#my friend making me realize i actually have rizz but am just too much of a disaster to actually understand cues with people

[oh-cramity-its-amity]

its so weird to read some of my old fics (do NOT do it but i'm just being hypothetical rn) and reading it. like who even was this person?? i completely was in a haze back in 2020. i literally was posting 3 chapters a day. A DAY. what in the WORLD was that shit.

anyway i remembered some STUPID sappy shit and i didnt remember if i'd put it into a fic or not BUT I FOUND IT.

She and Hope had been dating in secret for months anyway, and any attempt to go talk to Ryan only filed her disposition of displeasure upon knowing that she couldn’t tell anyone, Molly especially, it destroyed herself mentally. They couldn’t really go anywhere near the school, always having to lie to everyone about having projects together when Molly wasn’t around them. It’d consisted with 9 PM - 2 AM intervals of being able to actually see each other. Hope would sneak through her small bedroom window with a portable record player and whatever she had gotten from the vintage record store downtown, and Amy would always fall asleep around eleven because of her internal clock. She would always wake up to find a single sticky note stuck on the edge of her desk whenever she woke up to her alarm the next morning. One of them, Amy still had tucked inside of her phone case, a heavily detailed human heart, with blue and red ink sketched onto a neon pink sticky note, there was a caption that headed the small paper reading the phrase over every now and again makes her almost melt every time. “You have my heart.”

yeah idk why the fuck but i thought of this fucking idea again today and i was like "omg did i ever put that heart note thing in a fic???" yeah you fucking did.

all that to say ME AND WHO???? imagine. thats so fucking.... RAHHHH.

[hyuckswoman]

« i’m so stupid to have believed you when you said you would only take a minute  to get ready » your friend hanbin says

the both of you were currently heading towards the gymnasium, actually going to see the basketball match instead of changing your plans last minute like the both of you usually do 

« what can I say? a lady must take her time upon preparing herself » you answer slightly shoving your friend as yes, technically he did have every right to complain but he had been doing so for the past half an hour. 

« lady my ass, you still look just as ugly » your friend says as you gasp and before you could even respond, somebody had beat you to it 

« y/n is not ugly how dare you say that » your friend jaemin (whom you had not seen) accompanied by his 5 friends greeted you 

« yea listen to jaemin i am not ugly » you retorted as hanbin just rolled his eyes and sighed

« what brings you here? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you at a game before » jisung asks, curious and lowkey surprised to see you in an athletic vicinity (the man did not think of you as highly athletic you presume)

« some guy tried to ask her out and since she wasn’t down he also asked me to go to the game with her so we’re here now » hanbin replies all too nonchalantly, you’re low key appalled at the twisted version of the events your friend is telling. 

« that is quite literally not what happened, the guy you see over there just told me i should come to the game and invite hanbin too » you reply clarifying 

« sooo, it’s exactly as hanbin described it » mark said. 

you couldn’t have your man think that he has any competition when it comes to you (not that he cares anyway, this is very much a one sided relationship and you know it). but still, upon seeing the five other men nod you truly start to wonder if all of them are just collectively stupid because they’re men or if you’re the one that’s being dense 

« OH! you’ll get to meet chenle, he’s been wanting to meet you for awhile- speak of the devil there he is! » your friend jaemin starts then waves at a man that is currently running towards all of you 

« you guys actually came -» chenle starts before being cut off by hyuck « yea we did » . while all of the guys sigh and shake their heads you’re snickering as that is 100% a joke you could’ve made yourself, and meeting eyes with your friend hanbin that’s giving you a look that screams ‘this is a joke you could’ve made’ gives you all the reassurance you would need. 

the loud noises erupting from the stadium managed to drown out the voices of the friend group in front of you. it isn’t until you hear your name being said that you realize not only where you are but who you’re with 

« it’s good to meet you, i was feeling left out as i was the only one who hadn’t met you yet. I wish i could speak more but i need to go back to stretch a bit before the match, talk to you after? » chenle asks, to which you only nod before he scurries back to his team

that’s right, chenle IS a basketball player of course his friends would be there.. 

« cmon guys, let’s go sit » jeno hurries all of you as he wants to get good seats before ‘the fangirls arrive’ (you secretly thank god the man doesn’t know about your little mark obsession seeing how he feels towards the basketball groupies)

« dude what if during the game a basketball comes flying to your head and your man catches it going like ‘you alright’ tryna rizz you up just like the meme you posted on twitter yesterday » hanbin whispers, still all too loudly for your liking tho 

« i beg of you to shut the fuck up the man is quite literally three people away from you » you whisper back slightly pinching his arm as he winces in pain.

 you can’t have mark know about your delusions. ever. 

and even though the seating system (hanbin, you, jaemin, jisung, mark, haechan and jeno) would make it difficult for mark to hear the whispers you share about him you don’t want to take any chances. you are practically surrounded by his friends after all. 

and two hours later the match was done, chenle’s team winning of course and you were heading out when the guys stopped both you and hanbin 

« we’re going to celebrate, not sure how yet but you guys wanna join? » jeno asks and hanbin agrees without even caring if you wanted to join them or not. when confronting him the only thing he replied was «what? we’ll probably get free food or drinks outta this, you should thank me ». the audacity of a bitch. 

25. the game

previous chapter masterlist next chapter

notes: i'm back with another (written chapter) hope you guys don't mind the written bits cause there are more coming lol (also sorry to user @jising-jisang-jisung i really tried to make mark say it but i couldn't so.. sorry)

also to the anon that requested the jaehyun or huyk fic i am working on that i'm sorry to be so slow i'll try to publish it asap!

as always, requests/reaction/anything are open and appreciated!! hope you guys have/had a lovely day!

taglist (open): @imsiriuslyreal @iscocohere @simpforarmihn @replayenthusiast @lovm4rk @youreintheclubb @polarisjisung @sour-chaos @jising-jisang-jisung @aerivrs @multifandomania @tiddygang2020 @roseangelxfuma @skepvids @morkiee @yangasm @artstaeh @pussyslayerhd @bacons-thighs @bugcattie @leefullsun @jkslvsnella @alethea-moon @marvelahsobx @haechansbbg

[xx-psych0-rabbit-xx]

question for susie: who do you think are the top 5 other kirby characters that could most get along with her? the 5 most likely ones that could be her friends, basically

i usually try to answer these as soon as i get them bc i have autism but i actually didnt manage to this time bc.honestly? i dont think susie has 5 friends.best conclusion i got is she has 3 friends n 2 girls who think theyre acquaintances

susie is just.so herself? i feel everyone thinks shes some degree of obnoxious n lacking on morals n just kinda seems weirdly shady.for ppl that like her tho:

i feel kirby is rly obvious but Who Doesnt Kirby Like? susie helped last at the end of KPR so as far as kirby cares shes all set for becoming a friend! in fact she essentially already is! she hasnt done evil things again so rly theyre on great terms.she lets them test ice cream flavor samples for HWCs ice cream brand

i think both susie n magolor consider each other annoying but they mean it affectionately.they get on each others nerves (its nearly always magolor doing the annoying) but somehow get along great anyways.its a mystery they just never fight seriously

taranza would get along w her as well, i think out of every wave 3 character hes the most actually friendable for everyone bc his freak isnt immediately noticed, but.theyre both freaks w no moral compasses n taranza is a professional woman apologist n what would susie want more than to get cry shoujo tears explaining her tragic story while he pats her back like "i completely understand...you were so justified queen dont listen to the haters"

rly she could tell magolor n taranza shes doing anything morally questionable n theyd reply "okay lol" "okay ^_^" if not straight up go w her

now the next 2.susie sure has intense feelings abt but they do not !

