#one piece fluff fest

[hitohitonika]

watching the fireworks in Wano

[chenziee]

Hopeless

No I don't keep forgetting to post these, whatever do you mean?

This is the first of the five pieces I did for @truffyfest! This one is for @nimudae's adorable prompt #164:

Law tells Onigiri all about his crush on Luffy and Onigiri decides he's going to be the best wingdog a pet can be and get them together

Don't forget to check out the full free Truffy fest zine!

[ Read on AO3 | Ko-Fi ]

----------

It wouldn't be an overstatement to say Onigiri knew everything about Law. He knew what time Law woke up, so he knew exactly when to start stepping impatiently next to his bed, begging for his walk. He knew what time he came back from school, so he knew when to start barking at his food bowl, asking for lunch. Not only was Onigiri observant and a great listener, patiently letting Law rant and ramble on and on about his day, school, music, his friends, and his annoying uncle Doffy… he was also neither blind nor stupid.

And so when Law had sat him down one evening, looking all nervous and jittery as he started explaining how he recently realised his feelings for one of his classmates might not be as platonic as he thought, Onigiri wasn’t surprised.

Instead, it left him flabbergasted that it took Law until now to figure that out.

After all, Law was nothing if not completely obvious when it came to Monkey D. Luffy—or Straw Hat-ya. Honestly, what did Law think the cute nicknames were about? Why did he think he ended up blushing whenever Luffy would tell him how cool his outfit for the day was? Why he kept texting him until the wee hours of the morning after promising Cora-san he’d go to sleep early this time every single day? Or why he made Onigiri’s walks longer than necessary every time just so they could pass by the convenience store where Luffy was part-timing? Or—

Onigiri might not have been stupid but sometimes… Sometimes, he had to wonder whether his master was.

As Law babbled on and on about how pointless things like love were (they were not), how senseless falling for ‘that absolute idiot of all people’ was (look who’s talking), and how there was no way Straw Hat-ya even felt the same way (he didn’t even have words for that one), Onigiri came to a decision. 

Seeing how completely hopeless Law was, someone else was going to have to take charge.

Onigiri didn’t have any matchmaking experience—if you didn’t count those two cats he purposely chased onto the same tree last month—but he’d be damned if he had to listen to this love-sick mess of a word-vomit more than once.

----------

Onigiri got to work the very same day. It wasn’t hard dragging Law to Luffy’s neighbourhood since Law always gravitated there without seemingly even thinking about it; the hard part was getting this idiot to actually meet Luffy while there, not just steal glances while he led Onigiri around the grocery store three times. But Onigiri was nothing if not resourceful.

And by that he meant he sat by the door to the store and barked until Luffy noticed them.

“What are you doing?” Law hissed quietly, sounding nearly panicked when Luffy looked their way. 

Onigiri simply barked again. Just because he could.

Immediately, the other boy perked up, his usual bright grin spreading on his lips easily as he jumped away from the register, completely abandoning the place—as well as the customer he was in the middle of ringing up—to skip over to them.

“Onigiri! Torao! You’re walking here again? Isn’t it kinda far from your place? Hey, Onigiri, how are you?” Luffy fired one question after the other as he crouched down to scratch Onigiri’s chin.

“Shouldn’t you be working?” Law asked, keeping his voice level while he raised his eyebrow, scolding Luffy. Acting all cool while his gay little heart was undoubtedly racing his chest with happiness. Onigiri almost rolled his eyes at him.

But, Luffy laughed, seemingly finding Law’s fake confidence hilarious. “Eh, it’s fine~” he drew out, looking up at Law with a carefree smile. “I’ve been working for hours, I can take a break once in a while!”

“And how many breaks have you taken so far?” Law asked, unimpressed, before pausing and adding, “And how many snacks have you eaten without paying for them?”

“Hey! I do pay for them!” Luffy protested, a pout finding its way to his lips.

“With your treasure tab?” There was an undeniable hint of laughter in Law’s voice now. “You do know that’s gonna go straight from your paycheck, right?”

“It’s my money anyway,” Luffy grumbled, turning back to Onigiri. He cupped his face in both hands, his pout getting even bigger. “Onigiri, daddy’s being mean to me, tell him something.”

Onigiri blinked. He wasn’t sure if he was glad or upset he couldn’t laugh because if he could… he would be rolling on the floor right then. Luffy said that. Luffy really said that. He really called Law ‘daddy’ without thinking twice about it and that was the best thing that had happened in Onigiri’s life since Cora brought him those turkey treats on Tuesday.

“Daddy?” Law repeated in a broken voice so quiet and so mortified that it made Onigiri want to laugh all over again—he didn’t even have to look at him to know Law was beet red.

“Yeah? You’re Onigiri’s dad, after all.” Luffy tilted his head to the side as he spoke slowly, obviously completely clueless as to why Law reacted like that.

Onigiri really loved this idiot.

Jumping up a little, Onigiri quickly licked Luffy’s face to show his appreciation of his adorable  naivety. Or well, he wasn’t naive; Luffy absolutely knew what ‘daddy’ meant in context… but seeing as he never bothered to think before opening his mouth and even then not really thinking about what just came out of it and thus completely missing his own accidental innuendos…

And poor Law was usually on the receiving end of these too.

On second thought, was it really completely on accident or just subconscious flirting?

Who knew? What Onigiri did know was that these two needed to kiss already.

“Hey, kid! Can you actually do your job here?!” the completely forgotten customer called from inside the store, understandably completely annoyed. Somehow, it was a wonder he wasn’t yelling and demanding to see a manager…

But there were more important things happening here, okay?

Still, Onigiri took a step back from Luffy, barking once as he returned to Law’s side while the two humans said their own goodbyes, the both of them lingering for a few moments too long to be considered normal and Onigiri shook his little head.

Hopeless idiots, the both of them.

It might have been Friday afternoon… but they would hold hands by the week’s end if Onigiri had anything to say about it.

----------

The next order of business was to actually get them together. That was considerably harder than simply forcing them to meet but Onigiri did have a plan.

Like every Saturday, Law took Onigiri to the large park to play. And like every Saturday, they passed by the cinema right next to it. Onigiri couldn’t exactly read but he knew that whatever posters were hanging in the front, those movies were still playing. Quickly scanning the pictures one by one, Onigiri huffed in satisfaction when he found the one he was looking for. It was still up. Good. That concluded stage one of his plan.

Stage two—make sure Luffy was where he was supposed to be.

It was a warm, sunny day and Luffy hated staying indoors to begin with so Onigiri was pretty sure he would be hanging out at the park as well. He usually did on days like this; it was the most nature in the city and Luffy loved the place about as much as Onigiri and Law did, so unless he forgot he had a family trip planned—wouldn’t be the first time—chances were high he would be there somewhere. But the problem was actually finding him without making Law suspicious.

Being a dog came in handy in situations like this, however. Asking to play fetch as an excuse to wander, using his sensitive nose to sniff out the distinctive smell of meat mixed with the sun and Luffy’s own scent. Onigiri had no idea how Luffy managed to smell that way all the time, but he wasn’t exactly complaining—not when after minutes of searching, he finally caught the trail of said distinctive scent.

Onigiri grabbed the ball and took off—fetching it… but not for Law. Instead, he ran in the opposite direction, letting his nose guide him until Luffy came to view. He was sitting on a picnic blanket, waving his hands around animatedly as he talked to his friends, a ginger-haired girl and a green-haired boy. Onigiri was pretty sure their names were Namu and Zori but Law hardly spoke about anyone outside his own friend circle aside from Luffy so he wasn’t entirely positive.

But this wasn’t about them.

Onigiri ran up to Luffy, barking happily around the ball in his mouth to catch his attention.

“Onigiri!” Luffy called when he noticed him, a wide grin appearing on his face as he reached out with one hand to gesture for the small dog to come closer.

Onigiri easily complied—after all, that was the whole point of him coming—before he dropped the ball into Luffy’s lap.

“Where’s Torao?” Luffy asked then. He was turning every which way, searching the park for Onigiri’s owner like an idiot with a crush. Which was exactly what he was.

“Aw, this is Torao’s dog? How cute!” the girl cooed, her voice full of excitement and adoration. As it should be; Onigiri was adorable and he knew it, thank you very much.

“Yeah!” Luffy said proudly. “Nami, Zoro, this is Onigiri. Say hi, Onigiri!”

Ah. So those were their names. Close enough.

Barking in greeting, Onigiri sniffed the both of them, remembering their scents—sweat and steel for Zoro and for Nami, tangerines and… money? Why did everyone in Luffy’s group smell so weird? It was a mystery.

No point dwelling on it, Onigiri thought. It was time to proceed to stage three of the Grand Plan.

Onigiri turned back to Luffy, nudging the ball in his lap with nose, wagging his tail and barking excitedly to manipula— prompt Luffy into tossing it for him.

Luffy laughed, rubbing Onigiri’s head. “You want me to toss it for you, do you?” he asked teasingly, waving the ball in front of Onigiri’s face.

The dog barked again, getting impatient; what was Luffy playing at? It was only a matter of time before Law found them, there wasn’t time.

“Okay okay!” Luffy finally stood up, tossing the ball in his hand a few times as an evil smile appeared on his lips and he took a stance, getting ready to throw the ball as far as he could.

Just as well, Onigiri thought. The further the better.

The moment the ball left Luffy’s hand, Onigiri took off, chasing after it… but the ball wasn’t his goal. Instead, he sprinted right past it, running at full speed with purpose. Soon, he passed through the park’s gate and crossed the street—only after the light turned green, of course—rushing to his destination; he ignored the startled cries of the people he passed, not slowing down until he reached the cinema. He quickly grabbed what he came for before turning around and sprinting back the way he came.

He was completely out of breath when he finally made it back to where Luffy and his friends were sitting. He wasn’t surprised to see Law already there, looking close to a mental breakdown at having lost sight of his beloved dog while Luffy tried his best to comfort and reassure him—at least that was what it looked like but it was hard to tell when Law was just looking more and more frustrated while on the other hand, Luffy seemed to be struggling to hold back carefree laughter.

“Onigiri! You little shit, where did you go?!” Law asked angrily when he noticed the dog running over.

Ignoring his master for now, Onigiri went straight to Luffy, dropping the item he had brought in front of him before flopping to the ground with exhaustion, panting loudly. Man, why was he so tired? The cinema was so close… He supposed it was the adrenalin of racing with time, trying to get back before Law found them…

“Hm? What’s this?” Luffy asked with confusion, picking up the cinema’s programme pamphlet.

Stage three—complete.

Onigiri sighed deeply. It was going well… so far. The rest really mostly depended on at least one of them not being a complete idiot.

Which was, admittedly, a difficult hurdle to overcome.

“This movie… Where did I see this?” Luffy wondered out loud, his face scrunched up into a deep frown as he studied the picture of an animated superhero, his robot side-kick, and pet seagull. Onigiri was honestly surprised there wasn’t steam rising from his head with how hard he was thinking.

What did he say about someone needing to not be stupid?

Maybe he should just give up if they were both going to be like this…

“Hey, isn’t that the seagull that Torao wears on his bag?” Nami asked, pointing at the bird in the corner and in that moment, she looked like a goddess in Onigiri’s eyes.

Luffy’s eyes lit up in recognition at her words. “Oh! This is ‘Sora, Warrior of the Sea’?! You never showed me what it looked like but Toaro, isn’t this your favourite manga?! Have you seen this movie yet?!” he asked, turning to look at Law with something akin to stars in his eyes.

Oh, thank god.

Onigiri barely finished the thought when a tell-tale click came from behind him. Did he really—

Whipping his head around, Onigiri glared at Law. He was kneeling behind him with Onigiri’s leash in hand as if to incriminate himself of his crime and Onigiri bared his teeth at him.

“Don’t you growl at me, you brat. I’m not the one who ran off to fuck knows where!” Law snapped, tugging at the leash for good measure to remind the dog his movements were now severely limited. As if he were a dumb hamster who couldn’t find his way back once he left his cage.

Rude.

And here Onigiri was, working his ass off and doing Law’s damn job for him.

“Torao!” Luffy called impatiently.

“What?” Law hissed, tearing his eyes away from Onigiri to shoot a dirty look at Luffy. Onigiri almost felt bad for causing Luffy to take collateral damage…

Luffy didn’t seem phased, however, only showing Law the pamphlet where his favourite hero of all time stood proudly, pointing at it eagerly. “Have you seen this movie?!”

Law was quiet for a too-long moment, seemingly weighing his options before he opened his mouth to slowly reply, “I haven’t.”

If Onigiri could, he would have raised his eyebrows at Law because really? Did he not want to admit he had seen the movie four times already so he didn’t seem like the complete nerd he was? How ridiculous—as if Luffy didn’t know he was a hopeless Sora fanboy already. 

But actually… this played right into Onigiri’s paws.

“Oh! Wanna go see it?” Luffy asked, blinking up at Law with his big, innocent eyes.

Onigiri was pretty sure the strangled squeak he heard was Law going through some kind of gay panic at the sight. “Why would I want to—”

“Ehh?” Luffy drew out, a small pout on his lips as he tilted his head to the side to stare up at Law—only worsening the trembles in Law’s little heart. “But you like this! Come see it with me, come on!”

“Don’t go saying stupid shit, you sound like you’re asking me on a—”

“On a… what?” Luffy asked with a confused frown when Law didn’t finish his sentence.

Idiots…

“Idiots,” Nami sighed as she face palmed, perfectly mirroring Onigiri’s thoughts. A kindred soul, sharing Onigiri’s suffering.

“They’re both completely hopeless,” Zoro added.

Before either Law or Luffy could say anything, Nami punched his shoulder instead. “You have no right to talk,” she hissed. “Do you know how hard me and Robin worked to force you and Sanji to stop dancing around each other like a couple of morons?”

“Shut up! Who asked you to do that anyway?!” Zoro protested as he slapped her hand away.

“It was painful to watch!”

As the two continued to bicker, Luffy simply shrugged and shook his head, seemingly used to it, before he turned back to Law. “So about the movie…”

“What about it?” Law asked quietly, defensively, as his eyes turned away. Probably unable to keep looking at Luffy’s face without agreeing to anything that came out of his mouth.

Onigiri sighed. That was it for stage four, he supposed. Time for stage four-point-five.

Before Law could react and pull on his leash to stop him, Onigiri jumped to his feet and took off; he circled around Luffy sitting on the blanket, then back around Law, only to then dash forward at full speed, tugging on his leash until he heard the surprised yelps and fumbling as Law stumbled forward and towards Luffy from where the leash tangled around his knees.

“What the fuck is this, 101 Dalmatians?!” Law groaned, sounding torn between angry and painfully embarrassed while Luffy just laughed, catching Law to make sure he didn’t trip over him and break his neck.

Onigiri barked once, looking Law straight in the eyes when he slowly walked back to the two of them, sitting right in front of the cinema pamphlet that fell out of Luffy’s hand in their tumbling.

“I think the dog is trying to tell you two something,” Zoro said with a raised eyebrow, his fight with Nami forgotten.

“You fucking think?” Law asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

“Just go see the stupid movie, what’s the harm?” Nami joined in, sounding about as tired of their shit as Onigiri felt.

“It’s not stupid, it’s great!” Law snapped immediately.

“Oh, so you have seen it,” the girl said, an evil smirk on her lips as she teased Law without mercy.

Onigiri barked in a canine version of a laugh; he really liked this girl.

“I guess it’s decided then!” Luffy announced with a happy grin. “The programme said there’s a showing in an hour, let’s go!”

Law visibly froze, looking between Onigiri and Luffy like a deer in headlights as he tried to process what was happening. “Are you actually serious?”

“Yes.”

“Bark!”

“Are you stupid? I can’t go anywhere, I have Onigiri with me—”

“We’ll watch him, just go have fun,” Nami interrupted him and, as if to prove her point, she got up on her knees, carefully picking Onigiri up and unhooking his leash to free the two boys of its hold. Once done, she pried it out of Law’s hands before clasping it back to Onigiri’s collar. Finally, she sat back down on the picnic blanket, placing Onigiri in her lap and scratching him behind the ears.

Onigiri didn’t fight the temptation to lean into her touch, her slightly longer, perfectly manicured nails feeling like heaven in his fur.

“See? We’re all good,” she said happily… but Onigiri couldn’t help but feel like there was a hint of a threat in her voice.

“How much are you going to charge me for this?” Law asked, even though he sounded resigned to his fate at this point.

Nami smiled in response… and even Onigiri felt a chill run down his spine.

“Oh, I won’t charge anything. As long as you have fun. Got it?”

“Yessir!” Luffy cried, completely terrified. As if he could imagine exactly what would happen to him if he didn’t listen to her.

And just like that, both Law and Luffy were basically chased away, leaving Onigiri behind with Nami and Zoro, and thus ending stage four-point-five.

Now… with stage five commencing…

They could only hope for the best.

“You have it hard, man,” Zoro said once the two of them were completely out of sight, throwing Onigiri a sympathetic look.

Nami hummed in agreement. “If they don’t come out of the cinema holding hands, I swear I’m charging them by the minute of that stupid movie. And then we’re locking them in Mihawk’s hearse until they figure it out.”

“Hey!” Zoro cried. “Use your sister’s goddamned truck, you want me to get killed?!”

“Oh please, the worst Mihawk would do to you is refuse to drive you anywhere,” Nami noted with a roll of her eyes.

“Yeah, and then I would have to ask Perona to drive me and that is a death sentence!”

“Don’t be a baby,” Nami said flatly. “If you could walk in a straight line without getting lost, you wouldn’t have to rely on your family or Sanji to chaperone you everywhere. And also—” she paused, her eyes narrowing dangerously— “you still owe me money for the restaurant reservations for yours and Sanji’s date last month so don’t try to get out of this.”

“I paid you back, you witch!” Zoro cried.

