#my music . . . clutching my heas

[kaoharu]

my spotify keeps crashing its so over.

[strniohoeee]

I'm sooooo happy your back because I love your work and I very much missed it but anyway I was hopping for a request you could write a submissive bratty matt smut because I'm going feral for bratty sub matt

Docile

Pairing: Matt Sturniolo X Female Reader

Synopsis: Not too fond of Matt’s attitude Y/N attempts to separate herself from him, but when trying to rejoin him his mouth seems looser… Will she take care of business or leave him high and dry? 👄

Warnings⚠️: SMUTTTTT, a blowjob that’s about it, but also idk how to write subs and bratty people, so read at your own risk this is TRASHHHH. Also Love you too queen🫶🏽🫶🏽 appreciate the love🖤🖤

Song for imagine: Streets Silhouette Remix- Doja Cat

And I can’t be without you…..

Currently I was sitting in Matt’s room while he sat in the living room. He was aggravating me a lot today, he was acting so whiny and his attitude was insane. I don’t mind a sassy man, but shit you’d think he was full of estrogen.

I was letting a lot slide because I know he gets stressed with his job and with his brothers. I wanted to give him that space to cool off. But whenever he’d answer he was sounding like such a baby. I even offered to leave him for the day and he clutched onto me and begged me to stay. Which I did of course….

I was fed up at this point and decided to sit in his room and take a break from him. I didn’t know what it was if he needed another hug? More kisses? Maybe he needed to have sex? But either way this wasn’t like him. He’d reciprocate his wants and needs no questions asked.

I didn’t want to snap at him, so like I said I figured chilling in his room would give him some time to gather himself up.

Deciding I wanted to test the waters with him again I stepped out of his room and began to speak

“Baby, would you like to watch a movie?” I asked him nicely

“I quite literally don’t care” he huffed from the living room couch

“What did you say?” I asked him cocking my brow

“I said I don’t care” he replied louder and with more attitude

“Try that again” I said angrily as I slammed my hands on my hips

“You’re being an asshole” I stated as I began to walk towards him

“Whatever” he says bluntly rolling his eyes

“Fix your fucking attitude” I said approaching him on the couch before sitting down

“Why don’t you make me” he replied shrugging his shoulders

Cocking my eyebrow once more, my head snapped in his direction. This was a whole new side of Matt and I wasn’t sure how I was feeling. He never challenged me and now that he was doing that I was a bit intrigued.

“You would love that wouldn’t you” I replied sarcastically

“You bet” he replied with a tight lip smile

His mattitude was really annoying me and I knew just the perfect way to snap him back into shape. Standing up I stood in front of him before sinking down to my knees.

“I’m going to give the big baby what he wants” I replied in a pout

“You don’t know what I want” he replies as I watch his breathing quicken

“Oh I don’t?” I replied, gliding my hands up his legs and towards his thighs. Inching closer to his dick I suddenly stopped.

Looking up Matt seemed to be frozen in time

“I guess I don’t” I replied shrugging my shoulders

“No! Please don’t stop” Matt replied in a desperate mumble, that was like music to my ears

“I thought you said I don’t know what you want?” I replied to him and my hands rubbed against his thighs, his jean suddenly becoming a bit tighter

“I’m sorry, I was wrong” he replied twitching at my touch

“Are you really sorry?” I asked him

“Yes ma’am” he replied looking down at me

Rubbing my hands closer to his groin I squeezed harder causing him to gasp. A hum of approval leaving my throat

“That sounds like acknowledgment, not an apology” I said cocking my head to the side

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry please give me more” he responded breathing heavily

“How do we ask for things?” I asked him shaking my head

“Please may I have more” he states as he licks his now dry lips

Nodding my head I began to rub my hands up his pants and under his shirt, slowly grazing my nails on his stomach

“Such a good boy” I mumble just enough for him to hear it causing him to sigh

Unbuckling his belt I slowly begin to pull his jeans down. Looking up at him once they’re fully down.

“Don’t worry I’m going to take great care of you” I state smiling at him

“Please, please” he huffs desperately

His face already flushed as his pupils dilated. Ghosting my hands over his now hard dick. Gliding my fingers back and forth in the waistband of his underwear.

“Please, I’ve been such a good boy” he states with his lip now in between his teeth

“Baby you haven’t been good today…. I don’t know if you deserve everything” I replied to him still gliding my fingers

“Please I’ll be your good boy, I’ll behave” he responses whining

Smiling to myself I begin to slide his underwear down. Releasing his hard on. I can tell he was already sensitive and needed more.

Slowly rubbing the pre cum against his tip, he inhaled sharply as his hips bucked up.

“Be good” I stated as I looked at him through my lashes

I started to jerk his dick slowly making sure I squeezed the tip

“Feeling good baby?” I asked looking up at him

“Yes oh my god yes” he said in a whimper

I looked up at him through my lashes to see him looking down at me. His face flushed hot as low moans and whines left his mouth

I licked Matts tip looking up at him to see him with his mouth hung open and his chest rising and falling deeply

I swirled my tongue around his tip before bringing my head down to take Matt’s whole length into my mouth

“Fuckkk” Matt whimpered

I came back up, swirling my tongue around his tip before going back down. My head bobbing up and down, hallowing my cheeks out

“Fuck you’re so good to me I’m so sorry I’ve been bad today” he moaned out letting his head fall back

I continued to bob my head up and down moaning around Matt’s dick allowing the vibration to stimulate him more. I started to lick from the base all the way up to his tip before taking his full length into my mouth again. Short breaths leaving his body as his chest heaved

I allowed my hands to run up and down his thighs, raking my nails down causing him to get goose bumps. I grabbed Matt’s hand allowing him to run his hands through my hair

“You’re being such a good boy” I said pulling away while stroking his dick

“Am I being a good boy for you?” He asked in a whimper breathing heavily as he looked down at me

“You have redeemed yourself for the attitude you’ve been having today” I said licking my lips and going back to sucking his dick

“I can be such a good boy…FUCK” he moaned out grabbing my hair as I sucked harder

I shuddered at this statement

“Mmmm I might let you cum in my mouth” I said as I licked my lips while looking into his eyes

“ please please I’ll listen to you always” he said looking at me with tired eyes

I went back down to suck on his tip as I jerked his shaft.

He started to shutter and I knew he was cumming soon

“Are you going to cum pretty boy?” I asked jerking him harder

“Yes…fuck yes” he said

I started to bob my head faster as he hit the back of my throat causing me to gag

“IM GOING TO CUM OH MY GOD” he yelled out as his hips bucked up

I pulled away stroking his dick faster

“Come on baby, cum for me” I said egging him on

He held eye contact with me as I stroked harder, his mouth falling slack as his lower abdomen contracted. Whining like a complete slut

“I’m going to cum” he moaned out rolling his neck and stuttering his words

Within a few more strokes his thighs started to shake, and his mouth fell open. His hands clenching the couch beneath him

“OHHH myyy GODD” he moaned out as he came on my tongue

Painting my throat in his white strips of cum. I swallowed looking directly into his eyes. His breathing was heavy as he came down from his high and watched me with half lidded eyes.

“So fucking good to me” he said in a mumble

“If you continue to be a good boy I can always do this for you” I replied running my hands down his thighs

Matt shuttering from being over stimulated

“I’m sorry I was being mean before I guess I’ve just been so stressed lately, thank you for this” he replied with tired eyes and a tired expression

“It’s okay my love, but talk to me next time and I’ll know what to do for you” I replied hopping off my knees as I winked at him

“Thank you” he replied smirking

Shortly after that we showered together where more rounds of fooling around took place….. I guess Matt’s attitude made for some great steamy time…

The End

Okay idk how to feel about this bc idk how to write sub or bratty people?!?!!! But I hope you enjoyed it and stay tuned for more imagines. I love yall dearly and thank you for all the support🥺🖤🖤

-J💅🏽

[ad0rechuu]

ᝰ MY OH MY. ━━ (026) balloon flowers

WORD COUNT. 1157

WARNINGS. mentions of food, balloons, flowers, balloon flowers and yeonjun! can be considered suggestive if u really squint and move ur bang to read it again because of their position but there are no implications and it’s mostly just sweet and loving

credits to @ari-shipping-stuff for being my beta reader / writer <33

AS SOON AS SUNWOO RUSHED TO OPEN THE DOOR, IT HIT HIM.

It was Berry. His new song was currently blasting through the speakers of your phone at the highest volume as you stood in front of his door with arms full of snacks and flowers.

“It was you!”

“Yes! Now please let me in, I’m gonna tumble over.”

His mouth made an 'o' shape and he quickly moved out of the way, letting you in his apartment.

After closing the door, he followed behind you as you effortlessly navigated the way to his living room. A slight reddish hue made its way onto his cheeks, finally taking in the situation. He cleared his throat and took stock of the items you lightly dropped on the table.

“So were the balloons also you?” He asked softly.

You reached behind you and nodded, holding the familiar purple flowers up to his face. “I left them tied to your car though, because I couldn’t carry them all. But I felt like they would match nicely with these.”

Taken aback, Sunwoo cautiously took the flowers before it hit him.

“They’re Balloon flowers?!” He exclaimed.

You chuckled at his reaction and nodded. The memory of the lady carrying those flowers complimenting your relationship played back in both of your minds.

“In my defense, I didn’t hear you knock over the music.” Sunwoo sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. He hugged the flowers a little bit tighter with his free hand.

You shrugged, looking around the room. “I’m here now, aren’t I?”

He excitedly nodded his head at that and stepped closer.

“Yes, you are. You’re here. With me.” He softly agreed. “Thank you.”

Now it was your turn to get flustered, a weird feeling took over your insides and made you feel all… giddy at the proximity of his beautiful face and the sound of his sweet words. Playing with your fingers, you tried your hardest not to get distracted with thoughts of your dear friend.

“Do you, uh.. have a vase?” You asked, pointing at the bouquet in his grasp. “They were too expensive to just let die.”

Sunwoo laughed. He couldn’t argue with that. He motioned for you to follow him to the compact kitchen, nagging about your offensive distrust in his ability to have a plant as he looked trough the cabinets for the said vase.

You unwrapped the flowers from the paper around them, smiling in relief as you saw that they were already cut.

“What about this?” After some clanging behind you, he finally stood back up. You turned towards him to see him holding up a glass pitcher.

You quickly turned, stifling your laughter at his amusing— but admittedly, creative— idea.

“That’ll have to work.”

Rearranging the flowers with the help of a Youtube video resulted in a surprisingly messy kitchen counter, but a nice pitcher of purple flowers. And afterward, some more arguing about where Sunwoo should keep them. Eventually, you two found a fitting place in his bedroom.

You watched as Sunwoo took a picture of your gift, speaking up.

“If you kill them within a week, I’ll kill you next.” You announced.

“You’re so scary.. You should be nice to me!” He fake-shivered at your words, putting his phone in his pocket while following you out of his bedroom. “I’m literally a genius, you know.”

Scoffing, you turned around, pushing his chest, making him lose his balance and fall on the bed.

Seeing him fall brought a satisfied smirk on your face. Unfortunately, it only lasted a second as you didn’t expect him to clutch onto your shirt and pull you on top of him in the process.

You tried to get up, but he was fast in wrapping his arms around your waist, your knees folding next to his sides, basically making you straddle him. Feeling his grip tighten and his head aiming to cuddle into your shoulder, you immediately knew what he was thinking.

He still said it though.

“Let’s stay like this for a while, okay?” He asked. Instead of replying, you wrapped his arms around his neck as your answer. He felt you relax on top of him, one of his arms slowly starting to caress your back in silent affection.

“I missed you.” Sunwoo admitted first, not once halting his movements.

You rose a little, just enough for you to face him the best you could, a warm smile that knocked the air out of Sunwoo’s lungs spread over your face.

“I missed you too.” You said before returning to your previous position. “I’ve been thinking a lot.”

As you spoke, you played with the hair on his nape, while he rubbed circles now on the bare flesh underneath your shirt.

The feeling, as well as the action, was something you would easily be able to lose yourself in, making it dangerous. Yet you didn’t want it to stop.

Sunwoo felt his eyelids growing heavy at the sheer comfort your presence and warmth brought.

“Hmm. About what?”

“I’m gonna break up with Yeonjun.” You could barely get the sentence out as his eyes snapped open and his hand stopped moving.

His voice came out as a confused whisper. “What?”

“Yeah, I think the plan isn’t working out as we thought. And it's not worth spending any more time on. I want to move on. I don’t care about hurting him anymore.”

Sunwoo’s hands left your body as he sat up a little, leaning on his elbows. He looked at you with an unreadable expression.

“You don’t want to hurt him back anymore...?”

“No.” You shook your head, copying his actions and also sitting up, innocently resting your hands on his toned stomach.

Both of you stared into each other's eyes as silence engulfed the room around you. It wasn’t awkward or confrontational. Both of you were too deep in thought for any of that.

Despite his calm outer appearance, his heartbeat quickened and his mind went a thousand miles per minute. Sunwoo couldn’t get himself to stop gazing up at your features. Your adorable, pretty, sexy, perfect, familiar features. He couldn’t help that his temperature rose at the fact that all of that beauty wasn’t for him. The possibility of you putting a stop to all of this because Chaewon and your friends were right and you might have fallen for your unworthy boyfriend again dawned on him harder than ever before.

Little did he know that you were fighting your own battles inside your busy head. Something had been growing in your heart for Sunwoo. You had an inkling of a suspicion, but seeing his dark brown eyes stare into your own like this confirmed for you that maybe you have been looking in the wrong direction all this time.

A single peek at his lips was enough. Whatever was growing was ready to bloom (even if Sunwoo was worrying about the wrong flower blossoming).

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NOTES. i don’t know how i feel about the lay out tbh but i hope u liked this chapter i love them

make sure to participate the ask them anything event, it’s very important to me : it’s okay if you already send an ask tho, feel free to ask as many questions as you desire whenever you think of one

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[arafilez]

੭୧ ⼂ TUGGED COLLAR, SHY HEARTS ﹗

ー☆ㅤㅤ [ xikers hyung line x reader ] ㅤ੭𓂃 ㅤfluff, pg13 ㅤ𓏧ㅤ when you pull them by the collar and kiss them ㅤ warnings kissing ㅤ﹢ㅤ0.4k / mem wc ㅤ𓏧ㅤ maknaez

੭ㅤ𝅄ㅤ ꒰ KIM MINJAE ꒱

You look at your boyfriend who is busy listening to samples and choosing new music for a song in Xikers’s upcoming album. You feel proud of him and impressed at the same time, loving the reactions he gives when he feels he has the right choice.

You sit quietly, turning in your chair slowly when you feel Minjae’s phone vibrate against the table and you pick it up. As soon as you notice the call from Hongjoong you tap him on his shoulder and hand him the phone. Minjae jumps at your touch making you roll your eyes as he talks to his senior.

“I am screwed,” are the first words you hear from him as he cuts the phone, you stare at him in confusion and ask, “What is going on?”

“Hongjoong hyung with Edenary are coming to check my samples,” he clutches his head as a groan rolls out from the back of his throat and he slams his head onto the table. “Min what the hell are you doing?” you gasp pulling him up by his shoulder as he lets out an exaggerated cry and falls into your arms.

You stare at him in shock before calming down and say, “Dude, these pieces are literally so good, I love them and I am sure they will too because you are talented baby.” Minjae lets out a dramatic gasp at your sentence saying, “Dude? Is your boyfriend ‘dude’ now? Great! My seniors are coming to check up on me, and instead of showering me with love you are calling me dude, how could yo-“

You don’t let him finish his sentence as you pull him by his shirt collar and kiss him willing to shut his ramble up. Your noses bump into each other and Minjae’s eyes widen for a millisecond before he kisses you back with fervour. His fingers trace down your nape and a breathy sigh intertwines your kiss as you enjoy the sweet taste of him.

You break off first, breathing heavily, as Minjae’s lips glisten in the low light of the studio and you lick your lips lightly. A light cough interrupts you two as Minjae’s eyes widen making you quickly let go of him and Hongjoong grins before saying, “Should I come back later?”

੭ㅤ𝅄ㅤ ꒰ PARK JUNMIN ꒱

You walk into the practice room where Junmin is going over his parts in “Die for You” for their upcoming concert. You sit down quietly watching him practice the dance in awe.

The perks of having a main dancer boyfriend are watching his smooth and clear moves and getting to learn them well. The cons of having him is restraining yourself from doing all the things in your head when he looks terribly hot after practice.  Beads of sweat drop down his defined collarbones and your eyes travel with it, shamelessly checking him out to add to your imagination unknowingly Junmin picks up his shirt from the waist and wipes his sweat giving you a dangerous glance at his defined abs.

You were so lost in your own ministrations you don’t hear Junmin calling your name and blink abruptly when you see him stand in front of you, slight concern in his eyes as he looks into yours and before you can second guess yourself you are pulling him by his shirt collar and kissing him.

Junmin’s eyes widen to an unbelievable extent as he stills from the contact of your lips and his brain short-circuits. Your conscience kicks back instantly and you don’t even finish the kiss as you let go of his collar coughing lightly. Your face feels hot as your eyes are fixated on his collar and Junmin stares down with a red face.

