#my brain is completely fried today from work

[delewlew]

i'll kick your ass, verstappen: max verstappen x black fem! reader

request: HEYYYYYYY could you do a max x fem reader when he gets jealous really bad over one of your male friends please. Love your stories keep going 🤍🤍

warnings: jealousy, slight swearing, google translated dutch

author's note: i hope you like this, i lowkey fried my brain trying to make sure i was confident enough to post this...still trying to convince myself. also the title isn't as cute cuz my gradient thingie wasn't working so it'll be plain...sorry bout that. as always, reblogs and comments are always appreciated as well <3

you were in second grade when you met your best friend, nikolaas, after he moved to your school. you were assigned to be his class buddy to help him get comfortable at the new school. the two of you attended the same school all the up to university so you weren't ever really apart from one another. the two of you learned to swim and ride bikes together as little kids. he was there when you went on your first date with the cute guy in your calculus class at the ice rink near your home, and he was there to take you to the hospital when you broke your ankle right after. you were there to help him learn to slow dance before he went to his first formal dance with a girl that wasn't you. he was there to teach you how to walk in that pair of So Kate's you bought without realizing maybe there was a reason nobody but zendaya dared to wear those godforsaken heels. you were there to coach him through confessing his feelings to his first boyfriend. the two of you had experienced so much of your lives beside one another that your relationship wasn't shaken when it was time to move away from home. years passed and he was a professional model travelling the world while you were working as an architect, living in monaco.

since living in monaco you'd been promoted, moved to a nicer apartment, completed a huge project with your team, and met your boyfriend. you met max at an event you'd been invited to courtesy of your own personal connections. from the moment he laid eyes on you, he knew you there was something different about you from other women he's met in the past. that night, you both exchanged numbers and he'd convinced you to go on a date with him shortly after.

༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚

for the first time since you'd moved to monaco, your best friend had finally been able to take time to come visit you. he'd flown in two days ago and was staying at your apartment for a bit longer before flying out to korea for some event he was invited to. you sat on your bed and he sat across from you painting a fresh coat of nail polish over his nails since the ocean water chipped it off earlier today. his hand shook slightly as he painted his fingers and your voice cut through the silence, "nikko i swear to god if you get black nail polish on my bed i'll kill you." he looked up through his long, thick, black eyelashes and muttered, "je bent letterlijk de meest dramatische persoon die ik ooit heb ontmoet." you rolled your eyes and huffed, "whatever you love me and you know it." he cracked a smile through the focused glare he held while looking at his fingers, "yeah yeah...speaking of love, how's your man?" [you're literally the most dramatic person i've ever met]

you smiled at the thought of max and answered, "he's really good. the season has treated him well for the most part and he's happy with how things are. we're going back home for his next race so i'm excited i'll be able to see both of our families, and i'm gonna try to stop by your place to see your mom if she's there." he shook his head while keeping his eyes on his nails, "m'ma is in suriname until september because she's visiting granm'ma and granp'pa." your frowned and asked, "were you supposed to go home with her?" nikko nodded and shrugged, "it's alright though, i think i'll be able to make it down there for christmas so it's fine. plus you can see her in september when she comes back." a smile tugged on his lips and he continued, "that is if you want to come see me walk at new york, paris, milan, or london fashion week this year." you nearly tackled him into a hug and screeched, "NO FUCKING WAY- NIKKO?! YOU BOOKED ALL FOUR?!" he laughed and wrapped his arm around you in a hug, "yup i'm booked and busy this year!"

you immediately promised, "i'm going to be at every single show." your best friend nodded, "already reserved your tickets for everything." there was a beat of silence before he asked, "wait isn't max still racing in september- i don't want to make you miss those especially because you missed miami for the met gala with me." this was true, you'd flown to new york city to be nikko's plus one for the met gala but max told you he didn't mind and was happy you were going. without a second thought, only thinking of how exciting this was for your best friend, you waved off his worry, "it'll be fine. besides max likes you."

༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚

"i don't fucking like this guy." max huffed as he scrolled though his instagram because you posted something. he looked at his screen and clenched his jaw seeing the post you'd made with your best friend.

therealyn

liked by nikko, maxverstappen1, and 643,943 others

therealyn baby's first time in monaco <3

read all 5,423 comments

nikko i wish i could stay longer :(

⤷ therealyn don't forget me when ur famous

sza cuties

⤷ therealyn omg i love you

username1 why is he so close?

⤷ username2 they've been friends since they were 7 and nikko moved to the netherlands from suriname. y/n was his first friend and they've grown up together. don't try to start something out of nothing.

⤷ username3 GET EM SIS

⤷ username4 ngl i kinda see what username1 means...if you look back at some other posts they've made with each other they're way closer than i'd consider to be best friends. i mean i personally wouldn't be that close with my guy bsf knowing i have a man.

⤷ username4 that man is a walking pride flag be so fr rn

⤷ username1 im just saying he's a little close to her. plus she's already missed a race so she can go see him, and i guarantee you she'll do the same again when fashion week comes around.

༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚

reading the comments didn't ease max's mind whatsoever but he did catch a few that did make him realize that maybe you were just being a supportive best friend. he'd had friends go to things to support him in the past and he's done the same for them so why does he feel so...weird when you do the same? he'd managed brush off the feelings he had until he checked your story and clicked on the post you'd shared:

nikko

liked by therealyn, gucci, and 1,235,099 others

nikko but none of them will ever love you the way i do it's me and you

view all 10,302 comments

therealyn and as the years go by our friendship will never die

kendalljenner beauties

username6 ...why is he holding her like that.

⤷ username7 i think they're together? i always saw their posts together and assumed

⤷ username8 NO THEY'RE NOT TOGETHER THEY'RE BEST FRIENDS PLS DON'T START RUMORS SHE IS DATING MAX VERSTAPPEN

username9 this look a little....

username10 yall are so weird. literally every interaction nikko has with a girl looks like this, look it up and you'll see he's holding everyone's hand, wrapping their arms around them. it's just how he is pipe down.

username11 THE CAPTION? NIKOLAAS UR BOLD FOR THAT ONE

username12 ngl i kinda wanna see them as a couple

༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚

max fought to control his facial expressions when you called him excited to tell him about going to support nikko at the big 4 fashion weeks. he watched as your eyes sparkled, "he's already reserved the seat in my name at all of his shows too! this is so great he's always wanted to walk in these shows and now he's got the chance. i want september to already be here." max frowned at the mention of the month, "schat- i'm still racing in september though?" you explained, "well yeah it's just singapore and azerbaijan that i'll have to miss but i'll be at the rest." max bit the inside of his cheek, "didn't you already see him walk in new york back in may? you missed miami for it remember?" you smiled, "babe that was the met gala, that was different. this is actual fashion shows not a red carpet."

when max was still silent you asked, "why don't you seem happy doe nikko?" he took a small exhale to not raise his voice or seem too annoyed, "it's good for the guy i mean this is a big deal as a model. i just...sometimes i think he's just a little too close?" you frowned and you asked, "what do you mean? you've never had a problem with him before?" max sighed and admitted, "i'm just saying there's no reason why other people should be questioning our relationship status when you're with other people. why is he holding you like i hold you?" you couldn't even find the right words for a moment, "i- i- he....max you've seen the way he acts around everyone. he's a touchy guy and he always has been. why are you now bothered that he holds me? it's nothing new."

max let out another annoyed huff and snapped, "just tell him to watch himself." you couldn't even say anything before he hung up the phone on you and left you stunned to a silence. just then your phone pinged and it was another instagram notification:

nikko just posted a story!

there wasn't even a point in trying to ask nikolaas to delete the story because he was on a flight to korea right now which means he just posted it before the plane took off. so all you had to do was hope maybe max wouldn't see it because although you had no issue with the photo, you knew right now your boyfriend would.

༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚

the instagram story made it's way to his eyes in less than 5 minutes after it was posted. so, max didn't hesitate to open his own photo gallery and select a few pictures before posting them himself, he pasted a caption from the ones you'd saved in his notes and posted it before turning off his phone.

maxverstappen1

liked by charles_leclerc, f1wags, and 649,779 others

maxverstappen1 mijn

view all 3,402 comments

therealyn answer your phone

username13 HE'S MAD HE SEEN THE POSTS

username14 max....

charles_leclerc mate, you posted on your main

⤷ maxverstappen1 i know.

⤷ charlesleclerc oh!

oscarpiastri i feel like i wasn't supposed to see some of these

⤷alex_albon i don't think any of us were...

⤷ therealyn you werent.

༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚

hot tears stung the corners of your eyes as you stared at your phone knowing full well why max posted the photos he did. you knew that he got jealous every now and again but he'd never done anything like this, especially when it came to nikolaas because he knew how close he was to you. max wasn't answering your phone calls or text messages so you had no way to actually call him.

meanwhile max was in his apartment on his sim when he heard a knock at his door. when he opened it he saw lando standing on his doorstep before he pushed his way into his apartment. max asked, "why are you in my apartment?" lando shook his head and countered, "why are you posting shit like this online?" a smug grin tugged at max's lips and he answered, "you know why."

lando sat on max's couch and responded, "i don't know why. what i do know is your girlfriend called me crying asking me why you weren't answering her calls." max huffed, "she's busy playing with that guy." lando ran a hand through his curls, "you're jealous of her best fucking friend? are you being serious right now?" max rolled his eyes and lando continued, "the guy wears nail polish and face glitter and you think something is going on between them?" when there was silence lando continued, "mate he literally flirted with charles and asked for his number when he came to zandvoort last year. then told alex that she had good taste because he wanted to quote 'drink him up and sop up the rest with a biscuit. and you think there's any way that something is happening with y/n? you can be jealous but if your girlfriend says there's no reason to worry then you should trust her. you need to fix this before something actually happens that can't be fixed." lando slapped max on the shoulder before walking out the door and heading back to his apartment.

༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚

it was nearly 3 am when max unlocked the front door to your apartment and slipped in quietly, kicking off his shoes and leaving them by your front door. he pulled back the door and grabbed one of his t shirts and took off his pants before climbing in your bed. he pulled you closer to him and wrapped his arm around your torso. when you moved his arm off of you he knew you were awake so he mumbled, "schat..." you answered plainly, "wat wil je, max?" your boyfriend pressed a kiss to your shoulder and responded, "i'm sorry. i was wrong and i was immature and posting those pictures knowing you had them in our private folder was wrong." there was a momentary silence before you asked, "waarom heb je het dan gedaan?" he let out a deep sigh as he admitted, "i was jealous and only thinking about myself in the moment instead of thinking about how my actions would affect you as well. i never want to hurt you or be the reason for your pain, but i was so i'm sorry." [what do you want, max? // then, why did you do it?]

you felt his hand run over your arm gently as you asked, "wat ga je doen om het te repareren?" max answered, "well i deleted the post first and came here to apologize second. also i'd love to see you go to london, paris, new york, and milan to support nikko in september. i'll be waiting at home for you the minute you get back." you turned to face him and opened your eyes, finding his gaze in the darkness. bringing your hand to his cheek you asked, "i never want you to think that anyone stands a chance at competing with you for my heart, maxie. you are my person and i only love you this way, i only want to be with you. there's only you in my heart and i need you to trust me when i say that, okay?" max leaned into your touch and nodded, before you pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, "i love you." he pulled you to his chest and tangled his legs with yours as he replied, "ik houd ook van jou." you nuzzled closer to him and brought a hand to his chest, tracing small patterns over his heart. both of you began to drift off to sleep, your voice cut through the silence, "but do that shit again and i'm kicking your ass, verstappen." max let out a small chuckle and admitted, "i don't doubt that, but you don't have to worry about it happening again." [what are you going to do to fix it?//i love you too.]

༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚

the end.

[sister-lucifer]

Hello all well? I just read the new version of the fic "I can ride you until I feel better" from the sub version of the Obey Me boys, so I wanted to ask if you could write a version with the datables characters..

“Can I Ride You Until I Feel Better?” (part 3) 

Read PART ONE and PART TWO 

Diavolo, Barbatos*, Simeon, Solomon x Male Reader (separately) 

Genre: NSFW

Content/Warnings: Dom/Top reader, mentions of riding, slightly OOC Simeon ig? depends on how you perceive him 

Not fully proof read, let me know if you see any errors!

Like my writing? I take requests! NSFW or SFW for any fandoms in my bio! 

Also, please reblog! it’s free, takes two seconds, and really helps me out 

Feed back is encouraged and appreciated:)

*Barbatos uses they/he pronouns 

Diavolo 

Diavolo’s day had consisted of nothing but work, work and more work

He was frustrated, tired, and his brain was fried from staring down at his papers from so long 

He dropped down onto the couch next to you, resting his chin in his hands and letting out a long groan 

“What’s up, Dia?” You asked, brushing away some stray hairs from his forehead 

“I don’t think i’ve had a day that draining in a thousand years…”

“Oh, honey, c’mere…” 

Diavolo laid down with his head in your lap, allowing you to stroke his head 

He stripped off his jacket as well, discarding it on the door thoughtlessly 

“Oh, my love,” Dia sighed, “I need a pick me up…” 

“Anything in mind?” You asked. It was quite obvious that he was already thinking of something

Diavolo turned over to look up at you, somehow keeping a completely straight face as he asked: 

“Can I ride you until I feel better?” 

You were a bit taken aback, but Dia’s calm demeanor didn’t falter 

He was serious, but not trying to be pushy 

Of course you had to agree, and a grin quickly formed on his face 

“Thank you, darling. Now sit back and sit still, I think we’re gonna be here a while…” 

Barbatos 

They may live to serve, but even Barbatos gets worn out from time to time 

He may have more patience than most, but it’s still finite 

They finally got a moment to themself at the end of a long day, and were happy to see you laying in their bed waiting for them 

“Oh, hello, love.” He greeted you. It was short but sweet, although you could still see the tiredness in his eyes 

“Hello, Barbs. You seem worn out. Wanna come lay down?” 

“Yes, actually. That would be nice. I’m not sure why, but today was particularly trying.” 

“I get it. Don’t worry, I’ll stay with you.” 

Soon they had snuggles into bed next to, holding you to their chest and resting his chin on your head 

You could feel the rise and fall of his chest begin to slow as he relaxed, but there was still an odd restless air about them 

“You alright, Barbatos?” 

“Yes, I think so…just, uh, not quite out of ‘work mode’ I suppose…” 

“Well hey, you’re always doing things for other people. Why don’t you let me do something for you instead?” 

Barbatos paused, looking down at you with an intrigued expression  

“Really?”

“Yep. Anything you want Barbs, I’ll do it.” 

“Anything…?” 

You nodded in reply 

Barbatos’ now borderline stoic face gave little to no insight on what they were thinking 

But when they did finally speak, it wasn’t anything you were expecting 

“If you really mean that, then…I think there is something I’d like.” 

Suddenly he was above you, your back now flat on the mattress as you gazed up at him 

“Would you be so kind as to let me—excuse my language—ride you until I feel better?” 

Even in moments like these they were still insistent on being proper 

It was endearing 

And of course you just had to say yes 

“I appreciate it, my dear. I’ll make sure you enjoy it as much as I do.” 

Simeon 

Ooooh booooy 

Y’know how the other characters said you never wanna see Simeon angry?

You don’t 

And he was pissed 

Maybe he woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, or maybe it was some other mundane thing he couldn’t put his finger on 

But something had made today extra difficult 

All he wanted was to go home and get away from everybody but you 

And even though that time eventually came, it felt like it had been an eternity since this morning 

He didn’t even greet Lucifer when he passed 

He just wanted to get to you 

And when he did you were in for a wild ride (pun intended) 

He knew that an angel shouldn’t be thinking or desiring such things, but in his fiery state it seemed like the only thing that could help 

And it was rather easy to push the guilty thoughts away once he had his sights on you 

He was on you the second he was in the door climbing into your lap without so much as a word 

By the time you had said “hello” he was already fumbling with your pants 

“W-Woah, Simeon—! Slow down, w-what are you—“

“Just let me have this human. I need you ride you until I feel better.” 

You could practically feel the frustration radiating off of him, so you simply sat back and let him have his way. 

“Let me make one thing clear to you: I don’t want a word about this in the morning, do you understand? Good. Now behave.” 

Solomon 

Solomon was generally cheery, but today was just not his day 

He was struggling with his spells and couldn’t seem to get anything quite right

Each little mistake piled up into a mountain of frustration 

Until eventually he simply couldn’t take it anymore 

He somehow managed to make it to the end of the day, but was only hanging on by a thread 

He was so very happy to see you in his room, sitting in his bed and waiting for him 

“Oh, my love, I’m so happy to see you. You’re exactly what I need after such a terrible day.”

“Aw, well I’m glad I could help. Want to come lay down?” 

“Mm…not exactly.” 

