#oh god... the indirect kiss....

[tollundmen]

watching anna karenina 2012 & in terms of vibes it’s easily one of the sexiest movies i’ve ever watched

[actual-changeling]

i have watched the kiss scene and the breakup as a whole more times than i can count and my brain is still trying to process all the things it picked up on.

my newest painful obsession: aziraphale thought crowley came back for him.

they kiss, aziraphale says i forgive you and instead condemns them both, crowley leaves. the lip touching itself is fucking essay worthy because holy SHIT the amount of micro expressions flickering across his face is endless, michael sheen acted his ass off.

i think it's a mixture of surprise, unspoken love, a HEAVY dose of fear, disbelief, and oh my god what did he just do what did i just do. he turns away from the door and we get a very very quick shot of how exactly he is angled.

standing up straight with faked spiteful anger, the same anger he spit at crowley out of fear and insecurity, chin up, clearly waiting for something - or rather someone. we gotta remember that every single time crowley has left aziraphale, he came back. every. single. time. he came back and apologized, that's what they do.

crowley comes back and aziraphale forgives him and they continue bearing their silence.

the bell rings when the door opens again, just like it did when crowley left, and just. look at his face. how quickly he swivels around. the blink and you will miss it spark of hope.

and then the pure devastation when he realizes it's not crowley.

aziraphale thought crowley was coming back for him. he was WAITING for him to come back. even after all that, he couldn't imagine crowley actually leaving him behind, especially not after that kiss and his entire indirect love confession.

just like crowley thought for a tiny heartbeat that aziraphale was kissing him back, aziraphale hoped, hell, he fucking thought he KNEW crowley would never abandon him. not after "i could always rely on you. you could always rely on me." aziraphale has taken him for granted, of course he thought it was him coming through the door.

but that spark of hope gets stomped out beneath the metatrash's feet and he fully turns around, unable to face him and the reality of it all.

this time, he went too far.

this time, crowley did not want forgiveness.

he was about to say i love you and turned it into i forgive you, still clinging to their old ways, their old rituals, just that they are no longer those beings, no longer in that specific relationship. everything has changed.

they both thought the other would never abandon them. turns out they were both wrong.

[eccentricallygothic]

| Too Sweet |

Description: You and Steve try to put 'it' in for the first time after his serum procedure. 

Pairing: Soft-Dark 40's Post-Serum Steve Rogers | Lover!You. 

Warning(s): Soft-Dark!Steve, 40's misogyny and courting bc let's be so fr, obsession, daddy kink, allusions to spanking, dumbification, power imbalance, corruption kink, fluffy smut, p-in-v penetration that y'all are STRUGGLING with, dash of breeding kink, they love each other, smut with plot.  

Note: @chxrryhansen 's new Too Sweet Steve edit is responsible for this and she doesn't even know it, pfft!

.

"Steve!" Your protest is half giggle and half whine as you wince before landing a punishing smack to your lover's shoulders. "Ouch!" His body is also vibrating due to the humor that the two of you find in this strange situation. 

"Come on, baby" he rasps out against your ear, his elbow that presses into your pillow besides your head causing it to dip towards itself. "I am trying my best here, bear with me a little" try he sure is doing. You can almost feel him fighting against his impulse to just fuck all and push inside your tiny entrance that has never faced a girth this big. 

"I knowww~" you whine as you press your knees against his sides that have become wide and muscular since the procedure. "But it's still ouchie" Steve sighs as he freezes the little bit of pushing that he was doing.

You feel bad, you really do. 

Because it is as hard for you to hold back as it is for him.

Pressed up against your lover that you haven't properly had like this in a week, your bare skins nearly leeched to each other's, one of his rough manly hands fondling your breasts as the one he's holding up his heavy body with strokes your hair to comfort you, the feeling of his stern muscles digging into the tender insides of your thighs and then his cock that you need to save your life at this point so close to your weeping walls yet so far away that you can lose your mind from the frustration. 

But it just hurts so fucking much! 

You had always thought your lover's size to be a decent one because it kept you satisfied and very happy. 

But now…

This. 

You did not want to be an ungrateful brat, as Steve would say, because you weren't a stranger to the valor that he held for his country and you had always done your best to cheer him on so you weren't to be misunderstood.

But good Lord above, they had swapped your cotton candy lover for a rough and tough beast who couldn't bear you being out of his sight for more than a few minutes. 

It seemed that whatever voodoo they worked in that fancy machine had also amplified his obsession with you, like everything else. 

Steve sighs as he kisses your cheek softly. You understand that he's a man and he has his needs that he has been compromising for a week because you recoil at the sight of his cock each time he tries to seduce you. "I've already stretched you out with three fingers, baby. At this point I might as well put my fist in there" you're on thin ice and you know it. 

No man is as considerate as he has been all these days as it is. 

Your cheeks burn and you flush hotly in embarrassment, letting out another whine as a result before landing a flustered punch on his arm. "I- It's not my fault if your fist would still be smaller than your dick!" Though your tone is one that has gotten you bent across his lap more times than you can count, the manner in which the indirect praise boosts his ego saves you this one time.

And his fingers weren't the easiest thing in the world either because they've grown three times their size!

"Aw, is Daddy's cock too big for your little baby pussy, honey?" You cannot help but let out a horrified guffaw as you cover your mouth, eyes wide. 

"Oh, my GOD, Steve!" He is grinning at how appalled you look because of his obscene words. "Stop with that! I told you the other day that it's not right!" You have no idea how, but two months ago your lover had picked up this strange pet name for himself that he liked to use whenever you two were having an intimate moment. 

"Oh, but baby" your back arches in an instant as you grunt and feel your claws fly to his shoulders that they dig into. He has started to push again. But your pussy is nearly as stubborn as he is, it seems. Because neither wants to back down. "Who put it in your pretty little head that you can decide what's right and wrong around here?" 

Your thighs tremble at the authority in his tone and you whine, feeling your ass cheeks clench at the way the girth of his tip feels around your sore band of muscles. Fuck, this is like losing your virginity all over again but only worse. 

You almost feel mad at yourself.

Because you're so wet and prepared.

Ready.

Just why can't it go where you need it most?!

"N- No…" The smell of his shampoo hits your nose when he dips his head into the crook of your neck to make a new love bite, both to try and distract you as well as mark you as his. "D- Didn't mean that, Shtevie, sowwy~" you mumble meekly and he deeply hums against your skin. 

"Good girl" if it weren't for the way in which one of his hands lovingly caress your scalp, you would have teared up due to how small you suddenly feel. "Now shush up for Daddy and let him do this bratty little pussy in" an involuntary gasp leaves you again but you suppress it by kissing his moist temple so he can't hear it and think you are being disrespectful. Your baby pussy has irritated him enough this past whole week already. 

"Owiee…" You grunt again as you feel it breach its way into the initial curve as it has been doing for hours now. "S- So big, Daddy" what? No! You're not like your naughty lover! Y- You're just trying to somehow calm him down so you don't get in trouble! 

Like you did when you initially did not respond to his unrelenting advances in school and he ended up scoring really low in a test because of that so he dragged you out of drama class to bend you over and teach you a thing or two about manners and how to treat those who are nice to you. Then he made you apologize, kiss his cheek and cook him dinner at your house to make it up to him. 

You are glad he did that though, because Steve is your once in a lifetime and there can never be another like him. 

He just knows best. 

But that doesn't mean you are okay with getting punished just because your pussy is too tiny!

"Good babygirl" your lover grunts against your nipple that his mouth is latched onto now, hips doing their best to not damage you but still weasel his cock past the hard round shaped barricade of your pubic bone. "I know it's scary but you can trust Daddy because he knows that if that pretty little pussy can push out his brats one day, it can surely take this cock too." Steve loves how you shudder under him at the thought but still answer him Yes, Daddy. 

Because you are all his to do with whatever he pleases.

That is the reason why he shook hands with HYDRA and wiped out SHIELD the day he was transformed. 

Because HYDRA had promised him a comfortable future with you where he would not have to part with you for too long but still provide you the life that you truly deserved as his sweet little girl who loved and accepted him in a state that everyone had treated as a laughing stock. 

You were worthy of the world.

And he was determined to give it to you. 

.

I didn't mention the hydra plot twist up there because well, surprise! 

[aayakashii]

indirect kiss

loosely related to this, but not necessarily a continuation

Warnings: angst with a bit of fluff, pining, pining, pining, PINING, did I say pining? I'm sorry I make you suffer so much in my fics, Rui...... oh, and some suggestive themes, but nothing explicit!

Rui was never one to walk around with his hands stuffed inside his pockets. No, he was always too confident for that, too self-assured. He was as poised as a lion – head held high, unafraid of occupying space.

He couldn't touch anyone anyway, so why should he refrain himself from being as loud with his personality as possible? He was just all bark, no bite after all.

Yet with you, he quickly figured out he had to shove his hands deep, deep inside his pants’ pockets, all to quell the urge of reaching out to you. He figured his brain would shut off at any time and only his instincts would prevail – the burning desire to touch you being the only thing left on his blank mind.

So he bound himself, or at least as much as he could in a way that wouldn't appear insane.

Still, as you walked beside him, his eyes flitted from your lips to your eyes and to your hands that swung back and forth, back and forth – he couldn't do anything but be painfully aware of your presence, right there beside him; just a few centimeters away, yet still untouchable.

You had given him the grace of your presence during a short, simple mission outside, and now he cursed himself for inviting you for a short walk before going back into the campus.

He had no idea it'd be so hard to walk with you without intertwining his fingers in yours.

Rui felt the hair at the back of his neck stand up as he suppressed a shiver. How long has it been since the last time he has touched someone with intent? How long has it been since he had been touched? His touch starvation was barely acknowledged at this point, because it had become who he was. He didn't exist without it. Just like breathing, it was his nature. It clogged his pores, ran in his veins and invaded his lungs. Much like a chronic disease one has to learn to live with, despite how agonizing it is.

His medicine was to be distant. To keep everyone at arm's length, so he'd never be affected by the torture of longing.

He kept Haru and Romeo at arm's length, restricting his role to just being their bartender.

He kept Lyca at arm's length, just caring for him like a dutiful but distant parent.

He kept Ed at arm's length, but it didn't matter – he kept himself isolated anyway.

He even kept his old best friend at arm's length – Haku, whom Rui avoided like the plague. He thanked what little mercy the Heavens had for him, for Haku knew when to mind his business. He knew not to pry.

And despite all his efforts, you appeared. Burrowing your way through his walls until you had found your place in his mind.

However, his name on your lips didn't sound damned and, for the first time in so long, he found himself wishing for a cure for his plight. Wishing he could find that wretched anomaly and then finally drop his peaceful act – he'd rip its head off and drink its blood if it meant he could touch you.

Rui laughed darkly to himself. What would even happen if he actually touched you? He would probably be so pathetically excited that he could feel your seemingly soft skin under his hands that he'd end up cumm–

“Rui!” you barked, snapping your fingers in front of his face. He interrupted that forbidden thought immediately.

“Yes, sweetie?”

You huffed, brows creasing on your forehead.

“Did you hear anything I said?”

Rui laughed awkwardly, running a hand through his luscious hair.

“Sorry cutie, I was a bit lost in my thoughts there. What did you say?”

“I said I wanna go to an arcade. I want to have a go at the claw machines.”

Rui frowned.

“Claw machines? You know those things are, like, scams right? They're rigged!”

“Oh my god, Rui” you snorted, and Rui swore he could drown at any given moment due to his suffocating affection for you. “You sound like a worried dad! And don't worry, I know all about claw machines and how to win.”

You smiled devilishly, rubbing your hands together like a little imp ready to cause problems.

“Um…” Rui grimaced, delighting himself with all your expressions, but mildly worried. “You're not gonna, like… Try to kick them or steal something, are you? I know I am your ride or die, darling, but we'd be in big trouble if we ACTUALLY broke the law, you know…”

You raised an eyebrow.

“What are you even talking about, Rui? I just meant I know the strategies to win.”

His lips formed an 'o'.

“Ohhh, I see! I thought for a second that you were up to no good!”

“Me?” you scoffed. “Never. I'm an angel.”

You said it sarcastically, but, to Rui, that's what you were. An angel, a saint, a deity. He was ready to kneel on nails if it meant he could worship you.

Rui watched you make your merry way towards a shiny and loud arcade, with rows upon rows of claw machines right next to the entrance.

It felt good to turn off his racing thoughts by thinking of harmless little fun things with you.

Even if you were the main reason for said racing thoughts.

If you wanted to play with claw machines, by all means, he would play them all until you got sick of it. Although he still thought they were rigged.

Rui leisurely walked behind you, watching while you scanned every machine for something of interest.

His heart warmed at the sight of you pressing your nose to the glass, tip-toeing to see the mess of plushies a bit better. You'd also click your tongue and pout, walking towards the next machine, disappointed with the selection of dolls.

You were just too cute. How would he ever survive you?

“Oh! Look at that! Rui, look!” You said, after perusing through that endless corridor a bit more. Apparently something pretty had finally caught your eye and Rui made his way towards you to take a peek as well.

“Did you find something cute?”

“Yeah, look at that!”

He followed your gaze, and was met with a black bunny plushie – its eyes were made of black buttons held tightly by white threads, with a long white ribbon wrapped around its neck. It wasn't anything too impressive (there were many other plushies in there that definitely looked a lot more striking), but he wouldn't say it wasn't cute.

“Are you going to try to get that little guy? Isn't he a lucky one, being chosen by you.” Rui winked, relishing in the way you rolled your eyes, already immune to his flirting.

“Yup. Gonna get that one.” you said, decisively, picking a few stray coins from your pocket.

“Allow me to help then.” Rui picked up his own wallet and you shook your head.

“You don't have to.”

“I want to. It will kinda officially turn this into a date AND I can call the plushie our son if I help you get it.” he smirked, fishing out a few coins and then placing them right next to the machine's slot.

You side-eyed Rui, before you allowed a smile to spread across your face.

“You're impossible.” you said, shaking your head while you placed the first coin into the slot and began playing, laughter warming your voice like tea with honey.

He'd love to drink only that for the rest of his life.

“Is that a ‘yes, Rui, this is now a date and I accept you as the father of my child’?” He gasped dramatically, placing his hand over his heart.

You hummed, as if you were in deep thought.

“Maybe.”

The first attempt at the claw machine failed, but you were quick to insert another coin.

“I promise to take good care of our kid.”

“I will ask for child support if you don't.”

Nice. He had successfully strung you along that little joke. He was going to unabashedly use that plushie as an excuse to see you far more frequently. Bonding time between parents and son, right?

You clicked your tongue. Second attempt failed as well.

It's okay, Rui thought. He had plenty more coins in his wallet to keep you trying. Now getting that rabbit was a matter of life or death to him.

The third time's the charm.

Rui watched the bunny precariously dangle from the weak claws of the machine, holding his breath as you slowly moved the claw towards the opening, where you finally dropped the plushie. It fell easily, barely making a sound.

You jumped and pumped a fist into the air, celebrating your victory. You quickly turned to Rui and he saw the way your arm went back, as if you were preparing to high five him – before you awkwardly dropped it, when you remembered that you simply couldn't.

Did he truly need so many reminders of how he couldn't touch your fucking hand?

Rui shifted on his feet, smiling awkwardly, and motioned for you to grab your prize. Despite the bitterness in his chest, he wasn't going to let his godforsaken curse ruin his date. Nor any single moment with you. Not if he could help it.

He wasn't sure if he could actually help it, though. Not when he observed the way your fingers touched the plushie, gently feeling the softness of its black, velvety coat.

He gulped, eyebrows scrunching upwards.

It was painful, to have this much longing for you lodged deep inside his guts. It clawed and ate everything around it, until there was nothing else left and all Rui could feel was pure desperation.

He wanted you. So fucking bad. Some nights – when he couldn’t sleep, and all chores had been done, and his own touch was more of a humiliation than a quick, unsatisfying reprieve – it felt like dying might be more of a mercy than having to live with you by his side everyday and not having you to himself.

He wouldn't die at all, though. And in the morning, he would still choose to have you close every single time.

