacing around her apartment. The press conference was scheduled to start in five minutes and she couldn’t sit still. A heavy knock on the door startled her and pulled her from her frenzy. She opened the door and found Bucky on her doorstep with two cups of coffee in his hands.

“I thought you could use some company,” he smiled. She gave him a small smile and let him inside. He handed her the coffee and they sat on the couch, waiting for the broadcast to begin. Her knee was bouncing up and down as she took a long sip of her java.

Bucky placed his hand on her knee to settle her down, “Maybe the caffeine was a bad idea.”

She shook her head, “No it was sweet, I’m just nervous.”

“Don’t be nervous about this. We have no control over the situation, so there’s no point in stressing.”

“I know, you’re right. I just don’t like all this anticipation.”

“Just take a deep breath and relax,” he said, rubbing her leg. The snapping of cameras drew their attention to the TV as the USFS president approached a microphone.

“Hello, we are here today to address some concerns over the scoring of the US National Figure Skating competition that took place recently in Chicago. After a thorough investigation it has been discovered that three of the judges at the competition accepted bribes from a competitor. The judges have been removed from the organization effective immediately. The competitor responsible for the bribes has been banned from all future competitions. As a result of this investigation, we have reviewed all scores from the competition. There are score changes for multiple skaters and the updated scores will be posted on the US Figure Skating website within the next hour. We apologize that this situation transpired. We will be reviewing our internal processes to ensure a situation like this does not occur again in the future. Thank you, no questions at this time.”

Cameras continued going off and they could hear reporters asking questions and trying to get more information. The statement was vague, as she knew it would be, and there were still some unanswered questions. But the figure skating community was small, and the real story would get out at some point.

“So what now?” Bucky asked. 

“We open up the website and we refresh until the new scores are posted.” And that was exactly what they did. They sat there and hit refresh until there was finally a change to the webpage.

Y/N let out an audible gasp and Bucky immediately focused his attention to her phone screen. And there were their names, at the top of the board. In the gold medal spot. Before Y/N could say anything, Bucky had picked her up and was spinning her in the air. She wrapped her arms tight around his neck and couldn’t stop smiling. He planted quick kisses all over her neck and cheek as she giggled.

“You’re going to the Olympics,” he whispered into her hair. 

“We’re going to the Olympics!” she corrected.

“Well I gotta make the hockey team first.” With that simple comment, she fell through the cloud nine she was briefly camped on. She knew it wasn’t rational for her to think he would accompany her to Seoul, but she was secretly hoping he wanted to go with her. 

“Oh, duh.” She attempted to hide her confusion, but it was evident in her voice. He gently put her down and looked at her, trying to read her expression.

“Don’t worry, Ace. I fully plan to be on that roster.”

She gave him a fake smile and desperately wanted to change the subject when a text came through from Natasha.

FUCKING SHARON! 

It took her a moment to figure out the context. And once the light bulb went off, she couldn’t hide the shock on her face.

“What is it?” Bucky asked. Y/N flipped back to the scores and realized Sharon and her partner weren’t listed.

“It was Sharon! She paid off the judges.”

“No fucking way. How do you know?”

“She’s not on the list at all. And they blackballed the skater responsible so it has to be her. Or her partner.”

“Damn, I mean I’m not exactly surprised. She’d do anything to get ahead.”

“Yeah she even sunk so low to flirt with you,” she joked.

“Woooooooow,” he replied, smiling and shaking his head.

“Like who in their right mind would flirt with you?” she layered on, teasing him.

“Oh you’re gonna pay for that one,” he said, giving her the mischievous smile she’d grown to love. He lunged towards her and she ran off into the kitchen, attempting to escape his advances. Her efforts were futile, as he easily caught her and trapped her in a bear hug. As he squeezed her, he planted a kiss on the top of her head. She looked up at him and he leaned in to give her another kiss, this time on her soft lips.

He eased his grip on her and placed his strong hands on her shoulders. He looked her in the eyes and seriously asked, “Are you excited for the Olympics?”

She nodded, “Yeah, I am.”

“It’s funny because you don’t seem excited.”

“I’m excited!”

“...What aren’t you telling me?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Tell me.”

She let out a deep breath, knowing she couldn’t escape his steely eyes. “This is going to sound stupid, I just…I had this vision in my head of skating at the Olympics with you. And I didn’t really think much more about it until today when I realized it won’t be you because, of course, hockey is your first love. This was always just a temporary arrangement.”

He looked at her with the sweetest eyes, “If it makes you feel better, you were never temporary to me. Just imagine how great you’ll be when you have someone who knows what they’re doing out there. And this is only going to motivate me even more to make the US team because there is no way I’m going to miss seeing you kick ass at the Olympics.”

She smiled up at him, “You always know the right thing to say.”

“What is this, you’re being nice to me now? What happened to the cute yet cheeky woman I fell in love with?”

That was not what she expected to hear. Her eyes went wide and her jaw nearly hit the floor. 

All the color drained from Bucky’s face as he realized what he had just said.

“Shit,” he murmured under his breath. He let go of her and put his head in his hands as he took a step back from her. “I’m sorry, I-”

“No, it's fine.”

Bucky was the one pacing now, his mind moving a mile a minute. “I’m gonna go,” he finally said.

“Okay. Yeah, I’ll text you,” she added. He nodded at her, gave her an uneasy smile and then walked out of her apartment.

“What just happened,” she whispered to herself once he was out the door.

The rational side of her took over and told her it was far too soon for love. They’d only known each other a few months. They didn’t even like each other until recently. They’d been on one date. They’d kissed a handful of times and everything was still so…new. 

Yet despite all those thoughts, things with Bucky just felt…right. She had very little experience with romantic relationships, but he was the one person she always wanted around. She felt butterflies in her stomach whenever he would brush his hand against hers. And that smile. It was infectious. Even thinking about it now, the corners of her mouth twisted upwards.

She was kicking herself for letting him walk out the door. She needed a minute to process what he had said but now her head was as clear as ever. 

She picked up her phone and scrolled through her contacts, looking for one name in particular. The phone rang briefly and the voice on the other line greeted her.

“Hey, I could use your help with something…” she started.

[birgittesilverbae]

One word prompt: Mary x Shannon, "reasonable"

Mary's key misses the lock once, twice, three times before she finally manages to slot it into place. She stumbles forwards as the door opens, but catches herself before pitching over. "Honey, I'm home," she sing-songs as she toes off her boots and kicks them to the side of the hall. 

"I'm in the studio," Shannon's reply comes, and Mary follows her voice, a laser-guided missile. 

The studio, in the rear of the house, overlooks the back garden, but Shannon's got the shades pulled down against the dark of night. She's bent over the desk, reaching out blindly for the mug of tea that fills the room with the clean scent of peppermint. 

Mary's brain catches up to her body and she darts forward to redirect Shannon's hand towards the mug clearly labelled 'Not Paint'. A waste of money, really, given how frequently she finds Shannon unintentionally drinking muddied water from the 'Paint' mug.

Shannon spins in her chair and smiles up at her over the rim of her mug. "Welcome home."

"Thank you." She leans over to kiss the crown of Shannon's head and catch a glimpse of her work. "Did you get a new colour set?"

Shannon hums her agreement. "A handmade set from that vendor at the market."

"You went to the market without me?"

"Don't pout, I got you some of those almond bars you like."

"You're forgiven." Mary relieves Shannon of her mug and sets it on the desk before sitting astride her lap. "For that, at least. Not for underselling how gruelling the PR circuit would be."

Shannon's hands land at the small of her back, the cool of her palms evident even through Mary's shirt. "I said the schedule was reasonable. I never said it was going to be easy."

"I'd hardly call sixteen cities in five days with multiple cross-country flights reasonable."

"Would you rather have had to stay on the road longer?"

Mary sighs, swallows back a yawn. "No. I'm just tired, Shan. And I missed you." Shannon opens her mouth, but Mary shakes her head. "Yes, we'll be apart for an exponentially longer period of time when I'm gone. Yes, we've done the long separation before. Doesn't mean I can't bitch about having to give up some of the time we've got left."

"Fair enough. I missed you, too," Shannon replies with a soft smile. She tips her face up, and Mary takes the invitation, leaning down to kiss her. 

Mary cradles Shannon's face between her hands, fingertips mapping the sharp border of her jaw, and tilts her head, deepening the kiss. Shannon's hands skate over the curve of her ass, slide into the back pockets of her jeans, and Mary laughs into her mouth. 

"Very high school of you," she comments when they break apart and Shannon's hands remain firmly in place.

"What can I say?" She strokes her thumbs over the denim. "Gotta take advantage of the time we've got left."

[cutedevil34]

So Gods Do Exist… (Mortal Kombat x OC) ((Kinda))

Part 2

It’s been months since they started training and everybody has progressed significantly. Raiden was currently sparring with multiple other monks, all of them challenging him at once. He was able to easily take them down and give them feedback on things they needed to get better at.

Lemon, a couple of feet away, was fixing her roller blades.

"What are you doing?" Raiden asked, walking towards the teenager.

"Did I ever tell you that one of the monks here is an inventor?" Lemon asked, putting her rollerblades on and standing up. "He redesigned my rollerblades so I could use them in kombat, look!"

She dashed away from Raiden and towards one of the training dummies they had. She then jumps up and goes to kick the dummies waist. The wheels underneath the rollerblades start moving at lighting speed and cut the top of the dummies body off.

Lemon then lands on her feet and turns to smile at Raiden who looked dumbfounded. "Isn't it so cool!?" She gushed, rolling back over to her friend. "Now I can kill people!"

"That's not exactly something to be excited about…" Raiden muttered, chuckling a bit. "But I'm happy you found something for you."

"I am too!" Lemon replied before noticed Johnny in the distance and running towards him. "Oooh, Johnny, Johnny! Record me!"

Raiden sighs and raises a brow in confusion when Kung Lao walks up to him with his hat in his hands. Raiden noticed the blades on the hat and became even more confused. “I don’t see how that’s a smart idea.”

“It’s genius, Raiden! And it actually works.” Kung Lao said, running his hand on the rim of the hat and accidentally cutting his hand. “Ow!”

“Still don’t think it’s smart.”

Kung Lao smirks at his friend and throws his hat to a nearby training dummy. The hat neatly cuts the head off and returns back to its owner who was still smirking at Raiden.

“Okay, I was wrong.” Raiden says with a small smile. Kung Lao smiles back and goes to put the hat back on his head but Lemon skates up to him and snatches the hat out of his hands and twirls it in her own.

“Lemon, stop doing that!” Kung Lao shouted, glaring at the teenager who was inspecting the hat.

“Pretty cool hat, did you make it yourself?” Lemon asked, ignoring the man’s glare.

“Yeah? So what?”

“Nothing, just wanted to recommend to you a guy that I know that can possibly make your hat even better. Just to…you know…give it an upgrade!” Lemon suggested, rolling over to the two and handing Kung Lao his hat back. “And maybe make it even more useful for the tournament we’re going to have!”

“Speaking of that.” Johnny interrupted, walking up to the trio. “When is it going to start!? I can’t base a cinematic universe on Outworld’s monsters and magic if I don’t ever see them.”

Kenshi, who was actually just going to walk past them, paused after hearing that and turned to Johnny in confusion. “That’s why you’re here?”

“Liu Kang said that this gig would change the arc of my life. That’s how it gets done. My ex’ll rue the day she gave up on me!”

Kenshi scoffs. “So selfless.”

“Don’t act like you’re any different, Tattoo. You’re only here for your sword.”

“We all have our reasons for being here.” Raiden chimed in. “Some better than others. But we are not here to fight amongst ourselves. We are here to fight for earthrealm.”

A gong goes off in the distance signaling the return of Lord Liu Kang.

“Finally.” Johnny comments as the five of them walk over to the God of Fire.

“And today, one of you will be chosen to fight for it at the tournament.” Liu Kang states.

“Only one of us?” Raiden repeats. “But isn’t outworld fielding multiple champions?”

“The tournament’s rules give the host realm that advantage. And it is Outworld’s turn as host.”

“You know, I don’t know why I never asked this, but what’s our record at this tournament?” Johnny asked.

“Earthrealm and Outworld have long been evenly matched. But Outworld is gaining strength. Should it win, its more militant factions will be emboldened.”

“But I thought you admired Outworld?” Raiden questioned.

“It is a place of great knowledge, wealth, and beauty.” Liu Kang explained, walking past the champions, motioning them to follow. “We coexist peacefully because Outworld respects our strength. Should we show weakness…our rival will become our enemy.”

“I will not lose, Lord Liu Kang.” King Lao stated, looking proud.

“First you must win the right to represent us. Whichever one of you outlasts the others will be chosen.”

“Okay, then I have a question.” Lemon spoke up. “The champion gets to fight in the tournament, which is cool, but what do the rest of us do? Do we just go home?”

“No, Lemon, you do not. Being Earthrealm’s champion doesn’t just mean you're only here for the tournament, you’re also here to protect earthrealm as a whole. So you will come with us to Outworld as both guests and guards.”

“Hm.”

Liu Kang sits on his chair while the rest of the monks around him hit on their knees.

“Lemon, step forward.” He demands. Lemon does as said and politely bows to the man.

Johnny laughs. “Good call! Send the weak one first.”

“Excuse me?” Lemon questioned, turning to glare at Johnny but then turns back to Liu Kang with a huge smile. “Let me beat his ass, please let me beat his ass.”

“He was going to be your opponent anyway.” Liu Kang responded. “Step forward, Johnny Cage.”

“Let’s gooo!!!” Lemon cheered as she and Johnny went to separate parts of the battlefield.

“Alright, fine.” Johnny smirked, getting into a fighting stance. “But don’t be upset when you're on the floor in pain.”

“Are we forgetting which one of us actually fought in matches before? Have you ever actually punched a guy on set?” Lemon questioned.

The fight took at least 2 minutes. Johnny was more on the offense but Lemon was easily dodging and at some point apprehended Johnny by forcing his arms behind his back and forcing him to the ground.

“Alright, alright! I give up!” Johnny called, wincing at the feeling of Lemon pulling his arms. “Don’t break my arms, you maniac!”

“Oh, crap, sorry.” Lemon apologized, getting off Johnny and putting her hands behind her back. “Force of habit.”

Johnny stood and rubbed his arm while looking at the teenager in shock. “Breaking people’s arms is a habit of yours!?”

“...Yeah, I worded that wrong…”

“Lemon has won this fight!” Liu Kang announced, motioning for the two to step off the battlefield. “Kung Lao, Kenshi Takahasi, you two are next.”

Lemon, at this point, has stopped paying attention to the actual fight (except that one time Kung Lao almost sliced Kenshi’s neck off and started spewing apologies, which was something she thought he couldn’t do.) Anyways, Kung Lao won the fight so now they’re taking a small break before the last two fights.

“You want me to try and fight the man who’s ALWAYS won against me?” Lemon questioned, looking at Liu Kang in shock.

“It sounds like you’re already prepared to lose.” Liu Kang noticed.

“Yes…yes I am. Doesn’t mean I’m not still trying, but I’m like 80% sure I'm going to get my ass kicked.”

“I’m going to take all of that as a compliment.” Raiden chuckled. “But Lemon, you have been getting better and better. Don’t just assume you are going to lose”

“Eh, we’ll see how good I got with this fight.”

Lemon got her ass kicked. 

It was genuinely a pretty close fight, but Raiden has continued to prove that he was the better fighter.

“See?” Lemon sighs, letting Raiden help her up. “You’re just the better fighter, man.”

“Even so, it was an honor fighting you again.” Raiden replied.

“It was fun.”

“Our final battle will be Kung Lao and Raiden!” Liu Kang announces as Lemon walks off the battlefield to where Kenshi and Johnny are.

“Man…I was so close to winning…” Lemon complained, leaning on Kenshi’s arm. “I didn’t even want to fight in the tournament, I just wanted to kick Kung Lao’s ass…”

“Just ask him to spar later, it’s not that complicated.” Kenshi said, simply, making Lemon glare at him.

“It wouldn’t feel the same, I needed to crush his hopes and dreams like I did with him.” Lemon points to Johnny who looked flabbergasted.

“My dream wasn’t to fight in the tournament! It was to make a badass movie about it!” Johnny argued.

“Yeah, but you thought you were going to win against me and I immediately proved you wrong!”

“Shhh!” Kenshi interrupted. “They’re about to fight.” He then lightly bumped Lemon off of him. “And stop leaning on me.”

“Wha!? Loser…” Lemon muttered, crossing her arms and turning to face Kung Lao and Raiden’s fight.

“Fifty bucks says Kung Lao wins.” Johnny bets.

“Make it interesting.” Kenshi suggests. “Bet me Sento.”

“Ha! Not on your life.”

