#no you didn't you sent this so long ago but I'

[plumpybread]

ALAO UMMMM FOR CHARACTERS IN THE LINEUP: Childe!!!!! I would LOVE to hear why he's so big! I don't know much of the Genshin lore but he's not Fontainian as far as I recall, so I'm curious why he's the largest in the lineup? He looks great at that size!

- lardguz

You got it right, he is not from Fontaine, but from the ice cold, mountainous nation of Snezhnaya (which is still far to come in the actual game and we don't know that much about yet)

Childe never planned to get this big, or barely gain any weight in general, it just happened faster than he could control it. When he first came to Fontaine for a mission, he didn’t think much about the huge portion sizes or how everything was loaded with grease and butter. He figured it was just the way Fontainians ate, and he didn’t take it too seriously. The Fatui higher-ups didn't tell him how long he'd be sent to manage the troops in Fontaine, and he only thought he'd be there for a month or two.

But then a month or two went by, and he started gaining as an effect of his stay in such a nation, and it was impossible to stop. His metabolism couldn’t keep up with the amount of food he was eating, and before he knew it, his weight shot up fast, just like every foreigner who staid in the nation for a long time. He kept telling himself he’d work it off later, but Fontaine doesn’t let you stop once you start. Restaurants kept encouraging him to eat more, the food was designed to push his limits, and after a while, his body just got used to overeating.

Eventually, many years passed, and Childe had still not received any commands to leave Fontaine, but at that point it was far too late. Even when walking got harder and his belly started resting on his lap, he couldn't stop eating. By the time he realized how bad it had gotten, he was already too heavy to move properly.

Now, at 3,782 pounds, he’s completely immobile. Weighing that much still allowed Fontaine-born men to walk, albeit very sluggishly, but as a man not born to carry such an extreme amount of weight, Childe's beyond bedridden, simply resting in one of the many rooms in their Fontainian Fatui base where he still tries to manage their troops as best as he can as he was ordered to many years ago.

He was still clinging on to the hope that his Fatui peers would allow him to leave Fontaine, He never thought it would go this far, but in Fontaine, once you start gaining, you don’t stop.

Here's an old-ish sequence of Childe's growth as he was sent to Fontaine I made during the infancy of the AU :]

It follows the idea that he was sent to work at Fontaine around the same time Aether arrived to Teyvat, so Aether witnessed Childe blowing up drastically each time they'd meet until he eventually found him bedridden by the time he got to Fontaine 5+ years-ish after arriving to Teyvat and spending a year on every previous nation.

[count-on-mi]

Twice Interactive Story Part 14 Push & Pull (Jihyo, Feat. Sana, Dahyun)

You put a penguin doll in Mina's arm before you leave quietly, you see Mina smiles again when she gets something in her arms again.

You get in your car and check your phone to see did anyone find you, Nayeon is not on the list. There are messages from Dahyun, Momo and Jihyo.

Dahyun 'Oppa, I am coming over tonight, remember pick me up!'

Jihyo 'Y/N, are you ok? I saw Nayeon cries when she back home last night, and she leaves again this morning.'

Momo 'Y/N, why would Nayeon know our relationship, you told her? She send me this' Momo's message and attached with a photo of Nayeon's selfie when you are fucking in doggy style just two nights before with a message 'Leave my boyfriend alone.'

You finally understand why she will stop moving for a while suddenly that time, she was taking photos.

I check how long ago the message from Dahyun was and respond accordingly. I tell Jihyo that things have changed and she doesn't have to worry about it. I tell Momo that I didn't tell Nayeon anything and that I just told her that I still went to you as a personal trainer. After all that I go home quickly to change.

You reply to Dahyun that you are going to pick her up tonight and reply to others accordingly.

You arrived home and see Jihyo resting on the sofa, 'Welcome back, Y/N. What happened yesterday, Nayeon leaves in the morning before I wake up.' You did not reply but immediately check your wardrobe, Nayeon did not bring her belongings back to her home, is it means there is still a chance for you?

"It’s nothing Jihyo, don't worry about it. My relationship status may have changed, so sex might be off the table now." I tell Jihyo as I poke my head out from my room. I start to pack Nayeon's clothes in a bag or suitcase before I have to pick up Dahyun.

'I'm definitely not asking for sex now, Y/N. But did Nayeon just find out that you have friends with benefits, I can feel it from her reactions. It's just like me before.' Jihyo comes in and helps you pack Nayeon's belongings.

"It was one person particularly. Nayeon sent a message to them about staying away from me. That being said that doesn't change anything with you staying here that way Daniel doesn't find you. Also my sisters are staying for a while." After I finish packing, I check the time.

Seeing still have some time left before you going to pick up Dahyun, you and Jihyo back to living room for some coffee.

Jihyo and you just chit-chat while waiting, 'I'm curious Y/N, if you have one more chance, will you still hook up with other girls and then break up with Nayeon? She's definitely not like me that can tolerate so much time.'

"There are two paths, if it's relationship over I'm just going to be single for a while. If she chooses to stay with me for some reason, I'll won't do it again. I've learned my lesson. If you don't kind my asking, why did you deal with it for so long?"

Jihyo looks at the ground when she hears your question, 'I once believed he will change for me, I innocently thought the marriage could make him tied to me, but I was wrong.'

'So you and Nayeon have officially broken up? Maybe we two injured souls can try to be together?' Jihyo teases you.

I chuckle before looking away "I don't know if we are broken up, if we are I wouldn't mind trying with you. But would you really be willing to try again with someone like me?"

'You know you are playboy too huh, Y/N?' Jihyo spanks your shoulder and giggles. 'I don't know, my heart always comes before my mind. But I guess I have a lot of competitors, your colleague, your friend with benefits, and also your little secretary. Mina is so obvious you know?'

"Mina does make it obvious, she'd be your biggest challenge. She's always so helpful and willing to put me first. She should really find someone better." I say with a laugh.

'Maybe She thinks you are the best for her.' Jihyo smirks and looks at the clock, '30 minutes before you got to go, a quick one?' Jihyo comes closer to you and sits on your lap.

"I don't know, what if Nayeon comes back?"

'OK, so you gonna abstinence until you know the results? Can you do it, haha? Jihyo catches your cock before she backs to her room, 'I will miss you, big guy.'

'Hey, Y/N, better finish dinner with your sister before coming back, don't wanna act like your new girlfriend when we first meet, so awkward.'

"Yeah, I will." I walk out of the apartment and head to my car to get to the airport early.

You waiting for Dahyun at the terminal while playing your phone, and you receive Momo's message that she wants to see you tonight. When you wanna reply to her, you see Dahyun rushing to you, 'Oppa!'

'Hey, Dubu, still so tiny huh.' 'Yah, Oppa.' Dahyun wants to hit your head but she's too short to reach it, so she just hit your chest.'

'Where is Nayeon eooni, I thought she is with you already.' Dahyun turns around and try to search for Nayeon.

"She won't be around Dahyun. Let's get you something to eat. What do you want to eat?" I ask to distract her.

You help Dahyun get the suitcase and guide her to your car. 'I miss the food you cook, Oppa. How about you cook for me.'

Remember what Jihyo told you, you only can reject Dahyun's request. 'Sorry, Dubu, not many ingredients left at home, maybe next time? We will just casually eat tonight.'

'Ok... I forgot how long did we last meet each other, you are much thinner, so much stress on work?'

'Nah, Dubu, just as usual, I'm fine. Did you start finding jobs, you have graduated for half a year already.'

'Ummm, I am trying, just give me sometime, oppa. I am working on it.'

"Ah Dubu, you need to look harder. And if you don't choose a place to eat I'll choose." I say as I start driving.

You drive to a random restaurant and have dinner with Dahyun, you two talk about all the things that happened from last time you meet.

'OH, Oppa, I guess I don't need to share a room with Chaeyoung, right? if Nayeon eooni is not here.' Dahyun smirks.

Your home has 3 rooms, usually, Chaeyoung and Dahyun need to sleep together when Nayeon is staying, as you don't want to cause any embarrassment to your sisters, although Nayeon is not here, now Jihyo has occupied 1 of them, maybe it's time that you should tell Dahyun you have a guest.

I explain to Dahyun the situation Jihyo is going through and that she will have to share a room with Chaeyoung.

'OH, come on, Oppa, I have expected I can have my own room at your home.' Dahyun shows a sad face. You caress Dahyun's head, 'Dubu is a good girl, right? You should understand what situation Jihyo is facing, you won't be happy too right?  And you can occupy the room until Chae arrives, don't be sad!'

'Yes, but does Nayeon eooni knows you bring a girl home?' You are a little bit frustrated that Dahyun is keep mentioning Nayeon.

"Dahyun, Nayeon and I are going through a rough patch right now. I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention her." We finish the meals and begin our ride home.

Dahyun's emotions are hard to describe, but you can catch her happiness before it disappears when she hear Nayeon and you have some arguments. You two did not talk about Nayeon again through the dinner.

You two finished the dinner and ready to back home. 'Oppa, what if we buy some snacks and watch movie together tonight?' In the meantime, you remember Momo wants to see you tonight either.

I quickly send Momo a message and ask if we could meet another time for the reason that I'm picking up Dahyun from the airport.

'Y/N, I am just so afraid that why Nayeon will know what happens, if you can't come today, how about tomorrow.' Momo replies immediately. You then drive to some snacks before back to home.

Jihyo is sitting on the sofa again when you arrive, 'OH hi Y/N, and little sister, your brother should have mentioned about me, Nice to meet you, sorry for disturbing your family day.'

I send Momo another message to say I'll meet her tomorrow, then I introduce Dahyun to Jihyo. I ask Dahyun "Dahyun would it be alright if Jihyo joined us for the movie?"

'Sure Oppa, your friend is my friend too.' Then you three sit on the sofa and start watching the movie.

You sit between Jihyo and Dahyun, each of you covering a blanket or pillow while enjoying the movie. You suddenly feel Jihyo 's chest pressing on your arm, you turn around to check Dahyun, she is too focusing on the movie and not paying attention to you.

Jihyo put a finger on her lips, tell you to keep quiet, and start caressing your cock under the blanket.

I keep quiet recognizing that if I said anything it would give it all away.

Jihyo is happy that you are so obedience and not making any noise, she put your hands into your pants and start stroking you slowly.

Seeing your body shivers from the sensation, Jihyo blows hot winds into your ear and whispers to you, 'You seems so excited when I am stroking you next to your baby sister, enjoying it?'

I whisper back "stop it, you're going to get us in trouble."

'Relax, Y/N. Let me handle it, Dahyun won't know what's happening, she loves the movie so much.' Jihyo starts stroking you faster.

You try your best to not release any moans, but Jihyo's hand is really good, and you wanna cum. Jihyo feels your cock pulsing in her hands, 'Cum for me, I am ready.' Jihyo then kisses you to cover your moan.

I cum in Jihyo’s hand, I'm grateful for the kiss as I'd otherwise release a huge moan. Once we break it off, I whisper to her "I'm going to get you back for this."

'Wow so many, you are really so excited, don't you?' Jihyo pulls out her hand and start licking it. 'You know where to find me if you want to thank me.' Jihyo whispers again before she moves to bathroom to clean her hands.

You notice Dahyun is still focusing on the movie and doesn't know Jihyo has left for bathroom.

As much as I want to get Jihyo back at this moment, I keep myself in my seat for a time before going to the bathroom.

You wait for Jihyo's return before you go to the bathroom to tidy up yourself, Dahyun finally out of her concentration and wanna sit closer to you.

'Oppa, that part is so good, isn't it? The tension is so strong.' Dahyun tries to talk about the film, but actually you are totally into Jihyo's handjob at that moment, so you could just simply answer her yes.

'Oppa, the smell is so strange suddenly, what is it?' Dahyun turning around to check what smelling strange in the living room.

"I'm not sure, did you fart Dahyun?" I joke to her, as I make sure she shouldn't see anything.

'Ya, Oppa!' Dahyun spanks you and then move back to her seat. You just giggle and start watching the movie. Finally, Jihyo has come out from the bathroom, you rush inside immediately before Dahyun could find out anything.

The rest of the night just spend normally, all of you are going to bed after movie has ended. You see Jihyo winks at you before she enters her room.

I help Dahyun get set up in her room before going back to my own.

You help Dahyun unpack her luggage, and you see some formal dressing in her suitcase, Dahyun pushes you out before you ask any questions. 'Now get out, let my enjoy my own room.'

'Aren't you have whole of the house when Chae is living in dorm, huh?'

'That's different, Oppa. Goodnight.'

You go back to your room, laying on your bed, ready to end the day. Your phone buzzes, and it's Sana message.

'I heard you have some fun with Mina alone today huh? On sick leave together and she applies it for you. The office is talking about you two again, I wish I was there too.' Sana attached a photo of her opening her clits for you.

"I was hungover from the night before Sana. I was in no condition to come in." After I respond, I just lay back and relax for a minute.

'Oh, sex after drunk? I wanna try with you too.' Sana attaches a video this time, a self cam in a high angle, she is not wearing bra in the pajamas, you can see her nipples clearly while she is playing with her tits.

"Sana just get some sleep." I delete the conversation logs after keeping things safe for myself.

'It's Friday night, why can't I have some fun before I sleep?' Sana sends you another video where she is sucking her finger while looking at the camera seductively.

You back up the video to the locked folder and prepare to clear the message log again, Sana's text comes again, 'Maybe we can try phone sex tonight? If Mina or your girlfriend is not beside you😏😏'

"Not interested Sana. You enjoy yourself." I respond before I head to the kitchen to make myself a snack.

You head to Kitchen and grab some chocolate for night snacks, you check your conversation logs with Nayeon, she still hasn’t online since last night.

You sigh and return to your room, you see Jihyo slightly opens the door of her room, enough for you to peek inside.

I look at the door debating if I should go, but first I check on Dahyun. Putting my ear to her door to see if she's awake or not.

You hear no sound from Dahyun's room, she should be asleep already. You back to the corridor and your phone buzzes again, It's Sana again.

This time the video is she masturbating with a dildo and moaning your name, 'having a dildo in my pussy, but it's nothing when comparing with you.'

"Sana, nothing is going to compare to me" and then emoji with the tongue sticking out is what I respond with. I put my phone to vibrate only and then I head back to Jihyo’s room.

You slowly enter Jihyo's room and lock the door. Jihyo is sleeping on her bed, with a sexy lace pajamas, you can see her got body inside the pajamas. You don't understand why Daniel would still hook up with others even he has a such needy and hot wife at home.

I get beside Jihyo and pull down her pajama bottoms before I start teasing her pussy. I get my other hand ready to cover her mouth, so she doesn't make noise.

Jihyo wakes up from your assault, she grabs your hand on her mouth in her pajamas to play with her tits and turns around to make out with you. You can see the lust burning in her eyes, seems she is really needy as her husband ignores her for a long time.

"Seems like you really want this Jihyo." I say as my fingers go under her panties and inside if her.

'Stop teasing me, Y/N! Put it In!' Jihyo bites your lips and row over you, wanting to ride you.

Her tits keep bouncing as she breathes heavily, you put your hand on it and start playing with it.

I roll her over so I'm on top again. Covering her mouth again, and thrusting my fingers into her pussy. "Oh no, Jihyo. You teased me earlier, it's my turn."

Jihyo's tits till bouncing, her body twists due to the sensation, 'Ah, faster Y/N, please put it in. At least I let you cum.' Jihyo starts to moan louder to contest your teasing.

"Don't worry I'll let you cum." I say as I kiss her. "Get any louder and I'll stop right now." I continue kissing Jihyo to make her be quiet.

Jihyo cannot hide her moan so she just grab your head to kiss harder, you are feeling her become tighter, you thrust your finger faster until she reaches her orgasm.

'Ummm....' Jihyo moans in your mouth when she reaches her orgasm, you finally let go of her lips and let her catch her breath, but still slowly thrust your finger in her pussy.

Her bouncing tits are so eye-catching, so you just can't wait to suck her nipples.

As much as I want to continue this I continue, i pull my fingers out and have Jihyo suck them clean before I leave.

You let Jihyo clean your fingers before you leave, 'What? That's all?' Jihyo looks in disbelief when she sees you leaving her room.

"Yep, I just wanted to get back at you." I walk back over to her, rub her pussy again. "Don't you worry, I'll make sure to fill you up next time." I kiss her cheek and then leave.

'I wear this pajama for you, Y/N. Even Daniel hasn't seen me wearing it.' Jihyo said with a sad face. You comeback and give her one more kiss and leave eventually.

You back to your room and finally start to sleep, it's already midnight. You think about tomorrow's date with Momo before you fall asleep.

I'll wake the next morning well rested and ready for the day.

[lostbookmark]

MDNI 🔞

Main Masterlist here

Finding Masterlist here

Summary: After a failed engagement, you move back home and reconnect with your friends. Maybe, just maybe you can find love with someone you never expected.

Pairing: Yoongi x F. Reader

Warnings: Explicit Sex, Swearing, Cheating (Not Yoongi), Fighting, Protected/Unprotected Sex, Toxic Past Relationship,

Genre: Enemies(?) to Lovers, Neighbors to Lovers, Small Town romance. Hurt-Comfort, Slight Angst, Romance

Jin slides a dish of vanilla ice cream to you. You smile when you see he remembers the extra sprinkles on top. Yoongi has taken a play out of your book and has been actively avoiding you since your conversation at his house two weeks ago. Every day, you watched out your window from your living room, hoping that he would come over when he returned home from work. He never did. Why was he so upset? Why was he so offended that you didn't want to sell the recipes to the farm? It's not like you were hurting the farm financially. They were doing perfectly well before you came along. They didn't need your bread or jam to be successful. It really shouldn't have mattered that you said no. You regret even agreeing to bake for them in the first place.

“Was I stupid for not selling the recipes?” You ask Jin, who is leaning on the counter in front of you with his own dish of ice cream.

