#needed these reminders so i thought i’d share because it’s the truth !!!!

[tetzoro]

good morning & happy friday friendz !! we have made it to the end of the week yipeee !! hoping today treats everyone kindly and that we can start off the weekend right !! 🤍 gentle reminder that you are loved, you are adored, you are appreciated. i’m happy you’re here !!

[mauvecherie-writes]

the kaleidoscope theory: l.hamilton.

• pairing: lewis hamilton x black!oc kalani halloway

• chapter warnings: none

• w.c: 3.8K

• ru’s 💌: First thing first, I want to apologise for how long it took to post this. With school and placement taking up a lot of my time, amongst other distractions and my mental health just not being the best for a while, writing has not been my main priority, and I am trying to make up for that now. Updates will be slow, but they won’t be non-existent. Please don’t forget to like, comment and re-blog.

• tip: kofi | paypal

series masterlist

CHAPTER ONE

PRESENT DAY

“ARE you sure that you want to keep doing this with him Lani? Like I love you and I’ll always be in your corner, but I have to agree with your therapist here. What are you gaining from continuing to sleep with Malik?”

The bluntness of the question almost knocked the wind out of Kalani’s lungs. Over the decades of their friendship, she had come to know that Julian did not pull any punches when it came to honesty. It should not have shocked her that her best friend would react like this to the revelation of such news. Maybe it was the exasperation and disappointment that she picked up in his tone that made Kalani want to shrivel into herself from shame.

“Lani!” His voice boomed through the car speaker, breaking her train of thought. “Are you still there?”

“Yeah, I’m still here.” She mumbled as her hands tightened around the stirring wheel.

“Well, are you going to answer my question or not?”

“It was a moment of weakness okay!” She exclaimed, finally admitting it to herself and to her best friend. “There was always an excuse to get me alone. To discuss the divorce or something about the kids. And he’d just … he would charm me, and I would be reminded of why I fell in love with him in the first place then I’d give in.”

“Tuh.” Julian scoffed. “Talk of the divorce like he’s not trying to distract you from the fact that he has not signed those papers.” He added, the truth causing her shoulder to sag as she leaned back into her seat.

“I know.”

“Baby, I’m not trying to make you upset —.” He sighed, speaking in a much tender tone. But it was too late. The shame that had been brewing in her stomach for so long had bubbled back up her throat.

“I just need you to really think about this. It has been two years since you have asked for the divorce, Malik keeps stalling signing the papers, under the guise of trying to make it work. But we all know that he is still with that bitch. Like he can’t have his cake and eat it too. He doesn’t have any regard for who he’s hurting and that is you and the kids. I need you to be better than your weakness for him. It’s not fair.”

His words were hurtful to hear but Kalani could not argue against them because she knew that they were true. That is why she had decided to begin therapy. She had not slept with Malik in over six months since she had started her therapy session. This round, Kalani had finally shared the truth that she had on tinted with intimacy with her ex-husband despite the separation.

“I KNOW.” Kalani sniffed as her tears threatened to spill over. The tremble in her voice could not be hidden and Julian picked up on it.

“Lani, listen-.”

“Hey, so um — I gotta go. I need to pick up Princess from my aunt’s place.” Kalani quickly spoke out as she rounded the corner into a residential street. “Talk later.”

She did not wait for him to respond as she ended the phone call. Kalani took a deep breath as she put the car into an empty parking spot. She continued to sulk in her seat as the heaviness in her chest had returned. Everything that Julian had said to her were all things that she knew and had known from the first time, she had slept with him after they split.

Stuck in the moment, every time they had done the deed had felt good. In some way, it had felt like she had been reclaiming her power. It felt good to know that in some way, her ex still wanted her. In Kalani’s need to be desired by the man that she was married to for nearly twenty years, she had momentarily lost herself and had forgotten what was important.

The happiness of her children.

So Kalani took in a deep breath and exhaled, wiped away her tears and re-applied her lip gloss. She practised her smile in the rear-view mirror until she was satisfied with a more approachable facial expression. She got out of her car and fixed the legs of her pantsuit before she walked a short distance on the pathway and onto the property.

It did not take any time from her opening the small front gate for the front door to be opened.

“Mummy!” The excited shriek of her young daughter sounded through the air as her little feet carried her as fast as they could towards her. Kalani immediately dent down to her level and opened her arms, waiting for her daughter. She dived into her arms and Kalani could just feel all of that heaviness began to lift away from her heart. As her daughter squeezed her little around her neck, Kalani immediately felt better.

“Hi, my Princess!” She smiled at Tiara. Princess’s little giggles were what she got in response as she pulled back to look into her mother’s eyes.

“I missed you so much, Mummy.”

“I missed you too! Did you enjoy school and time with Auntie Angie?”

“Mhm!” Tiara nodded her head as she played with Kalani’s earrings. “Today, I learnt what a doing word is! And then Auntie Angie baked me a banana cake.”

“The cake is for all of you, not just you baby.” Aunt Angela spoke from behind Tiara which caused Kalani to chuckle as a frown appeared on her little girl’s face.

“Emi doesn’t like banana cake as much as I do!” Tiara exclaimed.

“I know baby. But can we at least save a piece for brother first?”

“Okay.” Her small voice of defeat made Kalani’s heart swoon. She cradled her daughter’s head to her chest as she walked towards the door where Angela had been standing with Tiara’s belongings and the wrapped up banana cake.

“Hi sweetie.” Angela had greeted her as she awkwardly hugged Kalani.

“Hi Auntie.” She replied. It was like she could feel the love outpouring from the embrace. And it took all of her strength to not break down then and there.

“You okay?” Angela asked her. Kalani softly nodded her head, not trusting her words in that moment. She took a deep breath before offering a smile of re-assurance.

“Just need my baby.” Kalani replied. “Thank you for looking after her today.”

“You never have to thank me for that. I love Princess and I love spending time with her.”

After a couple of more minutes of casual conversation, Kalani and Tiara said their goodbyes and then left her aunt’s home. On the journey to pick up Emil, she sang along to the current kid bops that Tiara was currently enjoying. Her daughter filled the car with chatter about what her day at school was and repeated stories of previous adventures. Kalani did not mind at all. Hearing her daughter talk was far more enjoyable than being left with the chaos that was her thoughts.

~

When they had arrived at the local sports and leisure centre, Kalani noticed that by the outdoor astroturf, there was a larger crowd than there should be for a practice on an early Wednesday evening . She walked hand in hand with Tiara towards the grounds and smiled when she noticed the crowds full of young and old cheering on.

No matter how much Emil had tried to teach her, there were still aspects of the game of football that she would never understand. However, that never changed how much Kalani cheered on Emil and supported him. She knew that he had fallen in love with football due to Malik’s love for the sport, his passion came from within, and Emil had the talent to match. If Emil was willing to play, then Kalani was going to do everything that she could to make sure that he continued to play to his greatest heights.

From where Kalani stood, she could tell that it was an intense game for a practise but neither the Red nor Green sides seemed to care. When Emil touched the ball, he sprinted across the field with incredible of the ball and passing by the red players who were trying to defend. Emil then passed the ball to another green player who was open. This player then quickly shot the ball into the net, scoring the winning goal.

The crowd, including Kalani and Tiara cheered for the green shirts.

The game came to an end and with the crowds beginning to disperse, Tiara shot away from Kalani’s side and ran towards his older brother as she screamed his name. She smiled as she watched Emil pick up his little sister and throw her into the air, catch her and then spin her around.

As she proudly watched the moment, she caught a growing crowd from the corner of her eye. She noticed a man standing in the middle with the biggest smile on his face as he tried to greet every one that was surrounding him. That bright smile with the small tooth gap was the first thing that caught her attention. His twisted strands were in a ponytail, but his sides and beard were nicely trimmed in a way that brought attention to his chiselled facial features. Kalani’s eyes travelled to his large and muscular tatted arms that even with his bronzed, umber complexion, the design of the tattooed sleeves stood out. He was dressed simply, in a black, sleeveless knitted vest and what looked like black trousers. Kalani had spent too much time staring at him for her to notice that his jewellery was expensive and some of it was probably custom made.

As if picking up on her inquisitive eyes, the man looked up and stared right at her. She had never seen such an intense yet sincere pair of eyes that were the smoothest of chocolate brown. Kalani bit her lip in embarrassment at being caught looking when he smiled at her. She quickly averted her gaze to her children, who were walking towards her and tried not to think about why the stranger felt vaguely familiar.

“Hi Mum.” Emil greeted her as he placed Tiara down on her feet before reaching towards her and giving her a sideways hug. Kalani reciprocated the hg and patted his sweat drenched curls.

“Hi baby, you were great out there.” She complimented him which caused him to grin.

“Thank you.” He smiled at her.

“Any particular reason why you guys were playing like it was the finals of the Premier League?”

“Oh! The owner of the centre is here, and we just wanted to impress him I guess.”

“You were out there acting like he’s like a talent scout.” Kalani chuckled.

“He might as well be. He used to be a sportsperson, so he knows a lot of people.”

“Like Mbappa right?”

“Mbappé, Mum. Mbappé.” Emil corrected her with a roll to his eyes.

“Well, whatever his name is.” Kalani shrugged her shoulders and then picked Tiara into her arms. “Anyway, go get your stuff. We need to be home before 8:30.”

For a fraction of a moment, she saw her son’s gleeful demeanour slip. He nodded his head and then jogged away. Kalani watched as he stopped and talked to the same man that she had made eye contact with. The joy in his face was back once more and it eased the tension within her. She was sending them to their fathers’ for the weekend as she needed some time to herself to re-charge before she embarked on a large project at work.

However, Emil had made it abundantly clear that he wanted nothing to do with the man that he had once idolised. Emil confessed to enduring the visit for the sake of Tiara, who was still trying to adjust to the separation.

When he came back, they all hurdled into the car and they drove back home, not before stopping for a takeaway pizza collection.

After they had arrived back at their home, Kalani rushed her children to take their evening showers before preparing their bags.

Kalani stayed downstairs as she prepared their dinner. Alongside the pizza, she made a simple arugula salad with cherry tomatoes, feta cheese and a balsamic dressing. Once she had set the table and could finally take a sip of her white wine.

She dreaded the weekends when her children were away. Because it forced her to think. It forced her evaluate every single decision that led to this very moment that she was currently residing in.

Her hatred for Malik increased.

Memories of their past floated in front of her. Her and Malik dancing around the kitchen as they cooked whilst Emil set the kitchen table and Tiara narrating stories from her vivid imagination.

They were so happy.

They were so in love.

Where in the fuck did he ever find the time to cheat on her? She wondered.

That was a question that she never got an answer to. And it was a question, she was afraid of what the answer may be. It just was not something that she was ready to confront. Kalani was left to deal with all of that harbouring anger all alone.

“Mummy look! Me and Emi are matching!” Tiara rushed rushed down the stairs with Emil in tow. When Kalani turned her head towards their direction, a laughter full of elation burst from her when she noted that the duo were indeed matching. Tiara was dressed in a hot pink Nike tracksuit that was a contrast to Emil’s grey one.

“She wasn’t going to wear anything else.” Emil commented as they entered the large kitchen area, approaching the sink to wash their hands.

“That’s okay. Princess just wants to be like her big brother huh.” Kalani smiled as she smoothed her daughter’s hair.

“Yep!” Tiara gave them her dazzling smile. “Except, I don’t like football, and he doesn’t like banana cake!” The little girl stated before her focus shifted to the slices of banana cake on the table. “Ooouuu caaaakkee.”

“Not so fast, young lady!” Kalani spoke up which stopped Tiara in her tracks. “Can you eat some pizza first before the cake?”

“Okay, Mummy.” She pouted as she moved to sit down in her chair by the table. Emil shook his his head as he plated a slice of pizza for himself before sitting down.

They sat in silence as they ate their food, but Kalani could tell from her son’s solemn expression that something was bothering him.

“You okay baby?” She asked him as a worried expression marked her face.

“Yeah, I’m okay.” He offered her a smile that she didn’t believe.

“You sure? You know that you can always talk to me, right?”

“Yeah, I know. It’s just -.” Emil stopped talking before he let out a sigh. He then turned his attention to Tiara who was focused on trying to do a cheese pull. “I’m not ready to talk about it.” He concluded.

Kalani swallowed as she tried to not be disappointed with his response. Outside of the pure anger that was palpable whenever his father was mentioned, Emil had concealed his emotions about the divorce from her, always giving her that same answer of not being ready to talk. She had offered for him to go to therapy but he refused, saying that he did not need it.

“I caught him cheating Mum, not killing somebody.” He had said to her after the therapy suggestion. She dropped it then, however as her sessions continued, the more she wanted to push for Emil to go. But she was not going to force his hand. He’d go when he was ready.

“How’s this? When you come back, I’ll take the day off work and break you out of school and we do whatever you want. Just the two of us.”

“I’d like that.” Emil replied as a small smile returned to his face. Kalani reached over and softly pinched his cheek.

“That’s my boy.” She wicked at him.

They finished dinner in a much better mood with Emil updating her on his coming football schedule so that she could make time for it in her diary. And it wasn’t long after they had cleared the table did the doorbell ring.

Kalani glanced over to the clock on the wall. It was 8:40pm.

A cloud of tension suddenly covered the serenity of their home as she realised who was at the front door. Kalani looked at her son, who was already moving to collect Tiara from her position in her play area by the living room.

“Give me five minutes, I need to talk to your father about something.” She said to him. Emil nodded his head.

“Princess come on, gotta make sure that you have all of your toys ready.” He said before picking her up and giving her a piggy-back ride up the stairs which caused her to squeal with each step.

Kalani mentally prepared herself as she dried her hands with a hand towel before she headed to the door.

With one more pep talk, she swung the door open and met her ex-husband with a close-lipped smile with her body blocking the entrance.

Standing shy of 6 foot 2 inches with a rich, tawny complexion, a shaved head and trimmed goatee – Malik was a physically handsome man. At forty-three, he kept himself fit, had an impeccable wardrobe (that she introduced him to) and a gorgeous smile that her daughter inherited. Full lips with slick words that could charm the pants off a recluse. She would know, they’d been working on her for close to two decades.

“Hi Lani.” He smiled down at her.

“Hi Malik.” Her tone was curt, which caused his cheeky expression to slip by minor fraction, but she caught it.

“How are you?” He asked. “You look beautiful as ever.” He complimented her, trying to work his charm as he had done so many times before.

It wasn’t going to work this time.

“Thanks.” She narrowed her eyes before she moved to step outside. She drew the door close and left it slightly agar.

“I need to talk to talk to you about something.”

“Are the kids okay?” He worried.

“They’re as fine as they can be. But that’s not what I want to talk about.”

“Then what?”

“When are you going to sign the papers, Malik? You’ve been putting them off for far too long now.”

“What do you mean sign?” He frowned in confusion. “I thought that we were taking this time to figure things out.”

“What things?!” Kalani sternly exclaimed in a hushed voice. “You refused couple’s counselling. Emil doesn’t want therapy and wont talk to me about it. Tiara thinks you’re working on a big project at work because she doesn’t understand that we’re separated.” As the words spat out of her mouth, the angrier she became. “Let’s not fucking forget, that little girlfriend of yours is still around and you thought that I didn’t know about it.”

“She’s not Kalani!” Malik quickly tried to shut down her accusation.

“Oh please!” She scoffed as she looked at him up and down in disgust. “Her perfume is lingering on you right now. I should know, I was washing it off for years!” She hissed.

Kalani watched as Malik tried to sniff his clothes and that disgusted her even more as she could see the gears in his mind churning up an excuse.

“Listen, it’s not like that.” He began to say.

“I don’t give a shit what it’s like. I want those divorce paper signed and delivered to my office by Monday. If not then no more nice Kalani, I’ve put up with your shit for too long.”

Without giving Malik a chance to reply, she opened the door just as she picked up on the patter of feet rushing down the stairs. Tiara zoomed past her and dove into her father’s legs, hugging them.

“Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!” She chanted, bouncing with excitement. Malik picked her up into his arms and gave him one of his practised smiles as he peppered her face with kisses.

“My gorgeous girl! You’re getting so big!” He said which caused Tiara to grin.

“Look! My tooth fell out and the tooth fairy gave me one pound and Mummy told me to add it to my piggy bank!”

“Oh, that’s so awesome Princess!”

“When all my teeth fall out, I’m gonna be rich!”

“Oh, I bet!” Malik tickled her sides which caused another high-pitched squeal to leave Tiara. In all of her rage, it was the joy of her daughter that mattered to her. Emil trotted to her side, holding their weekend bags.

“You got everything baby?” She asked him. He nodded his head.

She hated having to send him with his father, but she did not trust Malik to care for Tiara without Emil’s assistance. She brought in her son for a tight hug and kissed the side of his head. “It’s just two days and you’ll be back.”

Emil sighed at those words before nodding his head. “Bye Mum.” He mumbled before he kissed her cheek and walked past Malik without acknowledging him. She could see that Malik was trying to not let that get to him but kept a brave face for Tiara. It may be horrible to admit but it felt nice to know that there was one more person who hated his guts the way she did.

‘Right, Princess, you’re going to be on our best behaviour for your father, okay?” Kalani said to Tiara.

“Mhm.” Tiara nodded her head before Kalani placed a kiss on her forehead.

“We’ll talk about what we talked about later.” Malik glared at her.

“Unless it’s about that signature, then we have nothing to talk about.” She glared back.

Kalani waved goodbye to her children as Malik drove away. Once she shut her front door, she let out the biggest sigh of relief as her body relaxed. She had not realised just how tense she had been in the minutes Malik was here.

It had felt like hours.

With her body on autopilot, Kalani finished cleaning up the kitchen and packing away Tiara’s toys before she grabbed her bottles of wine, forgoing the glass and dragged her body up the stairs to her bedroom. As she prepared for her evening bath, she put her favourite playlist on and danced to the music as she stripped down to her bathing suit.

Once her tub was full of hot water and bubbles, she sank down, laying down her head on the towel. She took a large gulp of her wine and get the bottle down.

With only the sultry voice of Sadé as solace, Kalani let her walls down and cried to her hearts content.

reading list: @queenshikongo3 @dhlfastestlap @saintslewis @serpenttines-library @saturnville @hopefulromantic1 @cocobutterqwueen @bluesole16 @chaneajoyyy @emjayewrites @melodichaeuxx-lacritquexx @sapphireheaven @olyvoyl @lewisroscoelove @lh44adore @hellomadamebutterfly @scorpiobleue @laneywrld @qveenmelanink @tremendousstarlighttragedy @bekindbecoolbeyou @greedyjudge2 @itsapurrfectstorm @createdbylivingclocks @omgsuperstarg @peyiswriting @miyuhpapayuh @blowmymbackout @purplelewlew @henneseyhoe @perfecttrashface @alianovnaromanovanatalia @leilaxaliel @hotfudgeslug @iamryanl @pickingupmymercedes @eleetalks @ambs-06 @annisassintchaska @boujiestpoet @nayaesworld @nat-lh-44

[gleefullypolin]

Stacy's Tipsy Musing's - Colin Bridgerton Hot Takes - Part 1

Ok boys and girls, we need to have a little chat about Colin Bridgerton.

Part 2 has been out now for a couple of days and there have been a lot of hot takes to come out of the season. A LOT of hot takes.  I’m going to break this down into 4 parts. 4 questions that I'm seeing really bad hot takes about Colin.

Now none of this is new, I gotta say before Season 3 aired Colin was a hot button topic anyway. He seemed to be the Bridgerton brother that lots of people love to spew hate takes on anyway. But damn I gotta say its painful seeing the Polin fandom have so many bad takes falling from their lips.

So, I figured...having a little drink tonight, sitting down for Father’s Day (Happy Father’s Day, Colin) I’d give you the opinion on some of these takes that you didn’t ask for...Mine!

Ok let’s start with the hottest take. Question 1:

Does Colin really believe that Pen entrapped him in marriage?

“Perhaps that was another part of your planned entrapment”

Ok I have to say, I have never seen one line inspire SO MANY BAD TAKE FANFICS IN ALL MY LIFE! Let’s start at the beginning...he found out about Lady Whistledown by following Pen because he noticed she and his sister run off together and disappeared. His sister who was not speaking to Pen previously from his knowledge. So not only is he suddenly feeling betrayed by his future wife, but also his sister.

Now add to this, his trying to reconcile this lie in the middle of planning a wedding to the woman he thought he knew most of his life as quiet little Pen, who just weeks earlier he was trying to teach how to flirt and land a man. He is confused and angry.

But that’s only 2 layers of hurt. Let’s keep adding to that. Layer one, we have the lie. Layer two, we have a woman he thought he knew. Add in Layer three, the Marina situation.

The original LW lie for him was about Marina’s lie. The original entrapment. An entrapment that Colin was willing to look past. He was still willing to marry Marina despite her deception. He still checked in on her post marriage to Phillip to ensure she was happy, to see if she regretted NOT marrying him. Colin always regretted his behavior to Marina’s entrapment. An entrapment that LW pushed into the light and forced a different decision for him. I don’t think he cares about Marina now, he never once accused her of taking Marina from him, he never loved Marina, but she took his agency, his decision.

Now for the fun of it, let’s add layer four. Portia’s already accused Pen of entrapping Colin during his confrontation with her. An accusation he strongly defended her against. An accusation which led to him telling her he loved her for the first time and them sharing their first time together. Which he is now reminding her of.  “I’m a man of honor. And we were intimate.” Colin knows how to hurt Pen. We always know how to hurt those we have known for a long time, and they are of course the oldest of friends. He is striking her where he knows it will hurt her the most. Because he is hurting, and she caused the blow.

So let’s talk about the biggest blow of them all. “Perhaps that was another part of your planned entrapment” He doesn’t look her in the eye when he says any of this. He can’t, because he KNOWS he’s being an asshole. He knows its below the belt. But she hurt him. He’s angry, hurt, lashing out.

Because of Layer five...Hot anger at what she wrote about him at the beginning of the season. This person who knows him better than anyone else, wrote truth to page. No one knows the real Colin the way Pen does. His brothers toasted him when he returned home because of his new female attention, his friends said he was more fun this season. But Pen called his new persona a ploy for attention. She saw him for what he was. A fraud. If he is to forgive Pen, he is to also start to acknowledge that there is truth in things she says that perhaps Lady Whistledown does not tell lies.

But then there is layer six. Jealousy and shame. Colin has sat in all of his emotions, yes he’s angry about what she has written,but we get to the heart of it, he’s jealous of her and that makes him ashamed of himself. That’s very Book!Colin coded who was very ashamed of his jealousy, so much so that Pen mistook his silence and brooding as shame of her. But this Colin is brooding in his own shame and jealousy and lashing out at her.

And then we get to layer seven. Colin loves Penelope above all else. And with this love and hurt and shame and jealousy, there is nothing that will stop him from marrying her. And in part, that is where his ire in this pointed cut comes from. He’s reminding her that they will marry. This will happen. This woman who is a successful writer, something he thinks he will never be, will marry him. Because he has laid claim to her. He has bedded her. They were intimate, she was compromised, and they have entrapped each other. But above all, he loves her, and Lady Whistledown will not change that decision for him this time. This time, he will marry.

Seven layers of lies, deception, past hurts, parental pressures, anger, jealousy and shame, and above all love sat on his tongue and wormed through his thoughts for days until they cut out at the small woman beside him that he needed to hurt in that moment. The woman he had been avoiding for that very reason.

Colin is not a hateful man. He was a kind man. He was rarely angry. But when he was finally put in a place where anger was his only emotion, he avoided Penelope, so that he didn’t hurt her, so he would not say things that were unkind and would hurt her. But when put into the place that he could not avoid her, he lashed out. He made it very clear how things were going to go and he pouted, and he brooded and he said unkind words.

And he was ashamed. And after that he did his best to avoid her, (by being out drinking, sleeping on the couch, avoiding intimacy) so he would not lash out at her again. Because he was ashamed.

Stick around for Part 2.... Why would Colin send Pen home alone after finding her on the street at night?

[howaheartbreaks]

Tried to write this on reddit but the post was too long and thought I’d throw my hand in the tumblr ring:

My interpretation on why Colin’s arc this season matters so much to me.

The benefit and the curse to this season is that to understand the full story arc of Colin and Penelope you have to watch all three seasons. I feel like they could have been more blatant in the text and given them more scenes in part 1 to completely flesh this out and remind the viewer what they’ve been through, but this is all in the text (past seasons) and subtext up until the carriage speech.

Season 1 Colin is romantic and naive. He becomes infatuated with Marina almost at first sight and still probably believes in fairy tale romances. Marina herself says that Colin is eager and does not guard his affections. Anthony has his duties as head of the family, Benedict has his bohemian pursuits, both of them are known flirts and rakes, frequenting brothels often and having had a world of experience. It’s implied that Colin is a virgin and when he proposes to Marina, Anthony scolds him for his naivety and suggests he should have been taken to brothels to be a man and “wet his wick” as if he were experienced, he wouldn’t be so hasty to marry someone he didn’t know. Colin doubles down in his commitment to Marina which then ends in tragedy when it’s revealed she’s pregnant. He understandably falls into depression as he had chosen a purpose (to be a loyal husband in love) and he had gotten screwed over due to his naivety. Colin also has a bit of hero complex, which we can see multiple times throughout season 1 such as when he dances with Pen after Cressida spills her drink. In his duty and loyalness, he confesses that he would have married Marina if she had told him the truth. Colin is very loyal and very protective of those he loves and he sees his value in how he can help and protect others, and having them need him. He makes the decision to do the thing he always wanted to do, travel, as Pen kept reminding him, as a way to become literally, more worldly.

Colin returns in season 2 and finds that people aren’t that interested in his travels nor did they particularly miss him while he was gone, the exception of which was of course Pen. He tries to speak to his family and gets shut down. He feels isolated once more and then also realises he still doesn’t have a sense of purpose, nor does anyone need him. It’s implied he is still sensitive because despite travelling, Colin is still not the man the ton expects him to be. He visits Marina in some naive hope, and she basically tells him to grow up and move on with his life. Penelope and he have a lovely conversation about purpose. He looks into various pursuits and then as we know he gets to be the hero again when he discovered Jack Featherington is swindling the ton and saves the Featheringtons. But Colin is still beheld to the expectations of the ton and when the men are finally paying atttention to him at the ball, he says he would never court Penelope in an attempt to fit in, even though we’ve all just clearly witnessed him go out of his way to save her.