Despite coming to terms with his own feelings, Rui suddenly felt a wave of disgusting jealousy wash over him when you brought the plushie's shiny nose to your lips.

Those lips he admired so obviously whenever you drank a pretty little concoction of his own in his bar's glasses.

His mind ran miles per hour, sharp tongue ready to spit some bitter quip about your kiss, even if he knew that being jealous of an inanimate object was absurd, when he was inmediately shut by your actions.

You had pushed the bunny's nose into his own lips.

Rui's eyes widened, and he stared down at you as you slowly retracted the plushie and cradled it into your arms. He blinked, stupidly, rendered speechless. All his mind could focus on was the indirect kiss you two had just shared.

Meanwhile, you seemed to find hilarious how dumbstruck he was by your actions.

“What? We do have to kiss our son's little nose, don't we? He needs to know he's loved by his parents.” You teased, a smug smile plastered onto your face as you brought back the little joke he had created.

The spell had turned against the sorcerer who cast it.

A beat passed, while you watched him blink and gather himself.

“Huh…” Rui managed to blurt out and you laughed.

While you grabbed one of the rabbit's paws, you held out the doll towards him, offering the other paw.

You nodded your head towards the plushie when Rui didn't move.

“Come on. It's only natural for parents to hold their kid's hands while they walk back home, isn't it?” you explained, still finding his reaction extremely amusing.

After a few long seconds, Rui rubbed his face with his hands, barking out a laugh into them. He slowly dragged his fingers down his face, pulling it into a scowl, until he let his arms fall to the side and shook his head, still chuckling.

“You're the one who's impossible.” Rui murmured, half amused and half pained, as he grabbed the plushie's other paw.

You shrugged, grinning, as you slowly began to make your way out of the arcade and back to Darkwick – the plushie between the two of you throughout the entire way.

A buffer between your hands.

In a different world, Rui thought bitterly while you two walked quietly, there would be no need for a silly little doll between you.

In a different world, he'd latch himself onto you in his every waking moment. Even if he had the most boring days, the most mundane chores to fulfill – he would bring you with him, chasing your presence constantly. A sunflower chasing the sun's rays.

In a different world, he would make sure he would never have to fold his laundry alone ever again.

And he would memorize the texture of your favorite shirt and the scent of the one fabric softener that made you linger a little bit longer in his hugs, only to breathe him in deeply.

And he would wash the dishes and give them to you, so you'd carefully place them in the cupboard. All while talking about whether you'd like to adopt one cat and one dog, or two cats and two dogs – and you'd probably think the more the merrier. Rui knew he'd end up cleaning most of their mess, but your happiness would be worth it.

And you'd make bitter coffee on rainy days, and he'd love to do nothing else but place his chin on your shoulder while you two watched the downpour; swaying gently to the sound of a silent music only you two knew of.

And he would love to travel with you to small villages and big cities, but his biggest happiness would be to lay his head down on his trusty pillow and look at you right beside him, snoozing softly in your shared old bed. His back would hurt, the mattress had to be changed, but he'd hide the pain because the memories of nights spent awake talking and kissing and touching your body were too precious.

And, oh, how would he touch your body, especially in those moments in which you were on your knees between his legs, like an angel, and sucking him dry, like a sinner.

Rui shook his head. He could not let his thoughts wander that path. Not if he wanted to keep walking with you and listening to you point out all the cafes you'd like to visit some other time.

Nothing like a raging hard on to ruin the walk back to Darkwick, he thought, chuckling darkly to himself.

Rui went to look at the small plushie that connected you two, only to be met with your eyes staring at him, his heart skipping a beat like all the times in which he looked at you before.

In that moment, he allowed himself to wonder if you dreamed of a mundane life with him as well. If you wanted him on his knees, shackled in devotion to you for the rest of your lives.

And in your smile and the endless pool of your eyes, he swore he could see a longing that mirrored his.

[seospicybin]

TOO HOT TO HANDLE.

PART I

Seungmin x reader. (s)

Too Hot To Handle Masterlist

Synopsis: You and Seungmin become contestants in a reality dating show, Too Hot To Handle. (14,6k words)

Author's note: Not much of Seungmin in this part but hope you enjoy it nonetheless :)

YOU: I like my men how I like my drinks, I need to have five of them [laughs] I'm a flirt, even when I'm not flirting, they think I am [bites lips] I hate small talk [groans] I don't want anything serious with anyone. If I wake up in the morning and they're not there, that's great [blows kisses]

-

The weather is good and you're feeling good, when the staff says it's your time to enter the villa, you're ready to go.

The hair and makeup are on point, and the white bikini you're wearing compliments your features and complexion, all of that wouldn't stand out without confidence so you put your best foot forward and walk in confident strides.

Not forgetting to put on your best smile knowing so many pairs of eyes are looking at you as you step into the scene and walk faster as you get excited to meet all of them.

"Hello, hello," you enthusiastically greet and waving your hands at them.

"You guys are so beautiful!" You compliment, hiding your insecurities with a flustered smile.

Once you get close enough, you make a brief eye contact with everyone and start hugging around, introducing yourself to them.

"Oh my God, the eyes," you exclaim as you notice a pair of mesmerizing light brown eyes on a guy.

You're genuinely attracted to those eyes that you can't stop staring at him.

"You have such beautiful eyes," you blurt out without thinking.

He shyly laughs at your indirect compliment, "Thank you!"

You carefully remove the strand of hair caught between your lips before speaking, "What's your name?"

"Elliott," he answers with a smile.

"Nice to meet you, Elliott," you say, offering your hand for a high-five since you already hugged him.

You join the other table, wanting to get to know everyone and get behind a man with a tall figure and long hair like Jesus.

"Oh, my Lord!" You playfully gasp.

The other two people laughing at your pun and when you join them, you can see that he has facial hair too.

"Come and join my disciples," He says.

"Wow. Am I in the right show?" You jokingly say, taking the champagne flute he hands you.

The Jesus twin brother pours the bubbly wine into your glass and puts the bottle back into the bucket of ice.

"I'm Vale," he tells you his name.

"Vale?" You pronounce his name wrong.

"It's short from Valentino," he explains.

"Oh! Vale!" You gasp, finally pronouncing his name right this time.

"I'm Italian," he informs you while tucking a hair behind his ear.

You take a small sip of your wine and smile, "I didn't know Jesus is Italian," you joke again.

He bursts into laughter and you try not to laugh or you'd spit your drink which is not the kind of first impression you plan to make on anyone.

"Oh, look!" You exclaim as you catch another guest arriving at the villa.

She's taking everyone's attention with her beautiful wavy, brown hair that looks and beautiful, rosy cheeks, walking with such elegance like a goddess emerging from the sea.

When she comes your way, you can see the adorable freckles on her nose and you just can't help but say, "Oh, you're such a babe!"

She smiles at your words and leans in for a hug, "Devon!"

"Devon, the babe, got it," you repeat and introduce yourself back.

You're not the only one who's swooned by her English charms, you can see everyone is just as excited to get to know her.

While Louisa is making a toast at the other table, you see the last male guest coming with his shirt flying open, showcasing his sculpted abs.

You're not the type that's crazy about muscles. However, when you see them on someone and they have them in the perfect places, you get a little loopy in the head.

"Blake," he introduces himself to you.

And Blake... oh, not only does he have those muscles in the perfect places, he has this gorgeous brown skin and the plus point is he has tattoos. He sure is driving the girls into a frenzy, meanwhile the boys, they're not that impressed with it.

"They're so hot," A girl next to you whispers and if your memory serves you right, her name is Adriana.

You lowly squeal in response and mutter through your gritted teeth, "I'm drooling."

Now that everyone is here, Vale takes the unopened bottle of wine and pops it open, spraying it at everyone to inaugurate the show.

-

YOU: [Rubs hands together] Let's get it started!

-

There are so many hot options in this villa.

There is Elliott's mesmerizing eyes, Vale's sexy hair, Jeff's tattoos, Tom's big biceps and then there's Blake's body.

God! Blake's body is just so hot, you bet it'll sizzle when you lick it.

"Ooo... sexy!" Adriana gasps as she pushes open the door to the bedroom.

There are ten guests but there are only six beds, well, that's a math problem anyone can easily solve.

"It doesn't make much sound," Tom says after testing the bed by rocking it.

A few laugh at that but you're too busy eyeing the guy you want, throwing flirty glances at Blake as he sits on the end of the bed.

You're very much aware that you're not the only girl having the hots for Blake, you see that Devon has her eyes on him too, well, you're not afraid of a little competition anyway.

After the tour of the villa, the girls are gathering in the dressing room to talk about... well, boys.

"Who do you fancy?" Lili asks, playing with a make-up brush.

"I like Jeff," Adriana is the first one to share her pick out of the sexy bunch.

"Going for the bad boy, huh?" Issa teases, twirling her curls around her index finger.

"What about you, sexy mami?" Adriana asks Devon who happens to sitting next to her.

"Blake," she shortly answers

So your guess is true that Devon is indeed going for Blake and it only means one thing: It's game on.

"He's hot, yeah," Lili approves Devon's pick.

Issa grabs your hand and gently shakes it, sending your bracelets clinking against each other, "How about you?"

Well, you have a man in mind but nothing is permanent yet and there's a lot of time to get to know everyone.

"I don't know," You bend against the vanity table and let Issa play with your hair.

"I don't want to limit myself to just flirting with one guy," you add with a laugh.

The girls are both applauding and chuckling at your honest answer. You realize that you can be competitive when you want to but let's hope it doesn't come to you getting your claws out for a man.

-

YOU: I don't know what I want yet so I can't rule anyone out right now [giggles]

-

The shimmering water of the Caribbean Sea is such a delightful sight, you take a long sigh as you take it all in that you'll be living here for the next 30 days.

Everyone else is either chilling by the pool or starting to mingle with each other or both.

You see Devon is closing in on Blake and it doesn't bother you much, you'll have your chance. You remind yourself that it's a marathon, not a sprint.

Someone comes up to you and joins you in the gazebo, it's the guy with the mesmerizing eyes, Elliott.

"Drinks?" He offers, holding up the drinks in his hands at you.

"Yes, please," you answer, scooting to the side to make some space on the sofa for him.

He hands you one of the drinks to you before sitting down, you both take a little sip of the sugary sweet cocktails.

"This is cute," you comment, stirring the drink with the small umbrella.

"Like you," Elliott teases with a flirty smile.

You giggle in reaction to his words, "You think I'm cute?"

Elliott licks his lips after sipping his drink, "Yeah."

Pulling a trick out of the book, you tilt your head to the side and flutter your eyelids a little.

"And I think you're cute too," you sweetly say, then clink your glass with his.

You have another sip of the cocktail and scrunch your nose when you taste the sour of the lime on the rim of the glass. You catch Elliott staring at you and knowing that he just got caught, he may as well ask, "So, do you fancy anyone?"

With your head still tilted, you do a little look away before looking at him right in the eyes, "Oh, wow, that's a tough question," you pretend to think hard.

Elliott is confidently staring right back into your eyes as he asks another question, "Anyone you want?"

You let out a low chuckle and answer, "I think it's too early to say."

"That's a good answer," he mutters.

Elliott is not taking his eyes away from yours even for a second, his stare is so intense that it makes you nervous. An awkward chuckle escapes your mouth, "Your eyes..."

You look down at your drink and put all of your focus on it instead, "They're making me nervous," you continue.

Elliott triumphantly smiles knowing that his eyes are doing a great job, "I'm just trying to shoot my shot here," he coyly says with a sexy smirk.

You nod and tuck your hair behind your ear, "I understand. You want what you want."

"Mm-hm," he immediately agrees with what you said.

"What I want is right here," he continues, clinking his glass against yours.

Elliott is, physically wise, not your type but he's confident, he has that good chat and he knows how to keep the conversation going.

As the saying goes if at first you don't succeed, then go for your second choice and Elliott would make a great second choice.

-

YOU: Well, if Blake is not going to acknowledge the fact that I'm here then I'm just going to give Elliott a chance.

-

It's loud in the dressing room as everyone comes up with guesses on what actually would happen tonight at the first party of Party In Paradise.

They prepare costumes for everyone to wear for the first party in the villa. The boys are dressed as pirates while the girls are dressed as mermaids and you choose the one adorned with sapphire blue sequins that resemble mermaid scales.

The beach is decorated with properties according to the theme and the drinks are ready so is the music, they're blasting upbeat songs through big speakers.

Everyone is looking hot, they're dancing and drinking, having the time of their life, it indeed feels like a party in paradise.

The good time comes to a halt as Issa initiates a game but it's actually what the staff briefed her earlier about.

"We're going to play X marks the spot," Issa says.

She then pulls lipstick out of the side of the sofa and uses it to make two crosses on each one of her breasts, "These are my best features so you can lick them, bite them, grab them, or even kiss the person if you want," she explains the game.

It's a simple game, with or without marking the spot, everyone knows where to touch or kiss. Issa then walks to the center and stands in front of everyone.

"So who wants a piece of me?" She cutely says while shaking her shoulders.

As everyone is about to hype Issa, Jeff dashes towards her and buries his head between her mounds, rubbing the red lipstick all over his face then plants a hard kiss on her lips. He then returns to his seat, leaving Issa standing there in bewilderment.

Everyone is either excited for their turn or to finally have the chance to make physical contact with the person they're interested in, including you.

You can't tell which one you're more excited for, taking your turn or making a move on someone.

It seems like it's the latter for Devon as Blake is drawing small crosses on his six-pack abs. He raises his hands and puts them behind him, letting anyone come to him.

"Come and get some," he says with a devilish smirk that takes his attractiveness to the next level.

Devon not only puts her claws on him but also sinks her teeth deep into Blake's neck, letting everyone know that it's her territory.

Well, Devon can piss on Blake too if she wants and you'll let her have him, for now.

Jeff whistles as Adriana marks both of her buttcheeks with the red lipstick while the others are howling like animals in heat.

"Whoa!" Lili grabs at your forearm in reaction to Tom licking her buttcheeks as Adriana slightly bends over.

"Oh, my God!" You gasp as they continue with a slobbering kiss, sending the red lips rubbing on each other's faces.

She then walks back to her seat and plops down next to you, panting while wiping the skin around her mouth with her fingers.

When it's finally your turn, you get so excited that you can't seem to function normally. You can't stop grinning as you walk to the center, carrying the lipsticks Adriana gave to you.

It's time to get some action so you give them no excuses to miss out on you. With the red lipsticks, you draw an X on your inner thigh, your breasts, and the last one, excessively putting the lipsticks all over your lips.

"Let's go, boys!" You say with a hand gesture, daring them to come.

As expected, Elliott is the first one to come out to play. He walks up to you with a sly grin plastered his face and he stops right in front of you, dropping to his knees to kiss your inner thigh.

His soft lips tickle you as he drags them down your thigh and you can't help but giggle. The trail of kisses stops when he reaches your ankle and he finally lets go of your leg.

Elliott gets up and immediately pulls you close, capturing your lips in a deep kiss. The way he eagerly lathers your lips, you can tell how much he wanted it, craved it and it's low-key arousing you.

You gasp for air when he lets go of the kiss and you hurriedly cover your mouth with your hand, nonplussed.

Before you can fully recover from Elliott's kiss, Blake walks up to you and holds you by the waist as he plants his mouth right on the X you drew on your breast.

He licks the red lipstick off your skin and does not waste another second to crash his mouth against your mouth, kissing you so hard.

You open your mouth to catch a breath, but he uses it as an opportunity to put his hot tongue into you, kissing you deeper, tasting you more.

You can hear everyone cheering and hooting as they watch Blake let go of the kiss with a triumphant smile on his face.

"Don't make me compete with you, man!" Elliott jokingly says with his mouth still tainted red from the lipstick.

To say the kiss was good would be an understatement, it was phenomenal, you get a little disoriented as you walk back to your seat.

-

YOU: I just knew he wouldn't be able to resist me [Coyly shrugs]

-

It's a good thing that you have some drink left in your cup as you need it to help you calm down from the madness you were in a while ago. You feel hot and bothered, finding yourself fanning your face from Blake's kiss.

The host of the show finally comes and leads the show, walking so carefully with her heels in the sand.

"Hello, party people!" She begins with a bright smile.