Nami huffed, waving her hand dismissively, “Ever heard of interest?”

“You’re impossible. Why do I suffer you?” the boy groaned, rubbing at his forehead.

Nami huffed as she tossed her hair behind her shoulder. “Because I’m so cute!”

“Compared to what, a trash can?”

Somehow, Onigiri wasn’t even surprised when Nami’s fist flew forward to punch Zoro full force in the shoulder, her teeth bared as wrath radiated off of her. 

Ah.

Now Onigiri could see why Luffy jumped to attention the very second he felt the slightest hint of hostility from her. This girl was terrifying.

“Aw, I’m sorry, Onigiri. Did the stupid swordsman scare you?” Nami cooed at him, when she noticed how he crouched and huddled into her lap to protect himself.

“Pretty sure he’s scared of you,” Zoro muttered quietly.

Nami took a deep breath, only shooting Zoro a dirty look to which the man simply raised his arms in surrender. Apparently satisfied, Nami turned back to Onigiri. “Don’t worry, no matter what happens, I am forcing Torao and Luffy to buy you as many tasty treats as you want for doing their damn job for them.”

----------

As Onigiri laid on his bed at home a week later, chewing on a fresh, tasty bone that Luffy had brought him when he came over to see his boyfriend— much to Cora’s delight and Doffy’s amusement—he couldn’t help but thank Nami in his mind for keeping her word. He didn’t remember ever getting this many treats, not even from Cora when Law wasn’t looking.

He supposed with this…

He could declare stage five concluded, and his Grand Plan a raging success.

Whatever would these hopeless humans do without him?

[cloudcountry]

pudding filled dirt cupcake + mostro lounge™ sponsored collaboration cup of bubble tea perhaps? (I don’t know if I’m doing this right, I’m so sorry 🥲)

you did it right dont worry!! <3 i love giving the reader flaws mwah

an order of romantic fluff with idia shroud!

“Shouldn’t the sofa go over there? I think it would look better with the fireplace that way.” you comment, moving your avatar towards the virtual sofa you and Idia were attempting to place.

“You’re right lol. My inventory is so full, I need to get this stuff out of it.” he hums, picking the sofa back up and moving it to your desired location.

“If it makes you feel better, I’ll let you pick out the wallpaper and flooring.” you compromise, narrowing your eyes as you peruse the furniture catalog.

“Yeah right, you’d just change it if it didn’t fit your taste.” Idia snorts, his snarky tone not lost on you, “You’re so particular about the way your house is decorated. You always have been.”

“Someone has to be worried about it!” you protest, throwing a balled up piece of paper at his head. It bounces off his flames and he grunts in acknowledgment, his eyes not moving from the screen.

A few beats of silence fill the room as you two gather and place furniture, working out which designs suit your tastes the best. Idia has always bowed to you in this game, since you were the one to introduce it to him (and the one that actually decorated...if you left him up to his own devices, you’d come back to a total Halloween-fest of a house. Which, to be fair...wouldn’t be all that bad.)

“Idia, did you seriously move the sofa back?” you groan, coming across the arrangement you’d just fixed.

He giggles madly, and that’s enough of a response.

“You’re so petty.” you huff, staring at your screen in contemplation.

It’s easy to get caught in the game, Idia knows that all too well. Maybe, instead of being so bossy, you should let him decorate how he likes to sometimes.

“...you know what, we’ll keep it like that.” you nod thoughtfully.

[beannoss]

with you, all in tangles (2)

3 times Yor blows kisses to Twilight and one time Twilight blows a kiss to Yor

For the @twiyorbase fluff fest! No content warnings, T-rating; manga spoilers. One chapter per day matching the daily prompts. Today's prompt: fall in love. And a note: @cantareincminor pointed out that pt 1 reminded of fanart of Yor blowing kisses to Twilight and it turns out there are at least two (2!) amazing pieces out there: this by @tazuransi and also this by @une08! They're both so cute and funny, they must have sunk into my brain, giving inspiration for this fic 😍😘 <- Part one (1) | Part three (+1) ->

Yor waved to Anya as the school bus pulled away and jolted a little in surprise when Twilight took her hand as soon as she'd dropped it from her wave. At her jolt, Twilight loosened his hold, murmured, "We don't have —"

"No!" Yor tightened her hand around his, bringing it up to her chest impulsively. "I'm just... I'm not used to this yet.”

Twilight studied her, and Yor held his gaze through her blush and against the urge to shy away. After a moment, he tipped his head, smiled a little. "All right," and he tugged gently, bringing their hands down to hang between them. "Shall we?"

Strictly speaking, the hospital where Loid worked wasn't exactly on Yor's way to to work. But since... since two days ago, they had walked together each morning. Twilight first, yesterday, to city hall, and now Yor, today, to the hospital.

Two days ago was when Twilight had said, Nothing needs to change, but there's something I want to tell you, and Yor had looked at the stiff hold of his neck, the uncertain cast of his eyes, the way his breathing was just a little elevated, all signs he was nervous, except that while Twilight often felt much more than he was comfortable with, he was never nervous and so she had flustered which had set Twilight to withdraw into himself in a way Yor had learned meant he was trying to think quickly to avoid panic, which made her fluster more, until finally Twilight had blurted out his feelings, and

And everything had stopped.

And Yor had breathed out.

And Twilight looked a little stunned when she smiled at him, even though she felt a little tremulous. When she said, Oh, I feel the same, she had told him softly. I have for months.

And everything had changed.

Or, she supposed it would be more accurate to say, everything was in the process of changing.

Twilight tugged her hand again, and Yor took a step forward, and then, just like that, they were walking together. "Will it be a busy day for you?" he asked.

"Mmm, no, I don't think so," Yor said, looking off to the side to consider. "Actually it's a little quiet at the moment." And in case he was asking about her other work, she added, "No reason for overtime."

Twilight made a thoughtful noise. "So you'll be home for dinner?"

"Mhm, should be!"

"I'm glad to hear it," he said, voice warm in a way that sent little shivers all through her body.

"And your day?" she asked, giving a little swing of their hands between them to release some of those shivers. She felt Twilight's eyes slide to her when she did. Knew he'd be tamping down on some amusement if she looked. Yor bit her lip against her own.

"My day should be fairly normal," Twilight finally answered. "I don't anticipate any extra patients."

"I should hope not," Yor said darkly: extra patients really meant side missions. "You have too much to do as it is. She must give you a break."

Twilight was quiet for a moment, then said in an undertone, "I'll let her know to sleep with one eye open. That she's on your list."

Yor gasped — Does he think I meant I'd break Sylvia — ?! Turned to him urgently. "That isn't what I meant! I would never —"

But Twilight was looking back at her with a mild expression, his eyebrows raised over eyes bright with humour.

"You're teasing me," she accused, and Twilight grinned slightly, "Possibly."

"Loid," Yor complained. But she knew she wasn't fooling him. Her cheeks were warm and her smile was too wide, too pleased, too there. Twilight had been trying to teach her some small amount of acting and subterfuge. She had so far taken to it poorly. 

But, she could tease him, too. Yor lifted her chin, saying, "I'd only do something like that if you gave me very, very good reason. Or,” she raised a finger on her other hand, which was a little awkward, carrying her bag but she ignored that. “Or,” she repeated seriously, “If you ask very, very nicely.”

"I see," Twilight said, and Yor could hear the smile under his serious expression. "It’s always useful to gain insights into the decision making of your employer. I'll bear that in mind."

"Mm. It’s very complicated,” Yor told him lightly. “But I’m sure if you work hard enough at it, you’ll come to understand.” Then, the fizzle of delight overwhelmed, and she laughed. 

Taking her by surprise, Twilight drew to a stop, pulling her around to face him. She opened her mouth to ask what he was doing, when he ducked down, pressed a swift kiss to her cheek.

Yor touched her fingers to the spot he kissed, and blinked up at him as he withdrew. He gave her a small smile, and just as he made as though to keep walking, Yor darted up onto her toes, ducking under his hat to kiss him quickly on the lips.

As she spun away, tugging his hand to continue walking, a quiet, "Hehe!" escaped her. Beside her, Twilight let out a soft breath. It was a sound she had come to understand he made when feeling... When feeling something tender. If he thought Anya was cute, or if he thought Yor was, was... was something. She shied away from naming what that might be. But he was feeling tender, anyway, and that kept her smiling. She was feeling tender, too.

It wasn't long from there to the hospital. They stopped across the street from the entrance, hesitating. It's all so new, Yor thought, looking up into Twilight's soft expression. She felt as though she didn't know what to do so much of the time, and certainly didn't know now. But it wasn't as stressful, this not knowing. This was Twilight after all. He never minded when she didn't know.

And it seemed like he may not know exactly what to do, either.

"Well," he said after a moment. "Have a good day, Yor."

"You too, Loid!" Yor rolled up onto her toes, dropped back down again. "See you later!"

"Mm," Twilight agreed. He looked for a moment like he might kiss her again and Yor's breath caught. But he glanced at the hospital, and evidently thought better of it. With a final squeeze of her hand, he let her go, and started across the street.

Yor waited. She probably should leave too but… She wasn't ready to go. She tightened her hands around the handle of her bag, wanting to watch him for as long as possible. So she stayed, waiting to see him in.

He knew, of course he did, with the finely honed instincts of his trade, that she was still watching. Just before the door he turned, raising his hand in a wave.

Yor lifted her hand to return the wave, then on impulse brought her fingers to her lips instead. Kissed them and blew the kiss to Twilight with a wink.

And it was a thrill, his small smile, his small blush, the way he looked away but ducking his head like he was filled with some emotion he didn't know what to do with. She knew — she understood — Twilight was still learning that it was okay to feel nice and to feel good, and that those things wouldn't be taken away. That Yor wouldn't let them be taken away from him. And that, in particular, he could let Yor make him feel nice and good and safe. That had been from before two days ago, when they were trying to be good friends to one another alongside their other shared responsibilities.

That little duck of his head, that little blush, that little smile, was as loud for Yor as if he'd shouted something to her from across the street. 

She swung her bag, and had a bounce in her step as she turned to her office. The song she hummed was one of Anya's silly little happy songs, and Yor laughed to herself. Maybe Twilight wasn't the only one figuring out how to feel very good and very nice things. Glancing at her watch, she calculated the hours until dinner.

Part three (+1) ->

[bluesylveon2]

The Girl in Silver

Work has been stressing me out, but enjoy this for now! I will make sure to get to my WIPs when I have time

Summary: During the social at Noble Bell, Silver meets a girl dressed up in silver

Note: fluff, set during GloMas, Reader is not Yuu, pretend the social was coed, lowkey inspired by the Bridgerton S4 leaks

Word Count: 706

Warnings: fem reader, not beta read, and possible OOC characters

Silver hasn't felt this content in a while. 

He watched as his fellow classmates interacted with students from other schools. Some students praised Malleus for his performance, and he heard Sebek shouting his praises across the room. 

It was a memory Silver will treasure forever. 

"That was a wonderful performance," a feminine voice said behind him. Silver turned, and his auroral eyes met another set of beautiful eyes hidden behind a silver mask. His mouth opened and closed like a fish, making the girl chuckle. "It's like you've never seen a girl before," she teased, hiding her mouth behind her silver-gloved hand.

Silver blushed and silently thanked the Seven. No other NRC student was around, especially his father. "I apologize. I should not have done that."

The girl only giggled. Silver's body felt light as her laughter filled the ballroom despite the students' voices around them. "It's alright. It must be rare to meet someone from your school who is not—" She glanced at the crowd. Her eyes did not miss Ruggie piling a plate of desserts, Rook trying to teach Deuce and Epel how to dance, and Idia attempting to blend into the shadows (and failing). Her eyes went back to study Silver.  "Interesting."

Silver's lips lifted up in a smile. "They are a good group. They each have their own perks." The music changed into a classical piece. Silver's eyes widened slightly when a silver-gloved hand came into his view. "What are you doing, miss?" He asked obliviously. 

The girl eyed him with mirth. "I am asking you for a dance."

Silver could only blink. Oh, if Father were to see him now. How would he react? "But I should be the one to ask you, like a prince."

"True, but similar to Topsy Turvy Fest, a woman can ask a man to dance, no?" She shook her offered hand slightly. 

Silver smiled and placed his hand on hers. "I suppose so," the girl yelped suddenly after Silver pulled her into his arms. But let me lead."

The girl nodded and got into the dancing position. "Alright, lead the way, silver-haired prince."

"Silver-haired prince?" Silver mused as he led the girl around the ballroom. "My name is Silver, and I am not a prince."

"Wait, your name is actually Silver? I called you that because your hair stands out from your costume."

"Ironically, Father named me that because of my hair." Silver smiled, thinking back about the memories he had shared with Lilia.

"I see." The girl was quiet. 

"And what is your name?" Silver asked as he twirled his partner around. Unaware of his prince smirking in his direction as he spoke to the magicless prefect. 

"That's a secret." She said in a sing-song voice. 

"But you know my name."

"Yes, but things can be a secret in a masquerade."

"Very well. I will respect your decision," Silver nodded and continued to dance with the girl, just as Lilia had taught him. 

The two casually talked and danced naturally for what felt like days. An unspoken spark between them left the couple stuck in their own world. Even Sebek was ready to announce his opinion on it until Malleus teleported to him to stop him. 

When the two stepped out into the courtyard, they returned to reality. 

"You are an excellent dancer!" The mystery girl said while trying to catch her breath. 

Silver chuckled and handed the girl a glass of water he got on their way out. "You have good stamina to keep up with me. My father and brothers are the only ones who can do the same."

The girl chugged her water and grinned. "Your family sounds interesting."

"You should meet them," Silver suggested with a serious face. 

The girl's eyes widened. "Oh, I didn't mean it like that! I-"

Ding ding ding. 

The Bell of Solace rang as the clock struck midnight. 

The girl stiffened. "I have to go!"

"Wait, but you need to rest more."

Silver's words went past the girl's ears as she shoved her glass towards Silver, picked up her silver skirt, revealing the matching heels, and started running. 

"I feel fine now! It was nice to meet you, Silver!"

"But you should rest your feet!" Silver started running after her. The boy was both confused and impressed. Perplexed at why his new friend (if you could call it that) ran off and impressed that someone who was tired earlier was managing to outrun him. 

The two had made it to the front of the school, where a carriage was waiting by the doors. In one motion, the girl started sprinting and lept into the carriage. The vehicle immediately started moving just as Silver made it. Luckily, he was close enough to see the girl stick her head out. 

"Thank you!" 

Silver stood there frozen, wondering what just occurred. "Wait! Miss!" his eyes caught sight of something shiny. He bent down, picked it up, and watched it shimmer from the moonlight. 

---

"Double check your things and make sure you brought everything. We will not come back if you forget something," Professor Trein's stern voice called out.

Everyone responded with "Yes, professor," except for one. 

"Are you still looking for the girl?" Malleus asked, causing Silver to look up at his liege, who had a small smile. 

Silver blushed slightly and fumbled to put the glove away with his things. He did not want to be too rough with it in case the silk material tore. "No, Malleus. I was…making sure there was no dust on it."

Even Malleus could see through the lie. "I see," he hummed and turned away to check on Sebek. "Oh, and Silver," he paused and faced Silver with a content look. "Whatever you decide, know that I will support your decision."

With that, Malleus walked away, leaving Silver stunned. He glanced back down at his bag, where the glove lay. Silver opened his bag and grabbed the glove with determination. 

The group won't leave for another few minutes. If he looks now, he could possibly find the girl in-

Silver let out an "oof" as his body ran into something. 

"Hey, watch where you're going!" 

Silver turned to the voice. There was a girl who looked around his age and wearing the uniform of another arcane academy. The girl sounded familiar, even though she gave him an irritated look. Now that he thought about it, her eyes also looked familiar. 

"I'm sorry, miss. I was not looking where I was going."

The girl's eyes widened slightly, her mouth a gap, and her eyes focused on something on the ground. 

The silver glove. 

Silver looked up at the girl, his eyes meeting her. Suddenly, he saw a silver mask briefly flash on the girl's face.

"It's you."

Bonus, set the night before the NRC group left to go back:

"And then, Lilia, Silver was dancing with the girl." Malleus tried to hide his excitement. He really did, but he did not want to disturb the other third years in the room with him. 

"Oh, how he grows up so fast! Tell me, did he make her swoon with his charms? Did he act like her knight in shining armor? My son can only inherit the best from his father!" 

Malleus wanted to roll his eyes at Lilia's cockiness. Thank goodness Silver or Sebek weren't around to hear it. He could already see how they would react. "Not at all. They were just dancing and talking."

The line was silent for a moment as Lilia processed Malleus' words. 

"They just talked…no dashing looks or saving the girl from a fall…"

Malleus felt a tension through the phone.  "Lilia?"

"OH, HOW I FAILED AS A FATHER!!" Malleus pulled his phone away from his ear as Lilia wailed. His eyes briefly looked at Rook sleeping in his bed and Idia watching a video with his headphones on. Perfect, they did not notice anything. "I spent so much time training my boy to be the best knight that he is lacking in the romance department! Poor Silver has so much to learn about how to woo a woman! Quick, Malleus, send him my way so we can start his training immediately."

"But-"

"Malleus, can you ask the Prefect if she is available for the training? NRC might lack in the amount of females, but I will take what I can get."

Disclaimer: I do not own Twisted Wonderland and its characters. Those belong to Aniplex, Walt Disney Japan, and Yana Toboso.

©: This story belongs to bluesylveon2 2020-24. DO NOT modify, republish, or plagiarize my work.

[hd-hurtcomfort-fest]

***CREATOR REVEALS MASTER LIST***

And that's a wrap, y'all! As we reflect on this fest at its conclusion, we are humbled and honored by the love and support from our fellow fluffy fanatics, angst afficiandos and hurt/comfort connoisseurs. Thank you all for making this an incredible first year.