Colin leaves again, and this time he vows to be a changed man. He sleeps around, “grows up”, learns how to be charming and finally when he returns is he warmly greeted by all the women and the men as the ton finally recognises him as a man. Anthony and Benedict clap him on the back, the ladies fawn over him, and men like Fife and Cho engage with him in a way we haven’t seen since he told them he wouldn’t court Penelope. He plays aloof with stories of his travels because he knows the mystery makes people more intrigued than when he told them everything (telling his family he doesn’t remember how many cities he’s been to, and then telling Pen it’s 17 because he knows the answer), and in some cases he is still not comfortable or willing to share personal details of his sexual exploits because he’s still a romantic at heart. Colin feels like he’s nailed it.

Except. He hasn’t. It’s only surface level. The cracks first emerge when he approaches Penelope at the debutante showing, going out of his way to find her (as he always does). She seems closed off and has not written to him all summer. Previously she was the ONLY one to engage him, and probably the only one he could be himself with. Yet that one connection has completely gone. This is pure speculation and unlikely to ever be confirmed, but without Pen’s correspondence it may have even been a catalyst for him to change himself/seduce women. You can tell he’s nervous approaching her, even with his new aesthetic, which he himself remarks are only clothes. She’s closed off and basically dismisses him, probably leaving him feeling a bit stupid. He sees her glow up at the ball (:o) and while he does not approach her but continues to watch her, he runs after her immediately when she runs out, in care for her wellbeing and also because he knows the conversation he is having with the lords is super shallow. She dismisses him again, and then tells him it was his grave error in trying to fit in that made him lose his one deep connection. And then he vows IMMEDIATELY to make amends, calling upon her the next day to make it right. It is his first real and honest conversation. He tells her charm can be taught (he’s faking it), that he seeks her out because she lifts his spirits (he never looks happy in a public setting unless he is with her) and that hers is the one person whose opinion matters the most.

So:

1. Colin was a naive romantic who felt like he had to conform to the approved of society

2. He is faking his true personality (shown in his heartfelt conversation with Pen, how despite everything he seeks her out and values her the most, that he lies about how many cities he’s been to just to seem cooler)

3. He is fighting against societal expectations

4. At this stage he’s still trying to have it all - the women, his family’s approval, the ton’s approval and Pen’s approval.

He goes home and is furious with Lady Whistledown because she has called out his obvious ruse, and he is upset that what he is trying to fake is so obvious.

Episode 2 rolls around and he doesn’t do much except follow her around and fawn after her. His new interests have started to fade immediately as soon as he starts speaking with Pen again. He tells her to be herself and act like they did when they were kids - which is hilarious, considering Colin has attempted to change everything about himself to NOT be himself and NOT act like an adult (the irony Colin is not aware of). It’s her compliments of his writing and his eyes that make him flustered. He entertains women and men at gatherings, but is always looking for her and physically not pleased when she speaks to other men. He laughs with her (honestly, first moment of pure childhood glee for him and he makes a pun which was reminiscent of earlier seasons Colin). He runs after her again and emotionally argues with Eloise, because damn the ton it’s Pen he cares about (my poor sweet boy). He’s so loyal and protective of her. He doesn’t even attempt to dance with anyone at these parties. Hes so distraught she could be suffering that he goes immediately to her, damn the rules of society, and agrees to kiss her and even tries to keep going before she leaves. Because he finally realises that his feelings for Pen are romantic, that it’s not just friendship that he seeks, but a true romantic relationship with his best friend.

He’s awkward and cute as he approaches her the next day, which is the complete opposite of how he’s been trying to act - she is making him act like his former self, his true self. She tells him they should keep their distance and he reluctantly puts on the armour again.

But, Colin actually lasts for like a day before he realises he will go crazy if he does not confess his feelings to Penelope and the entire facade that his has created has completely crumbled by this point - the obsessed boy is BACK. He stops talking to the women in the ton, expresses 0 interest in sex with the prostitutes, entertains a drink with the other lords before going off at them for how shallow and meaningless and fake they all are, and then commits several social faux pas pursuing Pen because he doesn’t care about anything except her anymore.

His confession in the carriage is the culmination of all of this. He’s tried to feel less (because he was too sensitive), he’s tried to grow up (and be a man), he’s tried to flirt and be a rake (because he was too green), and he’s tried to fight against expectations (Penelope not being desirable) but what is the point because all he wants and his entire happiness is centred around Penelope and if she rejected him or married Debling he would have nothing left.

Colin Bridgerton does not care anymore because he is #1 loyal obsessed protective boy and he will go through heaven and earth for Penelope and I love him so much for it.

[movingmusically]

Caught Feeling - Chapter 1

Synopsis:

Tired of her quiet, predictable life, a woman takes a spontaneous detour into a gritty bar. What begins as a distraction becomes a night of rediscovery, as an encounter with a captivating bartender brings her face-to-face with her own fears—and desires.

Author’s Note:

I’ve never written anything before, though I’ve always had stories in my head. Seeing all the Caught Stealing set content this week finally pushed me to get something down. I’ve combined the original two parts I posted earlier into one updated story, adding in some details I couldn’t leave out!

Word Count: 8,712

Masterlist

The truth is, I don’t really know what possessed me to walk into Paul’s tonight. I’m not the kind of person who normally does things like this—spontaneous, bold, risky. That’s never been me. Or at least, it hasn’t been me in a long time.

There was a time when I was more comfortable in my own skin, when my shyness didn’t feel like a weight. It used to be a part of me, something I accepted, something I lived with rather than fought against. I could be quiet and still feel confident, blending into the background but never doubting my worth. But somewhere along the way, that shifted. The quiet I once enjoyed now feels stifling. I’m constantly second-guessing myself, overthinking every little action, every word I say, as if there’s some invisible audience keeping score.

The world feels too loud, too fast, and I feel too small in it.

Lately, the silence of my own company has become less of a comfort and more of a reminder. A reminder that I’m stuck. That life is moving forward, and I’m standing still, watching everyone else go on without me. I can’t even remember the last time I did something that made me feel...alive. Not just existing from one day to the next but really feeling like I’m part of something—part of the world instead of just a spectator.

Tonight, it feels like I’ve reached some invisible limit. I can’t take another evening of staring at the same four walls, of flicking through channels without really watching, of pretending I’m okay with the monotony. Work drained me, as it always does, leaving me too exhausted to think but somehow too restless to sleep. My mind feels like it’s stuck in a loop, clogged with the same old worries that circle endlessly, without resolution. They’re small things—most of them, at least—but they pile up, weighing me down until I can barely breathe under their collective pressure.

Normally, I’d push through it, fall back into my routine because that’s what I do. I know the safe route; I’ve perfected it over time. But tonight, the routine felt unbearable. The thought of going home, of slipping back into the same old patterns—it made my chest tighten with the kind of dread I couldn’t ignore. It wasn’t that I had a plan, not really. I just knew I couldn’t face another night of nothingness.

So instead of walking home like I always do, I took a different path, literally. One foot in front of the other, the sidewalk unfamiliar beneath me as I moved further away from everything that felt safe and known. It wasn’t intentional, not at first. But the farther I walked, the more it felt like I was being pulled—by something I couldn’t name, some need inside me that I’ve been trying to ignore for too long.

And that’s how I ended up here, standing in front of Paul’s, the bar I’ve passed countless times but never once considered entering. It’s not my kind of place. Never has been. It’s gritty, loud, with an edge that feels too rough for someone like me. The kind of bar where everyone seems to know each other, where conversations are shared over sticky countertops and half-drunk glasses of whiskey. The regulars here probably have stories they’ve told a hundred times, stories about the kind of life I don’t live—the kind of life I always thought I didn’t want.

But maybe tonight, I don’t want to be the kind of person who always plays it safe, who blends into the background without ever leaving a mark. Maybe tonight, I need to be someone else. Someone who isn’t so afraid to take up space. Someone who doesn’t spend hours dissecting every interaction, every conversation, until the memory of it feels more like a mistake than a moment.

I step inside, and immediately, the atmosphere hits me like a wave. The smell of cigarette smoke clings to the air, mixing with the sharp scent of alcohol and something else I can’t quite place. It’s dimly lit, the kind of place where shadows linger in the corners, and the faces blur together unless you’re really looking. There’s a hum of conversation, the low murmur of voices blending with the occasional burst of laughter, creating a background noise that fills the space without overpowering it.

I don’t know why, but the second I cross the threshold, I feel the weight of the room shift. Not in any obvious way. It’s not like anyone stops what they’re doing to look at me—most people are too engrossed in their own lives, their own stories. But I feel it. I feel different, like I’ve stepped out of my usual world and into something unfamiliar, something that makes my nerves buzz just beneath the surface of my skin.

For a brief moment, I want to turn around, to leave before anyone even notices I’m here. That familiar urge to retreat, to go back to what I know, bubbles up inside me, threatening to overwhelm the tentative boldness that brought me here in the first place. But I don’t leave. I take a deep breath, hold it for a moment, and then force myself to stay. To move further into the bar, even though every part of me is screaming to turn back.

I make my way toward the bar, my steps feeling both too loud and too quiet at the same time. My eyes flick around, taking in the crowd, but not really seeing anyone. I feel exposed, out of place, but at the same time, there’s a strange comfort in knowing that no one is really paying attention to me. I can be invisible here if I want to be—and that’s fine. I’m not here to be noticed. I don’t need anyone to see me.

I just need a break—from my own head, from the endless loop of thoughts and worries that seem to follow me wherever I go. I don’t know what I’m hoping to find here, or if I’m even looking for anything at all. All I know is that tonight, I couldn’t go home. I needed to be somewhere different, somewhere unfamiliar, somewhere that wasn’t the same quiet, predictable space where my thoughts would close in on me again.

That’s when I see him.

He was positioned behind the bar, leaning casually against the counter with an ease that suggested he was in his element, practically part of the furniture. His blonde hair, tousled and slightly unkempt, peeked out from under a well-worn baseball cap, pulled down just enough to give him a hint of mystery, shadowing his piercing blue eyes. Those eyes caught mine with an intensity that felt almost tangible, sharp and probing, as if he could peel back the layers of anyone who happened to fall under his gaze.

For a brief moment, the thought of diverting my eyes flitted through my mind, a reflex to escape the unexpected vulnerability I felt under his scrutiny. But I didn’t look away. Instead, our eyes locked, and a slow, knowing smile spread across his face—a smile that seemed to see right through to the nerves I was trying so hard to mask. He held my gaze for a beat too long, creating a moment charged with an unspoken challenge before he turned his attention back to the drinks he was pouring.

A stir of something unfamiliar fluttered inside me—a cocktail of nerves, curiosity, and an exhilarating sense of daring. This wasn't typically me; I was not one to flirt openly, especially with bartenders, nor to sit alone boldly in such a buzzing place. But tonight was different. Tonight, I felt drawn to the unknown, compelled to explore whatever this could lead to.

As I approached the bar, each step seemed amplified, my awareness heightened as if every movement was a statement of intent. I slid onto a stool, feeling the coolness of the leather through my jeans, and my presence seemed to draw his attention once more. The bottles behind him caught the soft lighting of the bar, casting a kaleidoscope of colours across the polished surface. The room was steeped in the smells of smoke and aged wood, enriched with a hint of something musky, almost intoxicating.

He glanced up as I settled in, his earlier smile returning, expectant, as if he had anticipated the challenge I was about to present.

“What’ll it be?” he asked, his voice a rough blend of warmth and rasp, perfectly echoing the raw, ambient energy of the bar.

Under normal circumstances, I’d have a standard order ready, something simple and unassuming, designed to blend in rather than stand out. But tonight, driven by a newfound audacity, I hesitated, meeting his gaze squarely. “Whatever you recommend,” I ventured, my voice more steady than I felt.

His eyebrow arched, clearly amused by my response, and his smirk widened, adding a playful edge to his already compelling demeanour. “You trust me to pick for you?”

I nodded, the gesture firm despite the fluttering in my stomach. “Yeah. Surprise me.”

He chuckled, a low sound that seemed to resonate with a hint of respect, or perhaps challenge. Shaking his head as if in disbelief at my daring, he reached for a bottle. “Alright, you asked for it.”

Watching him work was like observing a skilled artist; each movement was fluid and assured. He selected ingredients with precision, mixing them with a practiced hand that spoke of years behind the bar. As he prepared the drink, I found myself stealing glances, drawn to the confident way he navigated his domain.

He slid the drink across the bar with a smooth motion, and when his fingers brushed mine, a spark of electricity zipped through me, startling and vivid.

“Here you go,” he said, his tone light, that easy grin playing on his lips again. “Let me know what you think.”

I took a tentative sip, and the drink was a revelation—smooth with an undercurrent of complexity that mirrored the night itself. It warmed me, loosening the edges of my anxiety, coaxing a sense of openness I hadn’t felt upon walking in.

“Not bad,” I replied, my own smile a reflection of his, a silent acknowledgment of the small adventure I had embarked upon.

His eyes studied me, a flicker of intrigue passing through them. “Good to know,” he said, his voice tinged with a subtle warmth. He momentarily excused himself to attend to another customer, his movements efficient and practiced as he refilled a drink without missing a beat.

As he worked, the familiar atmosphere of the bar wrapped around us—a comfortable hum of background chatter mingled with the clink of glasses and the occasional cheer from patrons watching the baseball game on the television above. Adjusting his cap, he made his way back to where I was sitting, his approach marked by an easy, confident smile that seemed to pull the dim light of the bar towards him.

Normally, I’d be tongue-tied, fumbling for words, but here, with him, it felt different.

“So, you come here often?” I asked, aiming for light-hearted but cringing a bit at the cliché.

He chuckled, a light, engaging sound that drew a grin from me. “I guess you could say that. I work here most nights. Name’s Hank, by the way,” he introduced himself, extending a hand across the bar.

Hank. It suited him perfectly—strong, straightforward, with just the right amount of rugged charm.

“I’m—” I began, ready to offer my own name, but just then, a regular at the end of the bar caught Hank’s attention, loudly requesting help with the jukebox that was stubbornly refusing to accept their money. Hank shot me a quick, conspiratorial smile that promised he’d return, and then he was off, his stride confident as he navigated the crowded space.

I watched him as he worked, noting the way his shoulders rolled with each movement, the casual confidence in his stride. There was something undeniably magnetic about him, something that drew the eye and held it. It wasn’t just his looks—though those certainly didn’t hurt—it was the way he seemed so completely at ease in his environment, as if he were as much a fixture of the bar as the shelves of liquor behind him.

As he adjusted the jukebox, his eyes occasionally flicked to the small television mounted above the bar. The San Francisco Giants were playing, and it was clear from his intermittent nods and muttered comments to another patron that he was following the game.

When he returned, the noise level in the bar had dropped a bit, and he leaned in slightly to resume our conversation. “Big Giants fan?” I asked, gesturing towards his hat and the screen above us.

"Definitely," Hank said, his smile broadening. "I played a ton in high school back in California, but a bad leg break sidelined me for good. Now, I never miss a game, it helps keep the spirit alive."

“From baseball player to master mixologist,” I observed, noting the transition from his past interests to his current profession. “Looks like you’ve got it all figured out.”

He let out a soft chuckle, a hint of irony flickering in his eyes. “Something like that,” he replied with a slight shrug. “Though life always has a few surprises up its sleeve, doesn’t it?”

As the evening unfolded, the bar had thinned out, not nearly as busy as when I first arrived, but still lively enough to keep Hank moving between customers. Between sharing a laugh, or tossing a rag over his shoulder with casual grace, his eyes would inevitably return, as though drawn by some unspoken pull. Each time he approached, it felt like we were continuing a conversation that had never really stopped, even if words weren’t always exchanged. It was more about his presence—the way he leaned in slightly, his focus making it seem like nothing else in the room mattered.

The warmth of the alcohol settled into me, quieting my usual reservations. It wasn’t enough to cloud my thoughts—I was still fully aware—but it gave me a newfound confidence. With each passing moment, the initial unease melted away, replaced by a comfortable rhythm between us.

“So, what brings you to Paul’s tonight? You don’t exactly blend in with the usual crowd here,” Hank inquired after a while, his tone casual but curious, his eyes searching mine for something deeper than the surface-level chit-chat.

I hesitated, the question more profound than I had anticipated sharing with a near-stranger. Yet, something about Hank’s straightforwardness, underscored by the honest curiosity in his eyes, made me want to open up.

I shrugged, glancing around. “Just needed a change of scenery, I guess. This isn’t exactly my usual kind of place.”

He chuckled, leaning against the bar, his blue eyes flicking up to the TV screen for a moment where the end credits of the game were rolling. “Yeah, I kind of figured. You’ve got that look—like you’re used to being somewhere else.”

“Somewhere else like… where?” I asked, curious what he saw in me.

He paused, his gaze momentarily drifting off as if visualising the answer, then locked back onto me with a reflective expression. “I dunno. A café, maybe? Somewhere quiet. You strike me as someone who appreciates peace.”

I smiled, touched by his perceptiveness. “You’re not wrong. I’m definitely more of a coffee shop girl than a bar regular.”

Hank’s eyes twinkled with a mixture of curiosity and amusement as he leaned in a bit, resting his chin on his hand, studying me as if he was putting together a puzzle. “Let me guess,” he started, his voice lowering to a warm, playful tone, “you’ve got that favourite little corner spot, don’t you? Always tucked away with a book or maybe a notebook for doodling or jotting down your thoughts. And I bet you drink your coffee black, no distractions—just you and your thoughts.”

The accuracy of his assumptions made me burst into laughter, more open and genuine than I expected in such a setting. “Okay, you’re close,” I conceded, still chuckling. “But, I do take a little sugar with my coffee—just a touch to sweeten the deal.”

His laughter joined mine, creating a light, easy atmosphere that seemed to set the tone for whatever was to come. “Noted,” he said, with a mock-serious nod. “I’ll remember that for next time.”

The lighthearted moment briefly subsided as he posed a more thoughtful question, his tone lowering to a gentle, inviting rumble. “So, what’s got you stepping out of your coffee shop comfort zone tonight?”

Glancing down at my glass, the swirl of liquid momentarily mesmerising, I acknowledged the underlying current of vulnerability. Yet, there was an ease in Hank’s presence that coaxed the words from me more freely than I expected. “I don’t know... I just didn’t want to be alone tonight. Work’s been overwhelming, I guess I just needed a break from myself for a while. From the routine, the quiet. You ever feel that way?”

Hank’s response was a nod, his eyes softening with a deep understanding. “Yeah, more than you’d think.” Curiosity piqued, I found myself more drawn to him, seeing him not only in his role here but as someone who genuinely understood the struggles people go through. “What about you? You seem like the kind of guy who’s seen it all here. What keeps you coming back?”

“The people, I guess,” he said thoughtfully, his eyes meeting mine again. “Everyone who walks in has their own story, their own reason for being here. I like that—it’s unpredictable. I can be part of the background or something more, depending on the night. Tonight feels different, though.”

“Different how?” I asked, my voice quieter now, the conversation shifting as his attention became more focused.

“Maybe it’s you,” he said, his tone teasing but his gaze serious. “You stand out. You’re not trying to blend in, like most people who come in here to disappear for a bit.”

I felt a shiver run through me, even though his words were light. “I wasn’t really planning on standing out,” I admitted, my voice softer now, a little shy.

He folded his arms on the bar, leaning in just a touch closer. The subtle intimacy of the gesture didn’t go unnoticed. “Well, I’m glad you did.”

I felt my cheeks warm, surprised at how much I liked hearing that. “Yeah… me too,” I said, smiling just enough to let him know I meant it.

He smiled back, his voice dropping lower. “Sometimes, stepping into something unfamiliar is exactly what we need to remind ourselves what we’ve been missing.”

There was a brief pause, comfortable yet charged with an unspoken acknowledgment of the connection forming between us. “And what do you think I’ve been missing?”

He leaned in, closing the space between us. “Maybe something real. Something that pulls you out of the everyday.”

I held his gaze, my heart racing a little faster now. “Maybe I am.”

“Well,” he said, his voice barely a whisper, “you’re not alone in that.”

The air between us thickened, charged with an undeniable pull. Even in the quiet, there was no mistaking the connection forming between us—raw, real, and electric.

The last patrons trickled out, and the bar lights dimmed slightly, signalling the end of the night. The soft glow cast shadows that only made the space feel more intimate. A slow, soulful tune from the jukebox filled the room, amplifying the closeness between us.

Hank leaned in a little more, his hands idly wiping down the already spotless counter, though his attention was fully on me. The air around us felt thick with unspoken anticipation, a magnetic pull that neither of us could ignore.

"You’ve definitely changed the vibe in here tonight," Hank murmured, his voice a low, warm rumble that seemed to match the mood of the room. “Doesn’t happen often.”

I felt a flush of heat rise to my cheeks but found myself leaning in too, letting the moment take over. "Is that your way of saying you hope I come back?" I asked, my tone playful, though beneath it, there was something bolder, something daring.

A slow smile spread across his face, one that made my pulse quicken. “I’m definitely saying that. You’ve made tonight... different. And I like it.”

The room felt smaller, as though it was just the two of us, the rest of the world fading into the background. Our eyes locked, the tension between us humming with an intensity that felt almost tangible. Neither of us moved to break it.

Hank leaned a little closer. There was a question forming on his lips, one that seemed to dance in his eyes as he paused, giving the moment the weight it deserved.

His gaze flicked to the back door, then back to me, and I could see the question in his eyes before he said it. “You wanna get out of here?” His voice was low, the words hanging in the air between us like a challenge.

The invitation was clear, laden with possibilities and the thrill of continuing whatever was unfolding between us outside the confines of the bar walls. I blinked, my heart skipping a beat. Normally, I would hesitate, tangled in self-doubt and over-analysis. But tonight felt different. It felt like a return to an older version of myself—I took a deep breath, embracing the liberating shift, and met Hank's gaze with a quiet nod.

"Yeah," I said softly, "I do."

Hank nodded, a knowing smile spreading across his face as he moved towards the employees-only door at the far end of the bar. He gestured for me to come closer to where the bar ended, and I walked towards him, my heart pounding in my ears.

As I reached the end of the bar, I found myself separated from him by a pane of glass that partitioned off the employees’ area. Above Hank, the neon “BAR” sign bathed him in an ethereal glow, casting dramatic shadows across his features, highlighting the contours of his jaw, the intensity in his eyes, and the gentle curve of his full lips. He reached up to unlock the door from his side, his eyes locked on mine.

Our hands met through the glass, fingertips aligning in a moment charged with anticipation. The cool surface couldn’t lessen the warmth that radiated from his touch. With a soft click, he swung the door open, diminishing the barrier between us.

“After you,” he said, his voice low and inviting. I moved around the partition, stepping into his world behind the bar for the first time. There was an intimate thrill to being on his side, close enough to share his space.

Together, we walked towards the back of the bar, where a heavy door led to the alley outside. As Hank pushed it open the cool night air hit my skin, but it did little to cool the fire that had been burning between us all night. The alley behind the bar was dimly lit, shadows stretching across the walls, but I barely noticed. All I could focus on was him—the way his broad shoulders moved, the way his hands flexed at his sides as if he was holding himself back.

We stopped just outside the door, and before I had time to second-guess myself, he turned to me, stepping in close. The space between us disappeared in an instant, and I felt his hand at my waist, pulling me gently but firmly against him. My breath caught in my throat, and for a split second, all I could do was look up into those mesmerising blue eyes, my heart pounding in my chest.

Then he kissed me.

It wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t slow. His lips crashed against mine, urgent and hungry, like he’d been waiting all night for this moment. His hands gripped my waist, pulling me closer as his mouth moved against mine, and I kissed him back just as fiercely, my fingers instinctively finding their way to the base of his skull. His hair was soft, curling around my fingers as I tangled my hands in it, pulling him closer.

He let out a low, guttural sound, the kind of sound that sent shivers down my spine and made my knees weak. His hands slid up my back, his fingers digging into my skin as he pressed me against the brick wall behind us. The roughness of the wall was a stark contrast to the heat of his body, and I arched into him, wanting—needing—to be closer.

As he kissed me deeper, the sensation was overwhelming—like a storm that obliterates everything else, leaving only a beautiful, blissful blankness in its wake. It blew my mind how everything inside me cast into darkness, every worry dissolving in the heat of his touch. What a relief it was, not having to think anymore.

My hands stayed tangled in his hair, pulling him down harder as his lips trailed hot, open-mouthed kisses along my jawline.

This wasn’t me. This wasn’t the shy, quiet girl who kept to herself, who avoided risks. But right now, with Hank’s body pressed against mine, his lips on my skin, I didn’t care. All I cared about was him, the way he made me feel—alive, bold, free.

And I wasn’t about to stop.

His breath was hot against my skin as his lips moved lower, trailing down my neck, and I could feel every nerve in my body igniting. I tugged at his hair again, just enough to pull him back to my mouth, and when our lips met, the kiss was even more intense—desperate, as if we both knew this moment was everything we had been building up to all night.

I could feel his body press harder against mine, his hands roaming over my waist, my hips, pulling me even closer as though the small space between us was unbearable. My back hit the rough surface of the brick wall again, but the discomfort only heightened the sensation. The world outside the alley faded away—there were no more sounds from the bar, no distant cars, just the pounding of our hearts and the shared heat between us.

When he finally pulled back, his breathing was ragged, and he rested his forehead against mine, his blue eyes searching my face in the dim light. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that,” he murmured, his voice low and thick with desire.

I swallowed, my breath still catching in my throat. “I think I do,” I whispered back, unable to stop the smile that tugged at my lips.

He chuckled softly, the sound vibrating through his chest. “I thought I had you all figured out, but… you keep surprising me.”

“I’m surprising myself,” I admitted, my fingers still tangled in his hair, feeling the warmth of his scalp beneath my touch. “But I like it.”

He pulled back just enough to look at me fully, his gaze softening for a moment, as if he was trying to read me—trying to make sure I was still in control, still wanting this as much as he did. And I was. More than I’d ever imagined.