“I- wow, I,” his blabbers fall to your heated face as you two stare at each other with wide eyes and he licks his lips lightly remembering your confidence and bashfully loving it inside.

For a second you two just stare at each other flustered equally and suddenly Junmin is cupping your cheek and kissing you. It is so sweet and so him, it makes you melt into it as his hand rests on the small of your back. As soon as you two break it returns to shy giggles and heated faces as Junmin looks everywhere but your eyes.

੭ㅤ𝅄ㅤ ꒰ CHOI SUMIN ꒱

Sumin yells at you as he splashes the water in your direction making you flinch in shock. “Choi Sumin,” you shout at him and run through the wet sand towards him. A gummy smile lights up his face as he laughs and jumps in the water before going deeper into the sea. You giggle again as you throw a small amount of water at him.

Even though it does no justice to the amount he has drenched you earlier with his light playful scream makes your day. You walk deeper into the sea, towards him and the water slowly rises. Sumin’s eyes sparkle as he picks up something and walks towards you adorably and clumsily.

Wrapping an arm around your waist he somehow tugs your back to his chest and puts his head on your shoulder pressing a light kiss on it. He opens his hand saying, “For you, my love.” You giggle feeling shy and fiddle with the shell on his palm unable to make eye contact.

“Look at me,” he whispers breathily in your ear making you whine and lightly kick him at his teasing instincts. “Pretty,” you whisper softly and he smiles cheekily adding, “Like you.”

“Cliché,” you snort and he retorts, “Whipped.”

You look at him in shock and wide eyes before scoffing and saying, “I am not the whipped one here.” “You’re not?” a rhetorical question leaves his mouth as he slowly traces his finger down your jaw, angles your face towards his and raises an eyebrow challenging you. You try to move your face making him tease you more and finally your restraint snaps.

Pulling him by the collar you crash your lips to his, lips moving along each other with fervour and haze. Your lips part for a while for a short breath and his hands are cupping your jawline pressing your lips to his again. The sun hits your skin in a golden hue and the water creates a cool backdrop among the heat of the kiss.

You rake your fingers through his damp hair, parting a few strands again as the air feels like sweet love around silence. Pressing your lips together multiple times, your noses bump a few times making you giggle and laugh at the weird situation. The kiss is messy yet perfect at the same time before you two part for good.

“Cliché,” he snorts this time and you retort, “Whipped.”

੭ㅤ𝅄ㅤ ꒰ HAM JINSIK ꒱

“Do you believe in love at first sight or should I walk by again?” you roll your eyes as you can almost hear the grin in your boyfriend’s voice as he stands behind you. Pursing your lips you tilt your head and turn around asking, “Why?”

“Can’t a guy just simply love his partner?” Jinsik smiles, his grin widening innocently making you shake your head. You are here, standing in a sunny parking lot, sweating and waiting for Sumin to pick you two up and Jinsik’s idea of brightening the situation is apparently saying cheesy pick-up lines.

“Are you a parking ticket? ‘Cus you have got fine written all over you,” he winks as a weird sound leaves your throat sounding between a half-gasp and a half-groan making his smile widen more.

“Please Jinsik, I love you but shut up,” you say, pressing your head lightly against his arms but you know you are just talking to a wall when you hear the next sentence roll off his tongue again, “If I could rearrange the alphabet I would put U and I toge-“

Before he can eat your mind with another worst pickup line ever, and any more that are coming after, you turn your head, grab his collar and press your lips to his. Jinsik's eyes widen in disbelief as he stumbles from your grip and your conscience returns almost as soon as you do it making you abruptly leave.

“What- How,” he gasps as you look away, biting your lips, sinking in the aftertaste of whatever you did right now while his brain still processes what just happened. “Your stupid cheesy lines are stupid,” you babble, not being able to maintain eye contact as he blinks and slowly gains back his composure.

“Are they now?” he hums, his hand slowly sneaking around your waist and tightening as you try to let go. “Jinsik, we are in the public,” you whisper frantically but god knows what this boy has been eating as his grip grows tighter and a teasing grin etches his face.

“Yeah, but you conveniently forgot that when you pulled me by the collar and kissed me,” the mischief behind those innocent eyes makes you smack him lightly as he giggles and hugs you. Your whines die quickly as you wrap an arm around him feeling him press light kisses to your head and bask in his scent that is so him, well at least before you groan and hit your head against his chest again.

“Do you have another heart? Because mine just got stolen!”

੭ㅤ𝅄ㅤ ꒰ CHOI HYUNWOO ꒱

Hyunwoo and you walk by the river quietly in the dead of the night. If your parents or his hyungs knew you two would not live another day. But that’s the thrill of it! The wind ruffles his hair lightly as you look at him and giggle making him smile with his pretty little eyes.

When he reaches your door and you two stand not wanting to let go of each other. It feels stupid almost and lovesick at how you two keep trying to prove yourselves as friends. “Good night,” he says softly and you whisper it back swinging your hands with his. “Same time tomorrow?” you giggle and he sighs knowing he can never say no to you.

The next day you wake up to the familiar knock in your windows and Hyunwoo’s face appears as you roll it up. He grins and you smirk back before letting him enter. “Practice ended late,” he says as he enters and keeps on talking about how Jinsik and he had to do a choreography all while hanging half-way from the window.

Your eyes widen in panic as he keeps talking and you decide to do the last thing on your mind. You pull him by the collar, even though it’s a bit hard and pull him inside your room. Hyunwoo stumbles from the sudden pressure toppling over the sill and falls over you and finally, his mouth shuts up as he stares down at your flustered face.

“Did not think you would do that,” he whispers and your eyes widen as you stutter out, “No other option, you talk a lot.” Your words come out a lot breathier than you want them to and he nods smirking, “Sure.” “I hate you,” you murmur out when his teasing words keep spilling from his mouth and you can’t take it anymore and something comes over you as you pull him into a kiss.

For the second time that night, Hyunwoo is silenced and flushed as he falls into the lips he has dreamed of so much. The kiss is soft, the low lights in the room being your only witness and it’s secure like a bond you two have shared for so long. When you part Hyunwoo’s flush reaches to his ears and warmth creeps down your neck as he says, “Didn’t think you would do that either.”

ー☆ㅤㅤ [ ara's notes ] ㅤ੭𓂃 ㅤ sumin is my absolute fav lolol and jinsik one is off my head from a prompt in @/pirateeznet server ㅤ𓏧ㅤ library ㅤ xikers shelfㅤ navi

੭ 𝅄ㅤ ꒰ TAGLIST ꒱ ㅤ⏤ㅤ @haneagerr (beta) ㅤ𓏧ㅤ fill this or comment or ask to be added.

ㅤㅤ(ㅤㅤ© arafilez on tumblrㅤㅤ)

[fitrahgolden]

There's A World You Need To Know: 4 - It's the wrong kind of place to be thinking of you

[PLEASE READ: So, I start to get into Kate’s ethical crisis here. Please note that this is a work of poorly researched fiction. Maybe in real life, there would be no socially acceptable way Kate and Anthony could ever be in a relationship after she’d been his siblings’ therapist. While I am trying to not totally disregard the ethical problem here, this isn’t real life. It’s an HEA.]

Anthony Bridgerton (G and H Brother): Hi, Kate.  I hope your flight goes OK. Please let us know when you’ve landed safely.

Anthony Bridgerton (G and H Brother): This is Anthony Bridgerton, by the way.

Brother. Brother. Kate was surprised to see a text from Anthony as she was packing for Ireland. And though she tried not to let herself admit it, it made her smile. But he’s their brother. No relationships with the family members of current clients. No exceptions.

Current clients. The thoughts that distinction led to felt so selfish. It could still have consequences for her career. Would her colleagues take her seriously? Would her other clients? Her publisher? How would Gregory and Hyacinth feel after she abandoned them and then showed back up on Anthony’s arm? They would hate it. They would hate her. If she was having these thoughts, is it right to continue to be their therapist anyway?

After staring at the messages for far too long, she put her phone face down and resumed packing. She turned on music to try to drown the thoughts out. It didn’t work.

—

“Hey, hey! KC, looking gorgeous, as always.” Tom approached Kate as she sat in Heathrow, checked in and ready to board. She smiled when she heard Tom’s greeting. She got up and gave him a tight hug before he settled next to her.

“Thought I was gonna have to go without you. No photos for my next book.”

“I would never.” Tom clutched his chest in mock offense.

“Are you gonna see family while we’re there? We’ll be so close.”

Tom ran his hand through his hair. “Eh, yeah. I reckon I should. I’d never hear the end of it from Mum if I was an hour away from Aunty for three weeks and didn’t pop by.”

“Yeah. You know I won’t need photos every day. You could have a little holiday during the trip.”

“What about you? Fancy a trip to the seaside? Aunty would love to meet you. She’s a big fan.”

“Thanks, but I’m gonna try to work efficiently. I want to get back home as soon as I can.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I don’t like being away from Mum and Edwina for so long. Or abandoning my clients.” Or anyone else. No, no. There is no one else.

“Abandon? That’s being a bit hard on yourself, KC. Though I guess that is your way.” Tom pulled her into a side hug and she rested her head on his shoulder. “You’re wonderful to your clients. Too wonderful, even. You only take a break from that work to do other work. When’s the last time you took a proper holiday?”

“Well, all this work pays off. Ed's school is taken care of. Mum's house is paid off. They were actually just away themselves. Anyway, I travel,” Kate said defensively.

“Like I said, for work. Hey, why don’t you and I plan for a trip later this year? Once the book is in review, eh? Me, you, Edwina, Mary. No work allowed?”

Kate side eyed him. “I don’t know, Tom…”

Tom nodded knowingly, “Look, again, I’m sorry I misread things when we first started working together. I was a dickhead. But we are friends now, right?”

“Yeah, of course, Tom.”

“Good.” Tom sighed, relieved. “No vacation with your family, though. Got it.”

Kate scrunched up her nose. “No, not mad about that idea.”

—

Checked into their hotel in downtown Cork, Tom walked Kate to her room.

“Bright and early in the morning?”

Kate opened her door and turned back to Tom. “Yep, the building is thankfully a short taxi ride away. Should be able to get down to work pretty quickly.”

“Excellent.” Tom spared a glance into Kate’s room and looked down at her luggage. “You good with your bags?”

“Yep. Don’t worry about me, Tom. Get some sleep. We both need it.”

“Alright. You know I’m just down the hall if you need anything.”

“Mmhmm. Good night.”

“Good night.” Tom took a couple of steps backward before turning and heading to his room.

Once inside, Kate promptly video called Edwina and Mary. As usual, they insisted they were fine without her and, yes, Simon had said he would come by to check on them. Kate wanted to go over the checklist, but was out voted. After good nights and air kisses, Kate hung up, plugged in her phone, unpacked, prepped for tomorrow morning, and finally got ready for bed.

As soon as she lied down, she knew sleep wouldn't be coming anytime soon.

Don't do it. Text Ed. Text Simon. Next Tom. No, not Tom. But anyone else. Don't text him. 

Anthony Bridgerton, was it? Thank you for checking in. Really, it's quite thoughtful. We did land safely and are in for the night so we can get an early start tomorrow.

Kate hit send before she could think too much about the fact that she said "we" and would that make Anthony think she and Tom were sharing a room or something? Doesn't matter. Does not–

Her phone chimed.

Anthony Bridgerton (G and H Brother): Glad to hear it. I've never been to Cork.

First time here. Would you like me to return with a report?

Anthony Bridgerton (G and H Brother): A thorough one, yes. Double spaced, if you don't mind.

Of course.

Would it be annoying if I asked about Gregory and Hyacinth?

I know it's not my place.

Anthony Bridgerton (G and H Brother): No, no. It's fine. It's nice that you care so much about them. They are both in a proper mourning period.

Aw, don't tell me that.

Anthony Bridgerton (G and H Brother): Fine. They won't stop singing Ding Dong, The Witch Is Dead.

Ha ha.

Anthony Bridgerton (G and H Brother): They miss you. Hyacinth wants a guitar. They plan to give us all music and paint lessons so we will "learn to communicate our feelings while avoiding becoming overwhelmed by them." What have you done to these kids? 

Hopefully, something good. Seems like a lot when it's been two days. I only see them twice a week anyway.

Anthony Bridgerton (G and H Brother): And I genuinely think it's the highlight of their week. Who knew having a safe outlet to express yourself could be so rewarding?

Me. I knew. You should try it. 

Shit, sorry. That was out of line. 

Anthony Bridgerton (G and H Brother): No, it's OK.

No, it's not. I try really hard to avoid giving unsolicited advice.

Anthony Bridgerton (G and H Brother): Good on you. Personally, I find it impossible not to tell everyone what they should be doing at all times.

Well, you should be telling me to go to sleep, then.

Anthony Bridgerton (G and H Brother): Go to sleep, Kate.

Good night, Anthony.

Anthony Bridgerton (G and H Brother): Good night. 

—

“Think we are at the halfway mark?” Tom asked as he set Kate’s drink down in front of her. They were finishing up supper at the pub directly across the street from their hotel.

“Yeah, I think I can confidently say that.” Kate sat back triumphantly.

“Only a week in. Efficient, indeed. And it’s looking amazing, but you already knew that. Client happy so far?”

“Yup.” Tom studied her for a moment. Kate, furrowed her brow. “What?”

“You are usually more of a stress ball during these big projects. Everything’s seeming to flow more easily this go round.” Kate shrugged. “Might it be you’ve finally learned to relax? That’s the right direction towards letting yourself take a real holiday, I suppose.”

“Speaking of, are you making your way towards the coast in the morning?”

“Yeah, playing dutiful nephew. Sure you don’t want to come?”

“Thanks, but I’ve got a good rhythm set. Don’t want to lose momentum.”

Kate’s phone chimed. She tried to ignore it, but–

“That thing’s been going off like mad all evening.” Tom chuckled.

“It’s what I get for asking for updates from Ed and Mum as well as updates on their updates from Si.”

It was true. She was exchanging a lot of messages with her family. But she and Anthony had also not stopped texting since her first night in Cork. And it had Kate giddy. Giddy. After the first couple of days, she decided to compartmentalize away her guilty feelings. She could enjoy talking with him. They were just talking. As friends.

Her phone chimed again.

“You don’t have to ignore them on my account.”

“You don’t mind?” Kate was already reaching into her pocket.

“Go on. Want another?” Tom pointed at her glass.

“Yes, please,” Kate said, not looking up from her phone.

Anthony Bridgerton (G and H Brother): Was I right? I was, wasn’t I?

Anthony Bridgerton (G and H Brother): What’s my prize?

Remind me what this is referring to?

Anthony Bridgerton (G and H Brother): You know what.

I’m sure I don’t.

Anthony Bridgerton (G and H Brother): Right. You’re already halfway done, aren’t you? And all of Cork is falling at your feet, feeling utterly unworthy of their city being permanently graced by the artwork of one Kathani Cavery Sharma.

Kate could feel herself grinning like an idiot and she didn't care.

I don't know about the second thing.

Anthony Bridgerton (G and H Brother): Which means I'm right about the first thing. That’s all I need to be the victor, so I ask again, what are my spoils?

See, it would have been a legitimate bet if we had laid out specific terms, but alas, we made no such agreement.

Anthony Bridgerton (G and H Brother): Yeah, no, I'll let you know what my spoils are to be once I've decided, Ms. Sharma.

I can hear you maniacally rubbing your hands together from here.

Anthony Bridgerton (G and H Brother): I'm being loud for your benefit.

Anthony Bridgerton (G and H Brother): Can I see any pictures of your work in progress or do I have to wait until it's done?

Kate's cheeks got hot. Calm down, dummy. He's asking for pictures of the mural, not you. 

So, you’ve been playing the long game. All this talking has just been a way to get early access to the latest attraction in Cork? How can I be sure nothing I share will be leaked to every major news site in the world by tomorrow morning?

Anthony Bridgerton (G and H Brother): Easy. You have leverage. Those aforementioned spoils I want from you. Nay, I am owed! I wouldn't dare betray you before I've secured those.

Fingers snapped in front of Kate's face. She blinked up and saw Tom smiling at her curiously.

"Shit, sorry."

"No, it's fine. I guess it's all good news?"

"Ha, yeah."

Tom leaned back in his chair. Kate pushed some hair–that was already behind her ear–behind her ear. Why do you feel nervous? Nothing is going on and it's none of Tom's business if anything was.

"You OK?"

Kate sighed and rolled her eyes. "I really am, Tom."

"I know it's fucked up, but that's why I'm asking. You seem genuinely OK. It's off brand."

Kate sat up straight. "What does that mean?"

"Sorry, sorry. That came out wrong." Tom held his hands up in surrender. "I'm being a dick. Like I said, I've never seen you so relaxed. Whatever the reason, I'm happy for you."

"Um, thanks."

The conversation finally moved on and Kate called it a night before they could circle back around to why Kate was in such a good mood. She didn't want things to be awkward with Tom and she meant it when she said they were friends. Not the kind of friend she can confide in about Anthony, though. On top of Tom knowing Anthony, at least once upon a time, she didn't want to talk to anyone about Anthony, full stop.