“No, they mean something to you, and you shouldn't feel bad, ” he assures you. “Anyone of us could have talked to you about it. We are all at fault for this whole mess. I don't know why he is taking it so hard.”

“I feel like I've fucked everything up,” you say shoving the sweet cold ice cream in your mouth. As you chew on the colorful sprinkles the bell above the door jingles catching your attention. Hobi walks into the cafe and sits on the stool next to you as he steals a spoonful of your dessert. Your friendship with him went back to normal in a blink of an eye. It wasn't long after you both apologized that Jin and Namjoon sent you their own apologies. They didn't try to come up with excuses for Yoongi or try to make you feel bad. They were simple heartfelt apologies that you accepted right away. “Jimin and Tae even texted me asking why I was making a big deal out of it. They made a whole group chat with the three of us so they could gang up on me together.”

“Really?” Hobi asked, surprised, and you nodded.

“I'll have a talk with them later,” Jin comments, shaking his head.

“I…I just feel like I was back on track with my life, settling in nicely, and now everyone hates me,” you cry. Tears fall down your face that you quickly wipe away with your sleeve. “With the way everything has been going, I wouldn't be surprised if Kook doesn't evict me.”

“He would never do that to you. No one hates you,” Jin said, patting your head as if you're a child.

“It's all going to blow over,” Hobi said, hugging you.

“It's too late. Yoongi is clearly talking shit about me, and now everyone is going to choose sides. Jimin warned me not to let this get messy and look at us. I was so stupid to get involved with him,” you say, shaking your head disagreeing with them. “I've talked to my one and only friend from my old school district. They have a third grade teacher leaving next year. I think I'm going to take the position.”

“No, you're not,” Joon said, coming into the cafe with that damn bell jingling behind him. “We are not going to let you run away. I'll reject your resignation, and I won't give you any recommendations.”

“You would really do that to me?” You ask as he sits on your free side.

“Absolutely,” Namjoon said. “You belong here with us….you're family. Yoongi is stubborn, and so are you. Let things settle down, talk it out, and we will all move on.”

“What if we can't agree on things?” You ask, stirring the ice cream around in your bowl. “He doesn't seem to be in a rush to talk to me. He's had two weeks to talk to me. It's not like he doesn't know where I live. What if there is no fixing this?”

“What if?” Jin asks as he stares off into space as if he’s deep in thought. “What if…”

“What if what?” Hobi asks, smacking the counter, knocking Jin out of his daze.

“What if you sell the recipes to Tannie Farms, but make everything yourself?” Jin asks, looking at you curiously before breaking out in a wide smile.

“I'm not following,” you say, and your other two friends seem just as confused. The three of you in front of the counter look at each other as if Jin has gone insane. “His whole point was that I couldn't make everything myself. I can't supply you with the amount you would need.”

“I don't want to run the cafe anymore. I want to make the food I want to make,” he explains, turning serious. “Think about it, Y/N. A restaurant and bakery. Yours and mine….mine and yours. Ours. People from all over would flock to us.”

“That's….not a bad idea,” Joon said, looking at you with a surprised look on his face. Now, you are looking at him like he is the crazy one. “You would have multiple ovens big enough to make the quantities we need for deliveries, and the recipes would be safe with you. You wouldn't be selling them to strangers.”

“Okay, what about my job? Do I just give up on teaching and throw away my degree that I worked hard for? I am still paying off my student loan. I don't have the money to help you start a restaurant and bakery,” you tell them, pushing your dish of melting ice cream away. “I don't even know if I can make anything else. We can't run a bakery on one cake, bread, and a couple of jams.”

“Yoongi says he's willing to talk about it,” Hobi says, holding up his phone. You glare at him, that traitor. You knew he loved Yoongi more. “You wouldn't have to put up any money because Tannie Farms would own it. Financially, you wouldn't be on the hook for anything.”

“So, I would work for Yoongi,” you say, sounding very unamused as you take in their faces, looking excited at the possible new venture. Shaking your head, you wave your hands in front of you, showing that you were not interested. “Yeah, no thanks.”

“Please, please. Don't crush my dreams,” Jin begs, hands pressed together underneath his chin. “We could be successful. You would work for all of us, not just Yoongi. I don't want to work for my parents forever.”

“You'll have plenty of time to find more recipes and experiment,” Hobi assures you. “The whole process will take time. Months, if not years. You can do it.”

“You wouldn't even have to talk to Yoongi. Jin will handle everything, and all of us are available if you need anything. I think that you definitely can do it,” Joon says, agreeing with Hobi.

Can you? Can you do it? In theory, yes, you probably could. Your grandmother has so many different recipes that you haven't even explored yet. It's the whole working for your friends and Yoongi that is causing you to question this new business opportunity. Could you handle working for Yoongi after everything happened? You're not sure if you can or even want to. To actually work for them puts your entire livelihood at risk. If you get involved, fully involved, there is no way you could walk away at the drop of a hat if things get rough. It was a major commitment.

“Please?” Jin said, giving you puppy dog eyes. “Please, I'll love you forever. I wouldn't even dream of doing this with anyone else. We would work so well together.”

“Okay,” you give in and smack the counter with your hands, causing them to smile at you. “I guess I will be willing to listen to a full-on business plan when you have one. A complete business plan and not just an idea. However, that's all for right now ….I'll listen and consider.”

“Great! We are going to be great together,” Jin exclaims. “I need to get a menu around. Jolly Jin’s Cafe and Bakery. I can see the sign now.”

You sigh as you watch him run back into the kitchen. You think you're getting a headache.

Pulling back into your driveway, you notice Yoongi's house is dark like it has been recently. You barely even see the lights on for an extended period of time in his home at night anymore. You wonder if he kept the same routine he had when you would stay over. Dinner in the kitchen preceded by sitting in the living room curled up on the couch, reading a book. You would have been tucked into his side watching tv or scrolling through your phone as his eyes flew over the pages of his book. Sometimes, the nights would end with him pinning your against the couch cushions or scurrying upstairs quickly and into the bed. Now, those nights are over and gone with one stupid fight.

Sniffling, you blink away the unshed tears. It was then that you noticed the car parked along the side of your driveway. Looking over to your house, you stare at Changkyun from your driver's seat as you throw your car into park as he stands on your porch waiting for you. There was no reason for him to be here. He made it very loud and clear that the two of you were over. Getting out of your car, you stand rooted in your spot just looking at him. You are not willing to walk up to him. He seemed to take the hint and walked off your porch in your direction. Closing your door, you cross your arms and wait with baited breath as he nears.

“You look good,” he says, once reaching you.

He still looked good, too. Handsome as ever with that damn sharp jawline that you had fallen for in the beginning. It pissed you off. You want him to look guilty. You want him to look sad and tired. You want him to apologize for all the shit he put you through. For making you feel like you had to push your friends away. For making you feel like you were not good enough for him. However, he doesn't. He looks like he doesn't have a care in the world.

“How did you find me?” You ask, taking a step back away from him. A part of you wonders if you can jump back in your car and drive away quickly.

“I went to your parents' house, and your mom told me where you were living. I really need to talk to you,” he says.

“I think you said plenty when you said, and I quote ‘I don't love you anymore’,” you tell him. “I don't think that there is anything left to say. You wasted your time coming here.”

You push past him, but he reaches out and grabs your arm, stopping you from leaving. You pull out of his grasp and glare at him. You don't want him to touch you. You don't even want to look at him. Crossing your arms, you raise an eyebrow at him.

“I’m really trying to be civil about this, Y/N,” he said. “I just want my engagement ring back.”

“Why now?” You ask with a laugh. “What, are you getting married sometime soon?” He looks away, not able to look you in the eye. Your jaw drops in disbelief. “Are you fucking kidding me? I've only been gone for a few months and you're engaged. Who?”

“It doesn't matter who. Just give me the ring, and I'll be gone out of your life forever,” he says harshly.

“Tell me who,” you demand. You notice Yoongi pull into his driveway with perfect timing. Great, just great. This day just couldn't get any better. “You owe me that much.”

“Hanna,” he said quietly, looking down at his shoes as you hear Yoongi's car door open and close in the background.

Hanna, the one who you caught him in bed with. The one who you thought was one of your friends. You see Yoongi linger by his kitchen door in your peripheral vision after he slowly made his way up the steps to his house. You turn your head to look at him. Unfortunately, it triggered Changkyun to do the same. Suddenly, his whole demeanor changed.

“Baby, I wish I could change things,” he said in a sickeningly sweet, smooth voice. “I know we were so good together at one point, but that ended. I’ve moved on, and you need to accept that. It's time for you to move on as well.”

“Don't call me that. You need to leave. I'm not giving you anything,” you hiss at him and turn to leave.

“That ring is mine,” he growled at you, grabbing onto you again and pulling you to him. You stumble over your feet as he pulls. “Just give it to me.”

Before you can even comprehend what was happening, Yoongi was in between the two of you. He gives Changkyun a forceful shove, making him stumble backward away from you. Yoongi reaches behind his back and pulls you behind him more, shielding your body. Protecting you. Keeping you safe.

“Just go,” Yoongi growls at him, and Changkyun just laughs at him. “It's clear she doesn't want you here. Get in your car and get the fuck out of here!”

“You think I'm afraid of you?” he asks, looking at him with a distasteful look before looking over Yoongi's shoulder at you. Changkyun laughs at the two of you, shaking his head in amusement. “Min Yoongi? Really, that’s the best you can do? Fuck, are you that desprate?”

“Well he's a million times better than a selfish jackass I know. I don't have the ring anymore, so just leave,” you yell at him from behind Yoongi.

“Where is it?” he snaps at you.

“Watch how you fucking talk to her,” Yoongi snaps back at him, still holding you behind him.

“I pawned it,” you laugh from behind the blonde man, making Changkyun narrow his eyes at you. “It bought me a lovely tv hanging on my wall right now. It's much more pleasant to look at than that ugly ass ring.”

You watch as Changkyun clenches his jaw and stomps away back to his fancy SUV. He stops halfway to his destination before turning back to look at both you and Yoongi. Changing his mind, he walks back toward you. Yoongi reaches back again, making sure that you're still tucked away safely behind him.

“You know,” he says, approaching you. “I never wanted to marry you. I only asked becasue you wouldn’t fucking stop nagging me about it. You were never good enough to be my wife, you stupid…”

That was enough for Yoongi as something inside him snapped. You watch in horror as he throws himself at Changkyun, taking them both onto the hard ground below their feet. It probably would have been comical watching two grown men roll around on the ground had they been strangers, but they weren't, and they were both pissed. This wasn't funny at all. You watch on, with your hands in front of your mouth in shock as Yoongi, who comes out on top lands a punch to Changkyuns stomach from above making him double over and turn slightly away from him. Changkyun, although laid out underneath the pissed off blonde, he wasn't deterred for too long. Using all his power, he spun his torso around quickly, elbowing Yoongi in the face and successfully knocking Yoongi off of him.

“STOP IT!” You yell out into the evening air as Yoongi lands on the ground next to your ex-boyfriend. They didn't listen to you. Changkyun stands, quickly grabbing Yoongi by the back of his jacket, bringing up on his own feet and bending him down low enough to knee him in the side, making him drop again. Yoongi's knees hit the ground hard before catching himself with his hands so he didn’t fall flat on his face. “CHANGKYUN STOP IT! STOP IT! LEAVE HIM ALONE!” You scream at him as he goes to grab Yoongi again.

You push forward, latching onto Changkyun’s arm, trying to shake him off Yoongi. Unfortunately, he wasn't discouraged and managed to get Yoongi back up. Grabbing his wrist, you pull as hard as you could, but he was much stronger than you. Instead, you sink your nails into his skin, dragging them across his flesh, leaving angry red lines in their wake. Changkyun growls. With his free hand, he pushes you away, causing you to stumble back and fall on your ass.

“Keep your hands off her,” Yoongi barks sharply.

Gaining some strength, Yoongi sweeps Changkyun's leg, causing them both to fall once more upon the ground. They roll around a couple of times, trying to each gain the upper hand. You scooch back on your butt trying to stay out of the way.

“She deserved it,” Changkyun growls, pinning Yoongi underneath him. They are both panting, but Changkyun smirks in victory as he looks down at Yoongi. “You think you're so tough. Fucking Min Yoongi, you ain't shit!”

You're too focused on watching your ex pull his arm back for a punch, you hardly register the footsteps quickly running up the driveway until an extra body jumps on Changkyun’s back pulling him off of Yoongi. Jungkook wraps his arms fully around him, dragging him back and away from the hurt man on the ground. Changkyun struggles with your friend, trying to get out of his hold. Tae jumps in quickly, getting in front of them just in case he breaks away and helps Jungkook push Changkyun back until they get him to his car.

“Yoongi,” you cry out, throwing yourself next to him as he struggles to get himself onto his knees.

You grab on to him gently and bring him close to you. He rests his head on your chest as he tries to catch his breath after getting the wind knocked out of him. You stroke his hair with your hand, hoping desperately that he was okay. You see him close his eyes, taking in your touch. You wish you knew what else to do. You wish you could take everything back. You wish for a lot of things.

“You're both pathetic and deserve each other,” Changkyun yells out before finally getting into his vehicle, slamming his door shut in anger.

“Go, before we call the police,” Kook said, pointing to the end of the driveway.

Changkyun backs out of your driveway and squeals his tires before racing away, leaving a cloud of dust and dirt behind in the air. You watch him drive away until his tail lights disappear in the rapidly darkening horizon. Tae comes over and helps Yoongi stand on his own feet. You slowly get off the ground and stand beside them, waiting for someone to say something. Carefully, you place your hand on Yoongi's shoulder, but he instantly shrugs it off. That hurt. You can feel your heart drop down to your stomach. It's really over.

Yoongi and Taehyung take off, walking to his place while holding his side and slightly hunched over. Jungkook approaches you, and the two of you stare at each other. He looks sad. It's been weeks since you last talked to him. He's probably been actively avoiding this whole mess. You know he would never want to choose between you and Yoongi like Jimin and Tae apparently did.

“I should go with them,” he says, jerking his thumbs to the house next door. He's choosing Yoongi, and your heart breaks a little. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” you answer with a nod. You don't blame him for wanting to leave. They were his brothers. You, you were the bitch he was renting his house to. The bitch who they can't make money off of. “Yeah.”

You turn and go to your house before he can even walk away or say anything more. Unlocking the door, you enter your house and slam the door shut, making the blinds on the kitchen windows shake and rattle. It wasn't going to work. The business plan wouldn't work. Your friendships weren't going to work. This small ass town wasn't going to work. You grab your phone from your bag. Pulling up Joons contact, you open a new message.

I’m taking the third grade job. I'm sorry I can't do this.

You can't. You won't.

Tagged Readers:

@mar-lo-pap , @bontensbabygirl , @daisies-and-dandelionpuffs , @redragdoll, @svnbangtansworld , @wobblewobble822 , @busanbby-jjk , @pitchblack0309 , @bluesiebirdie

[wee-larceny]

Time to Orbit: Unknown liveblog Chapters 011-020

Chapters 001-010

So recently I've been reading Time to Orbit: Unknown by @derinthescarletpescatarian who may or may not appreciate being tagged in this thing again; a sci-fi mystery you've probably heard about if you're on this webbed site. I am definitely having Thoughts about it, so I'm abandoning my uncomfortably long post for a shiny new one, and also grabbing the opportunity to organise some of those thoughts; we have 180+ chapters and any minor detail might be key. It's only getting more complicated, so let us go through unanswered questions and assorted fuckery. Mysterious, frankly bizarre, and/or outright shady behaviour exhibited by characters:

Captain Joshua Reimann: grabbed an axe and started attacking the walls. Wrecked CR1 and his own arm in the process. Died of an untreated infection. Science Officer Claire Rynn-Hatson, possibly also Science Officer Mohammed Aziz and/or Maintenance Officer Ash Dornae: did some sort of experiment involving dangerous chemicals: the experiment ended in disaster killing Rynn-Hatson on the spot and Aziz&Dornae later due to poisoning. The experiment was conducted for unknown reasons despite the lack of any available medical professionals. Captain Kinoshita Keiko: did not authorise the jettisoning of CR1 even though it cut more than half the crew off from her and made it impossible to turn fore engines on from her position. To be fair it's kind of understandable considering the number of people in there. She also died trying to move a giant, heavy crate of protein bars for some reason. Engineer Leilea Arc Hess: spilled coffee all over a keyboard and didn't clean it up. Also kept a physical calendar even though I don't think you need the AI for the calendar or timed reminders to work. The ship's AI: so many things. Didn't wake any new crewmembers when the deaths started; didn't decrease "gravity" or do anything else to save Captain Kinoshita; woke Aspen and Aspen alone when the fore engines needed turned on; needed Aspen to identify by chip even though it was the one that woke them up just a bit ago, who the fuck else would they be; is definitely lying about CR1; is definitely acting outside its parameters; other stuff probably. The organisation that sent them up here in the first place: doesn't allow personal effects which is comic-book villain behaviour. Also made the AI. Doctor Aspen Greaves: upset the bees.