“What now?” His voice was a little quieter, a little less hurried, but still laced with that same intensity.

I didn’t need to think about it. I leaned forward, pressing my lips to his again, this time slower, more deliberate, savouring the feel of him, the taste of his mouth. “I don’t want this to stop,” I whispered between kisses, my hands sliding down to grip his shoulders, feeling the tension in his muscles as he held back.

He groaned softly against my lips, his hands gripping my hips tighter. “It doesn’t have to.”

The way he said it, so sure, made my heart race even faster. We were in an alley behind a bar, but in this moment, it didn’t matter. Nothing felt rushed or wrong. It felt like exactly where we were supposed to be. Like I had finally stepped into a part of myself I’d been avoiding for too long. And with him, it felt… right.

The intensity between us burned hotter, and soon, his hands were back on my waist, sliding under my shirt, his fingers grazing the skin there in a way that made me gasp. I could feel the roughness of the brick wall behind me, but all I could focus on was him—his touch, his breath, the way he seemed just as lost in this as I was.

But there was something else too, a sense of grounding I hadn’t expected. He wasn’t rushing. He wasn’t pushing. He was waiting, following my lead, giving me the space to feel, to take in every second of this. And I knew, in that moment, that whatever happened next, it was because we both wanted it. Because we were both ready for it.

And as the world around us continued to disappear, the night taking over, I knew that whatever came next—whether it lasted for just this night or beyond—it would be the best decision I’d ever made.

But then, as if sensing a shift in the moment, Hank’s lips stilled against mine. He pulled back slightly, his forehead resting against mine, our breaths mingling in the cool night air. His fingers tightened on my waist as though he couldn’t bear to let me go for even a second, but his voice was softer now, more grounded. “We should get out of here.”

My eyes fluttered open, meeting his in the dim light. He was still close, so close, his blue eyes darker now, full of unspoken promise. “Yeah,” I breathed, my heart still racing. “We should.”

Without another word, he gently untangled us from the wall, his hand sliding into mine as he led me out of the alley. The sudden openness of the quiet street hit me all at once, the world outside the alley much brighter, sharper, but I barely registered it. All I could think about was the way Hank’s thumb traced small circles on the back of my hand as we walked, like he needed the physical connection to tether us to the moment. I held his hand tighter, feeling the warmth radiating through his palm, the steadiness in the way he held me.

We walked in silence for a minute, the intensity of the night lingering between us. There was no rush, no need for words right now—just the sound of our footsteps echoing softly in the quiet night. I couldn’t help but steal glances at him as we walked, at the way his jaw clenched and relaxed, his gaze still fixed ahead, but every now and then flicking back to me with that same heat that had burned between us all night.

With every step, the cool night seemed to draw us closer, the world fading until there was nothing but the warmth of his hand in mine. Finally, we reached his apartment. Hank fumbled with the keys for just a moment, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, betraying a mix of nerves and excitement. The lock clicked, the sound echoing slightly in the quiet hallway, and the door swung open, revealing the inviting glow of warm light inside.

He stepped aside, letting me walk in first, his hand still wrapped around mine. The apartment was simple but cozy, a space that felt lived in but not cluttered. Warm light spilled from a nearby lamp, casting a golden hue over dark wood furniture, soft blankets draped over a well-worn couch, and a guitar propped in the corner. The air was tinged with a scent that was both woodsy and intimately familiar—perhaps cedar, or simply the essence of Hank—enveloping me in a sense of deep, comforting familiarity.

As he shut the door behind us, the soft click of the lock seemed to seal us off from the rest of the world. The moment was heavy with anticipation, yet it carried a tenderness that made the space between us feel charged yet safe. I stood still, taking in the room, and felt his presence behind me. Turning slowly, I met his gaze—intense, dark, yet filled with a softness that drew me closer.

The electric connection that had sparked between us earlier was not only still present but had intensified in the privacy of his space. His eyes momentarily searched mine, a silent question lingering in their depths, ensuring I was truly there with him, in this moment. Reassured by my subtle nod, his familiar half-smile appeared, sending a rush of warmth through me.

He approached me, each step measured and unhurried. Reaching me, he raised his hand to gently cup my face, his thumb tenderly brushing my cheek in a touch that grounded and calmed me. His fingers wove through my hair, and a shiver ran down my spine as his thumb delicately traced my lower lip, the gesture so filled with intent and tenderness that my breath hitched in anticipation.

For a moment, we simply stood there, barely inches apart, the stillness of his apartment wrapping around us. Then, driven by playful curiosity, I reached up and gently tugged at the brim of his cap, pulling it off. His hair, tousled and soft, spilled over his forehead. The golden lamplight highlighted subtle waves, which caught the light as they fell free. I smiled and let the cap drop to the floor.

“I’ve been wanting to see you without this,” I teased, my fingers weaving through his hair, exploring its texture—thick and surprisingly soft, curling lightly against my fingers. He exhaled a soft sigh, a sound of relief or perhaps pleasure, his eyes deepening into a more intense hue as they locked with mine.

“It feels better already,” he murmured, the timbre of his voice low and inviting. His hands found their way to my waist, his touch firm yet gentle, anchoring me close to him as his gaze stayed fixed on mine, conveying a depth of feeling that went beyond mere attraction.

We kissed again, but this time it was different—slower, more deliberate, as if we were savouring every second. His hands roamed over my waist, tracing the curves of my hips before gliding up my back, each touch sending shivers cascading through me. I leaned into him, my body pressing closer, feeling the firm warmth of his chest against mine.

His lips left mine only to trail down to my neck, soft and warm as he planted a line of kisses from my jaw to my collarbone. My breath caught in my throat, a flush of heat sweeping over me as his hands slid under the hem of my shirt, his fingers grazing the bare skin of my lower back. I arched into him, wanting more of his touch, more of him.

But he maintained a tantalising pace, not rushing the moment. His hands explored with deliberation, exploring the contours of my body as if he wished to etch them into his memory. His touch was gentle yet assertive, guiding without pressuring, and I felt the attentiveness in every movement, ensuring I was fully present with him. My hands wandered across his chest, tracing the defined muscles beneath his shirt, revelling in how his body tensed responsively to my touch.

He kissed me again, deeper this time, and in a quiet plea for more, I tugged gently at the hem of his shirt. He pulled back just enough to help me lift it over his head, tossing it to the side. The sight of him—shirtless, standing before me in the soft light—made my heart race even faster. His torso was sculpted and firm, his skin radiating warmth under my fingertips as I followed the lines of his muscles, feeling the slight tension there as if he, too, was holding back, letting the moment unfold slowly.

Hank’s hands slid up my sides, his fingers brushing over the fabric of my shirt as he slowly began to lift it. I raised my arms in silent consent, allowing him to pull the garment over my head. The cool air brushed against my skin, yet it paled in comparison to the fervour of his touch. His hands returned to the small of my back, drawing me in until our bodies aligned. I was now standing in just my bra and jeans, my bare skin pressing against his, the direct contact of our skin was electrifying.

His gaze swept over me, filled with a mixture of awe and desire, yet he maintained his deliberate pace. Leaning in, he kissed me tenderly, his hands rising along my back to trace the contours of my spine, finally pausing at the clasp of my bra. He hesitated, his breath warm against my ear, his voice a soft murmur, “Is this okay?”

I nodded, breathless, my hands running up his chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart beneath my palms. “Yes.”

He smiled against my skin, his fingers deftly unhooking my bra before letting it fall to the floor. His hands were on me again in an instant, warm and firm, sliding up to cup my breasts gently, his thumbs brushing over my skin in slow, teasing circles.

Hank’s lips grazed my collarbone, trailing hot, open-mouthed kisses down to the swell of my chest. His hands explored me with deliberate care, his touch sending waves of heat coursing through my body. When his mouth found my nipple, he teased it gently, the sensation sparking something deep and primal inside me. I let out a soft moan, my fingers tightening in his hair. “God, that feels amazing,” I whispered, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

He let out a low groan as he lifted me with ease, my legs instinctively wrapping around his waist. His hands tightened around my thighs, keeping me close, I could feel the hardness of his body pressing into mine, each step toward the bedroom intensifying my need for him, the heat between us nearly unbearable.

He laid me down gently on the bed, his body hovering over mine, his hands never leaving my skin. He kissed me again, slow and deep, as his hands moved down my sides, tracing the line of my ribs, my hips, before reaching the waistband of my jeans. His fingers lingered there for a moment, his touch light but full of promise.

My body ached for him, the need overwhelming now, and I reached up, my hands tugging at his belt. Hank’s breath hitched as I unfastened it, my fingers slowly working the buckle before moving to the button of his jeans. I eased the zipper down, each movement deliberate, and he quickly followed my lead, his fingers deftly undoing the button on mine. With one smooth motion, he eased both my jeans and underwear down. I sat up slightly, desire tightening in my core as I eagerly guided his jeans and boxers down. He groaned softly as I slid the fabric over his hips , and I couldn’t help but bite my lip, heat flooding through me as I took in the sight of him, feeling a mix of awe and raw need.

With nothing left between us, Hank moved closer, his weight slowly pressing down as he hovered above me, our bodies finally connecting. The sensation of his warmth and the solid press of his length against me was overwhelming, yet exactly what I craved. His lips found mine again, gentler this time, while his hands explored me with careful intention, as if he wanted to savour every moment and memorise every inch of me.

He paused for a moment, his forehead resting against mine as he caught his breath, his hands still cupping my waist, his thumbs gently brushing over my skin.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, his voice rough with yearning.

I smiled up at him, my hands sliding up to cup his face, pulling him down for another kiss. “So are you.”

It was intoxicating—he was intoxicating. And yet, as his hand slid down my side, I felt a flicker of something else. This isn’t me, I thought, not for the first time tonight. The quiet, careful girl who played it safe, who kept her feelings locked away, wouldn’t have ended up here. But with Hank—with him—everything felt different. It wasn’t just the heat between us or the way his touch made my body come alive. It was the way he looked at me, the way he saw me, like there was no one else in the world but us.

And for the first time, I wasn’t afraid to let go.

His fingers traced lower, along the length of my thigh, caressing the sensitive skin there. He kissed just beneath my ear, and I could feel the soft brush of his hair as he moved, his breath heavy but controlled. Hank’s hand moved between my legs, his fingers parting me gently, slick with my wetness, exploring with a careful but knowing touch. My breath caught, and I let out a soft moan, my body arching into him, craving more. I could feel the tension building inside me, every nerve alight with sensation, and the way he touched me—so deliberate, so focused—made the moment feel even more intense.

He lifted his head, his lips brushing against mine as he met my gaze, his blue eyes dark and full of need. There was something in the way he looked at me, something that made my heart pound even harder—like he was asking for more than just permission. He was asking for trust.

And I gave it to him.

My hips shifted with his movements, my body instinctively responding as his fingers pressed deeper, working in rhythm with my rising need. His touch sent waves of heat through me, building toward a release I could feel just out of reach. His lips moved against mine, his breath ragged as he murmured my name, his voice thick with want. I could feel the urgency in every kiss, every movement, as he drew me closer to the edge.

This wasn’t me—this wasn’t who I normally was. I didn’t do this. I didn’t sleep with men I’d just met. I had always been cautious, reserved, taking my time before giving myself over to moments like this. But with Hank, none of that mattered. There was something different here—something raw and honest that made me let go in a way I never had before.

I wasn’t inexperienced, far from it. I knew what I wanted, and right now, I wanted him. It wasn’t the uncertainty of the newness that had me trembling beneath him; it was the way he made me feel like this was more than just the moment. It was the way he looked at me like he saw me—like I wasn’t just a passing encounter, but something real.

Without breaking our connection, Hank shifted, his mouth moving lower as his fingers continued their steady rhythm. My hands tangled in his hair as I guided him down, my body urging him on. Then his lips were on me, soft and insistent, sending another rush of pleasure through me. My hand moved to grip the sheets beside me as he sucked gently, amplifying the sensation while his fingers stayed firm, working me toward release. I gasped, my legs tightening around him, instinctively holding him there as I let go completely, my body giving in as the waves of pleasure crashed over me.

I’d never let go like this before—not with someone I’d just met. But right now, I wasn’t thinking about what was usual or expected. I was just thinking about him.

Breathless, I felt him move back up, laying the length of his body gently against mine. Before he could say anything, I pulled him into a slow, deep kiss, tasting the remnants of my release on his lips. When I finally pulled back, his eyes locked onto mine. “You’re incredible,” he whispered, his voice rough, filled with both satisfaction and unspoken need.

My heart raced, still buzzing from the release, and I breathed out a soft, teasing reply. “Not done yet,” I murmured, my lips brushing his jaw. The warmth of his skin against mine only fuelled the fire that hadn’t quite faded.

With a shift of my hips, I surprised both of us, rolling him over beneath me. Hank let out a low groan, his hands instinctively settling on my waist as I straddled him, my confidence growing as I took control. His eyes locked on mine, dark with hunger, and I could feel the rapid beat of his heart under my palms as I pressed them firmly to his chest.

“You like that?” I whispered, his answer was another groan, deeper this time, as his hands gripped my hips a little tighter. “You have no idea,” he growled, his voice full of want.

I leaned down, letting my lips barely graze his, keeping him just on the edge of what he craved, knowing I was the one in control now.

I hovered just above him, our breaths coming fast, feeling the heat radiating from his body, knowing he wanted more—needed more. But I held back, teasing him with the lightest brush of my lips, making him wait, making him want it as much as I did. His grip tightened on me, his fingers pressing into my skin as he resisted the urge to take control again.

“You’re driving me crazy,” he rasped, his voice thick with desire.

I smirked against his lips, revelling in the power I had over him in that moment. “Good,” I whispered, barely audible, before pressing my lips to his in a deep, languid kiss that made his whole body tense beneath me.

Hank groaned into my mouth as I moved my hips ever so slightly, teasing him with the smallest amount of friction. His body reacted immediately, his hands gripping my waist with a new urgency, but I wasn’t ready to give in just yet. I wanted to savour every second of this, every sound he made, every look in his eyes.

“Please,” he muttered against my lips, his voice hoarse, laced with desperation that sent a thrill through me.

I pressed my palms against his chest, feeling the heat of his skin and the tension in his muscles. “I’m just getting started,” I teased, lowering my lips to his neck, letting my teeth gently graze the skin there, sending a shiver through him. The soft gasp that escaped his lips sent a thrill through me, and I knew I was in control now.

He let out a low growl, his control slipping just enough that I could feel the shift in his body, the tension coiling tighter, and it sent another rush of excitement through me. I rocked my hips again, this time giving him just a little more of what he wanted, and the sound he made—deep, desperate—was enough to make my pulse race.

He tried to move beneath me, but I pressed him back down, holding him there with just a look, my body hovering above his as I whispered, “Let me.”

His breath hitched, his hands stilling on my waist as he nodded, his eyes dark and filled with nothing but need. He was completely mine in that moment, and the feeling was electric.

Slowly, I lowered myself onto him, taking his entire length with one long, languid thrust. I began to move, letting the rhythm build between us, each motion deliberate, but this time, I wasn’t holding back. His hands tightened on my hips, guiding me as I set the pace, every sound he made spurring me on.

I didn’t think about anything except the feel of him. It was the not thinking I loved most, the not thinking that I never wanted to end.

“You’re incredible,” he breathed, his voice almost reverent as his eyes met mine, and the intensity of his gaze sent a shiver down my spine. “I can’t… get enough of you.”

The words sent a surge of heat through me, my movements becoming more urgent, more desperate, as the tension between us spiralled higher. His hands roamed over my body, tracing every curve, every line, and I could feel the restraint slipping from both of us, the heat between us burning hotter with each passing second.

I leaned down, letting my lips capture his again, this time deeper, my tongue sliding against his, claiming him just as he claimed me. His hands gripped my hips tighter, matching my pace as the intensity grew, our bodies completely in sync, every breath, every movement pushing us closer to the edge.

“Hank,” I gasped, my hands gripping his shoulders as I rocked against him, my body trembling with the intensity of it all.

“I’ve got you,” he murmured, his voice raw and full of promise. And then, with a swift movement, he sat up, pulling me with him so I was still straddling his lap. His arms wrapped around me, holding me close as his lips moved to my neck, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin there. I gasped as he left soft love bites along my collarbone and down the side of my neck, his breath hot against my skin, each kiss, each bite sending a new wave of heat through me.

I gripped the back of his neck, my fingers digging into his skin as I arched into him, every nerve alight with sensation as his mouth worked its way across my skin, leaving a trail of pleasure in its wake.

The tension between us spiralled higher, my release building fast as my body tightened around him, the pleasure growing more intense with each second. His lips stayed on my neck, hands gripping my hips as he urged me to move, guiding me to grind harder against him. That added pressure sent me over the edge, and with one final push, I shattered, the pleasure crashing over me in waves.

Hank’s name escaped my lips in a broken whisper as I came undone above him, my body shaking with the force of my release, wave after wave, my mind completely lost in him. I felt him follow soon after, his grip tightening on my hips as he buried his face in the curve of my neck, his breath ragged and hot against my skin as his own release overtook him. His body tensed beneath me, and I could feel the shudder that went through him as we rode the high together, leaving me breathless and trembling in his arms.

For a moment, we just stayed like that, our bodies tangled together, our breaths coming in short, ragged gasps as we slowly came down from the high. His lips brushed my collarbone once more, softer this time, tender, before he leaned back, his eyes meeting mine.

“You…” he started, his voice hoarse, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “I don’t have words.”

I smiled back, my own heart still racing, but this time, it wasn’t just from the intensity of the moment—it was from the way he looked at me, like I was something more. Something important. “Good,” I whispered, my voice just as raw, “I don’t need them.”

He chuckled softly, the sound vibrating through his chest as his hands slid up my back, pulling me close once again. I curled up against him, my head resting on his chest as our breaths slowly synced. I could hear the steady beat of his heart beneath me, feel the warmth of his skin, and for the first time in a long time, I felt completely at peace.

And as we sat there, tangled together, I knew that whatever this was—whatever we were—it was only just beginning.

Masterlist

[silverbladexyz]

Hi love! Can I request The Flags and Yukito with a fem s/o who demands princess treatment? I’ve been seeing it all over tiktok and you write all those characters so accurately so I thought I’d request💕

Of course :) I apologise if this wasn't what you wanted, as I tried to base it off of their theoretical love languages 🖤

The images used belong to their original owners.

TW: Mentions of injuries, and uh this ended up kinda long. Chuuya is now included in every request with the Flags. Female reader.

The Flags and Ayatsuji with a female S/O who demands princess treatment

Pianoman:

-You don't need to ask him; he already treats you like a princess. No wait- you ARE his princess :))

-He is the leader of the Flags, and being the leader he is means that he treats everyone with patience and respect, even if he doesn't know them. And it is no different for his beloved S/O; except he treats you with 100x the amount of love, patience, respect, and loyalty than those he deems as his acquaintances

-Pianoman wants to be the perfect boyfriend, and he'll make sure to reflect that in the way he acts towards you. He is a big fan of gentlemanly traditions such as kissing the back of your hand while greeting you or holding the door open for you to pass through, as he views them as the most romantic ways of giving you the love that you deserve- alongside catering to your needs when he can. He's a giver, and he will gladly give everything he can give to you

-He'll definitely call you his princess, and he uses it almost every time he addresses you. It's one of the only pet names that is even deserving of your beauty, and he'll never fail to remind you of it everyday. Sometimes, he'll even call you his queen when he's in a more intimate mood

-Always makes time for you. Even if the Boss ordered for his supernotes to be delivered as soon as possible, Pianoman will still drop everything he is holding and immediately be by your side, ready to listen to every precious word that falls from your beautiful lips. You're the most important person in the world to him; and what kind of boyfriend- no, what kind of man would he be to put his girlfriend after his needs and wants? Even though you do tell him that he doesn't need to be this attentive to you, he still wants to make sure that he's spending enough time with you for your happiness

-He will definitely spoil you! And he's smart about it too; oh, you can't decide whether you want this leather jacket or this silk gown? Why not get them both? Don't worry about the cost, because he's able to negotiate with the salesperson to get a more reasonable price. Don't feel bad about wasting his money, because you're worth every single cent that he spends on you 🖤

-Now he does have a teasing side to him as well... he'd love to fluster you with compliments at any chance he could get. The way you get flustered when he's only telling you the truth make him chuckle quite a bit. Would also be the type to engrave your initials onto his pen so that whenever he's doing his paperwork, the simple texture of the engraved letters brings him a sense of comfort in the dreary time of filling out reports

-Pianoman strikes me as the type to have acts of service as a love language. So he'll not only do all the chores for you, he'll also surprise you with an exquisite breakfast in bed or a lovely bouquet of flowers on your table. And tucked right amongst the flowers, is a small note saying how much he loves you and how lucky he was to be able to call you his <3

-SLOW DANCING IN THE KITCHEN WITH MUSIC PLAYING!! To be able to hold you close, stepping in sync together- it is a very private moment that is only shared between the two of you. He'll dance at whatever pace you're comfortable with, and at the end of it, he'll dip you and look deep into your eyes, leaning in for a slow, passionate kiss

-Surprises you with hugs when you're in the middle of working too. I headcanon that his arms are lean but strong, because pulling wires is no easy feat. Pianoman loves the feeling of you in his embrace, and he equally loves burying his head into the crook of your neck, because it allows him to relax from all the stress he has recently

-He is a craftsman that can make the most realistic supernotes in all of Yokohama, so I guarantee that he's really great at making artistic creations. Pianoman will always handmake your gifts; whether it's an expensive-looking necklace or a fancy bookmark for your everyday use. If you do the same for his gifts too, be prepared to receive affection x10 for the rest of your life :)

Albatross:

-Albatross has probably seen trends of the princess treatment; and when you ask him for him to treat you like that? He'll gladly do it!

-Okay, but he's lowkey adorable when he's giving you the princess treatment. Even though he's like a golden retriever that wants to shower you with hugs and kisses, Albatross is mindful of your boundaries and will only initiate skin-to-skin contact if you were comfortable with it

-But if you love physical affection, then he's over the moon. He'll plant kisses on your cheeks, your lips, your hands; just anywhere that you want him to, really. Albatross knows that he has an image to maintain in public, but he gets really handsy in private. Hugs and cuddles are something you will never be short of, and they're so full of love that you always melt inside when you receive them

-I feel like Albatross is also the type to like play-wrestling with you. He always does it gently, because he never wants to see you hurt; but he does love to tickle you until you're laughing all over. Is also the type of person to pick you up and spin you around sometimes, and place you back down lightly afterwards

-Ah, and don't forget; vehicles of any kind are his forte. Which means that you don't have to worry about transportation anymore, because he'll always arrange it for you (yes, including the way back). And he doesn't just use random cars, oh no. Albatross will make sure that those cars will be high-end and ✨PRISTINE✨. I'm talking about Porsches and Lamborghinis whom are clean and decorated to your very own liking, with interiors so fancy that it could make even celebrities jealous. But your beloved only does it for his princess that deserves the world, which is you 💓

-But if you don't like cars, then that's perfectly fine! This man has a variety of vehicles you can choose from. You want that hot pink motorbike? Just say the word and it's already yours. Oh, you want to work out by riding a bike? He'll make sure that it's custom made and tailored to your taste. Needless to say, he'll very gladly spoil you with any vehicle that you want

-Your lover will definitely throw pebbles at your window at nighttime... just because he missed you. And then, just like Flynn Rider scaling Rapunzel's tower to meet her, Albatross will literally climb in through the window and embrace you in his arms. Sometimes he'll even take you out for a lovely drive in Yokohama, letting you admire the beautiful sights of the city underneath the moon's glow

-But in the calmer moments, Albatross will definitely check up on you and ask you how you were doing. He wants to make sure that you're physically, mentally, and emotionally fine, and that you can tell him all of your troubles. Despite being the talkative and energetic type, he's surprisingly a very good listener; and will definitely comfort you if you were feeling down. Afterwards, he'll do something to lift your spirits up, whether it be cracking jokes and funny stories or bringing you out to places that you liked. He loves seeing you smile, and will do anything to keep you smiling that happy smile

-He'll definitely introduce you to his friends, because he believes that friendships are still important when you're in a relationship. Albatross puts complete trust in you, and he is glad if you get along with his friends too. However, you do notice that he pulls you closer to him when he talks with any of his female friends, clearly signalling that you are the only one he loves

-However, please please PLEASE don't ask him to cook. Now, he is a sweetheart and will gladly cook any meal you like, but it is easier said than done when his cooking skills are on par with my ability to sleep at night (which is bad). If you want, you can teach him how to cook, but you've gotta have a lot of patience for him. Don't worry though, because he can still make instant food taste like heaven for you

-Always is respectful of your interests and preferences. He even encourages you to pursue your hobbies, and never once judges you for what you do or say. Albatross can and will defend you from everyone who thinks otherwise, because to him, those things are what makes you you <3

Doc:

-Doc, upon hearing about this 'princess treatment', is slightly confused. Was he not treating you right in the relationship? But his insecurities quickly dispel when you just explain to him that his best was already enough for you

-He doesn't realise it, but it is noticeable how he is much more gentle, sweet, and affectionate with you than with anyone else. Despite not being as physically strong as the other members of the Flags, he still possesses more strength and knowledge than the average person- and it is due to the fear of hurting you with those attributes that he treats you like his queen

-Definitely has acts of service as one of his main love languages. Doc, ironically, does not about his own health that much. But when it comes to you? You'll find yourself being taken care of so thoroughly that you won't be getting sick or injured anytime soon. He makes sure that you eat nutritious meals three times a day, alongside hydrated and wearing enough clothing for the weather; as well as reminding you to take breaks and getting enough good-quality sleep. Needless to say, Doc always prioritises and puts your needs before his, even in urgent situations

-He loves spending time with you. Doc doesn't want you to feel lonely, and whenever he gets to be by your side, he'll listen to whatever you want to say or do. His full attention is on you, and he will engage in any conversation you initiate, with no sign of his mind wandering off elsewhere even if it was the most frivolous subject that the two of you were talking about