—

Anthony Bridgerton (G and H Brother): Hey, I promise I was just curious about what you're doing over there.

Just getting back into my room. Hope you are ready to have your mind blown. 

Anthony Bridgerton (G and H Brother): Boo! I can't even see anything. Some random woman is taking up most of the frame. How am I supposed to sell this to The Daily Mail? Give me something I can use!

Kate's smile fell when the next message came through. 

Anthony Bridgerton (G and H Brother): Did Tom take that?

For some reason Kate didn't want to acknowledge, she was struggling with how to respond. It doesn't matter. You're not doing anything wrong. Anthony doesn't care. Why would he care? He's asking because he knows Tom, that's all.

Yeah. I forgot you guys know each other, right? Si mentioned that at some point. You were all mates at Oxford?

Anthony Bridgerton (G and H Brother): Yeah. Haven't talked to him in years. You guys work together often?

Um, yeah, I guess you could say that. He was recommended to me when I was working on my book.

Anthony Bridgerton (G and H Brother): He's a good bloke from what I remember.

What is his aim? Am I supposed to agree?

I'll be on my own for a few days, though. He has family nearby so he's going to see them while we are here.

Who fucking cares? I don't want to talk about Tom.

Any ideas for what you want for winning our "bet?" (Which I maintain is illegitimate and would never hold up in court, but don't mind me.)

Anthony Bridgerton (G and H Brother): A tour of your favorite murals around here when you get back. El is always going on about how I'm not cultured enough.

Shit, shit, shit. A date? No, not a date. Get the fuck over yourself, Christ.

Anthony Bridgerton (G and H Brother): It would also drive her mad if THE Kate Sharma gave me a personal public art tour.

You're mean. We should invite her.

Anthony Bridgerton (G and H Brother): No, we shouldn't.

[loverhymeswith]

For the 300 follower celebration (a huge congrats on that btw, that's so amazing! And so well deserved 😁❤) I would absolutely love to see more with Erik Heller from "Would you like to dance?" 😍

And my request is simply them dancing (imagine being in his arms 😍) and maybe what happens after? Hey, I'm a simple woman. I just want some fluff with this man ❤

Dancing in the Dark | Erik Heller x F!Reader

Would You Like to Dance?

A/N: Thank you for the request @skvatnavle. This was heavily inspired by this version of Dancing in the Dark.

Word Count: 762 words

Erik steals your attention for the remainder of the evening, his broad hands encircling your waist as the two of you sway to the music, no interest in following the right moves. Vaguely, you’re aware of your friends and the curious expressions on their faces whenever they sweep past, but otherwise you and Erik might as well be the only two people in the room.

As you dance, if you can really call it that, you talk about everything and nothing. Politics, the weather, the hideous dress one of your fellow dancers is wearing. You tentatively ask what brought him here. He tells you it’s work, and you don’t pry any further. It doesn’t matter. Not for tonight.

Erik doesn’t take his eyes off you once, the hint of a grin settling on his lips as he drinks in the sight of you. He makes you laugh, makes you smile, and the terrible evening soon turns into one you won’t forget.

The hour is drawing late and you still have no idea who this mysterious man is beyond the beautiful face and sharp wit, but you do know there is a spark between you. A spark that has ignited a long dormant need in the pit of your stomach.

Before the band begins to play their final piece of the night, Erik releases your waist and takes your hand instead, guiding you away from your little corner of the dance floor.

“Come outside with me?”

He doesn’t need to ask you twice. The fresh air will be welcome after being surrounded by warm bodies all evening, not to mention the heat that has been spreading through your own body thanks to the sensation of Erik’s firm but gentle touch.

The cool night air pleasantly prickles your skin, but the shiver that runs down your spine has nothing to do with the temperature.

He’s staring down at you, that intense hazel gaze peering deep into your soul. You wonder if he knows how badly you’d like to kiss him. Truthfully, it’s been on your mind ever since he asked you to dance.

“Do you feel it?” He murmurs, his warm breath forming a white cloud against the pitch black sky.

“Feel what?” you ask, although you think you already know the answer.

“This fire between us. I felt it the moment I saw you across the room.” His hand rises to cup your cheek and his calloused thumb drifts over your bottom lip.

Your eyelids shutter and your heart beats wildly in your chest as you answer him. “I feel it, too.”

Even in the dimly lit parking lot, you don’t fail to notice the way his gaze darkens, how a muscle in his jaw ticks. When he speaks, his voice is rough with emotion.

“For the longest time, I’ve been waiting for something to give my life meaning again, and I know this might sound crazy, but I think I’ve found it here tonight... I think that something is you.”

For what it’s worth, Erik could be reading your very thoughts. Every single word resonates deep within your heart. How long has it been since you felt like this? How long since you felt alive?

Drawing his other hand up to cup your cheek, he slowly starts to lean in, hesitating at the final second. “Would you mind if I kissed you?”

You shake your head, breathlessly. “Please kiss me.”

A beautiful smile lights up Erik’s face, and just like that, you forget how to breathe. When his lips finally meet yours, you forget where you are and what you were doing, hell, you clean forget your own name.

Erik kisses you softly, but there’s a passion waiting to break through. You can sense it in the tension of his shoulders as you clutch him tightly. You feel it in the rhythm of his heartbeat hammering against his chest as your bodies collide. You hear it in the hitch of his breath as you part your lips for him. Erik kisses you softly, but there’s a promise of so much more to come.

When he pulls away, his thumb returns to your mouth, tracing the path that his lips have just travelled. His eyes sparkle in the pale moonlight. “Tell me what you’re thinking?”

Your hands slide down from their place on his shoulders, smoothing down the lapels of his tuxedo jacket and coming to rest over his broad chest.

“I’m thinking that I’m glad I came out tonight. I’m thinking that I don’t want this night to end.”

Joel Taglist: @a-reader-and-a-writer @babblydrabbly @yespolkadotkitty @skvatnavle @bewitchedignition @11thstreetvigilante @fairchildflag @mayhem24-7forever @kirsteng42 @weallhaveadestiny @lavenderluna10 @christinasyellowflowers @heresathreebee @immyownlittlebitch

[erensproudsimp]

Chef D'œuvre

Jean kirstein x Reader

⚠ Sexual Content Ahead ⚠

Content Warnings:Fluff, Sex on a canvas, established relationship, teasing Jean hehe, dirty talk, ultimate smut + this isn't proofread

Summary: Restraining Jean from touching you the whole day, a candle light dinner in the evening leading to sex on a canvas? The idea of Jean as an artist is just so hot.

Word count:4.1k

Fanart is by artworkbyzuli on insta

Cross-posted on ao3

Colorful tainted tiles, the smell of fresh paint hovering in the air, early hours of sunshine filtering from the beige curtains to fall on his face highlighting his features as his eyes concentrated on the canvas. Blanc frames waiting to be hued with a meaning or not. Teeth clenching, his jawline apparent, he looked like a Greek God, his brush being his weapon, almost out of this world. Shirt glued on his body like a second skin layer bringing out his honed muscled body, Jean truly was a work of art spreading his magnificence on cloth and paper. Standing by the door frame in his shirt two times bigger than your figure, you admired your boyfriend, his back facing you, drowned in his own world of aesthetic in his studio.

Tiptoeing to him, you wrapped your arms around his torso, your cheek pressed on his back catching him off-guard. You took a quick whiff of him. Sandalwood with a faint citrus.

"Woah there, good morning baby, did you have a good night sleep?" Jean's hoarse voice almost made your legs lose their balance. His free hand caressing your arms, you hummed as a simple yes still intoxicated by his scent.

"I'm going to go prepare breakfast, I'll call for you when I'm done." Jean gave you a quick forehead kiss before you left the room.

Cracking some eggs in the pan, you connected your phone to the speaker in the house to play some music while you proceeded to put fruits in the blender to make smoothies. Swaying your body to the music at the same time lip-syncing to the words, you spread butter on slices of bread unaware of Jean's presence behind you. The man crossed his arms, leaning on the wall he admired your actions which were nothing but alluring to him.

What made it even more hot to him was the fact that you were wearing his shirt. At first in the studio, he didn't realise but now that he noticed, he couldn't help but smirk to himself. He took in the way his shirt was practically floating on you, the flashbacks of last night suddenly raced through his mind. The way you were moaning his name, grabbing the sheets tightly as you let him take control of you made him take a deep breath before he approached you.

Now it was his turn to return you the hug from earlier. Surprised by him, he didn't leave you a second to react to his abrupt act of affection, he moved your hair to the side to plant a kiss on your neck making you shiver. His arms tightened around you just as his kisses went deeper all through your neck.

"y/n," his hot breath unsteady.

"Je-Jean, the eggs are gonna burn," you breathed.

"The only thing burning right now is my urge to fuck you right on this counter," Jean whispered in your ear almost making you lose your thinking pattern.

"Jean, I'm serious," you tried to wingle from his grasp to save your omelettes and placed them on two separate plates.

Jean looked at you disappointedly as though a puppy who had just lost its toy.

"Aww don't look at me like that, gimme a kiss, come on," you opened your arms, encouraging him to come to you.

Gladly he did and locked his lips in an instant.

"Jump," Jean demanded in between the makeout and you, of course, obeyed.

Your legs around his hips, sloppy lips fighting for dominance, Jean pressed your ass on the kitchen island. His arms snaking up and down your thighs, giving them a light squeeze here and there.

"Your legs are pretty, but they would be prettier on my shoulders hmm," his voice laced with a passion so hot like molten lava.

Your insides now ignited with flame, you pushed your hips into his by closing in your legs wrapped around him. Hard. Mischievousness coursed through your mind as you wanted to tease him for making you flushed.

"Want my legs over you? well catch them if you can," with that said, you jumped off the kitchen island freeing yourself from his clutches to run away from him.

"Hey! Get back here! I'm not done with you! " Jean called after you, laughing as he chased you down the corridors. A soft genuine laugh emitting from him when you threw pillows from the sofas at him to halt his movements only for him to catch the items and throw it back at you like a snowball fight.

A grin plastered on your face when you finally got tired of the running and collapsed on the floor with Jean kneeling beside you equally euphoric. The happiness was mainly because he felt so much at peace seeing your smile.

"Got ya," he breathed from exhaustion, encircling his arms around your waist and pulling you close so that he could rest his chin on your shoulder.

"You're so warm," Jean nuzzled his nose into your neck.

"Speaking of warmth, our food's getting cold in the kitchen, hurry up we need to eat," you mentioned.

"The only thing I want to eat right now is you-" you cut him off with your index finger pressed on his soft lips.

"Jean, I swear to god, let's go," you pushed him from back because he was trying to grab your ass, however, you receded.

"Your hands were so small on my back, but I'd prefer them jerking my dic-" again you shut him up by shoving toast bread in his mouth to save you from further embarrassment.

"Y/n baby, I need you so bad right now," he said swallowing that bread hard as your eyes widen.

From the look in his eyes, you could tell that this man was sexually frustrated, certainly because of your actions earlier but you didn't expect him to be so thirsty.

For a brief moment, a thought came up to you, basically telling you to refuse his current wishes to make him further agitated just so that you ravish the feeling of him taking the pent-up anger out harder on you later. Perfect plan, you internally agreed to yourself.

"Oh you need me badly? How about you show me that at night, okay?"a light smirk stretching the corner of your mouth.

" Y/n, I need you now, like right now, I can't wait till night or anything," Jean whined. How cute.

"Aww, you're that desperate baby? You can't hold yourself back? I thought you were tougher than this,"you cooed.

" Y/n, I can see damn well what you're trying to do, so stop messing with me please, "Jean reached out to grab your face only for you to pull back. Not going to lie that did hurt you when you saw the disappointed look on his face, yet, oddly that made you feel and realise the control you had over him and goddamn this felt good.

"Okay then, how about a little bit of challenge for you? If you manage to keep your hands off me the entire day and that includes any sort of contact, I'll make a surprise for you tonight as a reward. And if you lose then no sex for you until the next day baby. Deal?"

"Now that's going to be hard as hell but your surprises never fail to entertain me so deal."

"That was quick of you," you commented shaking his hand as a way of signing the contract.

"I just know that you're going to do something remarkable that will blow my mind so I'm simply looking forward to it."

His hopes were ridiculously high for the reward and luckily you already had something in mind for tonight.

After breakfast, Jean wasted no time to rush into his studio to keep you out of his sight. That was going to be a little too easy for him to win in this way. Not that you didn't want him to win, you couldn't help but want to push him to his limits. While you were scavenging your mind for the perfect way to catch him off guard, you heard a knock at the door. Outside was the postman with a package which seemed to be a delivery of one of the various things you kept buying online.

Taking the parcel inside, you opened it to find something that made you smiled evilly. It was a black transparent two pieces lingerie with lace straps. Not a second was wasted for you to change into that. To hide your plans, you wore a bathrobe and tiptoed to the studio.

Inside, Jean clearly concentrated on drawing when you creaked open the door, his attention now on you.

"Y/n why are you wearing a bathrobe in the middle of the da- oh-"

Right at that moment, you removed the robe letting it fall to your feet to unveil the marvel that was hidden inside of it.

Jean's breath hitched in his throat.

"You have no idea how badly I want to scream right now,"his pencil falling out of his hand, he covered his face with his hand and took a step back from you. He rubbed his temples as he inhaled deeply.

"Fuck y/n, why are you doing this to me?"he looked at you from up to down as though he was eating you up with his eyes, capturing every inch of what he's seeing and burning it into his memory.

"Do you like what you see?" your hands on your hips as you leaned on the wall.

"You have no idea."

You chucked and approached him slowly.

"If only I could touch you right now, you have no idea of what I'd do to you," Jean put his hands into the pockets of his pants to try to contain himself from not jumping on you like a hungry wolf who hasn't eaten in weeks.

Clacking your black heels on the cold tiles, your hands meticulously moving on your hips, you diminished the distance between you two. One foot difference. Jean licked his teeth from inside closed mouth and opened it slightly to let out hot breath, sustaining the proximity but you could see the intensity in his eyes.

"I can't stop staring, please y/n, "

"Where's the fun in that? I wanted to see you all hopeless for me and you're doing a pretty good job resisting," your finger pointing at his growing bulge.

Blowing air from his mouth, his hands on his hips, he walked to and fro.

"Is this the surprise you were telling me about in the morning?"

"Of course not, the surprise is bigger than this. I just wanted to give you a little sneak peak thought since I love you so much and don't want to kill you with a heart attack," you giggled twirling a strand of your hair. His eyes went big.

"If that's the case, you better prepare yourself for tonight because you seriously don't know what I'm going to do to you," Jean licked his lips.

"Can't wait," you blew him a kiss while you strolled out of the room, his eyes still fixated on the lingerie.

Not only did what happened turned you on, but it also motivated you to start the preparations for Jean to wreck you till you couldn't walk. Changing into pajamas for comfort, you took out scented candles of your preference and placed them on the nightstands and dressing table in the bedroom.

Jean's POV

'What the hell was y/n even thinking pulling that move on me? '

Sighing deeply I looked at my boner.

"Now what am I going to do of you? Jerk off to the memory of y/n in that black lingerie?"

On second thought, that doesn't sound bad, except for the fact that he was in an art studio.

Gosh, was he not turned when he first saw you in that. The way the cloth surrounded your soft breasts, decorating them to be perhaps the most flawless thing he'd ever seen or the way your stance screamed if confidence. He couldn't decide which of them were hotter.

The little ribbons on the strap did nothing but make you more erotic. How did you even manage to look that good, is a mystery that he will never discover.

"I really got the best of the best for me huh," Jean smiled to himself.

His art failed in front of you. Null and void. In his eyes you were the definition of what a beauty goddess was, hence proving that beauty indeed lied in the eyes of the beholder. Despite your imperfections which nonetheless still made you impeccable, Jean always attempted in copying your sublimity yet in vain.

Without a doubt, you were the best Muse he's ever had in his life. One day hoping that he would finally do you justice and be able to recreate his image of you in his mind on cloth, Jean kept trying albeit failing each time. However, he would absolutely never give up.

Collecting himself from the recent impact, he picked up his pencil from the ground and as much as he wanted to concentrate on his drawing of you, he couldn't prevent himself from picturing you from back then. You were beyond gorgeous. Maybe, that exactly was the inspiration he needed.

"I need to take a bath," Jean said to himself. Luckily there were two bathrooms in the house, as he wouldn't want to interrupt you while you were busy making whatever surprise.

To be honest, Jean was as impatient as you and full on ready to be taken by surprise by you.

Your POV

"Okay I've cleaned the room spotless, scented it, changed the sheets of the bed, took out towels and now time to bring the big thing,"you checked off everything on your mentally made-up list before you could continue.

Rushing to the wardrobe, you took out the art supplies required for the sex painting. Canva isn't the comfiest option for sex but you knew that it will all be worth the work at the end.

You honestly couldn't wait to see Jean's reaction to this.

Since the mattress can get a little colorful, you didn't want to run the risk of ruining the bedding either, you rather placed the sheet of canva on the carpeted floor that was still easy to the body. Laying down a cloth, that you taped so that it wouldn't dislocated when things get moving, on top of which you placed the canva and towels around it as well as a trail of towels towards the bathroom so that clean up of the post-art would be rendered easier.