My questions at this point: Why did Captain Reimann try to damage the ship? I've read Solaris, I know that sci-fi characters don't just go crazy for no reason. Why did no one treat Captain Reimann's wounds? Whose body is missing and where is it? There were only three frozen corpses for four potential dead people in the back of the ship. What is in CR1? How did the 120-something people die there? If a guy with an axe in the process of being subdued can actually cause a hull breach then that's not a spaceship I'd like to travel on. When and why was CR1 locked ? We know when it was damaged but not when it was password-locked. Which captain did it? Riemann probably didn't have the opportunity (it was still open during his rampage and I sure wouldn't have allowed him computer access after.) If it was Kinoshita, why? Why didn't the two halves of the crew reestablish contact? What killed the people at the front of the ship? What's up with the disgusting air filer? What was the experiment that killed three members of the crew? Why can't the new captain override the previous one's orders? Captain locks a door, dies, door is locked forever. That's just bad design. How did the aft engines get irreparably damaged? What happened when the ship lurched sideways? It can't have been just the rotations slowing, because that would decrease gravity unless there's a complicated science reason as to why it doesn't. There can't be a complicated science reason because Derin explains those immediately. Did the crew keep logs? If yes, read them. Current suspects:

Captain Reimann: convenient scapegoat but probably not the root of the problems. The AI: could be. Computers sometimes do stupid shit. My company had to change one of their domains once because a widely used cybersecurity AI decided that we're a phishing scam pretending to be ourselves and wouldn't let the programmers whitelist us. The organisation that launched the Courageous, whatever their name is: programmed the AI. Aspen: no, that's stupid.

[xxgoldie]

hi, I would like to order a bouquet for Lighter 🤭 can the focus flower be lillies, with ivy, delphinium and heather as filler flowers, in pink paper wrapping? thank you!

-🐇 anon-

goldie's gift shop : order list for : lighter lorenz // lilies + ivy + delphinium + heather + pink paper [confessions + jealousy + first kiss + idiots in love + college au] florist's note : your friend was the one who brought it up, but it made complete sense - lighter was an attractive guy who lived with a bunch of girls. one of them had to be his girlfriend, right? it was an assumption you'd been running under almost as long as you'd been friends and studdy buddies. so why was he always looking at you like that? and why was your go-to coffee order always waiting for you when you met him at the library? and WHY did the words 'i need to tell you something' just leave his mouth???

wc: 1.2k a/n: this is the fic that was giving me grief, i just love college lighter a lot and this took so much reworking to try and do him any justice notes / warnings: lighter x gn!reader, basically just fluff, reader lowkey doing some simone biles level mental gymnastics, brief mention of burnice x pulchra, no use of Y/N

"I don't want to burst your bubble, but don't get ahead of yourself. I'm pretty sure he has a girlfrienzzd. Or he's a player. Or both."

Your friend's words had, unfortunately, very much burst your bubble. You'd just gotten home from the first meet-up for a group project, for which you'd miraculously been paired with Lighter, the guy you'd been pining for across lecture theatres since you started university, and you were excited to giggle and debrief with her over the phone. And you had, telling her how he was not only hot but so nice, that you definitely thought you had a chance, until you'd sent her his Instagram handle, which you'd gotten the courage to ask for just before leaving the library, and she went quiet.

The conversation shifted to a different kind of debrief then - she told you about how she shared a few classes with a girl he lived with, Burnice, and he was always meeting her after lectures, how his house consisted of him and four girls, and every time she'd seen him around campus he was with one of them. By the end of the conversation, your high hopes were left significantly dropped. No matter what way you looked at it, the way your friend described it convinced you - whatever the situation, there was no way he was truly single. You'd accepted it as true then, and there had been no indication that anything had changed in the last few months, even as your friendship with him grew.

So just what on earth was happening to you right now?

"I need to tell you something."

Those were the words Lighter Lorenz had just said to you. The classic, default, 'I'm about to confess' line. While standing at the door to your dorm room, uncharacteristically fidgety, avoiding eye contact, and- shit, was he blushing?

This was the last thing you'd expected when he'd messaged you ten minutes ago, asking if you were busy, if he could come over. You'd expected he wanted help with the assignment due next week. Or he was bored and just wanted to hang out. Or he'd gotten into some fight and needed someone a bit more sane than his roommates to see if his cuts were serious. All of them had happened before.

A confession? No. Not on the list of possibilities. You'd long since accepted that no matter how much you liked Lighter, he was off limits. You'd yearned from a distance, lamented to your friends and your notes app that someone else was lucky enough to have him, thanked the universe that at least he was private and barely talked about the relationship so he didn't see how your jaw clenched when you thought about it, and did your best to move on with your life. It was difficult, when the two of you had a weekly standing reservation at your favourite table in the library, and he regularly joined you for movie marathons in your cramped dorm room, but you'd been making a valiant effort. Because you had to. Because he was taken.

"Look, I've been dancing around it because I really value our friendship, but it's getting to a point where I can't just push it down anymore," Lighter continued, still sheepishly avoiding meeting your gaze, unaware of the error messages flashing in your mind, the complete loop he was throwing you for, "I like you. Romantically. Like, a lot."

With a deep, shaky breath, Lighter forced his eyes to finally meet yours. He wasn't sure what look he expected to see on your face - he'd hoped for joy, had prepared for both shock and pity. But your face bore none of those - instead, you looked monumentally confused, blinking at him like he'd given the confession in gibberish.

"Don't you have a girlfriend?" "What? No?"

The words had slipped out of your mouth before you could think of a better way to phrase them, but at least now he was as confused as you were. For several seconds, the two of you stood there in the doorway to your room, eyes wide, staring at each other.

Then, you processed several things at once.

One: Lighter had never, to your recollection, said anything about dating anyone. Not once. You'd been running under the assumption for months, and he'd never said anything that confirmed it.

Two: You didn't even know which one of his roommates you thought he was dating. You'd seen how friendly he was with all of them; the barrelling hugs from Burnice, the makeup he bought for Lucy, the daily gym sessions with Caesar, the way Piper fell asleep on his shoulder. And had somehow never considered he was just like that with close friends.

Three: Lighter liked you. He bought your coffee because he liked you. He made himself free whenever you wanted to see him because he liked you. He came to you first when he got injured in a fight because he liked you.

And as it all hit you, the gravity of your stupidity, all you could do was laugh. You tried to restrain it, fearing you'd think you were laughing at him and not yourself, but the pure ridiculousness left you cackling until you were out of breath, a mixture of embarassment and elation as you realised that none of your problems were even real.

You retreated back into your room, beckoning Lighter to follow you as you sat down on your bed, trying to collect yourself. He stood awkwardly just inside, door clicked shut behind him, quizzical yet fears slightly soothed by the fact you wanted him in the room. In any other situation, he'd be more than content to watch and listen as your laughter bubbled past your lips until you cried, but right now, there were slightly more... pressing matters on his mind.

"I thought you had a girlfriend," you confessed, when you calmed your amusement enough to speak, "Oh my god, I'm such an idiot. Why did I think that?"

And Lighter had to laugh as well, heart thrumming at how relieved you seemed at the information.

"Who did you even think I was dating?" he questioned, padding closer to stand by where you sat on the bed.

"That's the thing, I don't even know!" you started laughing at yourself again, lying back on the bed, "One of your roommates. I think I'd have bet on Burnice."

"No way. Even if I was interested, she literally has a girlfriend - you know Pulchra?" he sat down next to where you lay, but the last dregs of his earlier unspoken question still itched at his mind. He was pretty sure he had his answer, because now that the universe had given you permission, you were looking at him in a way that could only be described as starstruck. "So... I like you. Thoughts?"

You couldn't help but giggle again, even though your cheeks were hurting from all the laughter. Then you grabbed him by the collar and pulled him down towards you, pressing his lips to yours; clumsy, both of you surprised and smiling against each other, and melting into it perfectly.

After a couple seconds, he pulled back, grinning dopily at you lying and breathing heavily under him on your bed.

"I've been wanting to do that for forever." "I'll take that as you like me too?"

And then his lips were on yours again.

[kkoga]

Masterlist ! next !

WC — 1.72k

Creds to @cafekitsune for the divider!!

Chapter 4 — Do I wanna know?

After successfully walking around for the past 27 minutes, you knew it was almost time.

''It's almost time.'' Sophia softly said, gently caressing your pinky with hers. You bit your lip.

Saying you wanted this to end was for some reason, a lie. You missed Sophia. Greatly. You had no idea why the two of you had drifted away all of a sudden, and now that you had seemingly filled the gap that separated the both of you, you had no intent to ever let go.

''Yeah, we should head back to the booth now. My friends are probably there.'' Sophia nodded, an unreadable expression on her face.

As the two of you walked back to the booth, a loud sound came from the speakers.

''Okay, okay, mic test mic test!'' Karina, a member of the school's band, was currently in the middle of the stage, along with the rest of her members.

''Alright, so today, we'll be closing the event off with a highly suggested song, Lover is a day by cuco!'' You noticed Sophia's eyes shine.

''Time's changed, we're different, but my mind still says redundant things, Can I not think?'' As Giselle sang into the mic, Sophia now had a somewhat bittersweet smile displayed on her pretty face.

'Will you love this part of me? My lover is, a day I can't forget'' It was weird. The both of you had just stopped. Neither of you moved from your position. The timer for your love lock had ring a long time ago.

''Furthering my distance from you. Realistically I can't leave now, But I'm okay as long as you, keep me from going crazy, keep me from going crazy'' You found Sophia's eyes. You've never really thought about how pretty her hazel brown eyes looked. Or how nice and glossy her lips were. You didn't think about how kissable her nose looked either.

As the lyrics kept going on, eventually, Sophia had faced you. She sent you a somewhat sad smile. Why was she sad? You didn't know. A tear welled up, her eyes now as glossy as her lips. You panicked. Why was she crying?

''Sophia?'' You pulled her in with a side hug, ''Are you okay? What's wrong?''

''No, no it's fine.'' Sophia pulled away, away from your comfort. Your eyes fell.

''I just— I have something to tell you, Y/n.'' Her tone was serious, but her voice cracked.

''Okay… I'm listening, Sophia.''

''You remember when you told me you had started dating Jay?'' You nodded as Sophia broke your eye contact.

''You were so happy. So excited. But you know how I felt?''

''Sophia…'' You thought she liked Jay. Did you unknowingly drive her away because you hadn't know she liked your ex?

''I felt angry. I felt sad, even though I had no right to. I can't control who you can and can't date. But a part of me just always wished it was me.'' Guilt clouded your mind as you clutched onto your shirt.

''You liked Jay? Sophia I'm so—'' She met your eyes once more, a tear falling down her cheek.

''No, Y/n.''

''Then why?''

''I liked you, you dumbass.''

You froze. Did Sophia just confess to you? Sophia let out a small giggle, not out of happiness, but out of sadness.

''I— I'm sorry. I just couldn't hold it in anymore.''

''Since when?''

It had been your idea, as most reckless things usually were.

"Come on, just this once," you had whispered, fingers wrapped around Sophia’s wrist, eyes alight with mischief. The classroom had felt like a cage, the teacher droning on about equations you didn’t care for, and Sophia—well, Sophia had been staring at the clock, her mind somewhere else.

"I don’t know, Y/n…" she had hesitated, chewing on her lip.

You had grinned. "Live a little, Laforteza."

And maybe that was what did it. Maybe that was why, after a long moment, she had let out a sigh, rolled her eyes, and let you pull her out the side door.

At first, it had felt freeing.

Skipping across the empty courtyard, giggling as if you’d just committed the world’s greatest heist, brushing shoulders as you whispered about nothing and everything.

Then, of course, the sky had decided to ruin it all.

Thunder rumbled above, and in the next instant, rain was coming down hard.

Sophia shrieked, instinctively grabbing your arm. "Are you kidding me?"

You, on the other hand, had just thrown your head back and laughed.

"You have the worst luck," she had groaned, trying and failing to shield herself with her hands.

"Our luck," you corrected, shaking your head like a wet dog and making her yelp as droplets flew her way.

Sophia had tried to glare at you, but it was difficult when she was completely drenched. Her white sneakers—once pristine—were now soaked through, darkened by the water.

"My shoes!" she gasped, lifting one foot in horror. "Y/n, my shoes—"

"Oh my God, they’re just shoes, Soph—"

"They were a birthday gift from my mom!" she huffed, stomping her foot—only for water to splash up onto both of you.

You had winced. "Okay, okay, I get it. My bad."

She was still pouting, hugging herself to keep warm, her hair dripping into her eyes. And then—just as a peace offering—you had sighed dramatically.

"Alright," you said, shaking your head with a lopsided grin. "One day, I’ll buy you new ones. Happy?"

Sophia had blinked, surprised by your sudden sincerity. "Promise?"

Without hesitation, you reached out, pinky extended. "Promise."

She had stared at your hand for a second before linking her pinky with yours, locking the deal in place.

And in that moment, something shifted.

The rain blurred everything around you—students peeking from classroom windows, teachers too distracted to notice you two standing in the middle of the storm. It felt like there was no one else, just you and her, drenched and shivering but laughing.

And for the first time, Sophia noticed you.

Not just as the reckless girl who pulled her into trouble. Not just as a friend who made skipping class feel like an adventure.

No—she noticed the way your eyes softened when you looked at her. The way you had made that promise without hesitation. The way your grin—so easy, so effortless—made her stomach flutter in a way that felt dangerous.

It was ridiculous, really. Falling for someone in the rain? That only happened in movies.

But standing there, with your pinkies still hooked and your laughter still ringing in her ears—

Sophia thought maybe, just maybe, she was in trouble.

And then—she smiled.

Not her usual polite, composed smile. Not the amused smirk she sometimes threw your way when you were being ridiculous. No, this was something softer, something quieter. Something that made your chest feel too small for your heart.

It was then that you realized: she looked beautiful in the rain.

And it was also then that you realized—

You could never have her.

Not in the way you wanted. Not in the way you sometimes imagined when your mind wandered a little too far, a little too deep.

Sophia was… well, she was Sophia. Good. Smart. Put-together. The kind of girl people dreamed about.

And you? You were just you.

The thought settled like a weight in your stomach, and as she shivered beside you, laughing through the downpour, you forced yourself to laugh with her— like nothing had changed.

''…really?''

''Really.''

''I'm sorry for confessing so suddenly Y/n but, it's been months since we've genuinely hung out. Months since I've started missing your touch, missing your voice, missing you.'' Sophia held your hands, clutching onto them like there was no tomorrow.

''I don't need an answer now, L/n. But I'll need one eventually.'' Sophia sent you a smile filled with pain, longing, and love.

By now, your school's band, Aespa, had started singing a different song.

''Do I wanna know? If this feelin' flows both ways?

Sad to see you go, Was sorta hopin' that you'd stay

Baby, we both know, That the nights were mainly made

For sayin' things that you can't say tomorrow day'' Karina effortlessly sang, the melody of her voice carried around the campus, thanks to all the speakers scattered about.

You couldn't bring yourself to answer. You desperately wanted to say yes— after all, you had only accepted Jay's confession on a whim, thinking it would maybe, somehow, in some way. help you move on from Sophia.

Sophia took your silence as a need for space. So she turned away, letting go of your hands in the process.

No, you were not about to lose the chance that perfectly presented itself to you— one you've unknowingly been waiting for a long time.

In a split second, you grabbed her hand, and pulled her closer to you.

''Do I wanna know? Too busy bein' yours to fall?'' Ninging clutched onto her mic, pouring her feelings into the song.

You held Sophia's cheek, staring at her with a gentle and hoping smile. As if asking for her permission. She sent you a smile, her way of saying yes.

''Sad to see you go, Ever thought of callin', darlin'?'' Winter sang, as she strung on her guitar cords with great precision.

You pulled Sophia in, with a gentle but needy kiss. Your lips moving against each other, trying to find a rhythm. Screams from your schoolmates could be heard all over, but neither of you noticed. You were in your own little bubble, as if it was only you and her in the world.

''Do I wanna know? Do you want me crawlin' back to you?'' Giselle finished, breathing heavy.

You both pulled away, in need of air. You stared at each other, speechless. You caressed her cheek, and looked at Sophia lovingly. She held your hand, and sent you back a stare as loving— if not more.

''I love you.'' You whispered— loud enough for her to hear, but not enough for others to hear. For they were words you wanted only Sophia to hear.

Tears once again, for the last time today, welled up. The gloss in her eyes enhancing her beauty. It was a sight to see.

''I love you too.'' She whispered back, as she leaned into your chest.

[simplyzeeka]

Episode 5. Season 1

Red strings

I put a spell on you,

because you're mine

You better stop the things you do

I ain't lyin', no, I ain't lyin'

Warnings: MDNI!! Infidelity, profanity, adult themes, everybody ain't shit.

Summary: When butterflies in their stomach start feeling a little too much like red strings tugging on their souls.

Previously, on Something Seasonal

Airports gave him headaches. If it wasn't the shrill, annoying, robotic voice that spoke through the intercoms then it was definitely the sound of rolling suitcases, loud chatter and laughter, pointless screaming and how overcrowded the airport got that made Terry less eager to fetch his wife.

But he missed her, and that was more than enough of a reason to be excited for her return from Singapore.

It was early into the day, around 10 pm Friday, and Terry had skipped his weekly cardio session at the gym. Naturally, he woke up much earlier and played around with his phone before he cleaned around the house and prepared himself to fetch Amber.

Except Amber was around an hour late, and with the way the woman loved being punctual, being late seemed so out of character.

Terry reached for his phone in his pocket, speed dialling Amber’s number. The phone rang for a while before going straight to voicemail. Terry frowned, looking around to see if he could catch sight of her or perhaps a whiff of her signature lavender perfume.

Terry sent a short voicemail, asking her where she was. While he kept calm, his lips twitched into a frown, foot tapping mindlessly on the tiled floors. He still had to prepare for work once he made it back home, but now, his perfectly planned out schedule was being messed up.

He called again, only for his phone to buzz shortly, with a pop-up notification appearing on his screen. A few messages from Amber. Letters stringed together to form words that had him mugging his phone, fingers clenching tightly around the small device.

Pretty Baby

T, I’m so sorry baby.

Boss said I have to stay a few extra days.

It was last minute, I’ll make it up to you when I’m back.

Terry clenched his jaw, didn't stay in the messaging app long enough to question Amber, didn't keep his phone in his hand long enough to leave innumerable voicemails that would surely drive Amber, and her boss, wild.

Instead, he put his phone back in his pockets and left the buzzing airport with a bouquet of baby breaths in his hand. He'd have to cancel the reservation to Amber's favourite steak place as well.