susies intense grudge for francisca originates from susie never outgrowing her "i HAVE to kill girls i feel threaten ME being the prettiest in the room" phase bc she didnt get a proper growing up experience.shes constantly making up ways francisca is stealing the spotlight from her.idk francisca was probably more welcomed by the other allies bc shes polite (i am not claiming franny is a nice girlie shes just polite but has the american psycho monologue going on in her head that entire introduction) n susies never gonna get over that bc "IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME EVERYONE LIKED!!!" anyways i think itd just be so godamn funny if francisca didnt? know susie wants her dead? shes socially absent she doesnt pay attention she doesnt care lmao.she thinks theyre acquaintances bc of how often susie "talks to her" (shes trying to be subtly mean).even if she realized susie hated her shed be like "okay lol.good morning to you too"

n ive already mentioned it before but im a suzan yuri believer but not a "susie can win anyone over" believer.shes had a long running lesbian crush on zan w 50 layers to it (ranges from "she has such an aura of coolness ♪" to "i can fix her n i can kill her father too i can save her" to "WE CAN MATCH EACH OTHERS FREAKS.TOGETHER.") n has tried every way to try winning her over n zan doesnt understand a single one of them.she believes theyre acquaintances.susie could literally kiss her n shed reply "...my HP bar is already full but thanks.i guess." ironically most times that get zan liking susie a little more is when shes not actively trying to rizz her up, bc oh man.susie was right they match each others freaks of "im the only normal person in this room.(unstable weirdo)".the only ppl this yuri can be considered toxic for is everyone else.

outside of those 5 i think everyone to some degree dislikes her.n yes i think shed play victim abt that.im a firm believer nobody in wave 3/4 save for flamberge is properly befriendable to most of the cast (franny n taranza r in good terms w most ppl but again.inner american psycho monologue girl n polite looking guy who had way too much working for the evil monarch).n thats their appeal theyre all kinda shitty ppl 🩷 i wish i could end this w a beautiful rant on how shitty traumatized ppl still deserve love n redemption but honestly i just think characters r more fun when they kinda suck lol

[m1ckeyb3rry]

DHSHSH sorry if it seems like I’m blowing up your inbox I fr just have shit memory…the way that I forget to add my anti-forgetting measure smh…I always end up leaving my notes open and then when I go back to use it to jot down something else it’s left on what I last wrote and I saw the ask and was like “wait a minute….” LMAO but omg the Mira rizz at it again…I’m glad you’re okay though??? That sounds really crazy LMAO DHSJSH bfb Karasu would’ve come in clutch but hope you’re feeling better now!! Manifesting some better party moments for you….bfb Karasu moment soon….

I’m not that into it either but I remember my feed being FLOODED at some point and all I could think was “god these guys have such atrocious haircuts…!!”

Omg wait snuffy getting aiku a girl…knowing snuffy I can imagine her being almost aikus opposite in terms of dating scene personality (?? I wish I could describe this better) and aikus like haha no way I’d ever actually like her…and then he gets the “oh shit” moment LMAO

SHDHSJS OHHHHH ok thank you for telling me I’ve only ever seen it used within goat LOL some abbreviations/acronyms also just fly over my head…I remember when I first saw you use “icl” I had to look it up LMAOOO but agreed though!!! HAHA RIN STEALING THE IDEA so real…Karasu and Otoya pull up to a reunion/friend meetup and see Hiori looking at a house blueprint and ask why he needs another house and he’s like “I’m trying to profess my undying love”

No because him being in all the nerdy classes is so real…him not realizing his own potential reminds me of the part in the egoist bible where he got confessed to with whiskey bon bons and he can’t tell if it was a prank or not (I wanna know more about that story too omg)

FR id never really thought about aiku period before your idea like…he was kinda just there playing a role in Ubers and the u20 match but tbh i didn’t really pay much attention to him before LOL

- Karasu anon

HAHA NO IT’S OKAY i love when my inbox is full it makes me feel very acknowledged 🤩 so never fear it’s like impossible for me to get annoyed by stuff like that…HAHA mira rizz back at it again but unintentional as always 😓 no fr it was lowkey scary looking back 😳 like in the moment we were way too drunk to be anything but like vaguely confused about why this guy had like flipped a switch and started threatening to call the cops on us (??) but in hindsight we’re probably lucky it didn’t escalate further 😭 it was so stupid too because he was genuinely mad at nothing but yeah what can you do 😫 no because i went to sleep in my makeup too and i woke up the next day like “wow karasu would NEVER let that slide” LMAOAO luckily i am much improved and will try to make up for my lack of writing now 😵 tbh it will probably take a lot for my friends to convince me to go out w them again i honestly don’t enjoy it THAT much i just feel bad always saying no yk plus then i get lowkey emo sitting at home while everyone is out and about

LMAOO no i agree they def have some interesting hairdos in bsd JFKSKS somebody tell kaiser and ness to pack it up and move fandoms 😭 their calling is clearly in whatever is going on in bsd…tbh i have no idea what the plot is because every time someone posts abt it it’s completely different but i’m sure kaiser will find his niche and thrive 💖

NO LITERALLY like snuffy introduces aiku to this quiet girl who’s never had a bf because she’s focusing on herself and wants to wait for “the right person” and aiku is like “LMAOOO LOSER ALERT 😂” and then one day he’s lying in bed about to fall asleep and he’s like “oh shit 😰”…calls an emergency conference with barou lorenzo aryu and sendou (the dream team) and is all “guys what do i do i feel all nervous around her and i don’t think other girls are hot anymore and i think about her before bed and and and—” and barou’s just like “you fucking donkey you have a crush on her 😒😐” HAHAH cue like a month of confused pining on aiku’s part meanwhile the dream team is just like done w his bullshit and snuffy is secretly cackling because it’s all going according to plan…meanwhile the reader is only dating aiku as a favor to snuffy so she doesn’t gaf but slowly he starts winning her over 🤔⁉️ maybe this will be the final entry in oliver aiku’s guide to getting girls like now HE’S the one getting the girl ykwim and there’s just random advice from various blue lockers thrown in there every now and again that mirrors how he helped them in their own universe (like he facetimes sae at one point and sae is like “STFU bro you’re in love w her” and hangs up w zero explanation or he meets up w tabieita and otoya is like “yo if you want to keep her maybe you should try to match her energy” HAHAHA) honestly i’m seeing the vision…i don’t even care about aiku like that he truly was a background character to me but it would be such a good way to wrap up the series even though all of the chapters take place in different universes (the OAEU — oliver aiku extended universe)

i am an abbreviation warrior but if you ever need me to explain one then lmk 😫 i find all of mine on tik tok/by being chronically online but there’s def a lot of times when i need urban dictionary assistance in explaining what i’m looking at LMAO 😭 and YESSSS hiori has like architectural plans laid out in front of him which makes tabieita be like WTF…and technically white butterfly could take place in the cherry tree/seabird universe so theoretically rin and hiori could’ve plotted together on how to “most efficiently” pine for their respective girls 😰 can you imagine like “okay i’m going to hang out on her university campus for an entire week until i see her again” “that COOKS bro i’m going to build her dream house in our hometown and hope she hears about it and comes to visit” “fire idea man 🔥”

omg yeahhh didn’t he get like six diff valentines that were just whiskey bonbons?? lowkey i would consider that a prank too especially as a teenage boy 😭 it’s like confusing to me which characters are and aren’t good looking in canon…like isagi pulled zero bitches pre-bllk and same with bachira and nagi BUT according to nagi’s ln girls do think he’s cute/attractive he’s just REALLY fucking weird so they stay away?? so whenever people are like “nagi’s canonically ugly” i’m like nooo he’s good looking just a freak 💔 and then i think rin is supposed to have gotten a lot of valentines but he rejected all of them…and fucking RAICHI got like 10 valentines ⁉️ wdym raichi got more than KARASU 🤔