"Okay now that everything is settled, let's go take a bath and prep myself up," you muttered to yourself, locking the door from the inside so that Jean wouldn't accidentally enter it.

-Time skip-

A private dinner in your dwelling makes for an magical evening. Silk sheet on the table, napkins neatly pleated on the white plates surrounded by tableware. Incorporating flower petals, slow romantic harmonious music, and low lighting to create the right atmosphere you as well added string lights for an added touch of enchantment. Aphrodisiac food was the obvious choice, you thought, placing down the lobster in the middle. Wine in glasses twinkling to the fairy lights for a further sizzle.

Not long until Jean made his appearance in a suit, top buttons of his shirt loose while you were in a black dress lighting the scented candles.

"Hey babe," his throaty voice called.

Turning around, you saw him, his hands in his pockets walking towards you. His large body towering yours.

"You look hot," he complimented looking down on you.

"So do you," you giggled bopping his nose.

Pulling a chair, Jean signaled you to sit as he pushed the chair then going to his seat facing you.

The empty wine glasses were delicately filled with the red alcohol, each of you raising your goblet for a cheers.

" Cheers to my pretty boyfriend."

"Cheers to my future wife," Jean smirked as you were busy turning fifty shades of red.

In comfortable silence, except for the clinking of utensils, both of you ate.

"Main course is done for, now time for dessert, "he said standing from his chair to yours. Lift you off the ground swiftly, he walked you to the bedroom in bridal style.

"huh? HUH? Jean what are you doing?"

"Taking my dessert to eat, what else?" he replied kissing you. His kiss was a fever. Hot. Sluggish.

Opening the door to disclose the surprise, his eyes went wide until it hit him. The canva and towels on the ground, paint orderly laid on the bed.

"I was thinking the house needed some more decorations, so why not spice things up by creating this masterpiece and hanging it in the living room for everyone to see? " innocently you smiled at him.

"Hahaha y/n! You're amazing!" rosy cheeks, eyes twinkling with admiration and affection he twirled your body in air, "wait then that means that the whole day you preventing me from touching you was pointless," his expression now slightly frowned.

"I mean, yeah, I mean, I just wanted to see you desperate for me," you fumbled with your words.

"Bad girl. After this I will have to punish you for making me suffer for nothing," Jean put you down.

You didn't know whether to feel anticipation or fear knowing that this man was going to wreck you.

"Why are you acting coy all of a sudden? Weren't you the one to act like a whore? " with the cockiest smirk ever Jean said.

His hands previously placed gently on your hips began to tighten. The press only fueled your rapid beating of your heart. Tilting your head towards his face by lifting it with one finger on your chin, he locked eye contact with you.

Lust filled his irises. Skilfully, he unzipped your dress and pulled it off your skin. Skin that desired to be touched so badly. Skin that burned under his fingertips that grazed the surface. Under the clothes exposed the black lingerie that got Jean worked up since morning.

Even though he already saw you in it, it nevertheless felt like the first time. The same adoration that held his gape seemed to be worshiping your body.

"May I take your bra off? " Jean asked. You nodded, Jean elatedly removed it.

"Look at these perfect tits. Belonging and made only for me," cupping them in his hands, he growled against your neck.

Your mind going blanc and empty, you were left speechless. Only ravishing him. His presence. His hot breath fanning on you. As much as you wanted to take this slowly, you couldn't stop yourself from craving to feel him buried deep inside of you.

Your hand slightly sliding over his growing bulge, earning a hiss and restrained moan from him.

"No. You're not going to be the one to tease me anymore. It's my turn," biting your collarbone, he declared making you leap in his arms.

Feeling self-conscious that you were the only one in undergarment, you unbuttoned his shirt and ripped it off him while he was sloppily making out with you.

Grabbing your thighs, he insinuate for you to jump. Chest to chest, he then threw you on the bed making it sink under your weight. He was finally freed from his restraints of not laying a hand on you.

His body hovering yours, he kissed you passionately. He's never kissed you like this before. Maybe you should restrain him more often.

Jean swallowed your gasp when unknowingly his hand went down your stomach to press on your clothed clit.

"Huh? You like that?" laughs "yeah you like that don't you," he breathed his finger circling around the bud. Your response was a moan and your breath quickening. Your reaction turned Jean on more than he already was.

Going down on you, he sucked your soaked underwear, the room filled with slurping sounds. He gripped your hips by wrapping his big arms around it to prevent you from squirming away. You were practically a moaning mess. Aggressively, he ripped it off you, continuing to lick through your folds.

"Jea-Jean I think I'm going to c-cum," you manage to utter.

"Heh, not yet princess, we got so much more do," he wiped his mouth that was coated with your juices and licked the liquid off his fingers. You looked at him with pleading eyes as you were yearning for a release.

Legs trembling, you raised your body to be able to sit while Jean grabbed the body-safe paint and put a fair amount on the cloth.

"Come here my lady," he said as he picked you to lay your body gently on the canva, paint on your back.

Jean took off his pants and underwear, his hard dick slapping on his stomach whilst you were making yourself comfortable.

A brush in his one hand and a palette in another, he sauirted some paint on the flat item.

Impatience began to overcome you as you begged him to come to you.

"Wait a moment more babe, I'm just making the perfect colour," Jean finished his sentence by approaching you.

Jean maintained eye-contact with you, the brush gliding over your soft skin leaving colors behind its track. Chills ran down your skin after each stroke. Drowning in bliss, Jean slowly ran the tool down your belly to an inch higher up your pussy. You were waiting for him to pass the paint through your core but instead he stopped his actions making you internally more annoyed.

"I'm not going to let you get off so easily after what you did to me," Jean murmured.

Cold. Squeezing the paint tubes, Jean splat paint on your body, mainly on your stomach. He leaned forward and pressed his body against yours to spread the paint.

Lining his dick right outside your entrance, he thrusted in without warning. Your back arching, you let out a moan. His hands rushing behind your back, he hugged your body as he gave you time to adjust to him.

"Mmmm, fits perfectly. Look at how good you take me, yeah you see that? "Jean moaned in your ear.

" It's okay, you can move,"you bit back a groan because Jean didn't leave you a second before pumping in and out of you.

" I can't believe you're mine, all mine, no one but me knows how good you feel, just me,"Jean panted in your ears," listen to my moans, you he-ear how goo-od you're making me feel? "

"AH-yes Jean, yes," you purred.

His forehead rested on yours, mouth connected, swallowing each other's breath and sounds.

" Go faster Jeaann." This made him slow down instead of doing as you wanted.

"Oh? you want me to go faster? Go-o ahead, beg for it. Tell me how bad you need me," Jean's stroked your insides with long and slow thrusts.

"Pl-please Jean, need you so badly, you make me feel so good so take all your anger out on me bu-ut please make me cum alongside with you!"

"Lift your ass, my queen,"Jean satisfied with your answer commanded, which you did as he ordered as he pounded deeper into you mixing the paint on the canva.

"Look at you, such a good girl."

It wasn't long until Jean filled your insides with his hot seed making you scream his name loudly. Right before you could come that Jean could tell by the shaking of your breath, he lifted your body off the masterpiece so that your ejaculation wouldn't ruin it.

In his arms, you came so hard, your liquids dripping down Jean's skin.

"Y/n, I don't think you realised that but what you just did was so hot," Jean admired you.

"Also, thank you for fulfilling my fantasies as an artist," he thanked you kissing your cheeks fondly.

Walking on the towel leading to the bathroom, he put you inside the bathtub, opening the tap to let the container fill with hot water. While it was doing so, Jean got in with you between his legs and head on his chest heaving up and down.

Jean took some shampoo in his hand, and massaged your scalps with you basking. Heavenly was a word too light to describe the feeling. You were basically in paradise.

"In round two I'm not planning on going gentle now so just bite the pillow and take it," Jean sputtered against your hair.

[kryptid-quilz]

Yandere Asahi

The thing is you know he's crazy. You aren't stupid, you recognized all the signs as they got more blatant. Him suddenly bumping into you too often when you go out. How he's always in the area when you'd hit him up. The look on his face he'd get when you playfully flirted with your homies or when guys hit on you. The way he'd look at you when he thought you weren't looking, or the way he always needed to be touching you in public,though he did a good job at playing it off as affectionate, but you were always weary of men too eager to get at you.

Hell, you only have him a chance, because he came off as shy giant of a man.

So you go for boba at you favorite tea spot. Then you go for crepes from this new cafe you've been meaning to check out. Then go to your favorite spot in the park....

You want to give him the benefit of the doubt, because this nice kind successful man seems to be absolutely smitten with you.

But Mama ain't raise no fool.

So you give it time. You go on dates. You talk on the phone all night. You go to his fashion shows and work galas.

He buys you jewelry, clothes, etc.

You pretend you don't notice the manic possessive look in his eyes each time.

Pretend each time a man who might have strayed your attention away from him disappears.

But alas work picks up, it's fashion week in Japan, then in Paris, Brazil, England. He can't get a moment to himself. You don't lt it bother you, you just live your life annd talk to him when you can, busy with your own small business.

But he takes the lack of response or quick conversations as you losing interest. He doesn't tell you though , he tries to fix it.

He messages you asking what plans you have, playing to doting interested boyfriend, trying to pin your location down to surprise you.he came back for a few days.

Only you dont' answer. He messagedc you around 7:30 PM . It's close to 1:00 AM. He's ready already pulling up to your apartment, when he finally get a message.

Sorry babe Honey, phone was in bag. Didn't hear it over the music

Music?

Kry took me to a new club that opened. We were getting ready and my phone was dead, and I forgot to turn it on after putting it on the charger.

He gets a picture suddenly.

It's of you in a darkly lit club, in a skin tight short red dress. You're hugged up with Kry and three men you've neve seen before.

By the low draw of your eyes he can tell you've had a few drinks.

All he can focus on thoough is the leer the dude on the left is giving you and how his hand rests n your hip.

He's pulling out of your apartment parking lot in seconds.

Looking back at the photo he can see the neon sign of the club in the background. He googles it and shows up next iin 30 mins. he enters the club and sees you dancing with your friend.

He's transfixed with you for a moment. you an Kry are grinding on each other. Your skin is glowing, you're smiling, you look so happy.

He missed seeing you like that.

but then the guy from the picture is coming up behind you, and his friend distracted Kry.

The man started dancing with you you were into it at first. Dancing good naturedly with him, seperately.

Until he drags you closer. His hands are resting on too low on your hips. He tries to kiss you and you jerk away. He grabs you harder, hands on your ass, and tries again. you smack him and jerk away.

People around you are looking now, he heas a mutimous look on his face, and you look livid.

You curse at him and storm off.

Asahi wants to go after you, but he cannt let any of tht stand now can he. He watches the stranger. Watches as he friend comes up looking furious angry. asking wtf he did? He just shrugs him off and walks away.

Asahi follows him. He's at the back exit when he slips through the door.

The man is tucked off in a dark corner of the alley, cigarette lit when Asahi approaches. He doesnt say anything, he just punches him in the face.

The asshole goes down and Asahi climbs on him and starts wailing on him. The mans face is bloody by the time someone opens the backdoor to the club.

Asahi jerks around, hand and face bloody, feral manic look in his eyes only to stop at the sight of...

You.

He panics.

"Babydoll it's not what you think" He tries to reason scrambling to his feet. You're getting closer, nt sying a word, looking at the prone man behind him.

He's scrambling with his words, face going into that emabarassed, nervous expression you've come to know so well.

You look at him blankly, "You did this?"

"I-I-I-" He can't form words as you get closer to him and cup his bloody face.

"Honey did this?" You ask sternly.

"I-I- He touched you." Asahi stammered out. "He touched you, upset you." The look on his face had changed from panicked to ominous. An expression you had come to know well despite his efforts to hide it.

You looked at the man. The man that kept tabs on you. Knew who you came in contacct with on a daily basis. That knew every single place you frequented before you started dating. The man that got extremely jealous and made every last man that hit on you diappear. the man that had been beating a man half to death in an alley, for groping and upsetting you.

The man who treated you like a Goddess. That held you when you were upset. Comorted you when you were sad. Cherished you The man that made love to you with a single minded determination to make you feel like the only woman in the world, but fucked you like he wanted you to know that he had ruined you for other men and you would never find someone to make your body feel the way he could.

The man that loved you.

The man that would kill for you.

All you had to do was ask.

"Let's go home, Honey."

He stood there stunned. "(Y/N') " Asahi stuttered, trying to turn his head to look back at the bloodied man on the groun, but you turned his head back to look at you.

You shook your head at him. "He tried to hurt me." Stilleto thumbs ran over bloodiy cheeks. "You protected me. Now-" You leaned up in high heels to kiss him. he clutched you to him as if he was afraid you'd try to leave him. When you pulled away from him, he looked as if he couldn't believe you were real.

"Take me home and I'll get you cleaned up, Honey."

As you two walked out of the alley, Asahi never noticed the knife you tucked back into your purse.

~fin~

I'll refine this later. It's not really a fic, just me getting my thoughts out for when I actually do write this. Whather it's a reader inset or OC fic has yet to be decided.

Reblog with thoughts and comments please! I like y'alls feedback!

[ficsandcatsandficsandcats]

Ok but a reader who sings but is really shy about it, but then Jaskier has a near-death experience and she's just holding him and crying and she starts singing him a love song out of sheer panic and a fluff ending please bro this week has been hARD

Fandom: The WitcherPairing: Jaskier x ReaderWord Count: 1,311Rating: GTaglist: @heroics-and-heartbreak @whatevermonkey @mynamesoundslikesherlock @magic-multicolored-miracle a/n: Bro *clasps your face in my hands* I got you. We got this. It’s gonna be ok. Have an HEA.

“Isn’t the ocean beautiful,” Jaskier sighed, gazing out at the yawning expanse before you. You smiled at his enthusiasm but felt no need to go any closer than you were now, high up on a sandbank where the water couldn’t reach you. You weren’t afraid of all water, just the kind that had fathomless depths filled with unknown entities which could devastate whole ships without warning. In hindsight, the stories your father had told you of his life sailing may have had the opposite effect he’d intended.

“It stirs the heart and brings music to one’s lips. You must know some excellent shanties, father being a captain and all,” Jaskier said, turning to you and giving you an entreating smile.

“No, Jaskier,” you said. But you did know them. You’d sung them heartily at one point in time. But that was before the ocean took everything from you. Your father, your laughter, and your voice. Only Jaskier had brought one of the three back for you and you considered that miracle enough, you wouldn’t be greedy and try for two.

“Well if you shall not call me away I must go seek out another siren,” he sighed dramatically and rose to run towards the water.

“Be careful!” you cried, your heart rate already beating faster though he hadn’t even set foot on wet sand much less the treacherous waves.

“Of course, of course,” he waved off. He didn’t know you hated the ocean, you tried not to talk about it because it mean talking about why and that meant reliving the moment your life had changed forever. Instead you watched with hawk eyes though panic rose in you as you watched him get closer and closer to the deceptively placid rolling waves that crept up on the sandy banks.

He turned around to face you, waving as the water sat just ankle deep and you forced yourself to breathe, to remember that your father hadn’t died on a beach but in the middle of a fierce squall. Jaskier was stronger than people thought, and smarter and he wouldn’t be foolish. But the ocean did not discriminate or reward cleverness and you watched in silent horror as the grasping waves coiled around him and tugged him back, devouring him in a single sweep.

You ran. You ran for your father, for your lost childhood, and most of all for Jaskier. It had stolen one you loved but it would not steal this too. Not without a fight.

Bile rose in your throat as your feet touched the water but you didn’t give the seizing panic a moment to grip hold of you and stall your progress, you looked for signs of him and you saw it – a glint of gold from his signet ring in the white foam. You pushed against the waves, physically fighting the current and trying to stay grounded though your body was rocked just as easily as Jaskier’s had been. The difference was that you had a healthy respect for its ferocity and were spurred by a rage that equaled its own. You saw the chestnut hair and seized it, grasping anything you could of him to help pull him back, soon yanking him close enough that you could seize his waist. You had to fight to pull him back, the ocean was determined to keep at least one of you and you were just about to push him forward with everything you had and let it take you when you broke free, falling face down as the waves spat you back out. You scrambled up as quickly as possible and dragged Jaskier’s limp form up until you could go no farther.

He didn’t move. The usually expressive face was chilling to look at so still, so empty. You pushed on his chest, trying to remember the rhythm your father had taught you. There was no breathe and you tried to force it into him with your mouth, encouraged by the rise and fall of his chest when you did this but it did not stir on its own.

“Jaskier please, please not like this, please don’t,” you pleaded, pulling him onto his side and trying to get any water that could come to pour out of him. A trickle of saltwater pour through his lips but no breath. You clutched him tightly, willing him to breathe.

“If I tell you I love you, will you stay?” you asked, the words triggering memories of a song you’d learned long ago. A song you remembered your father singing to your mother. Jaskier had wanted you to sing and you had wanted Jaskier. One of you would get what they wanted today.