It wasn't until he got into his car that he felt the tension in his jaw lessen. The same couldn't be said about the heavy pounding of his head.

Amber had been constantly postponing her flight back home. According to Terry's knowledge, she was supposed to be back home five days ago. In their home, sleeping in their bed.

After a few breaths, the headache only subsided slightly. Then his phone was on his ear again.

“Hey, you free today?”

She expected a diner, the gym, hell, even a park, since he loved taking walks so much.

Yet when they pulled over to a kept suburban home, panic set into Syrae’s heart. “Terrence Richmond, where the hell are we?” She questioned with a frown, looking over at him sitting in the driver's seat.

“Still think it ain't fair how you know my full name and I don't know yours.” Terry joked, turned off the ignition before turning to face Syrae with a smile that didn't fully reach his eyes.

He's been off since she got into the car.

“Shouldn't be so careless with your wallet.” Syrae countered with a small smile of her own, turned her gaze away from his, couldn't fall into that kind of trap again. “Stop deflecting. Who's house is this?"

Terry huffed, couldn't be bothered to answer the question, because he himself didn't know why he brought Syrae here of all places. They could've gone somewhere public, anywhere they wouldn't be alone and compromise their progress.

His thoughts clouded his head, common sense evaporating to form small little white fluffs of risky decisions and unwarranted mistakes.

By the time the flow of possibilities of their meetup stopped stagnant in his brain, he was already opening the door for Syrae.

“I'm not gettin’ out this car till you tell me where we at.” Syrae challenged, her arms crossed over her chest to emphasize her pretentious resolve. It wouldn't take much to get her to get out of the car, really. He didn't even have to tell her the truth.

Yet still, he did, and the truth was bitter. It burned Syrae's throat as a lump formed. Cleared her judgment, just enough for a frown that was so beautifully sketched onto her face, it wouldn't deter Terry's plans.

A few blinks and silent sighs were what it took for Syrae to break out of her daze. “What you say?” She questioned breathlessly.

“We're at my place.” Terry retorts with a sigh. He himself knew how all of these were too many steps in the wrong direction. It's been roughly a few days since they've agreed to being friends, yet still, this was still too soon to even invite each other to their homes.

Hell, Syrae had Terry pick her up at their café to maintain the littlest bit of the platonic relationship they had… have?

“We're not gon’ be here long, just need to-” Terry began, trying not to make it seem as bad as it may have looked.

But Syrae shook her head immediately, and as if the movement brought snowfall, Terry's words froze. “Uh-uh. Terry, this isn't… fuck.” She sighed. Curse this man for always being a headache, ‘cause the pounding in her head could never be caused by somebody other than him.

“Rae, it's cold, I'm tryna get inside. We're not gonna be here long. Promise.” He assured..

Or maybe it was the fact that Syrae's resolve was questionably weak when it comes to Terry, because while she was shaking her head no, her feet lifted out of the car. The frigid breeze hit her face, just as cold as her glare when she looked at Terry.

“Thirty minutes, then we're out.” She ordered, a finger pointed in his direction before she stepped to the side.

Terry laughed with a slow shake of his head. He closed the passenger door before walking behind Syrae, leading her to the porch of his and Amber's home. “Yes ma'am.”

The house interior was modern and warm. The decoration was a little stale or as Syrae can brutally put it, featureles. But their shower probably didn't pour out rocks, so she couldn't really be opinionated about the interior of Terry's home.

What caught her eyes the most was the set up in the middle of the living room. Some small easels and canvases. Trays filled with fruit, a meat and cheese platter, some confectionery snacks and wine glasses.

It looked sweet, cozy… but definitely not platonic. Not platonic at all.

“Here, let me take your coat.” Terry's voice filtered through her thundering thoughts in a soft whisper.

Syrae felt his fingertips brushing against her clothed shoulders, smoothly dropping the coat from her body as if it were a practised act, one that emphasized comfort they weren't allowed to have with each other. Not with the way they both felt a jolt of electricity from contact so minimal.

Syrae let him, shrugged the heavy article off her body then turned to face him as he hung it on the coat rack near the door. His coat was off too, and his muscles poked through the fitted turtleneck he wore.

“What's up with the cute setup?” Syrae broke the uncomfortable ice that laid heavy on her heart. She then prayed that it wasn't for her, then begged to the Lord that this man did not have that much audacity.

Terry looked over Syrae's shoulder, finally remembering that he hadn't cleared the surprise he had for Amber's return. “Fuck, forgot ‘bout those. I'ma clear up now.”

He took brisk steps towards the kitchen, opened some cabinets. However, the way Terry banged them on their hinges was a clear indication that there was more to his sour mood that Syrae didn't know about.

He had been trying to hide it since he picked her up with a few jokes, but it always creeped its way back to his face and poke his throat till he sounded a little too snappy.

“You want somethin’ to drink?”

His question broke through the incoherent thoughts that flew into one another, forming one huge blurb of uncertainty and concern through Syrae's brain.

Her legs had a mind of their own, she followed him into the kitchen, hanging by the entrance to investigate his mood further. Which wasn't really much of a problem, Syrae had learned that Terry was very expressive. His face could never hide how he's feeling.

And now, he was either pissed, annoyed or perhaps even both. That much was obvious by how deep his brows dug into his skin, creating doubt-filled crevices in the middle of his forehead, they filtered into his brain in the form of risky decisions and pettiness.

“Terry, are you-”

“I've got some whiskey, wine if you like red.” Terry spoke, hurried strings of words plunged together to create an incoherent mumble. He moved around the kitchen, getting his bottle of whiskey and two glasses.

Syrae tried calling out again, taking a few tentative steps closer. Her observations were now proven factual. He was pissed, or annoyed, or both.

“That one's for special occasions, though.”

Ignore ignore ignore, that was the game he was playing. Didn't want to relieve the bitter lump in his throat, would rather wash it away with some burning liquor. He mumbled his thoughts out more, less vigilant of the suffocating scent of spicy vanilla and… was that mango?

“Terrence.”

Syrae put her hands on his softly before he was about to pour the whiskey into his glass. She frowned up at him. Then their gazes finally met, and fuck she wished for once when their together that the stars would stop shining and the dragonflies would stop fluttering their damn wings in her stomach. She was getting fed up with the nausea that accompanied them.

“What about some tea?” She asked with a raised brow as she pried the bottle from his hands, propped the lid on before setting it on the side. “If you have.”

Terry swallowed the lump in his throat, and along went his defiance when he stared into Syrae's starry eyes, the very same eyes that pulled the strings of his heart that sang harmonious declarations of untold feelings.

“Yeah… yeah, tea is good.” He nodded, voice distant as his gaze tore away from Syrae and suddenly, everything else was interesting. The tile pattern on the kitchen floor, the colour palette of the cabinets. He needed something to do. “I've got black tea, let me make you a cup.”

“How ‘bout I make it? Just tell me where everythin’ is.”

Terry nodded yet again, showed her where everything was before she put some water to boil.

There was a pregnant silence that covered them.both as they stood awkwardly in the kitchen. Terry had his arms folded, leaning back against the counters as he tried to gather comprehensible bits of his booming thoughts.

Syrae fidgeted in one spot, her feet bouncing about as she contemplated asking what was wrong. Terry must've invited her out for a reason. Something must've been bothering him, and he didn't really feel like being annoying.

“Rae.” Terry called out with a bit of humour in this voice, so subtle others would have missed it. “Ask what you wanna ask.”

Syrae frowned. First, he brought the stars closer to her, and now he's a mind reader? She turned to face him, a sheepish grin on her face. “Huh?”

“You're mumbling. So ask what you want to ask.” Terry repeated with a grin of his own dancing on his face. Lips slightly curved upwards.

“You okay?” Syrae wasted no time to ask, wanted to pretend a little longer that them being friends could work out. And as a pretend friend, the least she could do was hear her friends problems and help him through it where she could.

“Yeah, I'm alright. Why do you-”

“No, I mean really okay.” Syrae repeated, not really in the mood to play cat and mouse with this conversation. “You seem a little…”

Terry sighed and hummed in agreement. No further words were needed to know what Syrae was talking about. He tried to get back on track after the airport incident, but that was such a failure he closed his shop for the day to get it together.

Terry couldn't figure why he was so bothered by Amber’s postponing. While he did miss her, heavily at that. This wasn't the first time Amber was gone this long for work. Perhaps he hadn't gotten used to it, or maybe he had a false belief that things would change after they got married.

“Well?” Syrae pushed, her head tilted cutely to the side, the frown yet to be relieved from her face. “What's wrong, Soldier?” her voice softened as she inquired, maybe a softer approach to this would make him more open to answering her question.

Terry couldn't dwell on her actual question for long. His mind wouldn't let him, not with Syrae using that name on him. While he had been called that before, it sounded different coming from her. The syllables rolled off her tongue so effortlessly it was as if she bled to entice him.

Terry shook his thoughts out of his head, cleansed the crevices and groves of his brain of any impurity.

Then he told Syrae about all that was bothering him. Amber constantly postponing her return back home, the missed calls, and texts. While her job was always demanding, it has never been this demanding.

The kettle had long stopped boiling, but Syrae didn't dare move from her spot. She listened intently, nodding along to every word that echoed in a smooth baritone through the space that suddenly felt small with the way Terry's presence loomed over her waking thoughts, the sensible ones that is.

Once he was done, Terry inhaled deeply, and as he exhaled, he could feel the tension lift away from his once heavy shoulders. Talking out his frustrations seemed to do enough to relieve him.

“Look, T. I get it, okay? You miss your wife, and I can't blame you. But It just sounds like she's an ambitious woman tryin’ to climb up the corporate ladder.” Syrae explained with a tentative shrug.

“And with her being a woman, that means she had to work two times as hard just to be on the same level as someone who don't even put in the same amount of work.”

Terry sighed, his frustration riding into guilt. Not only was Amber a woman, but she was a black woman. Intersectionality only made her climb up the corporate ladder harder than what was fair. “Fuck, I ain't think about it like that.” He responded, scratching his goatee while in deep thought.

Syrae hummed, a sombre smile on her face as she turned her back to him to get started with the tea. “So give her some grace. She'll come back to you.” She offered words of comfort before looking at Terry over her shoulder. “How many sugars?”

“Two, thanks.” Terry responded before they slipped into a comfortable silence while Syrae made their tea.

The silence didn't last long. Soon, they were onto asking the other questions. Nothing that would make the atmosphere uncomfortable. They've been in many similar situations, and Syrae could not jeopardize promises of a platonic friendship because of probing curiosity.

Not Syrae at least, because Terry did not mind probing one bit.

“Where'd you learn to dance like that?”

Their cups of tea were long abandoned on Terry's side table. The middle of the living room now cleared of the painting setup. They indulged in one another instead, taking a few sips too many of getting to know one another. Getting to know Syrae tasted somewhat like the whiskey he so badly craved earlier, smooth and easing to the mind.

Syrae chuckled in shock, never had she been asked that. Not by Broisa, Randy or anybody else. She just made money and went along with it.

“Oh, my mama owned a dance studio for middle-aged women.” Syrae responded, the corner of her lips lifting slightly as she fiddled with her fingers.

“Your mama taught middle-aged women how to strip?” Terry asked with a thick brow raised.

“No, silly.” Syrae laughed yet again, her eyes rolling into her lids. “She taught ‘em how to pole-dance and a few other things.”

“There's a difference?”

Syrae nodded, her eyes lifting to meet his with practised ease. She wished he would stop staring at her so intensely. Brows dipped, head down-turned, and bottom lip caught between his teeth. She fluttered her eyes away before she could get caught into a little staring contest that would not end with her leaving his home.

“Sure is. One you do for money, the other you do ‘cause you want to.” Syrae explained with a nonchalant shrug, “Anyway, sometimes she would take me to work with her and I would watch. Few years down the line, she was teachin’ me too.”

Syrae laughed as she recalled the countless times her mother had hit her upside her head for getting a step wrong or slacking. Dancing was always her mother's passion. That woman bled through her platform heels.

Terry didn't miss the melancholy in the way Syrae spoke, he also didn't miss the way she spoke of her mother in past tense.

“What happened to the studio?” He inquired, innocently so, yet the question alone caused Syrae to wince softly.

“Repossessed. Too many debts to keep it running.”

Terry hummed, understanding the struggles to maintain a life that didn't include poverty. “And your mom?”

Syrae winced again, this time a bit louder, the sound followed by laughter that sounded a little bitter to Terry.

“Damn, soldier. Take me out to dinner first.”

Terry’s shoulder shook as he let out smooth honey-filled laughter. The sound glazed over Syrae, sticking on her leaving a thick residue of pure wanton.

“Where you wanna go?” his expression quickly changed into a serious one, but the soft upturn of his lips gave away his playfulness.

“Please, don't start.” Syrae laughed, her head shaking at his silliness. There was a beat of silence, it wasn't uncomfortable, but expectancy hung in the air. Syrae's eyes found Terry, only to see his face turned serious.

“Oh you actually want to know?” Syrae asked, raised brows and an open mouth.

“Wouldn't be askin’ otherwise.” Terry shrugged, “But no pressure.”

Another beat of silence filled the air, droplets of discomfort filling the air that it had Syrae looking around the space for any distraction. Her eyes caught a vinyl player in the corner of the room, sitting on the TV-stand. “You have a vinyl player?” She turned towards Terry in shock.

She had always wanted one, but finances had made it hard for her to even save for one. She preferred listening to music that way, especially with the few records she’s got.

She got up from her seat, walking towards the display of records. “You mind?” She asked without looking at him, her fingers across the thick stack of records on one of the shelves.

“Not at all.” Terry responded with a smile before getting up himself. His feet with a mind of their own, walked closely behind her as she admired the antique player and the records he kept maintained and clean.

Syrae pulled out a single record that caught her eyes. “What you know ‘bout Nina Simone, boy?” She looked at the laminated record cover of one of her favourite songs, a small smile dancing on her lips as she lifted her eyes to meet her favourite shade of green.

“Me? Girl, you dont know nothin’ bout this. Sit down somewhere.” Terry laughed, waving a playful dismissive hand at her. He watched the smile widen on Syrae’s face. And his favourite fluttery feeling in his stomach came back, with the voice that was the complete opposite of reason urging him to forget all morals and claim her smile against his lips. Capture her happiness as if it were his own.

Syrae smacked her teeth, “You don’t know me.” She retorted before turning around. She placed the vinyl on the platter of the turntable. She turned on the player, pressed play before aligning the cueing lever with the record, and in a matter of seconds, the strings and keys of I Put A Spell On You filled the living room.

Syrae immediately sang along, swaying along with the tempo of the song. A smooth baritone filled her ear behind her, and she turned to find that Terry was singing along with her, harmonizing beautifully with her. Like their souls were singing symphonies to each other.

I put a spell on you, because you’re mine

You better stop the things you do

I ain’t lyin’, no, I ain’t lyin’

They smiled at each other, their feet dancing towards each other, hearts pulling on the adamant string until they were swaying in sync.

“You know I can’t stand it, you runnin’ around.” Terry sang lyrics, his fingers snapping to the soft bass of the music.

“You know better, daddy.” Syrae finished off, and by then they were toe-to-toe. Eyes glued to one another, smiles adhesive on their faces. Cocoons raptured and butterflies fluttered about, and the universe collapsed as stars fell all over them, covering them in a starry light and untold stories of intertwined souls.

Terry imitated the trumpet solo with his hands and mouth, and that drew a laugh from Syrae’s stomach as she shook her head at him. Now they’re chest-to-chest.

“I love you, I love you. I love you, I love you anyhow.” Syrae recited, her eyes slowly blinking as the room seemed to dim. And all the light came from the brightness of his smile, the songs being sung from the want in his eyes.

Terry’s movements slowed, smile faltering as the lyrics didn't sound like lyrics anymore. But a promise, one that filled his heart with hope but his head with guilt.He saw galaxies in her eyes again, a starry gaze that willed his hands on her waist, barely touching, yet he could feel the static. *I don't care if you don’t want me.*

*I’m yours right now.* Her heart soared. Hands grazing his shoulder, then they began swaying on the living room floor of Terry’s house, the one he shared with his wife, who wasn’t the person he was dancing with.

“I put a spell on you.” Syrae whispered, fingers grazing the back of his neck and his gently placed across her back.

“Because you’re mine.” Terry attempted to scat along with Nina, which he failed at miserably. But anything to hear her laugh again.

And he succeeded at that. Heart beat faster, butterflies fluttering more intensely at the sound of her giggle filled his ears in a harmonious melody, enticing a slow dance from his heart as their bodies molded together to do the same.

Syrae shook her head at him, “You so silly.” She said breathlessly.

Terry knew by then just how close their faces were when her warm breath fanned against his lips in a quiet plea for the smallest and most desperate of kisses. Noses nudging against each other.

There’s silence, silence filled with unspoken words as their gazes flickered from one eye to the other, then their noses and finally their lips.

When Syrae heard the keys of ‘Tomorrow Is My Turn’, she blinked rapidly before clearing her throat. Her hands detached from his hot skin, eyes from his face, and she swore she felt the painful tug from her heart. “I- I forgot there’s somewhere I gotta be.”

She detached from his body fully. Only a few steps away from his, but her body chilled as if he were half-way across he world.

“Yeah, of course. You… you need a lift-”

“No! I mean, nah. I’m good, I’ll just uber.” She scratched her head as she paced around the living room. Muttering to herself as she cleared the checklist in her head. Phone? Check. Bag? Check. She was missing something.

“Why would you waste your money when I could give you a ride?” Terry asked with a frown, he just wanted to make sure it wasn't awkward between them again. And that when she got home she wouldn't go back to ghosting him

Syrae sighed as she ordered the Uber anyway. She wouldn't look his way, didn't want her faltering resolve to collapse completely under the heat of his stare. “Terry, I’m good.”She forced out as she stared at her screen. The driver was two minutes away.