100% aiku was just there to show up say random bullshit and then leave 😭 but he may have just made his mark on the miraverse LFGNDKSK honestly top ten greatest comebacks of all time if i end up writing the series

[braemjeorn]

the more i learn abt hwang kwanghee's idol career the more bewildered i am.

i believe i saw him first as a host for weekly idol, I think the guest were either skz or nct dream

by that time I didn't think he was an idol, that he was their 2nd gen sunbae, I just thought that he was one of the many famed hosts and mcs of variety shows, thankful that he took care of the boys kindly

tHEN I went back to binging 'we got married'

and HIS NAME popped up

THERE I FOUND OUT THAT HE WAS AN IDOL

AND THAT HIS GROUP MEMBER IS IM SIWAN

whom I saw in run on and it was such a lovely drama with a lovely ost and mr im himself was lovely

this revelation was a bit of a wtflipping smokes moment subdued only by me being distracted about wgm

these two people? in the same group? who'd have thought!???

in my defense, I wasn't paying much attention when reading through siwan's career

back to WGM

it started off real awkward but man...

him and his 'wife', han sunhwa

I tell you those two just matched up really well

if someone was acting chaotically extroverted with me I would have let out an embarrassed laugh and went please stop I cannot match that energy or something like aren't you too much for this hour?

i think some couples on wgm are like that as well

these TWO on the other hand

"we're gonna pay our respects to these balloon horses in place of your parents? sure, why not. the yellow one is my mum. why is she neighing? well, she just said you have to take care of me better."

you're crazy and so am I energy

and there's this one time seonhwa got such a mrs elton (mi cara sposo) energy going "my dear husband won an award as an up-and-coming celebrity of the year and he didn't even think to tell me!"

the way they just answer each other's antics is to die for

so ordinary couple coded those two

silly wild guy and a pretty girl who's as wild as him

and I think kwanghee actually liked seonhwa omalord //>.

she spoke about it in radio star mbc(? or whatever talk show that was) how he gifted her things and she felt she couldn't accept so much since they were just friends and all outside of shooting

and he's like "so you still think of me as a friend?"

(in her defense mr hwang, a girl gotta really guard her heart)

but she was kinda like "well, yeah"

so he went "arraseo - alright I get it, I won't rush you then."

dugeundugeun dokidoki moment I swear

the hosts in front of seonhwa def thought so

what a man WHAT A MAN INDEED

not standard handsome but has his charms and I admire that

(he scolded a hoobae for naming seonhwa his ideal woman lol)

God bless my elementary Korean, it helped so much already at understanding these uncaptioned clips

they flirt, they tease, they rizz each other up

they just get into each other's mischief without question and I just love that teamwork/union/partnership

I need to see more episodes abt them

on another thing that spurt out this post

I realized that kwanghee somehow looked like a combination of han and changbin??

that's the way I can put it as a 3rd gen kpop enthusiast, my apologies should I offend the veteran fans

like his jaw and chin and how it rounded nicely like a sunflower seed (what is this description lord)

you know how changbin have that notorious chin and hannie those jeekies

how they're not as manhwa-angled as minho or SM's flower boys or as firm and strong as chan's

I love this face category, I appreciate it

sunflower seed face ma lord why am I making up these terms

ALSO HE CHORTLES LIKE CHANGBIN

guys hilarious, one of them variety kings I'll bet

I think I saw on a youtube thumbnail kwanghee's picture on a video to note the list of idols who had plastic surgery which could just be uploaded for clout and all that clickbaities

he does look different if you compare his wgm looks (which was from 2013) to his recent 2020s contents

it could be surgery but it could also be how the styling for this decade and 2018 upward changed a lot since early 2010a kpop, hairstyle and all

or he just hit thirty and the fat melts by themselves

who knows bruh celebrities

whatever that was was not as wild as the fact that he did a stage with GDragon and Taeyang

MAbsOSAA

the Koreans in the comment section was wild about that performance

"ain't nobody gonna get on bigbang's level, nobody I tell you"

it was an amazing performance, but honestly I was just more bewildered over the fact that these people met

are even the same age and all that and just casually did collabs

97liners, what are yall up to?

look at me bewildered by recent history of hallyu

I may binge watch more wgm clips and look up kwanghee's performance as host to the younger idols

gonna look out for this man in the future for sure

I'll be back when I want to rant again LOLS

[thevoidisback]

Let me be clear for ya'll out there real quick cuz ya'll need to know smh about me

will do

Asked questions

Rp so put /rp in your ask

QnA any time make sure to put *📝* in there

Smh funny to put a smile on you!

will NOT do

Nsfw 🔞

Proshipping bc that's just wrong

Not talk about my irl self do to insecurity so that will be a red flag

Don't force me to do things I don't like

I will delete your ask if I don't like it

I'll redesign your oc if you pay $10 on cash app so DM me for that because I ain't gonna do it for free!

Please do respect my opinions on what I tell you on my thoughts of your ask because if you don't like then leave

Don't ask for a face reveal it's uncomfortable...same for the age I don't feel comfortable with telling

Don't try any dumbass shit and I mean that literally

About Narrator!

She is literally my self persona of me so of course she has adhd and autism and will probably procrastinate some times because that's how I am most likely....Womp womp I know it sounds lazy of me but bare with me here

I do love candy and chocolate! Personality I enjoy red velvet cupcakes because it's just chocolate dyed red lmao

I do some voice acting for Narrator w/ my irl friends and she honestly loves it because N.V aka Narrator void or just Narrator is actually a UK oc although in irl I was born in Louisiana then move to New Boston so Narrator has a British voice so remember that when she answers your questions

Narrator has control over Void and Silly void but she doesn't really bothers because she wants them to enjoy their void lives however they please

Do remember I have other oc's but I don't pay attention to them unless you ask who are they and I'll show you all of them!

Remember if you have any sad or just feeling down DM because I am a very caring person who will listen but if you want I can do my best to comfort you in any way

I do not have discord no more because I've done a lot of unresponsible things and got in trouble twice bc I let somebody "rp" with me and I fell for two different people and now I'm very uncomfortable that I let it happen without realizing it so I will never again plan to reinstall discord very sorry but not really

I'm very mature so I can handle g0r3, d3∆th, b1o0d, s3lf h∆rm, all that weird or crazy shit but I don't really support any of this type of act in irl so don't do it for content just go to a therapist about it now if it's nsfw or something else I can handle it but I still don't support actually doing it because there are kids on some social platforms plus the nsfw thing is just apart of humanity we can't control the internet so remember that

I dislike Gen Alpha kids it's just I personally think they are annoying af and hard to talk to without having to hear them say/text "skipitbi Gaytt rizz" type shit so you will be blocked immediately by me without no hesitation and if you don't understand why is because I'm a Gen Z girl because I was born in the 2000's when growing up so I'm some what brain rotten but not completely so remember that please and thank you!