You quirked a brow in confusion, watching as he sat down on the bed next to you 

“I’ve had a terrible frustrating time today, and I need something to…blow off steam with.” 

He pulled the covers off and straddled your waist, putting his hands on your chest and pushing you down onto your back 

“I think I’d like to ride to until I feel better. Is that alright?” 

You nodded wordlessly, watching as he stripped off his uniform jacket and then shirt 

“Good. You’re always willing to help me out, aren’t you?”

[justapoet]

Random dialogue prompt list

"Have you ever been in love?" "No. Why?" "I think I'm in love with you."

Distancing themself from the other because they start to think that there is definitely something wrong with them

Stuttering

"I missed you so much, I don't know why. But, I did."

"You look perfect in this outfit." "Oh."

“Tell me you did not go to a fight without me.” “I don’t need you to protect me.” “It’s not about protection-”

"Did you forget that it was your turn to grab the groceries today?" "Yeah, sorry. I thought I'd wait for you so we can go together?"

“The problem lies within the fact that I want more. That’s what scares me the most, because I don’t want to want more. But I can’t help it.” 

“You said you loved me last night.”

“So that confession…” “Didn’t mean shit ‘cause I was drunk. And I don’t want you accepting that. Let me confess to you, properly, at the least.”

“I swear I didn’t murder anyone.” 

"Who are you when you're not performing?" "Fuck. Marry me."

“You have the most beautiful smile, you know that?”

“I just want(ed) to make you smile.”

“I was just getting my coffee, but then I fell in love with you”

"I…I missed you." "Oh."

“I desperately want to kiss you.”

“Maybe it’s a good mood. Maybe it’s a manic episode.”

"Don't open your eyes"

"Goddammit, don't say that!"

“Fuck it. I’m in.” 

“Too late. I’m already yours.”

“Nothing - no matter how weird or dark - could ever change the way I feel about you.”

“For once, I’m completely serious.”

“I don´t believe that you know what the hell you are doing half of the time.” 

“There isn’t a single unit of thought behind your eyes.” “Of course, not. I’m looking at you. My brain doesn’t work when I’m looking at you.”

"Are we going to talk about it?"

“I’d tear down mountains and rewrite the stars just to see you smile.”

“You weren’t part of my life plan.”

“So, tell me, what do you feel for me?”

“I’m this close to resorting to physical violence if shit continues to not work out.”

“I don’t know what to do.” 

“Say another word and I´ll shove these fries down your throat.” 

“Could you even try to be nice to me today?”

“There are about thirty-five ways this could go wrong. I’d say that’s pretty good odds.”

"Are you seriously considering to go through with this complete absurd?"

"It's a miracle you're still alive." "Mom does say you're a miracle worker, yes."

"You're sick. Did the fever make you forget how to dial my number?"

"Just do it, you moron."

"My self-control is hanging by a thread right now. Please, don't do this to me."

“Hey, neighbour, I’ve never met you before but your dog just destroyed my garden."

“Well, I’m afraid that opinion’s going to change once you get to know me.”

"Ever thought of stepping outside, or have you become part of the furniture?"

"Can you just look at me? Please?"

"I needed to hear your voice."

“Just to clarify: We are in a relationship, right?”

"You're the only thing I should be afraid of, and that fear died off years ago."

“it’s a bit frustrating to how oblivious you are.”

“what do i have to do or say for you to notice that i’m in love with you?”

“Yeah, that wasn’t supposed to happen and I was not supposed to say that, I’m so sorry.” 

so, hi! this is just a silly prompt list, but I'd very much like to ask you to send me asks and resquest a fic from any of them!

I'll be writing for the following couples:

Buddie (9-1-1)

Percabeth (Percy Jackson)

Nick and Chalie (Heartstopper)

Aziracrow (Good Omens)

Polin (Bridgerton)

Kathony (Bridgerton)

If you have any other couples from these universes that you might want, you can send them to me, as well. Other than Buddie (that it's not canon just yet), I like best to only write canon couples.

[nolita-fairytale]

sister-in-law | carmen 'carmy' berzatto x fem!reader one shot

pairing: boyfriend!carmy x fem!reader

word count: 5.2k

warnings: use of she/her pronouns, no use of y/n, second person pov, swearing, tooth rotting fluff, talks of marriage, marijuana usage, long term relationship

summary: set two years after the ending of ‘make my heart surrender.’ you and carmy have settled into a comfortable rhythm between creating something spectacular with the bear and exploring your relationship. now that you’ve been together for a while now, sugar asks you a very important question… while you’re both violently high.

a/n: this is a fun and silly little idea i had after discovering two year old videos of me and my best friend 60 minutes after taking an edible.

It’s not often that you get dressed up, but you don’t want Natalie to think that you’re a total slob. You’re mostly in comfy clothes at home, then kitchen clothes here at the restaurant so it’s a welcomed change up from the status quo. Every now and then you get dressed up for a date night with Carmy, but most date nights you’re so tired that you prefer to stay in.

After slipping on the wrap dress you found at the back of your shared closet with Carmy, you run your fingers through your hair making sure that it isn’t too messy from a full morning and afternoon’s worth of work. You notice that your hair falls in soft waves from being twisted into a bun earlier that morning, so you smooth out a few stray hairs that look a little too messy. You slip on your leather jacket, as it’s getting chillier at night, and make your way out of the bathroom. 

If you didn’t know how hard Gary worked to keep everything clean, you’d have your hesitations about changing in the staff restroom. While most of the restaurant had gotten a face lift during the remodel, the staff restroom was one of the remaining parts of The Bear’s past. You pass through the kitchen one more time, your pristine white sneakers clean only because you never wear them here, heading right to Carmy’s office. 

He’s got his head buried in some paperwork, a pen in his mouth as his eyes scan over the legal jargon that runs all through the first page. A stray curl frames his face perfectly, earning a smile from you as his focus remains unbroken. 

“You still cool with me taking the car tonight?” you ask your boyfriend, causing Carmy to look up from the new lease agreement he has yet to sign. 

“Woah,” he sounds, raising his eyebrows as he checks you out. He’s not used to seeing you like this – let alone in a dress. 

He wonders for a moment if he forgot an anniversary of some sort, panic beginning to set in. 

“What’s uh-, what’s going on?” he stammers, caught completely off guard by how good you look. 

You chuckle, knowing he’s only a little tongue tied because he hasn’t seen you in a dress in a while, “I’m heading to your sister’s, remember? For dinner. We talked about this last night.”

“Shhhhhhit,” he swears, hanging on to the first syllable. He tosses the lease agreement down on his desk in defeat, turning in his chair towards you. “I-, I just talked to Sugar earlier today. She didn’t say anything about dinner plans.” He pauses, swearing under his breath again. “Will you tell her I’m sorry? It must’ve slipped my mind and I’ve got to stay a little longer till Syd gets in.”

“Oh don’t worry about it, babe. You weren’t invited anyways,” you reply casually, letting him off the hook. 

Or at least you think it’s going to let him off the hook. 

You watch as his facial expressions move from panic to pure confusion. Carmy’s racking his brain for any kind of recollection, searching for any recollection of the conversation you’re referencing. Between training new line cooks and working overtime so that Sydney could take a vacation, his brain is fried and he has no idea what you’re talking about. 

You giggle again, stepping into his office, “I take it you don’t remember the conversation we had before we went to bed last night?”

Truthfully, you suspected he might’ve been half asleep when you’d curled up to him and let him know that you and his sister had plans tonight. He’d been working so hard at the restaurant lately that you’re not surprised he’s reached this level of burnout. 

“Baby, Nat invited me over for dinner tonight. We’re gonna hang out… catch up a little,” you explain pivoting to the whole ‘you’re not invited part.’ “If it makes you feel any better, Pete’s not invited either.”

You search his facial expressions, looking for any kind of familiarity, but it seems your words have only caused him more confusion. 

“Wait, let me get this straight,” he says, trying to put all the pieces together. 

“You’re going over to my sister’s?” he repeats back to you.

“Uh huh.”

“Tonight?”

“Yes.”

“Without me,” he emphasizes. 

“That is correct.”

He takes a beat, before finally coming to his conclusion. 

“You and my sister have plans together without me?”

You laugh at how surprised he sounds. 

“Jeez, Carm. You’d think after knowing her for two years we’d be able to have a conversation without you, babe,” you joke with him. 

But he still looks like he’s trying to solve a calculus equation. 

“Don’t worry. I’ll try my best to steer clear of any embarrassing stories,” you reassure him, hoping to put his mind at ease. “And let her know that calling you a ‘soft shitty bitch’ in front of me is not your favorite.”

He laughs dryly, still trying his best to wrap his head around the fact that you and his sister are hanging out. It’s not that it’s a wildly radical concept for him to stomach, but between your relationship and the restaurant, you and Natalie had only spent a handful of times solo over the last two years (which was precisely the point she’d made when she called you the other day). You’d told her that you had a night off and appreciated the invitation for some quality time. 

“We’re kicking out Pete too. Maybe… you could give him a call,” you suggest, cautiously. You’re not even sure why you suggest it, considering the look he sends you that says, ‘not likely but nice try.’

“Or not,” you conclude, taking the option off the table as soon as you see the look on Carmy’s face. “You stickin’ around here tonight?”

“Just till Syd gets in,” Carmy replies. And considering how fried his brain feels, he could really use the night off. 

“Okay, well I’m gonna head home and feed Aioli before I head over to Sugar’s,” you tell him, in reference to the cat you both rescued just shortly after you moved in together. “See ya at home?”

“Sure,” Carmy replies, pressing his lips against yours in a gentle, goodbye kiss. 

He’s not sure whether he feels relieved that he doesn’t have to go to dinner with you, or nervous about the fact that you and Sugar are hanging out without him. What did you have in common with his sister? What the hell were you going to talk about and why did he care?

Sydney comes in a little later and she and Carmy catch up about her time off, things at the restaurant, the progress of their recently hired new line cooks. Before he knows it, she’s practically kicking him out of their restaurant, insisting that he get a head start on his night off. 

Carmy’s not sure whether it's the progressively chillier air, or the fact that the days are getting shorter that’s got him in his head. While he entertains the thought of going home, opening a window before he lights a few up, and crashing on the couch early, he’s not sure he’s ready to go home yet. With his plaid coat to keep him warm, Carmy enjoys a leisurely walk to a meeting instead. 

He doesn’t feel he needs them as much as he used to, but Carmy still likes to go at least once a week. You’ve joined him a few times and while he appreciates the support, he likes that it feels like a place that’s just his. That’s just for him. It’s almost been three years since Mikey died and while the pain isn’t as sharp, it continues to shapeshift. He likes having the outlet – whether he wants to stand up and talk about it or not. It’s a place he doesn’t have to be anyone – not chef, not a business owner, not a partner – but just some fucked up kid with a dead brother and anxiety.

Across town, you sit at the Berzatto kitchen table, flipping through old photo albums as Natalie finishes assembling dinner. You’re not sure how you got on the topic, but she’s telling you about her soulcycle class and running a successful campaign of trying to get you to come with her. 

“There’s one near River North and everything,” she says, glowing with her own excitement. 

“No, yeah, we should definitely go sometime,” you reply, as she’s just taken out the casserole dish of eggplant parm out of the oven

“I know your work schedule is sporadic. Why don’t I send you the schedule and you can just let me know which one you’d like to go to?” Natalie suggests, hopefully.

You agree, half to placate her and half because you’re genuinely curious about this ‘spin class’ that she can’t stop raving about. 

“Oh my god. Look at you guys!” you guys, pausing the minute you see a photo of all the Berzatto children. 

Mikey must have been a teenager in this one. He’s got a young, and exceptionally blonde, Carmy hoisted up over his shoulders, while Natalie glaring into the camera lens, a popsicle in her hands. 

“Oh my god… I haven’t seen this one in forever,” she says, glancing over at the photo album page you’ve held up to show her. 

“There was a heatwave,” she begins to recall fondly. “And Uncle Jimmy had set up a sprinkler in the yard for us so that we could play in some water. Mom always hated community pools and refused to let us join one.”

“Carmy is so blonde. And the bowl cut?” you laugh, running your fingertips over the photo. 

Natalie nods in agreement, “Yeah not the best look for him when the curls came in. He and I were both very blonde when we were younger… but Mikey… he always had that tall dark and handsome look from the get go. 

You take a beat, listening to her talk about Mikey. You turn the page of the photo book, your eyes scanning over a few new photographs. There’s one of Mikey in a tux that’s so 90’s it’s painful. He stands with a stunning redhead, her corsage matching his tie. There’s a younger Carmy in the background of the photo as well and suddenly, there’s a bittersweet feeling in your belly. 

“I wish I could've met him,” you finally say out loud. “Mikey,”

“Yeah,” Sugar says sadly. She rests her back against the kitchen counter, her glass of wine still in her hands. 

“He would’ve really liked you,” she offers up, sympathetically. “Actually, he probably would’ve hit on you just to push Carmy’s buttons a little.”

“Oh really?” you ask, a light chuckle escaping your lips. 

“Carmy didn’t date a lot. I mean… he hasn’t dated a lot… really till you. And Mikey on the other hand never had any trouble in that department, which I think only made him more eager to be Carmy’s wingman. Even when his methods were… questionable,” she replies, remembering her complicated older brother. 

“Is this your mom?” you ask, pointing to the middle-aged woman in the photo. 

“Yeah,” Sugar nods. “I know. She looks so different.”

You’re quiet for a moment. You’d only met the Berzatto matriarch once in the last two years you’d been living in Chicago, and it had gone less than swimmingly. Natalie and Pete had invited everyone over for dinner, and it hadn’t taken long for Carmy and his mother to get into it, leading to an early exit for you and him. 

“Carmy never really talks about her…” you trail off, shooting Natalie a look. 

“He-,” she starts, not sure how she wants to explain it. On one hand, while she can understand why Carmy keeps his distance, she resents him for not trying. “He had the least time with Dad… and then Mom, in her right mind. I’ve been thinking a lot about that actually… now that Pete and I are trying to get pregnant.”

You understand. But it’s tough to hear the sadness in Natalie’s voice as well, especially since she’s worked so hard to accept the relationship she'll never have with her own mother.

“Anyways, uh… I think the eggplant parm is ready,” Natalie says, changing the subject. She nods you over to the kitchen counter, prompting you to close the photo book, and follow her into the kitchen. 

*

By the time his meeting ends, the sun has almost set. Carmy makes his way out of the church, pausing at the bottom of the steps to pull out his phone. He’s not sure why, but he’s still not ready to go home just yet. The restaurant’s really taken off, which means he and Syd have been able to hire more line cooks, and he’s not needed every single day, day in and day out. While it’s great that they’ve grown so much, Carmy finds it a harder adjustment than he expected. He’s always had a complicated relationship with rest – with sitting still. 

After furiously entering in his passcode, he types up a quick text to Richie. 

Carmy: Yo. I got the night off. Up for a drink?

He sees the three dots at the bottom of his message with Richie and anticipates his reply. In a matter of seconds, a reply pops up on his screen. 

Richie: No can do, cuz. I got Ava tonight. 

Carmy knows that Richie’s fought hard to get more time with Ava. He’s been spending more time with her during the weekdays too, now that the staff that made up The Bear wasn’t made up of five people anymore. Everyone seemed to be experiencing shifts these days. 

Carmy: Another time. 

Carmy moves his thumbs over a few different screens, opening up a previous message that Syd’s sent him. 

Carmy: How’s everything going?

Sydney: All good, chef. Enjoy your night off. 

It’s a strange feeling – not being needed every single shift at the restaurant. He knew it meant that they’d made huge progress – had come so far from where they started – but Carmy was still adjusting to this new rhythm of… not shitty and maybe sort of a legit spot. They had, after all, taken home the James Beard “Best New Restaurant” award last year.

Carmy thinks about it for a moment. He could go back in, see if they needed help around the kitchen, but he knows he’d just be in the fucking way. He huffs out a stubborn puff of air as your words echo in his head:

We’re kicking Pete out too. Maybe… you could give him a call.

He shakes in his head in disbelief, not sure what possesses him as he thinks to himself, what the hell?

His fingers hover over Pete’s name in his contact list, before he finally just bites the bullet and clicks on the contact. He’s really started to warm up to Pete over the years, but it’s not like they’re hanging out or grabbing drinks by themselves or anything. It’s mostly family gatherings, little text message exchanges here and there, hanging out at the restaurant. 

Carmy waits as the phone rings: once, twice, three times. It’s on the fourth ring that Pete finally picks up. 

“Hey, Carm. What’s going on?” Pete greets. It’s so chipper that Carmy has to fight his impulse to throw his phone in front of a moving car. 

“Yo! Uh… you want to grab a drink?” Carmy asks, cutting right to the chase. 

Pete, completely caught off guard by his brother-in-law’s ask, rushes to answer. 