Liu Kang gets up from his seat and walks over to Kung Lao and Raiden saying, “The winner of this match will represent Earthrealm against Outworld. It is a grave duty, not to be taken lightly. You may step back now and suffer no dishonor.”

“I choose to fight, Lord Liu Kang.” Raiden states.

“As do I.” Kung Lao adds.

“Then may the best person win.” Liu Kang says, bowing to the two and sitting back down.

Raiden and Kung Lao face each other, backing away to their own part of the battlefield.

“Concede, Raiden. You have never beaten me, that won’t change today.” Kung Lao gloated.

“No. If the monks have taught us one thing, it’s that the only constant in the universe is change.” Raiden disagreed as they both got into a fighting stance.

Raiden, in the end, proved right as he ended up as the one standing in victory. “There is a first time for everything, Kung Lao.” He said, helping his best friend to his feet.

Liu Kang stands up from his seat and walks back over to the two with something in his hand. “Although you have all trained well, Raiden has excelled. This outcome does not surprise me.” He announces.

“How could I…” Kung Lao mumbled before politely bowing to Raiden. “Congratulations.”

“For the tournament…” Liu Kang started, presenting a small box and opening it. Inside was a blue amulet. “You will need this. Forged by the Elder Gods, it gives the wearer power over lightning and thunder. Go ahead. Try it.”

Raiden took the amulet out and examined how electricity came out of it and into his hand. He then turned to the statue behind him, tightened his grip on the amulet and aimed it at the statue. A powerful blast of electricity came out of the amulet and hit the statue, shocking everybody.

“Holy Arc of the Covenant!” Johnny gasped, recording the entire thing.

“That’s so loud…” Lemon muttered, covering her ears.

“It is incredible.” Raiden breathes, pulling his hand back. “But is it necessary?”

“In addition to possessing great might, the Outworlders you will face also wield great might.” Liu Kang explains. “The amulet levels the playing field.”

“You must be careful, Raiden.” Kung Lao worries, putting his hand on Raiden’s shoulder. “You could get hurt. Even killed!”

“Nobody has ever been grievously injured or killed in the tournament, there’s no need to worry.” Liu Kang reassures. “I would never send my champions unwittingly into mortal kombat.”

Raiden nods in response as Liu Kang announces to the others, “We leave in seven days for Outworld’s capital, Sun Do. The tournament will be held at the palace of Empress Sindel.”

7 days later the group (and a few other people) were standing in front of some sort of gate or teleportation system (whatever it was, nobody really knew). Liu Kang started opening the portal and while doing that explained to the others to stay focused and not feel overwhelmed by all the new changes that he described as intoxicating.

Johnny was, of course, recording everything and even tried to record Kenshi’s reaction. Kenshi slapped his phone away from his face as they all walked through the portal.

Outworld was exactly as the God of Fire described. Intoxicating, a bit overwhelming and colorful. It honestly looked like a true palace and that made Lemon so excited. In front of them were guards and two women. One dressed in pink and one dressed in blue.

“Oh my…” Johnny breathed as the women started to walk down the stairs. “Are those…”

“Empress Sindel’s daughters, yes.” Liu Kang answered.

“They do not disappoint.”

“We are Earthrealm’s ambassadors, Johnny. We’ll show them respect. Not unwanted attention.” Raiden scolded.

“Sure…”

Kung Lao noticed Lemon rapidly looking around at their environment and put a hand on her head to calm her down. “Stay focused.” He reminded her.

“Right. Sorry.” Lemon apologized.

“Lord Liu Kang, welcome.” The pink woman greeted as the Earthrealmers bowed.

“Thank you, Princess Mileena.” Liu Kang replied.

“You remember my sister?”

“Of course, Princess Kitana.” Liu Kang then motions to the people behind him. “May I introduce Johnny Cage, Kung Lao, Cheri Carr, who prefers to go by Lemon, Kenshi Takahasi and Earthrealm’s champion…Raiden.”

“I hope you’re prepared, Raiden.” Kitana warned. “Our champions are determined to win.”

“None more so than me.” Mileena added. “It’s been too long since we’ve known victory.”

“Princess Mileena…” One of the guards called, walking over to the princess. “We should be on our way. Empress Sindel awaits.”

“Thank you, Tanya.” Mileena then turns to their guests. “Follow me, please.”

They led them to two carts and asked them to climb on. Both were able to hold four people at a time so Kung Lao, Kenshi, Johnny and Kitana sat in one cart while Raiden, Liu Kang, Lemon and Mileena went in the other cart. They rolled through the village where a festival was taking  place. There was music and people dancing, it was so vibrant and colorful that it had drawn both Lemon AND Raiden’s attention.

“Those are Centaurians…” Raiden noticed, looking at the people in the crowd. “And Shokan!”

“The six-armed beings are Naknadans.” Mileena informed.

“The monks described them, but seeing them in person…” 

“It’s so cool!” Lemon gushed, slightly leaning over Raiden to see outside the cart as well. “I wonder what it’d be like to have six arms, that must be fun!”

“But wouldn’t it be a bit crowded?” Raider questions.

“Yeah, probably.”

“I see that Her Majesty one again spares no expense on the festival.” Liu Kang noticed.

“Should she not?” Mileena inquired. “It commemorates my late father.”

“I admire, Princess. I do not judge. As did all of Outworld, I valued greatly Jerrod’s fellowship.”

“And I thought the academy would be the best thing I’ve ever seen…” Lemon muttered, quietly grabbing Kung Lao’s hand and putting it on her head so she could force herself to focus.

“No offense, Liu Kang, but why bring a child here?” Kenshi asked Liu Kang, eyeing Lemon.

“She’s a warrior, just like the rest of you. She just became one in a shorter amount of time.” Liu Kang answered. “You saw that when she fought Johnny and Raiden.”

“I suppose you're right.” Kenshi agreed.

"Don't let her childish nature fool you."

Raiden was standing next to the two, slightly fidgeting with his fingers and deep in thought. He was worried and not exactly sure if he’d truly win this tournament.

Liu Kang noticed. “Worry expends energy for no purpose, Raiden.” He said.

“But the tournament, if i lose–”

“Focus on your actions, not the outcome. It is all you can control.”

A buff creature with horns walks through the town people, bumping into them without a care in the world.

“Red alert.” Johnny commented. “Incoming stock villain.”

"General Shao." Liu Kang informed. "Do not let him goad you."

The general notices the group and stomps towards them, standing in front of Raiden. "Is it me or is Earthrealm's champion scrawnier than usual?" He asked.

"Would you care to test his strength?" Kung Lao challenged. "Raiden will-"

"Will prove himself eventually." Liu Kang interrupted, pushing Kung Lao behind him.

"Have you still not told most Earthrealmers that Outworld exists?" General Shao asks. 

"It is safer that way, General."

"I suppose so. Your people's frail minds couldn't handle the truth."

"You presume them frail, General? Should you? Given how frequently they win this tournament?"

"We will destroy your champion, Liu Kang. He will taste no victory."

The General then storms off as the Empress walks into the palace along with her daughters, Mileena and Kitana. They showed how powerful they were just by walking to their seats.

"Welcome, members of the royal house. Welcome, our esteemed Earthrealm guests." The empress greeted. "We gather once again to honor my late husband's legacy. To continue the tournament that he founded with Lord Liu Kang in hopes that it would foster peace among the realms. May Jerrod's soul watch over us with pride from its resting place in the Living Forest. Lord Liu Kang.”

“Empress Sindel.” Liu Kang responds. “It pleases me to once again be your guest.”

“Here, you are always welcome. Now. Let us meet your champion.”

“Earthrealm’s champion is Raiden, Your Majesty.” Liu Kang steps to the side to show off his champion. “He has earned his place by embodying the very best qualities of Earthrealm’s people.”

“You seem nervous, young man.” Sindel notices.

“I’m a stranger in an unfamiliar land, here to compete against its greatest fighter. Yes, I am nervous.” Raiden says.

“As you should be. You have a difficult path ahead.” Sindel then stands up and announces, “It has begun!” A woman walks into the palace as Sindel continues to speak. “As tradition requires, Outworld’s initial competitor will be Sun Do’s First Constable…Li Mei. May she defend out realm’s glory as well as she preserves our capital’s order.”

Li Mei walks up to the empress and bows. “Your Majesty, I will honor both the royal house, and all of Outworld with my kombat.”

Sindel puts a hand on her shoulder. “If so, you will vastly exceed my expectations.” She says before whispering, “Remember, were it not for Jerrod’s tradition, you would not be here.”

“All you need do is your best.” Liu Kang says to Raiden. “The rest will take care of itself.”

“Yes, Lord Liu Kang.” Raiden replies. Liu Kang then walks away as Raiden and Li Mei face each other.

“Shall we see what you can do?” Li Mei asks.

“Hopefully, this will be the first of many victories.”

“I will prevail, Earthrealmer. This fight is more important to me than you can ever know.”

The fight ended with Raiden’s first win. Li Mei ended up on the floor in embarrassment.

“Guess Raiden’s really got this.” Kenshi mutters, watching Li Mei walk out of the palace.

“Of course he does. He’s bested all of us in kombat, why wouldn’t he best Outworld as well?” Kung Lao questions.

“My compliments, Raiden, on a well fought match.” Sindel congratulates. “We’ll see how you fare in the next. General Shao, Whom have you chosen as our next competitor?”

“Your Majesty, I have chosen Reiko, my second-in-command.” The General answers. Reiko then walks into the palace. “As a bot, Reiko was orphaned during the Kafallah War. Though Captured, his spirit remained unbroken. He scratched, clawed and survived.”

“He reminds me of Grumpy Cat.” Lemon chuckled.

“After the war, I took him in, molded him into the perfect soldier. Few others are as well versed in the ways of war.”

Reiko stood in front of Raiden and started punching and kicking the air either to show off, or intimidate Raiden (Which doesn’t even work.) He then asks, “In whose army have you served? In what war have you fought?”

“I have done neither.” Raiden admits.

“Then you are woefully unprepared, Earthrealmer. This will be your last battlefield.”

They always have some dramatic speech before Raiden beats them up. At this point it was a bit amusing to see Reiko get beat. Lemon had to cover her mouth to stop any laughs from coming out.

“Felled by a simple farmer.” Raiden brags, leaving Reiko to lay on the ground as he turns to Sindel. “I am ready for my next opponent, Your Majesty. Whom shall I face?”

“Patience, young man.” Sindel says, standing from her throne. “We are adjourned until first light. I hope to see you all at this evening’s banquet.”

“May I ask a question, Your Majesty?” Lemon asked, standing in front of the Empress. Liu Kang was watching from afar to make sure the woman didn’t say anything stupid or offensive.

“Yes, you may.” Sindel replies.

“Why do we say “Your Majesty” instead of “My Majesty”? I’ve always had questions about that.”

Sindel’s eyes widened a bit in surprise. Out of all the questions, she wasn’t expecting that. “You truly are young, aren’t you?” she chuckles. “Majesty means honor. So it’d be a bit abnormal for people to say “My Majesty” because that would mean they have honor, which they do not.”

“Ooohhh. Okay.” Lemon nods, bowing to the empress. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“Of course.”

“I could’ve answered that question for you.” Liu Kang says as Lemon walks back to her seat, next to Raiden.

“Really? I just thought it’d make sense to ask the Empress herself.” Lemon shrugs. “Wait, did she just call me young? I’m 17…”

“I’m pretty sure everybody here is older than 20.” Kung Lao comments. “You just have to admit you are the youngest one here.” He shrugs, smirking at Lemon who glared at him.

“Don’t talk to me with your mouth full.” Lemon scoffs, leaning back on her chair and crossing her arms.

“So, what sort of name is Lemon?” Kitana asks from across the table. “Is it referencing the fruit or something else?”

“The fruit.” Lemon answers, her smile coming back to her face. “It’s just a nickname that stuck with me.”

“I still don’t understand how it’s supposed to match with your name.” Johnny chimed in, leaning his head on his hand.

“You’ll figure it out at some point, it’s extremely basic, I promise you.”

Kitana perked up. “Oh! Che–”

“Don’t give him the answer! Keep it to yourself!” Lemon interrupts, holding her hand up.

“What!?” Johnny exclaimed.

“I just wanna see how long it takes you to figure it out.”

Mileena, a few feet away, started to quietly groan in pain as she held her stomach. Tanya walks over to her and puts a hand on her shoulder. “Are you unwell, Princess?” She whispers.

“I am fine, Tanya.” Mileena answers.

“I know I’m to fight Mileena…” Raiden started. “But will I also face Tanya?”

“By tradition, you will not.” Liu Kang responds. “But if you did, you would be challenged.”

“How so?”

“Umgadi, like Tanya, are warrior priestesses. Selected from the first born daughters of Outworld. From infancy, they are trained to defend the royal family.”

“Outworld must see much conflict if the Empress needs such protection.”

“Its past has been difficult. Though the last thousand years of Empress Sindel’s reign have been a true golden age, the memories of the strife still linger.”

Sindel stands up from her seat with a drink in hand. “My husband Jerrod believed that the future of our realms lay together. Let us move forward in open dialogue, letting no secrets tear our bonds asunder.”

Everybody stands up with their drinks as Raiden continues the speech. “Your Majesty, It’s an honor to be here and to meet your people. I can already see there’s more that joins us than divides us.”

Shao lets out a sarcastic laugh and stands up from his seat. “Our people could not be more different, champion.” He disagrees.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Earthrealmers are devoid of all–”

“That’s enough, General.” Sindel interrupts, glaring at him.

“My apologies, Your Majesty. Perhaps I’ve enjoyed too much of this excellent wine. With your permission…”

“You may go.”

The General walks off, knocking his glass off the table. Reiko follows after. The silence was loud after that, with no one daring to say a word.

“I am sorry about that.” The empress apologizes. “I’ll deal with him later. Liu Kang, you can show your warriors to the room you’ll all be staying in.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Liu Kang responds.

The “room” in question was more like a mansion than anything. It was made mostly out of wood but it was able to hold the six of them and the rest of the monks from Earthrealm.

“This just feels like a better orphanage.” Lemon comments, going up the stairs to one of the rooms and looking inside it. There were two pairs of bunk beds inside. “Yep.”

“Oh god, bunk beds!?” Johnny exclaims, looking inside the room as well. “Why would I wanna sleep with these people!?”

The rest of the group ignored them and just decided who would sleep in what room. Raiden, Kung Lao, Kenshi and Johnny were all going to sleep in one room while Lemon slept with, Bi-Han, Kuai Liang and Tomas (She still kept calling him “gray guy”)

Was Lemon happy she had to sleep with a bunch of grown men that she barely talked to? No. But it’s better than sleeping alone in her own room. That terrifies her.

“So, how does it feel to be famous?” Lemon asked Johnny. The two were in the living room with a bunch of other monks who were talking amongst themselves. Kung Lao and Kenshi were also there while Raiden went to sleep early to be prepared for the continuation of the tournament.

“Why are you asking me? Aren’t you famous as well?” Johnny inquired, holding a glass of wine in his hand.

“Well yeah, but I’m assuming that being a famous actor is different from being a famous kickboxer.”

“Sure, I might be famous because of how handsome I am while you’re famous for kicking a person, but I’m sure there’s some things that are similar. Like…can you just freely walk around your neighborhood without someone running up to you for an autograph?”

“No.”

“Do you feel like you need to be perfect?”

“Yes.”

“Do you need to always question who your actual friends are because one of those people could be a jealous asshole?”

“Yeah–Oh.”

“See? We have some similarities.” Johnny says, taking a sip of his wine. “When did you start to become famous?”

“When I was eleven.” Lemon answered, moving to cross her legs on the couch they both were sitting on. “I was already good at fighting but Justice showed me how much people would pay to see “professional” fighting. So…yeah.”

“Do you have any sort of goal?”

“Get out of the orphanage I live in. Take my girlfriend with me. My other two friends already left while we were training with the monks. Then after that…who knows! I just can’t wait until February! Being famous kinda sucks but you get money out of it.”

“True that!” Johnny laughed.

“So, do you have a goal Johnny?” Lemon inquired.

“I’m losing my fame a bit so I’m just trying to get that back. Main reason why I joined you all. I’m gonna make it big once again by making a movie out of this!”

“A movie? About Raiden fighting in the tournament?” Lemon questioned. “Sure, the people here look cool as hell but just making a movie about a tournament is kinda…eh.”

“Well, of course it’s not going to be just the tournament. Something interesting is going to happen at some point. we just have to patiently wait for the drama to start.”

“Patiently? Dude, ever since I’ve met you, you’ve been complaining about how long something was taking.”

“I’m a changed man now!” Johnny insisted.

“Ha! Sure.” Lemon laughs, looking at the table in front of them.