I have a lot of different types of music I like listening to as in some: silly, random edit audio TikTok songs, Phonk songs, songs that just hit different, meme related songs, jazz/lofi because it helps me sleep at nights, Fnf songs- just a lot to keep up with

What fandoms I like?

I'll gladly tell ya!!

Fundamental paper education school

Poppy play time!

Lmk!

Pressure (roblox)

Doors (roblox)

Block tales (roblox)

Gacha life/ Gacha club

Sky children of the light

Cult of the lamb (just because of that damn black ram they are just too cute don't blame me!!)

Hellva boss and Hazbin hotel

Dandy's world (cuz I keep seeing this shit everywhere and yes I've seen the game play but I didn't play it myself so stfu!)

Phighting (yes I'm very much aware of this game on roblox and yes I gave it a try with my friend it was fun and I like it wish my computer didn't crash on it womp womp!)

Cookie run kingdom

Regretevator

Friday night funky

Five nights at Freddy

More coming soon if I fine fandoms I like any time soon

Who I am close with?

@unknownartistsmf

-> @out-of-nowhere231 <-

((she doesn't post much but I suggest you look her up...she doesn't have any asked questions also the same do and don't do apply to her as well))

@sam-the-tomboy

That's who I fully trust online sorry @babyevenfromgovacation but idk 'bout you nothing personal just don't fully trust you is all...

Thank you for reading all this! I had to rethink about everything but I do still love ya'll even though I don't know ya'll but stay cool!

Side note: I don't give a fuck how old you are just be honest with me and if your uncomfortable with it then I understand but still just let me know thank you!

This User loves Halloween!

I don't have TikTok because of the dark truth about it so sorry if ya followed me there and yes I do still have roblox but I suggest you just follow my user that way if I'm online you can join faster with me and my friends

Roblox user: Moaldr1278

[soundwavefucker69]

Baby Tal'ika: Mace officially taking them as his Padawan

fhdskfhdkjshkjf okay let’s do this

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

“If the honorable Senator Weezin doesn’t want us to investigate a missive from his own planet, perhaps the Senator should not be doing things that requires an investigation, Chancellor Organa.”

A headache was starting to grow just behind Mace’s eyes, a steady and aching pressure that was driving him to distraction, and today was not a day where he could afford a headache that set him off. He’d have to go to Vokara before heading down to the salles.

“Mace, I’m just trying to figure out what is actually going on here, because I’m getting conflicting reports. I don’t like Senator Weezin, either, but I also need to know what’s happening when it regards one of my senators,” Bail said, and rubbed at his eyes.

“Well, we aren’t sure what’s going on, either, and when I have information, I will forward it as relevant. Master Secura just left, and I have nothing currently to report,” Mace explained. “If he wants to pitch a fit, he can pitch a fit to the child king he made the mistake of trying to turn into a figurehead.”

“The reconstructionists want to order you all back to Coruscant. Again,” Bail said quietly, and Mace tried to bat down the growing irritation.

“And they will receive the same answer. You all signed the Palpatine Accords. You can’t void it now that you’re mad militarizing the Jedi has lasting consequences. We are beholden to the Republic, not the Senate, and it is going to remain that way,” Mace bit out, and Bail sighed, sunk down in his seat on the other end of the holo transmission.

“Is Senator Weezin corrupt?” He asked quietly, and Mace bit back the information he had.

“That’s what the investigation is for.” He was absolutely corrupt, but the Jedi handled their own investigations now, and only delivered their reports once everything had been fact checked at least four times, with independent consultants verifying their information. They had to protect themselves.

“Well. I hope Master Secura is thorough.”

“She has Bly with her. She’ll be very thorough,” Mace assured him, because there was nothing that got a Jedi going like showing off their competence to their partner. “Speaking of Bly, is Rizz doing alright?”

“Rizz has put the fear of the manda into Senator Tectate, and I am very much looking forward to them doing it again,” Bail said wryly. “I was worried you’d sent us a pushover when I met them, but they’re practically running the Senate at this point. I’ve never seen the reconstructionists so scared to take the floor. I think they’re going to be my replacement in another ten years.”

Mace was not satisfied with the assessment. He wasn’t, but it was a close thing.

“Rizz is made of firmer stuff than you’d think. I think they’re planning on making another committee.”

“The Senate is not going to survive if they make another one. Please talk them down,” Bail almost pleaded, but Mace knew he wanted it.

“I’ll have Fox talk to them. In the meantime, I have an appointment, so can we continue this discussion at a later time?”

“Tal’ika is twelve today, aren’t they?” Bail asked mildly, deceptively so, and Mace let his lips twitch in something that was almost a smile.

“They are, and I believe they’re in the salles,” he replied, and Bail looked extremely pleased.

“I look forward to your next trip to Coruscant,” he said, and Mace thought of Tal’ika in the Senate chambers. Force, that was going to be a nightmare.

“I’ll keep the theatrics to a minimum.” He wasn’t going to keep them to a minimum. He was going to encourage them.

“Please don’t. Rizz has been talking about today, and so has Padme. They’re excited.”

Rizz was going to be handling their political education. He wasn’t going to let Padme anywhere near Tal’ika. They were bad enough with Anakin.

“I’m sure they are,” he agreed, as serenely as he dared, and stood up to give Bail a severe bow. “Until next time, Chancellor.”

“May the Force be with you,” Bail said, and inclined his head.

“And with you.”

The transmission cut out, and Mace picked up his robe. A quick painkiller, and then he had a Initiate to locate in the salles. The exhibition was starting soon.

With a sigh, he rolled out his shoulders and shrugged on the robe before sweeping out of the empty Council chambers. Quick steps led him through the twisting labyrinth that was the new Temple, and he breathed in the serenity and clarity he had sorely missed. Five years since the end of the war, and fires were still being put out across the galaxy. The separation from the Senate and Coruscant had been sorely needed, and he found that he didn’t regret it as much as he possibly should have. It was better this way. Clearer. With firm boundaries, and actual treaties to keep their independence. The war had been hard, as short as it was, and painful. It had left deep scars on the Order as a whole, but here, they were healing, no longer held hostage by their beliefs.

All because of one time traveling impossibility. A flicker of fondness rose in his chest as he strode through halls made from trees and stone, and he let himself breathe in the reality that things were better now. Some things had changed, some things had remained the same. He didn’t necessarily think their monastic principles prior to the war had been wrong. Far from it. Jedi had families. They had lovers, and healthy attachments. But things had changed in an irrevocable way, and they had to move with the changes. They had sustained scars, and deep ones. The picture of a galaxy where the people had turned on them in such a vicious manner was a hard one, the future Tal’ika painted bleak, because it had all been a trap, and they were blamed for falling into it, despite the fact that they really had no choice. They’d come out with scars, and while they were luminous beings, not constrained by mortal flesh, they were not unlike a body that had sustained heavy damage, and needed to correct as necessary to survive it.

And now they had a new home, made of tree and stone, with a world removed from the strife and conflict, but still participating on their own terms. The world they came to had been renamed Refuge, and millions of refugees from across the galaxy had gathered there, seeking solace. A new culture had rose up, part Jedi, part clone, part bits and pieces of the shattered remains. It was a culture of healing and acceptance, with the leadership populated with clones and freedom fighters like Saw and Stella Guerrera. It was strange, monks existing in the midst of a hardened warrior culture, but it was a nice strange. Even Guardians of Jedha had come to help with the rebuilding. Two of them, Chirrut and Baze, were a fan favorite among the Initiates, and Tal’ika adored them, spoke of how they had hidden them and Plo once upon a time. A kyber cave had been discovered, and the Guardians stood watch over it.