A very special thank you to all our brilliant participants! This fest is nothing without you and your teams of diligent betas, alphas, and cheerleaders. It takes a village, and we appreciate your efforts.

And finally, this fest would flounder in the void without you, dear readers, viewers, listeners, and reccers! Thank you for joining us on this maiden journey! You stoke our creative fires with your loving and positive support and for this we thank you.

We have planned a few closing posts, including fest stats and our guessing game winner! And participants and reccers, be sure to @ us in your posts so we may reblog!

***MASTER LIST BELOW THE CUT!***

xo Your HD Hurt/Comfort Mods @orangepellets, @peachpety, @vukovich

***CREATOR MASTER LIST***

*** Hyacinth by oknowkiss Angst || M || 7k

My Kingdom For Your Laugh by UsagiTatsu Fluff || G || 9.7k

*** Final Exams at the Curse-Breaker's Academy by IzRoan Hurt/Comfort || M || 20.2k

Of Towers and Tales [ART] by reliand Hurt/Comfort || T || Art

*** The Roommate by Romaine [PODFIC] by CailynWrites Fluff || M || 4hours

a small room under the earth by dracopetal Angst || M || 2.3k

*** Come Hell or High Water by mallstars Hurt/Comfort || M || 22.1k

Divine Intervention by JessicaLuci Fluff || T || 6.5k

*** Harry Potter and the Unintended Horcrux by aCanadianMuggle Hurt/Comfort || E || 59k

*** isn't a kingdom by garagepaperback Hurt/Comfort || E || 53.2k

*** A Surprising Agenda by Orpheous87 Fluff || G || 7.3k

You only feel it when it's lost [ART] by Pato_roldnart Hurt/Comfort || T || Art

*** Fine-Fractured Halo by Rainjuly Angst || E || 29k

Something We Create by DayDreamingFoxglove Fluff || E || 16.5k

*** Future Histories by thecouchsofa Fluff || T || 6k

(Not) a Hot Nurse by Etteee Fluff || G || 2k

*** En Passant by DodgerKedavra Hurt/Comfort || E || 45.4k

*** Be still my beating heart. by Lizziedrip Hurt/Comfort || T || 18.4k

Pain: ON by The_saphire_potterhead Hurt/Comfort || M || 17.2k

*** Thief by shushu_yaoi_lj (orange-peony) Hurt/Comfort || E || 21.5k

Malfoy's Moving Manor [ART] by Yoro_Kobi (Aphlaton) Fluff || G || Art

*** The Malfoys vs Family Counseling by duchessdulce Fluff || T || 24.4k

Piece by Piece by TheBashfulPoet Hurt/Comfort || E || 6.5k

*** and another one by nv-md Fluff || M || 1.6k

Seven Year Itch by mintaminta Angst || E || 5.6k

*** An Extremely Indecent Proposal by Jelliebabie Hurt/Comfort || E || 33.2k

*** Live Laugh Love, Draco Malfoy by Phantasmagoria Hurt/Comfort || E || 16.4k

The Stories We Tell by Maraudersaffair Hurt/Comfort || E || 10.7k

*** Let Me Stay by Phoebe_Delia Hurt/Comfort || M || 1k

At the Center by violenttulips [PODFIC] by reveriepi Hurt/Comfort || E || 10-20min

*** Black Books by Sarendal Fluff || E || 14.5k

*** S.P.U.N.K. by my_castlescrumbling (Cas) Fluff || M || 4.3k

close enough by lucio Angst || M || 2.2k

*** Fate's Caveat by Squibnation10 Angst || M || 43.4k

[number1jeonginstan]

hii juu can you do anything with hyunjin can be smut or fluff you decide

-🥟

A/N: I added just a hint of spice, but kept it over all a very cute interaction!!

warnings: none really

pairing: hyunjin x reader

wc: .7k

"What's up babe?" he whispered as you entered his studio.

"Nothing much Jinnie, just wanted to check up on you" you whispered, bending down to kiss his cheek.

He chuckled at the kiss on his cheek and patted his lap. "Come here," he said with a smile on his face.

"Why can't I do both?" you asked, falling deeper into his touch as he pulled you closer to him.

He chuckled in response to your question, tightening his grip around your waist. "I suppose you can do both, I just know how clingy you get when you miss me." he teased again, leaning in to place a kiss on your neck.

"I'm the clingy one?" you looked at him appalled, "weren't you the one who trapped me into a, what did you call it? That's right, a cuddle fest, for two hours and wouldn't let me pee?"

When you called him out, his cheeks flushed a deep shade of red. He was busted. He tried to deny it briefly but gave up quickly and chuckled sheepishly. "Okay, fine, I might be the clingy one." He said with an embarrassed smile. "But don't act like you weren't enjoying it. You were loving every minute of it."

He pulled you closer still, resting his head on your shoulder as he spoke. "Besides, you can't blame me for being clingy, I just love being with you as much as possible, and I can't help but miss you when we're apart."

"You should take me on tour next time so I would be by your side at every second, like a leech!" you giggled.

He chuckled at your suggestion, shaking his head in mock disapproval. "Oh, so you want to be my little leech, huh? Just attaching yourself to me everywhere I go, sticking to me like a piece of gum on a shoe?"

"Mhm! You are never getting rid of me."

You turned back ever so lightly, capturing his lips with your own.

He chuckled again before his smile melted into a soft expression as you kissed him. He returned the kiss with equal passion, his fingers gently brushing against the skin of your cheeks as he held your face between his hands.

When the kiss ended, he kept his face close to yours and murmured, "And who said I ever wanted to get rid of you?"

"I mean, you did just call me a piece of gum on your shoe, didn't you?"

He smirked at your response and teased, "Oh, that was just a joke, babe. You're more like a cute little Koala just clinging onto her favorite tree, that's all."

He wrapped his arms around your waist once again, pulling you closer to his chest. "And you know what's the best part? This tree will never get tired of having you cling to it. *Ever.*"

He nuzzled his face into the crook of your neck, placing a kiss on the sensitive skin there. He knew just how much that would make you shiver, and he loved the way your body responded to him.

"You know, I would be okay with you being my personal little Koala, attached to me all the time." he mused with a smirk. "Maybe I could even get you a leash, to make sure you never run away from me."

"How did you go from being so sweet to a literal whore in a matter of seconds Hwang Hyunjin?"

He laughed loudly at your reaction, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Hey, I can be both, can't I?" he protested, raising an eyebrow at you with a wicked grin on his face. "One moment I'm your sweet, romantic boyfriend, and the next I'm a dirty, shameless flirt. It's called range!"

"The only "range" you have is your painting and dancing, now get back to it" you giggled, slapping his arm ever so slightly.

He winced at the light slap on his arm, pretending to be hurt. "Hey, watch it there, I bruise easily." he joked, playfully sticking out his lower lip in a pout.

"But fine, I suppose I should get back to work. This painting isn't going to paint itself, you know."

"And your lap isn't going to stay warm itself" you huffed, getting more comfortable as you watched him paint away.

[rinchfest]

Coming this September to an internet near you: Rinch Fest 2024, a ship week for Harold Finch/John Reese from Person of Interest! This is a low-pressure event meant to encourage the creation of more fanworks for Finch/Reese or Finch & Reese’s friendship. Fic, art, gifs, vids, podfic, you name it—all are welcome, as long as they’re Rinch-centric.

Posting for Rinch Fest will run from September 24 through September 30, 2024

PROMPTS:

Day One – September 24 Fluff• Pining• "Always" • Dark• Domesticity

Day Two – September 25 Be Nice To John• Established Relationship• Road Trip • Food/Drinking/Cooking • Art

Day Three – September 26 Be Nice To Harold• Belly• "Beach Cabin in the Woods• "Five+1" • Pets/Animals • Music

Day Four – September 27 Kids/Babies/Pregnancy• Hugs• Clothes • Setting/Genre Change AU• The Machine

Day Five – September 28 Bed Sharing• Wedding/Marriage• Crossover • Canon Divergence • Tropes

Day Six – September 29 Finch Whump • Reese Whump • NSFW/Kink • Retirement • Home

Day Seven – September 30 Free-For-All/Catch-Up Day

Keep reading for more info!

Who’s running this? ArgylePirateWD. Hi! Now with mods @alexsrousseau and @stingalingaling

Any changes since last year? None! As in previous years, Reese&Finch friendship is also allowed

Why not call it Rinch Week? It started out as Rinch Fest on The Rinch Loft on Discord, and that’s what stuck.

Plus, Rinch Fest and Reese & Finch share the same initials.

What’s allowed? Complete fanworks focusing on Harold Finch and John Reese in a romantic or close platonic relationship with each other. Fic, art, vids, remixes, sequels, you name it! No length requirements, no style requirements, all ratings allowed—do what you want!

Anything not allowed? Works where Finch/Reese or Finch & Reese is not the primary relationship (additional ships are fine), works that are incomplete at the time of posting, and remixes or other transformative works for other people’s fanworks that are done without the original creator’s permission. Anything else is fair game, as long as it’s labeled.

Also, don’t be a jerk.

What about [insert controversial topic here]? Can I make something with x?/OMG someone made something with x! Anything else is fair game, as long as it’s labeled. This includes works featuring tropes and kinks that you may not like or approve of. As long as it’s warned for, it’s fine and allowed.

Please warn for the usual AO3 warnings (Major Character Death, Graphic Violence, Rape/Non-Con, and Underage) and any subjects others may find deeply unpleasant, and clearly label any NSFW works.

What about poly? Gen? Poly is wonderful, but this is a Finch/Reese or Finch&Reese event. Sorry.

Finch & Reese gen is allowed!

What do I do with x prompt?/Can I do [insert concept here]? Anything goes! Seriously, however you want to interpret a prompt is fine.

Do I have to make something for every prompt? No! You can if you want, but it’s not required. Feel free to skip days, combine prompts, create multiple fills for each day, anything! This is as flexible as it gets.

If it fits multiple prompts, when do I post it? Whatever day works best for you!

What if I want to do something NSFW? There's no nsfw prompt this year. Is it still allowed? YES! Bring on the spicy if you want!

What about a multi-chapter/piece thing where each chapter fulfills one day’s prompt? When do I post that? Post an update each relevant day until you’re done! (Just make sure you can finish it by the end of the event.)

What if it doesn’t fit a prompt? That’s what Day 7 is for! :D

What if I need to post my fill(s) on a different day? Life happens. The AO3 collection is set to Unrevealed, so I can reveal early submissions on the right day, but if that doesn’t work for you, I’m sure we can work something out.

Can I work on a previously-posted WIP? As long as it’s finished when you make your post for the event, sure! If you’re just updating a WIP without finishing it, no.

Can I start working now? Absolutely! That’s why I’m announcing it now—so there’s plenty of time for people to make things.

Can I talk about/share previews of what I’m working on? Sure!

Wait, there’s a Rinch Discord server? Do I have to join to do this? Of course not. We’d love to have you at The Rinch Loft, and it’s a fun place to hang out, but Rinch Fest is for anyone into Rinch.

If I want the Discord link… Send in an Ask to the @rinchfest Tumblr, contact ArgylePirateWD somewhere, or ask around. It’s open to anyone who likes Rinch or Person of Interest. I’m happy to give it out to anyone who wants it.

Where do I post? On Tumblr, post to your blog and use the #rinchfest23 or #rinchweek23 tags. You are They are being watched. 👁 And maybe add @rinchfest in your post to be sure. Tumblr is as hungry as Bear and Shaw.

Submissions are also open.

On AO3, you can post it here: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/rinchfest23/

Do I have to have a Tumblr? AO3? As long as you’re on some kind of platform and can get a link to the work to me somehow so I can share it with the world, you’re welcome to play.

On October 1st, I’ll make a round-up post full of links to all the shiny things people made. If I know you made it, it’ll go in!

What time zone? The daily prompt posts will be going up at 12 am Central Time, but as long as it’s the relevant day for your fill somewhere in the world, go ahead and throw it in!

(And if you want to sneak in some Day 7 things a little after, as long as they get posted before the Master Post goes up… 😉)

Sounds fun! How do I sign up? No signups! Just post your stuff somewhere on the right day(s), and you’re in!

[hitohitonika]

watching the fireworks in Wano

(click for quality!)

[chenziee]

World Economic Journal: Grand Line Edition

A New Pirate Alliance?!

PUNK HAZARD, New World | by @truffyfest

A mere few days since Straw Hat Luffy and his crew appeared on Sabaody after disappearing off the face of earth for two whole years, they are already sending waves throughout the Grand Line and the entire world. Now, they have managed to pass through Fishman Island and are well on their way to destroy the delicate balance in the New World.

Under the promise of anonymity, several of the gangster-like marines from the infamous G5 Navy base have shared some scandalous information with us! They claim that not only has Straw Hat Luffy himself taken over and destroyed a priceless, state-of-the-art laboratory on Punk Hazard—he has also managed to get himself an unbelievable ally! And it’s someone you all know very well!

A member of the Worst Generation, this man caused an uproar during the disastrous Rocky Port incident when he delivered a full 100 (one hundred!) pirates’ hearts to the Navy Headquarters in order to become one of the Warlords of the Sea!

Yes, indeed—not even ‘Surgeon of Death’ Trafalgar Law is immune to Straw Hat Luffy’s charm.

We cannot imagine the Navy Headquarters will simply overlook this but it seems that Monkey D. Luffy’s presence means more than the threat of losing his Warlord title to the cold, stoic man. (And, if our sources are to be believed, he would do near anything for that sunny smile!)

But what is this new alliance’s purpose? What will be the Navy Headquarters’ reaction? Be on the lookout for the next issue of the World Economic Journal as we continue to bring new information straight to you!

[ Next Issue ]

[karma-vvitch]

l'amour de ma vie

Thought I was depressed or losing my mind My stomach upset almost all of the time But after I left, it was obvious why (oh), mm Because for you, you I was the love of your life, mm But you were not mine (but you were not mine)

𝕲𝖊𝖓𝖗𝖊: Angst

𝕻𝖆𝖎𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖌: Bucky Barnes x GN!Reader

𝖂𝖆𝖗𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖘:  Hurt/No Comfort, Angst fest lmao, Bucky’s kinda a dick in this one (so for all the ppl who don’t like reading Bucky in a negative light, this isn’t for you babe. *I’m ppl), The reader is implied to be chubby/plus size, slight body insecurity, but I think reader girl bossed in this (maybe it’s just me), AGAIN THERE IS NO FLUFF HERE ABSOLUTELY NONE. 

“You ruined me” You glared at him “You ruined me, Bucky Barnes” It’s been 2 weeks and 3 days since Bucky broke up with me. The audacity of that man. I don’t know where it went wrong. Was it when he started coming home late? Or when he started sleeping on the couch? There were too many instances to count. I guess the straw that broke the camel’s back was when he left his phone on the counter, Sharon’s contact notification glowed brightly. “We should stop this” God I thought for once I wasn’t an idiot, but once again my ego was shattered. That fucker told me he loved me, all of me. From my smile, to my curves, to my thighs. And yet he still went for miss perfect. “Baby–” The asshole spoke. “Baby? Seriously Barnes? Trying to soften me up? We’re SO past that!” I laugh incredulously. Fighting the tears welling in my eyes. “You promised me! You dick! You promised me! You said you looked past this–” gesturing to my body “I thought you saw me for me, Bucky!” He looked embarrassed. Good. “Baby, can we please not do it here?” He looked around the common room we were standing in. The place occupied by the team who were in awe and disbelief on what’s going on. This bitch “Oh! You’re embarassed? Good, let them see your shame for the lying, cheating piece of shit that you are!” Gasps are echoed throughout the room. The woman in question as well, finally, looking away in shame. Bucky looked helpless. The severity of the situation finally hitting him like a freight train. “Please, it was a mistake. Yes, I’m a huge asshole for hurting you. You have all the right. I love you. What I did will haunt me for the rest of my life and I’m sorry–” tears flowing freely from his eyes at this point “I’m so so sorry” The sight before you could’ve made you fold easily. Bucky on his knees, grovelling. Your Bucky who held you when your friends abandoned you. Your Bucky who drove you to McDonald’s at 3am to get nuggets. Your Bucky who dropped everything just to go home and take care of you at your lowest. For a second you thought that everything happening at the moment was just a bad dream. He would never hurt you… But he did. His cries snapped you back to reality. “I broke up with you because I was a coward, I thought I could fix myself and come back to your life a better man– I should’ve told you sooner” All I could do is stare at him, emotionless and numb. What does one even do in this situation? The (once) love of your life, who has hurt you beyond any comprehension is grovelling at your feet. Should I say something? Should I lash out at him? Should I make him get up? It was all becoming too much In the end, I just turned my heel and left. The echoes of his increasing sobs and pleas following me. Good.

𝕹𝖔𝖙𝖊𝖘: This may or may not be based on real-life... Oops. The angst gods were coursing through me ngl. I haven't written in months so this is exciting. The depression is still there and thriving but I'm not gonna let it stop me from doing what I love :>. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing this. Hopefully, I get to write more Bucky stuff (I promise there will be more fluff. God knows this man deserves it). Anyway, hope y'all have a great day/night! xoxo

𝕿𝖆𝖌𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙: None yet!

[portlandwithyou]

A Digital Fangirl's Journey into the Analog World

It started with a search, three words typed into the eBay search bar. Due South zine.

I began my fandom journey online when high-speed internet was slowly rolling out in the United States. I've never known a time in fandom when a million search results weren't at the tips of my fingers, and yet I've been nostalgic for a more physical relationship with fandom. Thankfully, the @ds30below fest announcement had a week devoted to history. The perfect excuse to dive into zines for the first time.

Due Frisky #2 is a digest-sized, soft-cover zine held together with staples. This baby fits perfectly in your hand for reading anywhere. The photo doesn't do it justice, but the cover is a pretty pinky-red color.