The continuation of the tournament was held outside the palace on the side of it. The seats where the Empress and her daughters were was in front of the area where the audience was supposed to be, so the fights would be right in front of them.

Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Kenshi, and Johnny were with the rest of the audience also feeling proud for their champion. Lemon was on top of Kung Lao’s shoulders due to a bet they made (she won), trying her hardest not to accidentally fall backwards and hurt them both. Raiden, as of right now, was standing proudly where he was, having already beaten three other people.

“Only two fighters remain. Are you ready, Earthrealmer?” Sindel asked Raiden.

“I am, Your Majesty.” Raiden assures.

“Then next you face my daughter. Kitana”

The two final fights went like this: Raiden beats Kitana (Mileena was absent for some reason) and Raiden beats General Shao (does this man have an actual name?).

“It’s over…” Raider realizes as a smile slowly creeps up on his face. “I have done it!”

Sindel stands up along with her daughter. “Congratulations, Raiden. Earthrealm wins.” The two walk away as Raiden walks towards General Shao who was on the ground in pain.

“May I assist you?” He asks, lending the general his hand.

“Stay away, Earthrealmer!” The general scoffs, whacking the man’s hand away. Raider backs away, getting his message.

“Well done.” Liu Kang congrats. “You have exceeded my greatest expectations.”

“Thank you, Lord Liu Kang.” Raiden replies.

“Because of you, the Outworlders who would disturb the peace will once again be held at bay.” Liu Kang then puts a hand on Raiden’s shoulder and guides him to the others. “Come. Let us bid our hosts farewell and return to Earthrealm.”

“You did great, Raiden!” Johnny complimented as they all walked off the field.

“Well done!” Kenshi added.

“Thank you, but uh…” Raiden turns to Kung Lao and Lemon in slight confusion. “Kung Lao, why is Lemon on top of you?”

“Lost a bet…” Kung Lao sighs.

“They’ve been making bets since last night.” Kenshi informs.

“You should’ve been awake to see it!” Johnny laughs. “Kung Lao lost every. Single. Bet.”

“He keeps trying though. To prove he can beat me, but he never will.” Lemon smirks, leaning her arms on Kung Lao’s head. “Isn’t that right, Kung Lao?”

“I will win a bet eventually, just wait and see!” Kung Lao announces.

“No. Kung Lao, just stop before she takes all your money along with your pride.” Raiden warned.

PREVIOUS | NEXT MASTERLIST

Picrew link: TOON ME!

[xxlady-lunaxx]

''I can do it myself!!'' | {Doukaza}

"I can do it myself, you idiot!" Akaza whined, pushing Douma away. 

"Noo, let me help you!!" he insisted, moving forward again.

"I'm not stupid!" Akaza huffed.

"You're not stupid, but you haven't done this before. It's your first time," Douma commented, placing his hands on Akaza's waist, starting to guide him through the steps.

"Stop it! And don't put your hands on me!" Akaza ordered. He waved away Douma's hands. "And anyways, they're cold!" he sniffed, crossing his arms. He tried skating away but ended up having to clutch onto the side of the rink. He looked away. Douma laughed. "You can't ice skate, okay? It's normal not to be able to on your first try. Besides, I know, so I can help you!" 

Akaza was hesitent, not wanting to give in, but he sighed. "Fine. But this better be worth my time." He glared at the blond, moving to turn away but only ending up nearly falling again. "Why is the ice so damn hard to balance on?!" he growled, stomping a foot down. The ice cracked, the part where he stood, crumbling to icey dust. "Oh fuck." He moved away, faling backwards onto the ice. Douma caught him from under his arms, pulling him up to stand. "Alright, Akaza-dono- Let's get you started!" he said. Akaza rolled his eyes but nodded. "Yeah."

"First, watch your stance. When you stand, you probably don't want to stand straight up and down, at least not until you get used to it. So spread your legs apart slightly and keep your stance balanced. Yes, like that! See? You're getting the hang of it," Douma smiled, making Akaza feel proud. "Yeah.. whatever. Just show me how to skate."

"It's not that easy, but okay! So first.."

The two went around the ice, Akaza falling multiple times. Douma caught him whenever he could but there was times when Akaza was on the other side of the rink and he wasn't able to get to him on time. But it didn't matter, because both of them were having a lot of fun. A couple hours later, Douma was sitting by the side, watching Akaza wobble around. He was starting to get the sense of how to do it and could kind of skate around. Mostly a mixture of half walking, part slipping, part actually skating. It was funny to watch. Even Akaza was laughing at himself. And as the two stayed around for longer, they found they enjoyed each other's company like this. It was comforting, too, in a way.

Akaza sat down next to Douma, resting his legs. They sat in silence for a moment before Douma spoke up. "You having fun?" he asked, smiling over to the other.

"Mm.. mhm!" Akaza hummed, nodding slightly. "Surprisingly."

"I'm glad."

They were quiet for another minute. The silence wasn't awkward, though, not like usual. It was a sweet silence. Douma leaned against Akaza, laughing to himself slightly. "Would you like to come here again some time?" He hesitated then added, "WIth me?"

Akaza paused then looked over to the blond and gave him a tentative smile. "Sure. Why not?"

{Word count: 508}

I know this is short but.. I forgot why i was writing this.. so I just ended it.. ahha.. sorry.. 💀🫠

weeeeeeee again this is from wattpad+old-ish 🫢 a p o l o g i e s . . .

[foreveralwaysanauthor]

Under The Surface

December 19, 2022

Prompt - No Pressure

Notes - The final and longest installment of this trilogy, coming in at 21 pages! I had a lot of fun with this, but I didn’t finish it until last night because the ending was giving me trouble. Also, I know I mention it being 2023 in this, but I gave up trying to make it take place in the future after I started writing my novel version of this story, so we’re in modern times now, lmao. 

Cars and minivans lined the parking lot of the Myrtle Beach Sports Center, people young and old alike filling the area as they waited for the doors to open. The Snowflake Championship was a very selective competition, few skaters would have gotten an acceptance letter, but Vivien severely underestimated just how many people would be attending in support of someone they knew even if they hadn’t been accepted themselves. As the Birch family’s rental van rolled into an empty space at the back of the lot, Vivien got a good look around at the other skaters she would be going up against and felt a wave of anxiety hit her. She wasn’t used to this. The championships she usually competed in were local - other small-town skate companies duking it out for a shoddily made trophy to put in their glass cases by the check-in desks. This was unlike anything she had ever seen before.

The doors of the van opened and everyone began exiting the vehicle, shoving things they had taken from the old Murphy house back into the van since they wouldn’t be needing them. Vivien slowly made her way onto the tarmac, looking around at the other cars in the area until she spotted Riven leaning against a sports car that had probably cost his dad quite a bit to rent. He was on the phone with someone while his dad talked with someone else from their rink just a few feet away. A hand on Vivien’s arm distracted her from her skating partner and brought her attention to Carrie as the blonde held out the black bag that contained Vivien’s costumes for the competition. After thanking the older girl and turning toward the building across the lot, Vivien froze, a sense of dread settling in her chest as she spotted a familiar, raven-haired girl talking with her entourage by the front door - her friend and skating rival from Maine, Naomi Sato.

Naomi Sato was the ideal figure skater in the eyes of many. She skated only to classical music, her jumps always landed flawlessly, she just barely scraped five feet tall, and she had the body type of a toothpick. On the other hand, Vivien preferred skating to whatever she felt made her movements come alive, she excelled in spins while her jumps were more to fill in elements than they were to impress anyone, she towered over most of her competition despite being five-foot-eight, and she was the first to admit she had curves, but at least she liked that about herself. Naomi had multiple gold medals under her belt and had plans of going to the Olympics whereas Vivien was perfectly fine without having the spotlight on her skates and a heavy Olympic medal around her neck. The girls had known each other for a while and considered themselves friends, texting on Instagram and leaving comments on each other’s TikToks all the time, but Vivien knew that if Naomi was competing, she wouldn’t have much of a chance at seeing a gold medal at all, let alone having one to bring home.

A hand on Vivien’s arm brought her out of her thoughts and, as she took in Bentley’s concerned eyes, she shook her head and sent him a smile, “I’m fine, Beemer.”

“You don’t look fine,” he replied.

“Gee, thanks,” Vivien said sarcastically.

Bentley rolled his eyes as he sighed, “You know what I mean, Viv.”

“I do,” Vivien nodded, allowing Bentley to lead her away from the vehicle they’d arrived in. “I’m still going to say that I’m fine.”

Bentley turned to Vivien, stopping the girl mid-step. “So you’re lying to me?”

Vivien sighed, “I’m not lying. It’s just some pre-comp jitters. It happens all the time and I’m used to it at this point.”

Steel blue eyes searched Vivien’s emerald ones in search of any trace of a lie but found none. With a sigh, Bentley relented and turned back in the direction of the building, “Alright, but I’m keeping an eye on you.”

“You and everyone else once this all hits Youtube,” Vivien breathed, hauling her bag further onto her shoulder as she began walking once again.

A large group of skaters and their coaches were waiting by the doors, ready to be allowed inside to practice before the competition, but they would have more than enough time to get on the ice before the weekend. Just as the group inched their way under the building’s extended awning, a sharp squeal made everyone freeze, “Vivien!”

Turning toward the voice seemed to have been a mistake as a head of pin-straight, jet-black hair slammed into Vivien’s chest, nearly sending both girls to the ground from the sheer force the shorter skater exuded. Vivien’s arms came around the girl with a laugh as they swayed from one side to the other, “Naomi, it’s so good to see you.”

“You too!” Naomi exclaimed. “I didn’t know you were coming to this competition.”

“I didn’t know you were either,” Vivien explained with a smile as the two separated. “You here to snatch another gold for Knox Academy?”

Knox Ice Academy was a skating company in Rockport, Maine that was renowned for producing professional skaters. From their three-year-old beginners to their oldest, pro-level skaters, they had trainers and choreographers that outranked many other skating companies in New England. Naomi and most of her friends had skated there since they were little and had been loyal to the company since they were first strapped into a pair of little skates. To Vivien’s confusion, however, the raven-haired girl shook her head with a heavy sigh, “I left Knox over the summer after it was discovered that they were putting drugs in some of the workout drinks.”

“Holy shit,” Vivien gasped. “That’s insane!”

“Oh yeah,” Naomi breathed. “Thankfully, I was one of the few who tested negative, but they’re under investigation now, so I moved to Limelight in Dover-Foxcroft.”

“That’s a long drive from Rockport, isn’t it?”

“Two hours,” Naomi sighed. “Thankfully, we’re moving soon, so the commute won’t be too bad.” There was a brief pause as the girls nodded, but Naomi’s dark, almost black eyes widened as she excitedly slapped Vivien’s arm with a squeaky giggle. “That reminds me, I have someone you need to meet!”

“Okay, yeah,” Vivien chuckled before watching the girl take off to the gaggle of skaters she had been talking with earlier. “Ow,” she muttered, rubbing her arm until she saw Naomi turn back toward her and approach with a curly-haired girl trailing behind her.

“Vivien O’Brian,” Naomi began with a bright smile, gesturing to the girl she had pulled next to her, “this is Lexi Warren.” 

While Naomi rambled on about how Lexi was a skater that had taken her in when she first started training at her new rink, Vivien was trying to think of a way to tell the excited girl that she already knew Lexi. She’d known Lexi for a long time. Lexi had been a skater at Vivien’s Purple Finch rink for years before her family moved north. They had been close since they were both very young, spending as much time together as possible and even taking time out of their already busy schedules for each other. Their relationship practically dissolved a few weeks before Lexi left for Maine, but very few people knew why.

“-so I thought the two of you would be good friends,” Naomi finished, clearly not noticing the stare the other two girls shared.

Vivien tore her gaze from Lexi’s and smiled at Naomi, “We actually used to skate together when we were kids. We were good friends back then.”

Lexi scoffed, her arms crossing over her chest, “Is that what we were?”

“Lex,” Vivien sighed, “can we not do this right now?”

“Why not?” Lexi pressed. “I don’t see a reason why we can’t.”

A fire ignited in Vivien’s eyes as she readied herself to list all of the reasons she could think of, but a hand on her back stopped her. “There you are, Pip,” Riven said with a faint smirk. “You ready to go inside?”

“Yeah,” she huffed, allowing Riven to pull her toward the doors that had opened at some point during the conversation. Making sure the rest of the people she arrived with were following them, Vivien took in a deep breath, turned to Naomi, and said, “See you inside.”

The bewildered girl raised a hand and waved as Riven led her friend into the building and away from the conversation. Naomi turned to Lexi with an eyebrow raised, “What was that all about?”

Undeterred, Lexi rolled her eyes and tugged her bag further up her arm, “I’ll tell you later. Let’s just go.” Lexi took off, leaving Naomi standing by herself in the middle of the walkway. Naomi watched as a few other skaters joined the line of people filing into the building before heading inside with a sigh. She’d find out what was going on one way or another.

Almost as soon as they entered the building, Vivien split off from the group she had arrived with, telling her boyfriend and his family to wait in the stands for her family to arrive while she and Riven went to get changed into their practice clothes and hit the ice. Royce’s concern for his girlfriend only grew as he watched Riven put an arm around Vivien’s shoulders and guide her toward the other side of the building where most of the other skaters were gathering; whoever the girls outside were, they made Vivien uncomfortable. He wanted to know why so that he could help her deal with it the way she helped him deal with everything. Royce watched Vivien leave, rooted to the padded floor until Miles pried him away and moved him toward the bleachers.

“Any idea what that was all about?” Bentley asked as he and Royce found seats near the middle of the ice and claimed them for themselves.

Royce slowly shook his head, “Not a clue.”

“Maybe she’ll tell you later,” Lela offered from her seat behind the brothers. “You three tell each other everything, after all.”

“Yeah,” Royce agreed with a shrug. However, as he glanced over at where Vivien had disappeared with her mountainous skating partner, an unnerving pit began to form in his stomach, and all of a sudden, he wasn’t so sure of his own words. Taking a deep breath, Royce apprehensively muttered, “Yeah.”

After having changed into the matching outfits they usually wore on the ice during practice, Riven pulled Vivien down one of the halls, past a basketball gymnasium, and into an empty locker room. Once they were alone, he asked, “What was that about?”

Vivien was quick to fire back, “What was what about?” 

Riven’s gaze was firm as he growled, “Don’t give me that shit, Vivien. You know damn well what I’m talking about.”

“That doesn’t mean I want to talk about it.”

“You need to.”

“Still don’t want to.”

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Riven sighed, “Vivien, I know you and Lexi didn’t end on the greatest of terms-”

A scoff left Vivien as she dropped onto a nearby bench, “That’s putting it lightly.”

“-but it would be best if we just ignored her while we’re here.” Riven watched Vivien’s expression as her gaze fell to the floor. Riven crouched in front of his partner and took her hands in his. “I don’t mean to upset you, Pip, but at least try to think of the positives.”

“What positives?” Vivien choked out as she met Riven’s gaze. “I was hoping I’d never see her again. Now she’s here as a competitor and it terrifies me.”

“Lexi never skates with a partner,” Riven tried reassuringly. “We don’t have to worry about her there.”

“No,” Vivien agreed, “but I still have to worry about her when it comes to the singles. With her and Naomi working together, I’m off of the podium before I’ve even stepped on the ice.”

Riven’s chuckle delivered a direct, but painfully honest statement, “Lexi hasn’t seen a podium since she broke her leg. The chances of her landing any of her jumps properly are slim to none.”

“She could still mess with my head,” Vivien insisted. “Or my single programs.”

Riven’s grip moved to Vivien’s arms as he sent her an adamantly firm stare, “Don’t let her. If you think she’s messing with you, tell me, tell your boyfriend, tell someone.”

“I’ll tell you,” Vivien breathed, her gaze falling again before returning to Riven’s. “I’ll tell you, but I can’t tell Royce and neither can you.”

Riven’s eyebrows furrowed as he questioned, “Why not?”

Vivien glanced toward the door anxiously before turning back to Riven and muttering, “He doesn’t know about me and Lexi.”

“You never told him?” Riven asked, his eyes widening incredulously.

“It never came up!” Vivien exclaimed softly. “He knows I dated someone before and I know he did too, but I never told him who I dated.”

“He deserves to know, Viv.”

“I know he does.”

“Then tell him,” Riven pleaded. “Rip off the bandage before someone else does.”

Vivien froze, her gaze locking with Riven’s hazel eyes. “What do you mean?”

Riven sighed, “Think about it, Pip. I’m not the only one here who knows that you and Lexi dated. The chances of Lexi telling Royce or him finding out from someone else she told are high.”

As she thought over Riven’s words, Vivien let out a prolonged groan, her fingers twisting knots in her hair as she ran her hands over her scalp. “I’m fucked.”