“Oh yeah! Definitely. I’m just uh-, leaving the Y downtown. Shootin’ some hoops. With the boys,” he replies, trying a little too hard to sound cool. Carmy’s not sure if he’s oversharing out of surprise, or if Pete is really just this much of a nerd. 

“Where you at?”

“Uh… River North. All-Family meeting,” Carmy answers. 

“Cool cool cool,” Pete nods. “Why don’t uh-, why don’t I come meet you up there?”

“Sure, yeah. I’ll uh-, see you soon.”

They discuss details and Pete’s eager to throw out a place that Carmy will think is cool. Carmy’s not sure what he’s in for, or why he called in the first place, but he’s already set the ball in motion. 

Before taking off, he shoots you a quick text message:

Meeting up with Pete. How’s it going?

You’re mid-bite as you receive Carmy’s text message, almost spitting out your food as you read what he’s sent you. 

“Holy shit.”

“What?” Sugar asks, concerned. 

“Carmy called Pete,” you say, still in shock. The two of you exchanged glances. “They’re gonna grab a drink. I mean, I kind of suggested earlier thinking there was no way in hell but-.”

Sugar rolls her eyes, “Well great. Looks like Hell’s frozen over. I won’t be surprised if the two of them bring on the end of the world.”

You laugh in response because it’s funny, and because you know that she’s deflecting – trying not to get her hopes that this could be a good thing. 

It’s not till you finish eating dinner that it hits you that Carmy really took your advice and is probably with Pete right now. You send over a quick text, because you can’t help yourself from checking in. 

You: How’s it going? You haven’t punched Pete in the face yet, I hope. 

Carmy: All good. 

You roll your eyes at his short reply, before your phone powers off. 

“Shit, my phone’s dead. Mind if I charge it?” you ask. 

“Of course,” Natalie replies. “Here, I’ll go plug it in for you.” 

“Thanks,” you say back, handing her your phone. 

She gets up out of her seat, making her way back to the kitchen where there’s a charger. You hear her slide something over, and the sound of plates being put into the sink before she says, 

“Fucking-, Jesus Christ. What a fucking loser!”

“What?” you call to her, not sure what she’s talking about. 

Natalie returns to you, a small pack in her hands and a look on her face like she can’t wait to tell you a secret.

“Pete’s been really stressed out at work,” she begins, on the verge of laughter. “So I told him to pick up a thing of CBD gummies.”

“Okay….”

“Only he’s a fucking idiot and…” she continues, before handing you the package that she’s had in her hands. “... clearly doesn’t understand the difference between CBD and THC.”

You examine the packaging and, in Pete’s defense, the letters that read THC are small. You laugh, turning the package over in your hands. 

Weed gummies. Pete accidentally bought weed gummies. 

“I gave him specific instructions on what to look for and where to-,” she says with an eye roll. As annoyed as she is with Pete, she also finds it endearing that he’s this much of a goody-two-shoes. 

“I’ll have him go back to the dispensary and exchange them tomorrow.”

You take a beat, not sure if you should say what’s in your head. Weed is legal in Illinois after all and he DID get them from a dispensary. You figure the worst thing she can do is say ‘no’ and think that you’re weird. 

“Okay but,” you begin deviously, pausing for dramatic effect. “What if you didn’t?”

“Didn’t…?” she pauses, eyeing you suspiciously. 

A smile creeps up on her face as the corners of her lips curl upwards. 

You shrug, “I think we deserve to let loose a little.”

Sugar waits, thinking it over. Really, she’s just looking for a reason to say no, and she can’t find one. 

“Okay, yeah. Why the fuck not?” 

*

“Do you feel like maybe it’s possible that we could… sink into the couch?” you ask, as the edible has officially hit. 

Natalie lets out a loud laugh, “YES! Yes, that’s exactly how I feel right now.”

“Like somehow our bodies will liquify and we’ll be a part of this couch for the rest of eternity.”

You sit side by side, feeling your bodies sink into the couch, relaxing into it. Damn, you haven’t felt this relaxed in a while and you can only imagine Sugar hasn’t either. Between carrying the weight of parenting everyone in the Berzatto family, you’re just glad that you two can blow off some steam together. 

“Okay, I want to ask you something,” Natalie says, turning her whole body to you. It feels like she’s turning towards you in slow motion and she definitely knows the edible has hit. 

“Hm?” you hum in response, turning just your head towards her. 

“It’s a very serious question.”

Only she can’t keep a straight face and the harder she works to be serious, the more the two of you laugh. 

“I’m not convinced this is serious,” you point out through a fit of giggles. 

“No, it is, I swear! Just-. Hold on.”

When Sugar finally collects herself, she has a very serious look on her face for a moment as she stares you down. Your eyes watch as she grabs your hands in hers, following with eight words you’re not expecting her to ask. 

“Are you and Carmen going to get married?”

“Wh-,” you start, unable to finish your sentence before bursting into another fit of laughter. It’s not that the concept is all that funny, but you are high after all. “Wh-, what-? Woah! Where did that come from?”

“No, I’m serious!” she demands, before lowering her voice to a whisper. 

“You said that.”

“Okay, well I mean it! Listen, listen, listen.”

You’re listening. 

“I mean, what’s the hold up? You moved your whole life here and it’s been two years! You’ve got to at least be talking about it right?”

You shrug casually, “Yeah, I know we’ve been dating for a while but-.”

Surprised by the hesitation she can hear in your voice, Sugar pauses. 

“Wait-, do you not think that Carmy’s-?” she begins to ask. 

“Oh my god, no!” you cut her off, eager to squash any notion that Carmy isn’t the one for you. “No, that's not it at all.” 

“Carmine…” you trail off, tickled by the nickname you’ve heard Richie use on more than one occasion. “... is the love of my life.”

“Aw.”

“Yeah… I guess we just haven’t really talked about… marriage… all that much.”

“Well, why not?” Sugar practically exclaims, startling you with her overenthusiastic rally. “You guys are fucking perfect for each other! You’ve been dating for long enough!”

“We’re just not in a rush, I guess!” you reply, with a shrug. 

“That’s such bullshit,” she argues, wondering if she needs to have a few words with her little brother. 

“No! No, it’s not, I swear. Let me explain,” you justify, sending her a ‘just hear me out’ kind of look. 

You clear your throat, trying your best to be serious, even though you feel you may be melting into the couch at this point. Sugar waits for your explanation, unconvinced that this isn’t all Carmy’s fault. 

“Would you think I was cheesy… if I said we’re not-, well at least I’m not in a hurry…” you begin, letting the words fall out of your mouth as you finish your sentence with, “...because I know we have forever?”

“Aw, no it’s-,” Sugar starts, before breaking into another fit of giggles. “Well yeah it’s totally super cheesy but it’s also… really sweet.”

You share a genuine moment of love and appreciation – for each other, for Carmy, for the fact that someone loves her little brother this damn much – before bursting out into laughter again. 

“Oh shit,” Sugar hisses, feeling her phone go off. She sits up, reaching for her phone that’s somehow fallen on the floor. The caller ID reads ‘Carmy,’ and she swears again.

“Speak of the devil,” she mutters, answering the phone. You cover your mouth, trying your best to be quiet. 

“Hellooo?”

You hear him ask if you’re still with her. 

“Uh, yeah, what’s up?” Sugar asks back, doing her best to sound sober. 

“Her phone’s off and I got-. Will you just put my girlfriend on, please?” Carmy asks. Sugar simultaneously finds it annoying and also sweet that he sounds worried about you. 

“It’s Carmy,” she whispers to you, handing you the phone. 

In a sing-song voice she teases you, “Someone is in trouble.”

You take the phone, mouthing back, ‘no i’m not.’ 

“Hello?” you answer, immediately hearing the worry in his voice. 

“Hey, I’ve been trying to call you but your phone’s off. Everything okay?” he asks, concerned. 

“Oh shit,” you swear. “Yeah, I’m sorry. My phone died right after you texted me about going to meet up with Pete. It’s been charging on the kitchen counter.”

“Okay,” Carmy sighs, relieved. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you, babe. But um yeah, no,” you reassure, your facade quickly slipping. You know you sound less sober by the minute. “Everything is… very cool. Very cool beansssss.” 

Natalie laughs at your explanation, slapping a hand over her mouth to stifle the laugh. 

Carmy pauses, noticing something different about the way your voice sounds.

No. It can’t be. 

This is the last possible thing that could happen this evening. Tonight was supposed to be about you and his sister bonding and probably talking shit about him. 

He can’t believe he’s going to ask you this. 

“Are you… are you high right now?” he asks, in pure disbelief as the words leave his mouth. 

You and Natalie shoot a ‘busted’ look to each other as you reply, “Um yeah. High on life. And also a gummy.”

Carmy chuckles at your juvenile response, “Okay, well, I’m glad you two are having fun. Promise me you won’t drive home?”

“Mhm,” you hum in response. “I’ll just uber home. To you, Carmy-Bear. The love of my life.”

“Wow, you really are high,” he comments, still trying to wrap his head around it. 

Carmy chuckles at his new title. It’s not the first time he’s heard you call him that, but it seems out of place considering. It makes him wonder what kind of trouble you and Sugar have gotten into this evening. 

“She’s fine, Carmen. She’s in good hands!” Sugar yells, loud enough so that he can hear it through the phone.

“Will you turn your phone back on though? I was a little worried there when I couldn't get a hold of you.”

“You were worried about me?” you ask, softly, his words affecting you even more now that you’re blasted.

“Awwww he loves you,” Sugar says softly.

“I know it’s pretty fuckin’ great,” you agree with a giggle. 

“You’re ready to go? Okay, yeah, we can-,” you can hear Carmy say. He pauses and you can hear him exchange a few words with someone else. “Don’t worry about getting a car back, sweetheart. Pete’s gonna drive me back and uh, I’ll take you home.”

“My hero,” you swoon playfully, eliciting another fit of giggles from Sugar. 

“Sweetheart, will you please tell Sugar that I’m coming to get you?” he asks, almost as if he’s talking to a child. 

“Right now?”

“Yes, right now!”

You pretend to cover up the speaker of the phone before saying, “Um, so, Buzz Killington on the line here wants me to tell you that I’m not allowed to drive home and he’s gonna come pick me up right now.”

“Oh, you’re no fun, Carmy!” she shouts back to him. 

“Babe, will you just put Sugar back on the phone?”

“Fine,” you scowl, handing the phone back to Natalie. “Sugar, my dad would like to talk to you.”

Carmy’s not sure how he has somehow found himself in a situation where he is the only adult in the metaphorical room as he hears your comment, dodging strange looks from Pete. 

“Fucking christ, Bear. Relax,” Sugar sighs out, annoyed with her little brother as she takes the phone back. “Sounds like he needs a gummy too.” 

“Sugar are you-, are you high too?” he asks, much more surprised to find out that she also seems to have had a gummy. 

“Yep. See ya soon, little brother. Byeeeee,” she says, before hanging up on him. 

Carmy’s surprised to discover that his sister has just hung up on him. He’s not sure whether he’s annoyed with the two of you, shocked that you’re both high, or humored by it all. At least he can stop worrying about you.

“What’s uh-, what’s goin’ on?” Pete asks, having witnessed that more-than-strange interaction with you, Sugar, and Carmy on the phone. 

Carmy lets out an amused chuckle before saying, “They’re high right now.”

*

It feels like a second and also three years later that Carmy and Pete come home, bursting through the front door. You and Sugar are still on the couch gossiping, barely paying attention to the Bravo TV show she’s put on in the background. 

Natalie offers to pack you guys up some leftovers, which Pete assists with, until you’re all standing in the doorway of Nat and Pete’s home. 

“So how exactly did this happen again?” Carmy questions, hesitantly. He’s almost too afraid to learn the answer. 

“Because my goody-two-shoes of a husband doesn’t know the fucking difference between THC and CBD,” she says, glaring at Pete. 

“Ohhhh no wonder they asked me for an ID,” Pete replies, his eyes widening. 

“You ready to go?” Carmy asks you, and you nod with a stupid lovesick smile on your face. 

You say your goodbyes and Natalie brings you in for one more hug. 

“And you’re still going to come with me to my soulcycle class right?” she asks with a very serious look on her face.

“Yes, yes. Absolutely. I will, I promise.”

“Awww okay. Thanks for coming over. I can’t wait for you to be my sister-in-law,” Natalie gushes, as she hugs you goodbye. 

“Woahhhh, okay. Uh, let’s get you home,” Carmy interjects, practically dragging you out of the door. 

Carmy ushers you to the car, and before you know it, you’re on the way home. 

“Do I even want to ask?” Carmy asks, sending an amused look your way. 

“No,” you giggle in response, resting your head on your shoulder. You’re sleepy as you cozy up to him. “What’d you and Pete talk about?”

He shrugs. They had kept the conversation pretty surface level. Pete had tried really hard to connect with Carmy over being a self-proclaimed foodie. 

“Best way to cook a steak.”

“Laaaaaame,” you reply. 

Carmy waits a beat, a soft smile on his face as he looks back over at you. 

“Sugar’s a bad influence on you,” he teases playfully, and you groan in response, shaking your head. 

“Mmmm did you ever think that I'm a bad influence on her?” you challenge, your tone light.

“Okay, bad influence,” he chuckles. Let’s get you home and into bed because we both have to be up in the morning.”

“Fffffffuck,” you shout, earning an amused laugh from Carmy. 

Halfway through the drive home, you fall asleep on his shoulder. Carmy looks over at you once more, a warmth filling his belly as he sees you passed out. He wonders what Sugar meant earlier, by calling you her sister-in-law. There’s no way she could know, right? He’d barely talked about it with you – let alone his sister. 

But Natalie’s always been ahead of him – always had the words for his feelings long before ever he had. And he’s been thinking about it: your relationship, marrying you, making it forever, legally. There’s no way she could know, right? That he’d taken a curious gander at engagement rings the other day. That he’d been cutting onions before dinner service and thinking about how he’d propose to you. That when you’d fall asleep before him, he’d lay there, wondering how the hell he got so lucky and how it’s humanly possible that you’re his.

Maybe, he’d just have to start thinking about keeping you, officially.

taglist: @allthefandomstogether @gaysludge @sobshoney @harrysmatcha @starbritestarlite

[haesunlover]

long to be home. (intro)

pairing: huang renjun x female!reader

series genre: fluff, angst, suggestive, eventual smut

word count: 2.1k words

chapter warnings: fluff, light angst, reader is an aspiring writer, renjun being the best bf ever, mark talking about his dick for a second, nothing else really.

the page on the computer screen remained blank, like your thoughts as you tried to remember any childhood memories. you threw your head back groaning, trying to rattle your brain for any sort of progress. giving up, you opened the facetime app on your computer and dialled the only person who can help in this scenario.

"hey sexy," your high school best friend says as she answered the phone. "to what do i owe the pleasure?"

just hearing her voice instantly made you burst into tears. "i'm trying to write but i am fucking clueless. i'm trying to put together my childhood but it's so blurry. i can see it but i can't at the same time. it's so stupid but i'm so fucked. my brain is absolutely fried." you blurt out, holding your head in your hands.

"woah, wait. is this about your show that you're writing? the one about your life?" lia asks, confused and concerned at this sudden outburst bringing the phone closer to her face.

you nodded your head, pushing your hair away from your face and now properly looking at the camera. "yes. i'm like.. stuck. i'm not getting anywhere cause i can't remember all the details." you huffed after taking a deep breath in, trying to calm yourself down. "i'm getting so frustrated."

lia nodded her head before pulling a naughty smirk at the camera. "you know what i think?" she asked.

"what?"

"i think you need to come home. you've been gone for too long and can't remember anything. you need a memory refresher. and a holiday to come see me." she said, looking pretty proud of her suggestion.

you let out a chuckle, shaking your head at her. "i'd love to but i can't just drop everything and come over."

confusion flashed over lia's face. "why not? don't you have like a whole month off? and doesn't renjun get a two week break soon?" she asked, making a very valid point.

you thought about it. a trip back home to australia with your boyfriend and getting to see your best friend after four years. sounds great in theory but.. "i mean, i'm not sure. i don't know if i'm mentally rea- '' you started to talk and tear up but was cut off by the sound of the keypad to the apartment being used. 

"shit, i gotta go. i'll keep you updated. talk to you soon!" you quickly exclaimed, shutting the lid of the laptop. you quickly wiped the tears away from under your eyes and smoothed out your hair as if you weren't about to rip it out moments before.

"y/n? you here, my love?" you hear your boyfriend, renjun, call out for you. you quickly jump out of the desk chair and walk out into the living area to see him and the rest of the dream members. 