Inside, there is a table of contents, an editor's note, the stories, and, at the back, a short advertisement for more zines from the same press. Included at the end of each full-length story is a black-and-white photograph from the show that is connected to the story's content. This is an F/V zine from January of 1997, although nowhere do they address or even mention Ray K. Perhaps issue one dealt with that?

As for the content itself, there are four stories and one poetry cycle. I'd especially like to highlight the first story, "Perfection" by Khylara, which deals with Ray V's Catholicism in such a beautiful way that I was practically jumping with joy as I read. Unfortunately, my searches have not turned up this fic anywhere online to share! It's such a shame, too; it's so thoughtful.

Speaking of which, although I can find some of the authors online, I haven't found any of the particular fics from the zine available. Mireille, who people may know from their other F/V works, has the first part of a multiple-part series in this zine. Now, the editors warn you of this in the editor's notes, but I had forgotten by the time I got to this story, and frankly, I am climbing the walls wondering what happens next!

I found reading this zine extremely satisfying. It was wonderful to have some fanfic to curl up with during a spring storm while being beholden to a supercomputer in my hand.

I also loved reading stories that were contemporary to the show's actual airing. I found the language to be just ever slightly more formal than fanfic nowadays, but in a way that was not distracting or detracting.

Another thing, as the title might imply, all of the stories feature sex and sexuality as a topic. Obviously, given my track record, that doesn't bother me. But I could see where that would turn some off from reading. There's drama, fluff, and plenty of other emotions throughout the pieces, but at the end of the day, they will be having sex.

Overall, this was a fantastic zine for a beginner. Every piece was wonderful, and I anticipate reading it again many times.

[btsgotjams27]

under the mistletoe | knj

Kim Namjoon is a sneaky one when it comes to celebrating the Holidays.

❄️ title: under the mistletoe | a don't push your luck drabble ❄️ pairing: namjoon x f!reader ❄️ genre/au: fluff | ex college rivals, co-workers, frenemies ❄️ rating: pg | ❄️ word count: 1.3k ❄️ warnings: jokes about harassment in the workplace, teasing, kissing ❄️ a/n: it's the holiday szn and i was feeling festive. this is the 'don't push your luck' couple but it can be read as a standalone. enjoy.

❄️ read don't push your luck ❄️ read pitch fest (dpyl drabble)

“I never figured you were someone who loved the holiday season.”

The office looks like elves came in and sprinkled Christmas magic overnight. There's fake snow fluff, bottle brush Christmas trees, and even stockings with your and Namjoon's initials embroidered.

You like the holiday season–you do, minus the endless hours of Christmas music. You can only hear ‘Rocking Around the Christmas Tree' so many times before you wanna hurl. A tradition you do love is watching Home Alone 2 on the day of along with the fireplace on and cozy blanket.

Namjoon turns to you after hanging up the last ornament. “Yeah, I mean, we don’t celebrate it back home in Seoul, but once I moved to Chicago…” He shrugs. “It grew on me.”

You eye him up and down. “Has Kim Namjoon gone soft? Who are you?”

He narrows his eyes, twisting his mouth. “I can be a Grinch instead,” he huffs as he returns to take out pieces of a toy train track.

Shaking your head, you protest, “No, no, no. We’re finally getting along—semi-getting along without going at each other’s throats. I’ll be nice. I promise.”

“You? Nice? It must be a Christmas miracle,” Namjoon teases, placing the train tracks along the top of the cubicle walls.

“Shut up–you’re the one that should be nice since I’m your boss now.”

Namjoon makes a face. “Is this how you treat your partner in crime? By telling them to ‘shut up’? I’d call that harassment.”

You open your mouth and close it again. He got you there. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

Working alongside Namjoon isn't new, but you and him being partners are. The two of you left your previous company and had the ridiculous idea of going into publishing together. Granted, Namjoon knew the business side and you had the heart of the company–what else could go wrong besides the fact that he still loved to push your buttons and tease you about the last work trip the two of you were on.

The corner of Namjoon’s lips curves into a smile. “Should we hug it out? Hold on, let me turn around. I know how much you like being the big spoon.”

You ball your hands into a fist, ready to fight Kim Namjoon. He laughs, walking away to spread Christmas cheer around the office.

“Don’t make me regret asking you to come work for me!” You yell in his direction.

“With you!” He quips while laying down the rest of the tracks for the toy train.

The risks of having Namjoon as your business partner were high, but you were hoping the outcome would outweigh it all.

After countless meetings with investors and prospective authors, you wanted nothing more than to put on fuzzy socks and curl up in bed with a cheesy Hallmark film to put you to sleep. But with the holidays, no one wanted to talk about money because they were too busy spending it.

“I’m tapping out for the day,” you say as you stand up and peer over at Namjoon. 

He’s hanging up another string of cut-out paper snowflakes. Namjoon stops in his tracks, setting down the garland he’s created. “I’ll walk you out.”

With knitted brows and a frown, you’re wondering what’s gotten into him. He’s never once walked you out of the building. You don’t deny the offer because you’re already defeated from the day and don’t have the energy to bicker with him.

He follows you out, standing beside you as the elevator arrives. Silence fills the steel box trapping you and Namjoon before he breaks it.

“Any fun plans tonight?”

You slowly turn your head, narrowing your eyes at the tall giant. “What’s it to you?” Honestly, he’s never been so interested in your life before. Why start now? Is it because you have to work together as partners?

He glances in your direction then turns away to face the elevator doors. “Just making small talk,” he shrugs, placing his hands behind his back.

“Uh huh…”

Namjoon clears his throat out of nervousness. “You did great today in the meetings. I think we’ll have them all on board in no time.”

Is Kim Namjoon complimenting you? Such words have never rung sweeter in your ears.

“You weren’t so bad yourself. Surely, you charmed the panties off Mrs. Park.” The obvious flirting between the two made you want to gag.

A strangled noise comes from Namjoon as he dismisses your comment. The elevator comes to a stop and dings, with the door opening to the parking garage.

You’re ready to step out when you feel a grip on your wrist. Your heart flutters at the sudden contact and you gulp hard at his warm hand against your skin.

“I wanted to see if you’d want to go to a Christmas party with me tonight.”

Is Kim Namjoon asking to be seen with you in public? Why must there be some kind of magic in the air or did he hit himself too hard with a dumbbell?

“I don’t think I’ll be good company, especially at a party.”

The elevator doors begin to close, but you hit the button to keep it open.

“You can be my excuse to leave,” he explains.

Your mouth hangs open before responding. “Is that all I’m good for? Being your excuse?”

The doors threaten to close again and you attempt to hit the button to stay open, but Namjoon beats you to the ‘close’ button instead.

“Say yes.”

“Or what?” You deadpan, cocking your head to the side.

“Or else I’ll kiss you.”

Your eyes widen at his comment and before you know it, Namjoon closes the distance between you, cupping your face, and presses his lips against yours. You’re tempted to pull away and say that you should keep your relationship professional, but your body betrays you as you drop your bag, and wrap your arms and shoulders, deepening the kiss. His lips are soft and delicate, like how you remember them. He pulls back, and you can feel a smile as he returns for another kiss. Your fingers become entangled in his hair, lightly scratching his scalp. Namjoon traces your spine and presses his body as close as he can, causing a shiver to run through your body.

It’s easier to tell how aroused he’s become, and you’d be embarrassed if his thighs were to become slotted between your legs. And in no way, have you ever thought about riding his thighs.

“Namjoon…” You’re finally able to croak out. He hums, placing kisses along your jawline, and down the column of your neck. “What are we doing?”

“Kissing…obviously.”

He’s a smart ass, and he knows it, but that’s also something you’ve come to appreciate.

“I know, but—why, right now?”

The elevator number lights up, and you realize it’s being utilized by someone else.

Namjoon pulls back and stands tall, straightening his tie. He clears his throat, “I—um…” He looks up, and your gaze follows him to the small green plant that’s hanging decorated with a red bow—a mistletoe.

The two of you let out a soft laugh, trying to regain whatever dignity is left.

“You didn’t put that there, did you?”

He points to himself. “Me? Pfft—why would I do that?”

With the long relationship you’ve had, you can always tell when he’s lying.

The lift moves, highlighting the floor it’s going to.

You stride toward Namjoon, gazing into his dragon eyes, then dropping to his plush lips and back up. “Will I find mistletoes around the office now?”

A ding resounds, but you hold the ‘close’ button, waiting for Namjoon’s answer. A beat passes, and it’s the first time he doesn’t have a cheeky response ready. So you do the only sensible thing—kiss him again.

“What was that for?” He asks, scanning your face.

“We are under the mistletoe.” A chuckle leaves your lips. “Well, it was either you kiss me or I’d have to attend a dreadful Christmas party with you.”

“So, you’re not coming?”

“Wouldn’t you rather come to my place instead?”

Namjoon raises an eyebrow. “I won’t object to that.”

read > pitch fest (a don't push your luck drabble)

[anna-hawk]

Getting down to business

Julian Kaye x F!Reader

Summary: You run across Julian Kaye on several occasions at the hotel your friend works at. Each time you see him, you are more and more fascinated by his easy charm. After one specific evening, you finally decide to make a business transaction with him in the hopes that Julian will be able to satisfy you in a way that no other man ever has.

Warning/Tags: oral sex (f!receiving), sex work, shy reader, body worship, fluff and smut

WC: 9.5k // Explicit 🔞

This is written for the Naughty or Nice Bernthirst Prompt Fest. The prompt was on the Naughty list and was “Keep your eyes open, look at me.” with Julian Kaye. Idk whose prompt it is, but I hope that I was able to work it into my initial idea well enough. I definitely had an incredible time writing for Julian, and it's some of the softest, yet still intense smut I've written. And we have a shy reader this time, which is also kind of a first for me.

Happy holidays everyone 🎉

Looking around yourself to take the whole restaurant in again, your eyes fell to the crystal chandelier hanging above the table you were sitting at with your three friends. It sparkled under the soft lights of the venue, giving the place an even more luxurious appearance than the rest of the decor already did. Your eyes travelled away from the chandelier and moved to the bar lying in your line of sight, where a man was sitting at, deep in conversation with the woman next to him. You couldn’t exactly pinpoint what about him had attracted your eyes enough that you’d kept looking back towards him every few minutes since he’d sat down, but you’d found him intriguing right off the bat. He’d joined the woman he was still talking to a good twenty minutes ago, and she’d welcomed him with a seductive smile, which he’d returned with a sultry twist to his lips. They were nursing a glass of wine each, taking a sip here or there, as they kept their heads together while they spoke. You had no idea what they were talking about since, even if there hadn’t been some soft music playing, they were too far away for you to hear anything. From the body language, however, it was still pretty clear that they’d be leaving the hotel together. Or maybe get a room. 

You finally returned your attention to your friends, laughing when, Chloe, the birthday girl, got all excited as the waiter arrived with a small cake, three sparklers crackling on top of it. Clarissa, one of your two other friends, worked at the hotel and had managed to secure a table for tonight, the restaurant being fully booked on most evenings. The food was as delicious as expected, and the dessert proved just as good. While you were savoring the rich cream of the chocolate dessert, you glanced back to the man, only to find him standing and holding out his hand for the woman. You watched how she shot him a falsely coy smile before taking his hand and joining his side. 

“Looks like Julian has found a new client,” Clarissa chuckled next to you, and you noticed that she was looking in the same direction as you. 

“Julian?” You frowned curiously at her use of the word client. “Do you know him?”

“Sure. He’s an escort. He’s good friends with the head concierge, and the costumers he brings in are always super rich and leave huge tips. Well… I think they’re this generous because something else is huge,” Clarissa cackled at her joke, while Chloe and Zara snorted. 

Your eyes widened at the information. An escort? Looking him over with a new eye, you thought that he did fit the part. He was dressed to the nines, not a piece of clothing out of place, as was his impeccable hair, while the fitted suit he was wearing perfectly highlighted his body. He definitely looked like his clientele was from the upper crust. 

“Wonder how much a night with him is,” Chloe mused with an appreciative glance over her shoulder to look at the man while the two others laughed. 

“I don’t know, but I don’t think you could hire Julian Kaye with your teacher’s salary,” Clarissa winked at her, and Chloe flipped her off good-naturedly. 

“So he’s that good, huh?” you asked without meaning to as you watched Julian vanish towards the elevators with the woman. So they would be staying at the hotel. 

“From what I heard.” Clarissa shrugged. “I mean, he’s really nice and all, and he’s always super discreet with his clients. I’ve never been able to really overhear them talk whenever I was serving drinks while he was there. I think that’s what the ladies like about him… But rumor is that none of his clients ever left unsatisfied. You only need to see the looks on their faces when they leave,” she chuckled. 

The conversation steered into another direction after that, but your eyes kept returning to where the couple had left, like you were expecting to see them again and witness the proof of Clarissa’s words. Giving yourself a mental head shake as it happened for the fourth time, you forced yourself to stop and spent the rest of the evening steadfastly ignoring that corner of the hotel. 

A few days later, you made your way through the main hall of the hotel and towards the bar of the restaurant, intending to find Clarissa. You’d left a jacket at her place a few weeks earlier and had asked her to bring it today since the hotel was on your way home from work. 

Since it was late afternoon, there was only a low number of people at the bar. Julian Kaye was one of them, however. The man was sitting at the opposite end of the bar from where you were standing. This time, you were much closer to him than the first time you’d seen him, giving you the chance to take him in some more. He was sitting with his profile to you, giving you a perfect view of his chiseled jaw and the straight slope of his broad nose. Your eyes traveled to his lips as he smiled at something he was seeing on his phone, the relaxed expression looking at odds with the flirty smiles you’d seen a few nights earlier. Appearance wise, he looked just as fetching as the other day. This time, he was wearing a dark green suit that flattered his skin tone, and a pair of shiny black loafers. His hair fell slightly into his face from how he was leaning over the phone, but he brushed it back up by sliding his fingers through it. Watching him like this, you had no doubt that this man could have any woman he wanted. 

“Oh, hey, you’re already here.”

You blinked back to reality and turned your head away from Julian to face Clarissa, now standing across from you behind the bar. 

“Uh, yeah, hi, I was done earlier than expected, so I figured I could just grab a drink while I’m here before heading home.”

Clarissa beamed at your decision to stay for a while longer before she returned to the staff room to grab the jacket for you. You thanked her with a smile and plopped down on the stool in front of her. 

“The usual?” Clarissa asked, already reaching for a glass on the shelf behind her. 

You shrugged with a thoughtful look. “Why don’t you surprise me and mix something for me?” 

She grinned brightly and nodded excitedly; Clarissa was always sure to come up with some delicious cocktail. 

After you’d been chatting for some time while she busied herself with cleaning this or that item or serving customers, you suddenly noticed a tall form moving closer to you and a pleasant scent reaching your nose. Turning your head in the direction of the person, your eyes widened when you saw Julian standing barely a foot away from you as he leaned over the bar and towards Clarissa. 

“Hey, Clarissa, could you send us two whiskeys down there, please? Top shelf.” He extended a hand with a crisp dollar bill clamped between his index and middle finger. 

His voice was smooth and low as he spoke. It wasn’t particularly deep, but the soft, almost private sounding tone he used along with his friendly smile had a warm tingle running down your spine. 

“Coming right up,” Clarissa grinned, snagging the bill from his fingers and going to work instantly. 

Julian smiled back, before his face turned a bit and his eyes landed on you. You could feel your face heating under his attention, and were only able to stare at him wordlessly. His head titled faintly to the side as his lips pulled up more to one side. He was smirking at you, but there was only curious amusement in it. 

“You’re Clarissa’s friend?” he inquired, turning his whole body towards you this time. “Think I’ve seen you here a couple times before.”

Your eyes widened slightly at finding out that Julian had noticed you, even if it was only in relation to Clarissa. 

“Oh — um, yes.”

You didn’t get the chance to say anything more, since Clarissa came back with two tumblers of whiskey and pushed them over the dark wood of the bar and towards Julian.

“Here you go.” 

Julian grinned at her and picked the glasses up with a soft “Thank you”, then shot you a light wink before returning to the end of the bar where a woman was sitting. 

“He seems nice,” you mentioned to Clarissa in a completely fake nonchalant tone as you took a sip from your drink, not wanting to give away how curious you were about this Julian Kaye.  

“Julian? Yeah. Like I said the other day, he’s a really nice guy.” She held up the money he’d given her. “And a big tipper too. I’ve stopped trying to give him back any change, and he’s stopped telling me to keep it,” she said with a small laugh, moving to the side to finish the transaction with the till. 

“And the owner doesn’t mind him … working here?” you kept asking, glancing back towards Julian to see his lips pull into a playful smile at what the woman was telling him. He really had a beautiful mouth.

Clarissa shrugged. “It’s LA, right? I guess everyone wins in this situation and as long as there are no issues, no one really cares.”

You nodded, seeing her point. 

“Besides, it’s not like he’s here every night, either. He probably has his regulars here and there, and I know that he’s taken one or two of the women here to some fancy events.”

Humming at her explanation, you chose to change the subject, no matter how much you wanted to ask more questions. 

As you finally made your goodbyes twenty minutes later, you noticed that Julian was standing too and offering his arm to the woman. She seemed to be in her late 50s or early 60s, the plastic surgery she had gotten done making it harder to determine. As you slowly followed behind them to get to the exit of the restaurant, Julian noticed you as they stepped outside. He sent you a small smile and a nod of farewell, which you echoed shyly. You consciously refrained yourself from looking back at where he’d walked off to this time, and headed down in the opposite direction.

In the following days, your mind regularly returned to Julian. And his job. You had no doubt that the man actually had several clients over the whole city. He was beautiful and charming, and the way he looked at the person he was talking to made it seem like they had his full attention. You’d seen it during the two times he’d been talking to either of these women, but also when he’d talked to you. As short as the encounter had been, he’d really looked at you. 