Everyone answers with a cheery howl, louder than the sounds of the crashing waves in the background.

"Are you having a good time?"

"Yeah!" Everyone replies in unison.

"Are you ready to have some more good time?" The host asks, fanning her hand close to her ear to hear everyone's answer.

"Yeah!"

"You know what? I think I know exactly what this party needs," the host says with a kittenish smile.

The fun keeps doubling as the night gets late and it gets everyone hyped for what's to come.

"We have invited a guest to the villa!" She announces with a playful whoop at the end of the sentence.

Your first thought is that they'll bring another guest into the villa but it's a party in paradise which means more people, the merrier.

"This one guest is very special and can change anything," The host hinted with a cryptic smile.

That piques everyone's interest and they're starting to randomly shout names of famous people, trying to guess and manifesting it at once.

"Are you ready to welcome our world-famous guest?" The host asks, also giving out another hint which makes a few of them believe it's a celebrity.

"Yes!" Everyone answers, getting impatient to find out who the new guest is.

You don't want to get your hopes up but it would be nice to party with a celebrity, whoever it is, you're ready to have some fun.

"Give our new guest a warm welcome!"

All of the lights are suddenly off and then a spotlight shines on the curtain behind our seats, you've been thinking that it's just part of the decoration but now everyone's eyes are on it, looking at it with so much anticipation.

"No way!" You gasp in a mix of nerves and excitement.

Adriana just can't stop squealing next to you, holding your hand by the wrist.

It's been a minute now and the curtain is still not open, you feel like fainting with this much anticipation inside you. A while later, smoke starts coming out as the curtain finally opens in one quick pull.

Then there's that melodic chime that you heard somewhere before.

-

YOU: [Groans] Why? [Throws head to the back] Why?

-

You look around and everyone is just as flabbergasted, as in shock as you are at the reveal of the true intentions of this show. All of you have been tricked into thinking that it's a Party In Paradise when it's actually Too Hot To Handle.

As if the sight of the cone is not enough, Lili turns her head at you and meekly says, "We're in Too Hot To Handle."

Now that she says it out loud, you realize that it's real and you can feel that you're already dreading it.

She rubs her temples and says again, "This is Too Hot To Handle."

Oh, no. This is real. You are in Too Hot To Handle.

"As you can see, this is no longer Party In Paradise," The cone begins talking.

"But it's so convincing, the crew got Party In Paradise shirts and everything," Adriana complain as if that would help her get out of this.

"This is Too Hot To Handle."

"Shit... fuck..." you quietly mutter as you rub your temples in stress.

"You have been specially selected because all of you are having meaningless flings over genuine relationships," Lana continues.

Wish you could deny it but you feel called out instead, if that's the case, then you guess, this is your karma.

"Not wrong at all," Elliott agrees with Lana's statement with a stupid grin.

"Since your arrival, I have been gathering data on your wild behavior but from now on, you must adhere to my retreat rules."

-

YOU: Hmm... my coochie is going on lockdown, isn't it? [Sighs]

-

"No kissing."

But that's exactly your plan which is to kiss everyone.

"No heavy petting."

The more you hear it, the harder for you to process it in your head and whether you can do it or not.

"No sex."

And that's it. You can't do it, it's impossible. You'll be staying with a bunch of attractive people in a villa on an exotic island and told not to make physical contact with them.

"And no self-gratification," Lana announces the last rule.

Which is the hardest one for you to accept. It's your own body and you can do anything to it? It doesn't make sense.

"That's crazy!" Blake reacts with his eyes widening in disbelief.

Despite the complaints, Lana continues with her announcement, "As part of your social development, I have allocated a prize of $200,000."

Hearing that much money on the line, you suddenly have a change of mind that maybe it's possible to keep your hands to yourself for 200 grand.

Among the cheering of excitement at the sum of prize money, Jeff makes a bold remark.

"We surely can spend some of it," Jeff sounds excited to spend it more than to win it.

"No, man. Don't mess it up!" Tom warns him while shaking his head in disbelief.

"Just a couple of grand," Jeff innocently says.

"I'm a college student. I need it," Tom says, putting some sense into him.

Jeff indirectly says that he doesn't mind spending some of the money only supporting the fact that it's not going to be easy and your optimism deflates right away.

Another problem is you don't have that much trust in yourself that you'll be able to keep it yourself.

"Welcome to your long, hard, sexless summer," Lana concludes.

-

YOU: It's going to be hard but... since when do I follow the rules? [Smirks]

-

The morning starts rough.

You wake up as soon as the lights are on, dragging yourself out of the duvet, and sit on the bed only to look Devon and Blake on the bed right across from yours.

Lili wakes up not long after you and sitting on the bed, lowly muttering, "I am so horny."

Hearing that almost causes you to choke on your water as you sip it from a water tumbler.

It's like she triggers the cone by mentioning the word 'horny', the cone lights up and chimes.

"Good morning!"

You groan as the truth that you're in a sex retreat hasn't fully sunk in yet.

"You may find this retreat challenging but I am always here to help," Lana offers some comfort on a gloomy, sex-deprived morning.

"And we ask for sex, Lana," Adriana says with a sleepy, depressive smile.

Tom who sleeps with Adriana on the next bed, turns to see Blake and asks, "Are you sure nothing happened last night?"

You act nonchalant but at the same time, stay quiet to hear his answer.

He coyly shrugs and rubs his eyes as he answers, "No."

"I notice the smug," Adriana teases Devon.

She shakes her head in response, "Nothing happens, I swear."

That doesn't quite put you at ease.

There's a big chance that they did break the rules but act like they didn't and if they did break the rules, then you don't want to waste your time pursuing Blake.

However, as you gather all of your hair and tie it into a messy ponytail, you catch Blake looking at you with a faint smile on his face.

-

YOU: I'm still going for Blake but if he's still not showing any signs that he's interested well... I may have to put my focus on someone else.

-

Last night was just as rough.

Everyone was still coping with the grand reveal and just couldn't wait to end the day, choosing their beds where they felt like it. Lili offered to share the bed with you since she doesn’t want to partner up with anyone just yet and you didn’t have problems sleeping with anyone.

But the other reason was that Blake had chosen to sleep with Devon.

Of course, you’re not going to be so adamant about your choice of man but what you can’t help is being tenacious, you have to always get what you want, and you don’t want to know what would happen if you don’t get it.

Since you took the first turn for the daily interview, you get to start your day late. You’re going down to the beach to do some exercises with Vale sitting cross-legged on the yoga mat not far away from you, meditating.

That’s the kind of vibe you got when you first met him that despite his perfect figure and built body, he’s a spiritual person, he’s the type who seeks ‘that’ connection. Unlike you, Vale fits right into this show and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he won it too.

“Hey, come and join me,” He says to you as you take a break from working.

You stop sucking your water tumbler and ask, “You want me to meditate with you?”

“Yeah,” he shortly says.

You quickly wipe your sweat with a towel and sit on the yoga mat he laid out for you next to him. You follow the way he sits, crossing your legs together and putting your hands on your knees, then intently listen to his instructions for the rest of the session.

It works wonderfully and helps you take your mind off things. Once you both got back to the villa, he playfully asks if you want to shower together.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” You tell him as you splash some water on your face in the sink.

As you continue washing your face, you catch the reflection in the mirror as he stands behind you with the towel hanging low around his hips you can see his pelvic bones.

“It’s not against the rules,” Vale simply says, half-laughing.

 “Yes, but…” You suddenly forget what you’re about to say and turn around only to find him dropping his towel before he walks into the shower stall.

Your hands fly to cover your face but continue to see through the cracks between your fingers, “Okay, now all I can think about is naked Jesus,” you jokingly say.

Vale laughs as he catches what you said even though he’s inside the shower stall, laughing as he runs his hands to wash his golden tan skin. You leave the bathroom before you change your mind and join him in the shower.

-

YOU: Can’t believe I got to see naked Jesus [Laughs]

-

In the dressing room, you’re getting your make-up done and going to dry your hair next. You check for your appearance in the full-length mirror, making sure the bikini looks flattering on you when you hear someone coming from the hallway that connects here with the bedroom.

“Hey,” You don’t want to make it obvious that you’re glad to see him but you’re glad to see him.

“Hey,” Blake says back, grinning when he realizes that it’s you.

He stops on his track just checking you out, his eyes traveling up and down your body, “Been looking for you,” he says.

You know better not to fall on such words, “Oh, really?”

“Yeah,” he shortly says with a grin that is both hot and sweet. He then goes to his closet on the opposite wall and takes out a bucket hat, putting it on to show it to you.

“How do we think?” He asks.

You close your closet door and rest your hand against it, “Cute.”

He switches the bucket hat with a cap and puts it on while also making a dramatic pose for you, “How about now?”

It’s hard to look at his face when his abs keep distracting you and you chuckle at how he spreads his arms out, “Try putting it on backward,” you suggest.

Blake follows your suggestion, turning the cap without taking it off, and strikes another pose for you, “Yeah?”

You were right about the hat, he looks hot with his cap on backward, and just like he heard what you’re thinking, Blake spins around on his feet and almost stumbles as he gets back on his feet.

“I know I’m hot but try not to kiss me, okay?” he says.

Well, you can try not to but that doesn’t mean you won’t do it. You shake your head and suck air through your teeth, “Can’t promise you,” you playfully say.

 “Come here, give me a hug,” Blake says, holding his hand out at you.

You take it only for him to pull you close and hug you, burying his head in your neck to catch your scent, “How are you doing?”

You giggle as he rubs his nose in your neck and you get to put your hands on him, feeling his warm skin under your touch, “Good. You?”

Instead of answering, Blake draws you closer, molding his body to you to feel your whole body against him, and lowers his hands to your hips. You don’t mind though, he’s so big and you like how he envelops you whole.

You hear his overwhelmed sigh before he plants a kiss on your neck, “Damn! You smell so good,” he mutters.

“Well, I showered,” you respond with a witty answer.

“I should try that,” he responds with an even wittier answer.

Blake closes the door of his closet and heads for the door, “See you around.”

“See you around,” you say back with a flirty smile.

-

YOU: I know Blake and I haven’t talked much but there’s something there and I can’t wait to explore that.

-

It feels like it was a while ago that you get ready for the day and now the day has turned to night.

You have to change out of your bikini and into a dress, getting help from Adriana to tie the straps on your back. The girls are busy putting on make-up and looking their best to attract whoever they fancy, including you.

It’s not that hard to know that Blake indeed feels something for you, you sense it in the kiss he gave you during the game yesterday and the way he hugged you this morning, or the way he secretly gives you the eyes even though he’s sitting right next to Devon right now.

People can run their mouths all they want but their bodies can’t lie. You can’t fake a physical attraction.

You join Vale sitting on the lounger next to him with a glass of wine in hand, “Cute shirt!” You compliment his colorful printed shirt.

“Thank you,” Vale responds with a bright smile.

You get comfortable and take a small sip of your wine before asking something you’ve been curious to find out, “My sweet Jesus, do you find anyone you fancy in here?”

Vale scratches his beard as he thinks of an answer, “Honestly… no, not yet.”

Vale is gorgeous and hot, you vibe well with him and he’s earnest which tells you that he’s someone that you can trust. Despite all of those qualities, he’s not quite the type you’re looking for and you believe, it’s vice versa.

“What’s your type?”

“I don’t have such things. I think I never limit myself to a certain type of person. It’s whoever attracts me,” he replies and his words carry some wisdom in them.

To put it simply, he’s not attracted to anyone and therefore, it confirms your assumptions about him.

Vale brushes his long hair to the back, sending a few strands falling over his face, “How about you? Who do you fancy?”

You put your glass of wine down and turn your head around for the person you’re looking for, finding him talking to Tom by the firepit.

“For now, it’s Blake,” you answer.

“How about Elliott?” He asks, tucking his hair behind his ear.

“Elliott is... he is cute and all but I like Blake,” you answer, hinting that Blake is your priority.

Vale cranes his neck to see Blake and then slumps back down on his lounger, “It seems like Devon got him on a leash,” he says.

“Yeah,” you say while chuckling.

You turn your head to see Devon putting her leg over Blake’s lap, “but that’s not going to stop me though,” you add.

Vale cracks a laugh, “I like that,” he says.

“Right? I don’t see any rings on it so...” You decide not to finish your words and have a sip of your drink instead.

Talking about Blake gets you thinking to start making a move, separating him from Devon is going to be the hardest part so you decide to take a moment to refresh yourself before executing your plan.

“I’m going to powder my nose,” you excuse yourself as get up from the lounger.

Vale doesn’t reply but helps you by handing you your glass. As you start walking away though, he shouts, “Hey, you’re beautiful!”

You look over your shoulder and blow a kiss at him, “I know.”

-

YOU: From what I see is that Vale is looking for someone he can instantly connect with and I hope he finds it.

-

The heels you’re wearing are starting to irritate you, you switch into a comfortable pair of wedges sandals and then take your make-up pouch with you to the bathroom.

You take a tube of lip gloss and put on a layer over your lips while leaning close to the mirror. You smack your lips together and check if there’s anything you can fix, deciding that a little more blush won’t hurt.

As you’re about to apply it to your cheek, you immediately stop moving as you see someone come into the bathroom.

“Hey, gorgeous!” Devon sweetly says.

From how enthusiastic she sounds, you’re sure the intention isn’t as sweet as her greeting. You put down everything you’re holding and turn around.

“Hey, babe,” you greet back with less enthusiasm than her.

Devon sits on the edge of the bathtub and starts brushing wavy hair with her fingers, “How are you?”

You rest your hands on the surface of the sink and lean against it, “I’m good. You?”

“Good,” she shortly replies.

She plays with her nails and a while later, looks at you, “I love the dress,” she says.

It seems like the compliment is an effort to try to soften you for whatever trick she has up on her sleeve, you put on a smile for her and mutter, “Thank you.”

A moment passes just you and Devon looking at each other and the silence that hangs in the space in between only adds animosity in the room.

“I have something to tell you,” Devon finally reveals her true intentions on why she came here.

You keep your smile on and slightly tilt your head to the side, “Yes.”

Devon bites her lips and fiddles with her bangles around her dainty wrist, “I know you’ve been like... eyeing Blake,” she begins.

“Yes,” you immediately reply, showing her that you don’t mind making it an open competition with her for it.

“I want to be honest with you and I hope you understand that I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings,” she says with a smile, in contrast to her words, she looks rather enjoying it.

“Blake and I,” she pauses to keep you on your toes.

Devon then flips her hair to the back and continues, “We kissed.”

The thing that you fear the most has happened and you don’t want to give Devon the satisfaction, you calmly cross your arms in front of you and nod.

“Okay,” you say with a plain tone.

“Oh, my God! I’m sorry,” Devon says, being dramatic for the two of you.

She comes and gives you a hug which she thinks would cheer you up. You reluctantly accept it even though you know she’s pitying you.

“I just want to tell you that,” she says as she pulls away from the hug.

Devon indirectly tells you that she comes here just to break your spirit and you don’t know how to respond to that. You actually know how to respond to that but you know you’re better than that.

Once Devon left the bathroom, you turn back around to face the mirror again and lowly mutter, “What the actual fuck?”

-

YOU: How thoughtful of Devon on letting me know about their kiss but girl, what the fuck?

-

It seems like Lana is not going to announce any rule breaks tonight. She’s more likely to collect the rule breaks for now and will eventually turn up with the receipt.

You don’t know how you feel about it but you enjoy seeing the sheer disappointment on Devon’s face that she didn’t get the chance to brag about her kiss with Blake.

Talking about Blake, you reckon you should move on but how can you forget Blake in one night?

It’s impossible, not when you’ll always see him walking around the villa looking so fine and tempting. As you get on your bed, you catch him looking at you and slyly smiling at you.

You don’t want to fall back into it but the bad girl in you tells you to not shut him down completely so you decide to put on a thin smile in return.

That should be enough to tell him that you’re not pleased.

You look away and see your bed partner with her arms flexed as she’s braiding her dark hair. You notice that her arm muscles are so defined and it should be from hours spent in the gym working on them.

Curious, your hand reaches for her shoulder and lowers it to feel her lats, “Lil, how much do you lift?”