“If I tell you I love you

Dare I hope you’ll agree

If I swear I will be true

Will you stay with me?

Cuz I’ve gone ‘round the world

And I’ve seen what’s to see

But the one thing I want

Is a lifetime with thee”

You tried to remember the verses, making it up as you went, singing as though your voice would pull him back to you. And then, in a moment of mercy you didn’t think the world possessed, it did.

Jaskier’s body rocked violently and he expelled water and you held him steady, giving a silent prayer of gratitude that you’d thought to hold him on his side, and you kept singing, seemingly unable to stop now that you’d started again. You sang words of comfort, soothing and encouraging as his body forced out the water that had tried to take him from you, and you kept singing until he weakly moved around to face you, his beautiful blue eyes gazing at you in wonder.

“I thought – ”

“Me too.”

“I nearly – ”

“But you didn’t,” you insisted, refusing to give the thought of a world without Jaskier another moment’s consideration. You gently brushed the wet hair out of his eyes.

“You were singing,” he said. You nodded.

“You never sing.”

“Well you never drown, it’s been a surprising day for both of us,” you argued.

“You know what this means, don’t you?” he asked. You shook your head no and helped hold him steady as he sat up quickly, grasping your arms, fixing you with an intent look.

“You have to join me in performing,” he said.

“You are absolutely ridiculous,” you protested, more than a little bit hurt, “You almost die and the first thought you have is how to make your act better? You know what! Let the ocean have you!”

You stood up and began to storm off the beach but Jaskier quickly caught up with you, spinning you around to face him.

“The first thought I had was that I was so bloody grateful to be alive so I could tell you that I love you. Well, actually, that was the second thought. The first thought was oh gods, oh gods, sirens are real, Geralt owes me 50 coin and I’ll never get to collect because I would follow that voice anywhere. And then I saw it was you and I had the second thought. And then I thought about work. So really you were the first two thoughts!” he protested. He opened his mouth to speak again but you cut him off with a kiss, stopping him while he was ahead. You needed to get him somewhere warm where he could change and you could talk more about what his confession meant. You needed to make a confession of your own though you felt you already had pretty clearly. You needed so many things but most of all, right now, you needed the grounding certainty of Jaskier in your arms and on your lips and safe and yours. And, as he would for the rest of your lives, Jaskier gave you all that you needed and more.

[fmdtaeyongarchive]

↬ tears in the rain.

date: early morning hours of november 9, 2020.

location: unspecified bar in itaewon.

word count: 1,436 words.

summary: ash drunk calls @fmdxyoungjoo during his album release celebrations and tells her more than he means to, but still not enough.

triggers: alcohol tw.

notes: don’t ask me why this got this long or why ash is so painfully stupid.

kiha’s breath is heavy with the smell of booze as he leans over from his seat into ash a little too close for comfort, laughing at a joke that ash hadn’t found funny enough to warrant an outburst, even as foggy-headed as he himself was.

most of the night has been free and airy. a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders with the release of his album, and it’s like he can feel his own body for the first time in a year, maybe more. he’d been dragged out to a bar by some who knew him well enough to do such a thing, even if the personal distance that remained between them still made it feel like it wasn’t entirely for him. kiha, kyung, and erin had been invites he’d taken the liberty of adding by virtue of being the supposed guest of honor, and he’s stuck by kiha’s side most of the night as the other’s deep voice chants for him to down shot after shot.

there’s a liberation to the night that’s foreign. so many deadlines are behind him now and even if he has to be up early the next morning to go into the salon to have his hangover hidden from music show cameras, it’s the price he’s paying for momentarily feeling like there are possibilities to his future once again. for so long, the horizon hadn’t stretched further than the release of his album, and now he’s run to it, to discover a vastness he can’t pinpoint. sure, at the other end, on the next horizon, there’s another album, but the space in between is a slate cleaner than any he’s known in a long while.

there’s one dark spot that’s creeping up on that slate, though, and it hangs on the edges of his consciousness more and more as the liquor heats his veins, until he finds himself in the cold of the alleyway off of the bar alone, with his phone clutched in his hand, finger pressing down on a number he hasn’t contacted in over a month.

the phone is dialing before he gives himself a chance to think through the pros and cons of his decision and his heart speeds up every time the tell-tale ring vibrates his inner ear again and again and it feels like his own call echoing back to him in an empty canyon.

no answer comes and his stomach wraps itself in knots to keep warm in the cold of the night.

her voicemail message plays and then a beep that’s met with only the rush of the cold november night wind for several seconds. it’d be easy to hang up and pretend the night hadn’t gotten to him, but that won’t push away the creeping feeling he hasn’t been able to shake for weeks now, so he checks behind him and then presses his side up against the wall, huddled into the phone pressed against his ear like his deepest secret.

“joo.” the name leaves his lips for the first time since that night and every muscle in his body tightens at the same time his lungs let out a breath they’ve been holding for far too long now.

does he even have the right to speak to her with such familiarity anymore?

it doesn’t matter. she can’t chide him for it now. she may never even hear this.

“joo, i’m so sorry. i wanted to call you and apologize. all night... all night, i’ve been thinking about you. all month, actually. well, if i’m being honest, all year.” booze loosens his tongue beyond good sense, but he continues. “i’ll keep this short. i... i want you to know how sorry i am for how everything ended the last time we talked.”

what else is there to say? that’s all he needs her to know, and yet he clings to the phone like a lifeline, like it’s youngjoo herself, able to give him comfort she doesn’t owe him any more.

“i miss you.” he thinks he’s only said it in his head before he feels the air brushing between his chapped, slightly parted lips and he closes his eyes together tightly at his own self-betrayal. “i’m sorry. i don’t... i don’t get to say that.” he doesn’t get to call her in his drunken 2am longing either, and yet here is yet again, taking what he shouldn’t be allowed to reach out his fingers for. he’s so quiet the next time that he speaks that he lets himself believe it won’t make it through the phone receiver. “but i do. i miss you. i don’t know how you do it, you know that? that way you have of staying in mind no matter where i am... where you are, how we are.” he scoffs to himself. we? they’re not a we, they’re perpendicular lines that have moved past the singular point they were meant to cross. they’d pressed against the laws of fate and physics to grow closer and closer to meeting again, only to be punished by the cosmos in the end.

“i hope you’re doing well these days. you’re promoting, so i hope you’re taking care of yourself — don’t forget to eat just because you’re busy. and sleep. please. the other day, we crossed paths backstage and i thought you looked tired. maybe i was making it all up in my head, but i was so worried after that.”

it’s his own dulled inhibitions that let him keep talking. “have you heard my album?” probably not. it’d only come out hours before and she doesn’t owe him a listen. “it wouldn’t exist without you, you know. i owe you a thank you.” a breath. “actually, i owe you a lot more than that. i wish you were here. you should be here.” he hasn’t mentioned where he is to her, but he’s too caught up in his own visions of her hand brushing past his wrist in this alley, a less lonely version of it, as he laughs and presses her against the brick with her lips on his own smiling ones.

instead of the hard emptiness of his phone, he could be whispering his thanks against her skin as they concoct a plan to escape the party to spend the rest of the night at his place, ash forgoing his usual discretion to let her lipstick mark his lips and his mouth mark her neck. it’s a special occasion, why shouldn’t they let go this once?

but that’s not the reality. he’s in a dark, dimly-lit, damp alley all alone, a sadness hollowing him out at his own celebration. 

“you should be here,” he repeats. “for everything you did for me. this album... you’re the breaths between so many notes, the feeling behind so many words, i... i want to see you.” it’s a hopeless confession. she’s not on the other end. he can’t make requests of her. he won’t go home holding her tonight, or the next night. it’s a fact he’d faced through endless days alone in his apartment as his health came back to him, but, intoxicated, it’s harder to remember why he’d decided that was for the best. “my bed is a lot emptier without you in it. but it’s not just that, it’s music, it’s my... my hea – ”

it’s only the creaking of the exit door behind him that keeps him from compromising himself further and he turns on his toes with guilt flooding his wide eyes as he makes out erin’s features through the darkness.

“what are you doing?” she asks across the short distance ash had put between himself and the door. “it’s your night and you disappeared out of nowhere.”

“sorry. sorry.” he himself doesn’t know if he’s talking to his friend in front of him or the silence on the other end of the phone, but erin reaches out for him and he lowers his phone from his face. it’s a few more seconds before he has the presence of mind to shake foolish fantasies from his head and end the call, but once he does, he shoves it into erin’s hand.

“can you take this? i need to forget.”

“forget what?” erin seems genuinely confused, but it’s not enough to prompt ash into explaining.

his eyes provide the only response he’s willing to give: don’t ask. not now.

if he has to pay for his sins, he’ll do it later. for all of his mistakes, all of the pain he’s caused, he’s earned a moment of celebration, even if there’s something missing.

[carapeace]

(ok so the keep reading thing is being Weird And Mean so i had to repost the whole thing)

(i’m sorry @involuntarydiaphragmspasm​ if you got multiple notifs for this i was tryna figure out how to make it work aaaaa)

but here it is if you want to read!! sorry i just saw the shark and kinda ran with the first idea that popped into my head and thus may have not captured all the other emojis well enough oops

Thanks so much for the ask!! 💞

~~

There were few things in this world that Nino Lahiffe was afraid of.

And when he says few, he means very few. Heights? No problem. Snakes? They were cool. Spiders? Irritating, but not scary. (Unless you happened to be Anansi.)

But sharks?

That was at the top of his fears list. Public enemy number one. Maybe it was seeing Jaws when he was five years old or maybe it was the turtle in him, but he hated sharks.

The rest of his fears list was remarkably small. The dark (since he was a kid), blood, public speaking, and Kagami Tsurugi.

(He couldn’t help it. She terrified him.)

So he was not thrilled, to say the least, to be trapped in an aquarium with nobody but Kagami to keep him company.

This was gonna be a long akuma fight.

They were all there in the first place because Marinette was paired up with Adrien on a marine biology project, and the two of them had to go to the aquarium to research, and of course Marinette couldn’t spend more than five minutes alone with Adrien without spontaneously combusting so she had to invite Alya as backup and then Alya invited Nino so she wouldn’t be third-wheeling and then Adrien asked Kagami and by some miracle she could come.

So the five of them went to the aquarium that day, Marinette and Adrien taking notes on the animals and Alya marveling at how cute the two of them were and Nino trying not to show how scared he was. He had no idea what Kagami was doing--he refused to look at her, because you never look your fears right in the eye.

Alya noticed he was acting apprehensive about halfway through, and she nudged him. “Everything all right, babe? You’re looking kind of pale.”

He nodded, managed a smile. Not even Alya knew how scared he was of sharks. And he couldn’t explain it to her now--she’d probably laugh. (Not in a mean way, in a boy-isn’t-it-ironic-that-I-made-you-face-your-worst-fear-by-accident way. He loved his girlfriend more than life, but sometimes she could be kind of tactless, and he didn’t really feel like having this conversation.) So he waved his hand. “Yeah. Everything’s fine.”

She clutched his arm and pointed straight ahead. “Look! A tunnel!”

He looked. It was indeed a tunnel.

She started pulling him by the elbow, holding up her phone. “We can watch all the fish swim around us! I’ve only seen this kind of thing in movies--c’mon!”

Marinette and Adrien were already inside, taking notes on the animals that they saw and reading the signs. Kagami was following them. She stepped into the tunnel and the blue light washed over her--she looked like a kid stepping into a candy store, her eyes lighting up, her mouth dropping open at the sharks swimming overhead and all around.

That was one long tunnel... Nino couldn’t even see the exit.

He gulped.

“All right.”

He took a tentative step inside the tunnel, trying not to cringe as a shark passed by overhead. Alya was all over everything, reading signs about the water pressure, about all the different animals. She always looked ethereal when she was passionate about something.

Nino tried not to imagine a shark swooping down and biting her head off.

Don’t think about that, don’t think about that...

Quite suddenly, there was a loud siren that made them all jump. Akuma alert, the loudspeaker blared. Akuma in the jellyfish hall. Please shelter in place immediately.

Oh, shit, Nino thought.

Marinette went pale and dropped her notebook, Adrien lunging and catching it just in time. He handed it to her. “I think... I think I have to go to the bathroom.”

“Uh, yeah... I think I left my purse in the touch pool room,” Marinette stammered. “I don’t want to lose it during the attack.”

They shared a glance, then sprinted toward the tunnel exit and out of sight.

Alya had to call Nino’s name several times before he heard it, and when he turned to her, she grinned and held her phone up. “I’ve got to film this. Ladybug and Chat Noir will be here any minute!”

And she ran off, too.

Not a minute too early, because the loudspeaker kept saying please shelter in place and then suddenly the ends of the tunnel were starting to close and the siren was going off and everything was too loud and he was trapped.

Nino Lahiffe was trapped in an enclosed tunnel, facing two of his five greatest fears in the face.

Shit shit shit.

Fear number five still hadn’t moved. She was staring at the sharks, eyes wide, washed in the blue light from the water. She followed a shark with her eyes.

Nino sat down and tried not to tremble.

Shiiiiiiit.

Then, so suddenly it made him jump, she snapped her head toward him, eyes locking onto his. Like an owl. Or a shark. “Nino, is it?”

He cleared his throat. “Yes.”

“I don’t think we’ve met.”

“Yeah.”

Silence. Nino tried not to watch the sharks. He pigeon-toed his feet inwards. This nightmare couldn’t be over fast enough.

The silence was actually kind of peaceful, he thought. If he didn’t think about the sharks. Or Kagami. If he just thought about the water, the coral, the calmness of it all--

“Is Nino a full name or a nickname?”

He jumped again. “Jeez, dude, don’t do that, you scared me--”

“Oh,” said Kagami. She looked down at her feet, and he swore she looked--sad? No. Trick of the light.

“Nino’s my full name,” he said quietly. “I don’t have any nicknames.”

He made the mistake of looking to the left then, and a giant shark passed by, so big his whole body could fit in its mouth. It took him a minute to realize his arm was trembling and another minute to steady himself.

He leaned against the wall that had trapped him in the tunnel, hoping it would open, wondering if it would make him feel better or worse to play some music right about now. On the one hand, no more awkward conversations with Kagami. On the other hand, a shark could easily attack him and he wouldn’t hear anything.

He decided the safest bet was to leave the headphones off.

“What’s your blood type?”

“What?”

Kagami turned towards him. She looked so much like a shark in this light that it gave him the shivers. “Your blood type.”

“I don’t know.” And he didn’t really want to talk about it. Blood was fear number three. He didn’t much feel like adding another fear to the pile right about now.

“That’s very interesting. Marinette didn’t know hers, either. I suppose it’s a French thing, to not know your blood type. I am O.”

“Huh.”

She resumed her post, watching the animals. He’d have thought she was a statue, how still she was. “Do you like sitting there?”

“What?”

“Sitting where you are. Do you like it?”

Nino shrugged, and then the impossible happened--she walked over next to him and sat down.

This day could not get any worse.

She looked at him, and somehow he found himself looking back, even though you never look your fears in the eye, Lahiffe, what are you DOING?

“Do you drink orange juice?”

He shook his head to clear it and looked at the ceiling--no, don’t look there, there are sharks. There was a fear everywhere he turned. The safest bet was just to look at the floor.

“Yeah, sometimes,” he said to his sneakers.

“Me, too,” she said.

And then something weird took hold of his words and suddenly he choked out “do you like soda?”

She shrugged, looked up at the sharks above. “My mother says that soda has too much sugar. But she allowed orange juice. It was the sweetest drink I had as a kid. I always loved it. Sometimes I had it for dessert.”

“Orange juice for dessert?” he cried.

Kagami looked at him with a weird expression on her face. “Yes. What?”

“Nothing,” he mumbled. “It’s just--you should try soda. When you get the chance.”

“Okay,” she replied, and they lapsed into silence.

Nino thought of Alya, whether she was getting herself into trouble or whether she was staying safe. He really hoped she was okay, that she wasn’t in too much danger.

“What’s your favorite animal?” said Kagami.

“Turtle,” replied Nino without thinking.

Kagami cocked her head. “Why?”

“They’re--” he thought. “They’re survivors.”

Kagami nodded sagely, like he’d just said something very wise.

“What about you?”

“Dragon,” said Kagami. “Even though they’re not real in the technical sense. They’re powerful, in a special kind of way. But if I had to pick a real animal... sharks. I’ve never seen one in person before.”

Sharks.

Of course this girl’s favorite animal would be sharks.

Kagami frowned. “Is everything all right, Nino?”

Nino filled up his lungs, emptied them. He stuck his head between his knees.

“I’m scared of sharks.”

It was very strange saying the words out loud. He’d never told anybody that, not even Alya. Not even Chris. And now here he was, telling his fifth fear about his first fear for no particular reason--what was going on with him today?

There was a few seconds of silence, and then Kagami said, “Oh. Was that why you looked so uncomfortable?”

Nino nodded.

“I’m sorry, Nino.”

Nino blinked. “It’s all right. I’m sorry--I shouldn’t have even--forget it.”

Silence for one two three four five six seven heart-stopping seconds--

Then Kagami reached out a tentative hand and placed it on his shoulder. She left it there for a few seconds and made something that resembled a smile, and it dawned on Nino in that moment that maybe she was a little bit afraid of him, too.