“And not in a good way,” Riven chuckled.

“Riven,” Vivien barked, “this is serious!”

“I know!” Riven yelped, backing away and raising his hands in surrender. At Vivien’s whine of frustration, Riven sighed, “How about this: if you don’t tell Royce before we do our free skate program tomorrow afternoon, I’ll tell him for you.”

Green eyes widened in horror, a fleeting glance at the clock making them sink in fear. “That only gives me a little over a day to come up with something to tell him.”

“That should be more than enough time,” Riven said with a shrug. “You’re taking this all too seriously. It’s twenty-twenty-three, not nineteen-fifty-two; your past dating life shouldn’t matter.”

Vivien sighed, rubbing the sweat from her palms on her pants, “His family is old-fashioned and he values his family over everything. Our relationship could end over this.”

The auburn-haired male shook his head, “From what you’ve told me, you two have been together through a lot together; I highly doubt that your relationship would fall apart because of something that happened years ago.”

Although she still seemed hesitant to agree that Riven was right, Vivien slowly nodded, “I guess you’re right.”

“Of course, I am,” Riven teased. Once Vivien let out a soft laugh and shook her head, Riven smirked and added, “So, do we have a deal?”

It took Vivien a while to think about her answer. She knew she would have to tell Royce about everything sooner or later, but she had been hoping to keep it as far on the “later” side as she could. Even though she wanted nothing more than to tell Riven she wasn’t up for the challenge, she knew she couldn’t turn him away. Besides, Riven wasn’t one to be pushy or rude, so Vivien knew that, even if she didn’t meet the deadline he had set for her, he would be gentle in telling Royce the same thing she had confided in him so many years prior. Finding nothing but sincerity and warmth in Riven’s eyes, Vivien sighed, “We have a deal.”

“That’s my girl,” Riven beamed. Pushing himself to his feet again, Riven offered Vivien a hand and asked, “You ready to go practice now?”

Vivien placed her hand in Riven’s, a small smile appearing on her face as she agreed, “Yeah, I guess so.”

“Good,” Riven said as he hauled Vivien off of the bench she had perched herself on. “Let’s get some time on the ice before our short program and your solo.”

Vivien laughed, allowing Riven to drag her toward the door and through the hallways. As they neared the ice and made their way to the padded area lining the outside of the rink, Vivien spared a wave at her family and friends. As though the surging, crashing ocean waves had been let loose inside her stomach, the seventeen-year-old felt a wave of anxiety-riddled nausea flood her system once she spotted Royce beaming at her with enough love and adoration in his eyes to make Aphrodite sick. After sending a small grin in his direction, Vivien turned her back to her boyfriend and swallowed thickly as she gripped Riven’s hand just a fraction tighter. How on earth was she going to make it through their routines if she could barely think of anything other than her promise with Riven and the looming threat of Lexi sending her relationship with Royce down the drain over something that had happened ages ago?

The brunette was pulled from her thoughts as Riven returned her tight squeeze. Upon turning to her partner, Vivien felt little relief at his supposedly calming smile. He muttered something to her that she just couldn’t make out over the ringing in her ears, but his laugh was heard above the screeching noise. After asking him to repeat himself, Vivien let out a strained breath as Riven said, “Deep breaths, Pip. You’ll be fine, I promise.”

As she spared a look over her shoulder at Royce, she realized Riven was probably right. Sending him a smile and a wave, Vivien felt relieved to see him grinning right back at her. As Royce’s hand lifted into the air, Vivien caught a pair of golden eyes that distracted her. The glimmering glare Lexi’s eyes held as she watched Royce wave fondly back at Vivien made green-eyed brunette feel at least a hundred times worse than she had mere moments before. She had just unintentionally redirected Lexi’s anger toward her, onto Royce, the one person she wanted to protect from this mess. Looking back at Royce, Vivien found his head tipped to the side and an eyebrow raised as he glanced between her and Lexi. Once he discovered Vivien was watching him, he sent her a confused shrug and she shook her head in return, waving her free hand to show her brushing off the interaction before sending him a smile and turning back toward the ice. As she watched some of the junior skaters practice, Vivien took in a deep breath and sighed. What had she just gotten herself into?

No other skating competition had ever gone by so fast, in Vivien’s opinion. Her solo short program had gone by so quickly that she was sure the person in control of the music had put Florence and The Machine’s “Lover To Lover” on three times its normal speed and she had still managed to find a spot in the top three for the day. Then, the short program she shared with Riven had flown by, literally in a few spots, and by the time they were in the ever-so-aptly named “kiss and cry” seat, awaiting their scores, Vivien’s anxiety had been replaced with adrenaline. A score of 75.19 had been given to the pair, setting them in the highest place for the short program, sliding the teams from Georgia and New York into second and third place for the time being. As soon as they were allowed to return to their families for a brief intermission, Vivien found Royce and Bentley attached to her sides.

“That was amazing,” Bentley commended into Vivien’s shoulder before allowing Royce to fill his space.

“I knew you could do it,” Royce muttered, his breath fluttering a few baby hairs that curled at the nape of Vivien’s neck, sending a shiver down her spine. “You two were incredible.”

“I’m just glad I landed that throw,” she breathed as they parted, his hand sliding down her arm to lace their fingers together. “I still have my individual free program and our free skate tomorrow both of which would’ve been insanely difficult with an injured leg.”

“You feel alright, though?” Royce asked. 

Vivien nodded, but before she could voice her answer, a voice from behind her cut in, “I sure hope she is.” Vivien turned to find Naomi and Lexi approaching them, Naomi’s arms outstretched for a hug as she scurried over. “I want a fair fight tomorrow.”

With a chuckle, Vivien brought the shorter girl in for a hug, “And a fair fight you shall get.”

“Good,” Naomi smiled as she backed away. Looking around at the group that now had their eyes locked on her, the raven-haired girl smiled nervously and waved. “Hello, people I don’t know.”

Vivien gestured to everyone as she said, “Naomi, this is my boyfriend and his family. Guys, this is Naomi Sato, one of my biggest rivals in the individual skate competitions.”

“Ah, well, I hope to see you all tomorrow,” Naomi greeted with a small bow toward the group. Turning to Vivien, she placed a hand on the brunette’s arm and beamed, “And I will see you on the ice!”

“That you will,” Vivien smiled as her hand searched blindly for Royce’s, latching onto his warm fingers as soon as she grazed them, a faint electric shock telling her she had found the right person.

As Naomi waved goodbye and headed for the people who were off to the side, waiting for her, Lexi remained, staring blankly at Vivien and her entourage. “Vivien.”

Vivien's posture turned rigid as she raised her head just enough for it to be noticed. “Lexi.”

Lexi’s arms crossed over her chest, “Didn’t know you were dating again.”

Royce’s grip on Vivien’s hand tightened for a second as he leaned over his girlfriend’s shoulder from the bleacher behind her and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “We’ve been together for almost a year now” Royce proudly stated.

A look of disgust flashed across Lexi’s features, but it was quickly replaced with a clearly forced, saccharine smile. “Lucky. I bet you two are madly in love by now.”

Carrie, who had noticed the girl’s expression in the split-second it had been present, settled a glare on the opposing skater as she stepped off of the bleachers next to Vivien and snipped, “They are.”

Lexi’s gaze flickered to Carrie before searching the group on the bleachers behind the happy couple, finding matching glares coming from some of Royce and Vivien’s family members. With a scoff, Lexi said, “And they need their little guard dogs to prove that?”

Miles quickly wrapped an arm around Carrie’s middle, barely preventing her from launching at the curly-haired skater. As Bentley called Lexi a few colorful French words he had unintentionally learned from Miles, Riven marched over from where he and his dad had been walking, making his way between Lexi and Vivien with a scowl. “Leave,” he ordered, the darkness in his tone like a shadow looming from a skyscraper to the ants below.

“I don’t see why I should,” Lexi hissed, clearly undeterred by Riven’s intimidating demeanor. “I’m just conversing with an old friend.”

“Good to know you still consider harassment a way of having a conversation,” Vivien scoffed.

“Shut it, O’Brian,” Lexi snapped.

“You first, Warren.”

“Enough!” Riven snapped. In the silence that settled around them, Riven took in a deep breath to calm himself and said, “We’re meant to act like professionals here. Settle it on the ice tomorrow like any professional skater would.”

Without more than a roll of her eyes and a scoff, Lexi turned on her heel and headed for the door. As soon as the girl was out of sight, Vivien took in a deep, shaky breath and allowed herself to relax at least a little. Royce’s grip on his girlfriend tightened as he stepped off of the bleachers and pulled her into a hug. “What was that all about?” he questioned softly.

“Who was that?” Bentley asked. Instead of answering, Vivien wrapped an arm around her boyfriend and Bentley as the young blond joined them in an attempt at comforting his friend. 

Riven shook his head at Vivien’s silence and sighed, “Lexi Warren. She was once a close friend of ours and a skater Vivien grew up with. She moved away a few years ago and…” Riven glanced in the direction Lexi had left in. “Well, let’s just say it wasn’t the nicest of endings.”

The hotel everyone was staying at was within walking distance from the sports center and had beautifully made rooms, but after Abby tossed her suitcase on one of the two beds in the room and jumped into the shower before her older sister could do more than look into the room, Vivien didn’t have the desire to stay for long. At first, she thought of going down to the pool and sinking into the hot tub for a while, but the idea of running into Lexi or Royce or both of them was enough to deter her. She didn’t want confrontation and she certainly wasn’t ready to tell Royce about her past just yet. 

As she slid bobby pins out of her hair and tossed them onto the dresser she wouldn’t even bother using during her stay, Vivien came to the conclusion that she needed advice on how to handle everything. She instantly ruled out going to her parents and Mick’s parents since they already knew her situation and would probably tell her the same thing Riven had - to tell Royce and save herself the stress. Mick and Butchy were a close second, but after remembering that the couple had decided to go to the beach for a while, she ruled them out as well. She needed advice now and the only people in the hotel who could give her that were Carrie and Miles. After brushing out her hair and grabbing a few elastics, the seventeen-year-old left the room she shared with her sister and headed down the hallway to where she knew Miles and Carrie were staying. It didn’t take long for Carrie to open the door, allowing Vivien inside once the younger girl held up her elastics with a hopeful grin. 

Perching herself on the end of the bed, Vivien sighed, “You know, I actually need a little help with something important and it’s not just about needing one of you to braid my hair.”

Miles, who had been flicking through the TV channels to find something entertaining, stopped what he was doing to take a look at the girl and ask, “What’s wrong, kiddo?”

“I’ve never really told a lot of people before,” Vivien chuckled nervously, allowing Carrie to split her hair down the middle of her head. “Can we keep this between us for now?”

As Miles wheeled the desk chair over so he could see Vivien while she talked, he nodded, “Of course.”

Carrie took the elastics from Vivien and set them aside, telling the girl, “You can tell us anything.”

Vivien nodded, taking in a deep breath before asking, “You know that girl that was harassing us earlier?” While Carrie scoffed, Miles rolled his eyes and nodded. “Well, I think I know why she’s bothering us.”

“You do?” Carrie asked, threading her fingers through Vivien’s hair as she began braiding it. 

“Think she’s doing it to mess with your head?” Miles asked. “Mess with you so that you’ll screw up your skating - that kind of thing?”

“I think that’s part of it,” Vivien said, trying not to move her head as she shrugged. “But I think it has more to do with the fact that she was my girlfriend a few years ago.”

Vivien tried to gauge their reaction, but as Miles eyed her silently and Carrie’s hands stilled against her scalp, she had a sinking feeling she should have kept her mouth shut and never told them in the first place. The nerves that had begun building since she entered the room only seemed to grow as the silence in the room took over and nobody said a word. Miles watched the teenager, seeing her expression change ever so minutely and a panic settle in her eyes as the room remained silent. She looked like a scared baby deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming vehicle - wide-eyed and ready to run. Miles was almost sure she would’ve taken off if Carrie didn’t have a firm grasp on her hair. It didn’t take much for Miles’ brotherly instincts to kick in and the desire to help the child in front of him hit him full-force. He reached a hand out and Vivien hesitantly took hold of it as he lightly redirected the topic and slowly asked, “So, when Riven said that things didn’t end well with her…?” 

Vivien looked away, tracing the design on the carpet with her eyes. “I broke up with her before she moved away and she didn’t take it nicely.”

“How did she take it?” Carrie asked softly.

“She went into a rage,” Vivien breathed. “We argued for a while and she threw a pair of skates at me, but the last time we saw each other, she slapped me. Riven came into the room and separated us before she could do anything worse, but she had to be escorted out of the skating rink afterward.”

Miles’ grip tightened on Vivien’s hand as he wheeled his chair closer to the teenager. “Is that why you looked so tense when she was around?”

Vivien nodded, “Looking back on it now, she wasn’t the best person to be around, but we had dated since I was eleven and I thought that’s how all relationships were.”

Carrie’s hands began moving once again, threading Vivien’s hair into a braid on one side as she said, “Well, I’m glad you’ve gotten out of that mindset.”

“I think we all are,” Miles agreed.

Vivien hummed her agreement. “You know, we had been together for two years and I never once felt loved.”

“How come?” Carrie questioned.

“I don’t know. I guess it just felt like she was telling me what to do and how to feel all the time.” After a pause, a small smile appeared on Vivien’s face as she said, “Being with Royce is so different. It feels so surreal.”

“In a good way, I hope,” Miles chuckled.

Vivien laughed, “Yeah. It feels sort of like what Mick told me her relationship with Butchy was like in the beginning.”

Miles smiled, “Just wait until you realize you’ve fallen in love.”

“I already did,” Vivien confided, a fond look in her eyes that Miles didn’t need to work hard to decipher. “I fell in love with him a long time ago.”

Miles glanced over Vivien at Carrie, finding his girlfriend’s signature smile beaming back at him. There was a glint in her sapphire eyes that told Miles that she knew something he didn’t, but he wasn’t about to ask her what it was while Vivien was present. “Have you told Royce this?” he asked.

“No,” Vivien replied quickly, trying her best not to shake her head and disrupt Carrie’s quick fingers as they moved further away from her scalp. “He doesn’t know about any of it. Not me loving him, not me dating Lexi, nothing.”

“You should tell him,” Carrie suggested. “If not about loving him, then at least about the whole Lexi ordeal. I’m sure he would appreciate knowing.”

“I know,” Vivien sighed. “I want to tell him, but I’m just not sure how he would react to me having dated a girl before.”

Miles nodded thoughtfully, squeezing Vivien’s hand reassuringly before saying, “I don’t think it would matter all that much to him. It’s a part of who you are and he cares about you more than anything. I bet, if anything, he’d be grateful that you felt confident enough in your relationship to tell him something you hardly tell anyone.”

As Vivien felt Carrie tie off one braid and move to the other side of her head, she began thinking about Miles’ words. He had a good point. She knew Royce cared about her just as much as she cared about him. He showed her how much he cared about her every chance he got. The chances of him turning her away just because of who she had liked in the past were slim to none. The only thing holding her back from telling him anything was fear and she would just have to find a way to overcome that. She could do that for Royce. He deserved to know. Giving Miles’ hand a tight squeeze, Vivien smiled his way and said, “I guess you’re right.”

Vivien awoke the next morning with sore legs, a mild headache, and the desire to down a bottle of Tylenol and crash like the Titanic meeting the iceberg. With the stress of seeing Lexi for the first time in years, the waking nightmares of breaking a limb or forgetting her entire routine on the ice, and trying to come up with a plan to tell Royce about her previous relationship before Riven did, she had gotten little sleep. Knowing she had two routines that needed to be rehearsed later in the day, Vivien slipped out of the hotel bed and crept over to the suitcase she had left on the floor by the dresser, pulling out her practice outfit and heading for the bathroom to change without the risk of waking her sister who snored noisily in the next bed over.

Once she was changed and had her sneakers laced, Vivien grabbed her skates and her room key, wrote out a quick note that she put on the nightstand between the beds she and her sister slept on, and slipped out of the room unnoticed. The hotel was only about a five-minute walk from the sports center and, as she passed the room she knew Riven and his dad were sharing, Vivien knew at least one of them would be up already, waiting anxiously for the other to get up so they could head to the rink for practice. However, Vivien wasn’t about to tell Riven she was already awake. She wanted time to herself on the ice - time to think and relax before everyone else showed up and the hectic parts of the day could begin. With her keycard tucked into her wallet and her skates dangling around her neck, Vivien waved goodbye to the person sitting at the front desk and headed down the street toward the sports center.