She’s tying the end of her hair with a scrunchie then looks over her shoulder, “About 140 to 156,” she answers.

“Girl!” You gasp in shock.

Looking at her lean figure and your hard guess at her body weight, she must be advanced in weightlifting.

You allow yourself to feel the muscles on her arms, from her trapezius muscle down to her bicep, “Remind me not to work with you,” you jokingly say.

Tom enters the room carrying a water tumbler in his hand, he stops right in the middle of the room and looks at everyone.

“Did anyone break any rules today?” He asks.

It’s useless to ask, no one is going to say anything unless the situation pressures them to talk. For instance, Blake is shaking his head as Tom is seeking his answer.

“Be good you two!” Tom says to both Blake and Devon, making a gesture that his eyes will always be on them.

Well, good luck with that because they already did break the rules and succeeded in lying right to his face.

“Goodnight, everyone,” Adriana says, blowing kisses around the room right before the lights are out.

Tom was wrong to fear that these people would break rules during the day. What Tom should be afraid of is what these people do in the dark.

-

YOU: What cuddles? I got to feel my bed partner’s muscles in my sleep [laughs]

-

In the morning, Jesus comes to your bed.

The bed quakes as Vale dives right into the space between you and Lili.

“Morning, beautiful!” Vale says, getting comfortable as he puts his hand over your waist.

“Morning,” you sleepily reply, groping around with your eyes closed to touch him.

“Your skin is so soft,” Lili says.

You turn your head to see Lili rubbing Vale’s back. Wanting to prove Lili’s words, you follow suit and rub your hand down his shoulder.

“It feels like a foreplay now,” Vale mumbles with his head buried in your pillow.

You continue your day with a quick workout and a meditating session with Vale. After that, you decide to skip the shower and put on a swimsuit, taking a few laps in the swimming pool.

Maybe it’s because you have someone to avoid that you keep yourself busy, but when you look at the time, it’s barely noon.

As you take a break from swimming and use the opportunity to enjoy the view of the sea shimmering under the morning sun, you hear a splash. You notice someone joins you in the pool and he swims right at you.

“Hey, morning,” Elliott softly greets.

You put all of your wet hair to the back and smile, “Morning!”

“How are you?” He asks, wiping the beads of water gathering under his chin.

“Alright, I guess,” You honestly answer.

You turn to the side to face him while keeping one hand resting on the edge of the pool, “You?”

“I’m great,” he replies with enthusiasm that matches his answer.

The sun hits right on his eyes, making them brighter yet fiercer and they’re just as good as weapons now. You can only hope Elliott knows how to use them.

“Uhm...” Elliott seems to have something to say but hesitates to do so, “I know you have your eyes on Blake.”

Welp, it’s that obvious? You nod since there’s no use in denying it.

“Do you... still have your eyes on him or...?”

So Elliott wants to know if you have given up on pursuing Blake and you can safely assume that he hopes to slide right into his spot.

“I already made him aware that I kind of fancy him but I’m not getting anything back so... I don’t know,” You honestly answer, you feel pity for yourself as you say those out loud.

“Mmm-hmm...” Elliott bobs his head as he takes your answer.

The water trickles down his face as he pushes his wet hair to the back, “And who is your second option?”

Your assumption is true, Elliott is looking for a way to get into you and you appreciate that he didn’t come on to you and make it one big chase. He’s so easy and laid-back, and you like that.

“You,” You answer.

A sweet smile rises on his face and expresses his happiness with a cute shout, “Yay!”

It’s not even a phony answer, if there’s anyone else you want to try to make a connection with, it’s him.

“I haven’t got the chance to ask you about our kiss,” he says, taking a step closer to you.

It’s getting dangerous now that he wants to talk about the kiss in this proximity where you can see that his eyes are green in this light.

“What do you think about it?”

“About our kiss?”

He nods as the smile has been replaced with a grin, “Yes.”

You recall the moment when he kissed you during the game, “That was very cute.”

He suddenly lets out a chuckle and scratches his head. Is he flustered or nervous? You have no idea.

“How much do you think a kiss costs?” He suddenly asks.

Oh. You sense trouble right away but you’ve been craving for a little something. A kiss will suffice, you reckon.

Elliott is intensely staring into your eyes as you consider his idea, grinning at the 50% chance that you’d say yes to it.

“Fuck...” You curse as you let out a sigh.

You try to get yourself out of it by averting your focus elsewhere, fixing your bikini, and reminding yourself of Lana and her stupid rules. However, when your eyes meet again, your mind is set right away.

It; ‘s like your bodies are drawn to each other, Elliott and you come at each other at the same time and kiss. Maybe it’s because both of you are relaxed and there’s no one else watching, the kiss feels much nicer than the one you shared before.

Elliott puts the right amount of everything, the lips, the tongue, and even the teeth, you like how he kisses you, hungry yet gentle.

You hear nothing but the smooching sounds of both of your lips lathering each other and your bodies moving in the water.

“Your kiss is just so good,” Elliott says as he takes a step back from you.

And just like that, you break the rules for the first time in the retreat.

-

YOU: I was bored. I wanted to make Blake jealous and Elliott, I have a soft spot for him so... yeah, I kissed him.

-

There’s just something about doing the things that you shouldn’t and doing it anyway, the rush, the thrill of it... it makes you feel so alive.

Now that you’ve got a taste of it, you want more.

Just like Jeff said, we have so many cookies in the jar, 200 grand of them to be exact, and eating one or two more cookies should be fine.

The next question is who do you want to have the cookies with?

Elliott is the easy choice, he’s cool, he’s so easy-going, he’s following the vibe but that’s also the problem, he’s easy and you don’t want easy.

If we’re talking about Blake... oh, yes, he’s not easy, not when Devon is keeping him on a short, tight leash and that tells you enough that she’s not confident about him.

You steal a few glances at her as she’s doing her makeup on the other side of the vanity table from you, looking at her and seeing how pretty she is, there’s no reason for her to be that insecure.

Or maybe you’re that threatening to her? Well, that thought amused you so much.

“Pick one for me!” Adriana says, showing you two different colors of lipsticks in her hands to help her choose one.

“Uhm...” you take a closer look at the color.

Adriana has gorgeous full lips so you choose one with a deep berry color that would suit her better, “This!”

You watch as she’s about to apply it on her lips when the cone in the room lights up and chimes, startling everyone in their seats.

“Ah!” Adriana squeals in surprise.

“Hello, girls!” Lana greets.

“Hello, Lana,” You put down everything you’re holding, getting nervous that it’s about time for Lana to announce the rule breaks.

“I have given the chance for Blake to go on a date with one of you,” Lana announces.

Oh? Is it finally your chance to test the water and see if Blake is on board? You look around to see if anyone is also anticipating this but Devon is the only one looking a little fidgety on her seat.

“Blake has chosen...”

The real question is: is Blake ballsy enough to break away from Devon’s leash? It’s time to find out.

“... Devon.”

-

YOU: Un-fucking-believeable!

-

Devon is smiling from ear to ear after hearing Blake has chosen her for the date.

You believe Blake is playing it safe by choosing Devon, oh, well, it’s his loss, not yours. You continue with getting ready for the night with the rest of the girls.

You check yourself in the mirror and like what you see, especially the dress that enhances the curves on your body.

“What a waste of an outfit!” You mutter, allowing yourself to feel upset about not getting chosen.

Someone puts her arm around you and says, “Oh! We look so hot!”

You look at both of you and Adriana’s reflections in the mirror and suddenly gain your confidence back. Since when you’re not dressing for other people, you’re dressing for yourself.

Everyone is hanging out in the firepit. You’re sharing the small sofa with Vale and Lili is taking the other end, talking to Adriana and Tom with drinks in hands.

It only takes a couple of days for everyone to get used to each other and you guess it’s because everyone shares the same vibe, everyone simply wants to have fun and they don’t let Lana’s rules stop them from doing it.

Unfortunately, you get called to the interview room and do your duty as a TV show contestant, telling the camera about everything to its tiniest details.

That’s what they need for the TV, something juicy, and the juicier the better.

You promise to keep yourself as genuine as possible and only tell the truth, not fabricating any of it. Not going to lie, you feel tempted at times but you realize that one day, you’ll be out of here and you don’t want to regret something you said or did in the show.

You bump into Elliott on your way out as it’s his turn next and you squeeze his hand as you walk past each other.

“Have fun in there!” You playfully say.

Instead of going back to the firepit, you make a turn to the bedroom, wanting to take a moment for yourself to unwind. You take your shoes off once you get to your bed and take a hearty sip of water.

It’s not life if you always get what you want. Blake enters the room not long after you, his shirt is undone and you guess he must’ve just come back from his date with Devon.

What is it with him with his shirt flies open though? You have a hot body, yes, you get it.

Anyway, you want to ignore him but he smiles the second he spots you.

“Hello,” he softly says.

You put on a small smile and greet back, “Hey.”

You cap your water tumbler and put it on your bedside table, “Back from your date, huh?”

Instead of answering, Blake comes at you and does not stop until his body crashes against yours, taking you with him as he topples on your bed.

You’re giggling as he pins you under and then you gently push him away to sit on your bed. You don’t want to give it to him east, not after he chose someone else over you.

“So, how was the date?” You casually ask while fixing the straps of your dress.

Blake sits next to you, leaning back with his hands propped against the mattress, “I don’t know. I honestly don’t know what I want,” he vaguely says.

Well, that’s what he gets for keeping his options way too open. Then Blake turns his head at you then continues, “But I know who I want.”

You get it that he’s hinting at you from the way he raises his eyebrow and slyly smiles at you. But you play dumb instead, wanting to hear him saying it out loud.

“And it’s Devon?” You say.

He dramatically closes his eyes and lets out a low sigh, “It’s you.”

You pretend to be surprised to hear it, “Oh, it’s me?”

Blake nods and smiles, he rubs his hand down his abs, trying to make you look at it.

“What do you think?”

You’re sure he’s talking about what he just said, not the abs, and honestly, it sounds not that convincing.

“I don’t know what to feel about it. You just came back from a date with someone else,” you point out the only way that gets in the way of trusting his words.

Blake drags his hand on the bed until he finds your hand and holds it, “I know I have something going on but I wish we did talk more, get to know you more.”

You don’t know what he’s going with it but giving him a chance to explain himself.

“But just know... Just know that I feel something for you,” he says.

It should be a triumphant moment, knowing that the guy you like is liking you back but you feel conflicted instead.

Blake inhales air and then stares into your eyes, “I want you to know that,” he concludes with his thumb gently rubbing the back of your hand.

You want to give him one more chance to prove himself, to prove that he’ll act exactly like what he said to you.

You nod and smile, “Alright.”

But for now, you want to take his words as they are, that it’s simply him telling you what he’s feeling.

-

YOU: There’s something about him that’s calling for you and you kind of want to answer that.

-

As if Lana is aware that the two of you are alone which means there's a big chance of rule-breaking, the cone in the room chimes, making you jolt on your bed.

"Please gather everyone in the cabana," Lana orders.

You're clutching your chest as you walk to the cabana, knowing that it's the time: Lana is going to announce the rule breaks.

The plan is you'll sit there and not going to say anything, and you're aware of how flawed that plan is.

A moment after everyone assembled in the cabana, the cone chimes and lights up as she sits in the middle of the round, glass table.

"Good evening, everyone," Lana starts.

"Hello, Lana!" A few replies in a not-so-enthusiastic tone.

Before Lana talks further, you glance at Elliott and he catches you looking, the anxiety is also drawn on his face.

"The rules of my retreat have already been broken," Lana drops the truth right away.

"Oh, no!" Lili exclaims with her eyes going side to side.

Tom looks upset already with his clasped hands pushed close to his mouth.

"Wow!" he comments with a plain tone.

He takes a deep breath and finally be the one who confronts everyone, "Is there anybody that wants to come clean?"

-

YOU: I broke the rules but I'm not telling anyone shit.

-

You try to avoid looking in Tom's direction but it's hard when he's sitting right across from yours so you look the other away only to catch Elliott looking at you.

Elliott seems not to know how to put on a good poker face, he keeps grinning but the kind that only makes him appear guilty.

Adriana is the first to spot it, "Elliott?"

Elliott lets out a nervous chuckle, "Nah. Not me."

He gives it away as he can't stop grinning and as soon as he glances your way, you subtly give him a head shake, telling him not to say anything. Then you continue to act dumb, playing with your hair like it has nothing to do with you.

"I'm going to come clean," someone says.

All heads are turned to see that it's coming from Jeff and they all seem to see this one coming.

"It was me who initiated it, we had a moment—"

Jeff's explanation gets cut off as Lili interrupts and asks, "Who's we?"

Jeff licks his lips and slowly turns his head toward you, and then you see his eyes flick toward Issa, "Issa and I," he answers.

Issa gets flustered, smiling that everyone now knows who Jeff got it on with. Not that it's a secret but she looks smitten, they're showing a big potential to become an established couple in this retreat.

"This kiss has cost the group $3,000," Lana announces.

It's like taking a shot, hearing how much money lost to a kiss is that bitter aftertaste. But that's not the worst of it yet, you know that the rule breaks don't stop there.

"They were not the only ones to break the rules."

There you go, you mutter in your head and gulp air that people would start digging deeper to find out whoever cost them another $3,000.

"What? No!" Vale says, scanning everyone to spot any guilty faces.

You continue your dumb act, playing with your hair, brushing it with your fingers even though it's looking good. Your luck runs out as Tom notices the error in your behavior.

"You're good? It wasn't you, right?" Tom asks.

It would be nice if he just shot you with a real bullet and you would have died on the spot, that way you don't have to deal with his question anymore.

You put on a calm face, staying quiet and not intending to say anything. You notice Elliott is looking at you and eventually, people connect the dots together.

"Oh, no, you guys kissed!" Adriana says, being the first to figure it out.

The truth is out, all that is left to do is own up to it.

"I did want to tell you guys but I..." you give up on trying to justify your act.

"I'm sorry," you sincerely say.

Elliott looks at everyone and apologizes as well, "We are sorry. We really are," he earnestly says.

"The kiss has cost the group $3,000."

You cringe at the amount of money you spent for a kiss and even though it's not your money, it's still kind of stings.

"Expensive kiss, that one," Vale comments while scratching his facial hair.

"I think that'll be it," Adriana says, or more like hoping that that was just it, no more rule breaks.

Lana hears her and she doesn't intend to stop until everyone committed their crimes.

"That is not all," she says, "There was one more breach of the rules."

Your eyes dart toward Devon and Blake who sit next to each other at the end of the long sofa, it must be the one kiss she bragged to you about.

"Are you kidding me?" Tom reacts with a fed-up tone.

Devon looks at Blake but he seems to want to keep his mouth shut. You're not a lip reader but it's not hard to read what Devon said as she fixes her dress, "Shit."

The tension keeps building as everyone waits for the last confession Lana needs so she can calculate the damage and come up with the bill.

A moment passes and Devon seems to be uncomfortable keeping it to herself any longer, "We should tell them," she says to Blake.

Everyone is exclaiming and yelling at them all at once while Blake is sitting there, taking it all in. Once everyone calms down, he coyly admits everything, "We kissed. I'm sorry."

"These rule breaks have cost the group $6,000," Lana announces.

Tom's mouth hung open, "You kissed twice?"

Blake licks his lips and then nods.

"What the—" Vale doesn't even finish his words, he reclines on his sofa instead and looks up.

You know the one kiss they did and that's thanks to Devon's thoughtfulness, but the other one, you wonder when they did that.

"It was yesterday," Devon says.

"And the other one?" Tom asks.

"On the date earlier," Devon answers.

Wait... so Blake went on that date and kissed Devon, then he came back and told you that you're the one he wants. What the fuck?

-

YOU: I am so annoyed right now.

-

And you're not the only one.

Even though she's just a talking robot, you can tell that Lana is not pleased with these rule breaks. You can hear it from the way she informs the current prize money.

"The prize fund now stands at $188,000."

"What's done is done, guys," Blake coyly says, and somehow, that only pisses you more.

"In the first 24 hours, most of you have already broken the rules."

Tom looks at the people sitting on the long sofa, "Do you hear that, guys?"