“Syrae… come on-” Terry attempted to reason with her. His voice was shaky, and his fists clenched at his sides. He wanted. No needed to know that they’re okay.

“Terry, I’m good. We’re good.” She finally turned to face him, swallowing the lump in her throat when she met his desperate eyes. “I’ll text you when I get home, I just really need to go right now.” She croaked.

“My uber almost here… walk me out?” She beckoned with her head towards the door.

Terry nodded and walked closely behind her, reaching over her shoulder to open the door before he followed behind her towards the sidewalk.

The breeze wasn't as unforgiving as when they first got into the home, and there was a little sunlight peeking out of shielding clouds. They waited silently, those few minutes until the car got here. And when it did, Terry never wished that a car would break down as much as he did at that moment.

“Text me, Rae. I’m serious.” Terry insisted with his eyebrows dipped into a frown as he looked down at her, his arms crossed against his chest once he felt his hands twitching to touch her, but they’ve crossed too many borders already.

Syrae chortled, drawing her gaze behind to where the uber waited for her. “I will.” She nodded in his direction before walking towards the silver honda. “Bye, Terry.” She waved before fitting into the car, eyes stuck on the window as the car drove away.

Terry sighed when he felt the string tug painfully at his stomach, forced to move his limbs to chase after the car or yell her name as if he were a puppet, controlled by ill-fated strings.

Days passed since then, Syrae kept her promise to text Terry, but it wasn’t as frequent to be considered satisfactory.

That and the fact that she’d woken up to soaked pantied every day since that day didn’t satisfy her decision in wanting to keep Terry at a distance away from her. The first dream occurred the day after they first kissed. They stopped for a while, until they came back.

Here she was, leaning against the sink of her bathroom with her face wet and her eyes focused disappointedly at her reflection. The images were vivid, yet this dream wasn’t even as vile as the ones she’d had previously.

“Terry, we said just friends.” Kiss right below her ear, she tilts her head because who was she kidding trying to take control.

“And these are friendly kisses” kiss behind her jaw, she shudders because she was stupid enough to even pursue something as mediocre as friendship with him.

“What's happenin’ in my panties is not friendly…” a laugh, a pussy fluttering laugh, how was he supposed to stop this when she said shit like that?

“Could help you with that if you let me.” kiss on her shoulder, faux reassurance he gives because they knew they shouldn't do anything with what's happening between them. A little something to keep the guilt at bay, before it eats at them the way he pined to eat on her.

And man did he eat it, messily, desperately. Like he preserved his hunger solely for her. She bit her lower lip at the vivid images. “Fuck fuck fuck.” She groaned before undressing into her steamy, running shower.

It took some effort to stop herself from drumming her fingers where she ached the most, she didn’t want to deal with the guilt she knew she would be feeling after strumming an orgasm out of her while chanting a married man’s name.

Syrae urged herself to leave the apartment. to try and get Terry out of her head.

What started off as a day of cleaning around the house and trying to get the weird, brown stain off her sofa. Which also became the fourth, futile attempt. It soon drastically changed to her pushing a cart around Walmart for new sheets and hopefully decorations.

She was speeding in between aisles with the right mind to go back home and get ahead of holiday planning, or a bit of the holiday she could spend.

The Walmart wasn't that full, given it was a weekday and only two in the afternoon. Most people were at work.

Her shopping went by swiftly, until she bumped her back into somebody while trying to decide which colour sheets she should buy.

“Ow, what the fuck?” The soft voice spoke.

“Shit. I'm so sorry, are you okay?” Syrae whips around to gauge if the person is badly hurt, only for Her to take a few steps back as she finds an all too familiar face in front of her. “I know you fucking lyin’.” She laughs, eyes as wide as her mouth.

All in her oh so fabulous Glory, is the woman she admired all throughout her highschool years. One of the people who helped Syrae navigate school, her life at home and possible sweethearts.

Amber fucking Coleman, or as Syrae does not know now Richmond.

“Well if it ain't Ms. Trouble.” Amber smiled and ran her eyes over Syrae. “I'll be damned. How you lookin’ like snack in sweats. I see some things don't change?” Amber raised a playful brow.

Syrae rolled her eyes and waved her hand at the woman. “Girl please, talking ‘bout me.” She laughed as she noticed the huge rock on her finger. Her eyebrows shot up in elated surprise. “You looking like a billion dollars while carrying another billion on your hand.”

Syrae gently took Amber's left hand into hers as she inspected her wedding ring. “When the hell did this happen and where was my invite?” She asked jokingly.

Truthfully, Syrae cut all contact with people a while after high school. Syrae couldn't handle the pressures of how her life went to complete shit while other people did well for themselves, one of them being Amber.

While others were off to university and studying. She was back home trying to help settle her mother's debts while the woman battled an illness. She missed out on so much, and soon… life caught up to her so quickly that she had to strip to make ends meet.

“Well you didn't make it easy to contact you.” Amber retorted with a frown and a tight-lipped smile. “You went ghost on everybody.”

Syrae sighed before scratching her head, “I know, I know.” She agreed, the corners of her lips curling upwards, forming a hesitant smile as her eyes softened gradually. “Life ain't go as planned… I needed to reboot.”

Amber hummed while nodding her head. “That's adulting for you.” She spoke off into the distance, as if Syrae lost her attention for a while. “Throwing whiplash your way.”

Syrae nodded with a frown, “Well you must be getting the good kind, cause you're married girl.” She laughed, trying to snap the slightly shorter woman back into reality. “Who the lucky man?”

“Tuh girl, you in my business?” Amber pokes her tongue out jokingly before laughing. “Well, I'll have you know that I was buying flowers for him, I ain't been home in a while. Wanted to give him somethin’ for my return, but these sheets are calling my nam-”

“Baby, I can't find the vases you want… come help me.”

A raspy voice spoke from behind Syrae, yet when she turned to face the man so lucky to receive Amber's affections, she was more surprised.

Her eyes flicked back to Amber, then to the man. A moment went with her eyes dancing back and forth between the two people. “Baby?” She asked, her voice sounding a bit more high-pitched than normal.

Syrae didn't expect Amber to be married to him, especially with the way he frequented the strip club like he didn't have a home, or the many times he couldn't take her rejections to a private dance well.

“Rome… I didn't know you were married.”

A/n: Y'all remember Rome?lol.

This is the fifth chapter, and I haven't written smut for them. I'm proud 🥹

Likes are appreciated, but comments and reblogs are encouraged. I've got a praise kink❤️

Taglist:

@blyffe @peachbutterfly-blog @browngirldominion @blackmoonchilee @megamindsecretlair @mogul93 @earthchica @nayaesworld @cdotmvkspaz @zillasvilla @onherereading @withoutmusiclifewouldbflat

[lokisprettygirl]

Come As You Are (Eric Draven! Bill Skarsgard's Version x Female Reader) (18+) (Slight Au)

Read chapter 7 here // Series Masterlist

Chapter 8

Summary : After learning about how you were snooping into his relationship with Melody, Eric deals with the situation much differently than how you expected him to.

Warning: 18+, Smut, more smut, dirty sexual thoughts, Description of self harm, dry humping, Eric is a past drug addict with suicidal tendencies, self harm, use of cuss words, description of claustrophobia, reader is in her early thirties, mention of sexual assault, death and murder, Consumption of alcohol and weed, periods

He knew he should have deleted it a long time back but to be honest he had forgotten all about it, when you brought it up a week ago by that point he didn't even remember his email or password, after getting his phone smashed he never really went back to that part of his life and now he was regretting it. It just felt too soon to open that pandora box that he knew in the name of Melody once, it was too soon to tell you about her, you wouldn't even believe him if he hit you in the head with his truth.

As you came out of the bathroom he walked past you to go inside, he needed a moment alone, for some reason you sensed a weird energy between you two and it bothered you. You could always tell when he was in his head. You grabbed your phone and called Dina immediately, she was bawling her eyes out, some guy ditched her in the club alone and she was absolutely drunk. You had to go get her so she'd get home safely. While you were putting on jeans and a shirt Eric came out and he got dressed as well.

“Are you okay?” You asked him so he hummed in response.

“Yeah. Of course” he said to you so you looked at him for a moment.

Something just wasn't right.

“Are you coming with me?” you asked him so he shrugged.

“I'm not letting you go alone in the middle of the night y/n” his voice came out sharper than he intended it to be.

“Okay..was just asking”

None of you owned a car so you just called a cab, Dina had already sent you the address of the club. He was so quiet on the way to the club, well quieter than usual so you scooted closer to him.

“Did I do something?” You asked him so he chuckled before he turned his head to look at you.

“I don't know..you think you might have done something?”

“Okay what is it?” he sighed as you questioned him, he didn't want to pick an argument with you, especially not right after you had given him that mind numbing pleasure but he was so fucking pissed right now.

“I asked you to not snoop around into my past life? Didn't i?”

You gulped as he said that, no wonder he was being weird, he must have seen the evidence on your phone, serves you right for keeping his profile open all the time.

“I was just curious Eric-” you mumbled, your voice low and meak so he snickered again.

“You have no right y/n” your brows creased in slight irritation as he said that. You felt offended.

“No right? I have no right to look you up?”

“No you don't..i asked you to do one simple thing and you can't even respect my wishes.”

Okay maybe he didn't realise it but he was being very mean right now, almost as mean as he was in the beginning with you.

As you went completely quiet he felt like a jerk for speaking that way to you, he didn't blame you for being curious but that didn't make this situation any easier to explain for him.

As the venue arrived you immediately got out to find Dina and bring her back to the car, luckily she was right outside and she was safe so you grabbed her arm “Ohhh it's The weed guy..hiiii” she said as she looked into the cab from the window, “Can I sit in the middle?” She asked you as she turned to you.

“Actually I'd prefer that very much right now” you glared at Eric, making him roll his eyes in response.

Okay!!! Perhaps he could have started this conversation in a less passive aggressive manner but that didn't change the fact that you snooped around behind his back. As she got sandwiched between you two in the cab, it became quiet again until Dina spoke.

“Surprised to see you here..what's going on?” she asked him as she nudged his shoulder with hers so he glared at her.

“Just being a good neighbour..you got a problem with that?” His tone was rude and dismissive so she rolled her eyes in response.

“I completely forgot that you are an asshole”

After you both dropped her home it was a silent ride back to your apartments but when you couldn't take it anymore you gave in first.

“Eric I'm sorry” you said to him as politely as you could. You were indeed sorry but the way he was acting as if you had killed someone wasn't helping.

“I know you are.. it's not going to change anything”

And that made you upset again.

“What does that even mean?”

“I just need time to cool down..can I have that?” He snapped at you and your eyes teared up again so you just crossed your arms and looked out the window. As the building arrived you immediately got out and made your way in but he quickly followed behind you, he didn't want you to go up alone, he had a trauma regarding that after how things had happened with Melody on the day they had died.

As you both reached the 11th floor you stared at him before you opened your door. He entered your apartment even before you just to look around and make sure it was safe.

“We should just sleep in our own beds tonight” you heard his voice as he made his way back to the main door, your jaw clenched in anger but you controlled your reaction.

“Whatever suits you..good night” you said before you closed the door with a loud thud.

He was being an asshole again but he was so upset right now, it wasn't as harmless of a thing as you thought it to be. Digging into his past would do you no good, he didn't want you to get yourself involved in that part of his life, it wasn't safe for you.

Being with you was a blessing for him but moments like these made him regret ever getting so close to you because if you get hurt too he'd never be able to recover from that.

You couldn't even sleep after that. How could you? You knew you had made a mistake, you went against his word, but you really thought he'd never find out about it. The rest of the night you kept wishing for him to knock on your door but he didn't and that hurt you alot.

When you were finally able to drift off your alarm rang merely two hours later, you felt so tired, so sleepy and so fucking pissed because of Eric.

Pretending to be a good waitress was going to be harder than usual today.

While you were leaving for work, a part of you wanted to knock on his door but you found a note stuck to his door so you picked it up. He could just text you now that he had a phone but nope.

“Let's talk in evening when I'm back”

No baby, no love, Eric at the end, no smiley face, you could almost hear his nonchalant voice saying that to you.

Was he going to break up with you? You could feel the impending heavy weight on your chest as you thought of that possibility, you knew you had a tendency to do dumb shit like this but was it all it took to drive him away?

You couldn't really focus on the work that day, you messed up orders and Dina was on leave so you were doing two people's jobs at once, you really wanted to scream and cry but you couldn't afford to do that because you lived paycheck to paycheck.

When you reached home he hadn't returned yet so you showered and put on a black shirt of his that went past your thighs with just an underwear beneath it.

Perhaps you could just try and seduce him if he was planning to dump you?

“No that's so fucking manipulative y/n..what's wrong with you” you groaned as you paced back and forth in your living room.

The moment you heard the elevator coming up you opened your door and stepped out before you closed it and leaned against it. You had to take a moment to position yourself in a way that would look natural and not as if you had been awaiting his arrival for hours.

As he turned the corner he stared at you before he took his keys out.

“Let me just shower-”

He said to you, you looked so cute right now in his clothes, all he wanted to do was get down on his knees and pleasure you right against that door but he really needed to drill this in your head, his past wasn't worth exploring, it would only bring you confusion and pain.

“No..we are going to talk now” you said to him as you crossed your arms, voice firm and assertive. He sighed as he turned around and put the keys back in the pocket of his dark grey hoodie.

He didn't seem bloodied today so you wondered where he had been if he wasn't at his ..umm job?

“Are you going to break up with me or something?” You asked him, your voice trembled slightly as just the thought of it made you want to break down. He looked at you perplexed before he spoke again,

“We are having an argument and that's your first thought? Have you never been in a relationship before?” His brows raised up inquisitively as he leaned against his door, his posture mirroring yours.

“I have…and that's usually how it ends” you said, eyes moistened so he shook his head, he was going to answer but then you continued “I mean I do something stupid and then it's just unacceptable for them to let it go.. like it was hard as it was that I wouldn't put out for them and then I had the audacity to make a human error, a mistake? But at least we are doing the sex stuff so perhaps you might be a little more lenient -”

He interrupted you mid speech. Usually he found your rambling cute but not like this, he hated it whenever you disrespected yourself like that.

“Y/n fucking stop..god why do you always degrade yourself this way?” His jaw clenched as he approached you, you weren't even looking at him anymore so he grabbed your chin between his thumb and forefingers and made you look up at him.

“If it was so easy for me to let you go I wouldn't have allowed myself to be in this position in the first place you dummy” he said firmly as he leaned his head down and placed his forehead against yours, his nose rubbed against yours for a moment before he kissed you softly to calm down both of your nerves.

As he pulled away he cupped your cheeks between his palms.

“I warned you that I won't be a fun person to be around. Didn't I?” He asked you so you nodded in response. Okay you were starting to see what he meant but this wasn't really going to change how you felt about him. “I asked you to not dig into my past but you're so nosy i should have known” he said to you, voice filled with anger but then he was holding you so lovingly so that confused you.

“Are we still fighting?”

“Of Course we are.. what does this look like to you?” he asked as he wrapped his hands around your waist and pulled you closer until you were squished into his hard chest.

“Seems pretty sexual to me” you said, making him sigh.

“Y/n..baby..i need you to be serious about this” you couldn't help but huff as he said that.

“I am..I spent the night crying over it and fearing the worst so don't tell me to be serious” you matched the tone of his voice so he sniffled before he spoke again.

“Yeah well you brought it on yourself, you'll get no sympathy from me for that, you hurt me too when you went behind my back” You gulped as he said that, you really needed to not find him hot as fuck when he was angry and spoke to you like that.

“Eric..I made a mistake”

“It's not a mistake if you're doing it on purpose”

“I can't go back and stop it from happening, I can just apologise which I have been doing constantly since last night” he groaned as you said that.

“I don't need your apologies..i need you to understand that my past is not something you should be exploring. It's dangerous, it's not good for you, how many times do I have to repeat myself for you to get this into your silly little head?” He asked you and he was waiting for an answer but you just stared at him so he brought his hand up and curled his fingers into your hair to pull your head back.

“Nothing to say anymore? Have I managed to shut that garrulous mouth of yours? Do you understand me or not, baby?” he asked you again but you were too turned around by his aggressive yet gentle demeanor to give him a proper response.

“I understand but I need you to know that I have flaws too..I'm not perfect”

“I don't want perfection, I just want you to be a good girl for me and listen to me. I'm trying to keep you safe. My past is nothing but a black hole y/n and i won't be able to pull you out of it if you get sucked in too deep and I can't have that..i can't lose you ..you're fucking precious to me..do you hear me?”

You nodded as he said that so he loosened his grip on your scalp and pulled you in to kiss you again, his lips moved gently against yours before he pushed you against the door and trapped you between his body.

His hands trailed down slowly and your breath hitched as he cupped your ass under the shirt, his fingers grazing over the bare cheeks.

“Couldn't even bother to put on shorts hmm? Arguing with me in your cute little underwear. You're so filthy” he said to you as he kissed down from your jawline to your neck.

“Well i was going to seduce you if you were planning to break up with me” he smiled as you said that before his expressions turned serious again, he looked at you, his hand came up to gently grab your face.

“Don't ever do that, don't ever lower yourself to such standards. You're beautiful, you're amazing, you're a goddamn blessing and I need you to remember that..just because I'm upset with you about something doesn't mean I'll just leave you..you're mine now aren't you? Who else am I going to argue with?” he asked, his voice was so soft and gentle now, it made you want to cry just so he'd keep using that voice on you.

“People leave when I make mistakes..I do something and it changes the way they pictured me in their heads” you answered him so he shook his head in disbelief.

“I'm not most people y/n. It's not fun and games for me when it comes to you. Do you not feel it darling? When you're close to me..can't you tell how much i adore you?” He asked as he placed your hand over his chest, his heart was beating rapidly.