She retracted her hand and wrapped her arms around her legs, curled up in a ball. Both of them watched the water overhead.

He turned to her. “What kind of music do you listen to?”

“I don’t.”

He laughed. When she didn’t join in, he stopped. “You’re serious.”

She nodded. “My mother says it’s a distraction.”

“You don’t listen to music?”

She shook her head, looking politely bewildered. “Is that bad?”

Nino, in a split-second decision, pulled his headphones off his neck and placed them on her ears, sweeping her hair out of the way. She sat up straight, surprised. “What--”

“Trust me.”

He picked up his phone and scrolled through the library--a song that Kagami would like. What song would Kagami like? He barely knew the girl. Ten minutes ago she was his fifth greatest fear, and now...

Now he didn’t know.

He picked out a lofi song, slow and calm, with a low beat that always reminded him of the color blue. He pressed play, and at first Kagami looked surprised, but after a couple of seconds she relaxed and started to close her eyes.

That day was the first time Nino had ever seen Kagami Tsurugi smile, eyes closed, head leaned back on the floor of the aquarium during an akuma attack while Ladybug and Chat Noir were off doing who knew what and there was water on all sides of them and the sharks swam and danced overhead.

It was gorgeous.

By the time Nino left the aquarium that day, one of his fears was gone.

[oh-theatre]

Sycamore High: Sound it Out (Chapter 19)

A/N: This might be one of my favorite chapters, but here's the end of the night and the return of a certain be-speckled boy so... ALSO, I FINALLY FIGURED OUT A NICKNAME THAT TED WOULD CALL TOMMY AND I FIND IT ADORABLE

summary: Ted and Tommys night takes an unexpected turn for the worse

words: 3,171

warnings: swearing, kissing, blood mention, punching, HOMOPHOBIA, HOMOPHOBIC SLURS, negative thoughts

Ao3 Link

“I really do not like musicals” Ted comments shaking his head, they laugh walking out of the theatre. Tommy smiles, playing with Ted's fingers in his own hand. He leans in a little closer, his walk becoming tired. Ted looks down “You ok there gumdrop?” Ted asks as they walk back. The beautiful sunny day, slowing its course becoming a calm night. A cool wind blows the pair as they walk through the silent streets. Tommy yawns leaning in a little more, eyes drooping.

“Mmhm” He hums in response “Just tired, dearest” Tommy yawns again, Ted chuckles softly watching Tommy's hair fall softly into his eyes. He pushes them out of the way and supports Tommy a little more. Happy to carry his boyfriend all the way home, offering his weight. Ted walks peacefully with Tommy practically asleep on his side. He hears the smaller boy humming softly, Ted recognizes the song from the musical they just saw. Ted listens hoping nothing breaks the graceful tune that plays. But alas, all good things must come to an end.

“Hey! Fag!” A sharp voice yells from behind the pair, Ted feels his heart drop. A perfect picture, in a broken frame.

No

No

No

Ted keeps walking, feeling himself pick up the pace still supporting Tommy. He can sense the people behind him, Tommy perks up a bit looking confused. He pauses, stopping the pair in their tracks. He looks up sleepily at Ted.

“What's up buttercup?” He yawns his words “Why are we rushing?” Ted shifts uncomfortably. He stares behind Tommy noticing two figures approaching out of the clear space. Tommy notices and looks behind him. “Who are they?” He asks more aware. Ted shakes his head and Tommy understands. He takes his hand once more and they continue walking, the men still trailing behind. The apartment feels as far away as ever.

“Hey! Didn't you hear us?” The men shout, Tommy feels Ted tighten his grip. They struggle to keep going as the men continue to call out to them, yelling slurs and insults left and right. “Hey, you two! Holding hands” Ted shuts his eyes tight but keeps going, he just wants to go home.

“Hey, I've got you, ok?” Tommy whispers soothingly, noticing Ted's face. Ted tilts his head, nodding gratefully. Ted feels his phone buzzes, and he quickly checks it. He shows the map to Tommy, who smiles reassuringly. “Look, we’re almost home” Ted nods. He checks his messages and responds quickly, in the small clearing they've gotten too far away from the men.

Chad: Hey kiddos! Just wanted to check in a see what your ETA on the movie was!

Ted feels a small weight lift from his shoulder seeing the normality return. He responds quickly.

SB: Just finished, walking home now.

He pockets his phone at the sound of nearby rustling and they continue walking. They slow their pace, still alert. The men are nowhere to be seen, the boys take a breath. The night rolls in faster now, the starless sky shining once more. Ted smiles up at them and counts as many as he can, just like mom said. They continue as Tommy returns to his dazed state and Ted counts as many as he can. His record was 126, his moms was 243. Although Ted still thinks she made that up. He laughs softly to himself recalling his mother. He feels his chest slow, returning to normal and his breath sounds at a manageable pace.

“Hey! Didn’t you hear me you fucking fag” The men jump in front of the pair, Ted can see their faces now. Ted jumps back instinctively taking Tommy who becomes alert once more. He examines the men and unexpectedly Ted can feel Tommy shy away. He puts an arm protectively around him, Tommy clutches on.

“Leave us alone” Ted manages, surprised at the own confidence from his own voice, Tommy nods in agreement still hiding. The men erupt into obnoxious laughter taking slow steps forward, Ted squints, the dark light makes it harder to see their faces.

“Why? So you can go back to holding hands?” Another man speaks up, the left one snickers at his own remarks. “Nah I don't think so, I think I need to teach you queers a lesson” Ted can hear cracking, the man was cracking his fists. Ted backed away still protecting Tommy. He scanned his surroundings, find a way out. Suddenly a giant pressure hits his face and he stumbles backward, losing his connection to Tommy. He flails helplessly for Tommy, he can hear a sudden ringing as he hits the ground. He can hear noises, talking, shouting, fear rises within him. He tries to call for Tommy, but his voice is hoarse. He shuts his eyes trying to ground himself, instead met with a heavy pressure and a struggle to stay conscious.

~~~

“Oh my god!” Emma laughs still recovering “That was hilarious!” Paul nods also laughing. They exit the restaurant thanking their host. They sigh making their way to the parking lot where Paul had parked. The cool night sent a chill down the pairs back, but it was refreshing. They settle back into the car still riding the high of that fulfilling dinner.  

“I’m glad you enjoyed it, I was pretty nervous” Paul admits, pulling out of the lot. Emma smiles coyly, she watches his movements, catching his eye.

“I loved it! I haven’t been out for dinner since…” she ponders for a moment “Oh gosh, since forever. It was my sister's favorite thing to do” she perks up excited, Paul scrunched his brows, sister? “Every Friday she would try and find a place we hadn’t eaten at before and we would have to go” Emma explains, cheery. “The last place we went was…” something falters as Emma pauses. She swallows hoping Paul was to busy driving to notice. He does but decides to focus on the empty road in front of him.

“How was your food?” He asks trying to divert the conversation, not wanting to make Emma unhappy. She smiles gratefully nodding.

“It was good, I definitely ordered the right thing,” She says checking her messages, quickly responding to her mother's texts. She also takes a quick moment to text Charlotte back, smiling all the way through their conversation. She tucks her phone away turning back to Paul. “So tell me, Matthews, what happens now?”

“Now, I take you home,” He says, she looks around recognizing her surroundings. Watching familiar neighborhood houses go by.

“Then what happens?” She asks as they pull into her driveway. Paul smirks getting out of the car, helping Emma out. She gracefully accepts and they walk silently to her front door. “Paul?” He takes a deep breath, looking around him. He meets her eyes once more smiling.

“Then,” He says slowly, leaning in closer. He takes her hands, ignoring the blush creeping upon his face. He pushes a loose strand of her out of her face. “Then...I do this” He says practically speaking upon her lips. He cups her face, slowly bringing it to his own and allowing their lips to meet. It lasts a short beautiful moment before the door swings open and they pull apart quickly. Turning away from the door, hiding their red faces.

“So you’re Paul Matthews...” A light but firm voice spoke.

~~~

“Oh, you are going down, Matthews!” Deb shouts jumping up ecstatically, ferociously pressing the buttons. Alice laughs delighted, swinging her controller around planting one final blow. She dances in the victory music that plays from the TV and seeps in the beauty of a disappointed groan from Deb.

“Haha! What was that dear Deb?” She teases. Deb stands up grabbing Alice pulling her down onto the bean bags tickling her mercilessly. Alice squeals delightfully, grabbing her mouth trying to quiet herself but to no avail. The girls shush themselves hearing footsteps coming up the stairs. The door creaks open, Alice looks up at her mom. She smiles silly, joined by Deb.

“Hi, Deb,” Alice's mother says, she looks at her daughter expectantly.  

“Hi, Ms.Matthews!” Deb says giddy, Alice shakes her head cheeks flushing.

“Hun, I've told you, you can call me Marley,” Marley says sweetly, Deb nods excitedly. “It's nice to see you around, I'm making some dinner would you like to join us?” She asks, instinctively folding up some things strewn around the room. Deb looks to Alice who shrugs. She looks back to Marley and nods, thanking her. “Alright! I call you down when it's ready!” Marley says leaving the room, closing the door.

“Eeek! I love your mom's food!” Deb exclaims, Alice nudges her glancing back to the tv. “Oh you're on” She grabs her controller and they begin once more.

~~~

“Mmm,” Chad hums dancing around the kitchen, circling Henry as they cook. “I don't know if its the food, or you, but something smells good” Chad giggles placing a kiss onto Henry's neck. The professor shakes his head, struggling to keep his smile under control.

“You are being very unprofessional Professor Hidgens” Henry comments lovingly, Chad bites his tongue giggling. Henry pauses stirring turning to his husband, he pulls him into a kiss. Chad holds his bowl kissing back, he pulls away biting his smile. They continue dancing around each other, a beautiful routine as they swirl through and around cooking up a storm. Henry hums a tune, finally pouring the finished meal into a setting bowl. “Love, will you set the table? I’m just not as good as you are with it” Henry coos, Chad nods setting to his task excitedly. Henry pouts suddenly, an awkward feeling settling him. Chad turns noticing, he strokes his husband's cheeks examining the man's face.

“Everything alright dearest?” Chad inquires

“Have you heard from the boys? The movies-”

“I have, they are on their way now” Chad comforts, Henry nods still doubtful. “Henry? Are you alright?” Chad continues, noticing the still unsure look Henry has.

“Something is wrong” Henry frowns “I feel...like something is wrong”  Chad tilts his head still cupping his husbands face. They stay like this before Henry waves it off and continues on dinner. Chad watches before setting the last placemat, making sure there are four in case Tommy wants to eat with them. The music continues playing through the house putting both men at ease. Finally, Henry finishes sitting down at the table, watching his husband affectionately. His attention pulled away as the door swings open, both men stand and turn towards it.

“Help!” Tommy cries, rushing in supporting a large figure. The professors scramble over to him taking an unconscious Ted and leading him to the couch. They set him down, Chad goes to grab a first aid kit. Henry turns to Tommy, he didn't mean to glare but...he did. His face softens at the redness surrounding the boy's eyes, and the glasses inked with dry tears. He tries to speak but can't manage anything. Chad returns and immediately begins working on Ted's face, cleaning up the blood, working on his nose. “I'm sorry” Tommy whispers frightened. Henry and Chad pause looking to the be-speckled boy. “I was s-so tired and I didn't...I d-didn't see anything…” He chokes back a sob, his eyes never leave Ted. Henry stands carefully, walking towards the boy. He places an arm around Tommy comforting him, Tommy cries into him, Chad sighs going back to Ted.

“Its alright Tommy, come sit,” He says leading the boy over to the couch. Tommy wipes his eyes, he places Ted's head in his lap, stroking the boy's hair, scared. Chad keeps working, feeling Ted stirring he backs away. Ted blinks his eyes open tired, he nestles into Tommy who gasps softly kissing Ted's forehead.

“Mmm, what's going on?” Ted mumbles, Tommy tries to speak but can feel the incoming tears. Ted hears the small noise coming from his boyfriend, he sits up. “Gumdrop?” He yawns, suddenly feeling a load of pain. He rubs his nose, wincing at the pain. His eyes grow in horror as he remembers the incidents of the evening. He shies away unable to meet the professor's eyes. “Oh…”

“What happened boys?” Henry asks returning from the kitchen handing the pair glasses of water. They take it gratefully, sipping on it to avoid conversation. They share a look before nodding. Ted turns to Chad, hoping his reaction will be softer. They recount the events that had happened bouncing back and forth between the pair. By the end, the apartment falls silent, save for Chad trying to stop his sniffles.

“Henry, can I talk to you?” Chad asks coldly. His husband nods and leads them out of the room. The two teens look to each other, frightened. Tommy takes his hand, biting his quivering lip. Ted sighs taking him into a hug.

“I was… I am..” Tommy tries but can't get the words out. “I-im so sorry!” He blurts sobbing into Ted. Ted tightens the embrace, rubbing soothing circles on his back.

“It's not your fault Tommy” Ted reassures “It’s those...those…” He pulls away angry “Monsters” Tommy chuckles at his sweet frown. He wipes away tears from his eyes. “Are you ok?” Ted asks, his voice softer now. Tommy nods, gasping cautiously.

“You got punched, and you're asking me if I'm ok?” Tommy shakes his head, disbelief running through him “I love you” Tommy says, the words rolling off his tongue so smoothly. He doesn't go back, he stays confident but Ted? Ted has never felt so much before. He pulls Tommy into a kiss, sweet and loving. The boys melt into each other, two pieces fit perfectly together.

“I love you too, by the way,” He chuckles “If that wasn't clear” The pair giggle together. Ted takes Tommy into another embrace resting on each other. They take deep breaths feeling their eyes grow heavy. Ted feels an everlasting flutter, but it's comfortable. I could get used to this.

~~~

“Thank you Mrs.Perkins! Sorry for kissing your daughter” Paul shouts as he leaves the house, causing Emma to giggle. She walks him to the car, holding his hand comfortably. She tries her hardest to ignore the obvious blush Paul holds. He turns to her, placing another kiss on her cheek. “I hope we got to know each other enough tonight,” He tells her, She nods biting her lip.

“I think we did,” She says, pushing a hair out of her face “I really enjoyed tonight Paul, seriously” she pokes his stomach as he listens “And I'm excited to continue this...getting to know each other thing” He laughs nodding in agreement.

“I should go” He admits disappointed “I'll see you Monday” He informs. She nods waving goodbye as he gets into his car, waving goodbye. She goes back to her house, smiling uncontrollably, much to her mother's notice.

“So I guess your night was awful?” Her mother teases. Emma groans plopping on to the couch. “He seems nice”

“Did you have to invite him in?” She asks defeated “I mean I really like him! And you totally embarrassed me” She moans kicking off her heels. Her mom chuckles gesturing her upstairs, she nods and goes to get ready for bed. She nods happily humming, what is wrong with me?

~~~

“Dinner was wonderful Alice, but I should really head home” Alice sighs nodding, She waves a sweet goodbye to Deb who disappears just as quickly as she came. She walks to the kitchen to help her mom clean up, hearing the door open she turns.

“How was your date?” Alice asks as Paul walks in almost immediately throwing off his tie.

“I won't say I'm in love” He hums quietly to himself, before leaving to go upstairs. Not before shooting his sister a quick glance. She rolls her eyes so far back she sees inside her head. Marley chuckles finishing the last dish and placing it carefully to dry. She kisses her daughter's forehead and starts to make her own way upstairs leaving a very empty feeling in Alice. She sighs checking the time shrugging she turns on the tv. Caution, she lowers the volume and makes sure the subtitles are on, watching hours of TV throughout the night. She finally falls asleep, dreaming of a certain beanie-wearing, flannel rocking girl. 

~~~

FU: You really said the words ‘I love you’?

SB: Yes, Paul. I don't know if you know this but that's how relationships work.

FU: Ok, uh...fuck you first of all. Second, whatcha up to?

SB: Nothing much, just chilling on the couch, Tommy and I are watching some TV

FU: He's still there? It's like 4 am

SB: Its 12 am, and there was an incident so he's staying here

FU: An incident?

And so for the second time that night, Ted recalls the evening's events in detail, shivering at the thought. And for the second time that night, he leaves someone speechless.

FU: I'm going to commit murder

B: Can I join you?

Ted freezes, he darts his eyes up realizing he had been texting the boy's group chat the entire time. He feels his eyes sting as they threaten him with tears. He tries to type a response but his fingers can't stop shaking. He feels Tommy take his hands and squeeze them, he shows them the texts. Tommy nods and helps him through the rest of the conversation.

“Don't mention it, ok?” He advises “Just continue on like normal, you can talk about it another day” He continues, ted listens “But right now, everything is alright” He finishes planting a kiss on Ted's cheek. He nods returning to his phone.

SB: Alright Moriarty, no need for the dramatics

FU: If he's Moriarty, what does that make me?

B: …

SB: …

FU: Ok, moving on then. So then what happens now?

SB: Idk dude, the professors left to talk awhile ago and haven't come back. Anyway… how was your date with Emma?