"You have left me with no choice. From this point forward, all fines will be doubled," Lana delivers shocking news.

Tom's eyes widen like he's seeing his nightmare turn into a reality. He claps his hands together and leans back, "That's just great!"

Everyone is too stunned by the news that no one is saying anything. While you just can't wait to end the day already.

"Goodbye," Lana ends with a grim greeting.

Lana is indeed pissed and she deserved to be. You even pissed at what you did but what pissed you more than losing than losing $12,000 in one night is Blake.

Fucking Blake won't get away with it.

-

YOU: So Blake is that kind of player... oh, how typical! How boring! [Rolls eyes]

-

The boys are grouping on the terrace instead of going inside to get ready for bedtime so you follow the girls to the dressing room and it’s just perfect.

Telling Devon about what you know face to face, you doubt that she’ll believe you for it, she’d likely think that you’re trying to ruin things for her. This way, with the girls gathered together, you know they’ll support you and see the true intention behind it.

You need to pick your time right, you don’t want to interrupt in the middle of them complaining about the rules and the money, especially when you’re responsible for the $3,000 deduction.

“I mean… I’m trying to be respectful to Lana but some men are worth it,” Devin says while undoing her hair bun.

She pauses to correct her statement, “Not all, but some,” she emphasizes.

The other girls are busy wiping their makeup clean and half-heartedly listening to what Devon is saying and only reacting with short answers.

“Blake and I, we might be able to build something genuine,” Devon says.

Hearing that gets your blood boiling and you can’t keep biting your tongue, you let out a sigh and look at Devon, “You know what, Devon?”

Suddenly, everyone stops everything they’re doing and they probably know that there’s this slight hostility between you and Devon, you wouldn’t be surprised if they think you’re going to fight her.

Now that you have everyone’s attention, you start telling everyone what you know is true. You take a shallow breath before talking, “After he came back from that date, he went to the bedroom and I happened to be there. I asked him about the date and he was like “wish we did talk more, get to know each other more”.”

Lili lets her hair fall and gasps, “No!”

You keep going while constantly reminding yourself to keep calm, “And he held my hand telling me I’m the one he wants right after he came back from the date,” you tell Devon right at her face.

There’s no joy in telling her that she got played, you feel bad for her because you know how shitty that feels.

“That’s muggy,” Issa comments.

“I think he’s trying to have his cake and eat it too,” Adriana says, gripping the hairbrush in her hand.

You look at Devon and she’s in utter shock, you hate to ruin her picture-perfect of what she and Blake could be, but you need her to know and what she’s going to do with the truth is up to her.

“And I’m saying this, as woman to woman, I don’t want you to be that girl who falls for his bullshit,” You conclude.

It turns quiet in the room and everyone seems to give Devon the space to process this, they continue what they’re doing and doing it quietly.

After a moment, Lili tells Devon, “Maybe you should explore other options.”

Devon leans on the table and says, “I think I will.”

-

YOU: Oh, Blake, just know that you fucked it up and you deserve everything that comes to you.

-

“The fuck?” Vale blurts out.

Vale is that one person you feel like you can come and talk about everything with, out of everyone, you trust him the most. You come to his bed to tell him everything about what’s going down between you, Devon, and Blake.

He quickly lowers his voice since Blake is lying on his bed, “And what did Devon say?”

You shrug, “I don’t know.”

 “If she’s smart then she knows better not to…” his words trail off as he puts his hands behind his head as he rests his back against the headboard.

“That’s right,” you agree, kicking your feet in the air as you lay on your stomach.

He plays with his beard as he looks at you, “Then how about your plan?”

You’re so busy being upset about the Blake situation that you don’t think about it until he asks you, you realize you are just as single as he is now.

“Oh, fuck,” you blink your eyes in slight shock.

Vale laughs looking at your reaction, he sees the direness in your eyes, “Is there… uh, anyone else that you like?”

You secretly look around the room to look for your second choice but you witness Devon’s dramatic entrance, she turns her head at Blake and cryptically smiles at him before walking past their shared bed.

Everyone feels the tension in the room as Devon goes to Elliott’s bed and gets on it, witnessing the drama unfolding in real time.

You slowly turn your head back to Vale and say, “Well, there goes my second choice.”

-

YOU: Why did she have to take Elliott too? Ugh!

-

This morning, when you come to the bathroom to shower, you find Tom there, counting the condoms inside the little tray next to the sink.

You burst out laughing at the sight, "Having a busy morning I see," you playfully say.

Tom briefly looks at you and puts the condoms back into the tray, "There are eight of them and it's got to stay at eight," he says.

Tom couldn't possibly think that not using condoms doesn't mean that everyone is not rulebreaking. But you have to admit that he's dedicated to his role as the sex officer in the villa.

In the afternoon, you join Adriana sunbathing in the firepit, sharing the sofa.

"I can't believe that I'm about to say this..." you sigh while looking up at the sky with your eyes closed.

Adriana puts her hands on her sides, also looking up with eyes closed, "What?"

"I miss sex so much," you sigh.

Adriana softly sighs then a while later says, "Same."

You gently elbow her side, "At least, you have a man on your bed," you say.

"Yes but he doesn't want to do anything," she grumbles, reminding you that his partner is Lana's top student.

Being single means you have nothing to do with the situation, you want to rule break but have no one to do it with. Meanwhile having a man and not wanting to do anything, is much, much worse.

"Like I need something to happen!" Adriana says with an annoyed sigh.

You suddenly feel bad for Adriana but you also can't help yourself from laughing and she eventually laughs along with you.

When the day gets too hot for a sunbathe, you decide that it's time to cool down. Slowly, you get into the pool and sit on the edge, facing the view of the sea with the blue sky looking like something you see on a postcard.

Someone is swimming and apparently, whoever that is coming your way. You wait until he emerges from the water and sees Blake.

What a way to ruin your good day!

Blake brushes his dark hair to the back and wipes the beads of water around his eyes, he smiles as he fixes his eyes on you, then stands next to you.

"What are you up to?"

You remind yourself that you're a grown woman who can handle someone like him gracefully even though he doesn't deserve it.

"Just admiring the beautiful view," you calmly answer.

He looks at the view and sighs, "Yeah, it's beautiful just like you."

You feel like gagging but resist the urge to, "Thank you," you say with a thin smile.

There are two reasons why Blake is talking to you right now. One is the possibility that Devon confronted him about last night's situation and told him that she heard everything from you. If reason one is true then it's reason number two, he's going for his second option and unfortunately, it's you.

"I think it's about time we have this conversation. I want to see where's your head at," he says.

It's not the words, it's the way he casually talks to you and completely ignores the fact that he played you and Devon.

But remember, gracefully.

"To be honest, I did think you're the hottest person in here when I first glanced at you and I feel this sexual energy whenever you're looking into my eyes," you say.

Blake is grinning as he looks at you, liking what you're saying about him, "I'm open to see where this takes us," he says.

It seems like Devon dumped him and it's reason number two after all.

You shyly smile and say, "I do like you."

You tip your head to the side and continue talking, "But I want to know that I'm forming a connection here and not because I'm available by default."

The glints in his eyes dim as if someone flips the switch off the second he hears what you said.

"I see the other couples and they have this sort of trust in each other. It makes me want to trust the person I'm with," you lay it out as gently as possible.

Because how can you trust him after what he did? Even if you give him the chance, you're not sure that Blake is capable of change.

"For now, I want to be a bit more free, and figure out what I want while also getting to know everyone," you conclude, rejecting him in the nicest way possible.

Blake takes a moment to process your answer and you give him just the space. A while later, he nods and wipes the beads of water on his chin.

"I guess, it is what it is," he coyly says.

You see, this is not the first time you're facing a player like him. In the past, you gave that person a chance thinking that you could change him but it only ended up hurting you and you surely don't want to go through that again.

-

YOU: I think it's about time I get a little bit more careful in choosing people that I want to be with.

-

Days have passed and you can see that couples start forming in the villa.

Jeff has been going strong with Issa ever since that first rule break. Tom, despite being Lana's loyal follower, is having something going on with Adriana. Last but not least, Devon is smitten by Elliott, it's proven by two rule breaks they admitted last night.

And you, you'd better off alone than having to be with Blake. He was hot until he showed his true colors.

"I thought I was going to be the first to rule break," Vale says as you apply sunblock on his back.

"I didn't think that I would be the one missing all the actions," he continues with a crisp laugh.

You add more sunblock for his lower back and lather in on his tattooed skin. You're dry-humping his back once you're done applying sunblock.

"You are getting some actions right now," you jokingly say.

You both laugh and that's how you survive these past few days. Vale has been a very reliable friend, he's trustworthy and earnest, you talk about everything with him because he likes having these kinds of deep talk.

"You know what we need?" You ask Vale then sip your water.

Vale ties his long hair into a messy bun, "What?"

"We need new meat in the villa," you say, pushing the sunglasses you wear up the bridge of your nose.

Vale nods in agreement, then his hand reaches for the cone sitting on the small round table next to him.

"Lana, I know you'll be my main girl but we need new meat in the villa," he pleads while seductively stroking her cone-shaped body.

"I think that should be considered as a rule break," you joke.

Ask and you shall receive, Lana says.

She makes everyone come to the cabana in the afternoon and you share the sofa with Issa, waiting for the cone to chime in anticipation.

"Hello, everyone," Lana greets.

"Hi, Lana!"

You feel at ease knowing that she wouldn't call you out for rulebreaking but you're ready for some drama today.

"I have observed some early signs that connections may be starting to form. Therefore, I am sending two people on a romantic date," Lana announces.

She's going to send the couples on a date? And what about you? Is it really Lana when she delivers good news?

"I'm hoping it's us," Issa says to Jeff.

Everyone is already hyped for the date when Lana is not done talking yet.

"So that I can put your current connections to the test, these dates will be with two new arrivals."

Now that's the Lana you know. You look at the couples and their expressions change into panic ones.

"Did she say new arrivals?" Adriana asks with her eyes almost popping out of her sockets.

-

YOU: Damn! Lana woke up and chose to fuck shit up.

-

"I have allowed the new dates to choose who they would like to take on a date."

It's kind of unfair that the new guests are only allowed to choose from the coupled-up guests but Lana is brewing some drama in the villa and you're here for it.

"They're coming in hot and heavy, ready to fuck everybody," you comment, provoking the nervous couples.

From the other end of the sofa, Vale is holding in his laughter, he knows what you're doing to the others.

"The first new arrival is... Seungmin."

"I like the name," Lili says.

Everyone tries to guess what he'd look like from just his name but you notice that Tom is looking so nervous, realizing that Adriana could get chosen for the date.

"Seungmin has chosen... Adriana."

It seems like what Tom fears the most has just become reality. Tom and Adriana exchange a look that only they know what they mean.

Lana continues with the announcement of the second guest, "The second new arrival is... Cara."

You can't pass the chance to provoke them more, "Cara sounds like she's ready to get wild," you innocently mutter.

Now it's the girls' turn to get nervous, you see that Devon is looking displeased, maybe it's the previous incident haunting her.

"Cara has chosen... Elliott."

It really is not a good day to be either Tom or Devon, their luck will eventually run out but they didn't know that it'd be today.

"Adriana and Elliott, It's time for you to get ready for your dates," Lana orders.

They leave the cabana to get ready for their dates with the new arrivals and you envy them, you want to go on a date too.

Jealousy aside, you're excited for the new guests, especially this Seungmin guy.

-

YOU: Girl, I can't wait to see how the night turns out!

-

It's embarrassing that everyone in the dressing room witnessed you tripping over your heeled shoes and falling on your butt.

Lili is too late to catch you, she offers her hand to help you get up but you lie down on the floor instead, laughing in embarrassment.

"Are you drunk?" Tom jokingly asks.

You shake your head and sigh, "No, I'm just so horny," you joke back.

The boys and the girls are going their separate ways. You follow the flow, walking to the firepit with the other girls and sitting prettily on the sofa, waiting for the ones going on dates to return.

The one who has been losing her sanity the longer her man going on the date is Devon. She's been rambling and grumbling like a fussy child.

"If he did something, I'll know right away," Devon mutters.

You don't know who she's talking to but since you're sitting close to her, you feel obliged to respond to it.

"Yep," you say, validating her.

Devon shouldn't be scared whether anyone knows because Lana will know and she knows everything.

The first one coming back from their date is Adriana and the new guest, Seungmin, linking their arms together as they enter the firepit.

"Oh, here they come," Lili tells everyone of their arrival.

All of the girls' heads are turned to see them.

Your curiosity about this Seungmin guy is finally answered. Tall, with broad shoulders, his dark hair is pushed to the back with a few strands hanging over his forehead and the faint moonlight casts a shadow over his face, defining his masculine features of sharp jaws and high cheekbones.

And when he smiles, you see those facial features turn soft all at once.

-

YOU: Oh, my God! This guy, Seungmin, is cute [Smiles]

-

"If Elliott walks in holding their arms like that, I'm going to cry," Devon sadly mutters.

You're about to say something to comfort her but Lili goes ahead, asking Adriana and Seungmin about the date.

"How was it? How was the date?"

Adriana briefly looks at him and answers it for both of them, "It was nice, romantic even."

"Oh?" You blurt out, sensing that Adriana may switch beds tonight.

"Lana gave him a free pass to kiss but we didn't, I told him about Tom," Adriana says.

Adriana and Tom have been with each other since day one, they're a couple with great restraint so you're glad that Adriana is not tempted to explore more options.

Meanwhile, Devon is starting to look a little green after hearing that the new arrivals are given a free pass to kiss during their dates.

Issa spots the other has returned from the date and blurts out, "Oh, no they hold hands."

Devon's head snaps to the back, looking at where the boys are gathered on the terrace.

She turns her head back and her mouth curls downward. You immediately scoot closer to offer your shoulder, rubbing her back as she starts crying.

You turn your head to see Elliott introducing the new girl to the boys and he's looking all bright and smiley.

"Not going to lie, that's kind of sus," you say.

You didn't even mean to put salt on Devon's wound, you just don't expect Elliott to be that kind of guy, you know, the Blake kind.

Everyone eventually gathers in the firepit and Elliott proceeds with his duty to introduce the new girl to everyone.

Cara is Italian and your eyes dart toward Vale, that this girl can be his type. In response to that, Vale is eyeing Seungmin, hinting that you have one for you too.

This eventful night turns out to be a good one.

Adriana and Tom are still sharing the bed and thankfully, so are Devon and Elliott. You're relieved that Elliott turns out to be not the kind of guy.

The new guests have to voluntarily sleep on the available spots, Cara shares the bed with Blake while Seungmin shares the bed with Vale.

You're meant to look at Vale but Seungmin happens to be there and since he catches your eyes, you may as well smile and flirt with your eyes.

You don't know what you feel about him yet but you hope that he's not the Blake kind.

-

YOU: Not everyone forgetting that new guests also mean new temptations [laughs]

-

"No one is breaking the rules, right?" Tom says the moment the lights are on.

Everyone is not having it but no one is saying anything as they're sleepy and struggling to open their eyes. You quickly sip water to refresh yourself and not skipping the chance to take a jab a Tom.

"The next rule break is going to be Adriana's self-gratification," you say with a grin.

Adriana lets out a dry chuckle and holds all of her hair to the side, "Might be. Don't leave me alone in a room," she says.

Lana chimes in for the usual morning greeting, welcoming the new guests, and ends it with a satirical message.

"Enjoy your day of celibacy!"

Since the boys are taking over the open gym at the beach, you skip working out and go for a swim with Lili. You take a few laps and have a chat with her.

In the cabana, you see that Devon is talking to the new girl, Cara.

"Should we get in there and intervene?" Lili asks.

"No," you immediately answer.

You blow water out of your nose and wipe it away, "But get ready, just in case."

In the other part of the villa, you spot the new guy, Seungmin heading down to the beach in a plain white t-shirt and black swimming trunks.

"Cute guy. 11 o'clock," you lowly mutter.

Lili clocks him right away, she's lowering her head until her chin dips in the water.

"You think he's cute?"

"Duh!" You react with a dramatic eye roll.

Lili chuckles and stacks her hands on the edge of the pool, "Is he your type though?"