"hey guys, i'm sorry for staying for so long. i lost track of time. i'll head out now so you guys can rest up after working hard today." you explained, jolting your fist in a little 'fighting' sign as you look around at them all.

mark shook his head and asked, "what are you talking about? it's movie night! it's my pick tonight. plus rina will be over soon."

your face dropped a bit, knowing that you weren't in the right headspace to be around the boys. you just wanted to go lie in your own bed and contemplate the previous conversation you had with lia.

renjun's eyebrows furrowed as he scanned your face, coming closer and grabbing your hand. "have you been crying?"

feeling called out, you mirrored his expression. "no? what makes you think that?" you ask defensively.

his face remained firm, giving you a look that showed he knew you were lying. "your nose is red. that is such a tell tale sign for you crying."

you muttered a quiet 'shit' under your breath and tugged his arm that was still attached to your hand towards the front door. "can we go on a walk please?" you say, the room falling completely silent out of nosiness and concern. renjun silently nodded and followed you out of the front door and into the elevator.

the elevator ride down was silent. it was silent until the two of you walked out of the lobby and down into the street. "should we go to the park?" renjun asked, squeezing your hand that he has not let go of since he first grabbed it. you nodded, slightly swinging your hands together. 

after walking quietly for about five minutes, the two of you reached the park and sat on a familiar park bench that you and the boys go to often.

renjun let go of your hand and grabbed a seat first, putting his arm over the back of the bench as if he was inviting you to cuddle into him. you flashed him a shy smile and sit next to him, throwing your legs over his lap and snuggling into him.

he has yet to say anything. he's learned over the year of being with you that you'll open up when you're ready and not to rush you. 

it took a few moments before you found the courage to speak up, "i want to go home."

"but we were just at home?"`

"no. 'australia' home."

"okay."

you stared at him, puzzled. "that's it? you're okay with that?"

he nods his head, grabbing your hand. "i'm okay with it. the real question is are you okay with it? are you ready to go back?"

and that's exactly why you're stuck. you had thought about going home a lot recently, even before lia brought it up. the last few years in australia were life changing to say the least. you knew you'd go back eventually and face the past but not this soon. but over the last few days, you've realized it's something you must do in order to move on.

"honestly, renjun? no, i am so scared. but it's something i need to do." you answered, shakily while leaning on his shoulder.

you felt him nodding his head with a small 'mhm..' vibrating through his body. "may.. may i ask what's brought this on all of a sudden?"

you turn your head up to look at him, faces close together. "i've been trying to write but it's almost like i have writers block. except with my childhood memories. i can't seem to remember a lot. it started a few days ago. i thought about going home once. but then i thought about it again and again. then i called lia.. and she suggested the same thing. i think it's time. it's kind of bittersweet, thinking about going home. part of me longs to go back home but the other part is scared shitless." you rambled.

renjun peered down at you, looking between your eyes. "alright baby. it's no problem. we'll go back to the dorms and figure out the logistics soon."

you nodded at the start of his suggestion but looked at him confused as he finished it. "soon? why soon?"

he smiled and leaned down, kissing you softly. he put his free hand on your chin, holding you as you kissed. renjun then pulled away, "i don't know about you but i hear the playground calling our names." he said with a childish smile plastered on his face.

"i am so in love with you." you mumble, staring at him lovingly. you quickly looked around the park, making sure there was nobody around before laughing and jumping off the bench to run towards the playground. "last one to the swings is a rotten egg!"

by the time you two got back to the apartment, the lights were off in the hallway. only the tv light could be seen shining from the living room. you guys walked into the room and saw that the group were already about halfway through the movie and mark's girlfriend, also one of your closest friends, had joined.

spotting a spare seat next to mark and rina on the three seater couch, you let go of renjun's waist that you were previously holding and head towards the couple quietly. rina lets out a small sound of surprise as you fit yourself into the couple's cuddles. "hi, my rainbow. where've you been?" she asked as she leaned over and gave a quick kiss to your cheek.

"yo, why did my dick twitch a little?" mark mumbled, watching the two of you. both rina and you rolled your eyes at him. renjun walked behind the couch, heading to the only free seat in the room on the beanbag but not without smacking mark across the head first.

you couldn't help but laugh at the stupidity of them, knowing mark meant no harm. "renjun and i were at the park, having a chat." you explained, nuzzling yourself into rina. your friend shifted in her seat, turning her full attention to you.

"shit, what about?" she asked, pulling the blanket away from mark and onto your legs instead.

"well, we wer-"

"oh my god, here we go again. can you guys talk in another room please? you do this every time you see each other. the two of you literally talk for hours." chenle groaned, throwing his head back before looking at the pair of you. there were mumbles of agreement, even from your boyfriends.

giggles fell from both yours and your friend's lips as the two of you push off the couch and into the kitchen to talk. rina pulls herself onto the kitchen bench and you mirror her action but onto the kitchen island. "alright, spill." rina says, grabbing a banana from the fruit bowl next to her.

"i'm going back home to australia for a while." you say, scanning rina's face. 

she stopped peeling her banana and slowly nodded, thinking about what to say. "okay.. and am i invited?" she asked, taking a bite of the banana.

you looked at her confused at apparently her only thought. "you don't have anything else to say? any advice? am i being crazy?"

"well shit, if you're going back there then you'll need moral support. which will be me!" she exclaims cheerfully.

you thought for a second. you two had been talking about going on vacation for awhile and she is actually incredible support. it'll also give rina a chance to go back home too. "i mean, i don't see why not? renjun and i decided on going during his break. would mark be okay with that?" you asked. rina quickly shoved the rest of the banana in her mouth, letting out a muffled 'let me ask.'

she jumped off of the kitchen bench and walked back into the living room with you not too far behind her. "mark, wanna go to australia with us?" she asked quite loudly over the movie. the room erupted in noise, some of the boys talking amongst each other and others trying to talk to you two girls.

"shit, i didn't know i'd cause that much of a fuss." she awkwardly mumbled, returning to her seat next to mark.

chenle spoke up loudly over the noise, "why are you guys going to australia?" he asked looking between you and rina. you groaned, walking to the lightswitch and turning it on so you can actually see everybody properly. you grabbed the remote off the table and quickly paused the movie.

"me and renjun are going back to australia to go sort things out. some family things." which wasn't entirely a lie, "rina wants to come because we've been planning a holiday together long before renjun and i even started dating. she'll also be going home to australia so obviously she wouldn't go without mark." you continued to explain.

it was jeno that spoke up next, "well, can we come too?" he asked softly next to jaemin. the two of them both showing you a very similar innocent, boyish look. you look at renjun, silently asking for help. 

he pushed himself out of the beanbag and made his way over to where you were standing by the tv, "well, how about we go, just us, for the first few days and then the rest of them can join us later?" 

you nodded in approval, look at everyone else to see if they give the same approval. everyone was showing some way of saying yes. it was jisung who spoke up next, "where are we even going?"

"we're going back to my hometown on the gold coast." the room erupted in noise again, but this time in excited chatter. whilst everyone was talking, you turn to renjun with a half excited and half scared look on your face.

"i guess this is it. i'm going home."

[annakie]

I have so much to say and no time to say it. Just like... none.

What started out as "Get the new roof on the house (CRITICAL!) and a new back patio roof put up (SERIOUS and would become critical in the next couple of years) and get an 8' Cedar Fence put up (ANY fence was critical but the size and materials was a splurge)... and hey while we're at it, let's get a ceiling fan on that new patio... oh shit the house might catch fire and burn down because the fusebox is dying...

...so all that has spiraled hugely. It's turned into more or less a full home renovation. A renovation much, much needed if you'd seen the state of the place. Liveable, but embarassing with how dated it was and how many things just didn't work quite right, or at all.

It's turned into "I found an amazing contractor who does a great job and charges very fair rates who I get along with great, so let's just spend a huge chunk of my savings and fix every damn thing we can that's wrong in this house, or will soon be wrong in this house, let's make it a place worth living in, a place that will someday sell for more than minimum, a place that for the first time in 21 years I can actually be proud of." It's "Hey, Arturo? Can we fix this?" "Sure, I can do that." "OK, how much? Wait, are you serious, OK I can afford that?!"

It's not just getting the things done that needed to be done but many things that I just wanted. It's Arturo throwing in some amazing little bonuses for free, and doing a lot of little things he doesn't have to do because he's just that awesome.

It's my brain starting to get fried from all of the choices. Every day, so many choices.

It's my cats hiding in the guest room closet all day from the noise, it's me sleeping in the guest room for two and a half weeks so far because the master bedroom is too useful for storage and a thoroughfare. It's every room getting something done -- even if its just a fresh coat of paint and the rewiring, and some rooms being torn apart almost completely and put back together the way I've always envisioned them.

It's now being used to getting my actual job done with hammering and sawing happening 10 feet away, and other people doing their job fixing up my house around me while i do my job at my WFH desk so I can pay them.

It's so much, guys. It's awesome, and a little terrifying, and exhausting. It's me barely keeping up with my responsibilities and trying to be a good friend and not talk about me me me all the time when everything every day is filled with new and exciting things for me.

Today that thing was taking a shower in my home and enjoying it for the first time ever, not wanting to get out ASAP because of how much I hate my bathroom.

At some point, I'm going to have time and energy to start posting pictures and talking about it in-depth again. This last month or two has been a once in a lifetime experience probably, and I want to remember it. It's going to keep going on for another probably two weeks at this point. I'm just too busy or tired or brain-fried at the end of every day to post about it.

But here, here's a preview. This is what my life is right now,and I both absolutely love it and am so tired and ready for it all to be done. But only when every choice is made and every "Hey, Arturo, can we...?" is complete.

[welcome-to-green-hills]

the vibe I’m getting from the movies thus far is that they pick new characters based on how much hype they’ll bring and how much they can raise the stakes from the last film. With that in mind, Amy and Rouge don’t fit either category, so I can’t see them showing up at all :/

Hello my dear!❤️✨

I completely understand the frustration that you’re feeling on your end. Let me assure you that it’s perfectly okay to feel upset not seeing your favorite character(s) on screen. It’s a normal feeling. I promise.

This information is all in my pinned post. I think that it goes back to the “January” tab. (I’m not sure, my brain is fried from course work today). The way that the crew includes characters is based on how the story is projected, as well as audience familiarity with characters. They also follow a standard of introducing one or two characters at a time.

Sonic a very popular game franchise. It’s been that way since the 90’s. This logic would actually fit myself (a 20+ year fan) and my mom, who was a fan of Sonic in the 90’s with her cut-off year being Sonic 3 & Knuckles. They’re going to include Sonic characters that people know. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Dr. Robotnik, and Shadow are recognizable characters.

It’s understandable that they’re going this route. I do recall that I’ve said back in 2021 not to expect Amy Rose or Rouge. With what I’m seeing so far, the main story revolves around Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Dr. Robotnik, and Shadow. And that’s okay. Shadow has a lot to unpack and it’s one of the most rememberable stories in the franchise.

Here’s the good news: the SCU crew engages a lot with Sonic fans. That, and most of these crew members have worked on Sonic games. They listen to fans a lot and value feedback (if you’re civil, mind you). I believe that if you’re vocal about it, then you could get them included in a potential fourth.

I hope that this helps, my dear.

[sirowsky-stories]

The Regulars

Summary: Marcus and Missy befriend a waitress at their favorite diner.

Requested by @yourstrulylightstar283

Rating: General/Everyone Warnings: Marcus Moreno x OFC named Evey, father/daughter banter, mention of stressful working environment, otherwise just fluff and cuteness. Word Count: 1175

   ”Again, dad?” Missy asks when he puts the menu down, already knowing what he’s picked, even though he hasn’t said anything.

   “What?” he lovingly gripes in return, smiling as he knows where this is going.

   “There’s so much delicious food in this diner, and yet, every time we come here you order the same thing: the cheeseburger with fries. Are you scared of stepping out of your food comfort zone, or something?”

   “I’m not scared,” he huffs, “this is just the best burger in town.”

   “Alright, I didn’t wanna do this, but you’ve left me no choice,” she counters, and her tone clearly suggests she’s about to change his mind, whether he likes it or not.

   He loves when she gets all smart like this, so he leans back and feels a smile grow behind his cheeks as he watches her close her menu deliberately slowly before clasping her hands together and leaning her forearms on the table.

   “Dad, you’re a public figure,” she begins, very seriously, “which means that people pay attention to you. And what they’re seeing every time we come here, is that not only does Marcus Moreno support the meat-industry, which we all know is fubar, but that he’s also entirely unconcerned with his own health.”

   Suddenly, he doesn’t feel the smile in his cheeks anymore. Instead, he feels mildly nauseous, especially after he hears the next part of her reasoning.

   “Now, if you were a member of the public, which the Heroics are tasked with protecting, would you feel safe knowing that your supposed guardian doesn’t even take good care of himself?”

   He knows that she’s being deliberately manipulating, testing herself in how good she is at persuading others, but she’s also not wrong about anything she’s saying, and it’s surprisingly jarring to hear.    Before he’s had a chance to recover, however, the waitress comes to take their orders, and he feels a creeping panic at the back of his neck, realizing he doesn’t know what to do.

   “Hello, my name is Evey, I’ll be taking your orders today,” she says with a prize-winning smile which isn’t fake or overdone or disingenuous at all, and he’s momentarily distracted by the fact that he hasn’t seen this woman before.

   “Hi, I’m Missy, and this is my dad, Marcus,” his daughter responds, saving him from having to speak through the befuddled mess that is his brain right now.

   “Nice to meet you both,” Evey nods politely at them in turn, “what will it be today?”

   His daughter confidently asks for an omelet with a side of salad instead of potato fries, and then immediately turns the attention back to him, fully aware he hasn’t made up his mind yet.

   “Uh…” is all he says, before ripping the folded two-page menu open once again and scanning the options way too fast to actually make out what they are.

   He glances at Missy over the top of the pages, hoping she’ll start talking and give him a moment to think, but she just smiles knowingly at him while she calmly waits for him to make a fool of himself.

   “I can give you some options, if you prefer, sir,” the waitress suddenly offers him a lifeline, and he dives at it like he’s drowning.

   “Please, do. I’m sorry, I’m a bit distracted today,” he tries to explain, hoping not to look like a complete moron, although that ship has probably already sailed.

   “No problem, that’s why I’m here,” she smiles again, and then proceeds to list the entire dinner menu from memory, highlighting the nutritional benefits of each dish, as well as giving him a general idea of the flavor sensation associated with the various options.

   Marcus has been at five-star restaurants with lesser service than this, leaving him staring dumbly at Evey once she’s finished, trying to comprehend what such a talented server is doing in such a simple establishment.

   “You’re new here, aren’t you?” Missy pipes up after a moment of stunned silence.

   “Yes, it’s my first week,” the waitress confirms, and the Moreno’s exchange a look of impressed bewilderment before both turn back to stare at her.

   “I’m guessing you’ve been somewhere a bit more… demanding than this place before,” Marcus suggests, finally freed of the confusion his daughter had inflicted on him.

   “Demanding is the right word for it, indeed, sir,” she replies, and while the smile is still warm and genuine, there’s a hint of something heavy in her eyes for a moment as she says it.

   He knows that many prestigious restaurants can be hell to work at, no matter how skilled or experienced a person might be, so if she’s been at a place like that, he could understand if she needed to seek out a less stressful environment.    A small corner diner might not seem like a desired workplace for someone used to the glamour of the top tier in her field, but there are benefits to be found in the simplicity and quaintness of smaller businesses.

   “Well, I hope you’ll like it here,” he smiles back at her. “It’s not too crowded most of the time, and the regulars are pretty decent.”

   Missy rolls her eyes at him in embarrassment over the last part, which Evey notices, and an adorable giggle crosses her lips.

   “I take it you’re the regulars in question, then?”

   “Oh, he’s a regular alright. A regular cheeseburger abuser,” his daughter shoots, paying him back for her embarrassment by making him look like an idiot in front of this lovely woman.

   “Am not!” he desperately fires back, succeeding only in sounding childish on top of stupid.

   “Am too! And apparently also dishonest, since you won’t even own up to it,” she counters, and he doesn’t have a good comeback for that, so he ends up just sitting there scowling for a beat, before finally closing the menu and setting it down on the table.

   “Fine. I’ll have the damned burger.”

   He expects the waitress to politely excuse herself then, as this little tiff has probably left her feeling uncomfortable.    But when she’s still by the table after a few seconds, he looks up to find out what she’s doing, only to discover her grinning at him with her head cocked to the side, looking as sweet as a labrador waiting for ear-scritches.

   “Good choice,” she says with a wink. “It’s the best burger in town.”

   Missy’s head hits the tabletop with an audible bonk, followed by her exacerbated groan of disapproval, now directed at both the adults, as her masterful plan to manipulate her father has been ruined.    Marcus, on the other hand, can’t help but laugh, and when Evey joins in even though she has both their orders and doesn’t need to stay there any longer, he feels like a friendship has just begun, and it sends a nice warmth through his abdomen.