“I can..I am just scared at times”

“I know I am too” He whispered as he sucked a mark on your neck before he bent down until he was on his knees, even when he was on his knees he almost reached your chest.

“Eric what are you-” you mumbled as you looked at him but he cut you off.

“I'm apologising for being so short with you like that, you deserve better” you gulped as he said that, you were too aroused to stop him but you weren't sure if doing this right outside your door was such a good idea.

“Perhaps we should get inside and you can apologise all you want -” you spoke but were met with sharp interjection.

“No..shut up and take it right here”

He lowered down your underwear until it was pooled around your ankles, then he grabbed it, sniffed it and placed it in the pocket of his hoodie, your breath hitched in your chest at the gesture, you thanked all your stars you had started to keep yourself trimmed since you two began dating.

“What if somebody comes and-”

And he interrupted you before you could finish that thought.

“Nobody is coming.. except you..in like five minutes”

He stared at you with his big eyes before he spread your legs apart and placed one of your thighs over his shoulder, his mouth immediately latched over your lips and he let out a satisfied hum as he tasted you for the first time. Five minutes seemed a lot, you didn't think you'd need five minutes.

“Mmm baby-” you moaned loudly as your fingers ran through his hair, your knees felt weak and began to tremble so he grabbed your other thigh and placed it on his shoulder as well so you were just levitating while he practically held you over him, your back being supported by the door.

Never in your wildest dreams you ever thought of this happening to you, not in this life at least, you read about it and fantasized about it but you never thought of this happening to you.

“Smell so fucking good.. i could live down here forever” he murmured softly, his nose spread your lips apart before he dived in again. His tongue slipped out as he licked over and over again like a kitten lapping up on milk.

When you said virgin, you meant it. He couldn't even push his tongue in there, how was he going to stick his cock in that tiny hole of yours? Just the thought got him uncomfortably hard, he knew he'd not last in that tight cunt for even a minute.

He focused his attention on your clit, sucking it and stimulating it to his heart's content, the constant moans, the gentle tugging of his hair and the way you squeezed your thighs around his head encouraged him to keep going.

Every time your wetness dripped, he placed his whole mouth over your lips and sucked on it like he was eating an oyster. He didn't want to waste a drop, something awakened inside him the moment he tasted you and like a man starving he needed to satisfy his hunger until he was completely sated.

You wanted to see him so you raised your shirt up and pooled it around your waist, a gasp escaped your throat as you looked at him, it was obscene, everything about this scene was so obscene, he looked so hot, so fucking beautiful down there.

“Need you to cum for me baby..can you be a good girl? Give me what I want?” He said, his voice deep, his tone gravelly and husky. His big eyes pleading with you.

“God…eric..baby I'm gonna..oh god” you whispered as you clutched your thighs around his head, almost suffocating him, he groaned in pleasure and held onto your hips when he felt your body quivering and shaking with the wave of your orgasm.

“That's it…my sweet girl, you look so good when you listen to me” he mumbled before he sucked on your clit again while you rode through the best possible orgasm you have ever had in your life.

After what felt like forever he finally put you down, once he was assured you won't fall down, hd used the hem of your shirt-his shirt to wipe his mouth before he kissed up from your torso to your chest and as soon as he reached your mouth he kissed you deeply, you could taste yourself on his lips and you didn't mind it at all. He kissed you until your lungs were deprived of oxygen.

As he pulled away he breathed in deeply.

“Don't know why I ever did drugs when all I needed was this-” he murmured against your mouth, he was just speaking his thoughts out loud.

Your pussy tasted so good he was contemplating his life choices.

Your arms curled around his neck as you hugged him as tightly as you could, he was yours, he had made it clear, just because you two had a fight that didn't mean he'd dump you or abandon you. You needed to repeat his words in your head because you were going to need them every time there was a fight or an argument and you'd begin to feel like the most unlovable person on this earth.

****

“What did you do today?” You asked him as you sat between his legs on your bed, you were reading a book while he held his drawing pad in front of him and drew mindlessly, well not that mindlessly, he was drawing you again, you the hours before while you received pleasure against the door, he thought about your question before he kissed your temple.

“Nothing..there's a lake outside the city, I go there when I'm feeling troubled” he answered softly.

“You have a secret spot?”

“Mmhm I'll take you there someday” you smiled as he said that before you put the book down and just turned your head to stare at him, he looked so aesthetically pleasing to you, the tattoos and the earring, his perfectly chiselled face, his broad shoulders that you had sat on so comfortably while he ate you out, everything about him made you want to stare.

Thinking about him and Melody still bothered you though, there was a history there and you wanted to learn about that part of his life but you weren't going to force him if he didn't want to share.

You really didn't want to but it was if he had read your thoughts.

“We met in rehab-” he said nonchalantly.

“Hmm?” You looked at him as you sat up completely and turned around to face him.

“Rehab.. that's where druggies go to rehabilitate and shit” he clarified as if that's what you were confused about. You just didn't know why he was sharing it after everything he had said.

“I know i mean you don't have to talk about it baby”

“I know. I don't want to but I'll tell you enough because I know you won't stop obsessing over it” you sighed as he said that. He knew you too well now and that terrified you at times.

“I mean, yeah fine okay!! I'm obsessed but you dated a celebrity..it makes me curious. Wouldn't you be curious if you find out I dated like...I don't know Hugh Jackman?” you said to him so he chuckled.

“No I'd be truly concerned for you, wondering if you had severe daddy issues. Isn't he like sixty? That makes him almost double your age?” You rolled your eyes as he said that so he continued “Besides she wasn't a celebrity when we met, she was just a girl” his brows furrowed as he thought about their early interactions in the rehab. He had barely known her for a week when they escaped from the rehab. It's been five months of him knowing you now, that was more time than what he had spent with Melody when all hell broke loose on him.

“Did you love her?” you asked him so he sighed.

“Yeah..she was the only girl in my life that I loved” At the time “And for some reason she chose to love me too” you nodded as he said that, trying hard to not showcase your jealousy, you had never been in love before, not truly anyways. Not until him.

Their whole relationship was a blur to him now but he knew he loved her as much as a man is capable of loving a woman..

“What happened? Why did you two break up?” his jaw clenched as you questioned him but he composed himself.

“Something bad happened..to her, to us. It just wasn't the same after that..not for her anyways, she had a life ahead of her. She was going to be who she is today. And me? I was just Eric..just some junkie she met in rehab and took pity upon” he said it so casually and it broke your heart.

He also brought her back from the dead and traded his soul for her but he wasn't going to tell you that.

You wanted to ask what bad thing he was talking about but you knew he wouldn't tell you, perhaps it had something to do with his profession, maybe he pushed her away like he pushed you away in the beginning.

You didn't know that none of it was his fault, he just found love and wanted to be happy finally and then it was all taken from him for no fault of his own. Vincent Roeg wouldn't have come into his life if it wasn't for Melody.

“Melody banks or not..you're you Eric, you deserve so much more than what you let yourself believe” you said to him as you held his cheeks.

“No I don't..i didn't deserve her and i don't deserve you either, you're too good for me, you know that, I know that but I'm not going to hurt you again” he said to you so you tapped on his cheek lightly.

“You're stupid and you don't know what you're saying” He chuckled as you said that before you leaned forward to kiss him.

“No more snooping around into it okay? That chapter of my life is closed forever and I don't want it to come between what we have..ever” he mumbled softly so you nodded and kissed him again before you snuggled into him.

That's what he thought, he really thought that chapter of his life was closed, that he'd never have to come face to face with Melody again but a month later she came back into his life, unfortunately that wasn't even the worst part about it all. She also claimed to see Vincent Roeg again and he didn't know how to deal with it.

That wasn't possible. He had sent him to hell himself.

He didn't understand what was happening but he knew he had to keep you away from this mess and he was willing to go to any lengths to keep you safe.

😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔

Taglist: @m-riaa @erebus-et-eigengrau @peachychyy @enchantresss97 @fandomxo00 @a-differentbrandof-beans

[crimsonreveriie]

Chapter 1

Since I've had a few people ask for more detailed stories of how my friend could use me, I'll start a small series and write it from the POV of how it has already happened (but we all know I'm too nervous to actually ask him) 🫠

A few days ago, when I was texting my friend, Leo, I finally had the courage to reveal a fantasy of mine to him. I told my friend that I’d like him to take me in my sleep. He was a little amazed because he didn’t expect this from me. We had always flirted, and sometimes I would catch him staring at my ass, but he knows I’m very selective about who I’m with. Leo had asked me when and where, so I told him this Friday, Saturday, and Monday night, and that I would leave the back door unlocked. I made sure to tell him he had complete creative control of how he wanted to use me: bring one friend, or multiple, ropes, gags, masks, it was whatever he wanted to do... I told him that I was just a toy for his pleasure and entertainment during those nights. Since we had a few communication issues in the past, I made sure to tell him my limits, and with that, he carried on our previous conversation as if I didn't just ask him to do the foulest things he could think of to me...

Friday night came around, and I couldn't stop thinking about what my friend had come up with... had he even come up with anything? Leo didn't ask any other questions, or tell me what ideas he had in mind, let alone mention it. Maybe he would come around on Saturday or Monday night. Either way, I still wanted to go to bed, so I did my nightly routine: put on my comfiest oversized shirt with no panties, washed my face, brushed my teeth, made some tea, and watched a little TV. I was so tired and eventually dragged myself off the couch to my bed. Even though I was tired, I felt myself toss and turn with anticipation before I eventually fell asleep. I woke back up in the middle of the night to a strange feeling, I checked my phone and it was 3 AM. "Damn... maybe he wasn't going to come around tonight" I thought. I then heard a soft shifting noise in the corner of my room where I have my reading chair. I thought I noticed something, but maybe it was just my cat. Still, I turned on my flashlight and pointed it towards my chair... but there he was... waiting for me. He wore black cargo pants and belt, brown boots, a *very* tight black long sleeve, and a black mask. He remained quiet, stood up, and stalked over to me. Fear, excitement, and adrenaline rushed through my face and down to my lower abdomen, but something seemed off, this man standing over my bed and looking down at me didn't seem to have Leo's build... he didn't have his blue eyes or shorter height, he didn't look like him at all! My phone's flashlight was pointing right at his chest, and at this point true fear and adrenaline went straight to my stomach.

What. The. Fuck. Who is this man? Is he Leo's friend? Is this an actual intruder? Am I actually going to die? A million thoughts raced through my mind before I reacted. Before I had thought it, my body leapt out of my blankets and tried to get off my bed. My phone fell with the flashlight facing up, but the man firmly grabbed my arm, and made me lose balance on my legs. I shrieked as he sent me crashing down to my knees next to him on my bed. He had one arm wrapped around my waist, holding my arms behind my back, pressing my front against his chest, and the other gripping my face so I could only look up at him.

My face burned, and tears of terror pierced my eyes. He finally spoke, "You know... I have to thank you for your little invitation. Leo had mentioned that you gave permission for him to pass it along to a few friends. He actually wanted to stop by tonight but was busy, so here I am! Aren't you happy to see me?" A small weight lifted off my chest; he isn't an actual intruder, and I'm not going to die. However, I still didn't know this man, and I'm sure Leo told him that I would be "just a toy for his pleasure and entertainment during one of these nights." He continued talking to and mocking me. "What?... Cat got your tongue?... Expected to see Leo? Expected him to just fuck you and be done? In fact, he seems to have some fun plans for you, slut." I didn't know this man but I was feeling dazed, his wicked smile and words got to me. The way he forcefully holds me, I can feel every muscle tense in his body. I wanted to fight, but at the same time, I did want him to use me.

Several moments of heavy, tension-filled breaths happened before he lowered his arm to quickly scoop my knees out from underneath me and firmly push my neck down on the bed. “I’ll make sure I’m not too mean, I don’t want to wear you down the first night” he said with a vicious grin. My eyes widened, “the first night!?” I thought, but before my mind could keep wandering, he put his hands on my hips, sliding my shirt up, kissing, licking, and biting his way all over me. My breath was caught in my throat while he seemed to worship my body, taking his time. My mind went blank as he kept kissing and biting my thighs, stomach, breasts, and neck, I was melting and softening at his touch. A burst of reality shot through me when he brought his hands down to unbuckle his belt. I had almost forgotten there’s a complete stranger in my house, and he’s going to use me. 

He was caught off guard when I shoved his shoulders back, sat up, and tried to move off my bed. But he got to me before I could even put a foot on the ground. The man dragged me by the legs back to where I was, and fixed his waist to trap my hips while he pinned my wrists above my head with one hand. He stroked my thigh with his other hand saying, “Did you really think you could escape? I thought we were just starting to have fun! Plus, you’ll have to try harder if you want to get out of this, dear” 

Again, the man started to unbuckle his belt. Even though I wanted this, I couldn't help trying to get out of his harsh grip on me. I bucked my hips and tried to wiggle out of his grasp on my wrists, I was slowly becoming unraveled at his roughness. “Mhm, what a good girl, grinding against me like this... keep going,” his wicked grin returned. At last I finally said something, “fuck you.” He slapped me across the face then forced me to look at him, “I dare you to say that again....” My cheek stung, and I could feel the ache in my lower abdomen grow. He reached down to my pussy and started slowly rubbing my clit with barely any pressure, but just enough for another wave of heat to rush down me. I didn’t notice when he took his hand off my wrists to pull himself out of his pants until I felt his hardness press against me at my entrance. 

I looked down, finally realizing he was going to fuck me. My eyes widened as I gasped and protested, but secretly enjoyed the feeling of him sliding into me at an agonizingly slow pace. His hands found their place on my hips as he settled his thick, hard cock deep inside of me and I couldn’t help but let out a long moan. I could feel him rock and move slightly inside of me, which sent more shockwaves of pleasure through my body. He started quickening his pace, I could feel myself getting more wet, and a knot of an orgasm began forming in me. “You filthy fucking whore, I can already feel you tightening around me, your’re seriously going to cum so soon?... And to your intruder violating your body? Fucking slut, you don't get to cum tonight"

The man gripped my hips tighter and began slamming into me at a torturous rate. I started crying out at the pain and pleasure of him filling me up, it was starting to be too much. I reached down to start rubbing my clit but he grabbed both hands and pinned them above my head again. He pulled himself out and used his other hand to play with my tits, groping and pinching my nipples. "Did you not hear what I said? Don't even think about cumming, the only one that get to is me, cunt" Frustrated, I started whimpering and kicking my legs for him to just keep fucking me. “Shut the fuck up, whore.”

He kept his hand pinning my wrists down, he shoved himself back inside me, and covered my mouth with his free hand. I shrieked as he resumed his ruthless fast pace. I was a moaning mess, unable to cum without stimulation on my clit. I tried angling my hips better, but the returning knot in my stomach only intensified, never giving me my release. 

I felt the man continuing to slam himself into me again and again before he started to lose his own control, his pace faltering. I knew he was close and I didn’t just want to cum, I needed to cum. I tried pleading for release, even with him covering my mouth. “What did you say, cunt?” He took his hand off my mouth and went back to pinching my nipples again. I tightened around his cock at the sensation, weeping, my own orgasm so close, until he slammed so deep inside of me and stopped. He released himself, flooding me with his cum, I couldn't help squirming and bucking my hips at the heat. The man pulled himself out slowly, breath ragged, “what a pretty little slut, you were so good for me.” Again, he slapped my face and pulled it back to look at him, “you can leave your door locked tomorrow night, or not… either way it won’t matter.” 

The man released my face and walked out of my room, leaving me behind. My breaths uneven, my orgasm ruined, and his cum leaking out of me. I layed like that until I had the energy to pull my head up to my pillows, it didn’t take long for me to fall asleep.

[pro-sipper]

(sorry if this is too long you can ignore it) you had no conscious influence on this but around a year ago I was mutuals with some antis who I realized were antis too late and didn't know how to get off my back. I was constantly walking on eggshells around them, despite being in a fandom for a movie where the main theme is rape (ppl like this ignored the fact that their favorite character committed incestual rape, saying that it was too vague). The fish aquarium webscreen post of yours came on my dash and reblogged it, and then one of them also reblogged it. An anon told them that that post was made by a proshiper and I think that sent them spiraling? Long story short they started posting anti ship things more openly, constantly linking their carrd which had proship DNI etc. etc. What broke the camel's back was them reaching out to a mutual, who later became my partner, about a joke they reblogged which mentioned incest roleplay. They blocked them, another one of my anti mutuals started acting suspicious and reached out to another mutual of mine about there being an proship blog in the fandom but I think they pussied out and didn't tell them that it was my future partner. I had a long discussion with them to calm down about this where I told them I liked a rape porn game and that doesn't make me a rapist, they condescended to me but I let it go until they started to directly copy my OC's (or at least a sanitized version of them). So I blocked them. Next day I immediately get a call out for being a proshiper despite not identifying with the label at the time (and I still don't really cause I'm not really active in fandoms/shipping) and got called abusive for stating my boundaries ig and both me and my future partner got called groomers. After that tho they fucked off out of my life and I actually gained friends from the experience.

Why'd I write this? I guess to kinda thank you for very indirectly causing me to lose my anti "friends". I'm very much a lot more happier now, despite it all. Moral puritanism is a disease, and too many ppl fall for it, though I'm glad I gained awareness to more easily identify them and block them. I'm more open about the problematic aspects of my stories too, and that probably keeps them away.

Sasfsfdfs wow and here I was getting annoyed by the notifications on that post. Who knew it was out here saving lives?? Or at least saving people from having to deal with annoying antis in fandoms.

What a wild thing, being able to gloss over incestual rape in the name of only being interested in UnPrObLeMaTiC media. I think it was already safe to assume that most antis were liars and hypocrites, though

I'm sorry you went through so much strife because it all sounds like a hell of a lot to deal with, but I'm happy you came out the other end better than ever! And with a new partner, wow. I'm happy for both of you that you got away from those toxic friends. Wishing you both the best!! <3

[nakedmonkey]

2 and 14 shivlina?