Seungmin is indeed cute but truthfully, he's not the type that you usually go for, someone with a bit of an edge to them. You feel some sort of attraction toward him but it's not enough to pull you in.

"On papers? No," you honestly answer.

"Have you talked to him?"

"Not yet," you reply.

You look at Lili and wonder why she asks you all of that when she should be calculating her chance with him.

"Are you going to talk to him?" You ask her back.

Lili purses her mouth as she thinks of an answer, "Maybe. I will," she answers.

There's not much thing happens during the day and somehow, you feel excited for the night.

You put on a black dress, a red lipstick, and before you go out of the door, you take a look at yourself in the mirror, you look ravishing.

It's kind of sad though that you did all that only to sit by the firepit all alone and it's messing a little with your good mood.

It would be perfect for anyone to come and save your day but what do you—

"Hi, how are you?"

You look up and see Seungmin, he looks taller as he's standing over you, "Hi, I'm good."

"May I sit?" He politely asks.

"Please," you scoot a little to the side to make space for him even though the sofa could fit five people.

Seungmin sits next to you, spreading his legs open a little, and rests his hand on his knee. You notice that he has quite big pairs of hands and evident veins on the back of them.

"I came here wanting to talk to you, get to know you," he casually says as if he didn't just tell you right away what his true intentions are.

But you dig that, you like his confidence and the way he's looking at you right now like you're the only girl existing on earth.

"Tell me something about yourself," he says.

"I didn't know I was interviewing for a job," you joke with a laugh.

He laughs and it's the quiet kind, but you see that he's enjoying your joke.

"I'm a videographer," you tell him a piece about yourself.

"Is it the same as a filmmaker?" He curiously asks.

"Not really. Videographers film their own material, we work with cameras, shoot them ourselves, and edit them. It's uh... a lot to explain," you stop yourself before it gets too boring.

"It's not just beauty on the outside, huh?" He coyly says as if he didn't just compliment you and make you flustered.

"Of course not," you cheekily say with a grin.

"Yeah, I noticed," he agrees.

Your cheeks are heating and your body somehow turns to face him, answering his body language all the while his eyes are not straying away from yours, not even for a second.

"How about you?" You ask, trying to keep the conversation going.

"I'm an athlete. A baseball player," he answers.

"Oh, wow!" You didn't mean to make it sound that surprised.

Oh, it's even more embarrassing than the time you fell in the dressing room. You keep yourself together and quickly say something to explain your reaction.

"That explains the uh... broad shoulders," you say.

Your eyes unknowingly flick down at his hand again and your mouth gets ahead of your brain, "And the veiny hands."

Seungmin softly chuckles, he holds his hands out at you and lets you look at them as you please.

"You like them?"

You shyly laugh and skip on answering, barely functioning as his eyes are gazing into yours again.

-

YOU: He has this beautiful smile. He has these beautiful eyes, I am being swept away by his charm [Smiles]

-

Seungmin doesn't have eyes like Elliott's, they're brown yet they have the power to slowly pull you under.

You were so wrong to think that there's not enough attraction to pull you in because Seungmin is not only pulling you in, he asks you to come drown in his warm brown eyes.

Other than that, his eyes have the power to make you say your thoughts out loud.

"You have such beautiful eyes," you say, unconsciously leaning closer to look into his eyes.

"Oh, they're dilating," you gasp, seeing the black in the middle of the brown becomes larger.

Seungmin softly smiles hearing your innocent, almost too naive talks.

"You know your pupils dilate when you see someone you're attracted to," he says.

"Really?"

He nods with the scintillating smile still on his face.

"Does that mean you're attracted to me?" You ask with a mix of shy and seductive smiles.

"Yes, I am, I'm attracted," he confidently confirms.

You finally find the kind of guy Seungmin belongs in. Seungmin is the kind of guy that should come with a warning sign, he looks cute and harmless but a layer is under that, he's a lethal man who knows what he wants and gets it.

"I want to get to know you," he says.

"Me too," you say back.

"I want to get to know you more because I see that you have more beautiful things inside you," he adds.

Not going to lie, that's the sweetest thing you ever heard a guy say to you in a long time. You don't want to overanalyze it, you want to simply accept them as they are. Also, you can see that Seungmin meant every word he said.

"Would you let me?" He asks, tilting his head to the side as he maintains eye contact with you.

"Yes. I'd love that," you tell him.

The smile on Seungmin's face grows wider and it looks incredibly cute on him like he couldn't get cuter than this. His hand reaches for yours and holds it by the fingers.

"How do you feel about sharing a bed?"

No offense to Lili but you've been craving having a man on your bed so you nod at him.

The stare gets intense as he gets closer, leaving a few inches of space between your faces.

"Then how do you feel about sharing a kiss?"

The more you look into his eyes, the more compliant you are to his wishes. It's not like you don't want to kiss him, only that you wish you could do more than kisses.

But a kiss... it should be enough for now.

"I'd love that too," you answer.

Seungmin puts his hand under your chin, gently grabbing at it to bring you closer to him and slowly, he plants his lips on you.

No, it's not because you haven't kissed in the last few days, it's him, Seungmin got you completely charmed that you find yourself returning his kiss with the same eagerness.

"Oh, my God!" You gasp in awe once you break the kiss.

Seungmin is only smiling in response, he knows that you feel it too. The matching energy, the surge of excitement, the sexual tension, the electrifying chemistry, you both feel them all.

"I got your lipsticks all over me, aren't I?" He asks.

"Yes," you hurriedly help him wipe it off clean from around his mouth and nose.

And just like that, you broke another rule only this time you're not doing it out of boredom or avenging someone.

You broke the rules with Seungmin because he feels right.

-

YOU: Oh, we were just so in the moment that we forgot about the rules. Was it worth it though? Yes. Six thousand times yes.

-

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[bingerzone]

I did some traditional doodles that I forgot to post :0 I've been in a BIG TIME homestuck mood hehehe... I miss these little fuckers. I really want to draw them more!! Also, here's the text because my handwriting is rough in places dhfjskds:

From Top to Bottom, Left to Right [PAGE 1] Rose: June dear you know I love your mullet more than anything, but don't you think you'd love so beautiful with not that? Kanaya: I Like Her Mullet Quite A Lot, Actually. Note: (She does not) Kanaya: I've Actually Considered Trying One Out Myself. Note: (She has not) Arrow Pointing at Rose: She has been trying to get June to cut her hair so she and Kanaya can ask her out Arrow Pointing at Dave: Super not over June Arrow Pointing at June: Oblivious June's T-Shirt: I MET GOD. HE'S SHE'S [PAGE 2]

Dave: it wouldnt be that weird if someone were to date their siblings gf right. as long as youre cool about it and stuff Karkat: THE LAST TIME I SHARED MY OPINION ON HUMAN SIBLINGS YOU COULDN'T LOOK DIRK IN THE EYES FOR A WEEK. SO I'M NOT ANSWERING THAT. Karkat: OH MY GOD DID HE JUST Dave: indirect kiss.... Karkat: KISS HER YOURSELF SHITFUCK [PAGE 3] The word that's used in the chart multiple times is 'Crush' June: I'm sorry Dave, I'm a lesbian... Dave: arent you hate dating karkat June: Is Karkat not a he/him butch Under Karkat: (Is actually genderfluid but never mentions it) Under June: (I HC as bi but.... punchline)

[scremogirl]

✩𖤐☆𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐄…

Plug! Ony who only really likes getting high if it’s with you. Sure, he’ll have a sesh with his homeboys; but it’s nothing compared to sitting in his lavsious car, his pretty little client next to him. Maybe client is an understatement; crush seems more fitting, no? I mean, he always lets you take the first hit. Wanting to feel the reminmets of your gloss, loving the feeling of giving you an indirect kiss. Can always tell when you get a new flavor, the peach-cherry blossom one is his favorite. Wonders if you’d let him kiss it all off. Or how it’d be smudged all of your face and lips, mixed with his cum as most of it is in the shape of kiss marks on his big dick.

Plug! Ony who spoils you with all the weed and money you want. Whatever you need he got it. From money for your hair to rent or grocery money. At this point he’s starting to view this relationship as more of a sugar daddy/sugar baby type thing. He doesn’t want that. He doesn’t want you just coming to him when you need something. He wants you as his 4life.

Plug! Ony who spots another guy trynna get up on you at Jeans party. Plug! Ony who sees its making you uncomfortable and won’t just stand by and watch. Plug! Ony who comes up to you grabbing a palm full of as and kissing you deep; slipping his tounge in your mouth. He pulls away and looks the guy in his eyes. “You need sum from my girl?” Plug! Ony who watches the guy scamper away and then shifting his gaze to you, only to find you're already lookin at him with a mix of thankfulness and lust.

︎ ⚠︎︎

Plug! Ony who fucks you in the backseat of the same car he uses for your smoke sesh. “O-oh my godddd Pa. You fuckin my shit uppp,” he chuckles and continues to bounce you up and down on his cock. “I know, ma. Shit feel good huh?” You nod and let out a spew of yes’s. “Oh baby, im-im finna cumm, oh fuck,” he smacks your ass and bucks his hips faster. “Cum for me mama, cover my shit,”

Plug! Ony who cleans you up and drives you to his house. You both get in the shower *he had a spare shower cap, thank god* and when you dry off he lays you down in bed. You climb back on top of him trying to get him going again but he stops you. “Hol up baby. Before I we get to goin I wanna ask you sum,” you don’t talk expectedly waiting for him to get whatever he needs of his chest. “This whole friends with benefits- plug/client relashionship we got goin on, we deadin that shit right na,” your eyes go wide. All this time you thought he didn’t want anything serious. Maybe the shopping sprees, 12am smoke sessions, and him dicking you down the way he does should’ve told you otherwise. “I want be your man and I want you to be my girl. I ain’t take no for an answer by the way,” you just smile and muzzle your face into his neck. Sex can wait; right now, you just wanna cuddle up with your man.

I didn’t proof read/edit anything; I just wanted to have the third post out B4 Fri. Imma be hella bust next week so I might not post anything at all and I have no works in the drafts. I’ll see what I can push out.

-Love, Sos❤️

[retrotrait]

Ep 16

Katie: Should I go in there with you?

Lizzie: why would you go in there with me?

Katie: Isn't this the house of that kid who's a little asshole to you?

Lizzie: Mom you can't beat up a 17-year-old

Katie: who said anything about beating him up? I have other ways

Lizzie: as terrifying as that sounds, I think I got this one handled

Katie: that's my girl! go for the balls if you need to

Lizzie: the balls, noted mom...pick me up at 8?

Katie: 8:00 pm sharp, love you!

[knock knock]

Lizzie: Caleb! oh my god, what happened to your face?

Caleb: my face? oh, it's nothing

Lizzie: It's not nothing! Have you looking in a mirror?

Caleb: Just come inside before you start nagging. It's freezing outside

Lizzie: wow this place looks completely different when there's no teenagers and booze...

Caleb: hmmm

Lizzie: are you rich?

Caleb: no?

Lizzie: interesting, you definitely give off "rich kid" vibes

Caleb: what's that supposed to mean?

Lizzie: standoff-ish, rude, stuck up

Caleb: are you going to work on this project or are you just going to insult me the whole time?

Lizzie: depends...are you going to put some ointment on those cuts and bruises?

Caleb: I wasn't planning to...why?

Lizzie: [sighs] okay let's see what you got here

Caleb: don't go breaking anything!

Lizzie: oh, shut up

Lizzie: here we go, lay back

Caleb: oh? is that a demand nurse Ryan?

Lizzie: are you ever serious?

Caleb: not often

Lizzie: so, are you gonna tell me what happened?

Caleb: [grinning] just a little wrestling practice, nothing to worry about

Lizzie: you look like you went three rounds with a freight train

Caleb: funny...

Lizzie: do you always get beat up like this?

Caleb: Only when I'm forced to work with annoying classmates

Lizzie: [presses hard] right cause I'm a total pain

Caleb: arghhh! dammit Ryan, are you enjoying this?

Lizzie: [smiling] of course not

Lizzie: here have some of my water

Caleb: an indirect kiss? you would

Lizzie: I swear Caleb, I'm going to stran-

Jacob: CALEB?! What in gods name happened?

Caleb: Dad?

Creator's note: Surprise :)

[logictoinsanity]

this post is a direct response to and honestly a brief retelling of part of Until you get sick of me, honestly by 3koboldsinahoodie on AO3*

one of my all time favorites tropes (especially for Wade and Logan specifically) is the two best friends are so gay for each other but so in denial that they are basically dating without actually saying anything or kissing

like, Wade and Logan are apartment hunting together, they're getting a one bedroom (+pullout for Laura sleepovers) because They Share A Bed (translation: they cuddle every night and every morning and neither is even considering giving that up). They hold hands often, they sit and stand stupidly close to each other All The Time, they're together cOnstantly, they argue like a married couple and even logan has gotten excessive with the pet names, half their friends thought that Logan openly calling Wade 'Princess' and 'Sweetheart' was just his indirect way of recealing that they were dating, but no!

really wade is sitting in Logan's lap on the couch watching his favorite movie thinking 'oh my god I can't believe he's letting me do this I'm so in love with him too bad he could never love me cause I'm Ugly™ and Awful™ and hes just placating me because he cares about me despite how Awful™ I am'

and Logan is holding Wade thinking 'oh my god I love him so much how could I ever know if my feelings are returned he would do this with anyone' Or, alternatively, 'Oh my god I love him so much to bad he must only want to have sex with me because he could never really love me because i am Irredeemable™ and The Worst™'

and everyone else is slamming their head into the wall in frustration

anyway I think it's great go read the fic

[ch6douin]

I was inspired by pictures of cats on the aftermath of meeting their owners or random people who love cats with lipstick on. Imagine players in their world with their lil plush counterparts and one night after being given a little too much booze by demi characters are seeing their plush counterparts covered in lipstick marks. Player is seen with smeared lipstick the same shade.

Victor is fucking unsure of what to do. He’s hiding in his room, face pushed into his pillow. Laying on his stomach and swinging his feet. Victors plush is seen admiring its kiss marks. Also wick probably got a kiss mark on his forehead. Everyone but victor getting a kiss smh

Andrew is still reeling from spotting his plush self coated in lil kiss marks. They make eye contact. Andrews like “Huh?????” His plush counterpart says nothing but lowers its head almost bashfully.

Ganji is both sorta flattered but also probably one of the ones trying to figure out how to clean his plushie off. Not until after he’s done marking this down in his memory tho.

Emma has the same reaction as victor. But probably is seen skipping around holding her plushie self. Is in a good mood for remaining week.

Also i wanna add Demi witnessed all of this and had the time of her life. The mighty player being a very very affectionate and cuddly drunk is one thing she had not been prepared for but my god. Cutest thing ever. Only one of the survivors to be given a kiss on her forehead. Got some good cuddles too.

Freddy plush is only one to be unkissed. Freddy plush is seen to be bitter about this and has been a bully. Freddy acts like he dont care but it keeps him up at night. Fuck freddy. All my homies hate freddy.

Oh god that is so cute anon (all my homies hate freddy too)

The thought that you spared some time to pepper kisses on the soft material of plushies that resemble them makes some of them absolutely smitten. Are you trying to send them an indirect message? Does that mean that you...you wanna kiss them? Are these your hidden intentions?

Thanks to you, they cannot help but panic whenever they are alone with you. Some of them are pretty good at pretending not to, but Andrew for example? Every time you move towards him you can see the way he looks away and scowls in embarrassment. Yes, embarrassment, he is not mad at you surprisingly. And clueless you don't even know why some of them are acting so weird because you don't remember anything. Demi is happy with the outcome, she had the privilege of seeing you in a vulnerable state no one else ever did, and she got real kisses too.

"There you go. Run around or whatever you have in mind..." Ganji murmurs, messily stuffing his pocket with the washcloth he was just using as his plushie jumps from his lap and scurries away with enthusiasm, Ganji figures out that it is about to run around the manor looking for you out of all people. Even he didn't know why the plushie was so attached to you, it was squirming out of his lap just a few seconds ago, earning an annoyed grunt from Ganji who just wished to clean the evident lipstick marks from its grumpy face. Why did that thing like you more than himself? No matter how much he contemplates, nothing comes up to soothe his confusion.