The walk was quiet apart from the soft music playing from Vivien’s earbuds and it wasn’t long until Vivien was pulling open the doors of the sports center, the warmth from the building’s heat system taking the chill out of her skin as she made her way inside. As opposed to what she had done the day prior, Vivien set her skates aside and stretched the way her ancient ballet teacher would have vaguely praised her for. Once she felt ready, Vivien sat on the nearest bench and laced up her skates, only ditching her blade guards before stepping onto the ice. With her phone securely zipped in her pocket and her earbuds tucked into her ears, Vivien allowed her playlist to control her movements, gliding across the ice to some of her favorite songs.

As the music changed, so did Vivien’s energy on the ice. Once her playlist switched to a new song once again, I Hear A Symphony by Cody Fry, Vivien allowed the familiar tune to take over. She had watched Riven perform the song many times in practices, so often that she could probably do most of it in her sleep if given the chance, but she couldn’t perform it herself due to a cantilever that Riven had perfected over the years that Vivien could never get to look the way his did. The song was one of Riven’s more lyrical-style performances, a style Vivien loved to use for her free skate programs. However, as she glided to a stop and listened to the song fade out, Vivien heard someone clapping in the supposedly empty skating rink.

Eventually, she found Lexi leaning against the wall, clapping sarcastically. Vivien sighed as she pulled an earbud from her ear, “What do you want?”

“I was coming to get in some early skate time, but I guess you got here first,” Lexi claimed. “Was that your program for the free program?”

“No,” Vivien said, preferring to keep the conversation as brief as possible as she headed back to the gate she had entered through. 

“Well, it must have meant something to you if you made it look that passionate,” Lexi pressed as she stalked her way toward Vivien.

“It’s an old program Riven used to do, that’s all,” Vivien insisted as she sat down and began taking her skates off.

Lexi laughed as she neared Vivien, taking the brown-and-purple-haired girl’s jaw in her grasp and forcing Vivien to meet her gaze. “And what if I don’t believe you?”

Not one to be pushed around anymore, Vivien wrapped a hand around Lexi’s wrist, the fingernails Carrie had taken the time to paint the day before digging into the skin on the older girl’s arm. Once Lexi had released her, Vivien said, “Believe what you want, just leave me the hell alone.”

Rubbing the crescent-shaped marks out of her wrists, Lexi scoffed, “That’s no way to treat a friend.”

“You made it clear a long time ago that we aren’t friends, Lexi,” Vivien grumbled, sending an empty glare at the older girl. “Why do you feel the need to be such a bitch just because I moved on?”

“I never wanted you to move on,” Lexi argued. “I wanted us to stay together.”

“It never would have worked out!” Vivien exclaimed incredulously. 

“You don’t know that!” 

“Yes, I do,” Vivien laughed, but it lacked any real humor. “We were awful for each other.”

“Says who?”

“Says anyone who looked at us for more than two minutes,” Vivien claimed as she pulled her sneakers on and laced them. “You were always telling me what to do and who I could or couldn’t hang out with and I got sick of your bullshit.”

A rage burned in Lexi’s golden eyes that nearly made Vivien flinch away, but the younger skater remained defiant. “You would’ve been lost without me telling you what to do all the time.”

As Vivien rose to her feet, she stepped closer to Lexi and lowly snarled, “You moving away was the best thing to happen to me.”

The next thing Vivien knew, her head was snapped to the right, a stinging throb gracing her left cheek as she stared blankly ahead. Her skin burned, her eyes watered so much she worried that her contacts would fall out, and just as though a switch had been flipped deep inside of her, Vivien felt an almost eerie calm pass through her body as the urge to return the gesture to the older girl bubbled inside of her like a pot of water boiling over. It wasn’t the first time Lexi had slapped her, but Vivien decided in that moment that it would certainly be the last. Vivien’s head slowly turned back toward Lexi, dark green eyes piercing through furrowed brows as she unclenched the fist she’d been squeezing and rallied all of her pent-up emotions into the single blow she delivered to the girl’s face.

Lexi’s face didn’t burn nearly as red as Vivien’s did, most likely due to her darker skin, but the shock in her eyes was more than enough to satiate the urge Vivien had to knock the girl flat on her ass. “You fucking slapped me!” Lexi screeched.

“And I would do it again in a heartbeat,” Vivien said so easily that it almost worried her. “However, there are plenty of cameras in here, just like there are in every arena. They’ll all show - very clearly, might I add - that you started this.” Lexi’s eyes flitted around the room, finding multiple cameras pointing in their general direction. Vivien felt a smirk tugging at her lips at the sight, but fought it back in order to remain composed. “Now, if you have nothing better to say, I’ll be leaving.”

Vivien grabbed her skates by the laces and began making her way to the hallway so she could grab something to eat from the vending machines before heading back to the hotel to shower, but Lexi wasn’t done just yet. “I bet your boyfriend just loves being with such a bitchy little freak.”

Despite the spiked bundle of nerves that settled in her stomach, Vivien was determined to act as though Lexi’s words meant nothing as she flipped the girl off over her shoulder and said, “It’s one of the many things he loves about me.”

When Lexi said nothing more, Vivien assumed the girl was done and quickly made her way through the hallways to the front door as soon as she was out of the girl’s sight, forgoing the vending machines as she knew nothing in them would stay down even if she forced herself to eat something small. As soon as the cold morning air hit her face, Vivien felt a shaky breath leave her. Silently making her way back to the hotel, Vivien felt a wave of determination rising within her. With every step she took, the urge to go straight to the room she knew Royce and Bentley were sharing with her brother grew stronger. She was done with the fear and stress Lexi continuously caused her just by existing. After Vivien arrived back at the overly large, ritzy hotel, she made her way through the groups of people at the check-out desk who were only there for the junior skate competitions and wouldn’t need to spend another night once the day was done. Once she finally reached the elevator, she pressed the floor she was staying on. Instead of turning toward her end of the long hall, she turned to the left and made her way to the second-to-last room on the right side of the hallway.

Vivien raised a fist to knock on the door, but it swung open before she got the chance. Much to her surprise, Abby stood in the doorway, her bewildered stare turning relieved as she said, “Mom’s been looking for you.”

“I left you a note telling you I was going to the rink,” Vivien sighed. 

Abby rolled her eyes, “I realize that, but you weren’t answering your phone when she called you, so she was just about ready to call in the SWAT team.” 

Vivien shook her head - of course, her mother had overreacted. “I turned my ringer off before I hit the ice.”

“Thought so,” Abby said with a smirk. “Olly and I were just getting ready to head over to the rink and drag you back to Mom.”

With a sigh, Vivien glanced into the room past her sister to see if she could spot her boyfriend, “I just need to talk to Royce for a bit before-”

“Don’t you think we should tell Mom that you’re back first?” Abby questioned.

“It’ll only take a few minutes for me to talk with him,” Vivien insisted, trying to step around her sister and into the room. “You two can go tell her and I’ll meet you in their room in a few.”

“No can do, Viv,” Oliver said as he came from a room off to the side that Vivien couldn’t see, presumably the bathroom. “Mom said to bring you to her once we found you and we don’t want to get in trouble.”

Before Vivien got the chance to argue her case, Royce stepped up behind Oliver with a small smile, “Hey, Vivien Leigh.”

Vivien felt herself relax as she smiled back at her boyfriend, “Hey, Rolls. Look, I need to tell you something, and-”

“Vivien Harley!” a voice hollered from the other end of the hall. Vivien deflated as she saw her mom marching down the hall toward them. “Why weren’t you answering your phone?”

Royce chuckled as the siblings moved out into the hallway, collectively shrinking under their mother’s firm stare. Vivien glanced back into the room and Royce held the door open as he suggested, “We can talk later if you want?”

Vivien felt ready to argue that, no, she didn’t want to talk later, she wanted to talk then and there, but after taking a glance back at her mother, she knew that wouldn’t be possible until she was done getting reprimanded. “Yeah,” she reluctantly agreed. “Yeah, that would be great.” Royce nodded and sent his girlfriend a reassuring grin before slowly closing the room door as Chelsea O’Brian closed the distance between herself and her children, ready to tell them off for something or another. Vivien sighed - their conversation would just have to wait for later.

As the day went by, Vivien barely had a second to spend away from her family, her coach, or Riven, let alone have the chance to be alone with her boyfriend. Her practice with Riven was early and closed to the public, so she couldn’t sneak any talk with Royce then and, when she got the chance to leave the rink for the first time, her boyfriend was surrounded by his family and she only had a few moments to say hello to them all and answer their questions as to what had happened with her mother in the morning before she was dragged off to her private practice for her solo short program. With Riven as her choreographer, Vivien was grateful to be able to talk with him while she was practicing, but his topic of the day continued to circle around her relationship which didn’t do anything to keep Vivien's ricocheting nerves at bay.

“Have you talked to him yet?” he asked, skating alongside Vivien as she went through the end of her routine.

“Does it look like I’ve had the chance to?” Vivien sassed in return as she skated into a spin combination.

Riven watched her, reminding her to keep one of her turns tight before sighing, “Do you want me to put an extension on our little deal?”

Once Vivien ended her practice with her finishing pose, she answered, “No, I plan on doing it as soon as we’re out of here.”

“Do you want help?” Riven questioned, watching as the girl cleared her blades of shaved ice and tugged her leg warmers further over her skates.

Vivien stretched her arms over her head and sighed as Riven led her toward the rink gate, “Probably.”

A smirk appeared on Riven’s face as he handed Vivien her blade guards and said, “After you then, Pip.”

Vivien slid her guards into place, replaced her skates with her sneakers, and took a deep breath as she and Riven headed for the hallway. Once they found their way to the gymnasium where every other skater and their family were waiting to be let in, the intercom system called the next skater to practice and Vivien found her way through the masses of people to where her family, Riven’s dad, and Royce’s family were sitting and conversing. Before getting close enough to be pestered by their questions, Vivien glanced at Riven - who seemed almost excited about his role in her plan - and nodded to him, “Go ahead.”

As Royce stood to ask Vivien how her practice went, Riven ducked down in front of the teenager, wrapped an arm around his legs, and hauled him over his shoulder as he stood, earning a noise of shock from Royce who suddenly found himself facing Riven’s glorious backside instead of his girlfriend. “We’ll be back in a bit,” Vivien claimed to those who only watched the interaction in confused amusement. 

Royce used his arms as a brace against Riven’s spine as he watched his girlfriend follow Riven back into the hallway. “Where are we going?” he asked warily.

“To talk,” she told him with a small smile. “I’m sick of everything else getting in the way, so I asked Riven to help.”

With a confused nod, Royce chuckled softly, “And I couldn’t walk myself to wherever he’s bringing me?”

“That wasn’t part of my plan,” Vivien claimed, a faintly amused smirk appearing on her lips, “but I admire his enthusiasm, don’t you?”

Royce shook his head, a smile splitting his features, “I guess so.”

Without so much as a word coming from him, Riven pushed open a heavy door and set Royce back on the ground before nodding to himself and leaving the room. Before Vivien could close the door, she thanked Riven for his services and he nodded before heading to the vending machines at the end of the hallway. Vivien twisted the lock on the door into place to prevent any interruptions before glancing around at the locker room Riven had brought them to. She sat on one of the benches and gestured for Royce to join her before sighing, “I bet you’re wondering why I’m doing this.”

“I am,” Royce admitted with a hesitant nod. He took a moment to examine the seriousness on Vivien’s face before asking, “You’re not... you're not breaking up with me, are you?”

“What? No, of course not!” After a pause of hesitance, Vivien asked, “Why? Are you breaking up with me?”

“No, never,” Royce stated firmly. “Besides, you’re the one who brought me here, not the other way around.”

Vivien chuckled airily at the reminder, “Yeah, I guess I did.”

A silence fell over them and Royce watched as Vivien’s fingers mindlessly wove into the laces of her sneakers, twisting them around and tugging on them as she stared blankly into space. Not wanting to let her mind wander into, no doubt, negative territory, Royce took one of her hands in his and softly said, “If it’s too much, we can do it another time.”

Before Vivien could say anything, Riven’s voice came through the door - the older skater presumably leaning against the door, playing bodyguard for them, “No, she can’t!”

With a roll of her eyes, Vivien agreed, “He’s right. It’s something that I actually should have told you a long time ago. I was just worried that it would change things with us.”

“Whatever it is,” Royce began, “just know that nothing - and I mean nothing - could possibly change how I feel about you.”

The sincerity in Royce’s caramel eyes gave Vivien the validation that she was making the right decision. “Well,” she said after taking in a sharp breath, “you know that girl that’s been bothering us? Lexi?” Vivien waited for Royce to nod - a welcome roll of his eyes coming with it - before she said, “She was my girlfriend a few years before I met you.”

Vivien watched Royce’s expression change so quickly that she struggled to define each emotion that flashed across his face. She wondered what was going on inside his head. It was hard to tell how he was feeling or what he was thinking as he processed what he had been told, but Vivien tried her hardest to brace for whatever it was that he was going to tell her - good or bad. However, what came out as his response was nowhere on the list of potential things she thought he would say. “Is that why she acts like that? She’s jealous?”

Vivien took a moment to register what he said before asking, “What?”

Royce shrugged, “I mean, I could understand why she would be. You’re an incredible person and-”

“Woah, woah, wait,” Vivien sputtered, her brain struggling to catch up with Royce’s train of thought. “You’re not even going to react to what I said?”

An eyebrow raised as Royce tilted his head to the side, “What - about you and her being together before we met?” Vivien nodded slowly. A smile formed on Royce’s face once again as he reached up and took Vivien’s face in his hands, leaning closer until their foreheads touched. “I told you that nothing could change the way I feel about you and I meant that. Just because you had a girlfriend before doesn’t mean that you don’t love me now just as much as I love you.”

Vivien’s eyes snapped open at his words. He had never said something like that before - neither of them had. “You love me?” she muttered.

Royce’s eyes fluttered open as he backed away just enough to see her face properly, a shade of pale scarlet flushing his face as he meekly nodded, “I have for a long time now.”

All of the fear and stress Vivien had let build up inside of her washed away in an instant, a bubbling happiness spreading through her veins like liquid gold as she allowed herself to smile like an idiot at the boy sitting in front of her. While Vivien giggled like a spoiled child on Christmas morning, Royce watched her in nervous silence, waiting for her to say something, anything, in response to his words. Vivien didn’t leave him waiting for long and a blissfully idiotic, ridiculously huge smile spread across Royce's face as his girlfriend wrapped her arms around his shoulders, held him close, and softly said, “I love you too.”

Royce’s arms locked around Vivien’s middle, holding her as close as physically possible on the uncomfortable metal bench they were still perched on. It wasn’t the most romantic place they could’ve chosen to confess their love, but they didn’t need someplace over-the-top or romantic. They just needed each other. The pair stayed like that, perfectly content in one another's arms until a solid thump on the door reminded them that they weren’t totally alone.

“You two better not be going at it in there,” Riven warned through the door. “We have to be on the ice within an hour and I’m not covering for either of your asses if we get disqualified for being late.”

Vivien backed away from Royce with a huff, standing and unlocking the door before pulling it open and telling Riven, “Just because you’d do it with someone in a dingy locker room, doesn’t mean we would, you ass.”

“Love you too, Pip,” Riven said with a smirk. “Now, let’s go, lovebirds. If we take any longer, your family will think you two eloped or something.”

As Riven turned and stalked off down the hall, Vivien turned to Royce with a sigh and held out a hand for him to take. “You ready to go?”

“With you?” Royce asked rhetorically as he stood and laced his fingers with Vivien’s. He brought their joined hands up and placed a kiss on the back of her hand before swinging them back down between them. “Always.”