Clarissa’s words also kept repeating in your head: Rumor is that none of his clients ever left unsatisfied. You bit the inside of your cheek each time you remembered that part and thought of his lips, wondering if… but then you shook your head, feeling ridiculous for entertaining that thought for even a second. 

That Saturday evening, you once again made your way through the hotel lobby and into the restaurant, looking for Clarissa. You and the girls were going out tonight, but Clarissa had to work a longer shift than anticipated due to one of her coworkers calling in sick. You’d offered to run by her place and pick up a few things for her so she could change at the hotel, and you’d go straight from there. 

Clarissa watched you approach with a bright smile, making grabby hands at the little bag you’d brought her with her stuff inside. 

“You have no idea how happy I am to see you. I thought the day would never end,” she sighed as you handed her the bag over the bar. “Thanks, I’ll be out front in a sec. Wanna drink something while you wait?” 

“Nah, I’m good. I’ll just sit down over there.” You motioned to one of the small bar tables with your chin. 

Clarissa nodded and ran through the ‘employees only’ door at the back of the bar. 

While you waited, you let your eyes move around the bar, absently looking at the patrons coming in and out of the restaurant. 

“You’re by yourself tonight?” asked a low voice close by, making your head jerk in its direction. 

Julian was standing to the side of your table, smiling down at you with this soft expression that you realized was his natural smile. Today, he’d gone for dark gray slacks and a burgundy button down shirt, the top two buttons undone and the jacket thrown over one arm. Your heart started beating faster at the sight of him and the attention that was directed solely on you. You took in a deep breath to calm yourself, doing it slowly and hoping that Julian didn’t notice it. 

“Uh, no. I’m waiting for Clarissa to get ready to leave.”

Julian gave you a once over, making more heat run over your face and neck. 

“Going somewhere?”

“Uh huh… I mean, yes. We’re trying out this new, uh, restaurant down town and… yeah.”

You wanted to sink through the floor with how awkward you felt. Smooth? You didn’t know them. 

“Yeah? What’s the place called?” 

If he noticed your distress, he didn’t show it. Instead, he seemed so honestly interested that it rendered you to an even bigger stuttering mess. 

“Oh, um…” you blinked a few times, unable to remember the name of the restaurant. “It was, uh… something Italian?” 

Julian’s mouth quirked to the side in amusement, but it wasn’t mocking. If anything, it looked actually sort of fond, which had your heart doing double time. You also had to force yourself to not let your eyes stare at his expressive mouth.

You jerked in your seat at the call of your name a moment later, breaking the spell Julian had put on you with his eyes alone, and swiveled your head to see Clarissa walking up to the table. 

“I’m ready when you are,” she announced with a grin, before she looked at Julian. “Hey, Julian.”

“Hey,” Julian smiled, right before someone called out his name from down the bar, and he turned towards the voice. 

You and Clarissa followed his gaze and found a woman dressed in an elegant jumpsuit waiting for Julian at the entrance of the restaurant. 

“Ladies, if you’ll excuse me… Have a nice evening at that Italian place,” Julian smiled charmingly at the two of you. “It was nice seeing you again,” he added just for you, and the way he said your name at the end had warmth curling in your belly.

Somehow, the simple use of your name also helped you make a choice about something that you hadn’t consciously been thinking about; or rather, not allowed yourself to really think about. 

“You too,” you managed, as you got up and joined Clarissa, a rush of nervousness and exhilaration washing over you at your decision. 

Julian smiled again and gave you a nod while you and Clarissa said goodbye. You watched him walk towards the woman with long and smooth strides, making you instantly picture a panther. 

“Okay, let’s go,” Clarissa said, checking her phone. “Zara just texted that they’re already there.” 

You nodded and followed her as you hurried out of the hotel. 

“What’s the name of the restaurant again, by the way? Josh asked me earlier, but I couldn’t remember,” she asked a minute later, as you walked towards the nearest subway station.  

“Leoncini’s,” you replied automatically, still lost in thought. 

You mentally facepalmed a second later because, of course, now you remembered the name. If you decided to go through with your plan, then you would have to make sure that you would be able to string along more than one coherent sentence. 

Several hours later and after a fun evening with the girls, you laid in bed but were unable to go to sleep despite your tiredness. You felt both absolutely ridiculous, but also incredibly excited about your decision, which had you going back and forth on going through with it or not. 

But you were so curious, and the thought of Julian doing this to you had you squeezing your legs together. The fact that you were paying for his services was the part that made you the most self-conscious. But then, at least you could be sure that he’d take care of you, right? 

Grabbing one of your pillows, you pressed it over your face and groaned into it with exasperation and frustration, leaving it there for a good minute. As you finally removed it, your face now hot from embarrassment and the pillow itself, you stared at the ceiling and breathed in deeply. Once. You were going to do this once. For yourself. 

Deciding on how to approach Julian about the whole thing took you several days of psyching yourself into actually doing it. It was one thing to decide that you wanted to do it, and another one to actually go through with it. One thing was certain, the only place you knew Julian to regularly be at was the hotel, which meant that Clarissa couldn’t be working on the day you went there. Thankfully, you talked about your respective jobs often enough that you knew when she was off the following week. You could only hope that Julian would be there as well, since Clarissa had told you that he wasn’t there every night. 

That Friday evening, you made sure to put extra care in what you were wearing. Julian would probably not be available the same night, which was fine by you, but you still wanted to look your best while making your request. 

Your heart was beating like crazy during the whole time it took you to get to the hotel, and you had to shake out your hands before going in to stop your nervous twitching. With one final deep breath, you walked through the lobby, nodding at the person behind the reception desk since you knew them — hopefully he wouldn’t tell Clarissa about seeing you today — and entered the restaurant. You scanned the bar and the tables lined up in front of it. Not seeing him, you looked towards the restaurant tables, but you were just as unsuccessful in finding Julian. Heaving a sigh, you bit over your lower lip, wondering about what to do. You couldn’t be sure that he would come at all, but maybe he’d be in a little later. With a look at the bar, you chose to take a seat there and have a drink. Thankfully, you didn’t remember meeting the bartender who took your order. 

Nearly a whole hour passed before you started to think that tonight would be one of those nights where Julian wouldn’t show up. You checked your phone for the time again, and sighed, about to get up, when you heard laughter and lifted your head towards the doors. Julian, dressed in a deep blue suit, walked through them with another man, the latter laughing loudly, while Julian chuckled and shook his head. Your heart, which had had the time to calm down in the past hour, found the same nervous rhythm as when you’d first arrived. You closed your hands into fists over your thighs before rubbing your palms over them. Julian was walking in your direction, and you tried to angle your body so he would see that it was you, but also not make it obvious that you were hoping that he’d see you. Picking up your second drink and surreptitiously glancing up from under your lashes as you watched them come closer, you saw Julian listening to something the other man was saying while letting his eyes drift over the room. Recognition sparked in his eyes as his gaze landed on you. You met his eyes when his lips pulled into a smile, and sent him a small one in return. 

“Hey, how’re you doing?” Julian asked, stopping at your level. 

“Good, thank you,” you smiled, turning your glass in your hands before stopping the nervous motion. 

Julian looked around the bar and tilted his head. 

“Clarissa here?” 

Your eyes widened briefly at his question. Of course, he supposed you were here for Clarissa again. 

“Uh, no, she’s off today.”

Julian’s eyes went back to you, but you were unable to meet them. You stared into your glass instead. 

“Julian?” asked the other man after a beat of silence. 

You lifted your eyes again to see Julian looking at the man and nodding. 

“Have a good evening,” Julian said with a small smile directed at you and began walking again. 

Shit. You’d had the perfect opportunity, but you totally blew it by not engaging more with him, and now he was walking away. 

Feeling like a fool, you stared at his slowly retreating back and sighed loudly.

“Julian!” 

Julian looked back at you with the same surprise that you were feeling, since you hadn’t consciously decided to call out his name. Tightening your jaw with new resolve, you put your drink back on the bar and slid from the stool to take a step in Julian’s direction. 

“Do you maybe have a minute?” 

Frowning slightly for a second, Julian shot a look towards the other man. 

“I’ll join you later,” he told him. 

The man gave you a quizzical look, but agreed and continued on alone.

With his hands in the pockets of his pants, Julian slowly walked back to you, stopping a few feet away. 

“What’s-”

“Could we do this somewhere more private?” you cut in, nervously glancing around you and wringing your hands. 

Frowning again and squinting at you curiously, Julian motioned for you to follow him out of the restaurant and towards a somewhat secluded alcove. 

“What can I do for you, Sweetheart?” 

Your heart missed a beat at the endearment. By the way he was looking at you and his soft tone, Julian was clearly concerned about your need to talk to him. It took you another second to find your voice again and get your thoughts in order. 

“Okay, so, um… First off, I need this to stay between us. Clarissa can’t know, okay?”

Julian nodded slowly, one eyebrow lifting questioningly. 

“Of course.”

Nodding as well, you blew out a loud breath and uttered a small, nervous laugh. Now or never.

“Right, so…” you stalled for a second before powering on. “I’d like to… um… hire your services?”

Now both of Julian’s eyebrows shot up towards his hairline, as he’d clearly not expected anything of the sort. His head tilted to one side as he considered you, his back straightening and his hands going back into his pants. 

“And what kind of services would you like?” he wondered, taking a step closer to you as his voice lowered, turning more private. 

Willing the heat of embarrassment suffusing your face away, you bit over your bottom lip and glanced into his eyes before looking away again. 

“I would like you to make me come with only your mouth,” you replied quietly, forcing the blunt words out so there wouldn’t be any doubts about what you wanted or expected from him. 

Julian was quiet for a moment before he spoke again. 

“That’s it? Nothing else?” 

Looking at his questioning eyes, you nodded with a one-sided shrug. 

“I’ve never been able to get there with my previous partners, so,” you trailed off with another self-conscious shrug. 

“Then you haven’t been with any decent men,” Julian said with an unimpressed look on his face at the knowledge that seemingly no one had made enough of an effort for you. 

A small, surprised laugh escaped you at the vehemence in his tone. 

“Maybe, I don’t know, but…” you sighed. “I tend to, you know, always be too much in my head. Like, I can’t fully let go, I guess.”

Julian observed you quietly for a few seconds. 

“What makes you think it’ll be different with me?”

You’d asked yourself the same question, so the answer came quickly this time. 

“I suppose, well, hope really, that since there’s no pressure whatsoever for anything else beyond that, I’ll be able to, well, get out of my head.” You laughed under your breath. “And I have more confidence that you know what you’re doing.”

Julian chuckled at the last part, and he hummed thoughtfully. 

“And when would you like this to happen?” 

“So you agree?” you asked, eyes wide at his easy acceptance. 

He huffed out a small laugh of equal surprise and let his eyes travel over you. “Why wouldn’t I?” 

Heat blooming on your face, you looked away with a small smile. 

“Well… I’m usually free on any nights, so… Whenever you’re free, I guess… And,” you hesitated for a second? “What do you charge for that?” 

Julian pulled out his phone from the inside of his jacket and scanned it for a minute. 

“How about tomorrow?” he suggested, throwing you a brief look over the top of his phone as he typed. 

“Oh… um, okay.”

“Here okay, or you wanna go somewhere else?” 

You’d thought about that and even considered asking him back to your place if he agreed, but you’d quickly decided that you’d rather it happen somewhere neutral. You laughed nervously.

“Here would be fine by me, but I can barely afford more than two drinks here once in a while without having to eat cup noodles for the following week. So paying you and a room…” you laughed with a grimace and let the end of the sentence unspoken, the meaning clear without you voicing it. You were in a luxury hotel, and the drinks definitely followed the general rates of the establishment. Only Clarissa working here got you a small discount. “I’ll have to think about-”

“Tell you what… I can usually get a room here without problem,” Julian told you with a smile. 

“Oh… Really? I guess… If you’re sure, then that would be… great.”

Nodding decisively, Julian shook his phone and motioned it at you. 

“Can I have your phone number?” 

“Oh… Yes, sure.”

You recited the number while Julian typed it into his phone, then your own vibrated in your purse.

“I sent you the rates,” Julian explained as you pulled your phone out of your purse. 

You stared at the price popping up in the texts. It was expensive, but far less than you had expected, which was a good thing. Looking back at Julian, you gave him a succession of quick nods of agreement. 

“Um… how… do you prefer your payments? Do I wire them or, um… ugh, I’m sorry for being so awkward about all this… I keep feeling like I’m going to say something really offensive and ask the wrong question at some point.” 

You huffed out an exasperated laugh and rubbed your palms over your arms. 

“Don’t be,” Julian smiled gently, leaning forward to catch your gaze, which you had averted during your muttering. “Never anything wrong with asking for what you want. Any woman should be taken care of the way she deserves to. That’s what I’m here for.”

You bit your lip at the heartfelt words, and gave him a small, grateful smile for putting you at ease. 

“As for your question. Wired, cash, however’s fine by me,” he added. 

“‘kay… Is there something… I should… be aware of? Like dos and don’ts?” 

Julian considered you for a little moment and shook his head minutely. 

“Think about what you’ll be comfortable doing. Or me doing to you. I’ll follow your lead. But we can always go with the flow, see how I can get you out of that pretty head of yours.” He pointed at your forehead with a small chuckle. 

“Oh… yeah, okay.” 

Your breathing ticked up a notch at his words. 

“Right… Wanna meet in this spot tomorrow around 9?”

“Yeah,” you stopped yourself from saying okay again. You couldn’t remember how often you must have said it tonight, or any variation of it.

“Good,” Julian smiled, pocketing his phone. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.” 

“Tomorrow,” you smiled back, nodding. 

With a last nod of goodbye, Julian turned around and walked back into the restaurant, leaving you to stare after him with a still baffled expression. This was actually going to happen. You were going to have that gorgeous man’s mouth on you. A shiver of anticipation ran down your spine. 

When you woke up the next morning after barely getting any sleep the previous night from all the excitement and nervousness of what was to come, you started wondering if going to the hotel was the best idea. What if someone recognized you and saw you with Julian, only to tell Clarissa about it? Sure, it was none of her business, but you still didn’t feel like sharing what you were going to do with her or any of your two other friends. You couldn’t be sure that they’d understand; it was quite an unconventional request coming from you. 

After lying around in bed for an hour and going back and forth with your emotions on the matter, you finally put a lid on all of it and decided to just go for it. It was only tonight, you’d be discreet and even if someone saw you, what did they actually know that wouldn’t be anything more than wild assumptions? With a decisive nod, you got up and went about your day, trying to push any thoughts of that evening to the back of your mind so they wouldn’t distract you too much. Which you weren’t that successful at since you weren’t working and hadn’t planned anything in particular except for doing some chores. 

By the end of the day, you were a nervous wreck and only managed to go through the process of getting ready on autopilot. Before you knew it, it was ten minutes to nine, and you were, once again, standing in front of the hotel. Quickly going through the lobby and avoiding the reception desk just in case, you arrived at the alcove and found Julian already standing there. He was leaning against the wall, his stance relaxed with one ankle crossed over the other, while he looked at his phone. He’d gone for a charcoal suit with a dark red button down shirt. You swallowed at the outfit, as well as at his sharp jaw that looked freshly shaved and at his nose that scrunched up in thought. That gorgeous man would be yours for the night.

Julian’s head lifted as you came closer, his hair falling slightly into his eyes from the motion. Your breath caught as he smiled, one side of his mouth pulling up more than the other. 

“Hey,” he said and turned to you, taking a few steps in your direction to meet you halfway while his eyes swept over you. “You look beautiful.”

“Hey,” you replied in kind, except that it came out breathless and almost inaudible. “Thank you,” you managed after another breath, your face feeling hot. 

“Is there something you’d like to do before we go up or…?” Julian inquired, putting his hands in his pockets, but still leaning closer to you. 

“Um, no, I think I’m good,” you muttered, trying to get your heart beat under control. 

Julian nodded with a small smile and extended an arm in the direction you were going into before leading the way. As you silently followed him to the elevators, you glanced down at his hands that were still sitting in his pants. He hadn’t touched you at all. He’d come closer, as he’d done yesterday evening, talked in a seductive voice, but he hadn’t touched you, keeping his hands to himself at all times. As excited for that to change as you were, you realized that he was doing it on purpose and clearly for your sake, considering how he hadn't refrained from touching his other clients. You felt immeasurably glad about him picking up on you being apprehensive of being touched in public. Thus far, Julian had been incredibly professional about everything. He had been surprised by your initial approach, but as soon as he’d understood what you were looking for, he’d never acted in any way or said anything to make you feel uncomfortable or ashamed about what you were asking for. You rode the elevator in silence, but you noticed that Julian was giving you furtive glances every few seconds. It wasn’t until you’d walked up to the suite’s door — yes, he’d gotten you a goddamn suite — that Julian finally spoke. 

“Just so we’re clear. Anything that is going to happen in this room, or not happen for that matter, is fully up to you. You choose that we stop here, that’s totally fine. Got it?”

You stared into his brown eyes, gentle and honest. Was your nervousness that obvious? You scoffed internally. Of course it was. You must have been fidgeting non-stop since the moment you’d seen him. 

“Got it,” you replied, infusing as much determination into your voice as possible. You did want this, after all. 

Julian nodded with a small smile and pulled a key card out of the inside of his jacket. He pressed it against the door handle, a click sounding instantly as the door unlocked. Taking a step to the side, Julian motioned for you to do the honors and open. With one last deep breath, you pulled down the handle and stepped into the room, only for that breath to whoosh out of you a second later as you took in the room. It was a small apartment rather than a room; it had a small living room dividing the room into two areas, a large bathroom showing through a door to the left, a balcony to the right, and the bedroom across from the entrance. The bed was bigger than any bed you’d ever slept in, and everything in the room showed off what a luxurious place the hotel was. 