   “I’ll be right back with your dinners,” she giggles, and then right before she turns away, she adds: “I think I’m gonna like the regulars here.”

THE END

[erzsebetrosztoczy]

hiii . I saw ur requests are open and if u still do fics can u do ac Valhalla hytham x reader? Reader is an artist and hytham enjoys his time with them , also their drawings, maybe he goes through the papers she drew on and sees himself? And he thanks the reader with a kiss.:3

U can change anything u don’t like in this request i just want a fic about my boy hytham .😭😭

Canvas of Secrets

Pairing: Hytham x reader

Genre: fluff

Warnings: if you count that i love writing yearning and falling in love with Hytham instead of actually having a relationship with him lol THE YEARNING GUYS HE'S A YEARNINER MATERIAL!!!

Note: I feel like I need to get back into the writing mood, writing vibe because its still off for me??? Lemme know I tried my best with my lil fried brain :(

The mid-morning sun bathed Ravensthorpe in a soft, welcoming light, casting long shadows as villagers busied themselves with their daily tasks. The rhythmic clang of blacksmith's hammers and the lively chatter of merchants created a symphony of everyday life. Amid this bustling activity, Hytham moved with a sense of purpose, his mind focused on his duties as a Hidden One. 

Based on the documents Eivor found, another possible target appeared on the horizon, although he still had to do some research to make sure the information was true.

However, that day somehow work eluded the man as he passed by the edge of the settlement, where a small group of children had gathered around a figure seated on a low stool. Curious, he approached, drawn by the sounds of laughter and the sight of animated faces. Sharp laughter rang out in the air, but not with the usual gaiety of children- instead, he heard a soft, restrained laugh.

As he drew closer, he saw you surrounded by the little ones, gleaming eyes watching you, your hands deftly sketching on a large sheet of parchment. The children watched in awe as you brought a scene to life before their eyes, pencil strokes fluid and confident. You were capturing the essence of a lively market, complete with bustling stalls and cheerful passers-by.

Hytham paused, intrigued not only by your talent but also by the way you engaged the children, patiently answering all their questions, letting them try out anything and everything that piqued interest in their little heart from your work.. You glanced up, sensing his presence, offering him a warm smile.

"Ah, Hytham! Come, join us," you called out, your voice light and inviting. "We're just sketching the market today."

He hesitated for a moment before stepping closer. "I didn't mean to intrude. I was just passing by as I heard your little gathering having a good time." He smiled warmly at you.

You waved off his concern with a flick of your hand. "You're not intruding at all. Here, take a look." You held up the drawing, and Hytham marveled at the intricate details and the lively energy that seemed to emanate from the paper.

"You're incredibly talented," he remarked, genuine admiration in his voice.

You chuckled softly. "Thank you. Drawing has always been my way of capturing the world. It helps me see things more clearly, appreciate the beauty in everyday moments."

Hytham nodded, understanding the sentiment. "I can see that. Your drawings have a way of bringing things to life." Hytham chuckled, his eyes flickering between the drawing and her face, admiring the details and the skill that went into it

A child tugged at your sleeve, drawing your attention back to the group. "Can we draw the animals next?" the child asked eagerly.

"Of course!" you replied, ruffling the child's hair affectionately. "Let's find a good spot near the stables."

As the children gathered their papers and pencils, you turned to Hytham once more. "You're welcome to join us, Hytham."

He nodded in response, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips at her invitation, a rare sight that made your heart skip a beat. He then glanced over at the children and thought for a moment before replying.

Very well. I'll join you. He agreed quietly.

Hytham followed her lead as she guided the children over to a spot near the stables where there was enough room for all of them. As they settled down and everyone began drawing the animals around them, Hytham took a moment to observe the scene before him. He chuckled softly at the children's excited chatter and laughter, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere. The day passed in a blur of laughter, sketches, and shared stories. Hytham found himself returning to your side time and time again, drawn by your infectious enthusiasm and the sense of peace that seemed to radiate from you. He watched as you guided the children's hands, teaching them to see the world through the eyes of an artist.

As the sun began to set and the children dispersed, you and Hytham found yourselves alone by the stables. Whipping your hands on your apron you joined him at the end of the stalls. Hytham leaned back against the wall of the stable idly, his eyes fixated on the setting sun. He chuckled softly, feeling a sense of peace and contentment in the moment. Once the children had left and it was just the two of you left, he turned his gaze towards you. Yours eyes met and he noticed the warm, knowing look in your eyes. You held his gaze for a moment before speaking quietly in a calm voice, breaking the silence between the two of you.

"Thank you for spending the day with us, Hytham. It was nice to have you here."

He nodded, his expression thoughtful. " It was my pleasure to spend the day with you and the children. They're a playful and curious bunch, it was refreshing to be around such innocence. I enjoyed it more than I expected. You have a way of making even the simplest moments feel extraordinary."

You blushed at the compliment, your heart fluttering. "I'm glad you think so. Sometimes, it's the little things that matter most."

He glanced at the drawings scattered around, his gaze lingering on a particularly detailed sketch of a horse. "You have a talent for this, you know. These drawings. They're beautiful."

Your blush deepened, and you looked away, a shy smile tugging at your lips. "Thank you, Hytham. That means a lot."

Hytham noticed the way her blush deepened and how she looked away shyly, his smile softening at the sight of her shyness. He chuckled softly and pushed off the wall of the stable, taking a few steps closer to her.

“It's the truth.” He stated softly, his gaze fixed on her with a warm, genuine look in his eyes as he spoke. “You have a gift for capturing beauty on paper.”

 "This has always brought the greatest happiness to my life." You replied, crossing your arms in front of your chest, walking up to the wall and joining him to admire the colors of the setting sun. "The days pass quickly, and we often forget the things that bring us happiness as time goes on. There are memories I don't want to forget. So I learned how to preserve them.”

“And that gift will last a lifetime.” He replied softly, his eyes fixed on the gorgeous hues of orange and red as the sun descended below the horizon.”Memories are important. They make us who we are, after all.” 

"They do," you murmured softly, a smile playing on your lips. "Memories shape us in ways we sometimes don't realize until much later."

Hytham nodded thoughtfully, his eyes still fixed on the horizon where the sun had disappeared. "I never used to think much about memories," he admitted quietly. "My life as a Hidden One demanded focus on the present and the future. But being here with you, experiencing these moments... I realize how much they matter."

You reached out, your fingers brushing against his. "I'm glad you feel that way, Hytham. It's important to cherish the moments that make us feel alive."

Hytham's gaze flickered towards her at the feeling of her fingers brushing against his. A touch that sent a small shiver up his spine. He looked back at her with a softened gaze and a small, warm smile.

“And moments like this?” He gestured with his head to the setting sun and then to their surroundings in the stables, his smile growing slightly. “Are they moments that will stay with you in memory?”

You considered his question, taking in the peaceful scene around you—the gentle rustling of the leaves, the faint scent of hay, and the quiet companionship between you both. The beauty of the moment seemed to intensify with his presence beside you.

"Yes," you replied softly, meeting his gaze. "When shared with someone special, they become the heartbeats of our memories. They're the ones we carry with us, even as time passes."

Hytham's eyes held a gentle intensity as he listened, a small smile playing on his lips. He seemed to absorb your words, savoring the tranquility of the moment, the connection between you both.

He leaned closer, his breath mingling with yours in the cool evening air. "And I want to make more memories like this—with you," he confessed, his voice barely above a whisper.

Your heart skipped a beat at his words, overwhelmed by the sincerity and depth of his feelings. You reached out, cupping his cheek gently in your hand. "I want that too, Hytham," you replied softly, as if afraid this moment  will disappear if spoken out loud. 

He closed his eyes briefly, leaning into your touch. "Then let's cherish this one," he murmured, his lips brushing against yours in a tender kiss that spoke of promises yet to be made, and a future waiting to unfold..

Hytham leaned into the touch of your hand on his cheek, his eyes fluttering shut for a moment as he reveled in the sensation of your touch and words. He felt a wave of emotions swelling within him—a mixture of gratitude, hope, and a sense of belonging he had long suppressed, and he couldn't deny the longing that stirred in his heart at the thought.

As he opened his eyes and looked at you, a soft, vulnerable look in his eyes, he took in your beauty under the golden light...

You reached up, gently threading your fingers through his hair, cherishing the softness of his dark locks beneath your touch.

Hytham's heart skipped a beat at the feeling of your fingers in his hair. He let out a low, almost inaudible sigh, closing his eyes momentarily as he enjoyed the sensation of your touch. It was a simple gesture, but it felt intimate and tender, a connection that seemed to deepen with every passing moment.

He swallowed, his words barely above a whisper as he spoke, his voice tinged with a hint of vulnerability and tenderness."I've long kept my heart guarded, hidden beneath the weight of duty and the shadows of my past," Hytham murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. His eyes remained closed, savoring the intimacy of your touch, the way your fingers threaded through his hair with such gentleness.

"But with you," he continued softly, opening his eyes to meet yours, "it feels as though the walls I've built around myself are slowly crumbling. Your presence... your touch... they awaken something within me that I thought I had lost."

His admission hung in the air, vulnerable yet filled with an honesty that spoke of deeper emotions. The golden light of the setting sun cast a warm glow over both of you, lending an almost ethereal quality to the moment.

You felt your heart swell with tenderness at his words, understanding the weight they carried. Gently, you let your hand caress his cheek, your touch conveying comfort and acceptance. "Hytham," you whispered, your voice soft with emotion, "you don't have to carry that weight alone anymore. I'm here, and I want to share whatever burdens you carry."

Hytham's gaze softened at your words, and he reached up, gently resting his hand over yours as it gently caressed his cheek.

"Thank you," he murmured sincerely, his voice filled with gratitude. "For seeing beyond the surface, for... for accepting me."

You nodded, a small smile touching your lips as you met his gaze with unwavering compassion. "You've shown me glimpses of who you are beneath the armor, Hytham," you replied softly. "And what I see... it's someone deserving of love and happiness."

The evening breeze stirred around you, carrying with it the quiet intensity of the moment. You stood together, bathed in the fading light of the sun, united in a bond that grew deeper with each shared revelation and tender touch.

When the world around you settled into dusk, you knew that this moment marked a new chapter—a chapter where walls crumbled, hearts opened, and the promise of a future filled with understanding and love blossomed under the gentle caress of an evening's embrace.

[sweater-daddiesdumbdork]

Life Is Short So Make It Sweet

Chapter Twenty-Two: Winner Takes All

Summary- 5.3k Curtis Everett x Plus!Sized Reader. You and Curtis check into a hotel for a private night before heading back home to everyday life. Deciding to go have some fun, the night turns into a friendly competition with just one winner getting to call all the shots.

Warnings- The reader has some body image issues and self-doubt, descriptions of what the reader sees as flaws in an intimate moment. Reader receiving oral.

A/N- Hello hello! I hope everyone is doing good and you all enjoy this fun chapter of these two being their horny selves. What can I say, I love giving these two plenty of good times. As always, THANK YOU so much for reading, liking, commenting, and reposting. It does so much to keep me writing, you all have no idea. Special shout out to @what-is-your-plan-today, you as always are the best for taking these projects on. All the love babes.

Chapter Twenty-One / Masterlist

“We are going to miss you guys so much.” Jade gave a little sniffle as she hugged you tightly. “You promise to come back real soon? Or I can come to see you?” 

You hugged back, your heart a little sad to be leaving your sister and best friend so soon. Since she moved to Florida and you moved to Minnesota, it felt like your visits were so few and far between, mostly reduced to texting, skyping, and phone calls. “Of course! I have a decent apartment, I can blow up a mattress for you or get you a hotel in the city.” 

Curtis cleared his throat patiently to break up your and Jade’s conversation for just a moment. “Honey, I have plenty of space at the house, of course all of you are welcome to stay there.” He said kindly and you swore you could have told him you loved him right there for even being willing to open his home to your family. 

But I love you was just too soon still, you weren't sure what you felt for Curtis yet. It was definitely better than it had been with Jake and you could have sworn you loved Jake Wyler with all your heart and soul. Yet, jumping into another I love you scared you. 

“Yeah, Mary and I could come to stay when we are out of school and Frank too if he doesn’t have a lot of projects lined up.” A teary yet hopeful response fell from Jade and Frank squeezed gently around her waist, smiling. 

“I’m sure we can figure that out down the road. I can make my own hours after all.” He held out his hand to Curtis. “Everett, you are welcome to come to fix some boat engines anytime. Like I said before, I can find you work whenever you want to get away from that Minnesota winter.”

Curtis laughed while returning the handshake. “Likewise, all this sun hasn't completely fried your brain, I will show you how to work those locomotive ones.” Letting go of Frank's hand, he knelt down to Mary’s level. She had a bit of a pout as she gave Curtis a big sad look. “What’s wrong kiddo?” 

“I don’t want you and Y/N to go home.” 

“Ahh, I know, but this is just a goodbye for now. We will skype soon. Y/N is always talking to Jade.” 

“Yeah… kinda like when I talk to Evelyn in Boston? She likes to come visit all the time for surprises.” 

“Yeah, without letting us know.” Frank grumbled and Jade elbowed him lightly. “That’s Mary’s grandmother.” Frank explained, giving a shrug as if that explained it all. 

“A lot like when you talk to Evelyn. Plus Jade was just saying about coming to stay with us.” Curtis smiled as he hugged Mary gently. Mary nodded, apparently satisfied with his answer, and went to wrap you in a big hug. Jade softly whispered to Frank, who lightened up seeing his typically closed-up niece warm up to you and Curtis. 

With final goodbyes said, you waved as Frank drove away, Curtis hugging you from behind while you gave a sigh. “I’m gonna miss them. But…” You twisted in his arms and looked up over his head. “I’m looking forward to staying at the Ritz.” 

“Shall we go check out our room?” He asked. “Fanciest place I’ve ever been.” 

“Let’s!” You unwrapped from around him and while he grabbed the bags, you held out your hand to take some but he slipped his hand in yours instead, leading you in. 

Check in was fairly quick and Curtis fidgeted in the elevator a bit. He felt out of his element having never stayed a place quite like this. You were bubbling with excitement though and that made him pleased seeing you so happy for a fancy hotel room all to yourselves. 

You ran the key card through and opened the door wide to a beautiful room with a huge king size bed that looked luxuriously piled with pillows, other seated chairs and table littered with a gift basket spotting champagne and robes. Beyond that was an open balcony with comfortable seating to face a magnificent view of Florida's white beach and turquoise ocean. “Wow” Curtis whistled softly as the door clicked closed behind the two of you. 

“Isn’t it beautiful? They have a pool, golf course and some other things if you want to check them out.” You pushed the curtains wide open and cracked the balcony door open to step out onto it. Several floors up gave you the best of views and Curtis felt all that anxiety fade away seeing how happy just being here made you. His arm settled around you and you leaned into him to enjoy the Florida sunshine that was slowly starting to fade into evening. “It’s nice to visit places like this.” 

“Yes, it is a lot different from Duluth.” Curtis observed, watching as lights sprang on across the golf course in the distance. 

“But… I am always glad to go home.” You admitted as you grasped the banister and leaned over it, looking down. Curtis let his hands slide to grasp your waist, resisting the urge to pull you back into him. “Hey, they have a mini golf course not too far from here.” 

Curtis took the chance to look over the edge to see where the course was. It appeared to be at the end of a strip of tourist shops, a large pirate ship looming among rolling green hills and water features, neon lights bouncing around it. “Wanna go play?” He asked and you nodded enthusiastically. 

After changing clothes- you into a tank top and skort, Curtis in a pair of cargo shorts and a faded tee, he ushered you out of the room without your purse, insisting that tonight it was date night and he wanted to fund wherever the night took you two. Even though you protested, he wrapped you into his hold, refusing to budge. “Let me treat my girl to a date, hmm?” You finally relented that this night was on him.  

The walk to the mini golf course was leisurely. The crowds of people bypassing you and Curtis in their rush to be somewhere else made for interesting people watching. You both were all about just enjoying the slowing of the day, how the night was slipping in its place, hand in hand you two strolled along the street. Curtis soaked in the bustle of the city's tourist area, shops opening their doors for people and nearby the scent of food sizzling made him pause, you drawing ahead of him for a second till you felt his hand tug against yours. “You hungry, Honey?” 

Your quizzical look softened into a smile, catching what had made him pause. “Yes, I could eat.” 

A nearby taco truck had a small line and you both stepped behind the last person waiting, glancing at the menu board. Stepping up, the person leaned against the truck's counter, pen in hand. “What can I get you two?” 

Curtis cleared his throat while studying the board. “Can I get a couple of the carnita tacos? Along with a corona.”

While he pulled out his wallet, you went ahead with your request. “Shrimp tacos with extra lime wedges and one of your margarita specials please.” 