He was happy. It was a strange thing. And now, today was a day to take another step into normalcy. Fox was very anxious to hear about how it went, like it was ever in doubt. It wasn’t like anyone was going to sweep Tal’ika up under Mace’s nose. Tal’ika knew who their master was. He’d already gotten the master-padawan quarters set up, not that they knew that. Fox had helpfully provided their favorite blanket from his house, and Obi-Wan had swung in to be present for it today, and Ahsoka was beside herself with planning for the confusing lineage dinner tonight. Anakin had helpfully broken into Yoda’s quarters with Caleb’s assistance to steal the ingredients for swamp stew. Mace needed to thank him privately for that one. He was turning Caleb into a borderline delinquent, but Mace wasn’t going to complain. So long as Luke and Leia didn’t follow in his footsteps. He wouldn’t be able to handle the twin terrors turning their attention onto him.

Depa was, of course, serene and above it all, but he had a feeling that she was the one that gave Anakin the idea.

The salles were drawing near, and he realized he was going to be late if he didn’t get a move on. The meeting with Bail had dragged out longer than he thought it would.

The open salles were a mess of prospective masters watching the new initiates. Tal’ika was stretching in the corner, breathing through the stretch and pull of their muscles, and Mace settled in next to Obi-Wan.

“Picking a padawan finally?” He asked mildly, and Obi-Wan gave him a side-eye, like he didn’t damn well know he’d had his eye on the tiny Zabrak Nightbrother Boil and Waxer had ‘liberated’ from Dathomir. Tenacity was cute, and an unholy terror when Tal’ika started their instigating, but he managed to get them to slow down on occasion. He was a good, calm, grounding influence. Obi-Wan, after all of the bullshit Anakin put him through, definitely deserved a calm padawan.

“It’s my child’s choosing day,” he said with a dignified sniff, but his attention was drifting to the tiny little brown child helping Tal’ika stretch. Anakin, the new fledgling Battlemaster, was chatting with Cin Drallig in the corner. Cin had been preparing him for the role over the past five years, and this was the first year Anakin had really been set loose on the temple and Initiates. It was a good role for him, and it kept him from causing more diplomatic incidents. Mace rather liked being able to nail him down to Refuge and not cause problems. Padme probably appreciated it, too. She loved her husband dearly, and loved their visits, but she also appreciated the Order keeping him in line and out of her work. After the fifteenth Ohnaka incident, Mace couldn’t say he was upset to have Anakin practically quarantined to the planet. The very idea of Anakin taking another bundle of padawans for a liberating slave run when they had Knights for that was enough to make him grateful for his lack of hair to lose.

“Have your friends made any more incursions into Dathomir?” Mace asked, and Obi-Wan went suspiciously silent.

“Well, if they did, they didn’t tell me outright.”

“... Obi-Wan.”

“They are simply not on the planet at the moment,” Obi-Wan sniffed, and Mace sighed.

“They’re not helping our reputation.”

“We didn’t snatch them. And they had the fathers’ permission last time.”

“They kidnapped the fathers last time, too.”

“And they are now in wonderful, fulfilling relationships. Boil and Waxer are quite taken with their husbands. Did you know they started a communal garden?”

“I’m sure it’s lovely.”

“Alright,” Anakin called and clapped his hands. “In your lines! Remember your blood circle!”

“Why does he keep calling the safety circle a blood circle,” Mace muttered, and Obi-Wan sniffed delicately.

“It stresses the importance of responsibility.”

And the Initiates were giggling. Again. But they were also lining up quite nicely, so Mace couldn’t be too upset.

“Let’s run through our katas!” Anakin called, and ignited his saber. Hisses broke out across the salles, and the Initiates all fell into proper form. A beat, and then Anakin started walking through their warm-ups, counting in time. Fifteen Initiates followed suit, and Mace’s attention was drawn to his future padawan adding in some excessive flourishes they were unashamedly not trying to hide. Ah, well. They were Obi-Wan’s kid, it was to be expected.

The warm-up lasted ten minutes, and he hummed as he watched Tal’ika comfortably fit into the flow of the proceedings.

“If you’re asking Tenacity today, bring him to the dinner,” he said, and Obi-Wan shot him a look.

“I didn’t say I was asking him.”

A nudge of the Force had the woven strips of leather to stand in for a braid shifting in Obi-Wan’s pocket, and Obi-Wan gave him an answering nudge to make Tal’ika’s beads clack in Mace’s own pocket.

“I had Depa bully Grey into making tiingilar. He liked it when Boil and Waxer made it,” Mace said, and Obi-Wan huffed.

“It’s rude to make them share the same day,” Obi-Wan sniffed, and Mace rolled his eyes as Tenacity’s gaze shot to Tal’ika as his wrist copied their unnecessary flourish.

“They share everything, anyways. Tal’ika is going to be miffed if they’re apprenticed before him, and he’s going to be disappointed.”

“Fine, yes, you caught me, I’m going to ask him,” Obi-Wan muttered, and Mace’s lips twitched up.

“Good. Fox is coming.”

“Did you invite the whole planet?”

“Absolutely not. Ahsoka did. Your lineage is going to make a mess of my quarters.”

“I’ll make sure Anakin picks up after himself.”

The warm-up came to a close, and Anakin ordered the little ones to take a water break before pairing up. Unsurprisingly, Tal’ika grabbed Tenacity and dragged him to the very center of the salle, like they somehow had something to prove, and Mace’s nose screwed up as the two shared a water bottle before Tal’ika gave a pointed pat to Tenacity’s horns and shot a deliberate glance over at Obi-Wan.

“I told you. They’d be mad,” he added, entirely unhelpfully, and Obi-Wan sighed.

“How many people will be at this dinner and do you have the space for another?”

“I already made space for him. And you, me, Tal’ika, Tenacity, Anakin, Depa, Grey, Yoda invited himself, and Plo followed, Wolffe is off world on the threat of swamp stew, Caleb, Fox, Cody, and Ahsoka. Anakin might bring the twins, so keep a close eye on your lightsaber. Leia has grown a penchant for blatant theft.”

“... Yoda is coming?” Obi-Wan looked downright pained, and Mace shot another glance at him.

“I have it on good authority that a mysterious thief pilfered his pantry.”

“Oh. Then that’s fine,” Obi-Wan said, and Mace snorted.

“He probably has a secret stash of ingredients, so put your negotiator face on, and you might survive.” Yoda was suspiciously absent from the proceedings, so Mace didn’t have much hope for escape. He should have really considered the logistics of lineage blending before he set his eyes on Tal’ika and decided on the spot that they were his padawan.

“Force spare me,” Obi-Wan muttered, and Mace bit back a smile. It was almost worth it to choke through the stew to see Obi-Wan’s reactions to being subjected to it for the umpteenth time.

“They’re starting.”