[brittlebonesguy]

12,13,14,15 thank god its finally over

clay is so bent out of shape that jake said he does a lot around camp. of course he does because clay doesn’t do anything. glad jake and helen’s loved spouses made it to the final two. the boiled tarantula is like a peach jeff? these two are so dedicated. the bugs being boiled doesn’t help jeff. no man on this tribe loves his wife as much as jake does i guarantee it. not even ted with his 150-200% love for his wife. .....you wanna do what’s right now helen? voting out ghandia was okay in your eyes but voting out brian is too much? how annoying.”i feel like i could run through a brick wall” but said positively? what jakey boy? damn okay well see you later jake he’s absolutely going at this tribal. girl brian would absolutely play you for a fool and dupe you. are you dumb? congratulations on more boring gameplay you guys! i am gonna guess how everyone is gonna go: ted next, then either helen or jan, with final two clay and brian.

the ice skating analogy is unbelievably uncool brian. that gave me second hand embarrassment. just because you fucked up and gave him the answer doesn’t mean he has to get on his knees and thank you. what are you god? brian’s entitlement is infuriating. “what needs to be done” and in fine print “let me, brian, win the whole game” this is the exact gameplay i hate in survivor. did you guys not come here to WIN and you still leave brian in the game despite having said multiple times no one can win against him. a helen ted alliance would be nice and interesting but that’s not gonna happen. can ted shut the fuck up. yelling like that is so disrespectful and undignified. fully called ted going next. it’s just too obvious and boring.

im bored. so helen’s next imagine. yeah wow im soooo shocked you’re choosing helen. this is so interesting im really on the edge of my seat. what will happen next???? i hate this season. why are they acting like they’re hands are tied? like what? “i’m gonna kill myself” jan???? clay....when you talk like that it will make the jury hate you and they won’t vote for you? wow.....im simply shocked that brian voted out jan. i never expected this to happen. wow. what good tv. oh my god,,,,,this jury hates them. brian doesn’t know a single thing about his tribe members AND is lying straight to everyone’s faces. this tracks hard. don’t like ted but.....oop. love this roast. bringing up racist comments, insult after insult. no not the whole jury laughing at helen going in on brian. i love how much this jury hates these two and how much they don’t want to vote for either. yay brian won, i hate this fucking season. 

all in all i will give this season a 0/10. i hated every second of it and it felt like torture. the gameplay was weak and boring. no one was interesting. the only good things about this season was the two tribes living on one beach before merging but that was absolutely wasted on this cast of people, worst thing i have had the displeasure of watching in a LONG time. 

[besthimbomachine]

Ok ok yeah that seems like the most deranged elite 4 which Great. However I'd change like one thing, I'd take Claudio out cause I think Bcc really needs to own the fighting type gym but Yuta isn't quite gym leader level yet.

I'd probably replace Claudio with MJF just cause the bastard is holding the heavyweight title and who says you can't buy your way into the elite 4? No idea what his team would be but I bet he'd be so annoying after you defeat him.

Long post therefore read more

Like I said, bcc would be fighting type gym, Claudio is the leader and there aren't multiple trainers just one guy you fight multiple times cause he just won't quit, Yuta. The mini game puzzle thing involves switches and Claudio doing the big swing to yeet you into the next area every time. When you defeat Claudio he will tell you that "yeah, maybe you can be the one to defeat Mox", yuta spent all his battles with you saying you could never defeat mox but he is just too enthusiastic

I'd put the Bucks as a fairy type gym cause if they wanna dress like that and do what is a circus routine (affectionate) they are fairies. Their fight is a double battle. You fight Brendan and Michael, twice each. Once you are get the badge they tell you "we have a friend who defeated the elite 4 too, maybe you'll meet him if you win". For the puzzle I dunno I'd think it's gonna be that Pokémon beauty show thing you have as a minigame. Also I'd say them and the fighting gym are the highest level ones.

HoB is ghost type and it's the classic lights off lights on puzzle, every time you turn the lights on one of the members appear and when they lose it's lights off again. Until you find Malakai, he will give you the badge but say NOTHING.

Dark type is the Dark Order, I can't think of what the mini game is but they are VERY enthusiastic about it. And I'd say they put - 1 as the gym leader, and once you defeat them they ask if you wanna join the dark order. If you do, hangman will comment on it before your fight. Between them and HoB you'll start thinking this region has some sort of cult problem.

The ice type gym is the usual ice skating shenanigans but the first guy you fight is a looks like a weirdo because it's Danhausen. Then you fight the best friends in separate but there is always one at the back for support, they are best friends. Of course orange is the gym leader, he gives you the badge with a whatever.

And there is also the steel type gym, it's the acclaimed, also a double battle. This is yet another gym where you only fight one trainer who just won't quit, it's daddy ass. I can't think of their puzzle but they will let you do the scissoring thing when they give you the badge.

Also they are like an earlier gym and later on you meet some npcs that when they see you have that badge they say "these guys stole our dad!" and you are locked in a double battle with the gunns. They lose and say they don't even care their dad was a deadbeat anyways.

I think Bryan and Kenny as post game bosses who were player characters os great, can't think of their teams but I'd give Bryan some of the more classic Pokémon. Kenny needs at least one fairy type because of his relation with the Bucks and I'd give him at least one over the top Pokémon because God of Pro Wrestling

Your rival is Daniel Garcia he wants to impress his dad who is in the Elite 4. The villain is Christian Cage who wants to make Pokémon human hybrids, his first victim was Luchasaurus. When you defeat him Luchasaurus is not turned back but he goes back to teaching at the Pokémon trainer school, where you found jungle boy sad cause his favorite teacher had gone missing.

Chris wears spiky clothes because he has the Pokémon ability rough skin. Real helpful in a wrestling match which is 100% physical attacks

[kudouusagi]

Hasegawa Langa (Skaters backstage)

Hasegawa Langa S Name: Snow Sign: Aquarius Birthday: February 8th Height 178cm (5'10) Weight: 64kg (141lbs) Blood type: AB

A second year high school student. He's a returnee from Canada to his mother's hometown of Okinawa, Japan. He’s kind of spacey but he can also be really stubborn. When his father died he distanced himself from snowboarding, but when he met Reki he started to learn the fun of skating.

I see. Skating... is fun!

A Former Snowboarder He snowboarded with his father since he was 2. He can use that experience to show off a distinctive skating style. His high jumps and his ability to gain air are just like snowboarding. They started to call him Snow at “S” before he even know it.

He goes straight for his interests He doesn’t show interest in many things, but he’s interested in what’s in Reki’s bentou, and from the way his eyes shone at the beach, he just goes straight for his interests. In BEEFs we see him get immersed in the tingling excitement of skating and so it can be dangerous too.

A Big Eater For lunch he had a big bag with a large bread and a liter of milk, and at the burger shop he eats a pile of burgers, so contrary to his appearance, he’s a big eater. Even at the ramen shop, if you look closely on the counter in front of him there’s multiple empty bowls that he’d finished piled up.

Director Utsumi Comment When we decided he’d be a former snowboarder, we decided his hair color and his personality not long after. Since he was designed as a set with Reki the balance was important, since Reki is a rough and tumble type, Langa is the pretty boy. I think he was probably the most difficult for the art staff to draw. If you’re off even by a little bit he doesn’t look like Langa, and so he gained the top ranking for the character with the  most revisions in the series (lol). Since he’s half Canadian, his bone structure is a bit thicker. Because he's a former athlete he's got quite a bit of muscle, so actually while he looks thin, he's tightly packed so he's heavy! It’s all thanks to the way that Chiba-san designed him and I’m so grateful! The other characters have more flashy clothing, so actually his simple clothing makes him stand out.

Character Designer Chiba Michinori Comment He’s the most delicate to draw because the smallest movement of hair changes his whole feel completely. That’s why at the beginning I would present my rough draft first and then clean it up but I remember getting told “something’s off”... Since his clothes are so simple there’s really no room for error and he really put my drawing skills to the test. While he just wears a simple shirt, you have to feel the quality of it and make it seem like it’s been ironed. If it looks wrinkled it’s out. By the way, director Utsumi said that “Langa can’t show skin” and so he wears long sleves. His eyes are blue with one highlight and and 1 layer of shadow, but in close ups Director Utsumi would add another color according to her own whims.

Colorist Gotou Yukari Comment His whole blue and while image being like snow was all Director Utsumi’s idea. I tried making his hair silver with a slight bluish tint but I had to think about how he would balance with Reki and so that’s how he ended up this color, and his skin Director Utsumi was really insistent on being surprisingly white. I was worried that when you glanced at him at him you’d think he looked sick, so I added a little bit of red in the shadows to make him look healthy. Since his eyes would be covered by his bangs I made them a turquoise blue so they would stand out between the gaps, and I really was focused on making his eyes pretty. Since Langa’s casual clothes are monotone, I had a hard time finding the right mix of white, blue grey, blue, navy blue and black every time. His “S” costume is also a simple a light grey shirt and a bright blue denim jean. The other character’s costumes are so unique and flashy so it was easy to differentiate them, and I think that his snow image is really emphasized against ADAM’s red color.

[random-genshin-things]

Savior (Childe x Medic Reader) Ch 10

Link to Ch 9

Link to Ch 1

.

After Tartaglia's confession, you spent the next few weeks together. On slow days and days off, Tartaglia would take you all over Liyue, from Mt. Tianheng to Qingce Village. He would take you to see the most incredible places during the day, telling you stories about how he'd found the place or retelling what he remembered about what Zhongli said. Every now and then as you were marveling at the views Tartaglia would sneak in a comment.

"If you love seeing new places you should come to Snezhnaya."

"This lake is beautiful. You know in Snezhnaya when it gets cold enough we skate on the lakes. I'll teach you when you come to visit."

"The view is lovely. You'll love the views of Snezhnaya in the winter. When everything is frozen, covered in snow and ice the trees sparkle and gleam. It's incredible."

At night, you would often eat in Liyue Harbor. Tartaglia liked to take you to the most renowned restaurants in Liyue: Luili Pavilion, Xinyue Kiosk, and Wanmin Restaurant were common. He always insisted on paying stating that it was his treat. While you had tried to protest and at least split the bill, you were never successful and he would often swipe the bill when you were distracted. The one time you had managed to pay he brought you flowers for a week saying it was to make up for dinner.

On the days when he was busy with work, you would travel around with Anya and sometimes Zhongli. It was on one of these days that you were having dinner with Anya at a restaurant that Zhongli had recommended called Third-Round Knockout. It was a tavern located in Chihu Rock just across the bridge into Liyue Harbor. Third-Round Knockout was located in a fairly large building with outdoor seating. The building had multiple eaves and gables and green tile roofing. Zhongli had recommended it particularly because of the storyteller Iron Tongue Tian, but you and Anya were excited about the reasonable price for a good meal. Sitting at a table outside, you were telling Anya about an adventure with Tartaglia to Minlin to collect Qingxin flowers. As there was a lull in the conversation Anya spoke up.

"You really do like him don't you?" She gave you a look that said she could read you like a book.

You nodded with a soft smile not even trying to deny it. "I do."

Anya gave a wry smile "He's at least treating you well. After all, how many times has he taken you to Luili Pavilion and Xinyue Kiosk?" She said playfully teasing you.

"Anya!" You rolled your eyes at your friend as she giggled.

"But in all seriousness, Have you spoken with him about what happens when you leave? We're getting back on a boat in two days." Anya raised a good point.

Your smile dropped. Two days? Was it that soon? Honestly, you had lost track of time. Which meant you hadn't even told Tartaglia how soon you were leaving, let alone discussed what would happen when you did. Anya could read your thoughts on your face.

"Oh Archons. You haven't talked with him yet have you?" She questioned already knowing the answer.

Biting your lip, you nodded solemnly. "I... hadn't even thought about it myself..." You needed to speak with Tartaglia. Anya brought her cup carefully to her lips and took a sip of her tea before replying.

"Well, are you seeing him tomorrow? If not, you'd better find him, unless you want him to think you've disappeared." Anya was right.

Tomorrow you will find time to speak with Tartaglia. He needed to know and you needed to come up with a plan if you didn't want this budding relationship to come to an abrupt conclusion.

.....

The next day you were standing in Northland Bank hoping to find Tartaglia. Suddenly, two fatui soldiers stopped in front of you. One of them elbowed the other and frantically gestured to you.

"Oh you're Lord Tartaglia's lover!" A voice called out to you.

Your head shot up to look at the two men who you soon recognized as the soldiers you spoke with when you returned Tartaglia's jacket. They both bowed in greeting.

"Are you here to see Lord Tartaglia? Unfortunately he's not here right now, but we can inform him that you're looking for him." The man on the right in the red uniform said, offering a smile.

You smiled at the two men as you replied. "Thank you. I'll wait for him here."

The two soldiers left you with a wave. You waited for another few hours before a pair a black boots stopped in front of you.

"Ah so you really did wait here. Two of my subordinates came to find me and told me you were waiting here for me." Tartaglia smiled down at you. "How about we head to Luili Pavilion for dinner? My treat since you were so kind as to wait for me."

The walk to Luili Pavilion was short but you were filled with dread knowing that you were about to inform Tartaglia that you were leaving in less than twelve hours. You kept going over phases in your head trying to pick out the best way to start the conversation and break the news to him. But everything you come up with just felt wrong. Worse it seemed Tartaglia was starting to pick up on how quiet you were being. As the two of you sat down, he gave you a serious look.

"What's wrong? You're remarkably quiet today." His tone was filled with concern and a hint of dread.

You sighed deeply. "We... need to talk..." Your words trailed off again as you struggled to find what you wanted to say.

The look on Tartaglia's face hardened as he looked away from you.

"You don't want to see me anymore." His tone was self deprecating and full of dejection. You jumped at that conclusion immediately trying to rectify the misunderstanding and assuage his fears.

"No! That's not it at all!" Your outburst drew looks from the patrons around you. You cleared your throat before continuing.

"I don't want to leave you.... But I have to return to Sumeru... tomorrow." You barely got the words out. It felt like your chest was constructing and suffocating you as you waited for his reply.

Tartaglia's eyes widened in both shock and understanding. "You're leaving tomorrow..." He sounded like he almost couldn't believe it.

"Yes. I meant to talk to you sooner, but I lost track of time. I was having so much fun, I didn't even think about leaving. I want to keep seeing you. I really like you." You cut your rambling off as you watched Tartaglia lean his face on his hand smiling at you. He reached his other hand out to hold yours, running his thumb over your knuckles in a soothing manner.

"I'll find a way."

He didn't elaborate any further, but he spoke with such conviction that you naturally found yourself trusting him. For the rest of dinner, you both spoke as if nothing was going to change until Tartaglia walked you back to your inn for the final time.

You didn't want to part from him. Your affections for the Harbinger had only developed further the more time you spent with him. You had slowly grown to love this man that you had risked your life to save just a few months ago. So when he stopped in front of the inn to wish you good night you couldn't contain yourself. You threw your arms around his shoulders and held him close. Tartaglia slowly returned your embrace, wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you closer. You rested your head in the crook of his neck. No words needed to be said for you two to understand one another. Both of you stood silently, just enjoying the feeling of being in one another's arms under the stars and lantern lights of Liyue Harbor.

.....

The boat back was leaving at the crack of dawn so you would not have time to find Tartaglia again before departing from Liyue. And even if you had time it's not like he was going to be hanging around Northland Bank at all hours with nothing better to do. You and Anya had brought your trunks to the docks to be loaded onto the ship. Anya glanced back at you and one look told her everything.

"Sad to be leaving? It's written all over your face. You miss him already don't you?" There was no teasing in her voice, just the earnest remarks of a caring friend.

You gave a solemn sigh, forcing a smile then nodding softly.

"Hey, maybe he'll come to the docks to see you off." Anya's attempts to cheer you up were appreciated but not quite helping.

As the captain gave the signal to board, you could hear the creeping of heavy footsteps running on the wooden floor boards of the docks.

"Wait!"

You knew that voice. You turned just in time to see Tartaglia before he pulled you into his chest.

"Don't go. We can petition the Akademiya to have you stay here and continue your work. I-I can get you accommodations here, you wouldn't have to leave." You looked up to see Tartaglia's eyes pleading with you.

He continued. "I have some time off coming up. I was planning to go home to Morepesok, you can come with me. You'll get to meet my parents and siblings. They'd love to meet you. I know they'll adore you!" You could feel Tartaglia's grip tighten as you considered his offer.

"I know it's a lot to ask. But.." He locked eyes with you pausing for a moment. Tension was rising as you waited with baited breath for his next words.

"I love you. I love you so much and I don't want you to go."

And you loved him. You didn't even stop to think. Without a moment of hesitation, you brought your lips to meet his. The kiss was soft but full of your feelings. Tartaglia froze for a moment before his hand came up to the back of your head and tangled in your hair deepening your kiss. You pulled apart slowly and Tartaglia beamed with pleasure.

"Does this mean you'll consider staying?" His words were filled with a level of hope that scarce allowed himself. Your lips parted to speak but you were cut off before you had the chance to reply.

"I'm going back. I'll help petition the Akademiya and inform them that you've chosen to stay here to continue with your research." Both of you whipped your heads to Anya at her offer. You were quite startled.

"You mean... you'll help us?" You ask ready to squeeze your friend to death.

Anya crossed her arms and gave you a knowing smirk.

"If you came back with me now you'd be nothing but miserable. And while I don't particularly like the Fatui, it's clear that he strongly cares for you and that you return his feelings with full force. I'm not heartless enough to ruin my best friend's happiness due to my grievances. However..." Anya turned to Tartaglia. "If you hurt her, I will come down on you with all the force of a Snezhnayan blizzard. Understand?" Her words were as frosty as the glare she held.

But Tartaglia just nodded and happily grinned. "I promise I'll take good care of her and keep her away from Snezhnaya's darker sides." And his promise was worth everything.