2) Who’s the first one to admit they have feelings for the other?

I go back and forth about it. Lately I've been thinking of a situation where Karolina would be the one to say it out loud after Shiv danced around it for a while. I think Shiv is afraid to label anything between them because it'll give her license to cheat or be generally awful. And I think Karolina needs there to be clarity and needs to draw a clear line where one is necessary. So she'd be straight forward and be like, "Hey. I like you and this feels like it's mutual. What are we doing."

14) what’s the thing they miss most about each other?

My personal HC is that they break up "for good" when Shiv finds out she's pregnant, and Karolina is the one to do it.

At this point, what Shiv misses the most is just having someone around whose intentions she can trust. In a more impractical sense, she misses the comfort of having Karolina physically around. She wasn't prepared for how instinctively she found herself aching for her specifically. More than once she finds herself scrolling through past text conversations contemplating asking her what she's up to. But that's not good for anybody, so she puts her phone away and prays for sleep.

Karolina misses the familiarity and the feeling of being understood. Not having to explain her crazy work hours, or the insane things she does on a daily basis, pausing mid conversation to answer a call--She misses Shiv's wit, how she fights through her own sharp edges to find a bit of softness and be comfortable there. She even begins to miss their fights, and that's when she knows maybe it's time to call some friends.

[crossbackpoke-check]

blessed be (lorscher bienensegen) | telling the bees (wiþ ymbe)

"Bees" [remixed, abridged], Claudia Emerson // "Letter to Someone Living Fifty Years from Now" [remixed. abridged], Matthew Olzmann // "Letter to my Great, Great Grandchild" [remixed, abridged], J.P. Grasser | Len Redkole, Nina Weiss, Brian Babineau, Christian Peterson, Mitchell Leff, Dave Isaac, Megan DeRuchie

[sentientstump]

For requests: mayhaps your tc deity au? I really liked it :D

Or, if you wish, some of your ocs?

39. tfw river didn't like your fort

also wanted to congratulate everyone with belated new years/summer solstice festival :D yippee!!!

got costumes from these photos of Yhyakh of Olonkho 2024 (i think currently its down or something, site worked two seconds ago lol)

from this post

[booasaur]

Pinned post - F/F Fic Recs

  Anonymous asked:

Hi, I've see you saying that you're reading a lot of fic lately and I was wondering if you could rec some? I so trust your taste and I think we have so many fandons in common...

Hiya! So first, what I was reading over the summer were some new fandoms that I'm still mulling over. Those ships and fics, I'm not ready to recommend anything for, I'll come back to them later.

As you know, I find it hard to pick out faves and recommend things but coincidentally, some time back, when I hadn't read fics for years, I decided to see which I could easily remember. It’s not close to being an exhaustive list, I just noted down whatever came to me over a few hours, and almost all are pretty old, often from my first go-around in each fandom, but it’s a fair number. I've read other great ones that might not be as easily remembered for any number of reasons, like if I was in a particular frame of mind or if I read too many good ones at once so none really stood out, if I read them in between other things going on in life, etc. These ones slotted into the ole memory bank but that doesn't say anything about those left off.

I'm not sure how many of these are fandoms you're into, but when I'm in a real fic-reading mood I'll often try fandoms I don't know, so hopefully you can still give some of them a shot. I tried to organize by fandom though they're mostly in the order I remembered them, so it's not alphabetical or fave first--though it did end up being pretty chronologically backwards. I was literally going back through the years and I don't think I've read some of the anime ones in like, more than a decade? And while for my own list, I often was like oh, all of that author's fics for this ship and would know what I meant, here I tried to narrow it down to one fic per author, since it can be hard to know where to start, but definitely give their other fics a try if you liked that one.

Added a cut for length. All stories are f/f and complete unless specified. As I go through some of these, let me come back here to add that it’s worth keeping in mind as you read these that they are products of their time, some more than a decade ago. 

Gilmore Girls - Paris/Rory

The Best Of It - by dollsome - 74k words » Canon, fake dating, set after the original series (so ignoring A Year in the Life). To win a point on a talk show, Paris announces she's dating Rory. It's incredibly in voice and matches the show vibe so it's just so funny and sweet and just a plain delight. It's what actually made me create this list, I was idly wondering what else I'd read that brought me this much joy.  

Boston Marriage - by Jae - 5k words » Canon, college years, Paris has a proposal. The first fic for this ship I read, I think? Where I was like, oh, so it’s possible to be that in voice and replicate everything about a show even as distinct as this one. One of the ship’s classics (and being from 2005, just a f/f classic overall?).    

The Unbearable Weirdness of Being - by klynkey - 3k words » Canon, assumed high school years, Rory and Paris get into a debate. After having read the one above, I found this soon after and was like, okay, is everyone able to easily replicate that Gilmore Girls patter? (No.) Another ship classic.

Agents of Shield - Bobbi/Jemma

To Keep My Wolves From Your Door - by pirateygoodness - 41k words » Werewolf AU, so elaborate and for a ship so relatively rare, I’m not sure how this exists but I’m glad it does. It’s got some plot, a sweet romance, smut with feelings, just a rewarding read every time I go back to it, which is pretty often. Given my main audience, I’ll mention there are some flashbacks to Bobbi and her ex husband but that didn’t affect my enjoyment at all.  

Soulmate AUs (just chapter 2) - by alittleunstable - 3k words » Canon, cute little soulmate AU, which I’m always a sucker for. 

Star Trek Voyager - Janeway/Seven of Nine

Where the Dream Takes You - by nejvit - 27k words » Canon, one of the tamer getting together Trek setups, more introspective rather than caused by some alien tomfoolery, but I really like how it handles the very commonly featured J/7 conflict of Janeway dating someone in her crew. It is a bit dense but I found the character and dynamic exploration so insightful and interesting. When I first read J/7 fics years ago (in the late ‘00s), this author’s fics didn’t particularly stand out but when I came back to the fandom more recently, they were among my very favorite.  

The Rod and the Staff - by Trek in Tandem - 13k words » Canon, deals with the aftermath of an existing ep where Janeway went on a mission and ran into trouble. The religious stuff comes across as more the writer playing with the episode’s actual religious references than anything heavy-handed so I found it easily ignorable. Really great, clean prose, one of the writers who always stuck out to me for that.    

Not Just Strip Poker - by Pink Rabbit Productions - 15k words » Canon, a funny, lighter piece that definitely starts out as full comedy, after a misunderstanding, but there’s some deceptively interesting discussion later on in this one too.

Stargate SG-1 - Janet/Sam

Bits and Pieces series - by Pink Rabbit Productions - 278k words, WIP » Canon, this series integrates Sam/Janet into the first season of the show and I don't think it was ever finished, and the last one especially was left on a cliffhanger, but the rest of the “episodes” are worth the read. Also, when I put this down for my own list, I just said "Pink Rabbit's Sam/Janet stuff", because I remember going through all of them at some point, the stuff outside this series was fun too, and if this full incomplete series is too daunting, definitely some of the one-shots might be more fun.

The Devil Wears Prada - Andy/Miranda

Truth and Measure - by Telanu - 272k words » Canon, diverges from the end of the movie as Andy decides to stay with Miranda. What even is there to say about this one? A true f/f classic, has been in the top three of my general f/f recs for more than a decade and still holds up. Just a perfect continuation of the movie, same world, same characters, continuing growth and development of characters and dynamics, a true believable slow burn romance. And the author’s published it without taking down the fic. :)

Facts of Life - Jo/Blair

Ribbon - by Della Street - 15k words » Canon, diverging in the college years. This is the first of her fics I read for this pair and I fell in love with her writing. Back in an era when a lot of authors started off with lots of exposition and setting up the scenario, I was so impressed by how quickly and easily she did her worldbuilding and character development, and how in-voice and and close to the show everyone was. Definitely recommend going through the rest of her Jo/Blair fics.

Birds of Prey (2002) - Barbara/Helena

And Another Thing - by fembuck - 12k words » Canon, a straightforward getting together fic, things come to a head after Helena starts pulling away. After seeing which of the fics I remember best and like most here, I think I really just favor a great execution of a simple premise. And because this is fembuck, whose fic was a load bearing pillar of f/f fandom, there’s a nice balance of humor and angst with the romance.    

An Empirical Question - by harper_m - 30k words » Canon, an accidental fake dating situation spins out into something much more. In a funny coincidence, the same things I said about fembuck apply to harper_m, such a significant contributor to f/f fic over the years (see also this older archive account). This fic is again mostly a well done exploration of the characters and their dynamic if suddenly an explicitly romantic layer was added to canon.

Skins - Effy/Katie

An Imperfection in an Otherwise Perfect Plan - by harper_m - 21k words » WW1 AU, they’re nurses in the army. As with the Mockingnerd werewolf AU above, I’m surprised that for such a rare ship, there’s such a specific (and good) AU, but definitely not complaining. It feels that much nicer to find a true gem in such a tiny collection.    

fate is overgrown - by thememoriesfire - 53k words » Post-series, years later, Katie’s in a rut and stumbles into Effy again. I do find it funny that I have no Glee rec from TMF and instead went for the Skins fic that isn’t even transatlanticism but I really love this one, to the point where there were a couple of months where I just reread it constantly, even downloading my own version to fix formatting and typos. It’s almost slice of life, as Katie and Effy find themselves surprisingly healing together, after their fraught history. 

The Sarah Connor Chronicles - Sarah/Cameron

Resistance - by Anklebones - 120k words, WIP » Canon, diverges from season 2 as Cameron continues to glitch. Like a lot of the good Sarah/Cameron fics, this is a great dissection of AI and sentience and what it means to be human and have free will. I mean, within a great story, not just characters debating. It’s not finished but I really like what’s been written so far.   The author also has a three-part complete fic where Sarah and Cameron are already in a messy thing and then have to confront some things when there’s an attack at school: Just Another day in Paradise… 1 2 3 (19k words).    

No Rest for the Wicked - by InspectorBoxer - 172k words, WIP » Firefly AU, River Tam takes the place of Cameron while Sarah’s a new character to the universe. This is such a fun blend of the two universes and the romance is such a good slow build. As with most of the WIPs I’m linking, there’s enough to really enjoy even if not complete yet.

Once Upon a Time - Emma/Regina

The Secret's in the Telling - by pyrophoric - 250k words » Canon, set pretty early on but where Emma and Regina are at least nominally getting along. Things are set into motion when a mysterious thief shows up and keeps bullying Emma. This is one of my favorite iterations of their dynamic, with long-suffering secretly fond Regina and hapless too-earnest Emma.    

You do not have to walk on your knees - by dollsome - 10k words » Canon, mid-season 2, Regina and Emma learning to get along. As is dollsome’s specialty, a lot of character work and humor. Also would recommend Teenage ... Dream? (12k words), where Regina gets like...kind of emotionally aged down? You’ll see. The premise sounds cracky but again, the character exploration and humor and sweetness. :)

Once Upon a Time - Aurora/Mulan

a story, a tale - by maleficently - 27k words » AU where it’s Maleficent who casts the original curse on Aurora and her true love, not Regina on Snow and Charming. This is so fun because you can see all the similarities and differences in how the story unfolds compared to the show, including flashbacks to the fairy tale world before the curse is cast.    

Object Permanence - by badlance - 18k words » Canon, after Aurora and Phillip have made it to Storybrooke. Aurora’s still furious at Mulan for leaving them to go off with Robin Hood, but suddenly something happens to Mulan and Aurora can’t stop thinking about her. It starts off an interesting look at Aurora and how someone acclimatizes to the real world after Fairy Tale Land so like, therapy, jobs, but it’s quite romantic and sweet in the end.   Also Could Have Been A Year (5k words) and its sequel Bear It Out Even to the Edge (17k words), where Mulan learns the price of staying away from Aurora and gives up everything to make sure Aurora’s okay.

Wicked - Elphie/Glinda

Gelphie Trilogy: 1. Easier Said Than Done 2. Inevitabilities & Eventualities 3. Possibilities and Certainties - by mecelphie - 3.8m words » Rape trigger warning for the very first chapter: Elphie suffers a violent attack and much of the first story is her healing from that, though the other two stories also occasionally bring up the lingering effects on Elphie.     Back when I read it, the first story had some typos, missing punctuation and the like, that might also make it hard for some to get into it, but the world really unfolds into something incredibly rich and rewarding. Note that full series word count, it IS that detailed and extensive a story, almost slice of life, except for the precipitating event and things like homophobia and when Elphie's background is tackled. I haven't actually finished it yet, I pause every once in a while till I have a large chunk of chapters and then reread from the start and get sucked in anew each time.    

The Thrill, Basis Determined - by Ridiculous Mavis - 24k words » Bookverse, just delightful, beautifully written fluff. Everything this writer writes is beautiful. The further down I go on this list the less restraint I feel in linking multiple stories by the same author, so of her other Gelphie fics, I'll also specifically rec The Way Out of Myself (22k words), bookverse bodyswap with Avaric and Elphie where they both learn something about the other and Invitations Under False Pretences (27k words, WIP), bookverse fake dating, it's not marked as complete but it doesn't leave you hanging, if you know what I mean.    

The Week of Ill Repute - by Chudley Cannon - 37k words, WIP » Bookverse again, which, I don't prefer them over musicalverse, it's just worked out that I've remembered (liked?) these fics best. This one I remember from my very first Gelphie fic-reading tour and thinking, wow, this is so good. It never updated after that and I believe it actually does leave you hanging, but I mean, you specifically remember a fic more than 10 years later, it's gotta be on the list, right?

The Bletchley Circle - Millie/Susan

In the Blackout - by RidiculousMavis - 11k words » Canon, set during the Bletchley years, Susan’s just arrived and meets Millie, her flighty and irreverent roommate. A wonderful look at how they start to get along after their personalities and keen minds first clash.    

Clerical Work - by Kivrin - 3k words » Canon, also set during Bletchley, Susan tries to figure out her feelings the way she would a code and then things fall into place in a surprising way. Relatively short but I loved the sharp little characterizations of the main four, including Jean.

Legend of the Seeker - Cara/Kahlan

All the Days - by tcbg77 - 67k words » Post-series, some years after, everything seems to be going well until Richard and Kahlan’s child is kidnapped. Cara, now Richard’s general, sets off with Kahlan to rescue the child. I love the pacing of this one, the length allowing for a full quest and a slow burn, and combined with the well-written action makes it seem like a fantasy story with romance on its own. I basically treat it as exactly that and reread every few years.    

Within My Heart There Is Another Heart - by badlance and pirateygoodness - 26k words » Post-series as well, magic pregnancy. This is pretty in a way that makes my heart ache. i was surprised to see it was 26k words, since it feels so much longer and shorter than that at the same time.

The 100 - Clarke/Lexa

Within Me An Invincible Summer - by badlance - 62k words » Canon post-s2, Clarke gets over her anger at Lexa. One of the many great fics written during the hiatus, I’d put off reading it when I first got into the ship, during the start of s3, wanting to focus on what was canon at the time. And then of course 307 happened and I moved even farther away from canon, but this fic, its two-line summary, it showed up again and again in rec lists and bookmarks and was so haunting at the time, you know, seasons and people not changing, but finally I caved, and it was as wonderful as it had promised to be.    

Love on the Ground - by hedaswolf - 19k words » Also canon post-s2, taking the s3 knife scene from the trailer and again spinning it into eventual forgiveness. There’s a bit in it that is one of my favorite moments in fic ever.     

they take their shots but we're bulletproof - by nightshifted - 10k words » Again, canon post-s2, it’s like a whole genre of amazing fics just within one fandom, all the more precious for how that all turned out in canon. Like Within Me An Invincible Summer above, I couldn’t bear to read it for a long time but I knew it was one of the classics, I’d seen it pass by my dash very early on because of our shared Glee past. And yeah, it was very good, like all these post-s2 fics, allowed to be a little rougher and harsher because they didn’t yet know how much comforting the ship and fandom would need.    

More Women than Warriors - by steklir - 172k words » Boarding school AU, new American student Clarke arrives at a British boarding school where Lexa’s the Head Girl. I don’t know what was going through the author’s mind when they were writing this but given the timing and content, it felt like an extremely low stakes and ultimately fluffy take on these two kids. There’s a lot of the show’s language and customs worked into this school, so that only adds to the impression, but in the end I’ll remember this for being a rewarding sloooowwww burn and really flowery, pretty writing.    

Stud: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, Pride - by coeurdastronaute - 61k words » Modern AU, Clarke’s a teacher and Lexa’s a CEO. Really plays into the effortlessly cool Stud!Lexa thing that was going around at the time, but tbh, she was confident but nice, so I liked it. coeurdastronaute tends to write most chapters as self-contained, so it’s more like a string of connected stories than one long narrative. They’re super prolific and have a lot of stories I liked, I picked Stud as the one I remembered first, and then grabbed a few of the other more memorable ones, all modern AUs: Strip:  1, 2, 3 (10k words) -  Lexa gets a lapdance HSAU (37k words) - College AU, I’m kidding, high school AU Heart: 1, 2, 3, Thanksgiving (30k words) -  Lexa’s a heart transplant patient at the hospital where Clarke works    

Aftermath - by MaraudingTurkey - 8k words » Canon, diverging from the middle of s2, Clarke accidentally courting Lexa. It’s super charming and cute (and because of how early it was written, avoids a lot of the angst to come).    

Prompts Collection: Clexa - by nutalexfanfic - 114k words (as of 2022-12-30) » Lots of various short stories with all kinds of premises, canon and AUs. The author has several popular longer stories going as well, but they’re at various levels of completion and I actually remember really liking of the one-shots here. If interested in the longer ones, the firefighter AU Polis 433 (131k words, WIP) is quite popular, and I think the first one I read was the Olympic AU Individual Medley (95k words, WIP).    