-Oh, but if you liked to be alone sometimes, he is perfectly happy to give you time to yourself. Even though he just wants to be with you at all times, Doc is 100% mindful of your boundaries and respects them. He himself has quite a few boundaries set too, so it is perfectly natural that he abides by yours too

-Now he isn't too physically affectionate, but he is perfectly happy to hold your hand when you take walks with him. He always walks by the curb. No questions asked. You're his queen, and it is only right that you shall be treated as such, even on the littlest and most common of things. Doc wouldn't want to risk even the slightest chance of you getting hurt

-But when you actually do get hurt, this is when he gives you the princess treatment of your life. Firstly, Doc will make sure that you're not in any sort of pain or discomfort while he treats your injuries- he'll even let you squeeze his shoulder as hard as you want if it meant that it relieves the pain. He will work quickly but efficiently; your wound would be cleaned and wrapped up in a bandage before you can say 'Open Sesame'. Afterwards, expect him to do EVERYTHING while you rest and recuperate. Even if your injuries weren't serious, Doc is still going to take over all of your chores while checking up on you whenever he could, because he just wants you to be fully healthy again

-I feel like Doc is the type to get you all sorts of gifts, ranging from books about medical science to different accessories that you could wear everyday. He wants the gifts to be meaningful- so whenever you saw them or used them, you would think of him. And he always manages to make it a surprise; you could never guess what he's going to gift you next. The delighted look on your face when you find another one of his small presents is enough to make him happy for the rest of his days

Iceman:

-Honestly, this man will treat you however you'd like him to treat you (only if it was reasonable). So if you wanted princess treatment from him, he'll happily comply. You deserve to be treated like a princess, anyways

-Iceman is a calm individual with few words to say, which means that he'll mostly listen to whatever you decide to talk about. Same as Doc, he is an excellent listener, and he will remember everything that you mention to him. You could tell him all of your friends' birthdays, and he'll remind you about it when you forget, because his full attention is always focused on you

-Gives you his coat when you feel cold. Even if it means that he'll be the one exposed to the freezing weather, he still gives it to you because he'd rather be the one affected instead of you. Also starts carrying around a spare coat the next time you go out with him, because you insisted that he shouldn't be the one suffering for you, even though he assures you that he doesn't mind it

-Iceman is so observant it's almost scary. If he sees your gaze lingering even a millisecond longer than usual on a particular object, he'll note it down and buy it for you as a gift, even if you've already forgotten about the item you saw. He's also attentive to the slightest sign of discomfort from you. It's too loud? He'll quickly move you to a quieter place. You want to ask for more water but you're too nervous to? He will consult the waiter for you. Someone is making you feel uneasy in public? Your partner will put his arm around your waist in a comforting manner, while keeping an eye on that person to see if they'd dare try anything brash

-He strikes me as the type to like taking pictures of you whenever the two of you do something together. It doesn't have to be a special moment- you could just be tending to a flower, and Iceman would take out a camera to snap a photo of you (with your consent of course). He wants to keep them so he could look back on the memories, and smile as he reminisces those times. Don't worry about him ruining any shot, because he is a pro at photographing, and would gladly take as many pictures of you as you want

-Brewing drinks for you is a must!!! Whether you are a coffee lover like him or not, Iceman will make your favourite drink for you everyday- and they taste even better than the ones you find in cafes. He makes them perfectly, and if you ask him to teach you? He'll be slow and precise, carefully guiding you through the steps of making the drink. But he actually just wants you to relax and leave all the work to him, because he loves showing his appreciation for you through his actions

-He knows that you can handle yourself in a fight; you're not utterly defenceless, afterall. But Iceman will never hesitate to protect you when you need it, and he doesn't care if he himself gets injured during the process. As long as you're safe, then he's content

-When he sees that you're stressed or tired, Iceman will encourage you to tell him about your worries, while giving you a warm and reassuring embrace. He loves the feeling of you in his arms, and sometimes he'll give you a kiss on the top of your head. Don't be afraid of crying in front of him, because he won't judge- instead, he'll hold you and rub your back comfortingly, and afterwards he will make you your favourite meal to cheer you up

-Princess treatment or not, this man definitely treats you right :)

Lippmann:

-Pretty boy is pretty enough to be a prince in fairy tale stories; and he will definitely be the prince to your princess!

-Lippmann has a silver tongue, and you cannot tell me that he wouldn't be complimenting you and showering you with praise at every single chance he could get. However, he doesn't simply tell you that you're beautiful, because that's boring. Instead, he says 'Your smile, your tears, your laugh; everything about you is as ethereal as the goddess Aphrodite, but not even Aphrodite herself can make me fall as deep in love as you.' And he's smooth about it too. So yeah, be prepared to be flustered quite a lot by this gorgeous gorgeous man

-He will also leave notes in places where you could easily find them. And on each note will be a short phrase about how much he loves you, as well as the words being so sweet and encouraging that it makes you melt as you read them. Lippmann will write new notes everyday, just so that you could constantly be reminded about your beauty and how much he loves you if you were starting to feel insecure about yourself

-It doesn't even stop there. When he's feeling more romantic and daring, he will full-on write a letter with several pages detailing everything about you that he finds to be lovely, and how lucky he was to be called yours. What makes it even better is that each and every word on the letter is genuine (he told me himself)

-We all know that he's rich, which means that he would also want to spend his money on you by buying you whatever you want. Whether it be expensive clothing, jewellery, books, anything really- Lippmann would always buy it for you. You are his lady afterall, and he shall treat you like absolute royalty

-Despite having a lot of money, he'll actually ask for your decision before spending it on you. You want to have dinner at the most expensive restaurant in the world? Sure thing! You just want to have a quiet date at home? That's fine with him too! As long as he gets to spend time with you and make you happy

-However, I feel like Lippmann prefers the calmer, softer moments with you. He's always busy with negotiations and acting and whatnot, which means that he can barely catch a break in his line of work. So even when he likes to spoil you, he loves it when he gets to cuddle you on the couch and make you fall asleep in his arms. He treasures every moment he could get with you

-Now since he is so pretty and famous, he has a lot of admirers and acquaintances vying to get his attention. Lots of women will come up and talk to him, some of them clearly with the intent to seduce him with their charms. But Lippmann will politely fend off their advances, while putting an arm around your waist and pulling you closer towards him. He isn't afraid of straight-up telling them that you're his girlfriend, and he will assure you that he only has eyes for you if you start to feel insecure because of those women

-Lippmann is a fan of gentle touches. Includes but not limited to caressing your hand, stroking your cheek, and rubbing your back. But if you don't like physical affection, he's understanding and respects your preferences. Afterall, your comfort is his number one priority

Chuuya:

-Girl, you got yourself the best man for this

-As we all know, Chuuya is a king, and who the king decides to settle for is often named as his queen. But he doesn't treat you like a queen, no. Royalty is simply too insulting of a word to describe how he treats you

-Instead, he treats you like a GODDESS. A divine deity that was simply too good for him- and was so kind that she let herself be tangled together with an ordinary, sinful man who didn't even deserve to cast his eyes upon such loveliness. Chuuya can and WILL give up everything just for you, because you're the only person that deserves all of him and much, much more

-Being a Mafia executive means that he's rolling in money, and no matter how much you protest that he doesn't have to get you gifts, he'll still spend thousands on high-quality items that he knows you'd like. If you don't know what you want, tell him and he'll choose something for you, and his taste is ✨ IMPECCABLE ✨. He'd love to get you matching couple rings and jewellery even though he thinks the precious stones could never compare to your beauty

-Chuuya is extremely loyal, so rest assured that he'll never leave you for someone else. He'll also introduce you to his friends as his lover, and will still treat you as a goddess in front of them with no shame whatsoever. Loves to show you off to his comrades, but he'll tone it down if you're shy or embarrassed about it

-Asagiri said himself that Chuuya respects women, and he will, without a doubt, respect your boundaries, your likings; everything about you, really. Making you feel heard is very important to him, and he would never judge you for anything you do or prefer. Always maintains eye contact whenever the two of you are talking to each other

-Acts of service king all the way around. When you wake up, breakfast is served on the table and your neatly-folded clothes are placed on the bed. Your lunch? Already packed up and placed carefully into your bag. And when you come home, Chuuya's still doing all the chores, no questions asked. However, if you beg hard enough to share some of the load, he'll be willing to compromise (he's still doing most of the chores though)

-But when he sees you tired after a long day of work? Get yourself ready, because this man will pamper you so much that you wouldn't have to lift a finger. Not only will he have finished all of the housework, he'll also prepare a warm rose bath full of candles and scents for you. Then, as he'll present to you an amazing gift that you’ve been wanting for a while, and as you're busy admiring the gift, Chuuya would pour some exquisite wine into a glass for you to savour while you’re in the bath. With enough persuasion, he'll join you in the bathtub, but he is perfectly happy to just massage your shoulders as you relax, while talking about your day. Sometimes, he'll even plant a few kisses on the top of your head, while murmuring how much he loves you

-Would take you flying with his ability. If you're afraid of heights, Chuuya will make sure that he doesn't take you too far off the ground, and you'll find yourself being held a protective embrace as you rise off the ground. Sometimes, if you're feeling up to it, he will twirl you around in a romantic waltz, with the pretty sights of Yokohama serving witness to the love you bore for each other

-Not only is he your king, he also is your protector. If he sees people spreading rumours about you behind your back, or straight-up creeping you out, he wouldn't hesitate to stand up for you and send them a friendly warning with a few words. Nobody gets to badmouth his lover and expect to get away with it

-Always remembers your birthday, and will make it a time that you'll never forget. Needless to say, you're going to be spoiled a lot because it's your special day! You could ask for whatever you want, and Chuuya would buy it for you- if it was reasonable. Takes you to do different things on every birthday, and will even rent out an entire private island for you. I'm not joking when I said that he'll buy you everything you ask for

-It'll be a bonus if you spoil him as well, but he's content with pampering you. If you're happy, then he's happy I love him so much owuajsjdhha

-Chuuya is surprisingly pretty touchy in private. He loves to put his arms around your waist, pulling you close and whispering sweet nothings with his deep, smooth voice. This man also is a fan of planting delicate kisses over your neck, collarbones, wrists- anywhere you like to be kissed, really. His kisses would be light, as he's afraid of hurting you, but he wouldn't mind indulging you if you liked it rough

-Will always return your texts and calls within a few minutes of you sending it. Even if he's busy, he's never too busy to make time for you, and he will apologise if he comes home later than usual. You assure him that it's fine, but he will try his best to finish his work on time so that he could be by your side for longer

-He keeps his promises to you without fail, since he would hate to let you down. At the end of the day, a queen reigns with her king, and Chuuya promises that he shall never stop treating you as his goddess

Ayatsuji:

-'Princess treatment', to this man, was confusing at first. Was it not common sense for him to treat you with respect and love? In his eyes, women should always be treated like queens in a relationship. The fact that this was outlined as 'princess treatment' honestly made him disappointed with most men in today's society

-But he will definitely treat you well! Despite his bluntness and tendency to mock/tease people, he's a lot more soft and kind-spoken with you; a side that he only shows to those he deems worthy of his trust

-Now Ayatsuji does things a bit differently. Sure, he can still hold open doors for you and give you his coat when you're feeling cold, but he tends to treat you like a princess in his own unique way. Such as letting you take the initiative in anything that you want to do with him, and always accompanying you whenever you were going out to do something. His main love language is quality time, and he will ensure that all time spent with you is made to be worth your while

-He definitely will handmake dolls for you. If you liked any particular character in a book or anime, Ayatsuji will model the doll off of that persona, and it ends up being so perfectly alike that it could be sold as official merch. If you want, he'll even teach you how to create beautiful dolls from scratch

-Your partner gives you gifts from time to time, but they aren't generic presents that guys buy for their girlfriends. Instead, he puts thought and careful consideration into each of your gifts, deducing if it could be used in your daily life. And now whenever you use the pen he gifted you, or wear the coat that was your birthday present, you think of him

-Ayatsuji is also the type to buy matching rings for the both of you. He hides his beneath his glove in the daytime, because he doesn't need anybody questioning him about it. But as soon as he returns home to you, he'll take his glove off with his mouth, bringing your hand up to his lips and planting a kiss on the ring that is a reflection of his love for you

-He holds you in very high regard, and this can be mostly seen in the way he speaks to you. While he is cold and emotionless towards others, Ayatsuji is considerate and attentive as he conversates with you, always listening to what you have to say first before adding in his own ideas and opinions. A queen commands respect, and there is no doubt that Ayatsuji gives all of his to you

-Surprisingly good at comforting you. Your lover has a kind heart within him, and he does not hesitate to use it when he sees that you're down in the dumps. He chooses his words carefully, and he actually has more empathy than he lets on. In just a few moments, he'd already have helped you express your emotions, and offered you advice that makes you feel better about the situation you were upset about. Also doesn't mind if you simply wanted him to hold you- he'll hold you for as long as you desire if it meant that you'd feel better afterwards

-Does not even look at the other females that come his way, but anybody would know at first glance that you're his partner because of how he treats you compared to everyone else. Tsujimura is just a colleague to him, and everyone else are mere acquaintances. None of them can even come close to replacing you

-Ayatsuji may have his oddities at times, but just know that you'll always be a princess in his eyes 💝

I feel like this kinda veered off to boyfriend headcanons... but I hope that you enjoyed it :D

@circinuus @riiwrites @sariel626 @chocsra @ruanais @yuugen-benni @angolicious

[batwynn]

About 9 hours ago my mom looked at me and said she’d never even imagine saying the things her mom said to her. This is after 3-5 years of me gently breaking down the abuse she’s been through for her entire life at the hands of her parents, and also-gently reminding her that she broke the cycle of abuse. I’d always have to go a bit sideways at it, like approaching a feral cat, because no one wants to be bludgeoned over the head with such a thing. She’s been so hurt, for so long, and it’s so complicated because of course she loves them. She’s been grieving the people she loved and thought she knew, grieving the death of her father, filled with guilt for not being able to help him more than she already did (and not recognizing that she did literally everything she could for him, including but not limited to putting her life on the line for him) and grieving very little for herself.

So for her to say that out loud to me is… huge.

She also was full fever brain after a covid booster so I don’t know if that will stay with her or if she’ll fever-forget but I need to find a way to acknowledge it better today than my tired-brained ‘yeah, because you were never the asshole even when they kept trying to convince you that you were’ from last night.

Anyway, I just wanted to share this as a reminder: it doesn’t matter if it takes a long time to come to terms with your abuse. It sucks, because you deserve to have your abuse recognized and start healing asap. But you’re not faking it, it did happen, and it was not ‘not that bad’ just because it took time for you to recognize the abuse. Sometimes it takes 50+ years, and it’s almost never linear. Five days from now she will be sure that she was the problem once again because that’s what she’s been told her entire fucking life. And it’s fine. It’s ok. I’ll remind her of the truth as many times as I need to. Healing is complex, and weird, and hard. Give yourself the grace and patience your abusers never granted you.

[lostlovesoul11]

[DEMON TIME]

Pairing: Jeno X Haechan X Reader

Warnings: friends to...?, Smut, oneshot threesome(mmf), dubcon, double penetration, mxm action, manipulation, overstimulation, spitting, insecurities, ouija board, demons, usual filth

Word count: 9k

18+ no minors! Read tags beforehand.

so this was meant to be released for Halloween but I went on hiatus for the next couple of months. Since I'm back, I can share this with you all. ignore any errors bc i haven't even edited since.

Summary: When playing with an ouija board goes wrong...

A year ago...

It was completely dark in the room, yet Jeno’s thoughts were feeling corrupted. A mistake he made by becoming curious may have costed him to live an entire nightmare, only to be startled by a familiar presence.

“Jeno..” A soft yet deep like voice called out making jeno snap his head up only to see a bit of light surface. He gasps at the sudden call, almost like his breath got taken away, slowly opening his heavy eyelids to see what’s ahead. He knows too well who this is and he probably thought he wouldn’t come across this once again.

Jeno thought this would be over, perhaps forgotten since it’s been years. But alas. Haechan always made his presence well aware, often times entering his mind throughout the days, reminding him of a particular offer he had placed.

“Did you really think I’d forget?” A loud chuckle is heard as Jeno watches the gorgeous red headed man near him. However he wasn’t just a man, a beauty with horns, devilish. He’s mocking Jeno’s reactions at the sight of him knowing what is to be expected, he was told this would happen soon.

But maybe Jeno didn’t think it’ll come. Maybe Haechan would forget since its been a while but no. He’s tired of the demons continuous counters, reminding him daily about the past mistakes. “Just leave me alone!” Jeno huffs out in annoyance.

Haechan pouts, “But you don’t want me to. After all, who do you even have besides me?”

"No, I have friends!" Jenos inner monologue repeats in his head. The thought torments him. He wishes he never indulged in anything that particular day. Hating how his curiosity lead to this pathway.

A finger is placed on Jeno’s chin lifting it upward, “You needed me. You called for me. And I came. I gave you my company, became a friend, helped you to get whatever you desired.. ”

“Stop!” Jeno shouts, pushing Haechan’s hand away from him completely. ”I don’t need you.”

Haechan shouts back, “You’ve always needed me!

He hates this. He hates how right Haechan is. Jeno was always a lonely child, often finding it hard to fit himself with people. Until he came across the demon, Haechan.

“I- don’t.” Jeno closes his eyes, finding ways to escape the lies telling from his eyes.

Haechan smiles, watching him convince himself from the utter truth. “You could have said goodbye Jeno but you never have. Shall I tell you why?”

He gulped knowing the exact reason why. He’s aware having the ouija board he can end this by saying goodbye, one of the rules to initially do once you’ve finished using it. Anything can be done to get rid of a demon. So why doesn’t he?

Lowering himself as a breath rushes to Jeno’s ear, “Because your a troubled lonely boy who craves company, desperately.”

And there it was the reason to why Jeno even befriended a demon. Though thinking it was harmless at a young age, Jeno grew attached to the presence of the demon. Especially during the times he had no one.

But demons don’t just befriend people without having something for themselves. And that’s Haechan always reminded him there’s a price to pay. What you didn’t know was, that price was you.

It terrfied Jeno once he started taking a liking towards you after finally finding a group of friends. You stood out. You was the opposite of Jeno. Kind but fierce, confident at what you always wanted. Something Jeno wishes he had.

But most of all, Jeno felt flutters in his heart having you around him. He knew he was screwed, who wouldn’t fall for a beautiful person like you?

And that’s when Haechan entered wanting to find a new prey. Convincing Jeno who initially was hesitant. But it worked. Maybe Jeno did have a sick mind to have you in this way too.

_________________________________________

Halloween was always something you looked forward to. The moon tonight was illuminating when you stepped outside with the group as you all made your way to a Halloween party.

Dressing up was one of your favourite things to do. Looking like a straight vampire out of the movie, fangs on your teeth with smeared lipstick stain on your bottom lip. An extremely short black dress with see through tights, barely covering you up.

Later that night, everyone returned home from the party to Jeno's house. It's always something the group does, a cosy and huge place to come back to was the best. Everyone was drunk off limits, playing a bunch of card games, ordering food and what not.

The time arrived when everyone began to get up and finally going back to their house. However, you felt slightly lazy today. It's not unusual for you though, having to stay over at Jeno's was a normal occurrence. He was such a great friend, always helping you out during your drunk times, taking off your make up before you doozed right off. You really appreciated having Jeno.

Although this time, you wasn't really too drunk at all. But you still wanted to stay the night over. Jeno's house was huge, thanks to having rich parents. Hence there was always enough room for anyone to sleep over.

And tonight you was staying over.

Laying on the long sofa scrolling away on your phone, your other hand putting snacks in your mouth. Jeno finally enters back in the room but with something in his hand. Your eyes fluttered over at the very thing he’s holding on to, walking across to the table.

“Jeno what’s that?” You asked, brows raised when you shift your eyes away from your phone and on to what he is carrying in his hand.

Whatever it was seemed to be quite rusty, dust scattered above it as Jeno rubbed it off with his hands. It looked like an old board as you watched.

It would be a lie to say that Jeno wasn’t scared. Truthfully this could either work or not. And hearing your innocent voice calling him to ask makes his heart churn. The way you have no idea..

He clears his throat nervously before he speaks, “It’s a ouija board."

Your eyes widen at the statement, “No way, an ouija board?”

He saw the way your eyes popped open, attention leaving away as you dropped your phone down and watched what’s in front. Unable to tell how your reaction towards this is.

You came closer to Jeno, your fingers touching the old board as some dust particles remain on your finger. You’ve heard of ouija boards but never have them in person. You visibly feel shocked. “Wow...” this is...

The guilt slowly forms up to Jeno as he inhales deeply before he speaks up, “It’s okay we don’t have to play—

Only to get abruptly stopped as your hand reaches on Jeno’s arm. Jeno was confused at the reaction, genuinely thinking you felt creeped out by this but the glint in your eyes spoke otherwise.

“I want to play” You quickly shout out.

Jeno’s eyes widen, a fast inhale retrieves out of his mouth, “Really?”

He still cannot believe you want to go ahead with this and tries to find ways of convincing, perhaps the one who needs convincing is him.

You almost looked like a a kid begging to play with their favourite toy, a grin slapped across your face as you pester him more. “Yes, let’s play it! I think this will be fun.”

Fun. It will be everything but fun, Jeno thought. As much as he hates doing this, the sick part of him is happy your wiling to try it out. It’s why he would often mention to not be so willing to do just everything in the pretext of risks. What if these risks put you through dangerous places?

What if it put you to dangerous beings, people like him?

But you was fearless. Always striving to do whatever you can to gain experience. Something Jeno was fond of yet jealous.

However in this context it was far from such. Unfortunately your determined nature just makes it easier for anyone to coy you around.

He licks his bottom lip as he fights back a laughter, “Okay fine, let’s do it.”

Both of you sat down together with the board below. Though it seems like a dusty old board, you could still see the words that are written on it. The various letters in bold with the Yes and No at the top corners.

“Do you want me to go through the rules?” in which you had nodded, waiting for him to tell you more.

Rule number 1 Never use this alone. Always play with others

Rule number 2 Always set the mood during the night, use candles before initiating

Rule number 3 Dont forget to say goodbye

Rule number 4 Be careful what you wish for..

You’ve watched many movies growing up about these things but never actually coming across it in real life. You don’t exactly know how to feel at this given moment except to listen to everything Jeno is mentioning, after all, he knows well doesn’t he?

Going through the rules makes Jeno feel so fake. Because he always end up doing the exact opposite of what was to expect, but could he be to blame? He was just a child. A vulnerable child who knew nothing with a curious mind.

Jeno gets up and retreats to a different room as you waited in the living room, only to come back whilst closing the lights behind him and placing a few candles around the board. He uses a lighter above the candles as it burns ahead.

Now that the mood has settled in you definitely feel a bit nervous about this whole thing, your hands shake but Jeno calms you with his own above.

“We got this’’ He says in comfort making you feel at ease knowing your not alone in this.

We.

You closed your eyes as you inhale a deep breath ready to face your fears.

The planchette is directly placed on the board, Jenos hands merges with yours while you both move it around in circles until you stop. You gulped as you awaited for what’s next. Jeno suddenly speak up.

“Are there any spirits that’d like to come in contact with us right now?”

An eerie vibe comes along as you wait for a reveal, your hands suddenly felt cold, chest slightly heaving on what’s to come ahead. Is it true? Do spirits exist? Does this even work? Slowly, it felt like time was dragging on having no response, no movement to answer the question.

Jeno looked with worry in his eyes but the smile remained still on his face. You can’t pinpoint what he’s feeling, maybe he’s scared?

“I think you should ask a question” He spoke, a small grin on his face. You blinked a couple of times before it sinked in what he had asked, you licked your lips returning a smile back towards him.

“Are there any spirits present here who would like to come in contact with us right now?”

Utter silence.

Maybe this doesn’t work. Maybe these things are just for fun purposes, nothing to indicate how real these things are. It felt lowkey as a relief, because you felt yourself feel light hearted about the situation. So you asked again.

“Are there any hot spirits present here who would like to come in to contact with us right now?” You playfully joked, emitting a laugh from Jeno.

You both giggled, feeling light hearted about what is happening right now, maybe this is just a fun game to play and has nothing real about it. So why not make some jokes?

Both of you were immersed in yourselves when all of a sudden the planchette slowly shoots up the corner, YES.

You felt your heart sank, your stomach feeling physically sick. You cannot believe this is real. This actually works.

“Holy shit” you gasped in shock. So this shit really does work? Surprised at what just happened. Just not long ago you was thinking how this may just be some made up game, only to be shooked to the core.

Jeno just watched your face, as if you’re trying to dim down the effects of being terrified. Its normal for him though. However for you its not. He knows you must be feeling all sorts of ways, once like ye did too.

“Are you okay?” he questioned in concern, not knowing if is something you still wanna go ahead with.

Your pupils dilated, you cough up, “Y-yeah totally didn’t just get scared at that..!” trying to brush off acting as if it didn’t affect you. Your words are stammering as they fall out your mouth, of course your shit scared!

“I.. just.. can’t believe.. this... spirit has a praise kink!” You shouted out. If you really think about it, whoever it was only revealed themselves after you called them "hot".

Only to begin go laugh and making Jeno laugh along. Seriously, even in such situations you still somehow make light of your situations and that’s one thing Jeno really admired about you.

“You’re unbelievable” Jeno shakes his head as he chuckles at your jokes. At least in this way you can make jokes rather than giving up on this.

This is interesting you thought. Halloween night playing ouija board with a hot spirit? Like hell does that stuff really exist?

“Technically I’m right, whoever it was definitely responded because I called them hot,”

If only you knew.

You started feeling bold, wanting to find out more about who this spirit is thats decided to communicate with you both.

“What’s your name?” You asked, but this time the planchette moved rather quickly than last time, spelling the name out as you begin to read what is said.

H A E C H A N

“Haechan" You spoke up, you don’t think you’ve ever heard such a name before today. Guessing its definitely a male speaking with you right now. What you didnt notice beside you was Jeno’s eyes stayed still on the board, not blinking one bit hearing Haechans name came out of your mouth. Causing goosebumps grazing on to his skin. Things are beginning to feel real once again, feeling sickness in his stomach already.