Then, he is thinking of these kisses much to his dismay. How they were scattered over its chin, cheeks, eyebrows, nose...lips. And he knows that it was you because he decided to pay attention to you and let his eyes linger and there it was, the same tone of those goddamn lipstick marks. He knows that you pressed your soft lips all over the little bundle of energy and let it stumble its way back to him, so dizzy and lovesick. Lucky thing—no, he did NOT just think that. There is nothing else to do besides slumping on his chair with a sigh, hands running through his curly hair.

He doesn't want to let his guard down, however, it's so painful not to think of having you plopping your lips against his instead.

(that was supposed to be MEE bro)

[rewh0re]

THE SOULMATE THEORY ; MIKAGE REO

- wc: 1.1k, aged up characters (like 19-20) doesn't dive into explicit/hardcore smut but is definitely suggestive in some parts so I'd say readers 16 and above may read this, indirect mentions of sexual activities, fluff, reader is called a minx (affectionate), a little bit of that one old greek myth about soulmates, it's true that once you use em dash you can't stop.

a/n: literally got the idea at the doctor's office don't even. REBLOGS + FEEDBACKS ARE APPRECIATED!! also tagging: @chigirizzz (this is that one reo fic I was telling you about where you asked me to tag you)

The room was dark. The only source of light—though bright but not enough to light up the whole room—was from the digital clock on the bedside table. '12:42,’ it read in bright neon red numbers. It was also quiet, so much so that two pairs of steady breathings could be heard.

One belonged to Reo and the other, to you.

"Are you asleep?" You whisper—soft and delicate—careful as to not wake your lover up if he indeed was asleep but loud enough to let him know of your own sleepless state.

Your eyes have been long adjusted to the darkness and you can make out the silhouette of his face. The length of his nose and his eyelashes, the slight part of his lush lips, his sharp and angular jaw—truly—he was majestic.

"No," his eyes fluttered open and his lips turned upward. His smile, the gentleness of which never failed to make your heart beat ten times faster, which never failed to make your stomach feel all giddy with the butterflies that erupted.

"I was thinking about your face from earlier and the various sounds you made too actually. Sweet as honey to me but I'm afraid Mrs. Tanaka might complain come morning," gentle tone was overruled by mischief. That was Mikage Reo, a gem of a person for a second and a force to be reckoned with the next.

"Please don't oh my god," you covered your face—now tinted with embarrassment—with the comforter you and Reo shared as you whined in protest.

The activities from an hour back rushing into your brain, playing like a movie sequence. As foggy as your mind was earlier, you were surprised that you remembered everything so vividly. You could still feel his rough, calloused and much larger hands tracing every curve of your body as if to memorise its shape. You could feel the lingering kisses on your neck, your shoulder, your chest, the now purple marks left with pride. You would have to cover them before work in the morning. You could hear your own sounds of pleasure and his groans as if to say more, more, more. You could feel it all. You could feel him. Your face flushed a deeper shade of fuchsia as you gulped, trying to get the images out of your head.

"You act like we haven't done this a million times before my love," he laughed slowly, bringing a hand to cover his mouth.

"Come on, look at me. Don't shy away now," he pulled the blanket off of you, removing your hands from your face as he hugged you.

"You're incorrigible, you know that right?" You huffed out in faux annoyance, snuggling against his chest, his arms a veil for your figure.

He laughed then, a laugh full of mischief and adoration and something akin to acknowledgement for your previous statement.

You laid like that, in silence. There was peace that came with the soft lub-dub of your synchronised heartbeats and your gentle breaths.

You were the one to break it first.

"Have you ever heard about that one Greek mythology? about soulmates?" You spoke, your cool fingers tracing gentle and soothing shapes on Reo's bare back which was painted with scratches from your nails.

"Can't say I have. Care to tell me?" He looked for your eyes as he pulled up the slipping comforter before pulling you closer to his chest. His warmth engulfed you whole, a comfortable shield from the much cooler surroundings.

"Well there is this theory," you started, face softening into affection as you laid against Reo's—albeit hard—but comfortable chest.

"It says that when Zeus created humans, he originally created them with two of everything. So two heads, two pairs of both the limbs, you get it. Their souls were one too. Fearing the power that these humans could possess, Zeus split them, including their souls, in half and scattered them around the world. The humans—as we now know them to be—would search far and wide, across oceans and lands to look for their other half. It is said that this other half is your soulmate and you search for them throughout your life," you smiled as you looked up at him, engrossed in your little story.

"Well that's just cruel of Zeus now, isn't it? I mean, what if someone doesn't find their soulmate?" Reo pouted and that made you chuckle a little.

"Maybe. Maybe not. It is just a story at the end of the day and how you decide to perceive a story totally depends on you," you jabbed his chest with your finger.

"I think I've found my other half," he stated with pride.

"Oh? Is that so? I wonder who it could be," you made a face as if you were thinking, tapping your chin with your forefinger.

"Oh I bet you do," in an instant your boyfriend was hugging you tighter than ever, his face buried in the crook between your neck and your shoulder.

His soft kisses were ticklish and they made you giggle. Your fingers further messed up his already tousled hair.

"You want me to say it out loud so bad don't you, you little minx," he whispered in your neck as you hummed in response.

"I think I've found my soulmate in you."

"I also think I've found mine in you Reo," your gentle voice was like ambrosia to his ears. He could drown in it, a bit was never enough.

He trailed kisses down the side of your face, starting from your ear, going down your jaw and finally a little bite on your neck. He licked on it in order to soothe the area. A new addition to the marks he had left earlier.

"Ow Reo!" You playfully smacked his head which forced him to separate from your neck.

"I already have enough marks to cover!" You puffed your cheek, barely hiding the smile that was begging to come up to the surface.

"You'll beg for them again tomorrow," he winked at you.

You could only roll your eyes. What would you even say? Deep in your heart, even you knew that he was right. "What is wrong with you?"

"Just that I'm irrevocably in love with you," he tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear, shutting his eyes.

"Unfortunately, I happen to love you too."

Teasing glances from your coworkers and friends due to the remnants from the events of the night would be a concern for later. For now, sleep would come easy to you because here you were, with Reo, in his arms. He was your safe haven and you were his and truly, whatever in the world could ever change that?

[alieinthemorning]

Strawberry Mint Lemonade [Getou Suguru | Gojo Satoru]

Content: Meet-Cute, Indirect Kiss, Gojo Satoru Being Gojo Satoru, Getou Suguru Being Getou Suguru, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Kisses, Café AU, No Curses, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Crying, Unrequited Love, Not Actually Unrequited Love, POV Second Person, Suggestive Themes

Pronouns: None

Note: THIS IS MY 200TH WORK ON AO3 AAAAAAAAAA (Also UTC because it's 2500+ words)

Header: @/nikki101pistar on Twitter

Reblogs: Let me know that you enjoy my work and want to see more, so don’t forget to like and reblog (and comment in the tags. I love seeing people’s rambles in the tags)!

This work’s concepts, plot and original characters are my own which means I do not allow any sort of creative theft nor do I allow my work to be entered into any sort of A.I. bots. Thank you for respecting my space and boundaries.

Your favorite drink was a simple strawberry mint lemonade. Not too sweet, not too sour. It was made the same way every single time which made sense since you'd had been coming to this hole-in-the-wall café for about three years now. Every employee, new and old knew your name and order, so when the familiar drink was placed in the completed section on the counter, you didn't look twice at it and immediately took a sip.  

"What the fuck is this shit?" It was as if your straw was made of sugarcane, the strawberry and lemon pieces were formed from sugar cubes and the liquid itself was pure syrup.    

"Ew...what is this?" Someone from beside you, whined.  

Looking over, you found an incredibly tall man with stark white hair and—oh, you couldn't see his eye color behind the dark, round shades. You were about to turn around and talk to an employee about this...horror from hell, but your eyes drifted to the drink in his large hand.  

You eyed your own drink, frowning at the name written on the side.

Satoru

You looked at the man again. "Are you Satoru?"

He nodded, then said your name. "I'm assuming that's you?"

You sighed, shoving his drink toward him. "Thank god—hand me my drink. I can't drink pure sugar."

"Awww, come on! It isn't that bad! " He pouted as he switched drinks.

You took a long swig of yours before you replied. "It was like drinking the three states of matter. Solid, Liquid and Gaseous Sugar."

"How would it even be gaseous?"

"The air from the straw."

He laughed loudly, startling  the other customers.

You flushed, grabbing him by the elbow. "Come on, let's sit and talk."

The Goliath of a man let you drag him to a secluded corner, where the two of you talked each other's ears off. However, despite ordering another drink of your own, you noticed that he still hadn't touched his own.  

"You gonna let the ice water down the sugar?" You grinned, "Was I right about it tasting like shit?"

He balked at you. "No way!"

You nodded toward the drink, "Then drink it."

He looked at you, the drink, you again then finally swiped the drink off the table, guzzling it down in mere seconds.

"There! Are you satisfied?" His head was swiveled to the side, tucked into that weird high collared jacket of his, but you swore the tips of his ears were flushed red.

"How are you alive?" You asked in slight awe.

That got him to look at you again, all smiles too. "Must be my impeccable genes."  

You raised a brow. "You a citizen of the Candy Kingdom or something? Built like Candy Wife?"  

He just smiled at you. "I have no idea about what you're talking about."

The two of you chatted for longer than expect, leaving just an hour before closing.  

"Maybe I'll see you around?"

"Maybe so."

And he did, the two of you ending up seeing each other at least once a week for a few months. And of course, you learned a lot about Satoru during that time.  

You learned that he had a very unhealthy obsession with sweets. That, despite the goofy look that he basically always had plastered on his face, he was quite intelligent. Oh, and that he had really bright blue eyes (like limpid tears) and the reason why he wore shades was because his eyes were really sensitive and without them, he was prone to awful migraines.  

You also were beginning to develop a bit of a crush on him, but you were sure someone has beautiful as him had to already be taken. So, you decided to stuff the feelings in the deepest part of your heart.

And today you learned—

That he was bringing someone else with him today.  

The person Satoru brought with him was a stark contrast to him (except in clothing—they both wore dark-colored clothing). He was maybe only a few inches shorter than him with long dark hair that was in an up-down style with a bit of hair draping the left side of his face. You watched that as Satoru pointed at you, the man's eyes slid to you and his lips turned upward. Then Satoru headed toward the counter while the man made his way to you.  

He called your name and you raised a brow.

He chuckled. "Satoru told me your name." He slid into the seat across from you, "My name is Suguru. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

You leaned back in your chair, a bit uncomfortable with his familiarity with you. "Oh? Has Satoru talked about me that much."  

Suguru leaned in closer, placing his elbows on the table and resting his chin on his intertwined finger. "Oh, you have no idea."  

Before you could question him further on the subject, Satoru placed their drinks on the table, alongside a few sweets.  

"Seems like the two of you are getting along." He said with a hum as he pulled a chair over to complete your little group.

"Yeah, sure—Satoru, what exactly have you been telling Suguru here about me?"

His brows shot up to his hairline as his head swiveled to Suguru.  "What did you say?"

Suguru just smiled. "I haven't said too much." The unspoken yet at the end of that sentence was very loud.  

You sighed, nudging Satoru's foot. "So, you gonna properly introduce me or am I supposed to keep thinking of your friend here as a creep?"

"Oh, uh, yeah," He placed a hand on top of Suguru's, "This is my boyfriend, Suguru. We've been together for a few years now, and been best friends for longer."  

Your heart dropped into your stomach, and you felt your lips dip downward. You quickly covered your mouth with your hand, raising a brow. "Oh? We've been talking for so long, and you just now tell me about your significant other? I thought we were closer than that, Satoru."  

You knew you didn't play that off well, you knew that Satoru knew that what he had said hurt you.

And Suguru?  

Suguru just smiled.

Despite the rocky first meeting and sudden revelation, you, Satoru and Suguru continued meeting (after you had bullied Satoru into inviting Suguru again).  

Slowly yet surely, you learned more about Suguru and their relationship. Suguru was the one who did the majority of the cooking (while Satoru baked to quell his late night sweet cravings). He was really sweet and caring despite the shit eating grin that was etched on his face. He also was a pretty big flirt.

Which...was very unsettling to you. Since it seemed like he was very open to doing it in front of Satoru, who didn't seem bothered by it in the slightest.  

"You look very beautiful today."

"Oh, um, thank you..."  

"I especially like the lip color you've chosen today."  

You balked at him, face becoming warm as you looked between him and Satoru.

Satoru continued to sip on his drink and scroll through his phone.  

And Suguru—

Just fucking smiled.

And later that night, you knew you were screwed.

You were in love with both Satoru and Suguru.

So, you did what you did with your feelings for Satoru and shoved your feelings for Suguru down alongside his. Instead of running away from them and saving your heart, you hurt yourself even more Getting closer and closer to them to the point where you had visited each others homes and you've met each others other friends (Shoko and Nanami were your favorites among them).

Today you were over at Satoru and Suguru's very nice house (another thing you learned about Satoru is that the was stupidly rich). You were simply lounging around, not over for any specific reason, just to be in their presence, when Satoru suddenly stood up from his relaxed position on the couch.

"I need donuts." And without another word, he snatched his keys off the kitchen island and was out the door before either you and Suguru could utter a word.

Now, you had been alone with Suguru before—plenty of times, when Satoru had suddenly broke off from the two of you to take a closer look at things (see: recklessly spend money). But that was usually when you were out in public, where you could go and run to Satoru if you needed.

You'd never been alone with him like this—trapped within four walls.

And of fucking course, he did what he always did and—

"Why are you always smiling like that?" The question came out rougher than you intended, but your nerves were very quickly becoming frayed.

"Smiling like what?" He asked, tilting his head.

"Like you know everything—I don't know." You crossed your arms with a huff.

"You mean like how I know that you like Satoru and I." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

Your arms grew slack, hands falling into your lap.

He nodded to himself, "Another tell-tale reaction. This is good…"

"How is this good?" You snapped at him. "I'm in love with the two of you, who are already in a committed relationships."

He had the audacity to look surprised for a moment before his smile widened. "You love us? That's even better."

"How can you—" You sniffled, feeling the hot tears quickly race down your cheeks. "I have been selfishly spending time with the two of you. Despite how I feel, and knowing that I should just stop associating with you. I've instead decided to intruding on your relationship, just so that I can experience the tiniest fantasy of something that will never be." You were somehow able to make through your entire confession before you broke down, curling in on yourself.

You heard Suguru sigh then a bit of shuffling before the couch dipped and you were pulled into his warm embrace, which made you cry harder.

"I'm sorry for pushing you, Darling." His whispered above your head. "I should have been more upfront."

You shoved him back, looking up into his brown eyes. "Been more upfront with knowing good and well about my fucking inner turmoil."

"No," His hands slipped into yours." I should have just told you that Satoru and I feel the same way."

Your heart stopped.

There was no way that that was true. There was no way that Satoru and Suguru both felt the same way about you—and even if they did there was no way that you could choose one over the other, and you definitely wouldn't want to be the reason why they broke up either.

"Please." His voice was strained, "Just give me one chance to show you."

"I don't want to do anything behind—"

"And we won't. I'll wait until he comes back and then I'll ask for permission to kiss you. In front of him."

You sighed deeply, finally resigning yourself to your fucked up fate.

You leaned into him, "If this all goes to shit—I'll hate you forever."

"If it does go to shit, I'll accept your rightful infinite hatred."

The two of you were quite as you waited for Satoru to return. You were too exhausted to speak. Suguru was fine with that, perfectly content with rubbing circles onto your hands to help soothe you.  

And then the front door was unlocked, and your anxiety spiked.

But Suguru wasn't going to go back on his word.

"Can I kiss you now?" Suguru asked the moment Satoru stepped into the room.

Your eyes were wide, frantically looking between the two of them, while your lips opened and closed like a fish.  

Suguru placed a hand on your cheek, guiding you back to him.

He said your name, soft and sweet. "Can I kiss you?"

"Yes." You said it so quietly that you weren't sure that he heard you, but he very quickly assured you otherwise as his lips met yours.