Abby Doesn't Ask - by onlyasdark - 3k words » Canon, some vague point past 307 where Lexa doesn’t die, short vignettes in Abby’s POV. A great example of an external perspective on a ship, because you get deliberately limited glimpses, and in this case especially colored by Abby’s not exactly positive feelings about Lexa, but despite all that, the relationship shines through.    

The Library - by ethiobird - 55k words » College AU, they work at a bar (called The Library). I think what drew me to this one is that the Lexa characterization is more stoic than you often see in modern AUs, especially high school or college. I’ve ended up liking a lot of different takes on her but as much as it’s obviously nigh impossible to recreate the circumstances that created canon Lexa, I do have a particular fondness for that version so I like any fic that approaches it.    

although i'm not making plans (i hope you understand there's a reason why) - by brokendevil - 6k words » Modern AU, friends with benefits but secretly in love. The kind of second person fic that really lets you wallow in the angst before the rewarding payoff. The author has several other popular works, especially a year of sundays (98k words), a small town AU, but this one just stuck in my mind.   

To the Victor Go the Spoils - by exfactor - 11k words » College AU, Clarke and Lexa’s sororities are locked in a fierce competition. The author has some other very popular (and angstier) works but this one’s cute and fun as hell.    

the business of caring - by coldmackerel - 72k words » College AU, pretty much a workplace comedy set at campus police. Someone’s painting graffiti masterpieces all over the place and as the head of campus police it’s Lexa’s job (she thinks) to catch the culprit. This author is so good at humor, and also can be really poignant at times, like in it's called contraband for a reason (54k words), a jumbled up timeline of the two in prison. I’m told the canon amnesia fic is quite good but I’ve not yet felt emotionally up to it.    

The 300 - by Bucklethorpe - 66k words » Modern AU, Clarke accidentally burns down 300 of Lexa’s trees. This starts off as a bit of a joking take on canon, and is laugh out loud funny the whole way through, but also quite sweet. Definitely a frequent reread.    

sworn under an oath - by faithtastic - 14k words » Canon, diverges from 307, smut with feelings but the feelings are so good. This authors probably far more famous work is don't wanna be your girl (105k words), with one-shot extras and even AUs, in which Clarke is a porn star, and that is funny and hot, but this fix-it so soon after ep 307 will always be a particular balm.    

beat the devil's tattoo - by isawet - 53k words » Modern AU, they’re in college but Lexa’s secretly actually planning to take back the leadership of her small country. They fall in love anyway and it’s funny, hot, sweet, romantic, just a great well-written story with excellent reread value.    

Your Heart On My Sleeve - by aredpen - 58k words, WIP » Soulmate-marking AU set in canon, if that makes sense. Starts when Clarke’s still up in the Ark and it’s just an interesting exploration of how it all would work in those circumstances. I love the little details and insight into what would change and how.     

AGAINST THE MULTIVERSE - orphaned - 13k words » Modern AU, art student Clarke reads an article Lexa wrote and fires off an angry response, starting a correspondence. Despite not being particularly long or having a unique premise, I remember this one because the writing’s so confident and sure of what it wants to be. It feels like a lot of fics--most writing in general, really, tends to flatten itself to not stand out and it was nice to read something so strong.  

To Wear it Like a Crown - by Laney_builds_cathedrals - 42k words, WIP » Teacher/student, kinda, and definitely an age gap, so don’t read if that’s not your thing. Clarke’s the new art therapist at a school for troubled kids and realizes things aren’t quite right. It hasn’t been updated in years but the writing is just gorgeous and I couldn’t leave it off, it’ll always have a place in my lists.    

Remember Me. - by C_AND_B - 11k words » Amnesia AU, they were in a relationship and then Clarke gets in an accident. God, the perfect mix of angst and fluff. This writer has a bunch of adorable one-shots, so check the rest out too.     

tear down the walls - by wariangle - 5k words » Modern AU, Lexa’s an MMA fighter but it’s not really about that, just Clarke falling for her. Extremely hot in a very matter of fact way, but also plenty of feelings involved.    

five times clarke and lexa aren’t sure if they're a couple or not - by nutmeg101 - 8k words » College AU, everyone keeps on thinking Clarke and Lexa are together. They’re not so sure they aren’t. It’s cute! I mean, it’s exactly what a fic like this should be.    

Help, I Need Somebody (Not Just Anybody) - by thesummerofrain - 92k words, WIP » College AU, Clarke volunteers at the college helpline, Lexa writes in. It’s an anonymous line, so no worries about weird tracking or anything like that, things just organically progress so that they meet and slowly become friends. It’s mellow in general and includes lots of slice of life moments with other people as well, and of course the romance is slow burn as heck.

Maleficent - Aurora/Maleficent

The Queen of Sunshine and Bright Things - by alittlelesspain (oprhaned) - 31k words » Canon, after the first movie, Aurora has to learn how to rule while Maleficient has to learn what her place in Aurora’s life is now. Through time skips, distance, and political crises, they relearn how much they still mean to each other. It’s beautiful and romantic and a great fic for those who wanted their connection from the movie to go further.

Glee - Quinn/Rachel

This Kiss - by poetzproblem - 141k words » Canon, set in s2, starting from a game of spin the bottle. Rachel and Quinn are shaken by their kiss and Quinn especially doubles down on her mean girl persona. Faberry’s had a lot of great fics and I’ve loved so many but I remember thinking while reading this one that this is probably how it would go, if it ever happened. It’s patient and takes its time and is one of my definitive fics for them.     Also the Don’t Blink series (788k words as of 2023-01-13) is this expansive, ever-growing universe set after graduation. I haven’t read it all, but I’ve reread some of the earlier parts many times, for the super rewarding payoff to them realizing their feelings are mutual, and others finding out about them.    

A Family of Trees - by powergrapes - 8k words » Canon, diverging after s1, Quinn keeps Beth. Rachel’s somehow the only one the baby will calm down for and Quinn is reluctantly forced to call on her for help. It’s sweet and funny, my favorite from this writer but they’ve written several great fics, most popular being Head Full of Doubt, Road Full of Promise ( 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 - 60k words), a real Faberry classic, where to cheer up Quinn up after giving up Beth, the club goes on a road trip.     

Summer Mornings (oldest chapters at bottom) - by freshtilapia - 35k words » Canon, post-s1, we follow Rachel every morning of her summer vacation as she sees Quinn pass by on her daily run. Slowly they begin to hang out and bond. I think this was one of my first Faberry fics? I was a late bloomer, it took me a while to see their potential, but I really loved how authors saw their post-s1 dynamic and this was a super cute, endearing version of it.    

Boats in the Sky - by WaveGoodbye - 39k words » Canon, diverging after s3, now both in college, Rachel and Quinn are actually friends. Such good friends that Quinn’s roommate thinks maybe there’s something more. As with Clexa above, it’s so interesting how much character dynamics and fandom attitudes change depending on when a fic is written, because unlike the tension in s1 or s2 fics or Quinn being strung so tight with internalized homophobia, now she’s chill, they’re getting along. I love seeing a fic starting with them as friends, plus, a good chunk of it is external POV, which is a fave.    

Our Brilliantly Tangled Thanksgiving - by Elly-Bells - 4k words » Canon, diverging from s1, Quinn has kept Beth--actually, kind of AU too, because her parents are super nice here as well. But it’s just a super fluffy, super cute funny little fic. The author has a fair number of other fluffy fics of varying length to check out as well.    

Crazy on You -  by roxystyle011 - 82k words » Canon, futurefic written early on, Rachel’s a big celebrity now but gets into trouble and is court ordered to see a therapist, who turns out to be Quinn. This is written so early on I’m not sure if people would consider it the most in-character fic out there, though what is in-character when it comes to Glee, but it’s bold and fun and, as with the Clexa multiverse fic above, I just like when people take big swings with characters. There’s a moment near the end of the fic, when a certain page is turned, that still remains one of my favorite, most memorable reveals in fic to this day.

Dune - Chani/Irulan

Serendipity - by Tamoline - 26k words » Canon divergent, Duke Leto survives and Irulan ends up living in the Atreides household as a guest, while Paul is openly with Chani. When Irulan is called off world to testify, Paul sends Chani as her bodyguard. I’m always so grateful that I picked that year to randomly go through the f/f Yuletide entries because this is such a good fic and I could so easily have missed it completely. It’s got politics, action, enemies to lovers, just this great little novella that happens to be set in the world of Dune. It’s fics like this that have me going through the lesser kudosed out there because it’s a genuine fave.

Marvel - Carol Danvers/Jessica Drew

Smell Like I Sound - by Sineala - 7k words » Comicsverse, Carol meets Jess who’s great except Carol can’t shake an unpleasant feeling whenever she’s around. Mostly fluff surrounding the concept of pheromones.    

He Picked the Wrong One - by beckydawolf - 34k words » Comicsverse, Carol and Jess are knocked out in a battle and wake up in an alternate universe where most things are similar, except that Carol is dead and there’s no Jess. They have to figure out what happened and why they were brought there and certain feelings come to light. It’s plotty and fun and the reveal of why they were brought to the alt universe is actually pretty great.    

put them back in poetry (if only I knew how) - by singalellaby - 31k words » Coffee shop AU, Carol and Steve Rogers are best friends and come back from the army to open a bakery together. It’s a lot of slice of life stuff, making friends in the neighborhood, developing crushes on the regulars like one Jessica Drew, grad student, that kind of thing.

Teen Wolf - Allison/Lydia

Untitled - by elvesarebad - 13k words » Canon, post-s2, after recent reveals they’re no longer friends but Lydia asks Allison to help kill Peter. It’s angsty, a lot of raw edges and slow thawing of their frosty relationship in the middle of difficult circumstances, but the canon characters and friendship are so interesting and the writer captures that.

Bleach - Soi Fan/Yoruichi

The Art of Transformation - by siyentista - 30k words  » Mangaverse, mostly, Soi Fan is injured during a big battle and Yoruichi realizes how much Soi Fan means to her. Despite an action-filled start, it settles into more of a slower character-centric fic, lighter and often comical. Given their canon relationship, it’s refreshing to see the dynamic be more mutual and balanced, and despite the relatively short length, the story feels satisfyingly built up (perhaps because of how much history they already have in canon?).

Brooklyn Nine-Nine - Amy/Rosa

Farm-to-Table, Non-GMO, Responsibly Sourced - by impertinence - 6k words » Canon, going undercover as a couple to bust a maple syrup heist ring. I mean, what more is there to say, except that it’s appropriately funny and cute.     

Margin of Error - by idiopathicsmile - 8k words » Canon, Amy needs a place to stay and Rosa offers. The humor matches the show so well, and it’s great to see Rosa’s POV since she’s so deadpan.

Les Misérables - Cosette/Eponine

Any More Obvious - by idiopathicsmile - 2k words » High school AU, Cosette decides to befriend the school goth. It’s just sweet and cute.    

This Longing I Inherit - by myrmidryad - 44k words » College AU, Marius starts dating Cosette and brings her into the friend group. Cosette’s so shy and sheltered, she’s thrilled to meet new people, including the cool and intimidating Eponine. As they all become closer, Eponine realizes maybe she’s crushing on her friend’s gf. It’s much more gentle and sweet and friendship-focused than how soapy and angsty this description makes it sound, and the length allows it a slower burn. A frequent reread, especially to get to the payoff.     

she knows her way around - by lavendersgreen - 18k words » College AU, Marius is too nervous to talk to Cosette so Eponine, pining after him, volunteers to be their go-between. Cosette turns out to be surprisingly fun and as they become friends, Eponine starts to question some things about herself. The premise is already cute with even a but the characterizations and dialogue are so snappy and flow so easily, it’s a great execution of this trope.    

to be loved and to be in love - by missandrogyny - 7k words  » Soulmate-marking AU, they’re musical artists who meet at a concert and immediately get along. They start challenging each other to try songs outside their main genres, much to their fans’ excitement. The soulmate reveal is pretty satisfying as it’s seeded early, and the whole fic is sweet and cute.

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries - Gigi/Lydia

get loved, make more - by allthingsholy - 10k words » Post-series, Lydia feels uncomfortable around Gigi, given what they share in common and that everyone knows. In a series of vignettes over time, for each of the family events they meet up at, she slowly gets over it, given they have so many other things in common, including a love of gossip, fashion, and teasing their siblings. It’s a great character exploration and the writing’s so sharp and pretty.     

Searching For a Sound We Hadn't Heard Before - by Care - 13k words » Post-series, again things are uneasy at first but they thaw and the two end up taking a road trip. That’s a trope with a lot of potential, now that I’m thinking about it, the way people get to know each other under those very specific circumstances, and this is a great execution of it.    

from the dark with you above - by cairophoenix - 22k words » Post-series, again, an awkward meetup to slow friendship and in this case some prime pining afforded by the longer length. The strangers to friends to lovers pipeline just applies really well to these two, what can I say.    

Improvising - by krakens - 3k words » Post-series, some years after, Gigi decides to surprise Lizzy and Darcy with an epilogue posted on Lizzie’s vlog. She enlists Lydia’s help and things escalate. It’s cute and perfect for this particular series, it would have to be that vlog as the catalyst again.    

Candid - by rhymeswithblue - 5k words » Post-series, by simply hanging out with their famous siblings, Gigi and Lydia face some of the same online scrutiny. Again, I kind of love this aspect of a fic set in this world, because of course part it is that there’s a whole audience watching them and it influences them just as much they influence it.

She's the Man - Olivia/Viola

Loose Ends series - by fraidy_bat - 38k words » Post-movie, Olivia comes to terms with the fact that Sebastian isn’t Viola. By the time I was branching out and reading popular f/f fics many years ago, this was already a classic, both as a general f/f fic and in this particular fandom. One of those ships that makes so much sense, and this is an angsty but ultimately very rewarding take on what should have happened after the movie.

Tomb Raider (2013) - Lara/Sam

she traces your scars and rebuilds your world - by lescousinsdangereux - 18k words » Post-2013 game, Lara and Sam are still traumatized by what transpired on the island and lean heavily on each other, even as Lara heads off on another research mission. It’s a great character study at their PTSD but also building on the relationship from canon and sweet and romantic and funny. This was my definitive version of post-game canon, not the other games or the movie or the comics.

Game of Thrones - Margaery/Sansa

Keep the Bouquets series - by Netgirl_y2k - 7k words » Canon diverging...earlyish on, I don’t know the series, but most characters are still alive. Not thinking either’s worthy of Joffrey, the Lannisters arrange a marriage between Sansa and Margaery and they...make it work. Despite being relatively so short, each individual part under 3k words, they’re so effective, these two finding something in that brutal world.

St. Trinian's (2007) - Annabelle/Kelly

This Town We're Painting - by Fahye - 8k words » Post-movies, they’re an established couple, going about the not so normal lives of St. Trinian’s graduates. Funny and in the vein of the movies, bringing in many of the other former students, and solidifying the Annabelle/Kelly dynamic that seemed so full of potential.

Mai Hime - Natsuki/Shizuru

Inter Nos - by ethnewinter - 1.2m words, WIP » Ancient Rome AU, this very detailed, intricate story with all the Mai Hime characters, Shizuru’s a general and Natsuki’s assigned as her bodyguard during a visit to an allied kingdom. I’m gonna be honest, I haven’t read this in many, many years and definitely haven’t caught up, but even back then when it was a fraction of the size, it was already considered a classic. At this length, I feel like just reading what’s there is a reward in itself.

Kim Possible - Kim/Shego

Alone, Together - by Failte200 - 108k words » Canon, Kim and Shego accidentally get sent to an alternate dimension, same Earth, but no human. They have to get along to survive. Another f/f classic, I remember being much younger and the scale of the fic, the years they lived alone and grew older together, took my breath away.   

BSP01: Best Sidekick Possible - by Sobriety - 62k words » Canon, there's a King of Thieves competition and Shego wants the best sidekick possible, i.e., Kim. I think I ended up really liking the romance in this one.

Phoenix Wright - Adrian/Franziska

Follow the Fool - by CantFaketheFunk - 53k words » Canon, post-Phoenix Wright 2, Franziska feels guilty about advising Adrian to perjure herself so when Adrian asks to see her, she invites her to Germany to stay with her. The setting can be a bit goofy, as it is in the game, but the characters and relationship are taken seriously.

Sailor Moon - Haruka/Michiru

FwB - by harukaze - 321k words » AU, no powers, they meet as adults and decide to become friends with benefits. I remember this one Greyhound trip I took from NYC to Toronto, I was riveted to this fic and just read for most of the trip, wanting to see how it'd end. Soapy and angsty and very addicting.

Annnd then these two het fics:

The Big Bang Theory - Penny/Sheldon

The Paladin Protocol - by SpaceAnJL - 88k words » Canon, the guys take Penny LARPing and she ends up enjoying it, and bonding with Sheldon while Leonard feels left out. Very character driven slow burn romance while being funny and presumably true to the characters, I've not actually ever watched the show, but I've seen a few clips on Youtube. Just a great fic and one of the few m/f fics I've read more than once.

Star Trek (2009) - Spock/Uhura

The Place Between - by PsiCygni - 309k words » Canon, set before the movie, Uhura needs an advisor for her project and Commander Spock needs a partner while negotiating with a particular alien species. The only answer? Fake dating! Slowwww burn and since I like both the characters in all their forms, an enjoyable fic.

And ya know, however old some of these might be, if you liked them, think about leaving a nice review. I had a saved fic from a site that’d gone down and like, more than 10 years after it was written I sent an email to the address provided and actually got a reply! 

[sinnettini]

the REAL tragedy of having my phone stolen is that i'm gonna have to rebuild my meme folder from scratch 😔😔😔😔

[lelandmylove]

Hey, you! Yeah, you! Congratulations for making it through the day!

Okay so do you just wanna see me cry