“Sure.” He eyed the two of you and must have deemed you both of age because he rang up your total and shouted out the order. You both were handed your drinks, yours in a paper cup for easy disposal and Curtis requested more lime wedges, fitting them into his bottle of Corona till they floated in the glass bottle. 

The smell of the seasoned meat sizzling made Curtis stomach rumble, making you laugh as he groaned with want. You hugged around him, nuzzling against him affectionately. “Did we eat lunch today?” 

“I don’t think so. Why I’m starving.” He huffed against your hair, his hand rubbing down your back to lightly grasp your ass through your clothes, making you muffle a whine against his chest. 

“For food Curtis, you're starving for food.” You poked playfully at his ribs while you two hovered out of the way but still near the truck for when their food was finished. 

“I can be starving for more than one thing.” He grinned just as his name was called. Untangling from you, he went to get the tacos while slipping a tip in a jar near the register. The tacos were carefully set in paper trays, enabling you two to continue on toward the mini golf course while eating. 

You carefully grasped your taco, the flour shell still warm while the slaw drizzled partially on your hand, making you lap it away. That first crunchy bite, the slaw a fresh burst of veggies mixing with the sizzling grilled shrimp and bite of cilantro lime salsa. It was heaven, you closed your eyes and paused as you chewed slowly, savoring the flavors. 

Watching you enjoy your food, the pleasured look in your features, Curtis mentally labeled that as one of his favorite moments of this trip. You were totally in the moment, your face a look of bliss showing that you were thoroughly appreciating. No worries of being seen by others, or preparing to throw half of it away, claiming you were full when he knew you really weren’t. When your eyes slipped back open, you caught him watching you, giving an embarrassed little grin while swiping at your lips. You held up your last bite of the first taco in your tray, offering him the bite. “Lemme try yours.” You said and he held out his tray for you to take his after he took your last bite from your fingers. “These are so good.” 

“We could start making these at home.” Curtis agreed as he washed his last few bites down with the icy cold corona. “Although they won’t be as good as food trucks while we are on vacation.”  

Arriving at the mini golf course, you were feeling giddy while you two grabbed your balls and putts. There were a few other couples and kids scattered around the course, but otherwise being mid-week it seemed fairly quiet. Dropping your ball, you shook your hips while situating yourself up to shoot towards the first hole, just getting it between two pools of water that had octopus tentacles coming up through the pools.

“Easy shot.” You challenged with a glance over your shoulder. Curtis smirked back at you, leaning against his putt while watching you. The hat he was wearing to help with the sun was now slipped backward, letting you see his eyes assessing every move you made. 

You stalled a second, the fuzziness that the margarita made you feel overpowered by the idea that maybe he didn’t like you teasing like this, that you looked ridiculous shaking your hips the way you were with the way he had his slight scowl. But his gaze went up your body and he gave a deep sigh like he was refocusing himself. “That might be an easy shot but fuck, Honey.” His eyes glanced around the small park warily before settling back on you. “I don’t know if I can keep my hands to myself till we get back to the hotel. Do it again.” 

That negative worry from earlier dissipated, it was game on at that moment. “Guess you are gonna have to really focus on the game.” You let your hips shift again and an audible groan came from him. 

“Yeah, focusin’ on somethin’.” 

You took your shot and the ball whizzed wildly down the green grass path to putter into the hole, making Curtis give a clap of his hands in congratulations while he dropped his ball in place. “Easy shot for you too.” You assured him, making sure to step away to watch him. Curtis, as always, fell all into the moment. His legs shifted his weight back and forth to center himself, all while taking easy measured strokes trying to gauge where to hit the ball. In those moments, you let yourself appreciate how he looked with taunt muscles in his back flexing beneath his shirt, pulling at the corner of your lip while your eyes mapped the way his tee tightened in his shoulders and down his muscled back. 

Sure he was every bit of a relaxed looking tourist with the backward NASA baseball cap, some tee shirt Jade bought him with a ridiculous saying about how he got his crabs at Dirty Dicks, a popular restaurant in the area, to khaki cargo shorts that almost looked dark against his very pale legs that were hidden for months by long pants in Minnesota. To you though, he looked sexy and that little tingle of anticipation built in your belly. A clenching need that you knew Curtis would much appreciate. 

Of course his ball whizzed right in, making him pump his fist in victory, a grin on his face as he looked over his shoulder at you. 

The competitive side flared in your belly, making you sidle up to him. “Wanna make it interesting Curtis?” 

His arm slung back comfortably around you as you two made your way to collect the balls and go to the next hole. “I’m listening.” 

You strolled onto the next spot, unweaving from his hold to face him. “You win… you can do whatever you want to me tonight.” His brows shot up in interest. “I win, the same goes for me.”

“I’m winning, Honey.” He assured you after hearing the prize and you wiggled your brows at him while dropping your ball at the next hole. 

“I’m gonna make you work for it.” You aimed your shot, now focusing more than ever on the next obstacle. This one proved to be harder but you took a couple shots and finally got it in. Curtis, having taken this bet pretty personal, managed another hole in one. 

You two spared back and forth, trying to best one another but you both stayed so close in points. At the last hole Curtis was ahead… by one point if your calculations were accurate. 

It was almost nerve wracking at this point. One hand if you won, you got to pick how your evening played out, but that was almost daunting. You always tried to pick out what your partner would like. You know if you did win, Curtis would absolutely insist on doing whatever you wanted to do, no matter what.  

It was enough to waver your hand on your putter, quiver in anticipation and anxiety as you wracked your mind trying to decide how to take this shot, let it swing wildly away from the hole or actually try and sink it. What would Curtis want? 

“Hey…” His hand rested against your back while you exhaled all that energy. “You got this. Take the shot.”

You smiled at him, letting your worries melt away at that moment and let your putter hit the ball, which almost seemed like it was gonna swing away from the hole. But it swung closer, following the tilt of the course and zipped right in. 

“Well fuck, Honey, no way I can beat that.” Curtis sighed as if in defeat, but the crinkle in the corner of his eyes and the barely their proud grin showed. He let his ball bounce at his feet, positioning it with his toe. “But damned if I’m not gonna try.” Curtis made a show of angling himself just right and hit. His ball did the opposite of yours, wildly flying and bouncing right off the course, making him groan and you laugh as you looked in the deep pool of water it landed in. 

“Gone.” You twirled to face him, biting your lip. “I win.” 

“Mmhh, you did Pretty Girl.” His hand was warm as it cupped your cheek, a thumb dragging against the corner of your mouth. You took it as enough incentive to bite gently onto the tip of his thumb, sucking his thumb enough to twirl your tongue around it. “I hope you got some ideas for me.” Right now your mind was going blank of thoughts, staring up at lust blown eyes almost black with just slivers of blue, his warm skin heated and an earlier sunburn across his face was starting to fade, making all his freckles stand out that much more. “Fuck the things you can do with that mouth of yours Pretty Girl.” His hold tightened, catching your tongue from its swirling motion. “Save that for later. Come on, let’s get out of here.” 

When his hand moved, reaching to grasp yours, you eeped a yup and followed him out of the mini golf course park. The walk back to the hotel was much more rushed, now a real destination in mind. It seemed like the hotel was so far away, but before you could comprehend where you two were, Curtis was pinning you in the elevator, kissing you hungrily while you clutched at him, trying to keep up with his energy. You ended up tilting your head back against the steel wall while he pressed a palm against one of your breast and muttered how fucking hot you were taking those shots earlier. Your hand shot up, nails scraping through the short buzzed hairs and grasping the back of his neck to pull him into a tongue tangling messy kiss, panting against each other as the elevator door finally opened and you both tumbled into the hallway, groping at each other while making it to the door. 

The way you were acting you would think the two of you were horny teenagers unable to have any control. Somehow you worked the key card into the door while Curtis ran his hands all over you, sliding under your tank shirt and giving a pull to your nipples, making you sag against him while closing your eyes, groaning. 

“Do it again Curtis.” You muttered as the door clicked open and he rumbled a chuckle against your neck as he sunk his teeth in your skin, tasting you with his tongue. His fingers twisted a nipple, making you hiss at the borderline pleasure and pain. With a gentle nudge behind you, Curtis got you in the room and door locked. 

In the dim outside light streaming into the room, you turned to see him stalking towards you, catching you up in his hold once more to back you to the bed till you stumbled back on it and he followed you, careful to hover over you while he made you breathless in his kisses, his hips pressing to yours where you could feel his cock hardening. “Now… You get to pick what you want.” He drew away, hands planting against the mattress to lift himself up. 

“Um- what do YOU want Curtis?” You countered, moving up to your elbows to prop yourself up. 

“Nu-uh Pretty Girl.” He smirked, dragging a finger along the curve of your face. “You won, fair and square.”

“You let me win.” You muttered with narrowed eyes, making him grin without even denying it. Instead he swooped back in, catching your lips with his, drawing out a needy moan. Your mind raced as he continued kissing and nibbling on your neck, his hand still cupping a breast and teasing your nipple through the fabric. How were you supposed to think when all you could do was feel his weight pressing heatedly against you, the hot touch of smooth lips and tongue that were followed by the bristles of his beard flaring your skin. His hand made you arch into him, dragging your nails down his upper back and press him down harder while you whimpered for him. “Curtis, fuck I can’t think right now.” 

“Mmh Pretty Girl, you are not supposed to think Honey.” A nudge of his nose behind your earlobe before his lips skimmed the shell of your ear. “What do you feel like? Riding my cock? Worshiping you? Bending you over? There is a nice balcony outside.” 

Those all sounded good, but your mind swirled with the thoughts of his beard buried between your thighs, those vividly blue eyes staring up at your body while you withered against his mouth. Heat raced up your body at the thought, so sinful in your mind but you hadn’t let him do that since Christmas Eve to you and just the thought made you tingle with desire all over. “I know what I want.” You whispered out, making Curtis push up enough to look down at you, waiting for your answer. You felt shy, biting on your lip as you tried to say what you wanted. You knew he enjoyed it, craved it as he admitted he enjoyed oral with his partners when you first started dating. There was still that touch of self-doubt that you weren’t small enough for it. His hand swept through your hair, grasping enough to tilt your gaze up to meet his own. 

“Come on Pretty Girl, tell me what you want me to do, let me worship you.” 

Worship, you always felt that way with him. It was like Curtis couldn’t get enough in the months you two have been together and it was so easy to give him this you found, it made him so satisfied to take care of you. You eased up, that worry taking a backseat in your mind the more confident you became at the moment. Curtis patiently held himself above you, just waiting for whatever you wanted. 

“Taste me.” You slid a finger against his mouth which he kissed your fingertip while arching his brow, studying you to see you were serious. 

“Anywhere?” 

You gave a nod and Curtis pushed up to a stand, shedding his shirt. “Honey, I’m gonna need you out of those clothes, now.” 

You pushed up to your knees on the bed, shifting over to the edge of the bed where he was standing, working his belt open. You grabbed the leather, pulling it out of the loops and dropping it on the floor, admiring the swirls of ink across his chest in a pattern that made you heated. “Yes Sir.” You muttered as your fingers explored across quivering abs and muscled pecs dusted with hair. Another movement had you stepping off the bed, standing before him while your fingers traced up a toned chest, making his muscles twitch at the sensation of your touch.

You sensed the change in him, the quirk of a dark brow and inquiring eyes. “You being a minx tonight Honey? Sir?” Wrapping your fingers into his chain, you levered yourself to your toes, nipping on his mouth, asking, begging for him to let you in. 

“You got bossy, I got obedient.” You whispered just before you pressed your lips to his and a sharp hunger seemed to overtake Curtis. Tongue plunged against yours and a heavy groan emitted from his chest in that kiss. Hands started to get frantic against each other. Your hands started to tug at his button and fly, working his cargo shorts open and there was a sharp ripping sound of where your tank top strap popped its seams, making you giggle against his lips. 

“It was in my fucking way.” Curtis didn’t even apologize while you broke away, tugging off the rest of your clothes while he did too. You just lost the last of your clothes when you felt his hands envelope around your waist, hands gliding your curves before he backed you into the hotel's balcony glass window, the solid feel making you arch off the slightly cool chill at your back, looking up at him wide eyed. “You gave me a real sweet taste on Christmas Eve Honey. But I’m starving now, I’m always gonna want more.” 

His tone, the way he dropped his gaze to look down your naked body when he used his name for you made a fire swirl in your belly, pinprick your skin, and flare your nerves till you felt frayed. So simple, just with his words you were turned on. Your cunt already wept, slicking your folds and you had to rub your thighs together, trying to alleviate yourself before the two of you even started. “I- uh- fuck.” You muttered, stuttering over your words at the intensity bristling in the air between you. You felt so naked and exposed before him. 

And Curtis looked at you like he couldn’t wait to taste every inch of you, flaws and all. 

“You said taste anywhere I want?” He softened as he stepped in closer, his cock pressing against your belly and he let his hands cup your face. “Right here first.” His tongue trailed along your parted lips, nipping the corner of your mouth while you gasped softly, Everywhere his body pressed against yours was hard and unrelenting against you. Like he was trying to mold you against him. 

Until he shifted to the curve of your neck, this time his teeth sinking in enough for a hint of pain to make you gasp and arch, rubbing against him. Your hands couldn’t stop touching him, fingers brushing along his back, finding the dips of shifting muscles. You would dig in, making him curse against your skin at the pleasure it brought. Where he bit you, his tongue soothed it away with praising murmurs. 

“Fuck Sweet Girl, you know I’m addicted to you?” His hands settled on your hips as he flowed down your collar bone. You dug into his shoulders, arching once more to your toes with a slight whimper escaping while this man lowered to his knees before you again, looking up at you like you were a goddess. 

He didn’t seem to notice the low hang of your belly, the stretch marks that marred your skin from being pristine and perfect, the way rolls pulled on your sides and dimpled your skin. Instead he was worshiping at your breasts, once more letting his teeth claim you, marking you as his while his hands felt you, sliding along the back of your thick thighs to dig his fingers into the globes of your ass, press you into him that much more. 

A man starved, his groans of appreciation mingling with your sighs and whines. Curtis kissed on your hips, rubbing a bristled chin against the folds leading to your pussy, his blue eyes so heated that you felt yourself melting, turning into a puddle and if he wasn’t holding you up against the glass, you just knew you would be on the floor. 

It was so intense, so wanting and Curtis paused a moment from teasing you to press his face against you, pressing his forehead against the fullness of your lower belly and nose in the curls on your pussy, your hand brushed through the buzzed hair on top of his head, biting your lip to keep from saying anything. 

Even now you felt the need to apologize for what you thought were your imperfections. His back expanded slightly from his inhale before he lifted away to look up at you. “Nothing will ever make me harder than being able to see you like this, Honey.” 

“Like what Curtis?” You whispered while his hand cupped the back of your thigh to lift your leg up to a powerful shoulder, draping your calf over his back. 

“Open, free, unafraid to let me be with all of you.” He let his tongue sear over the top of your mound taste your folds. He hadn’t even properly tasted you and you could feel the quiver of your spine threaten to weaken. Curtis must have felt the slight waver in your body because his grip tightened and his shoulders tensed that much more, a solid force under you. 

“Fuck you taste-” Curtis groaned into your aroused body while his tongue worked to a more intimate spot, teasing your clit with sharp laps with the tip of his tongue and slow pulls of drawing it between his lips, teasing you all that much more. 

You let your head tilt back to bang lightly against the glass, breathing heavily while you palmed a breast, pushing and pulling your softness to appease the burning in your veins. A hand pushed harder against your thigh, spreading you wider apart so he could bury his face in against you. 

You caught your balance with a hand to the back of his neck, tightening your leg hooked over his shoulder. “Don’t stop.” 

Somehow he pressed in closer, starving as he drank your arousal, filling you with his tongue. You could have sworn he growled against you, claiming he wasn’t ever planning on stopping. Not only were you feeling every touch, Curtis kept groaning and moaning against you while his fingers and tongue worked you into a desperate frenzy.  Needing and wanting more, it was stealing the air from your lungs. The sensation of his fingers filling you, pressing alongside his tongue, you finally gave a shuddered cry out.

“Curtis!” Your nails scraped at the back of his head, trying to grab on. It resulted in pushing him closer, riding his face as you ground against him. His beard was prickly against your sensitive core, but slipping in the slickness coating you. 

“Just give me one on my tongue, Pretty Girl.” Curtis pulled away to take a deep breath, the outside lights making his jaw glisten from you. “I’m so fucking hard for you right now that I can’t stand it much longer.” 

One, you could give him one. You gave a jerky nod as his hopeful gaze turned sinfully feral. His teeth bared hungrily for a second. You had never been more turned on seeing a man. None other had ever gone to your feet, not like this.

“Let me hear you come, Honey.” 

It wasn’t hard to give that to Curtis, not with the way you went mindless, lost in all the sensations this moment was bringing you. 