“Please tell me you didn’t pay for this just for me. Julian, that’s-”

“I didn’t,” Julian assured you with a faint smile. 

You stared at him dubiously before looking around you again. 

“You got this for free?”

Julian shrugged noncommittally and walked to the mini fridge sitting next to the small couch to peer inside. 

You opened your mouth to insist on the matter, since you didn’t want Julian to pay any extravagant amounts of money for you, but Julian beat you to it. 

“Let’s just say that I have an agreement with the head concierge. This suite was available tonight, so he gave it to me.” 

You suddenly remembered Clarissa saying something along those lines during Chloe’s birthday dinner, and nodded, accepting the explanation. Julian smiled again as you slowly walked up to him while scanning the room and looking out at the city lights twinkling through the balcony doors and the bedroom windows.

“Do you wanna drink something?” Julian asked after he’d shrugged out of his jacket and let you take everything in. 

You looked back at him and then the mini fridge, which wasn’t that small for a mini fridge. 

“No, I’m fine, thanks,” you said softly, glancing at the couch and putting your purse on it. Biting your lip, you removed the envelope with the money from the purse and placed it on top of the fridge. 

Slowly returning your eyes to Julian, you saw him observing you quietly and not even glancing towards the envelope. You tried not to fidget as much as you wanted to under his attention, although your hands twitched at your sides as you forced yourself not to cross your arms. 

“Can I touch you?” he asked quietly, tilting his head minutely as he locked his gaze with yours.

“Well, considering what's supposed to happen, I think that you will have to touch me, yes,” you laughed awkwardly and bit over your bottom lip.

Julian came closer, standing toe to toe, and lifted a hand to stroke his fingers along your neck and to your nape. 

“I meant like this.” 

His voice was low and intimate and sent shivers down your spine, as did his fingers on your already hot skin. 

“Oh… um… yes, sure,” you breathed, unable to speak more loudly than a rough whisper.

He smiled, something soft but hiding more. You definitely wanted to find out about what this more entailed. 

“Can I kiss you?” His eyes were on your mouth, which parted in surprise at his question. 

“Isn't there like — I thought — Shit, I must sound so stupid but… is it, like, a misconception of mine or… I always kinda thought that kissing wasn't… part of this?” you babbled, as your brain tried to deal with his request and the idea of him kissing you.

Julian chuckled, amused, and stroked his thumb along your chin. 

“I'm not pretty woman.” 

You laughed under your breath and sucked in your lower lip, some of your anxiousness leaving you at his easy joking.

“No… but you're definitely a pretty man.”

Julian's mouth moved into a sweet and genuine grin before he leaned in closer until his lips were only an inch away from yours. 

“Some people don't like kissing. And I don't kiss all my clients… But I'd like to kiss you very much, if that's okay.” 

His voice was husky and soft, and you were unable to do anything more than stare into his brown eyes and nod. He smiled, soft and pleased, and moved in.

His lips grazed over yours and your eyes fell shut at the feeling. You slowly moved your lips against his, following his lead, as he alternated between pressing them more firmly against yours or retreating until the touch was barely there. Just as slowly, his other hand curled around your waist, his hand coming to rest on the small of your back. It was only then that you finally lifted your hands as well. You slid them up his back and held on to the fabric of his shirt at his shoulder blades. Your grip tightened as Julian tentatively stroked his tongue along your top lip, requesting access to your mouth. Access which you willingly granted. You made a small sound at the first touch of his tongue against yours. How could he make you already so weak in the knees with only a kiss? What would happen when he got to what you were initially paying him for? When his mouth slid towards your jaw, you instantly tilted your head to the side and moaned at the feeling of his teeth teasing along your skin. He ultimately stopped at where your neck met your shoulder and gently sucked at the spot. 

“That okay?” he asked, his rougher voice making you shiver. 

“Uh huh,” you panted. 

After a minute of this, Julian’s mouth climbed up your neck again to reach your lips. 

“Can I undress you?” 

Your eyes opened a fraction as your fuzzy brain tried to process his question. As you bit your lip, Julian’s eyes slid to your mouth, before they returned to yours with… Could it be desire? Instead of contemplating what his look could possibly mean, you finally nodded in silent agreement before whispering a tiny, “Yes.” 

Smiling, Julian kissed you again and rendered you just as breathless as earlier before he even began going for your clothes. He slowly pulled you forward as he walked you towards the bedroom, his lips and tongue still drawing moans and sighs from you. As you reached the bed, Julian pressed one last kiss against your lips, then stepped around you until he was standing at your back. He started removing every piece of clothing with slow and deliberate care, while his mouth teased at your nape and shoulders or behind your ears. Your entire body was wracked by shivers the further he went, until you were a trembling mess once he had you fully naked. His large hands slid over your sides and to your stomach, the heat and touch of them making goosebumps rise in their wake. 

“Julian,” you gasped softly, not exactly knowing what you wanted to say. His name just fell from your lips at the gentle care he was handling you with. 

“You’re so responsive,” Julian said with a note of wonder, as his fingers trailed up your chest and tickled between your breasts. He let out a soft chuckle as you arched your back and pressed your head against him when he circled his index fingers around your areolas. “So responsive.” 

You exhaled sharply and moaned when he took both nipples between thumb and pointer finger and pinched them just the tiniest bit. By now, you could feel the dampness between your legs, and pressed your thighs together as Julian continued his sweet exploration. When you had asked him to make you come with his mouth, you had expected him to do just that; get you on a bed or couch and literally go down to business. Nothing more and nothing less. You certainly hadn’t thought that he’d treat you basically like a lover, touch you in ways that had never gotten this kind of reaction out of you. He’d commented on how responsive you were, but you had never reacted this way with anyone before, which either really said a lot about your previous partners or about Julian’s talent. Maybe a bit of both. One thing was certain, if this was the service he was giving to all his clients, then his reputation was no surprise. At all. 

As one of his hands moved down your belly and towards your hips, he paused as he reached just above your mound. 

“Can I use my hands too, or just my mouth?” he asked against the shell of your ear, getting yet another shiver out of you.

A wave of heat ran through you, and you felt yourself getting wetter still at the idea of having his fingers right there. 

“Yes,” you breathed, before realizing that this didn’t answer his question, and you swallowed before you elaborated as best as you could. “Your fingers.” 

Julian smiled against your skin, then licked his way down your neck and back up. 

“Spread your legs a bit for me?” 

Despite your shaky legs, you did as asked and widened your stance, feeling the soft fabric of his shirt against your bare back. Julian hummed pleasantly and wrapped his arm around you just under your breasts before he let his other hand continue down its original path. Your mouth parted for your gasped out breaths as Julian slid two fingers between your legs to stroke them along your outer lips, as if testing your response. Both of your hands went to the arm around your chest and gripped it, as Julian moved one of the fingers to your center to gently slide it through your folds. 

“I think I’ll have a lot of fun making you come,” Julian said in a low tone, as he repeated the motion and lightly circled over your already pulsing clit. 

You keened at the touch, your head falling forward as Julian kept teasing and teasing over the same spot, the touch featherlight but still managing to light your nerve endings on fire. All through the haze of need, you still realized that Julian hadn’t said “try to make you come”, instead, he was clearly confident that he would. By how this was going, you were less and less uncertain as well. 

“Why don’t you go ahead and get comfortable on the bed?” he suggested after a minute.

Thankfully, and Julian probably knew to do it from experience, he didn’t pull back from you immediately after his request and let you gather your bearings enough to no topple over once he wouldn’t be behind you anymore. He slowly let go of you and let you walk out of his space in your own time. If you were honest with yourself, you could have stayed right where you had been all night, as long as Julian kept talking and touching you the way he’d done so far. Now that he wasn’t touching you anymore, a bit of self-consciousness returned, which stopped you from looking at him as you moved towards the bed and reclined on top of it, feeling suddenly exposed. Especially since he was still fully dressed. 

“Look at me,” Julian said softly. It was a request, not an order.

It was this small difference that made you do as asked. You slowly met his gaze, and saw him smiling at you tenderly as he knelt on the foot end of the bed. 

“You’re beautiful, Sweetheart.”

You uttered a surprised and shaky laugh and closed your eyes for a moment. When you looked back at him, you gave him a small smile and managed to relax against the pillows. Clearly pleased by your reaction, Julian pressed his other knee to the bed as well and moved up until his was kneeling in front of you. You’d bend your legs at the knees but had squeezed your thighs together. With his eyes on your face, Julian leaned down and placed a small kiss on each of your kneecaps, a tiny smile on his lips. The act had you giggling lightly and exhaling a deep breath. Your lips parted as Julian’s hands drifted down the outside of your thighs, only to move back up again, the touch soothing but also turning you on some more. You observed him as he kept pressing kisses along your knees, silently waiting for you to part your legs. As soon as you did, Julian shot you a pleased smile and proceeded to do the same thing he’d been doing to the outside of your thighs, but on the inside this time, and with his mouth. Air rushed past your lips at the ticklish yet arousing touch. You were unable to tear your eyes away from Julian’s head as he went further down until his mouth stopped at the juncture between hips and thighs. You were panting in anticipation at the idea of Julian finally moving to your center, except that he had other plans. He quickly turned his head to the other side and did the same as with the other leg but in the reverse, kissing his way up, until he was back at your knee. The small smirk he sent you had you groaning and squeezing your eyes shut. He was teasing you deliberately, and you had to admit that you liked it a lot. Your stomach quivered with need. Julian knew how to drive you high without even touching you where you needed him the most. 

“Julian,” you breathed, as your fingers gripped the comforter at your hips. “Please?” 

Julian ducked his head and shook it with a small, affectionate laugh. 

“So responsive,” he mumbled, as if to himself. “Keep your eyes open,” he added with one last glance at you, before he knelt down all the way and pressed a long kiss against your mound. 

Your mouth fell open as his tongue slowly flicked out and made its way down your outer lips. He traced patterns over them in such a way that you had no idea what he would be doing next; up, down, left, right, but never in the same order. At the first pass of his tongue through your folds, your eyes opened wide and the air came whooshing out of your throat sharply, accompanied by a surprised moan. Julian went slowly, taking his time as he drew his tongue over every part of you, leaving nothing untouched. When he began suckling at your lips teasingly, one of your hands automatically went to his head, your fingers gripping his soft hair. 

“So — sorry,” you gasped at Julian’s grunt, and instantly let go of his hair. 

Before you could retreat your hand all the way, Julian’s own hand shot out to snatch your wrist and pull your hand back to his head. 

“Go ahead,” he said, looking up at you with intense eyes. 

He spoke against your flesh, and the rush of air and small vibrations caused by his words had you uttering a small gasp. Licking your lips, you slid your fingers through his hair again. He had you tightening your grip again a second later when, with his eyes still on you, Julian sucked your clit right into his mouth. You cried out at the unexpected move and the pleasure coming from it. Your hips bucked into his face, and you had the need to apologize for that too, but Julian only groaned and held you tighter to him with his arms around your thighs. He took it easy after the first initial suck, clearly wanting to take his time there as well and not overwhelm you. You were grateful for that, since you were still unsure if hard and fast could do it for you, no matter how aroused you were after the foreplay. He still kept your hips from moving too much, making you take his ministrations with just the right intensity. As he nibbled around your lips before tonguing your clit with light strokes, you felt one of his arms let go of your legs and the hand moving to under your thigh. 

“Only my mouth, or can I use my fingers too?” Julian asked again, except that this time, he meant if he could use them at the same time. Just the thought had you moaning without meaning to. How could you say no to having his talented mouth and gorgeous hands on you? 

“Both… I want… both,” you got out, panting rapidly. 

With his eyes on yours, Julian used his thumb to slowly rub through your drenched flesh, moving it up until he could press it against your clit and circle it a few times. You whimpered, unable to look away from him, and moaned long and high as he slid the thumb back to slip one of his large fingers inside you. As the second one followed, this time, you couldn’t keep your head from falling back and closing your eyes. Julian kept his fingers barely moving for a few seconds, before he had your eyes flying open again when his mouth descended on your clit to flick at it with the tip of his tongue. He sucked and lapped at his continuously, while his fingers started moving for real, curling against your walls with each plunge in and out. 

You were… a mess. 

Julian had transformed you into a moaning and begging ball of need, your fingers flexing in his hair or the comforter as your hips moved against his mouth and fingers on their own accord. It was with both surprise and no surprise that you felt the tendrils of your orgasm assembling in the spots where Julian was touching you. You could feel them coiling together, gathering and getting bigger and warmer as your belly contracted, and your legs began to shake without your control. 

“Julian,” you gasped, sounding nearly panicked at the idea that he could stop and rip this feeling away from you. 

But Julian never relented. He worked his mouth and lips like a magician with his best trick, his fingers adding the last element that had you suddenly flying over the edge with a shocked gasp as your hips bucked. Everything went white and silent as the peak of your orgasm hit you, pleasure of the most intense kind you’d ever felt with someone else being the only thing that registered with you. After the more intense part began to fade, you felt Julian kissing the inside of your thigh as he spoke to you in a low and soothing tone. Words of praise hit your ears and made your body glow with another form of pleasure. You slowly opened your eyes as you felt Julian coming to lie next to you on the bed, and turned your head to gaze at his smiling face. Since you were still drifting on the pleasure, you couldn’t even feel any form of embarrassment at the sight of his glistening nose, lips and chin. Julian reached across your body and pulled at the comforter to tug it around you. You smiled drowsily at the gesture and the softness of the fabric against your cooling skin. Julian held himself up on an elbow and put his head on his palm as he watched you. Despite the messy hair, which you were responsible for, the flushed and shiny face, and the wrinkled dress shirt, Julian still looked as gorgeous as always. Maybe even more so because he looked utterly relaxed and at ease. That thought had you wondering about Julian’s needs. Did he get aroused while doing this? Should he do something about it? Or maybe he didn’t get turned on at all and- 

No.

You forbid yourself from letting your mind go down that road. This wasn’t a relationship. Julian didn’t have to get turned on by any of it. This had been about you, and Julian had gone above and beyond what you could have ever expected from this. 

“Do you ever get actually turned on when you do something like that?” you asked anyway, your mouth not listening to your brain, apparently. “Wait, no, don’t answer that. I didn’t mean to ask this,” you groaned as you closed your eyes, and cursed under your breath. 

Julian didn’t seem fazed and chuckled softly. “You’re sure?”

You glanced back at him and huffed in thought. 

“I… I wasn’t asking if this…” you made a vague gesture at yourself as a whole. “Turned you on… I mean… I'm not expecting you to be… and I'm aware that escorts down always have sex with their clients but… um… I guess, I’m just… curious,” you sighed at the end of your word vomiting.

“About the mechanics?” Julian smiled, clearly not bothered by your curiosity or babbling. 

You thought about that term and nodded. It was a job, after all. Julian shrugged and for a second, he got a far away look that held such a strong note of sadness in it that you nearly stopped him from going on before the look vanished completely and Julian smiled again. 

“It’s a question of working with the moment, I guess. Creating a special connection with that person. Setting the mood… and, well, habit is a factor, I suppose. Let's say that being able to get it up is different from being turned on.”

You hummed thoughtfully as you took in the information. You were glad that you didn't ruin the moment and that he was willing to share as much. 

“Well, you sure know how to create that connection,” you laughed softly and turned on your side. 

Julian snorted softly through his nose and grinned at you, rubbing a hand over your covered arm once you faced him.

“Some connections are much easier to create than others.”

His soft look had you smiling and looking down, feeling suddenly shy again. 

“Thank you for doing this, Julian,” you muttered, glancing up at him once more. 

His hand moved to your face and his thumb stroked over your cheekbone in a gentle caress. 

“It was my absolute pleasure, Sweetheart.”

And you actually believed him. Believed that he’d enjoyed giving you this pleasure, no matter if you’d paid for it. 

You stared at him for a while, just looking, and Julian didn’t seem to mind. 

“Do you have to get back?” you asked at length, looking around yourself for a clock, but not finding any. 

Julian didn’t reply immediately, but he shrugged when you looked back at him. 

“I can stay a little while longer.”

That statement had you smiling and closing your eyes. Julian’s fingers played with your hair as you drifted for a while, his presence and the comfortable bed pulling you under.

The next time you opened your eyes, he was gone. You hadn’t even realized that you’d fallen asleep. It couldn’t have been that long, however, since it was still dark outside. Turning around with a long sigh, you glimpsed a folded piece of paper on the bedside table. You sat up to reach for it, the comforter falling around your waist as you moved. 

Please stay for as long as you want. The room’s all yours for the night. Take anything you need from the fridge, it’s on me. 

Julian

You smiled fondly at the neat script and put the note back on the table. 

A nice bath in a fancy hotel room sounded like the perfect way to end this incredible night. 

[afreakingdork]

You Are My Sunshine, My Only Moonshine - Chapter 2

RotTMNT x Reader

Michelangelo is nothing but art in this chapter art by @kaysdenofchaos

Rated: Teen and Up Audiences

Relationships: Michelangelo (TMNT)/Reader, Michelangelo (TMNT)/You, Donatello (TMNT)/Reader, Donatello (TMNT)/You

Warnings: POV Second Person, Gender Neutral Reader, Anxious Reader, Introverted Reader, Stuttering, Aged-Up Mutant Ninja Turtles, Romance, Love, Love Confessions, Falling In Love, Unrequited Love, Rejection, Aromantic Asexual Michelangelo (TMNT), Bisexual Donatello (TMNT), Pansexual Leonardo (TMNT), Lesbian Cassandra Jones | Foot Recruit, Demisexual April O'Neil (TMNT), Implied Cassandra Jones | Foot Recruit/April O'Neil/Sunita, Endgame Donatello (TMNT)/Reader, Romantic Love, Platonic Love, Panic Attacks, Sexuality Crisis, Agoraphobia, Social Anxiety, Happy Ending, Fluff

Synopsis:  You’ve lost most of your life to anxiety and fear. Now, in your late 20s, you are desperate to reclaim it and during one such outing you encounter the sun personified. With his and his similarly celestially inspired family, will you finally reach your goal or will you lose yourself along the way?