Anya gave a single nod. "You'd better." If looks could kill, Anya's glares could take out an entire army. She turned to the stevedore and requested that your trunk be unloaded. Soon the ship was off with one less passenger. You and Tartaglia waved to Anya as the ship embarked on its journey to Sumeru.

..……

The trip to Sumeru had been calm except for Anya's swirling thoughts. She knew it was the right decision for you to stay in Liyue, but how would she explain to everyone else that she'd left you in Liyue in the care of a Fatui Harbinger? A Harbinger who was now your lover. Everyone would lose it! Especially Jean-Pierre. Anya had her suspicions that Jean-Pierre's feelings for you were a bit stronger than friendship. And the Fatui had practically ruined his family. If there was one person in the world who would take this news the worst, it would be him. Monika wouldn't be too pleased either. Mondstadt might have been political allies with the Fatui on paper, but Mondstadters despised the Fatui. Anya had no idea how she was going to explain the situation to them without them immediately getting on the next boat to Liyue in an attempt to bring you home.

As the ship docked in Port Ormos, Anya's fears began to manifest. Both Jean-Pierre and Monika were waiting at the docks for you. This would be fun. As Anya disembarked and approached the two Jean-Pierre was the first to speak.

"Where's Y/N?" He wasn't making any accusations yet but his tone wasn't happy go lucky either. Anya could sense herself begin to fidget with the strap of her satchel.

"S-she chose to stay in Liyue to continue her research." Anya's voice wavered slightly when faced with the onslaught of both of your friends.

Jean-Pierre's jaw dropped and Monika spoke up.

"You let her stay there alone?" Monika was not having it.

Anya fumbled for a good answer.

"She's not alone... you know the man she saved in Mondstadt? Turns out he works in Liyue." Anya knew that wouldn't placate them entirely but she hoped her words would settle them a little bit.

Jean-Pierre recovered but was quickly growing enraged. He and Anya never got on well at all.

"You mean you left her with some guy?!" He was practically fuming as he spit out his words.

Anya was also getting annoyed with him.

"He's not some guy. They're... close now. Besides, he's far more powerful than any of us. If anything he'd be able to protect her better than you could." Anya shot back, not being able to resist taking a dig at Jean-Pierre. Monika raised an eyebrow at Anya's words.

"A powerful man from Snezhnaya?"

The instant those words left Monika's mouth Anya knew she had messed up. Badly.

"Who exactly is this man?" Jean-Pierre seethed through gritted teeth.

Anya searched for an answer, any answer, as another researcher stepped off the boat.

"Oh are you talking about the Harbinger?" The offhand comment made by the other researcher who happened to witness the exchange sank any attempts Anya could make to defend you.

Everyone froze. Anya could feel the cold sweat running down her back. This was not good.

Jean-Pierre spoke up. "Harbinger?"

"Yes. I overheard and assumed you were talking about the other researcher that stayed in Liyue with the Eleventh Harbinger." The research replied completely oblivious to the growing tension. Anya had lost all colour in her face as Jean-Pierre and Monika took in this new information before turning heated glares to her.

"Did Y/N stay back in Liyue with a Fatui Harbinger?" Jean-Pierre's eyes were deadly cold.

"S-She saved his life. He's completely devoted to her. He won't harm her." Anya could sense that she was only digging a deeper hole.

"Devoted.... You said they were close... How close?" Monika had crossed her arm and while she was slightly calmer than Jean-Pierre, her jaw was clenched tightly.

"I-I—" Anya's words were quickly cut off by Jean-Pierre.

"Forget it. I'm going to Liyue and I'm bringing Y/N back. I'll kill that bastard if I have to." Jean-Pierre had started walking away with his statement.

"Wait! You can't just leave! You'd have to petition the board for permission!" Anya called after him in a desperate attempt to stop him. Jean-Pierre slowly turned his head to look over his shoulder at the two women. His eyes were steely and cold.

"Watch me."

With that he turned on his heel and was gone.

.

Link to Ch 11

[msookyspooky]

Movie Date

Randy Meeks x GN!Reader•Smut•🔞🍋• One Shot • Public Play •

You and Randy had been dating for a few months now while at college. Feelings you had as teens in Woodsboro grew while going to Windsor University until you finally bit the bullet and asked him. He said yes without any hesitation; secretly relieved because he was trying to ask you for weeks and was just trying to find the courage to do it.

Usually, your dates consisted of going to the drive in a town away to make out in his Volkswagen or to your local mom and pop owned dairy shed before going back to your dorm or his. Once he surprised you by taking you to a skating rink. He was actually surprisingly good. So, it was your idea to go to the movies in an actual movie theater. Why not? He loved movies and you did too. He refused to let you pay even if you asked him on the date. You let him pay just to come back from a bathroom break with a large popcorn and two large drinks.

He gave you a pout as you just shrugged with a coy smirk and handed him his.

"YN, can you not just let me be the guy here and pay? You're wounding my pride."

You rolled your eyes and offered some popcorn. "Oh no, not your wounded male pride...Hey, I asked you. I'm paying for something here. You've paid for the last three dates. You don't got that videostore money anymore, remember?"

"That doesn't matter. This probably costed more than both tickets."

"It did but...You can repay me later." You mumbled with teasing smile.

He gave you lopsided grin as he took a handful of popcorn. "Oh really? Wow, you take a guy on a date, buy him a few snacks, just to expect him to put out?"

You shhed him with a giggle as a group picked seats a few rows down. He smiled and winked at you before popping a piece in his mouth.

You picked a Wednesday night with only a few groups there and you insisted on sitting up top near the back. It was the Stab movie that had already been out for weeks. You both were leery of going to see it but there really was nothing else playing that interested either one if you. He suggested Stab after seeing the line up. You asked him multiple times "Are you sure?" and he replied "Yep." everytime.

You left the party early with another group. Only a social friend with Randy's. Sidney and Tatum talked to you a bit and Stu only talked to you here and there because of Tatum. Billy was cold with you but you thought he was with everyone. When you woke up the next morning to hear the news, you were shocked. You visited Randy and Sidney after that to offer your condolences and a steady friendship slowly blossomed afterwards. You three attended Windsor, Randy subtly urging you to pick between Kent and Windsor since both he Sid were going to the latter. So, the rest just fell into place.

The minute the movie started, he had on and off comments. You expected that and you had comments too. But the more the movie progressed, you soon realized why you both never went before...Because it's Randy.

"Oh , come on! You never, ever go upstairs! Sid wouldn't do that!"

You saw the woman a few rows down turn over her shoulder to give you both a side glare. You shot her an apologetic look you doubted she even saw in the dark movie house.

"Randy." You muttered. "Just watch the movie. Please."

"Yeah, but babe...This is seriously just wrong on so many levels. Sidney would never run upstairs like you're generic horror lead. "

"Were you there?"

"...No. But still. And why do they have my character so stupid and wimpy?!"

You smirked a little. "Aw, I think they got a cute actor to play you."

"Oh please."

"No, really. Original is still top tier but not a bad rendition."

You barely saw the sideways smirk pulling at his lips when the screen was lit. You cuddled up to him as he wrapped an arm around you. He was wearing that cologne you liked so much. The one that had a spicy sweetness to it. You complimented it one time, had him blushing and that's all it took to become his signature scent. You both took turns eating popcorn, hands touching every so often as you both smiled and gave each other a glance.

You weren't surprised they didn't have you on there. After all, you had left right after Tatum was supposedly killed. You did feel guilty. 'What if I had went to the garage for a drink and warned everyone before they left? A huge crowd couldn't all be killed.'

But you knew that you would have been in this movie too...On the chopping block and your actor drenched in cornsyrup.

It was getting to the halfway point when you cringed as Randy clapped his hand loudly on his thigh before gesturing to the movie screen. "Oh my freakin God- Are they serious?!"

'We should have waited for it to come out on tape.' You thought as you groaned to yourself and rubbed a hand down your face.

Someone shhed you guys from down below. Randy scoffed back. "Hey, I lived through this. It's wrong by the way!" He called to them as they shot him a glare.

You grabbed his arm and pulled him close. "Randy, you are going to get us kicked out!" You took a deep breath before whispering. "Look, I know you love horror and this is you on there. I know this is probably very surreal and very hard not to comment on but just try to save it till we get to the car. Okay?"

He gave a sheepish nod and bit his inner cheek to quiet himself. You held his hand and leaned your head on his shoulder. Thinking maybe he wasn't as okay with it as he pretended to be. It lasted 10 minutes before Tatum's death scene. It was a bit alarming seeing it but not as bad as you imagined. The blood was almost pink and the low budget actress looked nothing like her. That fact made it easier to watch. You glanced over to see him struggling not to say something. His fingers drummed the arm of the chair as he concentrated on the screen ahead. You squeezed his hand as he glanced down at you. You nuzzled into his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around you a pulled you close to him once again.

You were shocked at how quiet he was. A peaceful smile gracing your lips... And then it got to his part on the couch.

"THE RULE IS NO SEX FOR EVERYONE NOT JUST GIRLS, YOU IDIOT!" He yelled. You jumped at his sudden outburst before cringing.

Multiple people from a few rows down whipped around as you shrank into your seat. They glared and shhed you both before turning back to watch the movie.

He shot you a grimace as you gave him an annoyed glare. "I'm sorry but this is downright out pathetic! How am I supposed to stay quiet?!"

You leaned away from him and stared at him with a raised brow. "What is it going to take for you to sit here and silently enjoy the movie? Hm?"

"Okay, sorry. But...Look, it's not easy watching your actor be a total moron, alright? I can only contain myself so much." He mumbled and adjusted himself in his seat as you scolded him.

Your eyes darted down out of instinct as he shifted in his seat. He was filling out more from when you both were teens. A white polo shirt under a brown leather jacket, matching shoes and belt and faded jeans. You bit your lip as he moved around in his seat, lifting his hips up. A wicked idea formed in your mind as you remembered what his hands did to you last week at the drive in in your car. He is all eyes and ears with horror movies so you purposely picked a romantic comedy you knew he'd be bored with just to fool around...It worked.

You leaned forward, eyes roaming back down before slowly gazing back up at him. "What is the one thing that's going to make you hush for 5 minutes? Since you just can't contain yourself."

He went to answer when you sat the popcorn on the ground beside you. No one else was in the last row with you both and no one was in the next row down either. It was at a scene where everyone was yelling at Stu's actor saying he'd 'be right back.'

You reached over and kneaded his inner thigh through his jeans. His breath hitched and you felt his leg jump when you eased upward. He glanced over at you with wide eyes.

"YN, we're in public-"

"So? You better be quiet then, huh? Hate to draw attention to us...Right?" You leaned over to whisper in his ear. You could practically feel the heat radiating off his face as your hand rubbed up and his breath hitched once more. He didn't push your hand away. In fact, his legs spread open for you ever so slightly. "R-Right." He replied with a nod.

He gripped the seat with one hand and covered his mouth with the other. Your fingers gently massaged through his jeans as you felt him shift in his seat. You grinned when it became a noticeable bulge in his jeans with every little squeeze. You couldn't help the smirk pulling at your lips as his eyes closed and a shaky sigh escaped him.

You didn't waste time unzipping him once it was hard, excitment building in you at just the idea. You bit your lip when it sprang out. He looked down as your hand wrapped around him and his lower abdomen flexed in response.

You started caressing your hand gently from his sack to his shaft. Barely fondling them before slowly sliding up. Running your fingers on the underside of his length. His dick was flinching at your touch. You couldn't help the cruel urge to tickle your fingers near the tip. He released a loud whimper before his eyes widened and he clamped his mouth shut with his hand.

He shot you a glare at that.

"Sorry, too sensitive? Better keep quiet. I think that lady might have heard that." You teased him as he nervously glanced to the back of her head a few rows down.

You reached over as your hand enveloped his entire cock and your lips found the side of his neck. Nipping and sucking at his skin as your hand found a slow rhythm. Twisting your wrist as you moved your hand up and down at an easy pace. Randy bit his lip and moved his hips lower in his seat. Trying to get as close to your hand as possible.

"YN, please-"

"Shh...We have a good 20 minutes til the end."

He whined in his throat at that as you took your sweet time. Gliding up and down as you watched the screen. Every so often you would go back to kissing at his neck. You lost track of the movie and you knew he wasn't even paying attention now. Completely enraptured with the way your hand twisted around him. He wasn't usually this urgent or loud...You guessed doing this in such a public place and teasing him for so long had him horny beyond beilef.

You could hear his breathing beside you as his hips started to buck up into your hand. "YN...I need it-"

"Shhhhhhh. Hush." You cooed softly before licking up the shell of his ear. He released a strangled whimper and closed his eyes. A death grip on his seat as he tried to cover his mouth with his other hand as tightly as he could.

"You enjoying the movie, Ray?"

He urgently nodded, eyes slammed shut and hips rolling to meet you stroking him. You chuckled low in your throat as your hand squeezed him. He choked out a moan, jerking his head to the side in frustration.

He looked over at you. Mouth parted and eyes begging. "YN, please! Please someone will see or hear...Hurry...I need it so, so freakin badly."

It had been a good 10 minutes of you slowly working him into a frenzy. A screaming chase scene was happening and you doubted anyone could hear him. You still couldn't help teasing. Gripping him tightly to slowly but firmly slide down his shaft.

You smirked at him, knowing exactly what to say next to have him a trembling mess. "You'd like that, wouldn't you? Someone catching us and seeing me stroking this gorgeous cock you have-"

His eyes rolled into the back of his head at that as he bit his knuckle to quiet himself. He gave you a glance as you loosened your wrist and rubbed the underside of his head. Your stomach did a flip at the look he gave you. In-between a glare and a lust filled hunger. His eyes hodded with his head tilted downward. Biting his finger to quiet himself as he groaned under his breath. Not breaking eye contact.

You swallowed. Your own lust getting the better of you as you felt how slick his cock was getting with pre cum. It leaked onto your fingers as it twitched in your hand.

You glanced at the forgotten movie to see it was at the phone call scene with Stu and Billy's actor.

He stopped biting his knuckle to huff at you. "I need it, YN. Please, fucking please!"

You gave a bashful smirk at how desperate he sounded. It was turning you on just from watching him. "Well...We are at the climax."

His eyes shot wide open as you quicked your pace. You bit your own lip at the slight wet noises you could hear every so often as your hand moved in a blur. Moving fast up and down his cock as Randy released a loud, strained groan.

You stopped when you saw someone shift in the seat ahead of you. Not breathing for a second and firmly holding your hand in place to see what they were doing. You sighed to yourself as you saw they were just reaching for their popcorn.

"YN...Don't stop. Please don't stop, don't fucking stop, don't-" He begged you as his chest rose and fell and his cock thumped in your hand. He rolled his hips, trying to get as much friction as possible.

You swallowed as you circled your palm over his head. He groaned loudly again. Without thinking, you brought your other hand up to shove two fingers into his mouth. Turned on yourself and instinctively doing whatever you thought would get him off quietly.

"Shut up. Do you want everyone is this theater to hear you begging me to jerk you off?" You hissed low enough only he could hear it.

Your hand picked up the pace again as he sucked at your fingers and his hips bucked up to meet your strokes. You felt yourself twitch in your seat as his tongue rolled over your fingertips. The sensation shooting straight between your legs. "Fuck Ray..."

You felt his throat vibrate with a low moan before he mouthed your name over your fingers. You twisted your wrist as fast as you could before focusing on the sensitive bundle of nerves near the tip. Twisting back and forth while roughly moving up and down. You knew it was the secret trick that would have him spasming in pleasure.

His head finally rolled back and a muffled cry was blocked by your fingers. Your hand rubbed at his tip as his thigh trembled. His hot cum shot into your hand as his cock jumped. You forced him to ride it out as his hips raised off his seat and he bit down slightly. His lower abs clenched and rolled as his cock jumped as a few spurts of cum came out into your palm. You gasped at him biting your fingers as his eyes rolled back once more and he groaned loudly.

Too loud.

Your eyes widened as you saw someone turn their head to look up. You jerked your hands away from both his mouth and cock to crash your lips against his. Just to give the illusion that noise that came out of him was from kissing alone. You saw them shake their head at what they thought was two horny kids making out...Little did they know.

He moaned into your mouth. Earning a small gasp from you as he grabbed the back of your head and rolled his tongue over yours lips. His mouth greedily rolling over yours as a small whimper escaped you. You shifted in your seat, nothing but heat pooling in between your thighs and that ache forming in the lowest part of your pelvis. He was turning you on more than you imagined.

You pulled away as he breathlessly stared at you, the movies final scene illuminating you both. The sticky cum coating your palm and the tip of his cock.

He reached past you and used a napkin that came with your drink to clean off. You did the same to your hand.