“Have you ever heard of this name, Jeno?” Looking up to him as he breaks out of stillness, before replying, "No."

Such a liar. Even when Jeno lies, it still does not sit right with him, wondering if you’d be able to catch his bluff. But you haven’t so far, a sick feeling of relief washes past him.

You prompt another question, almost like you’ve gotten the hang of this game. So far whoever this spirit is seems friendly, it seems.

“Why are you here tonight?” You asked further, curious what made this specific spirit is seeking tonight.

Tonight was the day a deal was formed between the demon and Jeno something you’re completely unaware of. You have no idea what your getting into at all. Your innocent and curious nature yet again deceiving you.

The planchette moved, something that still sends chills to your bones, forming a response.

T O C O L L E C T

Goosebumps form as the answer shoots you completely. Things were seemingly creepier as you interrogated the spirit more. Collect what and who you thought?

You seemed to still be in shock so Jeno took over and asked. “To collect who?”

It was silent. Unlike the previous times where the spirit communicated rather quickly, this time there was nothing. No urgency of a response, making you frown.

Maybe this wasn’t a good idea to do, maybe the spirit didn’t want to communicate any longer so you sighed and was just about to say to end this, only to be startled by the planchette moving itself towards the alphabets.

M Y P R E C I O U S

You both looked at one another in shock, not expecting such answer which only leaves you both confused on who this is talking about. You kept thinking of multiple scenarios of how this spirit must have had a past lover whom they’re still trying to connect and vice versa.

“Who is?”

Y O U

You felt your breath get sucked out of your body, panting on the new information. This is becoming worse as it goes on, you have no idea who even this spirit is except his name, Haechan. You look towards Jeno absolutely freaking out, “Jeno.. w-what the fuck!”

Jeno saw the way your eyes bulged out, fear written over your face. You seemed so scared and conflicted, he knew this was to come.

“Maybe he’s just flirting with you,” Jeno snapped back trying to make you laugh, only to watch you huff out. “Well that’s a sick way to be flirting!”

Sick. Everything about this was sick, he thought.

Whilst you're both speaking, not realising the planchette moves once again, catching your eyes below to read out the message its delivering.

O R D O Y O U P R E F E R M Y S L U T

Holy shit. No way did this spirit just say this stuff right now. Mouth opened wide trying to process what you have just saw. No way is this spirit really talking dirty to you right this second.

"What the fuck." You froze ahead at what's spelled out, "This is getting weird..." You sighed.

To be honest, even Jeno didn’t like what Haechan just said. Thoughts coming back thinking whether this is a good thing to do, for the demon to have you and do whatever he likes..

However Jeno has to remember what his motive really was, trying to find ways for you to still remain here. “Maybe he hasn’t had any action since,”

Only for you to roll your eyes, “Wow, I mean surely hes on the other side so what action will he be getting." Jeno literally laughs out, a part of him does loath Haechan so hearing things mocking him does make him chuckle.

Your stomach wasn't feeling great about this anymore, all of a sudden your throat began to close up, You whispered quietly, “Maybe we should stop this...”

Before you could even do anything or wrap this up, the candles suddenly leave their flames, darkness welcomes back in to the room. It’s pitch black, not an ounce of light to be seen, you felt restless with your heart accelerating, “Jeno.. I'm-im scared!.”

The silence begins to get creepy, no sound to be heard at all. Now you’re really beginning to feel the effects, not realising your eyes have slight prickly tears formed.

“Jeno..? Jeno..?”

You felt a warm hand tug on to your back, only to aggressive push you in a instant. You screamed, not realising you have fallen into the arms of someone. Face hitting their chest. Not not only is your heart racing but so is another.

Jeno turns one of the candles above his face as you slowly look up “It's me, Jeno" he reassures.

“J-Jeno something.. pushed me i-iswear-"

Jenos coos you on his arms, “I'm here."

The candle light brought out your face, Jeno in awe how you still look so beautiful, even in fear. You was always beautiful to him for sure, but today your features were shown in a different light. Teary eyes and flushed face brought out your cuteness, its kind of sick of Jeno to even see beauty within your fear. The parting of your beautiful lips trying your hardest to exhale with both of your breasts pushing upwards. Your hands tightening as you held on to Jeno’s arm, almost bruising into his skin. But he doesn’t care, his pain doesn’t exist when you’re there. Almost like a cure for him.

That push really shook your core, you perhaps think this may have been the spirit itself. But why would he do that? Matter of a fact you’ve never encountered a real life spirit. Not having any idea how one looks and quite frankly would rather wish not to know.

You stay beside Jeno inhaling his fresh scent, despite partying earlier on with the rest, he still manages to smell great. Like comfort, not overbearing. Your latched against him with his a hand making way towards your hair, giving gentle strokes. He moves you away from him with your face in contact to him, watching him with furrowed brows. His hand moves down towards your cheek, giving slow rubs.

Its the way he was paying attention to your face, like hes searching for something within you. His brows were raised with his teeth grazing his bottom lip. He looked attractive, well you’ve always found him attractive but tonight was different. You don’t think you’ve ever seen him this upclose and his strong jawline carved to perfection.

“I’ll protect you” He spoke, unable to help but watch your luscious lips. You look so tempting, hes surprised how well he held off. Whenever you was around him, even giving him light grazes, he would almost flinch. But most of the times it was visits to the bathroom, taking care of his problem of getting hard, fisting his cock completely dry.

How can you claim to protect someone when you invite them to this hell, Jeno?

Your puppy eyes were stilled on Jeno’s face. Admiring his every feature you can see, so strong yet delicate. You lick your lips at the sight of him, thoughts wandering off your head, thinking how nice his lips would feel-

“Don’t do that” Jeno said sternly. You had zero idea of what you was doing to him, making him feel right this second. The way your eyelashes start fluttering with a confused look, is it possible he can read your mind?

“But I didn’t—

“it makes me want to kiss you.” He fought back, biting his lower lip with his eyes below, how managed to contain himself throughout but its seemingly impossible now. Why do you look so frightened yet pretty? How do you manage to have beauty even in darkness?

You swallowed, eyes wide as you hear Jeno’s thought. You can’t believe he would or could ever say such thoughts, you’ve never heard him say anything like this to you. But right now that’s exactly what you want, you lean closer against his body, tipping upwards with a seductive eyes, “Then kiss me.”

Jeno didn’t need to be told twice. No hesitation shows when his lips urgently collide yours. He tilts his head as he deepens the kiss inhaling every breath of yours. It felt like giving him revgererance each time he consumed you. You have no idea how desperately he wanted to do this for the longest time and now he’s finally kissing you.

Saliva begins to form below your chin with Jenk sucking it up inside, his tongue grazes all your mouth and lip. Tasting better than he thought. You took him in gladly, letting your hands roam over his soft hair continuing the kiss.

The candles were perfectly lit bringing light into the living room, the inhaling through your nose as it burns away. A chair is placed right beside you both in which you struck Jeno down below and reach above him. He was a taken back from the gesture, eyes wide but dived into you further when you sat below his lap.

You struct back and forth against his pants already feeling his hard on. It excited you to know how hard he’s already become for you, such an easy puppy. He saw the way you moved backwards, rushing to whatever your going for as he snaps you out of it.

"Trying to cum on my pants?” He huffed out, almost making you stop with his strong hands around you, watching the desperation from your eyes wanting more.

“Yes.” Answering immediately, you’re shameless but you love the feel and its exactly what you want.

“Are you always this desperate?” He bucks his hips further up, hitting his hard on against your sensitive clit. Making your mouth part in pleasure.

“No..” You lied, not used to seeing this side of Jeno. From what you knew, Jeno was mostly reserved, the nice boy. But today he’s different. You didnt think he’d have it in him but right now he convinced you otherwise.

“No?” He questioned, moving his mouth lower towards your neck planting a few kisses, making you curl. He brings your palm below, touching his erection directly, “Do you feel that?” He whispers.

“Fuck” “I—” Moans eclict from you at the contact of his length, the material brushing your hand with roughness. His pupils dilated watching you become so dumb for him, his hand holding yours below his length moving you slowly, “This is all your fault, you know that right?”

You’ve never felt so helpless, wanting to rip out his clothes and let him do you right then and there. You’re throbbing underneath him and you’d do anything to feel your release, “Why.. is it?” You fought back, wanting to play along with him.

He chuckles as he bites his lower lip, enough to pull blood, “Who told you to look so pretty? Do you know the amount of times I’ve fisted my cock because of you? Got me so hard?

Shocked was an understatement. You’ve never thought of Jeno doing anything like this. He gets off about you? Since when? Why haven’t you been made aware of this? Why haven’t any of your friends mentioned this? This is complete news to you.

He saw the way your cheeks blushed, your brows were furrowed in confusion and carried on, “The times you came near me and I backed away? The times I had to always run off to the bathroom? Fuck I was so scared of you finding out, biting my lip so hard so you don’t end up hearing me..”

Now all you could picture is the times you remembered him running off never thinking twice why. Picturing how he’d lean against the shower with the water gliding down, a hand on his erection as he pumps himself. Fuck. So hot.

You felt so needy, rustling yourself on him as you let him speak more about what he does when he’s alone. You wanted to play along, teasingly, “That’s not right to do.”

Jeno immediately stops you from trying to reach your climax, “And you? Fucking your cunt on my thigh whilst hearing the things I’ve done is?” You bite your lip as a moan escapes your mouth, letting him put you in your place. Your thighs ache as your body jolts with the

“Jeno I had no idea..” Finally speaking out, only for Jeno to pull you closer to him with your hands held on his shoulders. He looks up with hopeful eyes, “Of course you didn’t.” He smiles until it slightly drops making you feel some way, “You’ve never noticed me.”

You saw the way his light eyes suddenly dimmed down towards the end, a drastic change of reaction. You genuinely never noticed his behaviours until now, maybe because you never felt the need to. He was a friend, after all.

Well you’ve fucked friends before and its nothing you take seriously, he could have asked you if he really just wanted that you thought.

You gasped as you break out of thought when he suddenly lifts you up from him, feeling a loss of contact with his erection. Picking you up with the dimly light ahead, leading you inside his bedroom. Your eyes open as your placed beneath the bed, coldness hitting your back as you lay down.

Jeno crawled over you, breath fanning over before he kisses into your lips once again. He loves how soft you feel. His hands reaching below as removes each piece of clothing off. Cupping your breasts before he sinks lower and inserts one towars his mouth. You immediately falter, loving the way he sucks on your nipples.

He doesn’t stop kissing your body, letting himself consume every inch of you. You smell divine, it drives him crazy how he’s finally gotten you. He’s happy because he can finally feel you, let him touch you in places he’s only imagined whilst in the bathrooms. Perfect may not exist but for Jeno you do. He reaches lower with his eyes up, drawing his tongue below your abdomen to thighs.

You eclict moans right away, hitting the sensitive spot. He loves making you feel good. You deserve to always feel pleasure. And he will be always ready to deliver. Slowly tearing down your skirt below you knees, as expected to see you full of wetness.

Diving in deep with a swirl of his tongue, hitting you out of nowhere. You reached for his hair as you tugged with the pleasure, “Wetter than my dreams.” He states in awe at the sight ahead of him.

He reached up planting kisses before he connects his lips against yours. Sometbing he can’t keep himself to not do. Always wondering how your lips must feel, soft. It feels good to have you against him, allowing him to do whatever. Jeno felt so happy. For once, his dreams were becoming a reality. For once, he’s finally gotten you, or will that reality hit him like a dream once again..

“Jeno hyung"

A sweet voice was called out from behind, near the door of the bedroom. Jeno’s eyes snapped back, back to reality. The moments he had shared almost forgetting what the truth of reality was. A nightmare living in a dream. His happiness lasted briefly, eyes bulged out in terror.

You’ve possibly never seen a reaction as such before. Jeno turned almost pale, his eyes widen with darkness but a tint of fear behind. He stopped moving, freezing in time. His hand wasn’t touching anymore, it stilled. You’re absolutely deprived and have been edged for too long, trying to bring your hand up to Jeno’s face. Only for him to snap backwards, completely ignoring you.

You tried to call him out but avail. Something snapped to him ever since someone called him out, only to realise there was also another person present in the room. That sent shivers to your bones, watching ahead in fear. Jeno walks towards the door but stops mid way.

The lighting was dim enough in the room, but whatever was standing near the door blossomed with light. From your angle, you could only watch and notice the bright light entering inside closer and closer.

It appeared closer as you squinted your eyes, however frozen when you see the sight ahead. An alluring red headed beauty, sun kissed skin that beams with light. He almost looked like an angel had you not seen the small horns from the corners of his scalp. A fallen angel, perhaps.

He approached closer to Jeno, lifting his hand as it grazed along his cheek watching him in adoration and glinted eyes, “I’ve missed you, hyung.” Jeno watches in shock, it’s finally hitting him how real this is. The touch felt so familiar with him, something he’s not felt in years as he puts his hand above the demons.

“Haechan..” He breathed slowly, someone who was always with him. Someone who he had shared his moments with, his loneliness with. He grew attachment to him and till this moment, too.

Haechan walked closer as his nose scents Jeno’s neck, before gripping it with his hand and pulling himself near his ears with a whisper, “I told you you could never escape me..” He smirks.

Haechans breath fans all around Jeno’s neck, causing his neediness to rupture. It was always a sensitive spot for Jeno, receiving small sigh from his mouth.

You gulped nervously, did you just hear Jeno call out to Haechan? The same one who you played the Ouija Board with? How is this possible? How does Jeno know him? Millions of questions arise in your mind, mind boggled. Your heart begins to accerlate as each second passes, gripping on the sheet harshly as a safety net.

You felt silenced. Not a word formed in your mouth. Just watching the sight ahead, you lated still waiting to see what happens next.

Haechan’s tongue made presence as it shifted towards Jeno’s ear, slowly moving below to his neck. Jeno moaned quietly as the boy felt pleasure, cock hardening as he swirls away. His nose above his ear before tugging his hair back, “So easy and receptive to my touch hyung, you must have missed me quite a bit.” He boasts.

Jeno immediately rushes his lips against Haechan’s, though his kiss was driven more from his earlier events and the demon itself. He felt more alive as the kiss deepens, the only time Jeno feels out of the ordinary. A sense of comfort that only he has for himself, a feeling like no other to be known. Jeno takes in more and more, sucking the demons tongue like thirst.

Haechan pushes himself hard, throwing his hand below the shaft, forming moans through the mouth. Jeno hissed, throwing his head back as his eyes rolled, letting the demon take control over his body. You watched in complete awe on how receptive Jenos falls in Haechan’s hands.

You should be petrified, you are. But the way your legs have been spread out, left lonely because of Jeno makes you feel needy. The redrawl of touch hits you hard. A scene that should make you run for the hills, but what do you do instead?

Bringing a hand on your aching thighs, dragging it down slowly to gain some sort of touch. The hand moves it’s placement from your ankle, towards your abdomen, causing slight shivers to your body. Biting your lip to not make any sounds, the finger ascends above your breasts, cupping before you massage them.

Jeno’s groans feel like music to your ears and a favourite to the Demon. He walks backwards slowly as Haechan continues his pleasure, nearing towards you. However that doesn’t make you stop, you're absolutely needy. The hand cups your breast before you pinch your nipples, swallowing your moans away.

Your finger slowly makes way down, every touch accelerates your reaction. You can see not only Jeno but the sight of the beautiful demon. Wondering how easy you can fall in to his touch, imagining his fingers running down towards your area. You’re incredibly wet, your fingers moving upwards and down before it stops at your swollen clit.

Mouth parting at the sensitivity down below, you know with one touch you’d literally come. You furrow your brows, lifting your head up to see the sight ahead. You cannot contain yourself much longer, before you begin to rub furiously below.

Small moans erupt from your mouth, breathing accelerates as you move. Hot sweats break out against your skin rushing for climax. You continue, only to stop in almost shock at what you see. The demon kisses Jeno’s ears as he opens his eyes at the sight of your arousal.

You immediately froze. Like someone snatched your breath away. There was fear behind your eyes showing evidently to the demon as he curled a smirk on his face. Your heart was pounding feeling like you got caught. Caught in something wrong.

Your fingers almost vibrate with the throbbing below indicating how close you are. For some reason you just couldn’t move your fingers at all. The shock of seeing Haechan catching you literally get yourself off from them makes you feel ashamed. But, don’t the wrong things feel so good?

Remaining eye contact with the demon ahead as he continues rubbing Jeno, you slowly begin to thrust up. It was subtle at first, but Haechan knows you way too well. The fact that you tried to act innocent by stopping with your fingers, yet you start thrusting yourself against your fingers. You begin to bite your lips, letting the demon watch the way your toes begin to curl. The arrival of the release occurs with your eyes rolling back, legs shivering until you can take the achehis before you drop below the bed.

You don’t realise eyes have always been on you. Haechan whispers to Jeno before stopping abruptly, making their way towards the bed. You laid with wetness as it continues to slip on the bed, eyes closed before you open your eyes once again.

“My angel,” He mutters, watching you as you felt exposed within his gaze. The petname immediately made you flush, hoping you aren’t caught once again. “Is this my angel, tonight?” He questions as he eyed Jeno.

Jeno felt nervous before he spoke up, “Yes.”

He didn’t know what to say to you. He didn’t know how your reaction is to see him this way, with a demon alongside. Jeno wants to say so much but so little comes out, knowing you’re shaken by this. Do you hate him? Are you angry? He doesn’t know because your face doesn’t indicate anything at all.

Your eyes are stilled on Jeno, a million questions on your mind but you can’t think. You can’t think when all you want is to feel a touch from them desperately.

“Jeno always had a thing for pretty things,” His hand travelling to your ankles with light strokes, yet you feel electricity running through as you gasp at the sudden movement. “And I have a thing to ruin them completely..” His fingers almost grazing towards your upper thigh before he widens your legs.

You shudder with soreness, exposed at what you’ve been hiding all this time as you softly moaned. Jeno immediately feels his cock harden at the sight of your open legs before Haechan speaks up, “Spread your legs open."

And you did exactly that despite of the burning you felt keeping still. Thinking you’d be receiving some sort of action, but no. Haechan immediately turns to Jeno before putting his mouth back on his once again. This time increasingly faster and rough as they kiss.

Feeling absolutely ignored, you try to close your legs until Haechan eyes loom over yours, “I said keep them open.”

The throbbing immediately begins, wanting to close your legs but remembering you can’t. So you stay still, suffering as you watch them swallow each another. You wanted to get touched, to feel anything at this point. That’s until Haechan backed away, averting his eyes to your sullen face before he looks at Jeno.

“Open your mouth.” He demands.

Jeno does without hesitation, as the demon connects himself against him before he released himself, spitting in his formed saliva into the mouth of Jeno’s. You almost drooled at what you saw, Jeno mouth dripping with his own saliva alongside Haechan’s, reaching just below his chin.

He looks up to Haechan before he moved away from him, mouth being full before entering his liquids inside.

Your legs wide, aching in pain before you see the demon bring Jeno near you before he draws out, “Spit in her sinful pussy.” He demands. You suddenly gasp at how cold it felt as the fluid travels down towards your throbbing hole, making a trail down your thigh.

You felt exposed how they watched in awe at your hole before the demon instructed Jeno next, “Brim her full of my spit, shove your fingers inside.” Jeno doesn’t hesitate at all, his long fingers already making way and fucking inside of your cunt rapidly, forcing the wetness to be shoved all the way in.

“Fuck Jeno,” You gasped at the harshness of his fingers inside. He showed zero mercy on you and fasten as he kept going, leaving you gasping each second. Jeno loved how pretty you looked, breathless and teary all for him and he wanted to see you being a wreck.

You almost forget that you have another visitor, a hand roams around your body heightening the experience further. Your eyes are shut, breathing deeply as you feel Jeno hitting your spot. Eyes opening slowly as a tongue is felt beneath you, swallowing you as it stays between your breasts.

The pleasure feels surreal, all at once hitting you everywhere. Your nipples have hardened, goosebumps forming on your skin before you slowly opened your eyes, seeing Haechan remaining eye contact whilst he sucks on to your breasts before biting with his sharp teeth, electing pain from your mouth.

You don’t even realise how close you are until streams of tears reach below your chest, feeling overstimiulated from the pleasure from both. The demon already looms above you without you noticing watching his prey looking wrecked and beautiful.

Looking prettier as ever, Haechan almost is convinced you're an angel. How can one look so gorgeous as they cry out? Your cheeks are flushed, lips plump red and skin heated as you felt the breath fanning over your face like breeze, cooling you from the heat.

Jeno loves the way you taste, loving how he gets to be underneath you and suck in your wetness when he dives deeply. His mouth finds contact to your clit and flicks it furiously to make you cum.

Your hand tugs below, tears streaming down your face before Haechan brings his tongue out and licks them away. You felt the cold shiver as he continues his lick when every droplet falls, dark eyes watching you falter completely in his hold. You looked so helpless, as your face scrunched up.

He knows you're wrecked and can sense your nearing just before he shoves Jeno’s face down all the way inside of your cunt, “That’s it, give the boy a treat.” Jeno struggled but still maintained his hands against your skin, tugging into you deeply . He was so excited to have you finish all inside of his mouth, groaning along your cunt.

“I’m going to c-cum—”

Your cut off immediately when Haechan latches his mouth against yours, sucking in every moan your mouth can make. He kisses you so raw, a little different to Jeno. It felt animalistic. He wanted every bit of you, inch, sound of you. Feeling almost selfish, wanting you to consume your moans only to him.

Jeno felt the withdrawal of the hand when he peeks up, coated full of your wetness witnessing the demon and you indulging with each another. He felt his heart sinking a little before remembering he’s the reason why he’s able to even feel you, perhaps even inside of you.

He grew needier as he palms his cock out, giving it a few rubs as he watches you both. “Wanna fuck you.” He meekly speaks, “Wanna feel your warm pussy.”

You look up to see Jeno fisting his cock, looking sensitive as ever. It’s exactly how you pictured him doing you in the bathroom, his arms showcasing his veins as he kept pumping with a bite on his lip. You spread yourself open, the urge to feel a cock inside. He smiles, can’t contain himself parting your thighs open while he enters inside with

It catches you off guard as you scream at his intrusion, his huge cock slowly making its way known inside. His eyes remained stilled on yours, softening as he moved up towards you before kissing in to your neck. You’re melting under his touch, his cock hitting you rather gentle.

Haechan is under watching Jeno’s cock go in and out before he scoffs, “I see you don’t know Angel as well as you thought.” Causing a frown on Jeno’s face at what the demon said.

Annoyed, Jeno mutters, “Shut up.”

He continues to kiss your body away, his lips stilled on your abdomen as he continues thrusting inside. You have no idea what the demon and him are exchanging, you just want to feel pleasure.

The demon loves how worked up Jeno’s becoming, only to tease him further. “Come on, fuck her like you mean it.” He teases, continuing his pace before he slows down completely, “Show her how much you like her.”

The last sentence hit Jeno like a bus. Eyes widening at the statement said, you was never meant to know that and he can’t believe Haechan just exposed him about it. He looks over to you in embarrassment, taking his eyes away before you call out his name.

You was surprised hearing this information come out. Watching how immediately Jeno stopped reacting, almost making himself look small. Youve fucked with friends before, no feelings involved whatsoever, so is this true? Does Jeno possibly have feelings for you?

Your eyes widen, “You like me?”

Jeno forms no response, but seeing how you look so wrecked yet cute makes his heart falter even more. The heat rushes towards his face not realising how apparent his answer is towards you.

‘’Aw.” The demon cooed as he watched. “Look how red your face is. “Did I make you go soft inside her?” He chuckled evily as he pokes a tongue against his cheek.

“Fuck you.” Jeno shouts back.

His pace changes quickly, the cock thrusting deeply inside of your walls as he pushes himself further. You feel your eyelids flutter once he goes inside and out. Almost feeling his cock stretching your pussy all out.

The demon wears a smug face on, annoying Jeno thus more. His hand reaches Jeno’s thigh, just for him to throw it back away.

“You wanna be a fucking brat?” He grits out, watching Haechan under him with thirst before he removes the cock from your hole and inserts directly into the demons mouth.

Abusing Haechan’s mouth as he continues ramming inside, the smile still remains in his eyes whilst he chokes himself on it. It’s definitely been a while since he’s had Jeno inside of him and he loved how he can get under his skin so easily.

Haechan licks and sucks him all over as he kneeled below. Jeno puts his hand above Haechan’s before he pushes him further down on his cock, making him swallow. But Haechan coughs up, trying to breath only for Jeno to keep his hand on him firm.

“Didn’t you want my cock? Come on take it all.”

The dynamic between the two wasn’t something you expected. They both can overpower each other yet fall into each others touch so easily. To know Jeno has this side already drove you nuts, your hand reaching your area to relieve yourself from the loss cock.

You felt so turned on just before Jeno throws your hand away from yourself, eyes darken towards you, “You’re not cumming through your hands, you’re cumming on my cock.” He commanded. Lifting his cock out of Haechan’s mouth and pushed it all the way up inside your cunt.

The demon smirked as he licked off the remaining wetness off him, now diverting his attention towards you.

You throbbed hearing him, eyes rolling back, you felt so wet under that you almost can’t even feel a cock. It just felt like a gush of wetness that slides all over hitting the perfect spot. You’re happy he changed his pace because this is exactly what you wanted. To be wrecked.

He delivered brutal thrusts, pining your arms down to the sides as he pushed himself more and more into you. Tears filling your eyes at being over stimulated, Jeno’s cock hits on the spot, already shuddering from it.

“You take me in so good, fuck—” Jeno groans, loving the feel of your cunt sucking up all up. Youre throbbing against him and he knows your about to climax any second. “Wanna cum with you too, hold on will you?” He asks nicely, his forehead connecting yours before he kisses. You nodded biting your lips harder than ever.

Jeno looked so concentrated, so sexy. You held off your climax just to see him use your hole as he could. His face is against your neck, groaning in pain. A sign of him cumming, you hold on to him and let yourself move to feel the same way too.

“Fuck fuck fuck—” He groans, letting his release spill inside of you as you did too. The gush was a lot mixing along yours, eyes turning as your nails dug into his skin. Your leg were still shaking with the orgasm passing along your whole body.