FU: Oh.. it was ok...nothing special. We went out to dinner, drove around...the usual. And we kissed!

SB: No fucking way

B: Language! But also congratulations Paul

FU: Ah why thank you!

SB: No fucking way did Emma kiss you

Fu: Don't be jelly Teddy

B: I hate to remind you but Ted is in a relationship, he's far from jealous

FU: …

FU: Point to Moriarty

SB: Yeah loser, I'm in love remember?

FU: In love with yourself?

SB: Definitely not

B: Can't relate

FU: Self-love? Whos she?

Ted chuckles to himself, he spends the rest of the night reading over the texts, going back through feeling infinitely happy. Tommy yawns next to him, he leans into Ted nestling himself into his shoulder. Ted smiles placing a kiss on the smaller boys forehead I love him, He sounds it out to himself. I, as in me Ted, Love, as in care so much for, Him, Tommy. Yeah, things are going to be fine.

[metaphorical-love-for-a-car]

Written In The Stars-- Brian May x Reader (3)

Part One, Part Two

Summary; An astrophysics student had the bright idea to form a band. He always had a passion for music and wanted to share that very same passion with others. Brian put up flyers on notice boards around campus, hoping that he could find other students to join him. After a couple of rather unsuccessful auditions, Brian found himself in a pub, during open mic night no less. That’s when he stumbled across you, a bartender who could play the piano. (Based on the movie A Star Is Born)

Warnings; specified fem! reader, some language

Word Count; 1.8k

Notes; enjoy!! tag list spots are still open :3

The four of you were ecstatic about recording, but, much to your dismay, the album never really took off. Sure, Smile gained some fans, and you were able to make some money, but it wasn’t as big of a success as you were hoping it would be. You were, however, able to move into a slightly bigger flat and invest in a nice keyboard. 

Even if the four of you weren’t meant to be famous, it was still nice getting to perform and hang out with them. You and Roger would relentlessly tease each other, and you would often pull Tim into the mix. There was no doubt that the three of you had an unmeasurable amount of sass. Brian would shake his head and every so often interject his own smartass comment. Roger had his constant flings, Brian started dating a girl named Chrissie, Tim would go out every once in a while, but you never really settled down for anyone. There just wasn’t anyone who interested you. You were perfectly happy with the way things were. Just you and your boys making music, with random shifts at the pub thrown in. 

You saw it coming. Tim had been acting stranger than usual. His temper was short, and he would leave rehearsals as early as possible. It wasn’t a big shock to you when he finally quit, joining a folk-rock band called Humpy Bong. Brian was devastated, and Roger acted like he didn’t care. But you could tell his blood was boiling. Luckily, the band didn’t exactly fall apart. It transformed. Freddie Bulsara came into the mix, and John Deacon joined not too long after. To further the transformation, Freddie suggested that the band’s name should change from Smile to Queen. Brian and Roger bickered about it until you finally threw your hands up and shouted, “To hell with it! What’ve we got to lose?” They were still skeptical but finally agreed. The band was doing well and had gained quite a following after releasing an album. The five of you were over the moon when John Reid, of all people, said he wanted to manage the band.

You were calling Brian to ask him a question about an upcoming rehearsal. He was your first go to, then John would be the next. They were the two most likely to know what was going on. Not to say that Freddie and Roger weren’t in the know, but... well... they were Freddie and Roger. When Brian answered, you heard a couple of sniffles before a slurred, “Hello?” Your brows knitted together.

“Brian, are you alright?” He mumbled a response, but you couldn’t catch what he said. You glanced at your watch. It wasn’t even five o’clock yet. “Are you drunk? This early in the evening?” 

“Uh-- well--” He was cut off by the sound of glass shattering. “FUck.” You ran a hand through your hair and sighed.

“That’s it. I’m coming over.” You ended the call before Brian could get a chance to object. 

The door was unlocked, so you just let yourself in. Your eyes widened at the scene before you. Brian was laying on the floor like a starfish. One hand clutched a near-empty bottle of scotch, while the other was slightly bloody. You assumed it was from where he had tried to clean up whatever he had broken earlier. You carefully stepped closer to get a better look at him. Brian was staring blankly at the ceiling, and his eyes were blood-shot. You could see the tear tracks across his cheeks. “Brian, what the hell is going on here?” You grimaced when he flinched. It came out a bit harsher than you had meant for it to be. You sighed, kneeling down beside him. “Come on, let’s sit you up.” You wrapped your arms around him and hoisted him up into a sitting position, propping him against the couch. Brian refused to meet your gaze. He looked ashamed. “What’s wrong?” He went to take another swig, but you tore the bottle from his grasp. “You’ve had enough of that. Now, please just talk to me. I want to help.”

“I quit.” His statement took you off guard, and you jerked back. “Not the band. University. I dropped out of uni, so I could spend more time working on our music.” You sucked in a breath, knowing where this was going.

“What did your parents say?”

“That I’m a bloody disgrace. That music isn’t worth quitting school for. That I’m not going to be able to sustain myself. That I’m a fucking failure. That--”

“Brian.” He finally looked at you, his eyes brimming with tears. “Did they really say that to you?”

“No,” he mumbled, “but they were thinking it. ‘specialy my dad.” You gave him a soft smile, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“As big as your brain is, I don’t think you’re telepathic. I’m sure they don’t think all those things. They were just shocked and need time to adjust. They’ll come around.” Brian sniffled, wiping his nose with his sleeve.

“You think so?” You nodded before going into the kitchen to get him a glass of water and some bandages for his hand. When you returned, he was still in the same spot. You handed him the glass and started bandaging the cuts on his hand, but he just stared off into space. 

“Something else on your mind?” He swallowed, and you could tell that the gears in his mind were turning.

“Chrissie broke up with me.”

“What?” You were shocked. The two seemed to get along so well. They were practically joined at the hip. Brian nodded slowly, avoiding your gaze again. “What happened? You two were adorable together.” He just shrugged, muttering something as he sipped on the water you had brought him. You continued to stare at him until he finally angled his head to look at you.

“She told me that I’m in love with someone else and that I should sort out my priorities.” You pursed your lips. Brian only had eyes for Chrissie. He told you that himself. The two of you were good friends. Surely, he would’ve told you if there was someone else in his life. You sighed before standing up.

“Come on. You’re drunk out of your mind. You need to sleep it off.” You held out a hand. Brian grabbed it, and you helped him get to his feet. He swore when he started to stumble, but you kept an arm around him to keep him steady. You were helping him walk to his room when he doubled over, vomiting. “For fuck's sake,” you muttered under your breath. Brian apologized multiple times as you continued to usher him into his room. He finally plopped down on the bed, burying his face into the pillows. You started to walk out, but he grabbed your wrist. 

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, (Y/N). I’ve ruined your night, haven’t I? God, I’m acting worse than Roger.” You scoffed, patting his arm. He was crying again.

“Brian, it's fine. This is what friends do. We take care of each other, especially when you’re drunk. Right?” He was quiet for a moment, then his grip loosened.

“You’re right... but will you stay? I don’t... I don’t exactly want to be alone right now.” You nodded, carefully removing his hand from your wrist.

“Yeah, I can stay. I’ll be on the couch if you need me.” You gave him a soft smile, and he returned the gesture.

“Thank you, for everything.”

“Whatever you say, Mr. Music Man. Get some sleep. You’ll have a killer hangover tomorrow.”

Brian woke up the next morning with a massive migraine, but there was something else. His brows furrowed together as he tried to put his finger on it. Then it hit him. He wasn’t alone. There was someone else in his apartment, and whoever it was... was cooking breakfast? His mind raced, trying to remember what happened the night before. Brian remembered why he wanted to get drunk. He remembered you called him and then he dropped the glass. After that? Not a clue. 

He pulled himself from the bed with a groan. His head was killing him, and his mouth felt like a desert. Brian padded out of the bedroom and froze. There you were, in his kitchen, cooking pancakes. You hummed a tune that was unfamiliar to him, and you were certainly a sight for his sore eyes. He walked over to the small dining table, pulling out a chair for himself. You turned around upon hearing the chair scrape across the floor. You bit your lip to keep yourself from laughing. “You look like shit.” His curly hair resembled a rat’s nest, and his eyes were still blood-shot. Brian groaned, laying his head on the cool table.

“Good morning to you too,”  he grumbled. You laughed, unable to contain it any longer. Brian’s lips twitched upward for a moment before returning to a grimace, his headache continuing to rage on. You placed a cup of tea and some painkillers in front of him. 

“You hungry?”

“Starving.” As if to solidify his response, his stomach growled, causing you to laugh again. Brian gratefully took the painkillers, washing them down with the warm tea. He hummed when you placed a plate of pancakes and eggs on the table. 

“You know, you should really work on stocking your kitchen. All you had was some shitty cereal and sandwich stuff. You’re lucky I had everything in my kitchen or else you’d be having corn flakes.” Brian thanked you and started digging in. You snorted, shaking your head. “You were absolutely shitfaced. I’d be surprised if you remember anything.” The fact that he didn’t meet your gaze told you everything you needed to know. You couldn’t help the small smirk that started forming across your lips. 

“I’ll have to call the boys, tell them I can’t make it to rehearsals today.” You shook your head. 

“Already took care of it.” Brian raised a brow at you. “Let’s be honest, they would somehow figure out how you were off your rocker last night and never let you hear the end of it. So, I took the heat for you.” He looked even more confused. You rolled your eyes playfully. “Told them that I forgot I had a gynecologist appointment. Now, I doubt they’ll even mention the missed rehearsal.” Brian’s face reddened as he nodded.

“You-- uh-- really thought that out,” he commented after clearing his throat.

“Hey, being a woman has its perks. I’ve got lots of bullshit excuses up my sleeve.”

Tag List: @mothermercuryy @fatbottomedboi @geek-and-proud @intrrverted @catsoo12

[soaringlanddormitory]

If it isn't too late, I'd like to request “i do care.” Masae/Emile and “i’m allowed to be angry.” End of the World Trio(tm)

It isn't too late !! I am sorry if this took a while, but I hope you like it regardless !! Ty for sending on an ask and ily!! Also @nightcrownsking helped me with like 4 lines jshfjej

Emile and Ichiro belong to @polar-star-dorks !!

Shigeo belongs to @polar-stars !!

Masae/Emile

They've been friends since year one, that truly explained the closeness of the two. The first year of highschool was a year that could be considered significant to both of them! For her, it was the year that she finally entered her dream school--- which she loved so dearly. For him, it was the year which he gained so many friends--- who he kept in his heart. With that alone, ot was easy to tell that this year was significant to both of them. As second year came, the closeness stayed in between them. They continued caring for one another, beliving in one another... But there was something that broke the two--- They didn't break apart, but they broke as a person--- there was something that ruined them. She couldn't smile that easily with a pained look on her face. He wasn't able to strum the strings of his guitar with glee.

They couldn't continue being themselves if the current events broke their hearts in half... and that was when the idea of Central took over majority of the school. The school had to follow the recipe as given, their uniqueness quietly leaving the school. The school had some of their precious research societies shut down. The school went through a big amount of change, and anyone who spoke against them had the chance of expulsion... But there was something more that was able to add to the pain... It was nothing but the missing pieces inside their group. People actually went to the side to accept this change... Some were their closest friends. It was absolutely painful... To see the group split into half.

A guitar in his arms, yet no music was playing...

A heart that aches, this caused no rhythm.

A guitar in his arms, yet the strings untouched...

A heart that aches, that was his saying.

A male was seen in the room, his eyes looking red, but this was most likely because of his crying. He had to take in the pain of the people closest to him ending up on the other side, when he already knew that the change that was promised by the new headmaster was something that could never be fulfilled. Equality was impossible, and he was someone who knew that realith the hard way. He did like the idea of it, but he also knew it was not possible to achieve. He thought that one of his friends from all people would know that... He thought the promises Azami made wouldn't be able to satisfy his cooking partner... He did not expect one of his closest friends would join Central without any words. He didn't know this would happen, and this was what hurt him most.

He began wiping the tears off his face as it only continously poured out--- but he tried his hardest to stop once he noticed someone opening the door... He couldn't even look at their face, in worry that they would take note of his crying face. He turned to another direction, guitar in his arms as he started strumming random tunes he could to try and show that he was okay--- but no note was coming out right. He felt a bit of relief that it wasn't his cooking partner because he might not have been able to handle the burst of emotions he'd feel since he only knew about him joining the Central side recently... "Emile?" A very familiar voice... One of the people he considered closest, and even one of his first true friends in Totsuki. "You're here..."

The feeling he had felt horrible... He was upset, and he felt as if he may have been too emotional during these times... But---

"Amiga..." He felt his words hitched under his own breath. "Mi amiga, Masae..." He repeated, saying her name as he called her his friend. She didn't look at her best either. The lack of sleep was evident with her eyebags, and how tired her eyes seemed... It didn't match the eyes that sparked in excitement on the first day he met her. "Are you okay?" He noticed how she took some steps closer to him, carefully placing her hands on his face, and even placing some of his hair away from his heas. As she expected, he didn't look at his best either, and she definitely could understand the reason behind that. "What's wrong?" He tried to hide the fact that he felt his heart throb as she did that.

--- She made sure that his feelings were valid.

"All I can say is that I'm worried about you... You feel heavy about everything that is going on right now, and that's okay." She pulled his head close, making her forehead touch his. "What you feel right now is valid, and it is okay to feel thay way... I understand, and you don't need to hide it from me! I want to help you because I care. I do care... I do care about you a lot..." She repeated herself a couple of times, but she wanted to emphasize it to make sure that he knew. "With that, I can also confirm that I'l be there for you." She felt the need to cry about the situation because of what was going on, but she wanted to make sure that she could be strong for now. Anything for her friend. "I'll be there for you, always."

Emile placed his guitar away for a bit before he wrapped his arms around her, giving her a tight hug. He didn't know how much he needed reassurance until now... And from that, everything just poured out. His tears, his mutters, the hiccups he tried to hide because of crying... He just let it all out as the girl hugged him back- as tight as he hugged her. "Thank you, mi amiga... But I hope you know I'm there for you too..." He decides to remind her that he also wanted to show her the same amount of care... Because he truly did care about her, and nothing was going to change that. She began to bury her head on his shoulder, finally breaking her own strong atmosphere.

"I know..." She began clutching him slightly, but not enough to give him pain. "I know, Emile... You've always been the kind of friend who truly cared about everyone else... And I love you for that." She allowed her vision to get blurred by her own tears, but of course she knew- it was fine to show him... Just like how he showed his tears to her. "Let's stay strong together, okay? I know we can get through this together!" She tried to stay optimistic despite what was going on, and it sort of worked... Her friend only smiled and nodded his head

"We can get through this together!"

"Mhmm! Definitely! So for now, let's do our best, okay?"

"Okay...!"

After few moments, they shared some of their thoughts together, and even cried on each other's shoulder... Even if the whole concept of Central was able to hinder some relationships, it was still nice knowing that some people would always stay by their side.

End of the World Trio

Of course this would happen again. This happened almost every day and there was no surprise. It may have been considered the norm by now because of how common it was to see these three together--- a screaming muppet, a sweet cash vampire and a a garbage delinquent. Despite sharing last names, all of their mothers were different... Knowing you have siblings from different mothers was surely... a new way to get skme friends...? Were they friends? Do the people who constantly have some bickers actually... friends? Well, no matter how people would describe them, they were a trio nonetheless.

When people looked at them, it was either they were struck in fear because of their family name being Eizan, scared of them because they know what they can do, hate them with their entire being, be indifferent to them or the least--- actually like them for who they are. It was quite a mix of reactions and feelings towards them. However, some feelings changed the moment one of them yelled. For whatever reason, people did enjoy seeing the well know muppet--- correction--- the well known Elite Ten member getting angry and see his ability to set things on fire on the spot. How this was possible? No one could pinpoint the logical reason on how this happens, but some people do find it enjoyable...

An example? It was no other than someone who was in the trio. The Godfather, the snake, the vampire, whatever you want to call him--- his name was still Shigeo Eizan.

He truly did enjoy the sight of someone setting himself on fire yet not burning up. It surely was an interesting scenario to watch. Chaotic? Yes. Amusing? Most deinitely. It was easy to rile him up and he took this to his advantage. All he needed was to bring up and insult, give it a minute and boom-! He becomes a walking torch that caused fires and entainment... and slme holes on walls. Currently, this was just about to happen. Shigeo had his arms crossed, a slight smirk on his face as he continued to look at the man who twitched in anger. "Ichiro, do you have anything else to say?" He chuckled, turning all his attention to the person he named instead of his thoughts.

"You piece of shit." Ichiro mumbled under his breath, his body still twitching in anger. "Can you fucking stop that?!" He began throwing some yells and the only thing that was stopping him from going straight up to Shigeo was Naoki... who had to be between the two. Naoki never really sided with anyone, he enjoyed watching everything burn down as he stayed on the side lines. Shigeo only grinned at his reaction and this made him even more livid. Goddamn it, that fucking grin on his face made his so pissed off. Now, Shigeo only brought up his hand and began imitating someone who wore a sock puppet to let Ichiro know he wasn't going to let this down. "STOP FUCKING COMPARING ME WITH A FUCKING FROG!"