He leaned back in the seat to catch his breath but didn't stop giving you that intense glare that made you close your legs and shift in your seat.

He zipped himself up as he mumbled. "You...That was...Holy shit...Wow." He breathed out. He smirked with a huff escaping him. "You are going to get it. Big time."

Your eyes widened. "O-oh?"

He slowly nodded with a leacherous grin. "Oh yeah."

You gasped as his hand shot out in-between your legs. Rubbing your upper thigh. You instantly opened them with a sigh as he kissed at your neck and down your collar bone.

"But...There's only like 5 minutes of the movie left!"

He pulled back his head to mumbling into your ear. "Well, you'll be eager to get back to the car then now won't you?"

You grabbed his hand and moved where you wanted it most. The game switching up and him smirking at how your hips rolled onto his hand. You couldn't wait for this stupid movie to be over.

[drabbles-mc]

Disaster Dates: Hell on Wheels

EZ Reyes x F!Reader

Disaster Dates Masterlist

Prompt from This Post: Person A and Person B go roller skating together but one of them falls and gets hurt and they end up spending their romantic night out in the ER.

Warnings: language, hospitals, talk of injuries, talk of pain meds

Word Count: 2.6k

A/N: I was so excited to write this one! Hope y’all enjoy!

EZ Reyes Taglist: @ly--canthrope @noz4a2 @queenbeered @sincerelyasomebody @sadeyesgf @thesandbeneathmytoes @appropriate-writers-name @tomhardydallasstarsgirl @multiyfandomgirl40 @kelpies-shed @louisianalady @gemini0410 @paintballkid711 @chibsytelford @yourwonkywriter @sesamepancakes @behindmyeyes-insidemyhead @plentyoffandoms @georgiaaintnopeach @twistnet @themoonandthewicked @garbinge @bucky-iss-bae @enjoy-the-destruction @encounterthepast @rosieposie0624 @mylittlelonelyappreciationtoo @mijop @xladymacbethx @blessedboo @holl2712 @lakamaa12 @masterlistforimagines @lilah1903 @toni9 @shadow-of-wonder @crowfootwrites @redpoodlern @punkgoddess-98 @black-repunzel99 @lexondeck @mrsstevenbuchananstark @lovebishoplosamiguelgalindos @amorestevens @angelreyesisdaddy04 @mijagif @frattsparty @winchestershiresauce @bellisperennis0 @beardburnsupersoldiers @mveggieburger @thanossexual @xeniarocks @choochoo284 @littlekittymeow​ @beardsanddetectives​ @bruxasolta​ @i-love-scott-mccall​ @doritosandjellybeans​ @withmyteeth​ @buckybarneshairpullingkink​ @broiderie​ (If you want to be added to the taglist, let me know!)

It was the first day off that EZ had had in a while, and he had told you that he had the whole day planned out already. It was going to be a day for just the two of you, instead of just a date night you’d have his undivided attention for the entire day. He didn’t have to talk you into it.

He’d been vague and secretive about the entire thing, and while you wanted him to tell you everything that he had planned, you also liked the element of mystery. You liked the effort, and you weren’t going to press him about it too much. You asked what you should wear, if you needed to pack anything for the day. He told you that he’d handle the packing, all you had to do was wear something comfortable for the day, something you could move around in. The two of you would be able to come back and change before dinner. Everything about what he'd said only increased your excitement.

You could hear him shuffling around down the hall in the kitchen as you leafed through your dresser drawers in an attempt to pick out just the right outfit. Something comfortable. Something you could move in. Those words played on repeat in your head the longer you scanned over every article of clothing you owned. You finally decided on a pair of leggings, a pair that weren’t just comfortable but also made your legs and your ass look better than any other pair, and a loose, fun cropped t-shirt. You looked over yourself in the mirror, pleased with the outcome—the high waist on your leggings made it so you could get just the slightest peek of skin if you raised your arms.

As you were finishing up your hair and makeup in the bathroom, you heard the sound of EZ’s boots as he came down the hall. He poked his head in, both of you watching each other through the reflection of the mirror. You laughed quietly at the smile on his face as you finished putting your earrings in.

The first thing you noticed about him was that he wasn’t wearing his kutte. That was interesting to you for multiple reasons, but most of all it meant that the two of you probably weren’t going to be taking the bike anywhere. It was so rare these days that you saw him without it, that seeing him standing there in his plain black t-shirt and jeans almost made it seem like he was dressing for a special occasion. You wanted to comment on the fact that you didn’t exactly consider jeans clothing that is easy to move around in, but he wore jeans for everything so it wasn’t too surprising.

“This okay for the mystery date?” you turned to face him, holding your arms out as an invitation to give you a once-over.

He smiled, nodding as he stepped in closer, resting his hands on your hips, “It’s perfect.”

“That’s what I like to hear,” you said with a laugh.

He slid his hands up beneath the fabric of your shirt, smirking as his fingers grazed along the skin of your back, “You’re always perfect.”

You shook your head before kissing him lightly on the lips, “If you’re planning on getting out of this house for your big date day, you better not get too carried away with those hands,” you kissed him again, “Or I won’t let us leave.”

He laughed, kissing you on the cheek before pulling away, “Alright, alright.”

You were walking out to his pickup truck and you saw him pushing the tailgate closed. You got a brief glimpse of the bag in the back, but it just looked like his gym bag, which didn’t give you any answers whatsoever.

“Whatcha got back there?” you asked, raising your eyebrows.

He shook his head, amusement in his voice, “Don’t worry about it.”

The first stop of the day was your favorite coffee shop. Not only did they have the best coffee, but you were also convinced that the only person in Santo Padre who could make better breakfast muffins was Chucky. And that was no small feat. As the two of you sat at your little café table and talked, you fought the urge to try and pry about what the rest of the day had in store for the two of you.

“Alright,” EZ paid the bill and looked over at you, an excited glint in his eyes, “you ready for the next part?”

Your smile took over your entire face as you nodded, “Yes!” you swiped your purse off the back of your chair, “Let’s go!”

You could hear EZ’s laughter behind you as he played catchup. You were bouncing on the balls of your feet as you stood by the passenger side door, eagerly waiting for him to unlock it. He couldn’t do much but smile and shake his head at your level of excitement for this next activity even though you didn’t know anything about it.

“Can I at least have a hint?” you asked as he drove down the road.

He laughed and shook his head as his hand came to rest on your thigh, “No. No hints. You just gotta wait and find out, querida.”

“I hate that you’re good at suspense,” you laughed as you went back to looking out the window, trying to guess where exactly he was taking you.

Your brows furrowed in confusion when EZ turned into the park. It was one of your favorite places to come and clear your read, or read if the heat wasn’t unbearable. But you had no idea what EZ could’ve been planning for the two of you to land yourselves there. He cut the ignition, and you could see the pleased little smirk as he tucked the keys into his pocket.

“Ready?” he asked.

You laughed as you unbuckled, “I don’t know, you tell me—am I?”

Leaning over, he stole a quick kiss before pushing his door open, “You’re ready.”

Hopping out, you made your way towards the bed of the truck. EZ had the tailgate down and was pulling the bag closer to the edge. You were far past trying to pretend that you weren’t painfully curious as to what was going on. You peeked around his shoulder when you heard the sound of him pulling the zipper to open the bag.

Your entire face lit up as you let out a squeal of excitement, “No way!”

He laughed as you threw your arms around him, velrcoing yourself to his back, “This is gonna be so fun.”

“You’re gonna have to teach me, though. You know that, right?”

You pressed a kiss to the side of his neck, “I’ve been dying to teach out how to skate. Oh this is gonna be so great!” you reached around him and grabbed your skates and pads, all of which were clearly well-worn and well-loved, “This is the perfect place to learn, too.”

“Yea,” he chuckled as he watched you, pulling his own pair out of the bag and you had to smile at the fact that he’d gone and gotten his own pair, “I think you might’ve mentioned that to me a time or twenty.”

“It worked though, didn’t it?” you looked up from lacing your skates, “You’re here!”

“I’m here,” he smiled as he hopped up onto the bed of the truck to start putting his skates on.

It was hard to focus on lacing his skates when you were casually skating around the parking lot while you waited for him. It was mostly empty, so you had plenty of room to show off while he got ready. Even though you couldn’t hear him, you saw the way his shoulders shook with laughter as he went back and forth between looking at you, and looking at his skates.

“Alright,” he swung his legs on the edge of the tailgate for a moment, “Get ready to catch me when I fall.”

You laughed as you rolled your way back to him, holding out your hands to help him, “You’re gonna be fine. Just gotta find your balance.”

He was a little wobbly at first, something reminiscent of a fawn finding its footing. It was the only time that you’d ever seen him move with anything less than absolute certainty. You lingered close by, holding out your hand to him when necessary as he got used to the feel of it all in the middle of the parking lot. He was an athlete, though, so you figured that even at his worst, he would be alright.

After a few minutes of getting his bearings, EZ picked it right up. You were impressed, if not a little disappointed that he got so good at it so quickly. No wonder Angel was so bitter about things all the time. But he looked like he was thoroughly enjoying himself, though, and that made you smile. The thought that it could turn into something that the two of you could do together put a warmth in your chest.

“Think you’re ready to go off the reservation?” you asked with a laugh, twirling around him.

“Worst thing that happens is I bust my ass again, right?”

You nodded, laughing, “That’s true,” you waved for him to follow you, “Come on! The bike trail is paved and its perfect to skate on.”

He caught up to you quickly, almost falling into you and knocking you both over. The only thing that either of you could hear was the sound of your own laughter. EZ watched as you easily spun, showing off a few little tricks as he cruised along next to you. He couldn’t lie, the longer he did it, the more he realized why you enjoyed it so much. He almost regretted not taking you up on the offer sooner.

It was just the two of you on the current stretch of the path you’d made your way to. You skated backwards as you talked to EZ, enjoying the number of times he couldn’t do much but laugh and shake his head at you.

You were turning back around when you got caught on a break in the sidewalk. It all happened so fast, and you were on the ground before you even knew what happened, pain shooting through your left forearm. You felt something break, but you were too consumed by the pain shooting through you to do anything, besides clutch your arm to you as you let out a string of curses that luckily no children were around to hear.

“Shit, shit,” EZ tried to get to you as quickly as he could, not able to run in his skates, “Are you good? What happened? What can I do?”

“I’m not good,” you snapped, wincing as another jolt of pain went through you.

“Can I—”

“No,” you pulled your arm away when he reached for it, “It hurts.”

“I know it hurts,” he was wobbling, trying to stay still next to you, “I just wanna see if it’s broken.”

You let him inspect it, and when you saw the way his lips dipped into a deep frown, you let out a groan of frustration, “Fuck.” He shifted so that he was sitting down and started unlacing his skates. Through the pain and the tears welling in your eyes, you asked, “What’re you doing?”

“I’ll carry you back,” he tied his skates together and draped them over his shoulder, “I don’t want you to fall again.”

“You’re in your socks,” you sucked in a breath, cringing at another jolt of pain, “You’re not gonna carry me ba—”

Before you could get the entire sentence out, EZ scooped you up bridal style off the ground. If you hadn’t been in so much pain, you would’ve laughed. Luckily the two of you hadn’t made it too far from the parking lot where you’d started off. Arguing wasn’t going to be worth the effort, and your mind was too preoccupied with trying to breathe and not cry.

It was a fast, quiet drive to the hospital. EZ was so determined to get you into the emergency room that he completely forgot about the fact that you were still in skates. He would’ve driven the truck in his socks if you hadn’t told him to put his boots back on. He offered to just carry you in again but you refused to go into the ER in roller skates. Everyone didn’t need to see how you ended up the way you were. EZ quickly and carefully changed you back into your sneakers, and after a long, mean look didn’t fight about letting you walk in. It was the pain talking, and he knew it, so he didn’t push it.

The woman behind the desk asked why the two of you were there, because she had to, but it didn’t stop the snarky remark from falling past your lips as you tried to keep your arm as still across your chest as possible, “Take a guess,” you instantly felt bad and sighed, “Shit. Sorry.”

She chuckled, clearly not the first time someone had snapped at her, nor was it the worst thing anyone had ever said. She looked over at EZ, “I’ll give this to you since I don’t think she’s in any condition to be writing.”

You had your head leaned back, eyes closed as you tried to focus on your breathing and answering all the questions that EZ was asking you. Luckily you kept your insurance card on you because you didn’t have any of that information memorized.

“Emergency contact?” EZ asked.

“Put Angel,” you didn’t open your eyes.

“What?” he was confused, but you could sense the slightest bit of a bite in his tone.

Opening one eye, you looked at him and let out a tired laugh, “Kidding. You, obviously.”

“You’re something else,” he shook his head.

“My arm is broken, I’m allowed one funny.”

He let out a quiet chuckle, “Fine. One funny and that was it. Hope you enjoyed it.”

Despite all of the horror stories you’d heard, you really weren’t in the waiting room all that long. It felt longer than it was because of the pain, but things were actually moving pretty quickly. EZ insisted on staying with you through the x-rays and the process of getting you hooked up with your cast, and you let him. You could see the guilt on his face since this whole day was his idea, even though your fall clearly wasn’t his fault in the slightest.

“Pain meds kick in yet?” he asked with a soft laugh when the doctor stepped out for a moment.

You looked over at him, a slightly dazed smile on your face, “Oh yes.”

With a smile and a shake of his head, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to the side of your head, “I’m so sorry.”

You shook your head, “For what? Not like you pushed me,” you chuckled, “This isn’t your fault. This is what I get for trying to show off.”

“Well, you did look cool. Right up until you fell.”

You pushed him with your good arm, “Shut up,” you paused, “Guess we missed whatever dinner plans you had, huh?”

“What’re you talking about?” he pulled your purse out from the seat behind him, “I have dinner right here.”

You laughed as you watched him pull about five different types of candy from your purse, “When did you even have the time to get these?”

“When they changed you into this very beautiful evening gown,” he playfully tugged at the paper gown you were wearing.

Smiling, you shook your head as you took a candy bar from him, “It’s my best date-night attire. It’s actually what I was going to wear to dinner tonight anyway.”

“Glad I didn’t have to miss it, then,” he smirked as he opened up his own bag of candy.

[3raaaachachacha]

7:02 pm

Kim Sunoo x female reader / 525 words / fluff

Warnings: none

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The cold winter evening was setting in as you sat in front of the fireplace in the lounge of the ski resort you had traveled to for vacation. The boys had invited you to join their trip since they had some time off of work and wanted to try skiing, considering more than half of the members had never tried it before. Jake, Jay, and you were the only ones who knew how to ski properly and were all excited to help the others and laugh at their hilarious mistakes.

Your best friend had been pouting ever since he fell on his butt multiple times, trying to ski down the steep slope, but in the end, skiing just wasn’t his sport. You tried comforting him as you pulled him into your side for a hug, giggled at his cute expression. His arms were folded, and he was remaining quiet as the others talked about how they learned how to ski.

“Quit pouting so much, you’re going to get wrinkle lines if you keep that expression up,” You teased, shooting him a wink as he gave you hard side eye, “Yeah! Don’t look at me like that. I tried my best to help you today.”

“Sunoo, it’s alright! Not everyone is good at everything,” Heeseung said, trying to be supportive as he gave him a small grin.

“Yeah! Says you. You are literally good at everything!” Sunoo sassed back, moving forward to forcefully say his point before leaning back into your touch.

Everyone laughed at his comment, even Heeseung, “That would have worked if anyone else would have said it,” You exclaimed to Heeseung as he laughed, shrugging his shoulders, “Don’t be so upset about it, Sunoo! You were so good at ice skating while Jay couldn’t even stand up half the time!”

“Hey! That’s just mean,” Jay exclaimed, folding his arms as he tried his best not to laugh with the others.

You even heard Sunoo laugh a bit, “I’m just stating facts here Jay, like Heeseung said, everyone can’t be good at everything,” You said, looking at Heeseung, “Heeseung is the expectation.”

“I guess you’re right. At least I could move around and stand up, unlike Jay,” Sunoo laughed fully as the group began teasing Jay, per usual.

“Plus who cares if you aren’t good at skiing or whatever else? It’s all about having fun with the people you love,” You scrunch your nose at him as he pulled you into him for a big hug, both of you giggling from his sweet gesture, “Also, you weren’t even that bad. Did you see Niki?” You whispered, not wanting to start another argument.

“Yeah! I heard that Y/N!” Niki exclaimed, trying to scold you, but laughing in its place as everyone found the youngest too cute.

Sunoo pulled you closer to him in a protective manner as he knew Niki would playfully pounce on you to retaliate, but he wasn’t having it tonight. He smiled as he watched all his friends around him, seeing that he in fact didn’t care how good he was as long as he had the people, he loved around him.  

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- Admin 🦋