Also available on Ao3

First 💛

Done on a whim, it was almost strange how right you’d been when comparing Mikey to the sun. He was a beaming hot star in the sky and he touched the land with his warmth, giving rise to life itself. For whatever reason he extended this beam to you and you were now what you dubbed as his outing friend. A term that was never spoken aloud and therefore not official, you only ever saw Mikey in the context of events. They were meant to thrust you into life and the sun, a gaseous ball that existed with or without you, happened to cast its life giving properties in your direction.

As such, the fear of sunburn, an easy retribution for more time in it, meant that your fraternization wasn’t always the best thing. Overall, the benefits of daily sun intake outweighed such things, but you wished you had been given more time to apply the protective balm necessary. Without aid, you were fast tracking social interactions at a near breakneck pace. Gone were the warm-ups or slow care you required to manage. Instead, Mikey barreled forward as an unrelenting force.

It started with that painting class. Your first invite, you hadn’t really taken into account when ‘next week’ was. Since Pasta Fest had occurred on a Friday, the text saying the class was Tuesday wasn’t technically incorrect, but only four days to prepare seemed absurd. It had taken you over a month to go out for Italian and that mental fortitude was built on an even longer stretch of yearning. Now, not only would you be denied a recovery time, but you also needed to get ready in the blink of an eye. The shortened shift balanced the scales as it was difficult to worry about the logistics of going when you didn’t even know what to wear. Having never painted in a class setting, you weren’t sure what was necessary from clothing to materials.

You had tried to text Mikey what details came with the class, but he was either oddly cagey about it or simply didn’t consider things from your perspective. The latter seemed more apparent as his responses came carefree on how not to worry followed by a sea of memes. It left you raiding your closet. Finding something loose that you wouldn’t mind getting paint on, you took it upon yourself to research the class. The internet told you little more than it was an introduction to oils, so you were left to self-soothe with an endless playlist of painting videos going non-stop until just before the class.

Meeting outside the school, Mikey appeared in casually cut clothes that fit his laid back attitude. Those pieces were then sparked with loud prints or colors that accentuated his bold flare. Tonight’s ensemble illustrated such with lightweight cotton pants that were enveloped by a fuzzy sweater swarmed with giant smiley faces on it. Trying not to think the little dot eyes of them were following you, you were ushered through the door and straight to the correct room without having a fact check once. His confidence knew no bounds as did his reach. He greeted the professor by their first name and you were quick to find that art was yet another field he mastered.

Whisked around the class, Mikey gave you the ins and outs and seemed to know almost every member on a personal level. Those he did not, he introduced you both to and it felt as though you were being shopped around to potential suitors. You were regaled in seemingly outrageous ways he had connected with these people in a way that made you question his career. While he insinuated he was a chef, he was spoken of like some kind of vigilante jack of all trades.

Unsure of what to do with that information, you had little time to dwell as you were set up at an easel. Class began and you were finally given time to breathe. Instruction meant paying attention which quieted other thought. You only now needed to focus on execution. Oil was a slow drying and therefore forgiving medium which meant things could be changed. As long as you didn’t blend too much then you had a chance to repair. As a class for those new to the medium, you were thankfully given a single color palette to avert such a mistake and found comfort in brush strokes blotting little trees.

You’d almost started to enjoy it when a swing of your arm knocked over a jar meant to clean brushes.

A large glass affair, it shattered and spread on to the floor along with your horror. Scrambling so no one would get hurt, you shot forward to pick up one of the largest shards when your foot hooked the easel. In an instant, everything was on the floor, from your painting face down in the muck to your paints which resisted the water but smeared nonetheless on the concrete.

There was also yourself. You’d fallen to your hands and knees where water and paint was rapidly seeping into your outfit. Though it was one you prepared to lose, this wasn’t anywhere near the road you thought would lead to it. A drop was one thing, but you were now as painted as Mikey’s sweater with the entire class staring to boot. Trying not to cry over spilled paints, you used the last of your dignity to at least gather those shards when a canvas shoe stepped right in front of you.

Looking up and feeling the wet sheen on your cheeks, Mikey looked down sympathetically before he dropped. With spread fingers, he swiped through the paints and danced straight through the shards. While he seemed to worry not, you scrambled along the ground to grab the glass amongst the teacher’s worries for both your safeties. You lost sight of Mikey outside of ballet-like spins over your head, but in the process acquired most if not all the glass. 

When you finally rose dripping, he moved fluidly toward you and, in a spin and tip-toes, he brought you away from the mess. You both tracked paint, but after a quick trip to a trash can, Mikey released you. You then turned, now the right distance away to see a gorgeous swirling rainbow painted with your mess on the floor. Mikey had manipulated every bit of the spill into a large piece of artwork. 

“Right! Sorry about that, Diane! I’m done taking over so let me clean this right up. There’s one of those squeegee brooms in the hall closet, I can just-” 

Your head snapped to Mikey with the intent to exclaim on how he’d done this, but nothing came so he watched you with wide eyes until his lips rounded. 

“…or we could see about hydro dipping? Not sure it’ll work with this mix, but I couldn’t help but notice that bunch of white shirts over there!” He pointed to where a box was laying half open with a cloth sticking out of it.

“You apologize, but you take over my class yet again.” The teacher, Diane you supposed, mused with her hands on her hips. “Alright, we’ll try it, but you’re replacing the product before the tie-dye class!”

“Of course!”

Switching gears as if this was always the plan, everyone moved their easels out of the way and the class shifted to a more physical one. Discussing the golden ratio and what made Mikey’s floor masterpiece alluring, the teacher went on while you were stuck staring at the mutant who didn’t seem to notice. You meant to follow along, but there was a mesmerizing intensity to the affection on his face. 

Your next outing came as a Hockey game which you always knew was going to be a problem. When Mikey invited you, images of rowdy crowds and air horns filled your head. The ghosts of which echoed in your ears as you prepared your denial. Fingers flying over your phone’s keyboard, a text appeared in the awaiting window about how this game was hosted by the seemingly ambiguous family member who had stood him up for the painting class. It was intriguing enough to give you pause. 

Another message appeared, this time with Mikey moving to guilt by saying that he alone would have to be her hype man. The other family members were too booked to support this one and your fingers further slowed. With his usual steadfast nature, more texts soon followed noting that the game was on a Wednesday night, meaning it would be slow, and that it was in the children’s league, so there would be barely be a crowd. On your last leg of escape, he’d added that you both could sit anywhere and you were done for as you erased your negating message to pen one that agreed.

In return, he was kind enough to suggest dressing warmly.

Settled in a hoodie and having only minorly debated more layers, Mikey appeared outside the rink looking nonplussed which quelled a few of your nerves. His hands were buried into a particularly brightly tie-dyed hoodie which made you think he had not only been true to his word about replenishing shirt stock, but he had also been in Mrs. Diane’s other class . Wondering just how many hobbies Mikey had, your curiosity vanished when he offered to prepare you for what lay inside. 

Your heart soared. 

With an upheld finger, Mikey warned that Casey would lead a chant at some point and he would signal you when. It would be a whole affair, but the phrase would be something obvious. There was a chance that a guy running the camera would inevitably point it at you because the operator liked to harass shy patrons. You were to stay still if you appeared on the screen and Mikey would take the heat off. Your concerns about air horns were validated, but you were assured they’d be closer to the ice and telegraphed. 

Armed with knowledge, you entered through a pair of double doors and out along rink-side seats. Air cooled, but not enough to breathe smoke, Mikey led you up to a higher section with no one in it. About halfway up the back, you settled into a foldout seat and watched as kids skated around to warm up. Mikey whispered in your ear about which one was Casey and you found her to be a furious looking human woman with an undercut who would continually scream what sounded like battle cries. Trying and failing to ask Mikey exactly how she was related to him, the game started and an announcer came on.

The small crowd was a joyous one and you felt excited as the puck dropped. Sporting events weren’t something you ever attended because everything about them spelled anxiety induced doom, but in this setting it felt bearable. Everyone was shouting, especially the parents who had lined up rinkside, but you almost felt a cozy little barrier from them in your seat choice. In the snow globe, you were looking upon, Mikey was the painted sun in the corner trying to warm a nearly frozen day. Even as jack frost nipped your nose, you would be tempted out, just to soak up the ray where your life had been dreary for weeks.

You were mentally preparing to chance a cheer at the next point when a trumpet sounded to your right.

You jumped straight out of your seat at a height that caused it to fold back up. A drum then joined the horn and as you descended your bottom hit the chair’s lip. It then buckled so you could further drop and sprawl out. Your hands shot forward to grab the armrests in case you slid away and Mikey appeared over you, asking if you were alright. JHeart beating straight out of your chest, you only looked up at him with your lips about to part in a dry sob. 

You thought Mikey might help you up, but you watched determination grow on his brow. 

With a jump different from yours, he landed in a captain’s pose and looked out at the makeshift band. Spying them, he reached into his coat as if getting a telescope, but instead manifested a kazoo. He counted off with his teacher’s projection before playing a tune. Though the sound wasn’t near as loud as the instruments, something about Mikey’s command had caught the group’s attention. They quickly stopped their discordant sounds and picked up what had to be a known song for these events. You watched with warped awe as Mikey marched, without looking, overtop the armrests to lead the band. Only brave enough to sit up, you watched as the group’s spirits soared with their conductor.

Soon the music drifted to the ice where you heard Casey scream something about listening to the mystic warrior’s battle tune and rallied the kids to destroy their adversaries.

This then spurned the parents until everyone in the place was screaming after Mikey’s little chunk of plastic. The cacophony which should have suffocated you, instead made your heart race as it all felt like a grand escalation. Not the sign of the chant you’d been warned, but something else, a goal was scored just as the buzzer went off. The whole building erupted and, within only a single second of your confusion, Mikey lifted you clear off the ground to spin and explain that they won. Shouting back the question because you couldn’t believe it, he only reaffirmed before setting you down.

Quickly turning back to the ice, you found the kids all tackling each other in slips and slides before Mikey exchanged your body for your hand. You were pulled down to the rink where you didn’t have to fight the masses as they parted naturally for Mikey. Casey watched her kid’s dogpile approvingly and greeted Mikey by his color instead of his name. He introduced you and she immediately gave you a noogie. Crying in her arms over what social barrier you had mistakenly overstepped, she released the mess of you saying you were a good luck charm and she expected you at future games. Not sure how you’d handle that, you thankfully didn’t have to as more people appeared and the conversation moved away from your recurring attendance.

Exiting found you gushing to Mikey about everything you had seen. 

He was uncharacteristically quiet as he listened attentively with his hands in his hoodie pockets.

Your event successes were then cosmically balanced as you were forced to then cancel the next two events in a row.

The first being glass blowing, you especially felt terrible as this was their last public event before they had some sort of big project that would require full use of their studio. Every day a week up until the event, you’d tried to first ignore and then fend off your oncoming cold, but it was too late. Whatever bacteria that had taken root in your body triggered a fever the day of and even when you tried to ready yourself with a mask just to power through, you’d nearly collapsed in a coughing fit.

It meant that a phone call cancellation was out of the question and, for once, you were the one to send Mikey walls of texts in the form of at least three dozen separate apologies.

There was the non-refundable ticket price.

Your last minute abandonment.

The way you’d destroyed his only chance to go.

Swimming in a commingling of snot and tears from the exchange, Mikey sent you an audio response. Stopping crying only because you were forced to, you played it to find his lips a little too close to the microphone as he told you it was fine for what you quickly caught on was the exact number of apologies you had sent to him. Dotting the message off confirming that, he told you that money wasn’t really a thing to his family and that there would always be a next time.

Quickly writing back that he should go without you, another message popped up just as you hit send.

The play button on that one had a continuation where he explained the time limit to the spoken messages and that he’d rather wait for you with some cheesy line about it being an excuse to still see you four months from now. Laughing and then immediately choking for it, you thanked him and ordered yourself some soup from a place he recommended.

One had been fine, but two felt like pushing it.

Recovery came slowly for you, but you did eventually get better. The only thing was not all your ailments were of the tangible variety. Though your body had been repaired, your mind wasn’t so lucky and it was with utter dismay that you had to cancel your next event, a pottery class, simply because it was a bad anxiety day. Waking up knowing you were already in for it, you spent the day toiling in and out of attacks until the thought of even texting him was too much. You’d left work early to crawl into your bed to face the sea of brain inducing zaps and could only offer him stunted cancellation without grounds.

It took hours, but the next time you were able to bear looking at your phone it seemed the only thing that had kept Mikey from coming to see if you were still alive was that he didn’t know your address. Sending exhausted reassurances, you resisted promising a reschedule because it currently seemed like an impossibility.

Now standing in the face of a rock climbing wall, you almost wished it had been.

Guilt was the only thing that had gotten you here. You had been clear with Mikey that sporting events themselves were already not your thing and you thought by extension that participating in them yourself fell into the same category. Seemingly not, he’d pressed, not quite about your prior cancellations, but referring to coming here as the perfect way to catch up after not seeing each other for so long. Miserable and forced to confirm your attendance based on your delinquency alone, Mikey tugged on your harness.

“All good! Try for the first few hand holds and I’ll keep watch!”

Looking back at him with obvious horror, he only gave a thumbs up in response.

Returning to the colorful wads of gum that marked where you grab, you dusted your hands with a fine powder for traction before catching the first and trying to hoist yourself up.

After three consecutive falls where you never made it more than a foot off the wall, you were ready to throw in the towel.

Completely unperturbed, Mikey was walking you through his seventh explanation of how to do it when you heard someone scoff right behind you. Flinching into the fake rocks and knowing exactly why, you wished you could cave the whole system in and bury yourself.

“Some people just aren’t made to climb!” The voice spat before you heard an aggressive slap of someone latching onto the wall a little too close to you.

Further shirking away and into Mikey, he didn’t offer the least bit of comfort as he rounded you. “Have you been climbing long?”

Eyes cracking open a little, you couldn’t believe how even Mikey’s voice was.

He almost sounded friendly. 

“Years!” The man retorted proudly where he was somewhere up halfway already. “You have to understand. There should be kiddie hours and adult swim. Lately this place has been swarmed with newbies and they take up so much space!”

“That has to be frustrating, especially when you just want to climb.”

You stole a glimpse to find the offending man blink with a registration that his complaints had not only been noticed, but seemingly hadn’t been judged. “Yeah… I… work all day, ya know? I just want to burn off some steam somewhere where I can get some upper mobility!”

“I do.” Mikey nodded as if he were stuck in some dead end job.

Was that true?

What was happening?

One minute this guy hated your guts and the next he’s spilling his motives.

Mikey had only said a few words at most.

None of them seemed particularly targeted.

It was that way he had spoken.

He had some innate ability to manipulate exchanges to his favor.

If he wanted to make you feel welcome, you’d feel it the moment he spoke those words into reality.

Knowing the same had happened to you, you heard a holler and looked up to find both men now scaling the wall at an alarming degree. Mind spinning as Mikey wasn’t wearing a harness, the pair only gave a few grunts before Mikey leaped up and slapped a bell. You took two large stumbling steps back as Mikey then landed with a squat right next to where you had just been. 

Mikey rose all too easily from where he’d just leapt 18 total feet. 

Eyes blown wide, you stumbled toward him in a frantic check to make sure his bones weren’t out of place.

Mikey didn’t address you and instead threw up a radiant smile to the man still on the wall. “Told ya!”

“You win!” The guy laughed back down.

Scented with a certain amount of fear, you were filled in on the climbing competition that had been struck up and Mikey introduced the man with his first and last name. Unable to believe this was someone Mikey already knew, you quickly found out it wasn’t. Instead, in the short few seconds you were thinking everything over, Mikey had somehow contracted this man into his echelon of friends.

Watching the pair bump fists, you could only wonder how Mikey was real. He had to be some figment your imagination had come up with to cope with your constant fear. There was no way a man this incredible could both exist and want to be near you for any length of time. You were a speck compared to him and must have been a drag upon his very being.

You held him back.

You kept him down.

Why you?

You wondered that all the way out of the gym that day and beyond. The texts still came. Mikey still for all intents and purposes was only doing what he cared to do and that for some inane reason was continuing his friendship with you. When you’d met he’d said something about spoiling you, but you had figured that was some kind of warped joke. 

Now. you wondered.

That intrigue only increased when he said he’d make up for the climbing incident with a low stakes board game night.

He was keeping your ability in mind for once and that had given you strength enough to agree. Apparently some local club had opened up their meet-ups for new contenders. It was exactly your sort of speed outside the new people to meet. They were contentious in your mind, but you had played many a board games in your years. It was a safe activity as long as the right board was chosen and the best low key way to hang out with the few friends you had. Never once having had a table flipped on you, you enjoyed the various rules enough and most known games stood the test of time. Wondering if you should bring one of your own, Mikey texted you to wait to see how it goes though he liked your eager attitude.

Telling him you were going to crush it, you only wished now that you hadn’t allowed yourself to get so cocky. Something you should have known by the way their ad had been worded. These people weren’t playing Monopoly. They were playing intricate games that spanned lifetimes in which you had to manage literal civilizations while also plotting conquest of nations. There were pandemics to avoid and zombie outbreaks to survive. Each game lengthy and with a set of rules the size of a novel, you struggled through the first game before the overwhelmingness of it all caught your throat.