Naoki blinked, listening to the conversation of the two as he continued to drink his coffee from the can that came from his right hand. He didn't exactly know why she randomly tossed him one, but at least it was free. "You need to calm down, Ichiro. If you burn up, you might be melting my can." He stated before smirking a bit... Okay no, he did not side with anyone, but he may have enjoyed this quite a bit. He joined in to have some fun, so what was the pain in that? Ichiro got his can of coffee and began glaring at the male who brought that up. "Are you getting angrier, already? I was being polite."

"I'M ALLOWED TO BE ANGRY!" Boom. Clap. The sound of some Can... melting as this random person lit up on fire. "POLITE?! MAKE ME LAUGH, YOU'RE NO DIFFERENT FROM THIS FUCKING BITCH!" He began pointing at Shigeo who only laughed, but it was obviously sinister and not close to a genuine laugh at all. "YOU TWO ARE JUST PIECES OF SHIT THAT HIGHLY DEPEND ON MONEY!" He began to throw some insults that could partly be reality. "AT LEAST I DON'T FUCKING NEED SOME LACKEYS, DEPENDENT FUCKERS!" He surely was pissed and he absolutely hated how this two would never understand.

"It's not that I am dependent. I only give them jobs for them to get what they want. If something..." Shigeo cleared his throat. "They're the dependent ones. In fact, they're desparate and they depend on me. They should be rather thankful that I could help them." He began smirking, showing a sense of pride in him. Sure, people may have seen him as someone who is evil... His title was Godfather, after all--- something releated to the mafia. "They owe me their loyalty, I am only giving them commands for them to repay me. Now isn't that kind of me?"

"Bullshit." Ichiro replied even before Naoki could give his side of reasoning. "That's such fucking bullshit!" The flames only got wilder and this gave a signal to Naoki to back away from what was errupting. "Repay you?! All you do is sit on your ass and do nothing to help them! You're taking advantage of them, you piece of shit!" He threw the melted can down before placing his hands in his pockets. "You're only having them because you can't do shit yourself, I want you to fucking try me. You can't fucking beat me without those stupid lackeys of yours." He rolled his eyes before facing another direction. "Tch. Whatever. I don't fucking care even if you stay this useless."

"You're no different, Kermit."

"I DID NOT ASK FOR YOUR FUCKING OPINION, YOU BITCH!"

[nitewrighter]

I need hea-more Noire Gency because i'm weak sdfgdfsf

…man neither of my Noir AU posts broke 1000 words? I’ve been putting this off too long.

Previous Noir AU Posts: 1, 2

—

Snap out of it. You’ve seen her in a dress before, Genji thought to himself, tearing his eyes away from Mercy again. That was probably the third time he told himself that, but this dress was different from her usual navy Kitty Foyle dresses though. It was a smartly tailored yet curve-accentuating amber-gold cocktail dress, with a neckline he found… particularly distracting. Her hair had been swept over one shoulder, and around her neck was a black velvet choker featuring a gold brooch of a swallow in flight. She had one arm hooked in his, and the other holding onto her unusually heavy clutch purse. He could hide his holster under his own suit jacket, but for her… He had to tear his eyes away from the clutch now and stop running Murphy’s law through his mind, stop calculating how many seconds it would take for him to cover her while she loaded her own gun if it came right down to it (and god he hoped it wouldn’t come right down to it).

“Don’t look so nervous,” said Mercy and her voice seemed to drag him away from the dozens of hypothetical firefights in his mind and he glanced at her. “Here,” she handed him her clutch and straightened his lapel, then adjusted his collar and tie. “Very handsome,” she said, with a slight grin and he felt his face burn. The line was long but it moved quickly. Club Talon was far more popular than Genji previously thought it would be. The bouncer looked them up and down before waving them in. The air inside the club was thick and warm, uselessly pushed around by ceiling fans and heavy with cigarette smoke. The pluck of a bass underscored the din of the club like a heartbeat, and every so often a trumpet cut through the air. They took their seats at a table tucked in to a corner, but still having a decent view of the dance floor, the stage, and of course, the exits.

“Drinks tonight?” a waitress dropped by their table.

“Saint Moritz for me,” said Mercy. She gave a glance over to Genji.

“Gin and tonic,” said Genji.

The waitress gave a nod and walked off toward the bar. Mercy’s eyes were flicking around the room, scanning everyone’s faces, Genji could tell she was doing her damnedest to see if she could recognize any of the faces of those entering the club from their records. She settled into her seat, her eyes still flicking around until her Saint Moritz was placed in front of her.

She picked it up and sipped it, thumbing the cream off of her lips.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the lead trumpeter of the band had broken forward to the front of the stage and taken the mic, “It is with great pleasure that we introduce to you, the superlative, the incomparable, Widow.”

Applause broke out across the club as the trumpeter returned to his position with the bang, and they played out a bright and warm intro as a woman in a violet dress took the stage.

“Genji,” Mercy said, eyes wide. 

“I know,” said Genji, watching the widow as the lyrics of “C’est Si Bon” filled the air. He sipped his gin and tonic to try and keep the dread from dropping into his stomach. The singer matched Lena Oxton’s description to a T, however, she was a singer. She could have all the alibis in the world for the night Mondatta died.

Mercy’s eyes flicked across the club. “We need to dance,” she said, taking another sip of her Saint Moritz and watching the dance floor gradually fill up.

“Yes we should—What?” Genji glanced up at her but she was already standing up and straightening her skirt. They still had to blend in, he realized. She held a hand out to him. He took her hand and stepped up, walking out with her to the dance floor. She brought his hand to her hip, draped her forearm on his shoulder, and clasped his other hand in hers. They started moving with the music. He made eye contact with her and felt his pulse quicken, then glanced off and attempted to case the club. 

She pulled him close, he could feel her breath on his ear. “Two armed guards by the door. One upstairs, an office, maybe?”

“You’re hoping to find a way in later?” Genji murmured back.

“Kiss me,” said Mercy.

“What?” said Genji. He watched her eyes flick over his shoulder and felt them being watched. He pivoted on his heel and turned in the dance to see what she was seeing and saw two figures in suits staring at them.

“Kiss me,” she said again, looking at him dead in the eyes. He stared at her, blinking a few times, processing this.

“If we don’t do something,” Mercy was saying, “They’ll—-“

He kissed her on the mouth. It was a half-panicked, half instinctive thing. Sudden, yet tentative, deep. Long overdue. He brought his hand to her neck and nearly lost himself before remembering why she had said to kiss her to begin with. He broke from her and his eyes flicked past her to the two men in suits whose gaze had apparently went past them back to the singing widow. He looked back at Mercy.

“We’re safe for now,” he said.

Mercy was staring forward, stunned, eyes wide and shining, face flushed, lips still parted.

“…Angela?” he said softly and she blinked several times and shook her head.

“Wh-What? I wasn’t–What?” she said.

“…I said I think we’re safe for now,” said Genji, pivoting on his foot to show her the two armed guards.

“Safe…” she said, listening to the widow sing, “Right. Safe,” she said, pulling in a bit closer in his arms.

[themurphyzone]

Secret Santa Ch 5

LOL I couldn’t resist the Milanda I hope you’re happy.

Ch 5- Lydia

It wasn’t that she hated Bradley. She just held a really, really, really strong dislike to his sour attitude toward everything.

“Do you want to work on page two or page four of the packet?” Lydia asked. “I don’t mind taking the short answer if you want the multiple choice, then you can look over what I wrote when you’re done.”

“I’ll take the short answer,” Bradley said, not looking up from the answer. “I can never read your writing because it’s so sloppy.”

It took all of Lydia’s self-control to not screech at the bluntness of that statement. Even if she heard it from Amanda a million times before. At least she was nice about it though.

Before she could put too much thought into it, there was a loud pop by the door. The pencil sharpener broke off the wall, sending a cloud of shavings in Milo’s face. “Sorry!” he called out.

Bradley rolled his eyes. “This is what he gets for not switching to mechanical.”

Lydia pushed her pencil against the paper hard enough to snap the lead.

“You’ve procrastinated on this long enough,” Amanda said, pacing around Lydia’s bedroom. “You are coming up with that gift idea right now. And there will be no foreign dramas, no musical theater, and no recruiting for the next school production until you have that idea. Am I clear?”

Lydia pushed a pillow against her face, refusing to see anything but the comfort of darkness. “No.”

She felt something fluffy and soft smack her on the bottom.

“You are to think, breathe, and sweat gift ideas until I say otherwise,” Amanda said.

Lydia groaned and flipped over so she could see Amanda clicking her pen as she waited.

“To free up your motor functions, you’ll think and I’ll write the list,” Amanda explained.

And so the most painful half-hour of her too-short life had dawned upon her with the force of a thousand burning suns.

“Scented candles, not too heavy but not too light,” Lydia said. “Ones that perk the senses, but not enough to overwhelm.”

Amanda finally set the pen aside, her eyes flicking as she scanned the list. “Lydia, these are all things you like,” she sighed. “We don’t know for sure if Bradley likes scented candles, various Broadway soundtracks, Love Handel, or I quote ‘the cute boy with the braces in the third row of Mrs. White’s class’.”

Drawing her knees up to her chest, Lydia pouted. “What? Chad’s cute. And I’m not the only one who has a thing for boys who have a penchant for finding trouble.”

“We are focusing on gift ideas for Bradley!” Amanda said furiously. “Don’t change the subject!”

“Wait, I have a brilliant idea!” Lydia exclaimed, grabbing her phone. “This isn’t over, by the way.”

Lydia 4:32 pm

I need your help stat

Her phone buzzed a few minutes later.

Melissa 4:36 pm

I HAVE A MILO YOU ARE NOT PUTTING ME IN A HUMAN SIZED GIFT BOX

Lydia fell against her pillow, ignoring Amanda’s disapproval of the only idea she had.

“What? You ruled out all my other options. I’m allowed a last resort.”

She had zero luck in figuring out what Bradley liked. He spent all of second period sulking while Mrs. Murawski attempted to polish her desk and teach the class the carbon cycle at the same time.

Lydia heard the stories of Bradley’s inexplicable attraction to the self-serve ice cream machine on the yacht. While she hadn’t witnessed his flirting firsthand, she had seen Mort emerge from one of the lower rooms while hauling Bradley up, both covered in melted strawberry ice cream and rainbow sprinkles.

As she walked down the hall to her locker, she was too engrossed in her thoughts to notice where she was going. Her head slammed into something hard and metallic, and she fell on her back, groaning in pain.

When her vision cleared, she found Milo kneeling beside her on the floor. “Lydia, I’m so sorry!” he said quickly. “What’s your full name? How many fingers am I holding up? Where were you on the night of May 23rd?”

The hit hadn’t been hard enough to give her a concussion at least. “Lydia Brooks,” she said, the throbbing settling into a dull ache. “Holding up three fingers, and May 23rd is my older cousin’s birthday, so probably out celebrating at a restaurant.”

“Okay, you pass,” Milo said, helping her up with a grin. “Though I could’ve sworn it was two fingers.”

Lydia poked the masking tape wrapped around the fingers on Milo’s right hand. “Your pinky is in there too. Didn’t notice?”

“No, I guess I didn’t,” Milo chuckled. “So, about that gift box-“

“I wasn’t planning on texting Melissa to meet me in the theater room so I could substitute a tuba case for the gift box! What makes you think that?” Lydia laughed nervously.

“You know you don’t need to resort to illegal methods to obtain your Secret Santa present, right?” Milo asked. “Besides, it wouldn’t have worked anyway since Melissa’s standing right behind you.”

“What?” Lydia shrieked, turning around to find herself face to face with Melissa. “Hey girl! What’s up? Um, so about the whole gift box thing, I was joking! Just a silly inside joke between me and Amanda, so we cool?”

She finished with an awkward grin.

Melissa had brought her best unimpressed face to the conversation. And Lydia was no match for it.

“Okay, I admit it! You caught me! I need help!” Lydia clung to Milo’s sweatervest, sinking to her knees in desperation. “And I’m not talking about professional help here!”

“Relax,” Melissa said. “I just so happen to have the seat next to Bradley in computer lab. Did you know he likes to look up kittens on the Internet? Guess he has a soft spot for animals.”

Lydia nodded. “So I can just get him a card with a kitten and maybe a cat pun! Thanks, you’re the best! And the tuba case in the theater room? I don’t know what I was thinking with that! Jeez, you’d think the president of the theater club would have a level head!”

“Yeah, you’d think,” Melissa said dryly.

“Perfect,” Bradley grumbled. “This is how I always wanted to go out. Trapped behind the bleachers by an overturned parade float of an obscure band alongside a theater kid.”

Lydia tried to push the paper mache aside, her feet scrabbling against the concrete. When that didn’t work, she tried checking for a gap at both ends. Unfortunately, her phone had died a few minutes ago so she had no flashlight to check for spaces large enough to peer through.

“Quit being so dramatic,” Lydia snapped. “Do you have any of our classmates’ numbers in your phone? Besides, Milo’s there. He’ll get us out.”

She knew Bradley was rolling her eyes at her even if she couldn’t see him that well. “I texted Melissa. She said Milo is busy trying to get the crowbar away from a mischievous capuchin monkey. Figures. We’re completely reliant on the most dangerous kid on Earth.”

“Maybe we wouldn’t be so reliant on them if you didn’t just sit there moping about it,” Lydia growled. “And what beef do you have with Milo? Just because Murphy’s Law happens from time to time doesn’t mean it’s the culprit behind every little bit of bad luck.”

“Let me think,” Bradley shot back. “What caused us to be stuck on the deserted island? What caused the sentient blob the day we had Mrs. Baxter? But most importantly, what caused Carla’s destruction?”

Lydia didn’t reply.

“Murphy’s Law! And by extension, Milo!” Bradley declared. “If it hadn’t been for him, then Carla would still be bolted to the wall!”

Wait. Lydia had been expecting him to focus on Milo, not have a fixation on a machine. There was something seriously wrong here.

And then it hit her.

He was lonely. Guy seriously needed a break.

Truth be told, she was starting to feel bad for mocking the Carla incident behind his back.

She was going to feel awkward for this, but there weren’t enough people around to make her embarrassed. “Hey, I’m really-“

A soft cry interrupted her.

She glanced around, though unable to see much. To her surprise, Bradley stood up, his phone light on to serve as a flashlight. He motioned for her to keep quiet, and she nodded, listening carefully for any more sounds.

A louder cry sounded from beneath a low hanging beam.

Bradley angled his phone light down, the beam falling upon a small, ruffled kitten with a dark gray coat. The kitten mewed again and rubbed up against Bradley’s leg. Lydia clutched a steel beam, trying her best not to faint from the cutest kitten she’d ever seen in her life.

To her surprise, Bradley bent down and picked the kitten up. “Are you lost, kitty?” he asked softly. His voice lacked the sharp edge she had grown accustomed to, and she almost fell over in shock.

The kitten wriggled and twisted, before resting her head in the crook of his elbow. Her amber eyes blinked up at Bradley.

If someone told her that Bradley was a cat lover a week ago, she would’ve laughed in their face. Heck, earlier she was only using it to her advantage because it was the only gift idea she thought Bradley wouldn’t completely treat with a hundred percent contempt.

And even then ‘get something with cats’ was a bit vague.

A grinding noise sounded from the side of the parade float, breaking the kitten out of her relaxed state. She mewed frantically while Bradley gently stroked the top of her head to calm her down.

The truck shifted enough to allow them space to squeeze through, and they emerged to a round of cheers from their classmates. Milo’s hair was messed up and half of his sleeve was missing, but like everyone else he was happy to see them safe and sound.

“Sorry, it took so long,” Milo said. “A capuchin monkey stole my crowbar. Then Zack activated the confetti cannons and it blasted Chad in the face so we had to calm him down while he ran around in circles.”

Over to the side, Chad was clutching his left eye. “I can still feel the paper,” he muttered.

“Where did the kitten come from?” Melissa asked. She was one of the few girls who hadn’t crowded around Bradley to get a better look at the kitten in his arms.

“She’s a stray,” Lydia replied. “Took an instant liking to Bradley too. They just clicked.”

Melissa nudged her. “Just squeal to high heaven about the cuteness already.”

Lydia shrugged. “Not right now. I need time to think for my dramatic monologue. These things take practice.”

The discovery of the kitten had put Bradley in such a good mood that he didn’t protest Milo stroking her fur. “Are you keeping her?” he asked. “She’s a total cutie!”

“I’m not heartless. What do you take me for?” Bradley rolled his eyes. “Besides, my parents were already considering letting me adopt a cat.”

Milo grinned. “That’s great! Early Christmas presents are the best! Especially when they’re unexpected.”

“So what are you planning to call her?” Lydia asked.

Bradley looked down at the kitten, who stretched and nuzzled his face. “Pepper,” he said.

Everyone stared at him.

“What? You people can’t seriously expect me to name everything Carla.”

The next day, Lydia bought a red bow and a card that had a cute picture of two kittens chilling in a stocking above the fireplace.

She was confident Pepper would have a loving home. Seriously, whoever could butter Bradley up by merely existing had some major points in her book.