You couldn’t go higher, yet you did. Soaring couldn’t even describe the sensation you were riding. You were soaring, the glass now vibrating against your back as you once more pushed back against it with a bang, your head tilted back to look at the heavens while Curtis brought you there. 

When you came, it was a sharp plea to catch you. Curtis wrapped arms tight around your hips as he drank you down. Curtis eased you through it till you were pushing at his forehead, your tongue unable to make the pleading words for him to stop. But he didn’t need them. 

Easing away from you, he sat back enough to give you space, letting your thigh ease off his shoulder and you sagged against the window. “Your turn, Curtis.” 

His hand swept up and down his heavy cock a moment while he kept you pinned against the glass with his other. “Honey, you’re shaking still, let’s take a moment.” 

You pushed against him to pry yourself off, leaning down to slide your tongue over his lips to claim him, pulling a hungry groan from him and a stutter in his touch on himself, having to fist his hand around himself. “Outside Curtis, there is another balcony railing and I’m going to need to be muffled.” 

Curtis snapped away, his hand moving off himself to grasp gently around your throat and slowly raise up to a stand, keeping you in his secure hold while you followed him on shaky legs. You craved another taste of his mouth, laden with traces of you. His mouth was so close you could feel the barely there touches passed between your lips. 

“Honey, you know me so well already.” His eyes were fiercely expressive. Brimming with possessive lust and need. “But I’m not keeping you muffled.” 

When Curtis brought you outside with all the city's bright neon lights shining below, he bent you against that railing and you had never been more glad to win a game. 

[buf309]

I'm dead tired

I was late, almost 2 weeks have passed since the deadline I told y'all about.

First of all, The Heat fried my brain, and my personal laptop, which had the completed next chapter of Doppelganger; so yeah, just one poof and all the effort went down the drain. I had to draw it again from scratch, half way done. I hope I can finish it today. See?

Folks, I can not stress this enough, BACK UP YOUR WORK REGULARLY, or you will regret it, it's going to hit you when you least expect it. Don't be like me, alright?

Second, I was very busy, cleaning up after the messes my old clients created in their own projects by using AI.

As an illustrator, let me give you one real advice: I don't care if you use AI to generate images for online clout, NEVER use it for your serious work, especially anything which requires high level of accuracy e.g. an instruction manual.

It's 90% useless, the only useful part is the color palette, nothing else. Those images looked quite good at first glance, but when you zoomed on details, they made no sense, like, unidentified parts that connected nowhere, etc. Even if you told the Ai bros to give you the source file, it was completely uneditable, or in other words, USELESS.

Then, you would still have to go back to your old human illustrator and ask for help anyway. That thing would have to be redrawn to have any uses at all. And you would be charged double the usual fee, because I would have to do a lot of research to make your AI messes become understandable. A huge waste of our time and resources which could be avoided if you gave that project to us artists in the first place.

I agreed to accept this fixing gig because I wanted to see first hand the quality of work AI can do, knowing your enemy and all that shit. After doing all these work? I think the money was not worth it.

So no more fixing AI images in the foreseeable future, too troublesome for my taste.

[arcanesea]

revenge

PAIRING: han jisung x reader GENRE: hurt/comfort WC: 551 WARNINGS: mentions of cheating, cursing

Han turned his head slowly towards you, confusion in his face. Just yesterday, you’re still sharing a plate of fries with your boyfriend, how come today he posted a picture kissing another girl? The gears in Han’s head were working overtime, trying to guess what you were thinking.

“I already knew,” you said when he stared at you 5 seconds longer than he usually did. You put a spoonful of ice cream in your mouth, trying to suppress the tinge in your heart. It’s no news to you that your boyfriend has been talking to other girls. It was partly your fault because you never cared when some of them came forward to you.

It doesn’t make it hurt less.

“How?” Han asked, voice laced with horror. You just shrug in response. “What the actual fuck?”

“Let him be” you sigh, scooping the ice cream. “I don’t even love him that much,” you said.

It doesn’t make it hurt less.

When you said yes a year ago, you weren’t thinking about being in a relationship. You like him, sure, he’s charming, naturally, everyone wanted to be with him. But you found out soon enough that it’ll be a burden for you. So you tried to keep it casual. You were dating but it doesn’t feel that way. It’s not like he tried anyway. You knew from the start that you’re just another score on his board.

Again, it doesn’t make it hurt less.

“Wow, he’s an ass,” Han hissed, scrolling violently on his phone. “Do you want me to beat his ass?”

“Don’t embarrass yourself,” you responded. He curses under his breath, making you glance at him. Once… twice, until a lightbulb goes on in your head. “Actually…” you started. Han looked up to you, anticipating. “Never mind.”

“It’s okay to want revenge, I won’t judge,” Han said. For the first time today, you let out a laugh. “I’ll even help if you want to key his car or any funny ideas you have.”

“I want you to pretend to be my boyfriend,” you blurted out.

“Pretend to be your what?” Han asked, voice rising an octave. “Are you crazy?”

“Maybe I am.” your answer makes Han visibly gulp. He was waiting for you to say that it’s a joke and that you’re not seriously thinking about that scenario right now, but you were quiet. Too quiet that he feels bad for thinking beyond playing pretend.

“Fine, one month, let’s orchestrate a scene,” Han said with a low voice. He inches closer to where you sit and your brain short-circuited for a moment.

“I’m joking,” you squeak. No, you thought to yourself, you need to clear your mind first before doing risky stuff like this.

Han let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. He was ready to risk it all for you, ignoring his fickle heart.

“It’s not worth it,” you said to him again. Getting revenge will only give him satisfaction, showing that he succeeded in breaking you. You don’t want that. Han nodded his head in agreement.

It’s not worth it, but that doesn’t make it hurt less.

“We’ll find something to get back on him,” Han said, ruffling your hair a bit.

And for a second your heart mended, because at least you’re not completely alone.

a/n. i don't know what i'm doing with this one actually but the idea is good enough in my head

[irondadidontfeelsogood]

Tower of Terror (reader request)

cw: vomit. This is another long, self indulgent one, and now one of my favorites—enjoy.

—————

To say that today was a long day would be a drastic understatement. After a school day full of his teachers somehow synchronizing their pop quizzes and exam reviews, he’d headed straight to the tower for training and lab work. His brain and his body are completely fried, so after being granted permission by May, he asks Tony if he can stay the night. He’s not sure he could stay conscious for the subway ride home.

“Sure, Pete. Does that mean you’re ready to cash?”

“Mhm,” Peter hums in response, his eyes threatening to fall shut and not open again.

Tony breathes out a quiet laugh. “Okay. Goodnight, kid.”

Peter murmurs something that sort of sounds like ‘goodnight’ but could also just be a random collection of consonants. He turns away, heading toward the elevator slowly. He feels totally drained, like his limbs each weigh a hundred pounds more than when he’d woken up this morning.

His head is throbbing with what’s sure to become a bad migraine if he doesn’t get to sleep soon. The air gets a little warmer as he ascends the elevator, and that nearly clocks him. He only just makes it to bed before he’s out, basically dead to the world.

Nightmares plague him instantly. He’s tossing at sea, and then he’s buried alive, and then he’s bleeding out fast—all alone in the middle of nowhere. At the end of it all, his heart clenches with the sharp feeling of free-falling, and he wakes abruptly, his lungs greedily gasping for air.

For several minutes, he has no idea where the hell he is. All he knows is that he’s soaked to his mattress in sweat, aching all over, and nauseous to the point of vertigo. He makes the mistake of sitting up. Instantly, the dark room around him seems to tilt forward endlessly, and he grips onto his sheets with white-knuckled fists.

God only knows what time it is or why his shoes are still on. He toes them off, hearing them land unceremoniously on the floor. He sits there for some time, trying desperately to remember anything about what happened before he’d woken up here. Nothing much surfaces.

He calls out for May, and is met with complete silence. That never happens unless she’s taken third shift. Maybe she had to pick up more hours?

Finally, he remembers that he’s at the tower, and he instantly feels worse. Being sick at the tower means he’s either going to suffer alone or bear the colossal embarrassment of having to ask for help from an Avenger. He groans, letting his head fall into his hands.

His headache is still pressing tight against his skull, and he feels like his brain and bones have turned to liquid. His stomach churns. With another groan, he lets himself lie back down against his sweat-cooled pillows.

Though he remains motionless in the dark room, his nausea only grows. He was hoping that it would fade as the nightmares did, but he isn’t so lucky. It feels like he’s swallowed an entire lake.

The internal battle has begun. He imagines how awful it would be for everyone to know. If he started hurling, it wouldn’t be long at all before everyone in the building caught wind of what was going on. FRIDAY isn’t great at keeping secrets.

He’s Spider-Man. He’s supposed to be a hero, not some kid that wakes up in the middle of the night with a tummy ache. The mere idea is mortifying.

Unfortunately, there’s nothing he can do about the circumstances that have been dealt to him, and if he tries to ignore them any longer, things are only going to get worse. So, he forces himself to his feet, feeling weak and full of dread.

The tower is silent as he makes his way to the kitchen, the floor seemingly tilting under his feet. He has to keep a hand on the wall beside him to avoid falling over. The journey feels ten times longer than it usually does.

He’s exhausted when he finally reaches the kitchen, heading straight for the fridge. He fills up a glass of water and sips at it gingerly. It feels nice going down his throat, but not very nice at all sitting on top of the dinner in his stomach. He groans, leaning over the countertop. He burps quietly, nauseated almost beyond what he can handle.

Miserable, he lazily drags his gaze toward the cabinet where Tony keeps all the medicine. Pepto is Peter’s absolute last resort. It almost never works, and it tastes so bad that he’s vomited from the taste alone on many occasions.

Unfortunately, he’s feeling like he might have to try. If he doesn’t, that means he’s accepted the inevitable fate of emptying his stomach in a building full of Avengers. With a dramatic groan, he moves over to the cabinet, grabbing the bottle of neon pink liquid.

He stares at it with distaste, nearly shuddering at just the thought of it. If he’s going to do this it has to be quick, like a shot of tequila. He pours some onto a spoon and stares again.

Finally, he takes it, chasing it immediately with water. He swallows convulsively, begging his stomach to grant him some sort of mercy. He feels a surge of violent nausea and presses a palm over his mouth.

He shuts his eyes, swallows again, and takes several deep breaths through his nose. The wave of nausea passes slowly, painfully. His stomach makes a noise that probably means fuck you.

Fuck you too, he thinks hazily. When he feels like he might be in the clear, he pours out the rest of his water and sets the glass in the sink. His stomach turns over as he begins his walk toward the stairs. Why he picked the stairs over the elevator, he has no idea.

He’s only halfway up when he suddenly feels the worst swell of nausea yet, stopping him right in his tracks. His stomach churns hard, bringing with it a hot, rising feeling in his throat. He cages his mouth again as it rapidly fills with watery spit.

He can feel the color completely drain from his face as he stands frozen on the staircase. His heart is hammering in his chest as he silently begs God, the universe, someone to keep him from puking right now. Unsurprisingly, his prayers go unanswered.

That awful feeling of dread doubles, pouring over him like hot tar. He feels an intense urge to gag, and he’s entirely unable to stop himself from submitting to it. He pitches forward suddenly, spewing a huge gush of pink vomit all over the stairs in front of him.

Again, he vomits, splattering his hours-old dinner all over the hardwood and his socks. Immediately, he throws up again for four straight seconds. He gasps for air afterward, dizzy from the effort of being so sick.

In the eye of the hurricane, he somehow convinces himself that now is his only chance to get to a bathroom. His whole body is shaking as he climbs the rest of the stairs. By the time he reaches the hallway that connects to the one where is room is, he’s sweating bullets and so overwhelmed with nausea that he has to stop again.

He takes one more uncomfortable breath and folds, throwing up all over the floor. With his stomach all but exploding out of him, he can hardly believe that no one has peeked their head out of their room to see what the noise is. At the same time, he’s so incredibly grateful for that.

He takes two more steps and pukes again, even more than he thought possible. He coughs, spewing out mouthfuls of vomit between each one. It’s nearly a full three minutes before he can get himself to stop retching.

He pants for a few more minutes, desperate for air. His vision is blurred with tears of exertion, and even if he weren’t crying, he’d barely be able to see anyway. His head is reeling.

It’s in that moment that he realizes he’s too sick to be alone. The terrible truth sends his heart down to his stomach, and his tears become real. He only allows himself a few minutes to cry in private before he begins to consider his options.

There’s Tony, of course, but he thinks he’d rather die than have Tony see him puke his guts out. There’s Nat, but she might remind him too much of May, and he’s not emotionally stable enough for that right now. He continues to go down the list, and by the end of it, he finds himself settling on Clint.

He has kids, so maybe he’d be a little less traumatized by the whole thing. He’s also generally calmer than most of them, so hopefully he won’t yell or treat him like a burden. Clint it is.

His room is a floor up, so Peter opts for the elevator this time. He wipes the tears from his face and tries his best to regain composure. Unfortunately, he’s still feeling like a giant pile of shit, so it’s easier said than done.

When he reaches Clint’s room, he pauses in front of the door. This is it. Either he leaves the mess and tries to stay conscious long enough to get back to his room, or he tells Clint the truth. As if on cue, he suddenly almost feels more ill than he has all night, apart from right before he’d been sick.

Before he can convince himself otherwise, he knocks on the door. When a minute of silence goes by, he knocks again, a bit louder this time. After a few seconds, he hears shuffling on the other side of the door. He steps back a little, and it slowly swings open to reveal Clint, still half asleep.

“Peter? It’s nearly four in the morning, what are you doing up?”

“Um,” Peter so eloquently breathes out, suddenly unable to get ahold of himself. Fresh tears well up without his permission. “I…I’m…”

Clint’s expression changes from one of confusion to one of parental concern. He steps a little closer.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

A couple tears spill over, and he wipes them away before they reach his chin. He tries again to explain, but he can’t seem to form the words in the right order. This fever must be really cooking his brain.

“Do you wanna come in and talk?” he softly offers.

Peter shakes his head a little. His head spins. “I’m…I need help.”

“What’s going on? Are you hurt?”

Peter shakes his head again. If his stomach wasn’t still sitting high in his throat, this would be much easier. He doesn’t have that luxury, but he tries again.

“I…I just thr—,” is all he manages before his stomach decides to make another appearance. He has all of half a second to aim somewhere else besides Clint’s feet. He turns to the side, vomiting through his fingers, down the front of his shirt, and onto the floor.

“Oh—oh, wow. Okay,” Clint blurts, probably wide awake now. Peter chokes up another round of sick onto his socks. “Alright, hey, come here.”

He takes Peter’s arm and begins leading him into the room. Peter does everything humanly possible to keep from throwing up on Clint’s floor, and when he finally drops to his knees in front of the toilet, he vomits so violently that he sees stars. Clint curses under his breath, a hand resting on Peter’s back as it heaves.

For the next several minutes, Peter is barely lucid. With what little consciousness he has, he tries hard to aim toward the water and nowhere else. He’s made enough of a mess as it is.

“It’s okay, buddy. Breathe,” Clint urges. Peter’s trying.

He’s sure he’s throwing up his actual organs after a few minutes. The only thing he can do is drape over the bowl and try not to pass out. He nearly fails.

Mercifully, he stops throwing up before the lack of oxygen gets to his head. He takes several more minutes to recover. The whole time, Clint is telling him it’s alright, that he’s going to be okay. Peter’s not so sure.

He’s really glad he’s not alone, especially now that he’s gone severely downhill. He can’t imagine being holed up in his room. He’d probably still be decorating the carpet with his stomach contents if he hadn’t come here.

The calm lasts all of eight minutes, and then Peter is suddenly launched into a fit of dry heaving. Despite his stomach being totally empty, the nausea is still rampant. He has no idea what he did to deserve this. Poor Clint doesn’t deserve this either. When he breaks his silence, it’s clear he’s reaching his limit.

“Alright, Pete…try and take it easy, kid. You’re really sick, and I’m…I think I’m gonna have to get Tony.”

That same dread pours over him. That’s the last thing he wanted. Even just the thought makes his face heat up fast. He can’t exactly express his disapproval when he’s actively still gagging. It’s too late, anyway.

“FRIDAY, could you send Tony down here, please?”

“Right away, sir.”

“Thanks,” he murmurs, his hand now rubbing along Peter’s spine.

Only a couple minutes pass before Peter hears Tony’s voice call from inside the room. He groans, lurching forward with another gag. A small trickle of bile comes up this time.

“In here,” Clint calls back.

“What the hell happened out here, Clint? Are you—,” Tony asks, stopping short as he crosses the threshold of the bathroom. Peter can’t help himself. He retches again, another rush of acidic bile washing over the roof of his mouth and into the toilet.

He can only imagine Tony’s reaction to walking in on Peter curled around a toilet full of puke. He’s so mortified he could die. Why does this kind of shit have to happen to him?