Tal’ika was giving Tenacity a bow, and Tenacity was following suit. A break, and then the exhibition started. As ever, Tal’ika was aggressive, in possibly the most blatant tease Mace had ever seen. Tenacity met it with good humor, his blade flashing as he smiled that quiet little smile he had perfected when it came to Tal’ika’s nettling. Elbows and knees Fox had unfortunately taught them were being thrown in, and Tenacity was blocking them with aplomb. Anakin had started an initiative for bringing in clones to help with training, and it showed. The initiates were not above cheap shots, and trained heavily to learn how to match and block them. It used to bother Mace, but he could see the importance of it, after the war. And the Initiates loved being encouraged to be sneaky and tricky. They got creative with it, and it showed when Tenacity caught a lunge by Tal’ika and flung them over his hip. Tal’ika went down, but their legs tangled up with his and the two twelve year olds ended up in a lump on the ground, laughing loudly when Tenacity’s face smacked into their nose.

The laughing abruptly stopped when Tal’ika realized that hurt, and then Tenacity just laughed at them again as he detangled himself and sprang back, blatantly baiting them. Mace sighed and rubbed at his eyes, and Tal’ika sprang into motion with a showy move, knocking his legs out from under him and pressing him to spring back, a wide swath of his blade putting some distance. Tal’ika pressed forward again, their sabers clashing, and their free hand grabbed his arm when he overextended himself in a lunge. They pulled him in, and a neat twist of their saber sent his hilt clattering away as they pulled him chest to chest, their saber teasingly placed in a way under his throat in a way that would have given Mace a heart attack if he didn’t know that at the most, it would maybe sting a little and irritate the skin.

“I win,” they said smugly, and Tenacity huffed.

“I want to go again,” he said, almost petulantly, and Mace idly wondered who had taught them that disarming move. It stank of Agen’s influence.

“... If we do joint missions, we’re going to have a problem,” Obi-Wan muttered, and Mace considered the merits.

“First mission we should unleash them on the Senate. Do you think Tenacity’s tooka eyes will be a devastating combo with their glares?”

“Absolutely. Rizz will love it. They might steal them.”

“I might let them.”

Anakin let them run a few more spars, where Tal’ika and Tenacity took turns disarming each other and winning, and Mace got a sinking suspicion that they had absolutely planned to take turns making the other look good. Like they somehow had anything to prove, but he’d let them show off. Both of them were advanced for their age, and it was definitely time for them to start receive targeted training.

The exhibition lasted a good hour, and at the end of it, Tal’ika made a beeline for Mace and Obi-Wan, dragging Tenacity in their wake, and Mace tilted his head at the beaming Initiate.

“That was a good show,” he said approvingly, and Tal’ika grinned up at him.

“Didn’t Tenacity do well?” They demanded, and color rose in Tenacity’s cheeks.

“Tal,” he muttered, aggrieved, but they shoved him at Obi-Wan without a shred of shame.

“Dad, you should give him pointers,” they said, and then promptly grabbed Mace by the hand to drag him off. “I’ll see you at dinner!”

The dinner they weren’t supposed to know about, but Mace had learned three years ago hiding anything from Tal’ika Fox was not unlike trying to hide things from Yoda. They found out, and nothing was ever a surprise, but he supposed he could be content with that.

“You’re in a rush,” he commented, and they hummed.

“Tenacity is nervous, so I gotta put on a good show,” they said, and Mace sighed. So they were nervous, and all of this confidence was for Tenacity.

“Obi-Wan already has his braid, so there’s nothing to worry about,” he assured them, and they smiled.

“I know. I put it in his pocket,” they said. “He almost left it in his quarters.”

“So that was you.”

“He was going to ask him next week! I can’t be a Padawan for a week without him! He’d feel left out!” They protested, and Mace thought about a lecture about attachments, but it wasn’t really an attachment. Just meddling to make sure Tenacity’s self esteem was at appropriate levels.

As soon as they were out of range of the milling Masters and Knights speaking quietly with prospective Initiates, Tal’ika sobered, and Mace patiently waited for them to stride through the halls.

“Have you been having dreams again?” He asked, and Tal’ika hesitated.

“Yes,” they answered honestly, and their brows drew together. “It’s... confusing.”

“Do you want to talk about them?” He asked. The dreams of the life they had narrowly avoided had plagued them since they first landed in the middle of a warzone, talking about how Obi-Wan was cooked in twin suns, and it had always confused them. Plo was meant to be their master in that time, and then maybe Obi-Wan was their master, and then they were dying in an alley under Krell’s blade, and then they were kidnapped by a man in black and raised a Sith, or they died at his mercy for crimes someone else committed. It was a rough subject for them, and led to a lot of confusion as to what they were supposed to do with their life and who they were meant to be.

“No,” they decided, and he let them continue to lead them through the twists and turns of the Temple, knowing full well where they were going. The gardens were at the center of their new home, and work was constantly being done on them. The two of them passed Knight Beleren and Padawan Qin, who gave them serious nods, and Mace gave them a suspicious glance, because Tibalt definitely looked too innocent. Hopefully, they weren’t about to go drag racing again.

Problems for later.

“Are you having doubts?” He asked, and Tal’ika was quiet as they stepped through the doors to the Garden.

“I don’t think...” They trailed off, and Mace waited them out as they followed the turns to their favored spot, a still pond with fish brought in from Mon Cala.

“It’s just that...” They trailed off as they came a halt at the tree that rose up next to the pond, and serious amber eyes locked onto the pond. “I want to be your padawan, but...”

Mace was silent. Sometimes, it was best to let them talk out loud, because they needed a sounding board more than they needed advice.

“I can see whole lives that never happened, and I almost want to mourn them, even though... I think this is the first time I had a choice. It feels like... before I had to fight to choose, had to dip into some kind of war just to be somebody, and most of my choices were ones I had to battle to have. Now, it’s easy, and it almost feels like a cheat. Because nothing was supposed to be easy, and now it is,” they admitted. “I don’t... I know everything is pre-destined, but how can it be pre-destined, when all of these things happened, I know they happened, and then they didn’t? It feels like mistakes kept being made, and the Force used me to mop them up, and now I don’t feel like...”

They fell silent, frustrated and a little lost, and Mace thought about their first meeting in a room he would likely never see again, sitting in the grass as they picked at his cuticles. Just a child, lost in a void, looking for guidance while firmly rejecting it at every turn. They had had a lot of meltdowns in those early days, had needed a lot of help to guide them through the confusion of their existence that had been ripped away from them, and he had always mourned a little when he looked at them. They had turned the tide of the war, and done it at seven, and Jedi had not known a single thing about helping them. It took the vode to settle them, those worn and battered soldiers that had been born and molded in trauma and knew exactly how to help a child that was terrified.

“There’s a lot of ideas about what destiny is,” Mace said finally, and they looked up at him with all of the vulnerability of a child. “All of us are a part of it, but what destiny is... you can’t quantify it. You can’t consider it. I imagine the confusion will never stop, but... all you can do in the face of it is make choices in spite of it. I think you made a lot of choices in spite of it, in all of the lives you lived and didn’t live, and I think you should just continue to do it. Anakin... he was meant to be the Chosen One, and he was, to a degree.” After all, it was Anakin that compiled the evidence, and it was Anakin that had delivered the killing blow, but none of that would have been possible in this time without Tal’ika. There was a lot of confusion in the aftermath as to who the Chosen One was, and what it meant, but Mace... “But his choices didn’t exist in a vacuum. Everyone made choices to put him in the place where he needed to be. I think he was just the point where those choices converged, but Chosen One is simply a chosen time, with someone existing in the middle of it. Destiny is nothing but the choices we make, and what we choose to do with them. So ignore who you are and what you want to be and who you could have been, and just... make the choice that will make you happy. There’s a lot of stock in choosing to be happy. People don’t give it enough credit.”