He lifts off from you as you stay laying, until the demon turns you around. Your ass was planted with a kiss, jolting at the touch as your still sensitive.

He spread your legs wide once again, cheeks on display before smacking your lips in between. “Fuck, pervert.” You screeched aloud. You noticed the demon had a thing for you being spread out entirely, only to make him chuckle.

He placed his lips as he puts a kiss, trying to soothe you. “You humans fascinate me, you know?” Quirking a brow from behind, his hand slowly moving towards your core.

Already faltering to the demons touch as you whimper, “Why?”

His hand stretches you more, allowing better access before he shoves his fingers inside. Jolting in an instant, it feels sore yet pleasurable. As he takes them out and continues to move around over your clit.

“So needy for me already,” He rasps, allowing his hand to get coated along your wetness. “One touch and you’re already faltering.” He smirks behind you. Even a singular touch from him causes you to react so fast.

He removes his hand suddenly depriving you off his touch, making you frown as you look back.

Only to see something you’ve never seen before. A cock this huge, you’re sure he’d rip you to shreds. You begin to wonder how it’ll feel, how deep it can get inside of you.

“Scared?” Haechan teases back, a smirk written across his face. He seemed so full of himself you thought, but it only made you like him more. He knows how well you try and hide how you feel, only for you to shrug it off.

The ache between your legs expands, as you wiggle yourself behind his cock. You can already feel the texture, smoother than you imagined. Moving around emitting groans from the demon.

“Such a tease, Angel.” The demon groans biting his bottom lip sounding almost melodic. He let your body smother his cock all around. Despite it not even being inside you yet, your body heat was raised. Even more when you decide to reach lower allowing the cock to slide against your wet core.

“F-Feels so.. nice" You winched. This time you tried to even be daring and tried to grab his length, only to get your hand thrown away. Making you annoyed.

“Did I tell you to touch me, slut?” Haechan spoke offended. A pout forms while you still wiggle around him, begging to feel something more.

Your core was dripping in wetness, something the demon was always awed to see. Humans were different from his kind, almost stupid he thinks. The biggest weakness about them was controlling their temptations, a failure that they adhered and especially you.

“This is what a good human slut need” He rasps, his hands placed on your hips, gliding his cock just above your pussy, teasingly moving back and forth as if he’s already fucking you. Instantly feeling stimulated with this way.

“Look at it angel,” He motions your head down just enough for you to see the small gap between your thighs. You watch how his cock manages to slide through it, feeling every vein as it pulses through you.

It felt so good, like hes fucking you for real. Haechan begins to increase his speed each time he thrusts forward, hitting your ass and core. You both were moaning, little groans from his mouth as he continued to fuck into you in this position.

“Fuckk—I—"

He loves seeing humans break. Be at their absolute wrecked state. No thoughts in mind, just craving pleasure. Just allowing demons to use their bodies for their gratitiftaction.

You looked so flushed, legs unstable as he holds on tight. His cock constantly brushing along your pussy folds, ravaging through. Feeling your pussy already clenching on him as he moves.

“Angel" He mutters, kissing your back with his lips causing you to jolt. “I haven’t even fucked you yet. Want demon cock that bad?” He says mockingly.

“Yes, please m-more—”

And before you can even react, his cock savagely makes it way from behind, emitting a scream from your mouth as it parts away.

“Omg..” It felt so different to normal. As each thrust comes, feeling it grow more and more inside yourself. Haechan bucks himself up, hands tugging on your arms as they stay behind, “You can take it.” He cooed.

And you could. You felt yourself relax more into it as he continued. He begins snapping his hips against you, balls smacking on to your swollen sweaty thighs at every thrust given.

His hand makes way to your breasts, cupping fully then flicking them around, “See these tits? So hard and swollen.” He then stops his hand just below your core, before he slaps harshly. “This pussy you kept touching because you felt neglected.” He smirks, knowing you all to well with the shenanigans you did earlier.

You moaned in pain, feeling the sting below before he soothes it with his palms and rubs. Feeling exposed within his hold, you knew that he was watching you before and you purposely allowed him too.

“I just—” You mumbled.

“You just love attention baby,” He chuckled, kissing your neck as he reaches towards your ears. “Human slut can’t take not having any attention, can you? Need to always get touched, fucked on don't you?”

The hand leaves and reaches your neck, tightening after every thrust. “See why I love humans, my pretty slut?” He whispered sensually in your ears, ticking you as he speaks. Hearing the demon call you that just made you feel heated below, clenching around his cock.

He brings you closer against him, hands roaming all over your swollen breasts and body, travelling towards your cunt. “Because you’d always allow us demons to take what we can from you.” He smirks.

Haechan rolls his hips before he becomes rough, knocking you out of breath, “Made to be used.” His cock was fucking you all up, physically and mindlessly. You couldn’t think straight nor stand without falling, his grip on you was solid.

Taking any pent up tension he had for you, rocking your world. Your legs tremble in his hold, your mind felt hazy as he rams harshly. “This cunt is mine” with his hands rubbing above your clit, increasing speed all of a sudden as you wither with cries.

“Hae-chan.. can’t, fuck—” You cried out, your legs are shivering out of control. His hand doesn’t stop moving around your clit, rubbing it even more just to see you look like a pretty wreck.

You try to move yourself away from him from the overstimulation only for him to grab on to your arm with force, pushing you back against him. His grip tightening on your flesh so you don’t run off him.

“Best fucking human pussy’’ He praises, causing a gush inside of you immediately. Hands spreading around your thighs to open you more, watching the way his cock hammers inside you, "Made for demon cock.”

Your core begins to pulsate at his praises, moans becoming high pitched as they mixed in with his loud growls. He knows he’s nearing his climax so he makes sure you are spread wide apart, holding onto one leg of yours before he fucks in to you further deeply.

You can almost feel the knot inside of your stomach, his cock was piercing through hitting be spot perfectly, “Gonna... cum” You barely managed to wince out. Haechan can already feel you clenching on him, in awe of your pretty pussy pulsating with his cock.

Your body begins to feel tense, shuddering all along as your eyes closed. The stimulation rid all over your body, toes curled up as it hits you in an instant. Your moans were so loud but its what kept the demon going more, watching your hole drip out cum just before he ruts it further in you.

“Human slut wants my cum, hm? Fill you up good? Your eyes looked back him mercifully before you plead. “Please, fuck, want your cum—” whining as his cock pushes further in your walls, just before his movements turn almost sloppy nearing his release. His hips moves just a little bit more before his cum spurts inside of you completely full.

He turns you over as you face him, picking you up before you squealed. Moving his cock roughly in as some of his cum spills down, with some stuffing you all up inside. His growls become softer with a final release, filling you up. You felt the familiar warmth below, just before he rewards you with a passionate kiss.

_________________________________________

You're already knocked out completely, sleeping rather peacefully on the bed. Jeno had cleaned you all up just before he put you to sleep. Words coming out rather slurred as you tried to communicate with him before your eyes closed.

He knew he’d have to see you the next day and explain himself. Something that scares him completely. Would you see him differently? But all he can do is sigh, feeling glad that the deal finally ended. Haechan got what he wanted and in the same way sick way, so did Jeno. But why does he feel this uneasiness in his heart yet? It didn’t feel right.

But did it really end? A voice in his head speaks quietly until it becomes louder and clearer, whether it was his imagination or a message he doesn't know. But he froze completely after hearing it come closer, “You’ve never said goodbye, Jeno...”

©2023 lostlovesoul11 all rights reserved.

[comicarc]

𝐈 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧 (𝐕𝐈𝐈)

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"A lonely moon craving for the radiant sun." In which a certain girl catches the attention of a prideful billionaire playboy as they both attempt to find their way in the world. (I haven't seen many fics explore Bruce in his formative years, so I thought I'd share my take on them, of course with romance.)

wc: 2182

Night dawned on Gotham, blanketing the city with a moonless sky. y/n made her way to the hole which she had descended into all those nights ago, now completely covered. There was a barricade with two large men standing guard, checking people into a tent by verifying them on a list. y/n was apprehensive, not only because if anything went wrong she could die, but also because it was apparent there were no other girls there. Gulping down her hesitation, y/n attempted to exude an air of confidence to make herself seem unapproachable, as she took confident steps to the front of the line. Maybe she was being too cocky, but that was better than being seen as prey. 

Ignoring the groans and whistles of the men lined behind her, she looked the guards in the eye and mustered all her energy to her voice as she announced her name. She prayed they couldn’t hear the waver in her voice or the tremble of her hands. She was scared witless, but the wire pressed against her chest lay a constant reminder that her actions weren’t in vain. 

As soon as she was let in by the guards, y/n hid in a corner to catch her breath. Bruce had given her earrings to work as comms, so upon hearing her very loud pants, he reassured, “Hey, everything’s fine. The plan’s working and no one suspects a thing.”

His words had eased her rapidly racing heart a little, allowing her to emerge from her corner into the lion’s den. Before her lay rows and rows of tables resembling an assembly line. Red mushrooms on one end turned into some liquid solution at the other, being crushed, mixed and packaged throughout the sequence. Why did anyone want her here?

Someone appeared behind her as she took another stepping, introducing, “Ah here’s the lady of the hour.” He took her by the waist and spun her to face him as he continued, “I’m Jared Steve, head of the operation.”

He wasn’t like a typical creep, Jared was tall, muscular, and looked like he could get any girl he wanted. But his voice and his mannerisms gave away the ugly truth. “And what exactly is this operation?”

“Already interrogating, are we? He said you were feisty, but I never expected you to have this much fire.” He smirked, his curling lips sending a shiver down y/n’s spine. 

y/n remained quiet, as he brushed off his own question, “Well, it’s a new kind of drug. Something that the market’s never seen. Our main target is the children, for obvious reasons. They’re scared, stupid, or lusting to escape life.”

“So, what do you need me for?”

“You’ve got a reputation for being inconspicuous. Nothing intense, I just need you to plant this package in someone’s house. I’ve got the address right here, all you need to do is sneak in, leave it there, and text this number. With all the money you’ve smuggled for Philip Wilcox, I’d say this will be pretty easy for you.” He handed y/n a piece of paper with the details, before intensifying his tone, “Don’t fuck this up, or it’ll be your head being slaughtered.”

y/n took a moment to digest all the information she was given. There was no clear motive behind the operation other than it being a cash grab, but from what she heard, there was enough evidence to prove the existence and maliciousness of the operation. In thought for far longer than she was supposed to be, Bruce chimed through the earring urging her to come back to reality.

“You’ve gotta do this tonight. I’ve got high hopes for you, that is of course, if you’re anything like your mother.”

The offhanded comment caught y/n off guard like a deer in headlights. But ignoring it, y/n turned away from Jared and walked out of the tent, ready to end things for good. 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The address led to the apartment next to hers on Crime Alley. It’s proximity to her own ‘home’ had raised her suspicions but she had no time to doubt. All she had to do was get in & get out and then all her worries would dissipate. No more ties to the Falcones. 

The box she held seemed to get heavier with each step, threatening to slip from her hands. Though confined in cardboard, y/n could tell there was something metallic inside with the light clink she heard every few minutes. 

Standing outside the door to the apartment she was meant to enter, y/n paused and let the silence surround her. Carefully, she leaned an ear against the door and listened. There was no shuffling of footsteps, no voices, absolutely nothing indicating that there was a soul inside. Taking it as a green light, y/n set down the box, fished out a bobby pin from her pockets, and fiddled with the lock until it was unlocked.

Taking the box again, this time adjusting it between her left arm and hip, y/n tip-toed inside, making sure she didn’t make a sound. Seeing that the coast was clear, she set down the box on a wooden dining table right in front of the entrance. Standing upright, she took a deep breath as if physically relinquishing the anxiety and stress that had been plaguing her. It was finally over, she was free. 

But, of course, nothing good ever lasts, and just as y/n was about to leave, sickeningly thin fingers grasped her wrist. “You’re here to kill me aren’t you?” The voice sounded defeated as it spoke. “I deserve it, I know that, but I’d hoped that it would be on my own terms.” 

Curious as always, y/n wanted to know more. So, she did exactly what she shouldn’t have as she inquired, “What…did you do?”

“You don’t know?” He lightly chuckled before resuming, “I killed some very important people.”

“A Falcone?” 

“Two Waynes.” y/n heard Bruce gasp through the earring. The target was Joe Chill, and if he knew he was going to be killed then the package had to be a bomb.

“Why?”

“I was dumb and desperate. I thought I could hide, get away from it all with one final job, but Gotham stays with you, even if you leave it. Trust me kid, this isn’t the end, its just the beginning.”

“Why warn me about an inevitability then?”

“So that you don’t make the same mistake I did.” Unhanding y/n, he placed in her palm a stack of files and pushed her outside of the apartment. As soon as she fell onto the carpeted hallway, the cardboard exploded and took Joe with it. 

The apartment burst into flames, the fire rapidly spreading to other parts of the building. Instinct kicked in and y/n ran to her own apartment, gathering her stuff in a backpack before the flames could reach her. After a few minutes of packing, she raced out of the apartment and stood a few feet from the entrance, watching the flames engulf the building in a matter of moments. 

The bomb couldn’t have gone off without the sender knowing it had arrived. Either there was timer or someone tracking her, the latter of which seemed a more reasonable option. Thinking back to her interaction with Jared, y/n remembered he had touched her waist. Feeling her midsection, y/n felt a bump on the back of her jacket. A tracker.

The bomb had left her ears ringing, so she hadn’t registered Bruce’s voice until after she crushed the tracker. “y/n, what the hell happened? Are you alright? Was it Chill, did he do something?”

“I’m fine, let’s meet back at your mansion in the morning.” Bruce continued talking, but y/n had enough for the day. Taking off the earring, removing the wire, and stuffing the files that Joe gave her into her backpack, y/n began walking.

She couldn’t sleep on the street or any bench, so she’d have to settle for a rooftop. Lucky for her, she knew exactly where to go. Arriving at her destination, y/n climbed up a pipe, settled in a corner, curled into herself, and fell asleep clutching her backpack and watching the sky. 

What is to give light must endure burning, so she had decided that the darkness of this night would cool her. Under the blanket of stars, she’d relinquish the buzzing in her mind, allowing it to fly with the fireflies. By morning her thoughts would be silent enough for the joy of freedom to echo through the hollowness of her skull. 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Left hanging by y/n, Bruce’s anger blinded him from his sense of compassion. What did Joe Chill have to do with the Falcones? If they were involved in his parent’s death, he had to have a surefire way of getting Carmine convicted. 

He’d been investigating for months and had finally found a cop worthy of his badge. A certain detective Jim Gordon had both influence and honesty in his blood, just the perfect combination to put one of Gotham’s most malicious cronies behind bars. He’d be able to convince Dent Sr. to help with getting a lawyer and the case in general. y/n would get him his evidence. Everything was in place for his plan to work. 

But y/n, she needed to be safe from it all. After all a promise is a promise, and Bruce Wayne always keeps his word. She hadn’t left his thoughts for days, and even now she occupied his mind as he worried for her life.

Sense finally kicked in, and Bruce rushed out the doors of his home, heading to Crime Alley to find y/n. The explosion must’ve surely hurt her, and he couldn’t leave her there to fend for herself in such a bad area. 

An hour or so later, he found y/n on a rooftop freezing in her sleep. In the place where his parents were murdered, the place that haunted him every night, left him tossing and turning until bags formed under his eyes, Bruce knew he’d die here too. It was only a matter of time, for here he was helpless, and no amount of money would save him from death he had cheated. But at that moment, watching y/n smile in such a decrepit state, he couldn’t help but let the thought of her dying overshadow his own fears. 

Slinging her backpack onto his shoulder and picking her up in both his arms, he held her even tighter than he had at the bar, allowing her face to sink into his chest as he walked to his car. Setting her gently in the backseat, he drove out of Park Row back to his mansion. 

Upon arriving back home, he didn’t take her to the same bedroom as the previous night. Rather he sat in the backseat, letting her head lean in his lap as he brushed her hair and watched the color return to her skin. 

In the comfort of silence, he felt as though he needed to get something off of his chest. Thus, he confessed, “Wayne means many things to many people, and to each I am a different person. I’m a rich asshole, a pitiful orphan, an influential figurehead, a reckless idiot, or a gold digger’s dream, but really, I’m a curse. And you, you’re the only one who makes me feel human.

“I know it sounds stupid, but it started in our first year at the Academy, when you got a 100% on our chemistry test. You beat me, and no one beat me. It felt refreshing to have someone see past my ‘power’ and treat me like I wasn’t a god amongst humans that shouldn’t be crossed. And so I started to retaliate, hoping that I’d get your attention. 

“Honestly, I’d never studied for a test in my life as hard as I’d done for you. Just so you’d look my way and think I’m not like the other guys, that I used my wealth and endless resources to further myself instead of blowing it off on pointless stuff. And when that didn’t work, I wanted to get you jealous, using other girls. And when that didn’t work I used the race, to try and impress you.

“Now in hindsight, all that may have come across as a completely different message, but what more can you expect from a boy who has never known true affection? 

“I’ve hurt everyone I’ve been with, from flings to my parents. I can’t seem to give people happiness. I thought I could help you, save you from the real Gotham, beyond the Academy, but look what I’ve done…”

He hesitated, before placing a kiss on y/n’s forehead and admiring her sleeping figure. A part of him hoped she had heard him, that his feelings could be understood. But another part prayed she hadn’t, for he feared she’d only be hurt even more knowing the truth.

˖ ࣪🦇𓆰♡𓆪🦇ִ ࣪⋆

taglist: @earth-to-name

[kaeyas-beloved]

💐 with kaeya please? i love him so much sfjhkkhbdj

YASSSS ANON I LOVE HIM SM TOO I UNDERSTAND HES SO PRETTY AND SO CUTE AND SO SWEET AND JUST 🥺😭💞💞 (so much so that this fic takes a little bit of a sweet, tooth-rotting turn)

CW: gn!reader, petnames (my love)

[ 💐 ] - buying them flowers, just because

Acts of service prompts: open!

“I have a surprise for you,” Kaeya had suddenly whispered in your ear, a familiar charming smile along his face.

There was a brief moment after, among the comforting warmth of his hand in yours and the closeness as you both walked home, where you feared your heart would detangle itself from you and fly away. It’s not like it’s metaphorically impossible, not when its none other than Kaeya Alberich, the cutest, kindest and most lovable man in Mondstadt who’s making it beat so fast. From the shy touches of his hand as he reaches for your own to the way he begins to fumble over his words when you compliment him back, it's hard not to smile and promise yourself that you'll give him the world and more.

But you digress, continuing to head home for the evening, a constant brushing and bumping of Kaeya's arm against yours, hands entangled and filling you with warmth. “Oh? Kaeya, you spoil me too much I swear,” you chuckle, giving his hand a squeeze.

“Not as much as I’d like to,” he responds, planting a kiss to your cheek. You open your mouth as if to tease him back, but the truth is you didn’t have anything more to say, so you shook your head and kept walking. By time you both got home the moon was high, stars dotting the indigo canvas that was the night sky.

Stepping through the door Kaeya grabs your hand, giving it a kiss before asking you to stay right there while he goes to grab your gift. Nodding, you watch as he leaves with a happy smile, giddy and obviously in love as he strides up the stairs. A myriad of possibilities circle your mind - perhaps he got you a new shirt? Or maybe it’s a book? Or or, maybe it’s something small like your favourite snack? - but all of them turn out to be wrong when the man reappears with a decent sized bouquet.

Your heart does a flip, breath getting caught in your throat. “For you, just because,” he says, handing you the flowers. Without even needing to smell them their fresh fragrance wafts towards you, relaxing you further than you already were.

“Really?” You raise a brow, smiling as you look from the flora to him and back (you can’t help but draw similarities between the two - things no one else would be able to conclude about the two), “are you sure you got them ‘just because’?”

Something between a shy and teasing smile comes over his face, “my, do you doubt me so? Truly, I was walking back from work today, on my way to fetch you so we could go on our date, when I saw them.” He steps forward then, reaching up to fix one of the flowers in the arrangement. His gaze visible softens as he looks at you, “they made me think of you,” beautiful, gentle, calming, “I just had to get them.” You look at them again, this time singling out the one your lover had been attending to.

A cecilia, one that’s mixed in among windwheel asters. A thought appears in your mind and you pluck it from the bunch, careful as you set the others aside. “I think it’s kinda funny Kae; that while you were telling me these reminded you of me, all I could think about was how they remind me of you.” Pretty, gentle, something to treasure.

You’re careful in your movements and gentle in your touch as you reach towards Kaeya, flower in hand. Brushing a stray strand of hair behind his ear, you tuck the white flower through his hair, taking your time in securing it. When you’re finished your hands fall from his hair and to his face, cupping both cheeks in your hands. “Beautiful, just like you.”

From under your hands you feel his skin warm, even more so after you speak your next words, “Thank you for the gift my love, but if it’s okay, I’d like to share it with you,” you place a kiss to his nose and then his lips, soft and delicate yet so full of love, much like the flowers he so lovingly gave - his sign of unwavering and never ending love for you.

Tomorrow you’ll be sure to spoil him in your love, as an extension of your thanks. You’ll be sure to display the flowers in your home as well, so you can be reminded of him every time you see them.

Tag list: @spoopy-fish-writes // @that-enby-alien // @xenuuu // @mariposa666haruka // @quackquackmfs // @kaerui-kaisen // @ajaxstar // @genshin-impact-writings // @stage-lucida // @ventisweetheart // @lordbugs // @leena-shi // @lemontum // @akiria12167 // @ari-the-wr1ter // @dontmindmebeing // @xiaos-wif3 // @irethepotato // @milkwithspiceyicecubes // @stygianoir // @x-zho // @kaeyaloml

. . .

Wanna be tagged in future works? Consider filling out this form! And if you want to be removed just DM or send an ask into my inbox!

[justanamesstuff]

Unrequited love? - Matty Healy

Part 5 of Unrequited love...

A/N: I'm not so suuure about this part, let me know what you think! THANK YOU FOR ALL THE SUPPORT ♥♥♥

Warnings: angsty feelings, anxiety, typos.

Word count: 2.5k

Blog masterlist

Y/n had been working all morning as a way to silence her anxiety. The boys left almost one month ago, almost a week ago she started to miss them even more. Y/n was happy for them, doing what they love most, but also she worried about them overworking themselves, especially Matty. He always wanted to give his best at every single concert. 

During those weeks apart, Y/n and Matty found time to talk regularly, even with the different time zones getting in the way. From a few weeks prior, she noticed he wasn’t doing entirely fine, even when he tried time and time again to reassure Y/n. She knew best.

Y/n moved rhythmically her legs, she couldn’t keep herself still. The coffee she drank before work wasn’t helping at all to ease her nerves. Her stomach twisted with the mere thought of Matty not doing okay and lying to her. 

Matty usually shared with her his deepest thoughts. Although, every time they were miles and miles apart he formed a facade so Y/n didn’t worry about him. This wasn’t the first time. 

That’s why Y/n chose to test another way, the plan B. As soon as she woke up, Y/n sent a text to George saying she needed to ask him something. He agreed to it, but first they had the soundcheck. Y/n had been counting the minutes for his call to came through. 

Y/n was in the middle of replying to an email, when her phone started to vibrate on her desk. Like a reflex move, Y/n picked it up. She told a lame excuse to her coworker and ran to the bathroom. 

“Hi.” Y/n answered the call, locking the door behind her.

“Hi, Y/n/n!” George greeted her. There were no more sounds than his voice coming from his side, he was probably in some room alone. “How are you?”

Y/n bit her nails, thinking a good way to ask him. “I’m good, G. How are you?”

“Me or Matty?” he teased her.

“Both.”

G dropped his joking tone, noticing Y/n was worried. “I’m good…” George said, suspiciously. 

“How is he? Tell me the truth, G. I know he’s lying to me.” Y/n almost begged.

Y/n’s heart picked up when George took his time to answer. He was thinking really hard about his next words, which alerted Y/n.

George let a bit breathe out, “He’s not doing fine, I’m sorry to tell you…”

“How bad?”

“Um, jet lag is taking the best of us all, we landed safely, but he had problems to check in at the hotel. Fans are outside the hotel and some are guests as well. Add to the mix, all the shit they’re talking about him.” 

“Shit George.”

Y/n was ashamed to admit she had spent hours scrolling through TikTok and Instagram, reading comments. She wasn’t oblivious to the fact that most of those hating him and saying an entire spectrum of insults weren’t fans. Although she was sure Matty read those. None of them knew the true Matty, and her heart swell with him reading those lies. 

“I know, I’m trying my best to help him but…I feel like I’m not doing enough-” George admitted out loud for him and for Y/n.

“That’s not true!”

The boys –and the whole crew in reality– functioned as a group, as a family, and they care a lot for each other. Y/n was sure they were doing the absolutely best to help Matty.

“I’m not so sure, Y/n.”

“George, I bet all of you…are doing your absolutely best. Not only to support him, but all the band as well.” she reassured him.

“Yeah…but he’s my best mate, I feel the need to do more…”

“What else could you do?”

“There’s something I’d been thinking about.” his tone made her pulse jump. 

“Okay?”

George went straight to the point, “I think you should come.”

“You think that would help? I’d love to, but-“

G cut her short. “He listens to you, Y/n.” he was right, but she had a few doubts this time. 

“May I remind you that he’s lying to me about all of this?” Y/n protested. 

“Because he knows you would worry, as you’re doing.” G was right time again.  

“Yeah, he’s my best-“

“Bullshit.” he was reaching a new point of annoy with Matty and Y/n dancing around each other.

“Shut up, George.” Y/n was way too busy worrying to think about her feelings.

“Okay, that’s another conversation.” George gave her that. “I’m begging, not asking, literally begging for you to come. I’ll pay the ticket-“ he continued with his position. 

“Okay, okay…you don’t need to beg or tell me twice. Let me see when I can-“ Y/n said, thinking how to move things around with work to travel as soon as she can. 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” George chanted.

—————————————————

Y/n walked through the halls of the fancy hotel room, with the boys hot on her heels. They already told her the number of room he was staying, so she was heading there.