“He’s been like this for probably over ten minutes,” Clint explains. “I didn’t really know how to help him or I wouldn’t have woken you up. You know him better than I do.”

“Oh, kid…are you sick or is this a head thing?” Tony asks, taking Clint’s place beside him.

“M’sick,” he manages, half-choked on another heave.

“I’m sorry, Pete. How long have you been feeling bad?”

Thankfully, the retches are tapering off, and he can finally breathe a little. He spits and swallows against the rawness in his throat.

“Only when I woke up a while ago,” he breathes out. Suddenly, he remembers his stunt on the stairs. He groans, letting his head drop to where his arms are folded across the toilet. “I…I threw up all over the stairs and the hall before I came here…m’really sorry, Tony.”

“It’s alright, kid, I know you couldn’t help it.”

“But…”

“It’s okay, really. Do you feel like you’re done?”

Peter hums lowly. He nods. It’s the truth. He’s sure there’s absolutely nothing left in him to throw up, and the nausea is finally waning.

“Alright, good. I’ve got him, Clint, you can go back to sleep.”

“Are you sure? I can start cleaning outside my room.”

Tony shakes his head. “No, it’s fine, I’ve got bots that can do most of it. I’ll handle the stairs. We’re good.”

“Okay, well come get me if you change your mind.”

“You’ve already done enough, thank you for taking him in.”

“It’s no problem.”

With that, Clint leaves, and Tony is alone with Peter in his misery and embarrassment. He offers Peter some toilet paper, and he thanks him, wiping his mouth. He closes the lid and flushes the toilet.

With Tony’s help, he gets up from the floor to wash his mouth out. It makes him feel marginally better. Tony leads him out of the room, and Peter does his best not to gag at seeing the result of his earlier performance in the hallway. Tony starts leading him to his room, and when they get in the elevator, he finally breaks the heavy silence.

“You know you can always come get me if you’re feeling bad, right?”

Peter wilts a little. “I know, thank you, it’s just…I thought I could take some medicine and just go back to sleep, but obviously that didn’t work out. And I really didn’t want to bother a literal Avenger just because I had a stomachache.”

“Well, last time I checked, we’re on a first name basis, so it shouldn’t be that intimidating, kiddo. If you’re feeling like you’re gonna puke, you should let me know. It’s okay.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. Just…future reference. I don’t know how much help I’ll be, but at least I won’t have to worry about you being passed out in your own sick somewhere.”

It’s nice to know that Tony isn’t pissed or grossed out, but Peter prays he’ll never have to put that earlier offer into practice. He’s had enough of everyone watching him hurl. The heat creeps back up onto his cheeks as they reach his room.

“Okay…m’still sorry I got sick on the floor.”

“It’s completely fine, kid. Don’t worry about it, shit happens. Are you feeling any better?”

Peter shrugs, sitting on the edge of his bed. Tony scoots the trash can over to sit beside his bed. He lets out a short sigh.

“Well, I have a feeling your immune system is going to knock this thing out pretty fast.” Peter hopes he’s right, for both their sakes. “Here, let me get you some clean clothes. Want anything specific?”

Peter shakes his head. Tony nods, turning to the dresser. He brings over a t-shirt, some sweatpants, and clean socks.

“You can just leave the dirty stuff on the floor.”

“M’kay. Thank you.”

“Sure thing, Pete. I’m gonna grab you some water. Hang tight. And remember, you can always call me if you need anything at all.”

“Thank you,” he repeats softly.

When Tony leaves and Peter is done changing out of his dirty clothes, he’s all alone with the memory of tonight. The mortification is stifling, but he pushes the thoughts away with all the mental strength he has left. Turns out it’s not much, and he’s out like a light before Tony even returns.

—————

A/N: Thank you for reading! And thank you for the request! I loved writing this one, and I hope it’s at least a little like what you imagined it would be.

[iknowyuu]

alone on christmas day

kdrama! sieun x reader

// reader (and friends) accompany a lonely sieun on christmas.

tags: lonely sieun, mentions of feeling unlovable, sieun being an anti-romantic (kinda?), mentions of a bad parental relationship, sieun made friends without literally risking his life multiple times AU

note: i thought of this while listening to my goofy-ass christmas playlist LMFAOOOO, underneath the tree came on and i had to restrain myself from busting a move. anyway happy holidays <3333

♡

sieun woke up like every other morning, not phased by the knowledge that there was no school today. in fact, for once, he was glad- it was incredibly cold, as showcased by the snow outside his window.

he got out of bed and did his usual routine, brushing his teeth and having a nutritional meal before prepping his desk to start another long, long day of studies. it would’ve been the same as any other day, except, nowadays he’s more prone to checking his phone (during breaks, of course) more than he ever really does.

he picks up his phone, opening his messages to find several text messages from his friends: sooho, youngyi, and you.

his mouth twitches at your text, almost turning into a small smile, but he can’t help but feel unbelieving at your words. he’s used to disappointment.

the more he studied, the more he was reminded of his loneliness- when he was watching youtube, christmas themed ads would pop up, showcasing happy families spending time together, advertising their family fried chicken meals. his workbooks would use winter-themed examples, and, he would catch himself thinking about how the red of his journal cover reminded him of candy canes. he gradually felt hungry, but not for chicken. the few times his brain would let him show vulnerability, it showcased how completely starving he was for love. platonic or not. he hated that a tiny piece of his soul would not give up along with the rest of him.

hours went by and he eventually forgot about your message, not bothering to check his phone or take breaks, getting entranced and pulled into his work. that was what made him all the more jumpier when he heard a very sudden and loud knock at the door.

hours went by and he eventually forgot about your message, not bothering to check his phone or take breaks, getting entranced and pulled into his work. that was what made him all the more jumpier when he heard a very sudden and loud knock at the door.

as he approached the door, he heard multiple voices behind it, and he grew suspicious. he hoped it was his friends, but at the same time didn't want to put faith into something that could disappoint him as easily as his parents do.

“-said that you should buy one family pack! why’d you buy so many? who has the stomach to eat three?” one voice exclaimed. “i do! i could eat ten meals! why do you always complai-“ the second voice was cut off by a third one, “both of you shut up!! we’re supposed to be surprising him, not making sure he hears us from kilometers away!”

sieun peaked through the peephole to be met with blackness. the person- or people- were blocking the tiny circular hole. unlocking the door slowly, he opened it to be met with three familiar faces.

“surprise!!” they cheered in unison. he didn’t say anything. they didn’t say anything.

finally, the tallest boy spoke up, “yah, let us in, i don’t wanna smell like friend chicken.” sooho pushed past him with three boxes in his arms, and sieun could only stare as youngyi greeted him with a "what's up?", giving him a quick shoulder pat and following close behind sooho. lastly, you stood at the door smiling at sieun. “are you surprised!? well, probably not since i literally told you i was coming, but you didn’t expect this, right? we even brought decorations so we can-“ you stopped talking when you noticed sieun’s face. he was frowning, tears building up in his eyes before they spilt, running down his cheek. stepping inside and closing the door behind you, your heart dropped to your stomach at his display of emotions.

“sieun? what’s wrong? is it ‘cause of us?” you spoke, ignoring the lighthearted argument sooho and youngyi were having about how to hang up the christmas lights in the background. he shook his head and wiped his face with his sleeves before speaking. “just.. thank you.” he couldn’t meet your eyes as you smiled at him, engulfing him in a hug, placing your head in the crook of his neck. “of couuuurse sieun.” your heart almost exploded when you felt the way he placed his arms around you, carefully hovering just above your touch.

“yahh, stop flirting you two!” youngyi called out to you both, waving you over. “we’re about to eat!”

-

the four of you were now watching a christmas movie, the now empty boxes of fried chicken long forgotten. the lights were off (except for the red and green fairy lights strung about the room) and blankets you’d brought from home were strewn about. sooho sat on the couch, youngyi laying down with her head on the opposite armrest, her legs on his lap. the two of them seemed to have fallen asleep a while ago, their soft snores filling the room along with the noise of the television. you and sieun sat next to each other in front of the couch, sharing a blanket. you originally didn’t know whether to keep your distance from him- you tried to clench your thighs close together to keep from his legs touching yours, but as time went by, you became less and less hyperaware, and now freely relaxed your legs, your arms and legs making comfortable contact with each other.

“hey, sieun,” you whispered, not taking your eyes off the screen. he turned his head toward you, as if to say “hm?”, “i hope you had fun with us,” you said, “im sorry if we intruded or anything. i just didn’t want you to be alone on christmas.. we all care about you a lot, so don’t ever hesitate to ask us if you need company. i-" you paused, correcting yourself, "we love you a lot.” he kept quiet for a few seconds before responding. “thank you, [name].” your heart melted at the way he said your name with such gentleness.

you didn’t say anything, your emotions clouding your previously clear head. you slowly moved your arm, squeezing in between his arm and torso before he moved it upwards curiously, before wrapping your arm around his. you didn’t stop there, leaning your head onto his shoulder.

“is this.. is this okay?” you spoke so quietly you thought you might have to repeat yourself. but you didn’t, he heard you loud and clear. “yes,” he mumbled in response. your stomach burst with butterflies, and a smile creeped onto your face. “okay,” you said, moving your forearm to find his hand, grabbing and intertwining his fingers with yours.

in that moment, sieun felt his body heat up with your warmth, your action sending waves of butterflies in his stomach. he felt foolish for what he’d thought earlier, that love was not meant for him. in this moment, he could feel your love, and he knew it wasn’t for anyone but him.

♡

taglist: @brxght-world @karyuliee @kkaesslovr

[ckmstudies]

I just wanted to give a quick update on how my exam day went today since it was a complete mess. First off, my exam was scheduled for 8 am this morning and I got to the testing center at 7:30 in the hopes of starting early and finishing early which didn't work since I still had to wait in line for 30 minutes. I start to go though the check in process, which involves standing in front of camera to prove I don't have any writing on my wrist and getting metal detected to prevent cheating and I'm about halfway through when I hand over my driver's license as my form of identification and the machine the woman behind the counter puts it in won't accept it. After five minutes she realizes that my license expired TWO DAYS AGO and proceeds to tell me that this is no longer a valid form of identification and I cannot take my exam. The world dropped out from under me and I almost started crying in front of her. In the US there's a 60 day grace period if you get pulled over by a cop and you have an expired license. That grace period apparently doesn't extend to exam identification. So I had to drive across town to a Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office and get my license renewed. The DMV is known for taking hours to get anything done and really long lines but this was the only good luck in my day since there was only once person in front of me when I got there and I had my temporary license within 20 minutes of being there. I went back to the testing center and checked fully in and started my exam at 9:15.

Now the exam itself also sucked as I was not expecting it to be as math heavy as it was. I had friends take it and say that maybe 40% of their questions involved math. At least 70% of my exam was math and I was not at all prepared for that. All three of my friends who already took this exam said that none of their four simulations had math and two of mine involved math. I honestly usually don't mind math but with over 90 formulas to memorize for this exam, there was no way I was going to be able to be prepared and with everything that happened before the exam, my brain was fried.

Anyways today was not a good day and I'm going to have to take this exam again in December for sure. But in the mean time, I'm going to prepare for my trip to Chicago for work orientation next week and then when I get back I'll start working full time and studying for my retake of my audit exam which is scheduled for November 15th.

Hope everyone else a good day and make sure you know when your identification cards expire 🙃

[callipraxia]

An Irregular Interlude

I wanted to make some, like, vaguely intelligent-sounding further commentary on the bits of the Hirsch interview that I found especially interesting today...but my brain is completely fried after work and I can't do word stuff all that well. Certainly not up to the standard I'd like, anyway. So instead, you're going to, if so inclined, get to see the interview-inspired scenes from Weirdmageddon: The Musical! that my brain spontaneously produced while I was trying to come up with actual commentary....

"He’s like- he’s like [handwave] “Ford’s gonna- Ford’s gonna be back. Ohh, [air quotes] we had such a big fight, Ford’s sooo mad at me,” oh, you know, “our will-they-won’t-they-take-over-the-universe relationship, like, he’s gonna- he’s gonna march off in a huff, and he’ll be back, ‘cause we’re- is Ford gonna find anyone else in the multiverse that strokes his ego as well as me?” Is there anybody else in the universe that’s gonna make Ford feel as important as Bill? No, of course not, Ford needs validation, and so Bill knows Ford’s gonna be back eventually. 

This quote set me on a loopy train of thought that I found amusing in a warped way, and it only makes sense if, for whatever reason, you're familiar with a piece of musical theater about a pair of historical murderers, but...if you do, by some chance, know of the song "Everybody Wants Richard” from Stephen Dolginoff’s Thrill Me, it...probably isn't hard to see how I read the above interview quote and instead of intelligent thoughts, I instead promptly pictured Bill singing some weird parody version called "Everybody Wants Stanford." For those unfamiliar with it, here's some actual lyrics from the original song:

"Tell me, who can you have conversations with - share your twisted observations with? Who else has a roughly similar view, if not me? You've played around with lots of losers who ended up as cheats and users, but who's been on the sidelines waiting for you, if not me?

Oh, I've come to find, everybody wants Richard, but they don't know your mind the way that I do. I see straight through anyone who needs Richard, they make me sick, they're good for just a kick, they won't stick the way that I do!

When you cut off all our contact, how it hurt! But I know you like to make me feel like dirt. But now you're back, and you know I'm beside you, your oldest, closest friend...

*skip a bunch to the end of the song*

"The others are wrong, they don't have a clue, or know the real you. Yes, everybody wants Richard - but not the way that I do! Admit that you've missed me, too!"

Now just imagine Bill's grating voice singing that, and with the camera cutting to a captive Stan and Fiddleford at "lots of losers," possibly with Bill attempting to literally kick one of them after declaring they make him sick. Also possibly with Ford objecting that "uh - that's what you like to do to me - " at the bit about "I know you like to make me feel like dirt," while Bill just blatantly ignores him in favor of continuing to attempt to manipulate him in rhyme. Where the original singer merely comes off as desperate when he complains that "they won't stick the way that I do," though, that becomes a borderline threat when you imagine it's Bill saying it, and then whole thing falls apart and the original lines stop making any sense in this context when the titular Richard, who thinks he is the Bill in his messed up relationship, anyway, replies to that last line I quoted in the italicized portion:

"I've only missed the worship."

...Yeah, very Bill-like line, that one. Not sure anyone else in the show could really pull that one off. Makes no sense for Ford to reply to...literally anything Bill could say that I can think of with that one, at least unless we're in an AU where Bill had at one point in the past given him power, anyway. But now, if you were, say, really tired, and start turning different stanzas into some kind of weird song battle (a bit like Epic Rap Battles of History, but with song parodies instead of raps) for Ford's loyalties in the Fearamid between Bill and Fiddleford, though....this time I did situation-ify the lyrics, so forgive me where the rhymes don't quite work:

*bridge music plays, then the camera cuts to Fiddleford:*

" - yeeer, when y'threw me out the lab, that did hurt! But I know you likes t'make me feel like dirt." *Ford looks like he wants to object to that line again, but then thinks the better of it and just intently stares at his shoes* “But now you're back! and you know I'm beside you, your oldest, closest friend - who's sick of being lied to!

Tell me, who's 'is demon that was your priority? I've got word on good authority! How can you assume - " *spits tobacco contemptuously in Bill's direction* - "that thingummajiggy's worthy of...bein' friends with you? It ain't me! As fer secrets - you've got plenty others -" *glances sideways at Stan, who looks deeply unamused* " - I hadn't prev'losly known that you even had no brothers - but who else ever tried so hard to please you? Only me! Oh, dag blast! everybody wants Stanford, but they don't know your past the way that I do...

...and God knows why I think you're so appealing, or why you had to be so double-crossing, double-dealing! But...it's been so long - not sure why I’m sayin’ this inna song - but point is, that pointy idjit is wrong, he ain't gotta clue, I know the real you...

*camera cuts to Stan, apparently under the impression he might contribute a verse. Stan starts speaking normally instead, completely deadpan:*

"...yep, you're on your own, bro, this is freaking weird, I'm out, I have and I want absolutely nothing to do with this - "

*Stan is seized by whatever force has somehow made this mess into really bad musical theater in the murky corridors of Calli's sleep-deprived brain, only he's getting his lyrics from a completely different song, one originally sung by Iago from the Aladdin trilogy:*

" - I've had it! I hate to be dramatic, but it's time for me to fly the coop! Terrific! Fine! I'm drawing the line, before I end up looking like a dupe! I was a fool to bring you onto this show - now I'm cutting ya loose, pal, have fun with these bozos!" *jerks thumb in the direction of Fiddleford and Bill, who both look indignant.* "Hasta la vista, c'est la vie, hope all goes well! I'm looking out for me..."

...I really, really, really need some sleep.