Tal’ika looked down at the ground, and Mace took a seat in the grass, just like he did five years ago, and they paused before slowly sinking down next to him.

“You won’t betray the masters that could have been if you choose me, and you won’t betray me if you choose them,” he promised, even though it hurt to say. “All I ask is that you don’t betray yourself, as you are now, and as you want to be. Can you do that?”

Tal’ika sniffled, and tears rose up in their eyes, and Mace took a deep breath.

“If you want me, you have me. So will you do me the honor of trusting me to guide you into being who you want to be?”

Tal’ika paused, and the silence stretched out, broken by the chirps of birds and the gentle hum of the Force. And then, all around them, the Force broke.

“Yes,” they whispered, and he smiled.

“Then, Tal’ika Fox, I honor your name as my padawan.”

A sniffle, and then they dabbed at their eyes and let out a halfhearted sob.

“Mace Windu, I know your name as my teacher.”

Mace smiled, and with a touch to their red hair, three strands gathered in his fingers, he accepted the next step into a better future.

[chris-sales-belly-ring]

Bryzzo: One Last Kiss

I saw this prompt (“Just one last kiss and I’ll never bother you again.”) a few months ago and I decided to write it.

I finished about 90% of it and I honestly don’t think that I’ll ever get around to completing the other 10%. So, I decided to post it here as is.

I’m in the beginning of taking a writing hiatus, so I thought that I’d share something now.

Summary: Anthony doesn’t want to walk away from Kris before he knows what it’s really like to kiss him.

Kris looks at some photos from his engagement party and it’s his mom who points out that he’s not smiling in any of them. He explains that it was a really long, chaotic, and tiring day. His mom, Sue nods like she understands, but Kris knows that she’s skeptical. She can’t contain her happiness when she stumbles upon a picture of Kris and his best friend Anthony. Of course, it’s the only picture where Kris’ eyes are shining brightly and he’s grinning genuinely.

“Mom, don’t,” Kris begs.

She looks offended. “I didn’t say anything, Kristopher!”

“Your body language has already given you away. Me and Rizz are just friends and it’s all that we’ll ever be,” Kris lets her know.

“You can sit here and deny your feelings all that you want. But this picture doesn’t lie, sweetheart. You look completely miserable with your fiancée and I’m not just talking about last night,” His mom declares.

“I don’t want to fight about this,” Kris says.

“I can take a hint. I’ll get out of here and leave you alone,” Sue replies.

He doesn’t stop her from leaving, but Kris does feel a little guilty for snapping at his mother. He doesn’t want to confront the complicated nature of his feelings for Anthony, so he took it out on her instead. Kris picks up his phone so that he can call and make amends, but then his doorbell rings. He opens the door and he immediately launches into an apology. Kris blushes when he realizes that it’s Rizz who’s standing on his porch, not his mom.

“Did I catch you at a bad time?” Anthony wonders.

“No, not really,” Kris answers.

He notices that Rizz has a pizza box and a six pack of beer in his hands when he steps aside to let him in. It’s not uncommon for them to spend weekends eating and drinking while watching sports together. Anthony sits down on Kris’ couch like he always does and he makes himself comfortable. Kris grabs a few plates, napkins, and his bottle opener from the kitchen. Rizz turns the game on and then he uses his shirt to remove the top from his beer.

“Civilized people actually use bottle openers,” Kris argues.

Anthony shrugs. “I guess I’m not that civilized.”

Kris grabs a slice of sausage pizza and he tries to focus on the game. But it’s hard for him to pay attention because Rizz’s large hand is resting on his knee. It’s a pretty platonic gesture, but it’s still making Kris’ heart race. It’s bringing back fuzzy memories from his engagement party. He had a little bit too much champagne that night and it went straight to his head. Kris vaguely remembers backing Anthony against the nearest wall and kissing him after everyone (including his fiancée) left for the night.

“You don’t want a beer?” Rizz asks.

Kris shakes his head. “No, I don’t think me drinking is a good idea.”

“Because of your engagement party?” Anthony assumes.

“Yeah. The details are a little hazy, but I mostly remember what happened,” Kris responds.

“We should probably talk about that,” Rizz suggests.

“Ugh, do we have to?” Kris complains.

Anthony mutes the TV. “I’ve always tried to ignore the way that I feel about you because I could tell that you were doing the same thing. There was an implied mutual understanding that we’d be friends and nothing more. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but I accepted it. I came to your engagement party to give you my support because I just want you to be happy. I was ready to finally let you go and then you ruined everything by fucking kissing me! I swear that I can still taste your mouth, Kris.”

“I had too much to drink and it obviously impaired my judgment. I’m sorry that I kissed you and made things weird,” Kris apologizes.

“I just want to know why you waited until then to do it. We’ve been drinking around each other for years and you’ve always been able to control your urges. What changed?” Rizz questions.

Kris shrugs. “I don’t know.”

“Yes, you do. I can always tell when you’re lying,” Anthony reminds him.

“I couldn’t live the rest of my life not knowing what it was like to kiss you,” Kris admits.

Kris has been trying to suppress his affection for Rizz ever since they first met. Being with Anthony wasn’t part of the life that Kris’ dad had planned for him. Playing baseball professionally, getting married, and having kids was the strict plan. A devastating leg injury in college ruined the baseball dream and Kris has been desperately trying to please his father, Mike ever since then. He doesn’t want to further break his dad’s heart by not giving him a daughter-in-law and some grandchildren. So, Kris is sacrificing his own happiness by not being with the man that he truly loves.

“Do you even love her?” Rizz quietly asks.

“Of course, I do. But am I head over heels in love with her? No,” Kris earnestly answers.

“Then why are you getting married?” Anthony wants to know.

“It’s complicated,” Kris says.

“It’s really not though. It’s clear that she’s not the one for you, so you have no business marrying her,” Rizz points out.

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” Kris remarks.

“Fine,” Anthony concedes.

“You practically drank that six pack by yourself. Maybe you shouldn’t drive home tonight,” Kris mentions after the game ends.

“You don’t have a guest room and there’s no way I’m sleeping on this slightly hard couch,” Rizz argues.

“We’ve shared a bed before,” Kris comments.

“Yeah, but that was before I knew how it felt to have your lips on mine,” Anthony whispers.

“Are you saying that you don’t trust yourself to behave?” Kris questions.

Rizz smirks. “You’re the one that kissed me, remember? So will you be able to control yourself?”

“I think I can manage,” Kris remarks.

When Kris wakes up, he’s completely surrounded by Anthony. His arms are draped around Kris’ waist and their legs are tangled together. He has to go pick up his fiancée from the airport soon, but Kris absolutely doesn’t want to leave his bed. Rizz’s body feels warm and perfect next to him. A small shiver runs through his body when Anthony’s lips softly brush against the back of his neck. Kris tries to maneuver out of Rizz’s embrace without waking him up, but he’s unsuccessful.

“Stay,” Anthony mumbles into his shoulder.

“I can’t,” Kris protests.

“I’ll make it worth your while,” Rizz whispers lasciviously.

Kris bites his lip. “You’re not making this easy for me.”

“That’s the point,” Anthony tells him.

“I want this, I want you so badly. I wish that I could have you,” Kris admits.

“I’m all yours, Kris. You can have me,” Rizz insists.

“It’s unfortunately not that simple, Anthony,” Kris argues.

“I don’t know why you keep making this so hard,” Rizz says.