Once she found it, Y/n stopped in front of the door. She lifted her hand on a fist, ready to knock, but something stopped her. 

She glanced behind her, founding the three grown up men expecting her next action. 

“Do you mind?” Y/n asked, trying to suppress a smile. 

“Oh!” Ross opened his eyes wide. 

Adam’s cheeks turning red, grabbing Ross and George by the arm to drag them far away. “Sorry!”

Y/n shook her head, returning her sight to the door’s number. 

“Good luck!” she heard George’s voice far from her. 

Y/n laughed, muttering, “Boys.”

With the only thought occupying her mind about Matty being at the other side, she knocked strongly once. 

“Yes?” Matty wondered from the other side. 

Y/n couldn’t help to smile, “Me.” she simply said, hoping that he understood who she was.

The door swung open, revealing the curly boy standing with a surprised expression. He was staring at her form, trying to understand if she was a product of his imagination or Y/n was in fact standing there. 

“What are you doing here?” Matty managed to ask. 

Y/n took his appearance in. Matty had his hair pointing to every single angle possible, his chest was bare, his tattoos in all its glory, and he was only wearing sweatpants hanging low.  

“Hello to you too, Healy!” she joked about his greeting. 

Before Y/n could move a muscle, Matty engulfed her in a hug. Her body stiff at first after the sudden movement, even though she immediately melted inside his arms.

“Oh, baby…” Y/n exclaimed. Letting her hands rest on his back, caressing the skin there softly. 

“Are you really here?” Matty whispered from her neck. 

She comforted him, “I am.”

“You talked with the boys?”

“George.” Y/n only mentioned his bandmate name. 

“Mmm.”

The sound of people leaving one room at the end of the hall, startled Y/n.  

“I think it’s better if we get inside…” Y/n suggested.

Matty showed his face again, staring at her eyes, “Sorry.” 

Y/n felt how Matty took her hand on one hand and the handle of her bag on the other. 

*****************************************************************************************

Without letting go of her hand, Matty took Y/n directly to the balcony. The small space was occupied by a nice outside couch with room for both of them. 

Y/n was laying with Matty’s back facing her front, he was between her spread legs with his head resting on her chest. His messy curls were temping enough for her to run her hands through them. 

They had fallen into a comfortable silence after Y/n told him all about her journey to get there. Making big gestures and mimicking some old lady being annoying, she wanted to cheer Matty up, and it was working.

“Feeling better?” Y/n asked, looking down at his face. Matty had his eyes closed, enjoying her touch. 

“So much better.” he admitted. 

“Am I that powerful?”

Matty was too gone to suppress his words from coming out, “You know you have that power over me.”

Y/n wasn’t sure what to say about it. She tried to joke as a way out, “I think Adam has more power over you.”

“Nah.”

Y/n though about the long month apart, Matty was her best friend before anything else. He was a constant in her life, and every time he had to leave it broke her. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too, darling.” Matty glanced up to her face, without moving from his spot. 

“Are you going to spill what’s going on inside this little ratty head?” Y/n titled her head, staring at his beautiful eyes. 

Matty couldn’t maintain it, his face facing away from her. “My head is not little.” he pouted. 

“Matty-“

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you…” he touched the side of her leg, distracting himself from the unsettling feelings inside him. 

“It’s okay, Matty.” Y/n said caring. “I’m here now, you can tell me.”

“It’s been all…a lot.”

“What do you mean by all?”

“The travelling, the aeroplanes, the hotels, the time zones, the concerts, media coverage and…” he stopped suddenly.

“And?”

“And you were at the other side of the world.” Matty mumbled, feeling embarrassed. He hated himself to sound like such an idiot, such a child. 

“Home it’s not that far…” Y/n tried. 

“It was…now you’re here.” Matty said. Saying those words calmed him more than he was able to admit.

“Matty-“

He continued without stopping for a single minute, “I’ve been thinking about your birthday…and the evening before I left.” he let Y/n know. 

“Why?” Y/n let her hands travel from his hair to his chest. 

Matty shivered under her touch. “You know why.”

“No, tell me.” she encouraged him, tracing the lines of the tattoo adoring the centre of his chest. 

“I think it is obvious.” Matty was scared to speak everything going inside his head. He wanted to tell her, but the rational part of his brain was trying to stop him.

“No.” Y/n tried to keep an external collected look, messing a little with him.

“You just want me to say it…” Matty groaned, hiding his face behind his hands.

Y/n let her face buried inside his hair. “Maybe.” 

“Little shit!” Matty stated, turning around inside her arms.  

Y/n gasped at his words, “What did you just call me?” her eyes were wide open as well as her mouth. 

Matty stared at her eyes, placing his hands on her hips, pinning Y/n on the couch. “I’ve been thinking about every single time we almost…” he said with his voice lowering a tone. 

“Almost?” Y/n couldn’t help herself to keep messing with him. 

“You’re enjoying this way too much.” Matty exposed her, slowly approaching his face. 

Y/n moved around, so her body was resting fully on the couch. “Finish your sentence, Healy.” she dared him. 

“We almost kiss.” Matty stopped at half way.  

“And what you think about it?” Y/n traced the skin from his strong arms to his neck slowly, grabbing his curls when she reached her destination. 

“Did you want me- want me to-“ Matty stuttering, distracted by her hands. 

“Yes.” Y/n said, directly to his eyes. 

Matty lowered another inch, “I didn’t finish.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“Did you really wanted to kiss me?” Matty inquired. 

The singer let his whole body rest on top of hers, trying not to crush Y/n at the same time. Their foreheads were directly touching. Feeling him so close was a pleasure she never felt with someone else. Y/n breath deeply.

“Matty-” 

“Because I’ve been dying to kiss you.“ Matty openly confessed, wetting his lips drawing her attention to them. 

Y/n brought him down all the way, finally kissing him. Matty let his right-hand travel to hold her jaw while his lips attack Y/n’s. The tempo of the kiss was rather slow and calm, although Y/n felt how her entire body was burning up.

Matty pushed up, detaching his lips, when he felt the lack of air. Y/n opened her eyes slowly. 

“Yes, I might have been thinking about it a lot lately.” she replied to his earlier question.

“Y/n.” Matty whispered, feeling like everything was a little better after kissing her. “You really mean it?” he needed to be sure, Matty needed her to tell him.

“Matty Healy is feeling insecure because of…me?” Y/n brushed their noses slowly. 

Matty frowned, “I swear…”

Y/n took advantaged, chuckling, pecking his lips a couple of times repeatedly. “I do, Matty. I didn’t though you felt the same way.” Y/n bit her lips, without looking at his eyes.

“There's no one else.” 

“I bet there’s a long line of girls waiting-“

“You know how I mean it, Y/n.” Matty tried to soothe her worries. 

Y/n dared to return her sight to his hazelnut eyes. “I do.”

“What about you?”

She furrowed her eyes, trying to get what he was asking, “What?”

“What about John?” Matty tested the waters. The pink tone appearing at his cheeks made her chuckled. 

“What about him?” Y/n touched his rosy cheeks. 

Matty plopped down, hiding his face on her neck, “Are you a thing…went out with the twat?”

He waited for her answer with his heart in his hand. Feeling immediately better when Y/n spoke.

“No, I never replied when he asked me out.”

Matty laugh, making her neck tickled. “Baby, that’s mean!” him calling her that warmed her inside. 

“I was hooked up with someone else. Sorry!” Y/n stated, making Matty come from his hiding spot. 

“How’s the lucky man?” he wiggled his eyebrows. 

“You and the man thing.” Y/n placed her hand on his face, pushing delicately. Matty blew a raspberry on her palm, so she took it out. 

“So, I am the one you fell for?” Matty smirked, returning to be inches away from her lips.

“Don’t be so smugly, Healy.” Y/n turned her face to a side, feeling shy.

Matty drew a path of kisses from her neck towards her cheek. “No one is going to stop me. I just kiss, for the first time, the girl I lo- like…nothing is stopping me!”

“Such a boy.” Y/n returned her attention to his loving eyes. 

Matty faked being offended by her words once more, “Take that back.”

“Make me.” she dared him.

“Oh, I will, sweetheart!”

Matty started to tickled her sides until she was a mess under him. They returned to kiss once more when she calmed down. Y/n thought she could get used to kiss him, and Matty was aware he was already addicted to her taste. 

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

Tagging: @jagz72 @deamus-liv @mrspeacem1nusone @sofaritsalrightt @soci4lc4sualty @thefemininemystiquee @hswannaknow @louweasleymalfoy @indierockgirrl

(let me know if you want to be tagged)

[aleksa-sims]

RL Story

Everything repeats itself....

.... At least that’s what N.’s Mom thought.... I was at my prenatal check-up today. I had a CTG. Philip accompanied me. He's just my ride and N. knew about it!!

His Mom thought it was.... strange, that Philip accompanied me. I was mad, because it’s none of her business! I didn’t want to talk to her about it! I don't have to justify myself, for anything! N., P. & I closed that chapter, months ago! It’s been 2 years now, hell!! We know, it was a mistake, she doesn’t have to remind us all the time. We decided to leave the past behind.

But Nico’s Mom seemed to have to get something off her chest?

N.'s Mom: What’s going on here?

Philip: Um.. I was just about to say goodbye.

N.'s Mom: This may seem a little.... stupid to you two, but I want you to listen to me.

Me: Okay?😳

Philip: Go ahead! 🤷‍♂️

N.'s Mom: Back then, I stayed out of your business. I trusted that you all know what you are doing. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to interfere this time either. But I must confess it was wrong of me and P.'s Mom, to look away. Once it was too late, we realized that. And even at this point, I didn’t really know what went wrong?None of you guys, were going to explain to me what had happened. Anyway, that's... ok! But this must not happen again!! It’s not just you three anymore! You P., have a little girl. Aleksa and N. are having a Baby. Everything you do, affects them too! I-.. I don’t want to accuse you of anything, Philip. Honestly not! Just don't ruin this for him! You shouldn’t see A. alone. I know you mean well, but sometimes the past repeats itself without us noticing.

Philip: Nico asked me, to take her to the hospital. Tbh, I’d just leave now! But I respect you. So I'm going to say something. I do this now, once, but after that, I never want to talk to you, or my mother, about this again. As you may know, Nico wanted me, to sleep with her. That was all his idea. I know that’s hard to understand, why he wanted that and and why I agreed to get involved. I mean... it was supposed to be just fun. But I wasn’t the reason they broke up! Nico and I weren’t jealous of each other! We followed our rules and... agh, sorry for my language! We shared A. fairly. But well, things got complicated. She didn’t want to be passed back and forth between Nico and me anymore. She felt used by us. And she also started doing that damn drug. She constantly lied to N. and me. That's why... N. left! He thought she was better off without him. He left it to me, to....fix her. Which didn’t work either. Her addiction was stronger. That’s the whole truth behind our.... failed... journey. It’s over, life goes on. But I’m not gonna ruin anything for Nico. Absolutely not! Anyway, I gotta go! 😣😠

N.'s Mom (to me): Is what he said... true? You didn’t choose Philip?

Me: I chose.... that poison. And my Dad, he... pressured Nico.

N.'s Mom: I know. And I’m sorry about what I said rn. But certain things repeat themselves, A.! Think about Annabelle & your little one. You don’t need Philip as a friend. Especially not as a replacement for N.

Me: I don’t want to talk anymore. Sorry. 😠

I was about to pack my things and go back to my parents. But I didn't want to upset N.! When he came home that night, I didn’t even mention it.

Previous/Next

[erin-writes-ghost-fluff]

Cheering up Papa

A/N: Wrote this on my old blog. Thought I’d share it here! Minors/Under the age of 18, do not interact. My fluff is not for you. Note, I wrote this way before RHRN.

Fandom: Ghost

Characters: Cirrus, Copia, Cumulus

Warnings: Tickling. Fluff. Mentions of death at first. A little angsty at the beginning.

~ ~ ~

Cirrus found him first. Nobody could find him to begin with, so of course that worried Sister but it all worked out. He had gone to the garden to water the flowers. Nobody had been caring for them, since Primo’s death and Copia wanted to change that. Next tour, he was putting a sibling of sin in charge of upkeeping the garden. It was one of the few reminders he had left of his brothers.

He sat under the gazebo, on the patio sofa, taking a break. It was a pleasant day, Copia thought. It was warm but not uncomfortably so. There was a gentle breeze occasionally making the leaves on the trees sway. Out here was a comfort. It made him feel close to Primo and made him feel he was doing something right, by trying to take care of those flowers and plants.

“Papa?” A voice was approaching him. Cirrus.

“There you are! Everyone wondered where you got off to!”

Papa. Copia repeated in his mind. He’d never be used to that title. He had been cardinal for so long. He hardly expected to be the next in line for Papa and truth be told, he wasn't sure if he wanted this. Looking back, Nihil’s comment about him not being a part of the bloodline made sense.

Unlike his older brothers, he hadn't been mentored. Primo had taught Secondo, and Secondo taught Terzo. Nobody was here to teach him. And it had left him feeling empty and hollow.

Noticing his silence and the blank look on his face, the ghoulette frowned, coming to sit next to him. Something was troubling him, and she was going to get to the bottom of it.

“Everything ok?” She knew it wasn't but she wanted confirmation.

“Eh… I just have a lot on my mind. I’ll be fine. I am papa now. I do the worrying, not you ghouls and ghoulettes.”

Cirrus wasn't budging. “Copia please. You know how I am with picking up emotions. You aren't ok right now. Talk to me.”

She pulled the former cardinal against her, who heaved a sigh in response. Maybe getting it all out to a sympathetic ear would help. Someone who was grieving with him.

“I…. It just happened so quick, you know? The whole ‘becoming papa’ thing. No warnings, no nothing, one minute I’m performing, the next minute, I’m surrounded and declared papa.”

Cirrus nodded. He was right. There had been no time to process such a big, sudden change. Hell, Copia wasn't even warned. It had taken the ghouls by surprise as well. None of them had expected it.

“What else, papa? There's more. I know.”

Copia pressed his temple against hers, showing his affection and gratitude for her listening.

“I just feel that I am destined to fail. I have no-one to teach me how to be Papa.”

At this moment, Cumulus was walking out to the garden too. Seeing her bandmates- and technically newly appointed leader- she smiled, deciding to see what was going on.

“Hey ‘Lu.” Cirrus greeted, “papa’s having a venting moment.”

Cumulus’ tail and wings sagged. “Oh papa… Do you need space? Or would it be alright if I listened too?”

Copia shrugged. “If you want to stay, I don't have a problem.”

Cumulus took her seat on his opposite side, ready to be of as much comfort as she could.

Copia resumed, running a hand through his hair.

“I just feel alone, ever since my brothers died. I know I have my ghouls and I am not completely alone but…. Losing them was hard. I’ve had no time to mourn. It's just been work since we returned from tour. I know if Primo were here, he’d be teaching me. I have such big shoes to fill, you know? Except for Terzo's, his shoes were small, because his feet were tiny, heheh…”

Cirrus purred, nuzzling her nose against his temple. Cumulus had reached over, massaging his shoulder blades. He felt exceptionally tense.

“I think they’d be proud of you.” Cumulus hummed thoughtfully. “Especially Primo. He always wanted to see his younger brothers succeed.”

Would he? Copia wondered

“Do you really think so? It was hard to tell who or what gained his approval and who just got on his nerves.”

“Yes,” Cirrus agreed, “I think they’d be happy that their fratellino made it. I think Secondo would be teaching you to read the ancient grimoires, Terzo would be teaching you the Hellish or ghoulish tongue, and Primo would be more than happy to show you how to summon ghouls.”

Maybe they were right. But still…

“I just feel unsure now.”

Cirrus was now massaging and gently scratching Copia’s scalp, being mindful of her claws. He shivered before melting against her, some tension draining away.

“I think you're gonna do great. Yeah, you’re gonna be different than Terzo but that's ok. No Papa is alike. You have a lot to learn but we won't be impatient or unkind. We are you ghouls now, Copia. We will support you, when nobody else will.”

A lump formed in his throat, as he urged himself not to cry, his eyes suddenly glossy with unshed tears. His brothers may not be here to support him now or cheer him on- if they would have done such a thing- but hearing that his ghouls would be here to lift him up, made him feel relieved.

“We mourn with you, papa.” Cumulus chimed in again. “Your pain is ours.”

“Uh, i-it's not necessarily that- well, I mean it is, I just, I don't feel as bad now…”

The two ghoulettes sandwiched him in a tight hug, purring softly. Copia gave a shuddering exhale, bowing his head, bittersweet tears streaming down his cheeks.

“We’ve got you, Copia.” Cirrus murmured. “We’re here for you.”

This had been what he had needed for months. Just for someone to say they heard him and they would be there for him. All Sister wanted to do was go on and on, about his triumph as papa. Always saying how he was an improvement over Terzo. He never saw how. Terzo had won a GRAMMY after all, he had thought to himself.

Sister missed the point. And even if she hadn't, she still would be no true source of comfort. Too much false positivity. He needed to be allowed to feel these negative emotions. Not just brush them aside, because Sister said he should be happy.

Being able to vent helped immensely. Already, he felt a weight off of his shoulders and heart. His confidence wasn't there yet but it would be. He allowed himself to cry in silence, both ghoulettes rubbing his back and shoulder. After a minute or two, his tears began to subside.

“How do you feel?” Cumulus asked, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a handkerchief.

She wiped away his remaining tears, Copia allowing her to do so, almost leaning into her touch.

“Is there anything else we can do to help you feel better, papa?” Cirrus tilted her head to the side.

Come to think of it, they already had.

“I feel a little better now, grazie. Just by listening to me and letting me get it out. I appreciate it.”

They hugged him once more, glad to know he was doing a bit better. Still, Cirrus didn't like it when Copia was sad. A thought came to her, suddenly.

“I think I have an idea…”

Copia blinked. “What?”

She and Cumulus exchanged mischievous grins. They used to do this to Terzo but it was a much easier time with him, because of his height.

With no other warning, the ghoulettes began gently squeezing and pinching his sides, eliciting a shocked squeak, followed by some loud giggles.

“H-hey!” Copia cried, unable to stop giggling, “stop it!”

“Sorry, papa.” Cumulus chuckled, “we’re just trying to get you to smile.

“Ihihihi ahaham smiling!” He replied, kicking his legs out.

The ghoulettes had just started and he found it nearly unbearable. Especially when Cirrus snuck her hand up the hem of his shirt to get his belly. Every touch, every playful, gentle wisp of claws only caused him to laugh harder and louder. Rather than try to get away or fight them off, he held his hands over his mouth to muffle his giggles.

Cirrus wasn't having this, however. And she knew just how to bring his arms down.

“Ah-ah!” She playfully scolded, using her tail to get underneath one of Copia's arms.

Cumulus followed suit.

As they wanted, Copia's arms clamped down instinctively, his giggles turning frantic and squeaky, as Cirrus had not ceased torment on his belly.

“Cirrus!!” He squealed, as her other hand gently pried his own away from his mouth.

She laughed in response, “Hmm? What is it Papa?”

He shook his head, further squeaky giggles bubbling out of him, like a spring.

“Come oooon, use your words!” She teased, giving him a fanged smile.

Both sets of claws now gently digging into his ribs with the utmost care. Cumulus was teasing his neck and ears.

His blush darkened as he tried to keep himself still for them. They were only trying to help and lift his spirits again. For that, Copia was grateful. Suppose it wouldn't hurt to allow his ghoulettes to have a little fun. And while he’d never admit it aloud… he was having fun too. It felt nice to laugh like this.

He let out another squeal when Cumulus leaned forward, burying her face into his neck to playfully nibble the ticklish skin. His shoulders shrugged instinctively.

“No! Don't do that!” Copia squeaked, but Cumulus only continued.

“You know…. I don't think you mean that,” Cirrus smirked, lightly scratching underneath his arms, causing him to cackle.

Oh no… How did she know?! Though he wasn't really trying hard to get away….

“Y-you have no proof!” He challenged.

Cumulus snickered, using one claw to trace the shell of his ear, bringing out a high pitched cackle.

“I dunno, giggle rat…You’re barely trying to escape!”

His blush now spread up to his ears. “Don’t call me that!!”

“But it's true!” Cirrus giggled, “you squeak and squeal like a rat when you get tickled, sooooo that makes you a ticklish giggle rat.

Copia shook his head, denying such accusations but couldn't stop laughing to save his life. He let out a shocked shriek, when all twenty fingers skittered against his belly. He jolted as if he’d been shocked by electricity, laughter flowing unrestrained and freely from the Anti-Pope.

“THIS IS MEAN!!” He howled, kicking his legs out like an overgrown child once more.

Both ghoulettes tails wagged and swayed happily, listening to his laughter, pleased with themselves. They found themselves laughing with him as usual. His laughter was just so adorable and contagious, in Cirrus’ correct opinion.

He was beginning to tire, however and they didn't want to push him too far. It would seem a grand finale was in order. And Cirrus knew just how to go about it.

Cumulus seemed to be thinking the same thing, as she raised the hem of Copia's shirt, baring his belly just a little. He knew what was coming and began to go into a giggly, anticipatory panic. He’d been tickled by Cirrus enough times to know…

“Wait! Wait! Per favore! I’m gonna die!”

The other two giggled. Oh yes, he was definitely Terzo's little brother, alright! Copia was just as dramatic as him!

“Oh papa…” Cumulus snickered, shaking her head, “I think you’ll live!”

“No I won’t!”

With no further warning, they leaned down, claiming both sides of his belly, before blowing a loud raspberry before switching to nibbling, all while snarling playfully.

Copia let loose another shriek before howling with unbridled mirth, as they made a ‘feast’ out of him. He sputtered and squeaked, trying to talk but laughter took over within seconds. He slammed his hands on his thighs, unable to even think straight at this point. Despite the hysteria, his laughter was hearty.

Just when he thought he was going to be driven insane, his ghoulettes had a shred of mercy, stopping their playful attack, pulling his shirt back down, smoothing out his hair and clothes.

He heaved a relieved- yet giggly- sigh, going limp and slouching where he sat.

Cirrus purred, pressing her nose against his cheek with a nuzzle. “Awwww. See? Not that bad!”

Copia crossed his arms, giving a joking, angry pout.

“Yes it was!” He grouched playfully, “you two are fucking bullies!”

Cumulus laughed, giving his body a gentle squeeze, while Cirrus rubbed his back to help him calm down.

“Because we love you!”

Ok…. Copia couldn't argue with that logic. He gave them a bashful smile, pressing his temple against Cumulus’, followed by Cirrus.

“I love you too.” He chuckled softly. “....But it still wasn't nice!”

Cirrus ruffled his hair. “It got you to feel better though, I bet.”

Well, she wasn't wrong!

“Not answering that!”

Cumulus snickered. “Hey, wanna come and help me do some baking? I’m in a mood for something sweet. Probably something chocolate!”

Copia's mood lifted further. If there was one thing he loved just as much as rigatoni, it was chocolate!

“Oh yes, I’d love to! Now that you’ve said it, I wouldn't mind having some sweets too!”

The group of three stood up, stretching their limbs before walking back inside The Ministry, heading straight to the kitchen.

Being Papa wouldn't be easy. It would be stressful some days and a pain in the ass. But Copia felt just a little more confident now. His brothers may not be here, but he still had a support system.

Papa. Yes. Suppose he could get used to being called that now.

[timeofjuly]

I’ve been too scared to reread rtc to work out what needs to happen in chapter 13 because I convinced myself that the whole fic is a flaming pile of cringey flimsy garbage, but ya know what, I finally gathered the courage to (skim) read it and it’s not as bad as I thought lol. My interpretation and understanding of the characters has changed a lot since I started writing it (thank you to all of the extraordinarily talented writers in this fandom whose works have since shaped my characterisation for the better) so if I could go back, I’d make some different choices. But - and this is me putting this into words in an attempt to convince myself of its truth - this is a hobby, not a test. I’m not a failure because I’m not retroactively meeting the standards I have for my writing today with words I wrote six months ago. Are there bits of clumsy writing and mischaracterisation? Yes, absolutely. Does that mean I’m a bad writer and a bad person who should throw their laptop out the window and never write another word again? Probably not lol, even if rereading that mischaracterisation makes me want to do exactly that.

I’m glad I’ve pulled the bandaid off and reread it, a) because I kinda know what I want to happen in the next chapter now and b) because rereading it, despite the Shame and Embarrassment, reminded me that I actually like writing rtc. Even the bits I cringe at now - I remember having fun writing them. And then I looked back at some comments and remembered how much I love the sense of community that comes with putting myself out there, even though being perceived by others is probably my biggest fear. I like writing, and I like sharing my writing. Why am I letting shame ruin this for myself? I want to stop feeling icky and embarrassed about things I worked hard on.

Anyway. All this to say: I like writing rtc, despite the flaws I see in it, so I need to learn to work through my learned response to imperfection, which is to just feel terrible about it lol. I’m going to start messing around with chapter 13 soon. I really do miss playing around in the rtc world and I’m so excited to show you all what I have planned for the characters <3

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

And finally the established Buddie in the workplace stories! One where they’ve already learned to contain themselves and one where well….. not such much

⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️ (anytime you need more TWATYTK emojis you just let me know and I’ll send them all! I absolutely adored last chapter with its beautiful father-son moments! Very excited to see what’s next plot wise!)

💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪 (oh eddie. In a torture chamber of his own making. Why am I not surprised? I am absolutely thrilled with it though and can’t wait to read the whole thing!)

Hope you have fun writing these Cal! As always I’m very grateful for every word you share!

- PCA <3

AHH love it.

75 for ⚡️ (I will ALWAYS take more of these. It's def my least requested one, which I understand. But I need to finish the damn thing)

---

 “But, yeah… This is an option.”

Buck nods. “Yeah… Probably, the right option, then?” 

“You do not have to decide over breakfast,” Bobby says reasonably. 

But they do have to decide eventually. So Eddie brings it up after their shift. 

“Is that what you want to do?” He asks on their drive home. “Use a surrogate?”

In the driver’s seat, Buck exhales loudly.

“Uh, I don’t know,” he admits. “I just want a kid, really. A baby, I think. I’d like a baby.”