Right in front of your close friend—his boyfriend, Satoru.

It was as soft as a rose petal, acutely aware of your fragile state.

"Yes—finally!" Satoru slammed the box of donuts on the kitchen counter then rushed over, reaching out for you.

Suguru intercepted him. "You need to ask first, Satoru."

He nodded furiously at his partner before turning to you, blue eyes bright. "Can I kiss you? Please?"

You blinked at him a few time before nodding. Satoru wasted no time and grabbed your cheeks, pulling you forward to meet him half way.

While Suguru's was soft, Satoru's was rough and rushed. Like he couldn't get enough of you now that he had you.

It didn't last long though became Suguru was quick to yank him off you.  

"Slow down, Satoru." He flicked his forehand, shaking his head at his pout (your eyes kept finding his lips—they were red and shiny). "All this is new and we haven't even been given an answer yet."

"We just kissed? Isn't that enough of an answer?" Satoru asked Suguru who just gestured to you. Those blue spotlights turned on you.  "Isn't it?"

"I mean—" You bit your lip. "I haven't actually said yes or no yet, but..."

"But...?"

You pursed your lips as you glared at the two of them. "...you both better not make me regret this down the line."

Suguru smiled, and despite it being the same know-it-all smile, you felt completely and utter secured by it. "We promise, Darling."

"What? You've already got pet names? No fair!" He paused. "Wait, what exactly did the two of you do while I was gone...?"

Your favorite drink was a simple strawberry mint lemonade. Not too sweet, not too sour. It was made the same way every single time, which made sense since you'd had been coming to this hole-in-the-wall café for about six years now. Every employee, new and old, knew your name and order, so when the familiar drink was placed in the completed section on the counter, you didn't look twice at it and immediately took a sip.  

"Oh, what the fuck—Satoru, take your shit ass drink." You shoved the drink into his waiting hand, taking your own and immediately taking a plate cleansing sip.  

Suguru chuckled. "I'm surprised that after all these years, the two of you are still getting your drinks mixed up."  

"Who is we?" Satoru pointed at you, "This is the one who takes a sip without looking at the name on the side of the cup."

"That wouldn't matter if you didn't drink straight sugar—and then have the damn audacity to eat sweets with it." You eyed him, "Is your body okay?"

He smirked. "Oh, you know my body is absolutely perfect, but I'm sure we can—" Suguru flicked him in the cheek.

"Not in public."

Satoru balked at his audacity (and you to a lesser extent). "Says the one who literally—"

You lightly kicked his shin and hissed, "Not in public!"

"I can't believe my two partners are bullying me like this." He slumped in his seat. "I can't believe I have to deal with this for the rest of my life."

You shrugged, snatching one of his sweets. "You're the one who decided to put a ring on it."

"Now you're stuck with us forever." Suguru nodded in agreement.

Satoru watched the two of you fondly, a wide smile stretched across his lips.

"Yeah, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

I've finally done it.

For my 200th work, I finally gave you all the Sugu/Sato/Reader fluff you all deserved.

IT'S ALSO MY FIRST ONE-SHOT THAT'S OVER 2500 WORDS????

I really popped off for y'all (wipes away a tear).

Now time for me to binge the anime and get back to our regular scheduled programming of Tear Jerking Angst.

Please be excited :)

Ko-Fi | Commission | Masterlist

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Kindergarten au

Beach day

One of the ror kids dropped his ice cream which makes female child reader give her ice cream to him.

-The different chaperones were carefully monitoring your class as you were enjoying a beach day for the end of the year, as it had been quite hot this year.

-Your parents were nearby, distributing ice cream to your classmates while you were sitting nearby, enjoying your own as Adam gave you one first.

-You were enjoying your treat when someone bumped into you from behind, causing you to drop your ice cream, “Oh no!” the older kids who had been the one to bump into you didn’t even apologize, just telling you to get out of the way.

-Instantly they felt a chill run down their spine, turning to see not only your classmates but Adam as well, glaring darkly at them, immediately putting the fear of god into them as they were quickly in tears, stammering as they were terrified.

-Their parents, who were nearby, saw what happened and what was said and immediately came over, reprimanded their child, “I didn’t raise you to be rude like this! You apologize to her right now!!”

-They quickly did so before running off, scared as you were crying not to cry as Eve helped you pick up your ruined ice cream, as you knew there wasn’t any extras, as they only brought enough for every student to have one and every chaperone to have one.

-Loki immediately beamed, holding out his own, “You can share mine Y/N!” Hercules beamed brightly, saying the same, and quickly your whole classroom was offering you their own ice creams to share with you, shocking you but making you smile as happy tears filled your eyes.

-Adam, however, didn’t allow the boys to share an indirect kiss with you by sharing, picking you up, “You can share papa’s ice cream Y/N.”

-Your classmates and Adam shared a glare again, as he knew what they were doing and Adam ruined their fun while Eve just giggled into her hand, snapping pictured, finding the situation adorable.

[estrella-etoile]

HuaLian Are So Bad at Flirting They're Good

Oh my god. How can we not fall completely and entirely in love with Season 2 of the donghua?

Why do I say I adore it so much? Because of just how cringe HuaLian are with one another. It's so embarrassingly endearing seeing these two complete love failures try to figure out how to flirt (and do it terribly for anyone not named the other).

Let us start with our sweet lonely old man Xie Lian. He feels his loneliness so hard at Pu Qi shrine it hurts. He clutches a ring and the second Ling Wen reaches out he hides that ring under his robes, guarding it like a precious secret. And yet... does he think "hmm, I had a wonderful time with San Lang! I hope he had a wonderful time with me, maybe I should try to figure out how to get in touch to "try" to return this ring (but really to see him.)

Good thing Jun Wu tried to drive a wedge between them by sending XL to Ghost City to find out (for the first time in his life) that it was Hua Cheng's territory.

Then XL is in Ghost City. And he's trying not to swoon when he sees that his handsome San Lang maxed out peak hotness and is letting him win and touching him. "He's teasing me." (He let you bet a god for a half-eaten mantou and played fake rounds until he'd rubbed enough of his luck onto you to lose gracefully. SIGH) Yet instead of going "wow I wonder if San Lang likes me?" he watches an indirect kiss and a smirk and runs away.

You would think that this would make XL the biggest dork? And at episode 2, you would be right.

But my dear San Lang. My lovely precious ghost king BB goes so far into the cringe the next episode that he grabs the prize from XL.

We start with the try to be cool "gege pretended not to know me and then did not come find me!" while accidentally leaving the impression he was headed to a brothel (which... given XL's first three minutes in Ghost City... not entirely impossible). So yeah. Off to a great start ghost king.

He did at least look okay with the discussion of a home versus a residence (and scored himself a perma-invite to Pu Qi... because XL was looking for any possible opening to make that clear too.) And a pretty good explanation of why he's in charge of the city of sin. Then the trying to take care of gege during a PTSD flashback, yes! Go San Lang Go!

And then... the armory. It was adorable watching XL fangirl over the weapons. And seeing him smile and talk about how great they all were.

But babygirl HC... don't just smile smoothly and say "I will give you the whole armory." Yes yes, we all know you feel this way, but... not on the first date. When XL also politely refused (because that's kind of a HUGE offer to him), don't double down with "then you can have this room and visit any time you want! OH! I can help you with upkeep!"

XL has not really even come to terms with the fact that there is this person who enjoys his company yet. He's really really confused about the whole why the world's most handsome ghost king wants to be around him. You're just going to confuse him way way too much by trying to give him an arsenal of spiritual weapons.

But here's the thing. It worked. Sort of. Not because XL accepted the swords, but because he accepted the affection and the friendship. He doesn't want HC's status or his wealth. He wants to pet HC's uber-weapon and talk about sacred swords with someone. He wants HC's company. And maybe because HC's existence has pointed out that most relationships are transactions, he starts his approach using that mentality, even though his love and affection for XL is the opposite of transactional.

HC doesn't need to wine and dine XL. He needs to visit Pu Qi shrine as much as he wants.

Neither of these precious beans understand what a normal relationship looks like. So it's not a surprise that what they both want is the same: a genuine and unconditional connection. They have it already, so even when they both attempt to flirt with each other in ways that would make Pei Ming have an aneurysm, they still eventually triumph.

Because below the surface attempts is something so sincere and deep that they'll get there, and even find those silly cringe surface things hilarious when they sort it all out together.

[dontexpectmuch]

jude and reader getting a matching tattoo🤭 like each other’s initials or something that reminds them each other

sometimes, you hated your impulsive side, a lot. you had the tendency to agree to things in the spur of the moment, but afterwards never had the energy to go through with it.

and jude knew about this trait of yours and took advantage of it to the fullest, making you pinky promise so you wouldn’t back of.

“i’d never go back on my word, but whatever.” you’d roll your eyes and lock pinky fingers with him.

“i know you, babe, just making sure.” jude would smirk at you.

and this was the result of your recent pinky promise, seated on the leather chair, your hands pulling down your bottom lip to show the inside to the tattoo artist. jude made you promise to get matching tattoos, even though you told him that you didn’t like the thought of someone having your name written on their body permanently.

so, you decided to get your first initials on the inside of your bottom lip instead, since it would fade away anyway. jude made you go first, excitedly standing next to the tattoo artist and taking multiple pictures of you.

“i need you to stay still, yeah? it might sting a bit, but nothing serious.” the artist explained to you, smiling at you as he tried his best to wipe the area dry.

as the last preparations finished, the tattooing began and you once again regretted every life decision you’ve ever made. you also glared at jude, who just snickered at your face.

“does it hurt, babe?” he asked, stepping slightly closer but also not too close in order to let the artist do his work.

you just blinked once, no.

after ten minutes you were done, standing up from your seat to look at yourself in the mirror. your lip was a bit swollen, but otherwise everything seemed fine. so, you looked at the tattoo. a small ‘j’ was now inked into your skin, an indirect marking that you were taken.

“lookin’ hot, babe.” jude appeared next to you, eyeing your tattoo through the mirror.

he knew that you knew that this was his possessive side taking over, that you were marked as his, only for the two of you to see. he felt proud, someone as good looking as you really had his initial on them. if he could, he would tell the whole world, but then you’d be mad. seeing you mad was something to avoid, that he learned the hard way.

“‘t’s your turn.” you tell him, smiling up at him with his eyes looking directly into yours.

jude seemed more nervous now, sitting on the chair as you smirked down at him. the tattoo artist went through the same preparations with him and began the tattooing soon after.

you must admit though, seeing your initial on him looked way too good for your own well-being. you felt like giggling at the thought of jude being yours. oh god, you were turning into a mini jude.

“it’s my first time seeing such a subtle couple tattoo.” the artist spoke up, looking up at you briefly to smile.

“i pinky promised, no turning back on that.” you explain, laughing quietly as you see jude wiggling his eyebrows.

as soon as the session came to an end, jude ran to the mirror to look at his lip, smiling like there was no tomorrow. “we are officially bound together for the rest of out lives.”

“it will fade eventually, you know?”

“then we’ll get new ones.” he kissed your cheek, before moving to the front to pay for the tattoos.

yeah, he’s going to be your idiot for the rest of your lives, no doubt.

———————————

pedri pls i could treat you better than anyone else. just ONE chance.

[m4rv3l-girl]

Mind Games

Erik x Y/N

Erik didn’t know she was telepath. He has a very active imagination…

Requests Open!

Warnings: Mentions of sexual themes

Only a few weeks had passed since the introduction of Erik Lehnsherr to Y/N. The introduction had been brief but left an aura of lingering tension between them. Y/N couldn't help but notice how Erik's eyes find their way toward her in a room full of people. What Erik didn't know, however, was that every thought in his head was available to her like an open book.

Y/N's mutant ability? She could read minds, and Erik's was a particularly loud one-borderline inappropriate most of the time, to say the least. He thought he was subtle, but his inner monologue told her otherwise.

Tonight they were in the kitchen, alone. The others had all gone off to bed and only the two of them were left behind in the silent space bathed in the soft, indirect light from above. Erik stood by the counter, drinking his coffee without really tasting it while Y/N leaned against the island, stirring a cup of tea.

They spoke of everything under the sun but his mind was elsewhere.

"She's beautiful." "She probably doesn't even like me, though." "God, what I wouldn’t give to kiss her-”

Y/N stifled a smile. She'd gotten used to the whirling chaos of Erik's thoughts, full of admiration and compliments with the stray thought that, more times than not, could have turned the kitchen ten degrees hotter. Tonight, though, was different, and Y/N could feel it even before Erik's next thought echoed in her head.

“She has such gorgeous lips. I bet they’re soft…bet they’re good at-..No, no don’t think that.”

“But, then again….she’d look good on her knees. Looking up at me. Her mouth around my-”

Y/N's spoon clattered onto the counter, breaking the silence. Erik's eyes snapped up to hers in surprise.

"Sorry," she muttered, tucking back a laugh. She looked at him and saw the faintest flush on his cheeks. He hadn't any idea she'd just heard his most intimate thought.

She'd been playing this game, concealing her skills from Erik for weeks now. She found it amusements-end that, with quite a frequency, his mind veered off in dangerous directions. It wasn't that she didn't like him- quite the opposite. He was magnetic, charming in a brooding sort of way. There was attraction between them, mutual in its forging, though only Y/N was cognizant of both sides.

But standing here, her mind traipsing further down a road she probably shouldn't follow, Y/N knew it was time to show her hand. "Erik," she said, breaking the comfortable silence. He raised an eyebrow, setting his coffee cup down. "What is it, darling?" She hedged, watching his response closely. His brow furrowed with concern, probably misreading the seriousness in her expression.

Y/N took a deep breath. "I'm a mutant, like you," she blurted out, and he nodded, expecting her to continue. "But my ability… is that I can hear people's thoughts."

Erik blinked at her, bewildered at first, then realization dawned on him. His mouth opened, though nothing was heard coming from it. She could practically see gears turning in his head. All that stuff he had been thinking for the last couple of weeks piled onto him in one second.

"She heard. everything?!" "Oh God, shit. Oh, hell."

His face flushed red as he stared at her, mortified. "You- you've been,” "Listening to you?" Y/N finished for him with her lips twitching into a grin. "Yeah, I have."

Erik groaned, burying his face in his hands. "Dear God, I thought I was being subtle." "Not even a little, Erik." Y/N couldn't help it and burst out laughing. It was a rare sight, the ever-composed Erik flustered like that.

He peeked at her between his fingers. "And you've heard…. Everything I've been thinking?" "Mm-hmm," Y/N replied nonchalantly, taking a sip of her tea like this was the most normal conversation in the world. "You've had some pretty interesting thoughts, Erik." Erik looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him whole. "Darling-”

Y/N stepped closer, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Relax. It's not like I didn't already know how you felt."

He blinked at her again, this time less with embarrassment, more with curiosity. "You did?"

"I've known since the first time you walked into the room," she admitted, softer then. "And, for the record, I don't mind your thoughts. I kinda like them."

A small smile turned up the corners of Erik's lips; his embarrassment was quickly replaced with one of more confidence. He closed the space between them, stepping closer to her. "You could've told me sooner, love."

Y/N shrugged, placing her cup on the counter. "Where's the fun in that?”

Erik laughed, his hands tenderly reaching out to lay on her hips. "I just can't believe I spent weeks making a fool of myself inside of my own head."

"Oh, you were doing just fine out loud too," Y/N teased, grinning back up at him.”

He smirked, his hand lifting to brush a strand of hair away from her face. "Well, since you already know what I've been thinking, there's no point in hiding it anymore, is there?"

Y/N felt her heart skip a beat as he leaned in, his voice dropping lower. "You've been driving me insane, darling. Every time I see you.”

Y/N's breath caught, her mind buzzing with the proximity. "You could have said something." "I'm saying it now," Erik murmured, his lips inches from hers. "Unless you've changed your mind?" "Not at all, dear," Y/N whispered, closing the distance.

Their lips met in a slow, heated kiss, and for once, Erik didn't have to say a word. But Y/N was more than happy to hear every single, dirty thought running through his mind.  She knew it was going to be a hell of a lot more fun now that the game was out in the open.