“Because you’re not part of the plan!” Kris blurts out.

Anthony raises an eyebrow. “What plan?”

“The one for my life,” Kris answers.

“Does the plan for your life not include you being happy? Because I know that I can make you happy,” Rizz guarantees.

“If you were a woman who could bear my children, you’d perfectly fit into the plan,” Kris explains.

“I–That’s what this is about?” Anthony asks.

“Yes. And I really have to go now. We’ll talk later,” Kris promises.

‘Later’ turns out to be several weeks later. Kris has kept himself busy with wedding planning and he has purposefully been avoiding Rizz. They have of course seen each other, but usually it’s in a group setting. He needs to move on from Anthony, so he’s trying to distance himself from him. Kris knows that it’s completely not fair how he has been evading Rizz though, so he wants to talk to him man to man. He’s not much of a confrontational person, but Kris owes it to Anthony to be open and honest. He nervously paces around his apartment as he waits for Rizz to come over. The doorbell rings and Kris’ heart feels like it’s going to beat out of his chest as he walks over to the door. He smiles nervously at Anthony as he invites him in.

“We need to talk,” Kris announces.

Rizz rolls his eyes. “No shit.”

“I know that I’ve been acting like a bit of a jerk. I’m sorry,” Kris apologizes.

“Just tell me what’s going on,” Anthony softly comments as he sits down next to him.

“You’re my weakness, Rizz. I won’t ever be happy if I continue holding on to you,” Kris states.

“What are you talking about?” Anthony asks.

“I can finally be the kind of husband that my fiancée deserves if I get over you. I think space and distance will help me with that,” Kris explains.

“So you’re breaking up with me?” Rizz questions.

“That sounds harsh. It’s not like that,” Kris argues.

“You barely talk to me and you basically just said that you don’t want to be around me anymore. There’s only one way to interpret that,” Anthony retorts.

Kris sighs. “I’m so sorry. I hate that it has come to this.”

“Your happiness is all that I’ve ever wanted, Kris. So, if this is what you really need . . . ” Rizz trails off.

“I think it’s what’s best for me,” Kris quietly says.

“Can you do me a favor before I go?” Anthony requests.

“What’s that?” Kris wonders.

“Give me one last kiss. I’ll leave you alone just like you asked, but I don’t want to walk away before knowing what it’s like to kiss you when you’re sober,” Rizz whispers.

Kris can’t bring himself to say anything, so he just licks his lips. If this is the goodbye that Anthony wants, then he’s going to give it to him. He scoots closer to Rizz on the couch and then he leans in slowly. Anthony tilts Kris’ chin up a little bit and then he tenderly caresses his cheek. He takes his time running his fingers along Kris’ strong jaw line. Kris shivers at Anthony’s soft, gentle touch. He brings their lips together and Kris closes his eyes.

Rizz isn’t caught off guard by an intoxicated Kris this time, so he can completely take control. He slips his tongue inside and he patiently explores Kris’ sweet mouth. This kiss is the best one that Kris has ever had and it’s not even close. He buries his fingers into the collar of Rizz’s shirt to bring his body closer. Kris climbs into Anthony’s lap and he lets out a moan when Rizz sucks on his tongue. He positions his hand onto Kris’ lower back and then it ‘accidentally’ slips down to his ass. Anthony squeezes the soft flesh while also deepening the kiss. Kris feels euphoric and light-headed; and it’s not from alcohol consumption this time.

“We should probably stop,” Rizz whispers against his lips.

Kris nibbles on Anthony’s bottom lip. “Yeah, we probably should. But I don’t want to.”

“I can’t give you anything more. Not under these circumstances,” Anthony whispers.

“Rizz—”

Anthony cuts him off. “I have to go. Goodbye, Kris.”

                                                  Two Months Later

“I can’t get Jessica pregnant,” Kris tells his mom.

“You’ve been trying to?” She asks.

Kris blushes. “No! But she thought that we should get checked out before we get married. So, we’ve been visiting doctors and I’ve been getting all kinds of tests done.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, sweetheart,” Sue says.

“She’s pretty broken up about it,” Kris admits.

“Of course. Have the two of you come up with a solution?” She wonders.

“That’s actually why I’m here. I’m wondering if this is a sign that we’re not meant to be together,” Kris reveals.

“There have been plenty of signs suggesting that,” Sue lets him know.

“This kind of feels like the final one though,” Kris remarks.

“Jessica is a nice girl and you both deserve to be happy. It’s clear that you both need to go your separate ways in order to find happiness,” Kris’ mom gives her opinion.

“You’re right,” Kris agrees.

Kris feels slightly lost after he breaks off his engagement. Despite being slow to anger and mild-mannered, Kris has a major falling out with his dad. He yells at him about trying to control his life and he comes out as bisexual. Kris tells him that he’s in love with Anthony and that he’s going to chase after his own happiness now. He feels equal parts relief and sadness. Kris has always obeyed his father and done things to please him. He’s not quite sure how to handle putting himself first now.

Now that he’s finally ready to move forward with Rizz, Anthony has of course moved on. He’s dating some kid named Javier who looks like a fucking model. Kris only knows this because he has been stalking Rizz on social media. He can’t help but to think that this is what he deserves after how he has treated Anthony the last few months. Kris isn’t selfish enough to enter back in Rizz’s life and possibly ruin him being happy with someone else. He realizes that just because he couldn’t make it work with somebody else doesn’t mean that’s also true for Anthony.

“Why didn’t you tell me that you ended things with Jessica?” Rizz asks over the phone.

“Well, we weren’t exactly talking. And I saw all of the pictures of you and Javy on Instagram. How’d you find out anyway?” Kris wonders.

“I ran into your mom at the grocery store. She couldn’t wait to let me know that you were single and finally ready to give us a chance,” Anthony tells him.

Kris turns red. “Oh my God! I’m going to kill her!”

“It was nice hearing that from her. But I would love to hear it from you,” Rizz mentions.

“But what about your boyfriend?” Kris questions.

“He wasn’t my boyfriend, Kris. Javier was just a hot guy that I was fucking because I was desperately trying to get over you,” Anthony explains.

“Oh. Well, in that case. I’m completely in love with you and I’m at the point where that fact doesn’t terrify me anymore. You’re all that I want and need,” Kris softly confesses.

“Fuck. I’ve been waiting on you to say that forever,” Rizz responds.

“I know!” Kris comments.

“I want to see you,” Anthony lets him know.

“Then come over,” Kris invites.

Kris opens the door and he barely closes it before backing Rizz up against it. He has been thinking about kissing him again ever since Anthony rushed out of his apartment after their last one. Kris captures Rizz’s mouth in a fierce kiss filled with passion and desperation. It finally feels like everything is right in Kris’ world now. Anthony sneaks his hand underneath Kris’ t-shirt to stroke the bare skin of his stomach. He quivers at Rizz’s possessive touch.

“Wait. I’m not trying to cum in my pants against your door like this,” Anthony blurts out.

Kris laughs. “You sure? Because we have plenty of time to do other stuff.”

“I’ve waited for what feels like my entire life for this, Kris. So, I want us to take our time and do it right,” Rizz explains.

“I like the sound of that,” Kris agrees.

Anthony caresses Kris’ cheek. “I want to savor every single touch, every kiss, every lick, and every bite.”

“Shit. You’re actually making me weak in the knees right now,” Kris declares.

“Then I guess I better carry you to bed,” Rizz responds with a wink.