“Yeah,” Eddie nods. “Me too.”

“Not that there’s anything wrong with adopting an older kid!” Buck adds quickly. Like Hen and Karen, who had recently adopted a young girl named Mara.

“No,” Eddie agrees. ‘There isn’t.”

“Just,” Buck says. “I guess… I want the experience from the start, if possible.”

Right. Because he didn’t meet Christopher until he was seven. That’s completely fair. 

“Honestly?” Eddie says. “Me too.”

Buck frowns a little. “Yeah. I guess that makes sense.”

Eddie’s not looking for any sort of pity or reassurance. It’s just the truth. He wasn’t there for so much of the beginning of Christopher’s life. Having a second kid won’t change that. It won’t make up for that. It won’t change the way Eddie feels about that. But once he’d overcome the feeling that he didn’t deserve another kid because of that, he’d been able to think a lot more about how he’d like to change, this time around. And, actually? For the most part? He likes what kind of parent he’s been. This time, he’d just like to be able to say that from day one.

“So maybe we look into it,” Eddie says. 

“We look into it?” Buck echoes.

“Surrogacy,” Eddie says. 

“Yeah?” Buck grins. “Okay.”

“It does seem like maybe that’s the direction that seems most…” Eddie trails off. He doesn’t know how to explain. 

“Fated?” Buck smirks. “Were you going to say fated?”

“Nope,” Eddie shakes his head. “Definitely not.”

“Liar,” Buck accuses. 

“Okay, well this is sort of insane timing,” Eddie concedes. 

Buck chuckles. “Sure is.”

“So, I’m guessing you’ll do a bunch of research?” Eddie asks. 

“It would be my pleasure.”

🗲🗲🗲

Buck does do his research. A lot of it. It turns out, while the process is extensive and potentially tiring and expensive, it’s straightforward enough. Legally, their rights and protections are pretty good as intended parents. As long as they do everything by the book, they’ll get a legally recognized child by the end of it. 

Which. Wow. The thought has Buck giddy and determined to figure this out. 

---

48 for 💪 (Yay thank you!!!!):

---

“Am I?” Buck takes another step forward.

“We’re at work,” Eddie reminds him.

“Off the clock,” Buck reminds him. “Alone.” 

“Still at work,” Eddie reasons. 

“I guess I should just get back to working out then,” Buck says. “Maybe you can spot for me?”

Eddie wants to strangle him. 

“You’d like that,” he grumbles. 

“I would,” Buck agrees. “Or, you know. You could go back to whatever it is you’re doing.”

“Exercising?” Eddie retorts. 

“Oh, come on,” Buck smirks. “You only do this when you’re frustrated.”

“I am frustrated,” Eddie says. “You are currently frustrating me.”

Buck smirks. “I’ll bet.”

“You’re so cocky,” Eddie complains.

Buck shrugs. “Mhm.”

Eddie honestly has no idea what Buck is doing, antagonizing him. Ruffling his feathers. It’s not great pre-date strategy. Except, well… Okay. It’s not terrible. Eddie still wants him. Badly. He’s just also very annoyed with him.

“What are we doing right now?” Eddie asks. 

“You tell me,” Buck shrugs. “I think I know why you came here.”

“I didn’t know you’d be here,” Eddie argues. 

“But you didn’t do something else, once you found out,” Buck replies. 

“That feels like poor logic,” Eddie argues. 

“What do you want, Eddie?” Buck asks. 

Eddie swallows. “I want you to put your damn arms away and stop taunting me.”

“Taunting?” Buck smiles, amused. “My arms are taunting you?”

“Yes!” Eddie snaps.

[movingmusically]

Caught Feeling - Chapter 1, part 1

Summary: A reserved woman, craving something different, enters a bar and meets Hank, a confident bartender. As their connection deepens, she steps out of her usual quiet self, embracing a night that changes everything.

Note: This is the first writing I’ve ever posted, but after seeing the set pictures yesterday I had to get something down.

The truth is, I don’t really know what possessed me to walk into Paul’s tonight. I’m not the kind of person who normally does things like this—spontaneous, bold, risky. That’s never been me. Or at least, it hasn’t been me in a long time.

There was a time when I was more comfortable in my own skin, when my shyness didn’t feel like a weight. It used to be a part of me, something I accepted, something I lived with rather than fought against. I could be quiet and still feel confident, blending into the background but never doubting my worth. But somewhere along the way, that shifted. The quiet I once enjoyed now feels stifling. I’m constantly second-guessing myself, overthinking every little action, every word I say, as if there’s some invisible audience keeping score.

The world feels too loud, too fast, and I feel too small in it.

Lately, the silence of my own company has become less of a comfort and more of a reminder. A reminder that I’m stuck. That life is moving forward, and I’m standing still, watching everyone else go on without me. I can’t even remember the last time I did something that made me feel...alive. Not just existing from one day to the next but really feeling like I’m part of something—part of the world instead of just a spectator.

Tonight, it feels like I’ve reached some invisible limit. I can’t take another evening of staring at the same four walls, of flicking through channels without really watching, of pretending I’m okay with the monotony. Work drained me, as it always does, leaving me too exhausted to think but somehow too restless to sleep. My mind feels like it’s stuck in a loop, clogged with the same old worries that circle endlessly, without resolution. They’re small things—most of them, at least—but they pile up, weighing me down until I can barely breathe under their collective pressure.

Normally, I’d push through it, fall back into my routine because that’s what I do. I know the safe route; I’ve perfected it over time. But tonight, the routine felt unbearable. The thought of going home, of slipping back into the same old patterns—it made my chest tighten with the kind of dread I couldn’t ignore. It wasn’t that I had a plan, not really. I just knew I couldn’t face another night of nothingness.

So instead of walking home like I always do, I took a different path, literally. One foot in front of the other, the sidewalk unfamiliar beneath me as I moved further away from everything that felt safe and known. It wasn’t intentional, not at first. But the farther I walked, the more it felt like I was being pulled—by something I couldn’t name, some need inside me that I’ve been trying to ignore for too long.

And that’s how I ended up here, standing in front of Paul’s, the bar I’ve passed countless times but never once considered entering. It’s not my kind of place. Never has been. It’s gritty, loud, with an edge that feels too rough for someone like me. The kind of bar where everyone seems to know each other, where conversations are shared over sticky countertops and half-drunk glasses of whiskey. The regulars here probably have stories they’ve told a hundred times, stories about the kind of life I don’t live—the kind of life I always thought I didn’t want.

But maybe tonight, I don’t want to be the kind of person who always plays it safe, who blends into the background without ever leaving a mark. Maybe tonight, I need to be someone else. Someone who isn’t so afraid to take up space. Someone who doesn’t spend hours dissecting every interaction, every conversation, until the memory of it feels more like a mistake than a moment.

I step inside, and immediately, the atmosphere hits me like a wave. The smell of cigarette smoke clings to the air, mixing with the sharp scent of alcohol and something else I can’t quite place. It’s dimly lit, the kind of place where shadows linger in the corners, and the faces blur together unless you’re really looking. There’s a hum of conversation, the low murmur of voices blending with the occasional burst of laughter, creating a background noise that fills the space without overpowering it.

I don’t know why, but the second I cross the threshold, I feel the weight of the room shift. Not in any obvious way. It’s not like anyone stops what they’re doing to look at me—most people are too engrossed in their own lives, their own stories. But I feel it. I feel different, like I’ve stepped out of my usual world and into something unfamiliar, something that makes my nerves buzz just beneath the surface of my skin.

For a brief moment, I want to turn around, to leave before anyone even notices I’m here. That familiar urge to retreat, to go back to what I know, bubbles up inside me, threatening to overwhelm the tentative boldness that brought me here in the first place. But I don’t leave. I take a deep breath, hold it for a moment, and then force myself to stay. To move further into the bar, even though every part of me is screaming to turn back.

I make my way toward the bar, my steps feeling both too loud and too quiet at the same time. My eyes flick around, taking in the crowd, but not really seeing anyone. I feel exposed, out of place, but at the same time, there’s a strange comfort in knowing that no one is really paying attention to me. I can be invisible here if I want to be—and that’s fine. I’m not here to be noticed. I don’t need anyone to see me.

I just need a break—from my own head, from the endless loop of thoughts and worries that seem to follow me wherever I go. I don’t know what I’m hoping to find here, or if I’m even looking for anything at all. All I know is that tonight, I couldn’t go home. I needed to be somewhere different, somewhere unfamiliar, somewhere that wasn’t the same quiet, predictable space where my thoughts would close in on me again.

That’s when I see him.

He was positioned behind the bar, leaning casually against the counter with an ease that suggested he was in his element, practically part of the furniture. His blonde hair, tousled and slightly unkempt, peeked out from under a well-worn baseball cap, pulled down just enough to give him a hint of mystery, shadowing his piercing blue eyes. Those eyes caught mine with an intensity that felt almost tangible, sharp and probing, as if he could peel back the layers of anyone who happened to fall under his gaze.

For a brief moment, the thought of diverting my eyes flitted through my mind, a reflex to escape the unexpected vulnerability I felt under his scrutiny. But I didn’t look away. Instead, our eyes locked, and a slow, knowing smile spread across his face—a smile that seemed to see right through to the nerves I was trying so hard to mask. He held my gaze for a beat too long, creating a moment charged with an unspoken challenge before he turned his attention back to the drinks he was pouring.

A stir of something unfamiliar fluttered inside me—a cocktail of nerves, curiosity, and an exhilarating sense of daring. This wasn't typically me; I was not one to flirt openly, especially with bartenders, nor to sit alone boldly in such a buzzing place. But tonight was different. Tonight, I felt drawn to the unknown, compelled to explore whatever this could lead to.

As I approached the bar, each step seemed amplified, my awareness heightened as if every movement was a statement of intent. I slid onto a stool, feeling the coolness of the leather through my jeans, and my presence seemed to draw his attention once more. The bottles behind him caught the soft lighting of the bar, casting a kaleidoscope of colours across the polished surface. The room was steeped in the smells of smoke and aged wood, enriched with a hint of something musky, almost intoxicating.

He glanced up as I settled in, his earlier smile returning, expectant, as if he had anticipated the challenge I was about to present.

“What’ll it be?” he asked, his voice a rough blend of warmth and rasp, perfectly echoing the raw, ambient energy of the bar.

Under normal circumstances, I’d have a standard order ready, something simple and unassuming, designed to blend in rather than stand out. But tonight, driven by a newfound audacity, I hesitated, meeting his gaze squarely. “Whatever you recommend,” I ventured, my voice more steady than I felt.

His eyebrow arched, clearly amused by my response, and his smirk widened, adding a playful edge to his already compelling demeanour. “You trust me to pick for you?”

I nodded, the gesture firm despite the fluttering in my stomach. “Yeah. Surprise me.”

He chuckled, a low sound that seemed to resonate with a hint of respect, or perhaps challenge. Shaking his head as if in disbelief at my daring, he reached for a bottle. “Alright, you asked for it.”

Watching him work was like observing a skilled artist; each movement was fluid and assured. He selected ingredients with precision, mixing them with a practiced hand that spoke of years behind the bar. As he prepared the drink, I found myself stealing glances, drawn to the confident way he navigated his domain.

He slid the drink across the bar with a smooth motion, and when his fingers brushed mine, a spark of electricity zipped through me, startling and vivid.

“Here you go,” he said, his tone light, that easy grin playing on his lips again. “Let me know what you think.”

I took a tentative sip, and the drink was a revelation—smooth with an undercurrent of complexity that mirrored the night itself. It warmed me, loosening the edges of my anxiety, coaxing a sense of openness I hadn’t felt upon walking in.

“Not bad,” I replied, my own smile a reflection of his, a silent acknowledgment of the small adventure I had embarked upon.

His eyes studied me, a flicker of intrigue passing through them. “Good to know,” he said, his voice tinged with a subtle warmth. He momentarily excused himself to attend to another customer, his movements efficient and practiced as he refilled a drink without missing a beat.

As he worked, the familiar atmosphere of the bar wrapped around us—a comfortable hum of background chatter mingled with the clink of glasses and the occasional cheer from patrons watching the baseball game on the television above. Adjusting his cap, he made his way back to where I was sitting, his approach marked by an easy, confident smile that seemed to pull the dim light of the bar towards him.

Normally, I’d be tongue-tied, fumbling for words, but here, with him, it felt different.

“So, you come here often?” I asked, aiming for light-hearted but cringing a bit at the cliché.

He chuckled, a light, engaging sound that drew a grin from me. “I guess you could say that. I work here most nights. Name’s Hank, by the way,” he introduced himself, extending a hand across the bar.

Hank. It suited him perfectly—strong, straightforward, with just the right amount of rugged charm.

“I’m—” I began, ready to offer my own name, but just then, a regular at the end of the bar caught Hank’s attention, loudly requesting help with the jukebox that was stubbornly refusing to accept their money. Hank shot me a quick, conspiratorial smile that promised he’d return, and then he was off, his stride confident as he navigated the crowded space.

I watched him as he worked, noting the way his shoulders rolled with each movement, the casual confidence in his stride. There was something undeniably magnetic about him, something that drew the eye and held it. It wasn’t just his looks—though those certainly didn’t hurt—it was the way he seemed so completely at ease in his environment, as if he were as much a fixture of the bar as the shelves of liquor behind him.

As he adjusted the jukebox, his eyes occasionally flicked to the small television mounted above the bar. The San Francisco Giants were playing, and it was clear from his intermittent nods and muttered comments to another patron that he was following the game.

When he returned, the noise level in the bar had dropped a bit, and he leaned in slightly to resume our conversation. “Big Giants fan?” I asked, gesturing towards his hat and the screen above us.

"Definitely," Hank said, his smile broadening. "I played a ton in high school back in California, but a bad leg break sidelined me for good. Now, I never miss a game, it helps keep the spirit alive."

“From baseball player to master mixologist,” I observed, noting the transition from his past interests to his current profession. “Looks like you’ve got it all figured out.”

He let out a soft chuckle, a hint of irony flickering in his eyes. “Something like that,” he replied with a slight shrug. “Though life always has a few surprises up its sleeve, doesn’t it?”

As the evening unfolded, the bar had thinned out, not nearly as busy as when I first arrived, but still lively enough to keep Hank moving between customers. Between sharing a laugh, or tossing a rag over his shoulder with casual grace, his eyes would inevitably return, as though drawn by some unspoken pull. Each time he approached, it felt like we were continuing a conversation that had never really stopped, even if words weren’t always exchanged. It was more about his presence—the way he leaned in slightly, his focus making it seem like nothing else in the room mattered.

The warmth of the alcohol settled into me, quieting my usual reservations. It wasn’t enough to cloud my thoughts—I was still fully aware—but it gave me a newfound confidence. With each passing moment, the initial unease melted away, replaced by a comfortable rhythm between us.

“So, what brings you to Paul’s tonight? You don’t exactly blend in with the usual crowd here,” Hank inquired after a while, his tone casual but curious, his eyes searching mine for something deeper than the surface-level chit-chat.

I hesitated, the question more profound than I had anticipated sharing with a near-stranger. Yet, something about Hank’s straightforwardness, underscored by the honest curiosity in his eyes, made me want to open up.

I shrugged, glancing around. “Just needed a change of scenery, I guess. This isn’t exactly my usual kind of place.”

He chuckled, leaning against the bar, his blue eyes flicking up to the TV screen for a moment where the end credits of the game were rolling. “Yeah, I kind of figured. You’ve got that look—like you’re used to being somewhere else.”

“Somewhere else like… where?” I asked, curious what he saw in me.

He paused, his gaze momentarily drifting off as if visualising the answer, then locked back onto me with a reflective expression. “I dunno. A café, maybe? Somewhere quiet. You strike me as someone who appreciates peace.”

I smiled, touched by his perceptiveness. “You’re not wrong. I’m definitely more of a coffee shop girl than a bar regular.”

Hank’s eyes twinkled with a mixture of curiosity and amusement as he leaned in a bit, resting his chin on his hand, studying me as if he was putting together a puzzle. “Let me guess,” he started, his voice lowering to a warm, playful tone, “you’ve got that favourite little corner spot, don’t you? Always tucked away with a book or maybe a notebook for doodling or jotting down your thoughts. And I bet you drink your coffee black, no distractions—just you and your thoughts.”

The accuracy of his assumptions made me burst into laughter, more open and genuine than I expected in such a setting. “Okay, you’re close,” I conceded, still chuckling. “But, I do take a little sugar with my coffee—just a touch to sweeten the deal.”

His laughter joined mine, creating a light, easy atmosphere that seemed to set the tone for whatever was to come. “Noted,” he said, with a mock-serious nod. “I’ll remember that for next time.”

The lighthearted moment briefly subsided as he posed a more thoughtful question, his tone lowering to a gentle, inviting rumble. “So, what’s got you stepping out of your coffee shop comfort zone tonight?”

Glancing down at my glass, the swirl of liquid momentarily mesmerising, I acknowledged the underlying current of vulnerability. Yet, there was an ease in Hank’s presence that coaxed the words from me more freely than I expected. “I don’t know... I just didn’t want to be alone tonight. Work’s been overwhelming, I guess I just needed a break from myself for a while. From the routine, the quiet. You ever feel that way?”

Hank’s response was a nod, his eyes softening with a deep understanding. “Yeah, more than you’d think.” Curiosity piqued, I found myself more drawn to him, seeing him not only in his role here but as someone who genuinely understood the struggles people go through. “What about you? You seem like the kind of guy who’s seen it all here. What keeps you coming back?”

“The people, I guess,” he said thoughtfully, his eyes meeting mine again. “Everyone who walks in has their own story, their own reason for being here. I like that—it’s unpredictable. I can be part of the background or something more, depending on the night. Tonight feels different, though.”

“Different how?” I asked, my voice quieter now, the conversation shifting as his attention became more focused.

“Maybe it’s you,” he said, his tone teasing but his gaze serious. “You stand out. You’re not trying to blend in, like most people who come in here to disappear for a bit.”

I felt a shiver run through me, even though his words were light. “I wasn’t really planning on standing out,” I admitted, my voice softer now, a little shy.

He folded his arms on the bar, leaning in just a touch closer. The subtle intimacy of the gesture didn’t go unnoticed. “Well, I’m glad you did.”

I felt my cheeks warm, surprised at how much I liked hearing that. “Yeah… me too,” I said, smiling just enough to let him know I meant it.

He smiled back, his voice dropping lower. “Sometimes, stepping into something unfamiliar is exactly what we need to remind ourselves what we’ve been missing.”

There was a brief pause, comfortable yet charged with an unspoken acknowledgment of the connection forming between us. “And what do you think I’ve been missing?”

He leaned in, closing the space between us. “Maybe something real. Something that pulls you out of the everyday.”

I held his gaze, my heart racing a little faster now. “Maybe I am.”

“Well,” he said, his voice barely a whisper, “you’re not alone in that.”

The air between us thickened, charged with an undeniable pull. Even in the quiet, there was no mistaking the connection forming between us—raw, real, and electric.

The last patrons trickled out, and the bar lights dimmed slightly, signalling the end of the night. The soft glow cast shadows that only made the space feel more intimate. A slow, soulful tune from the jukebox filled the room, amplifying the closeness between us.

Hank leaned in a little more, his hands idly wiping down the already spotless counter, though his attention was fully on me. The air around us felt thick with unspoken anticipation, a magnetic pull that neither of us could ignore.

"You’ve definitely changed the vibe in here tonight," Hank murmured, his voice a low, warm rumble that seemed to match the mood of the room. “Doesn’t happen often.”

I felt a flush of heat rise to my cheeks but found myself leaning in too, letting the moment take over. "Is that your way of saying you hope I come back?" I asked, my tone playful, though beneath it, there was something bolder, something daring.

A slow smile spread across his face, one that made my pulse quicken. “I’m definitely saying that. You’ve made tonight... different. And I like it.”

The room felt smaller, as though it was just the two of us, the rest of the world fading into the background. Our eyes locked, the tension between us humming with an intensity that felt almost tangible. Neither of us moved to break it.

Hank leaned a little closer. There was a question forming on his lips, one that seemed to dance in his eyes as he paused, giving the moment the weight it deserved.

His gaze flicked to the back door, then back to me, and I could see the question in his eyes before he said it. “You wanna get out of here?” His voice was low, the words hanging in the air between us like a challenge.

The invitation was clear, laden with possibilities and the thrill of continuing whatever was unfolding between us outside the confines of the bar walls. I blinked, my heart skipping a beat. Normally, I would hesitate, tangled in self-doubt and over-analysis. But tonight felt different. It felt like a return to an older version of myself—I took a deep breath, embracing the liberating shift, and met Hank's gaze with a quiet nod.

"Yeah," I said softly, "I do."

Hank nodded, a knowing smile spreading across his face as he moved towards the employees-only door at the far end of the bar. He gestured for me to come closer to where the bar ended, and I walked towards him, my heart pounding in my ears.

As I reached the end of the bar, I found myself separated from him by a pane of glass that partitioned off the employees’ area. Above Hank, the neon “BAR” sign bathed him in an ethereal glow, casting dramatic shadows across his features, highlighting the contours of his jaw, the intensity in his eyes, and the gentle curve of his full lips. He reached up to unlock the door from his side, his eyes locked on mine.

Our hands met through the glass, fingertips aligning in a moment charged with anticipation. The cool surface couldn’t lessen the warmth that radiated from his touch. With a soft click, he swung the door open, diminishing the barrier between us.

“After you,” he said, his voice low and inviting. I moved around the partition, stepping into his world behind the bar for the first time. There was an intimate thrill to being on his side, close enough to share his space.

Together, we walked towards the back of the bar, where a heavy door led to the alley outside. As Hank pushed it open the cool night air hit my skin, but it did little to cool the fire that had been burning between us all night. The alley behind the bar was dimly lit, shadows stretching across the walls, but I barely noticed. All I could focus on was him—the way his broad shoulders moved, the way his hands flexed at his sides as if he was holding himself back.

We stopped just outside the door, and before I had time to second-guess myself, he turned to me, stepping in close. The space between us disappeared in an instant, and I felt his hand at my waist, pulling me gently but firmly against him. My breath caught in my throat, and for a split second, all I could do was look up into those mesmerising blue eyes, my heart pounding in my chest.

Then he kissed me.

It wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t slow. His lips crashed against mine, urgent and hungry, like he’d been waiting all night for this moment. His hands gripped my waist, pulling me closer as his mouth moved against mine, and I kissed him back just as fiercely, my fingers instinctively finding their way to the base of his skull. His hair was soft, curling around my fingers as I tangled my hands in it, pulling him closer.

He let out a low, guttural sound, the kind of sound that sent shivers down my spine and made my knees weak. His hands slid up my back, his fingers digging into my skin as he pressed me against the brick wall behind us. The roughness of the wall was a stark contrast to the heat of his body, and I arched into him, wanting—needing—to be closer.

As he kissed me deeper, the sensation was overwhelming—like a storm that obliterates everything else, leaving only a beautiful, blissful blankness in its wake. It blew my mind how everything inside me cast into darkness, every worry dissolving in the heat of his touch. What a relief it was, not having to think anymore.

My hands stayed tangled in his hair, pulling him down harder as his lips trailed hot, open-mouthed kisses along my jawline.

This wasn’t me. This wasn’t the shy, quiet girl who kept to herself, who avoided risks. But right now, with Hank’s body pressed against mine, his lips on my skin, I didn’t care. All I cared about was him, the way he made me feel—alive, bold, free.

And I wasn’t about to stop.

His breath was hot against my skin as his lips moved lower, trailing down my neck, and I could feel every nerve in my body igniting. I tugged at his hair again, just enough to pull him back to my mouth, and when our lips met, the kiss was even more intense—desperate, as if we both knew this moment was everything we had been building up to all night.

I could feel his body press harder against mine, his hands roaming over my waist, my hips, pulling me even closer as though the small space between us was unbearable. My back hit the rough surface of the brick wall again, but the discomfort only heightened the sensation. The world outside the alley faded away—there were no more sounds from the bar, no distant cars, just the pounding of our hearts and the shared heat between us.

When he finally pulled back, his breathing was ragged, and he rested his forehead against mine, his blue eyes searching my face in the dim light. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that,” he murmured, his voice low and thick with desire.

I swallowed, my breath still catching in my throat. “I think I do,” I whispered back, unable to stop the smile that tugged at my lips.

He chuckled softly, the sound vibrating through his chest. “I thought I had you all figured out, but… you keep surprising me.”

“I’m surprising myself,” I admitted, my fingers still tangled in his hair, feeling the warmth of his scalp beneath my touch. “But I like it.”

He pulled back just enough to look at me fully, his gaze softening for a moment, as if he was trying to read me—trying to make sure I was still in control, still wanting this as much as he did. And I was. More than I’d ever imagined.

“What now?” His voice was a little quieter, a little less hurried, but still laced with that same intensity.

I didn’t need to think about it. I leaned forward, pressing my lips to his again, this time slower, more deliberate, savouring the feel of him, the taste of his mouth. “I don’t want this to stop,” I whispered between kisses, my hands sliding down to grip his shoulders, feeling the tension in his muscles as he held back.

He groaned softly against my lips, his hands gripping my hips tighter. “It doesn’t have to.”

The way he said it, so sure, made my heart race even faster. We were in an alley behind a bar, but in this moment, it didn’t matter. Nothing felt rushed or wrong. It felt like exactly where we were supposed to be. Like I had finally stepped into a part of myself I’d been avoiding for too long. And with him, it felt… right.

The intensity between us burned hotter, and soon, his hands were back on my waist, sliding under my shirt, his fingers grazing the skin there in a way that made me gasp. I could feel the roughness of the brick wall behind me, but all I could focus on was him—his touch, his breath, the way he seemed just as lost in this as I was.

But there was something else too, a sense of grounding I hadn’t expected. He wasn’t rushing. He wasn’t pushing. He was waiting, following my lead, giving me the space to feel, to take in every second of this. And I knew, in that moment, that whatever happened next, it was because we both wanted it. Because we were both ready for it.

And as the world around us continued to disappear, the night taking over, I knew that whatever came next—whether it lasted for just this night or beyond—it would be the best decision I’d ever made.

Part 2