Silence found you trapped as the other players screamed at each other. You had been thrust into a cooperative form of a game that had once been about beating each other out on tokens. Not sure when the switch had occurred, a second lengthy rule book had emerged and you were trying to parse out the totally new set of rules when it was ripped from your hands. You were told to learn as you went and no amount of mumbling your confusion swayed the other players. Not knowing what you were doing, one of your decisions had led to your ultimate demise. Whatever was happening now, it seemed the gist was that in two turns everyone would lose and it had all come to fruition based on a move you had taken what seemed like hours ago.

Though no one had actually attacked you personally for it, they had brought up your move over and over as they desperately tried to strategize a way to still win.

“This was why I said we shouldn’t open the game nights up…”

The remark had been passive.

One meant for the person next to the commenter.

Not for your ears, but you’d heard it.

It had somehow cut through the rabble rousing and you sank so far down in your chair until you nearly folded in half.

Mikey’s silence wasn’t helping.

He’d also written you off. 

You knew you shouldn’t rely on him to save you every time, but he was your guiding light.

Wasn’t it an unspoken agreement that he would take charge?

You’d told him about your troubles first thing.

He had a front row seat to your spirals.

He also never stepped in until damage was done. 

Had that been intentional?

He had so much on his plate, how could you expect him to notice everything?

You didn’t.

This was a board game.

Not the end of the world.

There’d be more games.

Not all were easy to win.

There were no stakes.

You just wouldn’t ever come to this particular group again.

That was fine.

There were millions of people in New York.

Ready to call it an early night, a voice cut through the arguing.

“What if I use my movement to return to Costa Rica?”

All heads at the table swiveled to Mikey, who had a finger curled under his chin as he stared at the board.

“That’s insane!”

“Back to…?”

“Wait…”

“Grab the rules!!”

Staring from the outside in, you watched the table erupt as planning switched gears. Someone announced it was possible and from there they began to bicker over what little chance that gave them. Finding a sliver of hope, they grabbed a paper and drew out the steps just in case. If followed exactly it would be a winning combination and they went through the motions with only a few dice rolls standing in their way. Clearing them as if on fate, the whole table rocketed upwards to congratulate each other.

A single tear slid down your face.

How did he always do that?

You hated yourself for thinking less of Mikey. You should have known better than to imagine him regretting bringing you to make him the fool. He didn’t think like that. The Mikey you had come to know was the sun. He continued to scorch the earth even when she put up her defenses. Just above atmosphere, he burned unperturbed. His sheer desire to be alive and live was indomitable. It was that fight that had taken him to calculated silence. He waged his celestial war in the quiet of his mind. Looking for that one little shred of hope, the ones he somehow always got his fingers on, he yanked the tapestry of life and rewove it to how he saw fit.

You were a joke.

His complete opposite in every possible way.

All you did was give up.

Run away.

Quietly getting up while the others drilled Mikey on how he’d done it, you left. Going straight home, you avoided Mikey’s texts for the next few weeks. Not strong enough to quit him completely, you did read all of them at nearly all hours which held its own culpability. He surely saw all your read receipts and you almost wished it would sour his opinion of you. Maybe then he would finally move on and you could start this process anew. You should have known better than to think you could hitch your wagon to someone else’s. You were supposed to venture out alone. This process had been about you wanting to do more. Mikey was too selfless for his own good. He didn’t realize he was dragging himself down. The space would help.

The only problem was, it didn’t.

Mikey didn’t seem to care that you never responded. He moved forward tenaciously and even invited you out two more times. You’d scorned the messages, but time had done something to you. You reflected on how surreal it all was. You’d warped your image of Mikey without realizing it. You’d given him godlike command over others. You thought him some kind of manipulator that could get anyone to do his bidding. It felt comical. A rewind found him instead ignorant of scorn or even happiness. He simply forged his own path so authentically that others couldn’t help to be drawn in no matter what their side. You swore he must have the ability to turn even the most speciesist person over into a mutant advocate given the chance.

He was your idol.

That skirted more tedious titles, but you refused to put him on a pedestal. It was because of his failings that he now appeared an achievable image. He was the golden standard of what you wished you could be. He was utterly immune to social anxiety and you craved the pride in which he held himself. He still retained his sun moniker, but now it was one of a laissez-faire ruler. Life may have proliferated from him, but not because of him. There were other powers at work, but his status was attainable. You could mimic him like a lowly sunflower that had forced its way through the concrete. You could move with him. You could catch his rays as he passed you by. 

The only thing you couldn’t figure out was what he got out of it. The him that was a person should have written you off as a moot point, but he hadn’t given up. Messages continued to roll in. The negative thoughts said he should have long ago, but another argued that you were yet another thing he chose to fight for. When you had seen him, he hadn’t shied away one bit. He’d thrown himself and, by proxy, you into each foray and fixed the outcome if it wasn’t to his liking.

He never once complained.

He’d told you it was fine hundreds of times.

He hadn’t dismissed your feelings.

He’d tried to reroute them.

Staring at your phone for yet another sleepless night, you saw he asked if you wanted to try something low-key next. His next few messages seemed to indicate that he thought maybe you’d been overwhelmed and had needed to take a step back. He said that he understood and mentioned something about two of his brothers who experienced the same thing. Promising only the utmost comfort by going to see a movie, you could only think he was too bright and that wasn’t just because your phone’s brightness was the only thing illuminating your dark room.

He was still singeing you.

The little burns would pile up.

The warmth was also undeniable.

Whatever it was he saw in you though, you were thankful for it. Whether he was oblivious or his spirit was something ethereally burning, your absence wasn’t one he worried over. In contrast, you felt a dangerous flicker as you pondered how easy it would be to take advantage of him. As you’d seen time and time again, once he decided something, he rolled with it. It didn’t matter how you and others treated him; he wanted to see the best in others.

Heart sinking, you wondered how many people had hurt him. It had to be impossible because he could turn anyone into his fan with only a few choice words, but there was still a chance.

You didn’t want that from him.

You: Aren’t you worried?

Chef: About what?

You waited for the inevitable message asking why you hadn’t responded, but it never came.

You: That I might not be a good person?

You watched the bubbles percolate before dozens of messages started to flood on your screen. Some testimonials and mostly things he felt, he dismissed your claims in his usual motormouth way. In or out of the digital world, you had always loved to listen. It took the conversational burden off of you and Mikey was made for that. Even if it was clear he sometimes missed your responses, you couldn’t be mad because he shared the whole of himself. To you it only felt like the pittance to pay in order to stand in his glory. You were gaining so much from him; there was no way you could question your guide. From how far you’d come and all the things you’d done, the night you met almost seemed like a distant memory.

Going alone had taken months of preparation. 

In that same time frame, you’d done more with Mikey than you’d done in your entire life.

Isn’t that what the movies taught?

People were stronger together. 

How could you return to a world without him there with you?

You: When and where did you want to do the movie?

You: Is there a theater near both of us?

You: Or would that be too much?

You: I realize now that I don’t know where you live…

You: Don’t feel like you have to tell me! 

You: Also

You: Thank you

How could you make it mean more?

Two words didn’t sum up how you felt. 

About him finding you. 

About him continuing to see you. 

About him not giving up on you. 

You could say it. 

You could show it. 

After a light discussion ironing out the specifics, a time slot was booked and plans were set. For all intents and purposes, everything had returned to normal, but this time you were prepared. You were going to be worthy of his time. A student with a gold star, you did your best to keep up with his messages until the day of. Meeting after work, Mikey offered to walk you to the theater as what he phrased as your bodyguard. Laughing at the imagery of him bouncing your bad thoughts away, he mentioned where he’d be arriving from which was an approximation of his address.

When you looked it up it had been a block with what you thought were empty buildings. 

You couldn’t put it past Mikey to have some sort of kitschy bobby like flipping houses. You wondered where and when he picked up carpentry when you emerged from your apartment to find him right on time waiting out front. Greeting you easily, you started down the street and made it a few blocks before he stopped dead. Not as quick as him, you made it a few more feet before you turned to find him patting himself down in a flurry. Arms moving faster than you could track, he went a new shade of pale green under the streetlamp.

“I left my phone at home!”

Going on high alert, you fumbled for yours. “Y-you h-have the t-tickets, b-but I think… um…? D-did you… send me a c-copy?”

“Did I!?” He appeared over your shoulder to look down at your device as he turned his pockets out. 

“O-Oh…” You scrolled through the texts and found he’d only told you the details. “No…”

He clicked his tongue. “Ugh! So dumb!! I left my wallet too!”

“M-maybe you c-could login with m-my-”

“Let’s swing by my place, it’ll only take a second.” He groaned to the sky.

Startling to attention, you stuttered nonsense.

From the area he gave you, it wasn’t far, but it certainly wasn’t close.

If you headed there and backtracking then you’d be cutting it close to the movie time.

“Come on! It’s this way!” He gestured and took few leading steps backward.

Your phone seemed to complain about the time, but the impatient thunk of his shoes moved you to follow him.

You were curious about what he described as a lair.

The oddest choice when it came to nicknaming your house, he went on about how their last place was blown up before they found this one. Unable to place whatever reference he was making, a few turns took you to a less populated area. Nervously sticking close to your light, you descended a dirty old stairwell to where a door was chained up. With what looked like a wave of his hand, Mikey undid the metal and opened the entrance with a sweeping gesture. Staring into a black abyss, you made a nervous sound which caused Mikey to look up.

Seeing what he’d opened to, he laughed at himself. “Kinda horrifying when you haven’t memorized the steps. Let’s use your phone’s flashlight.”

Doing that in a few clicks, he hopped ahead after locking the door back up and, for a moment, you thought the worse. Trapped down where no one would ever find you, Mikey could have been playing some long con and you were about to disappear for good. Not wanting that, you trembled a little as Mikey continued forward. He whistled a jaunty tune and left you without choice. You scrambled after him as he led you down to an old subway station where he jumped down onto the rails. Overlooking the drop yourself, you found him holding his hands up as if to catch you.

“Don’t worry! I’ve got you and this old thing’s out of service. The access door is literally right around the corner from here!”

You decided that if you were going to die at least your final moments had been interesting.

Doing what had to be the worst leap, Mikey caught you with ease and set you down as if he’d done that a hundred times. His lackadaisical show of strength came as an auspicious one. If he wasn’t out to kill you, he could surely protect you. As if reading your thoughts, he filled the empty air with talk security in place. From what had to be jokes about lasers to something about surveillance, you wondered who would ever want to hurt Mikey. 

You were left guessing as, true to his word, it had been a short walk to said entrance. 

Mikey gave another bowing offer by opening the door for you and you were led through a set of contrastingly well lit tunnels. It spoke of life even if the space was barren and you headed toward what appeared to you as a subway depot. A place where cars were stored for later, there were several laid out on various tracks and soft fairy lights strung over nearly every part of the ceiling.

“Welcome to the turtle all-in-one super lair!” Mikey spun away from you with his hands in the air.

Unable to keep your eyes in one spot, you saw gorgeous graffiti layered on the walls and that the place was tidy though clearly lived in. Mikey went on a new tangent about how the cars had been retrofitted into rooms and how one day, when he had more time, he would show you the kitchen. Not anywhere near processing his words, you were left as he politely excused himself to get his missing items.

Hang tight, he said. 

You could spend hours here, as if in a museum, and not see everything. 

You thought you responded, but your mouth hung open at the expanse. You gaped as you traced the architecture to where an atrium opened up and revealed three stories. Stairs moved around like an Escher painting and you could only imagine their limitless possibilities. They breathed life and soft music poured down the steps closest to you. Wandering closer to take a peek, you found faint light was also escaping from what had to be a television. 

You had already chosen to stop when a sharp silhouette interrupted the glow. 

What had Mikey told you?

You couldn’t remember, but you felt like you were snooping. 

It was on that instinct that you ducked behind the brick archway. 

Steps soon matched the shape that moved at a leisurely pace.

Your heart beat a nervous clock when you saw a blue-coded turtle. 

You placed him instantly. 

Mikey loved photographs. 

This was Leonardo. 

He hit the landing with bowed legs as he walked and read a comic at the same time.

You were very much gawking. 

He was slow to stop and, when he did, he took a deep breath. 

His head then snapped to your direction with sharpened focus. “Yeah, maybe you missed the no soliciting sign, but…!”

Comic gone, he was all blue light and swords. 

You flailed frantically. “I’m with Mikey!!”

Cold steel stopped inches from your face and Leonardo’s whole demeanor shifted. “Oh, wait! Y/N? Didn’t you two have a movie tonight?

“H-h-h-h-he f-f-f-forg-got h-h-his w-w-w-allet…!!!” You didn’t think you could manage the another word.

“H-h-h-huh.” Leo remarked back, not quite mocking. “You cold or something? Don’s got the temp set to something good I thought.”

With a shrug, his weapons disappeared in another flash.

Star.

This man was a shooting star.

He burned with flashes of ferocity so bright you had to turn away.

From what you’d been told, he commanded even more.

From what you could see, you bet he could also disappear just as well as his swords.

Unable to get a steady voice, your gaze hit the floor.

You felt Leo continue to evaluate you. “You good?”

You nodded.

He’d think you were insane.

Your actions didn’t sync up with your lack of words at all.

You felt him smile more than you saw it. “Did Mikey ever tell you about the time he got his skateboard stuck in a sewer grate?”

Blinking a few times, you were shy to peer at Leo. “M-mikey.. .skateboards?

Leo’s wicked grin split his face. “We all did.”

You watched on with growing interest. 

“I can’t believe I put my wallet in the microwave again!” Mikey clambered down the stairs.

“-and that’s why Mikey was the last of us to be potty trained!”

You giggled from behind your hand.  

“Nope!!!” Mikey screeched on the last step. “Leo, what are you doing!?!”

“You left your friend here all alone!” Stepping through the large space Leo had given you, the blue turtle moved behind you to gently take each of your upper arms as if to show you off. “I was entertaining our guest! Being a good host! Filling them in on all your most embarrassing memories! Normal stuff!”

You chewed your lip to keep from laughing.

“They’re lies!!! All of them!! Lies!!!” In a fit of anxiety you watched Mikey claw around him. 

Where there was nothing, he caught something and he ripped the air with a tear of orange light.

Life force leaving you, you felt Leo’s grip tighten as Mikey shoved through the hole he’d somehow created.

You didn’t hear the second rip as much as you saw it appear next to you. 

Mikey then walked out of it and into your face. “What did he tell you!?”

You gasped like a fish taking its last breath.

A ominous shadow appeared, casting darkness over Mikey’s overly wound form. 

Only you looked up to find a hulking red turtle that you knew to be Raphael. 

The eldest used the whole of his hand to grab Mikey’s shell. 

He then lifted the turtle straight into the air, away from you, while you leaned so far back into Leo that you thought you’d be on the ground otherwise. 

“You’re making a racket! Both of you cut it out! You’re freaking people out!” Raph huffed and you couldn’t shake  how he was at least ten times the size that he appeared in any photo you’d ever seen of him. “Sorry about that. Y/N, right? I’m Raph, nice to meet’cha!”

This was their ground.

Large and all encompassing, this man had to be their rock.

Not just because he was big enough to support all of them on his carapace, in that sense he was the size of the Earth, but because his very essence oozed compassion.

You imagined he worked twice as hard as Sisyphus.

“That being said…” Raph dropped his scolding for a snicker. “Which story did you go with, Lee? Potty training?” 

Mikey screamed and fought his air jail.

He was also very much a big brother.

“Oh yeah!” Leo cooed triumphantly. “And the bull story and the skateboard-gum incident!”

Flames exploded and Raph flicked his hands as if bacon grease had splattered up at him.

Once again, Leo was your cane as you watched Mikey shake off being on actual fire like it was a few measly water droplets.

“No more!!!” Once doused, Mikey caught you and pulled you straight away from Leo.

Crashing into his hard plastron you heard Leo and Raph chorus for Mikey to be careful.

“We have to go! Movie starting and all!” Mikey screamed to the ceiling.

“We haven’t all introduced ourselves!” Raph added, sounding a bit sad.

“Speak for yourself.” Leo rolled his eyes.

“Did you? Or did you launch straight into humiliatin’ our lil bro?” Raph’s brow ridge rose under his mask.

“Hey look, there’s Donnie!” Leo waved just as Mikey yanked on your arm trying to get you away. 

You looked over to where a fourth, purple clad turtle had just descended the stairs. Caught like a wild animal on film, he was the picture of a gremlin. Hunched forward, goggles down, in a stained hoodie, and holding an ungodly sandwich with a calories count the likes of which you had never seen from a home kitchen, the man only reviewed Mikey with a sort of tepid affection before staring you down with what you could only identify as malice.

Mikey released you and jumped the distance to tackle the new brother.

Donnie dropped his hatred for a smile and twisted around so his sandwich would remain unharmed as he caught his younger brother.

If that wasn’t a reflection of the sun, you didn’t know what was.

With a cold icy exterior that sat in the dark expanse of space, Donatello had to be the moon in your little cosmic parallels.  

Mikey nuzzled his cheek to Donnie’s and, with his free arm, the older brother carried the younger back over.

That gaze, merciless and seemingly ever-present, Donnie glowered at you all the way until he deposited Mikey by your side.

“I knew you had a face only pops could love, but damn Don, if you keep mean muggin’ like that and you’re gonna lose your last fan!” As soon as Mikey was gone, Leo tried to slot himself against the purple man.

Donnie looked like he had a retort, but he bit down on it to sidestep at the last second and caused the blue brother to fall onto his face.

Raph’s large hands dragged down his cheeks so hard that it peeled his lower lids. “Why can we never get through introductions!?”

“Because you don’t take threats seriously.” Donnie turned from an outright glare in your direction to a stewing nature towards the oldest.

“Now hold on!” Raph threw an annoyed finger in Donnie’s face. “Raph is the king worrier! You all know that. Right, Mike?”

“Raph has the worry crevice.” Mikey nodded.

“Right!” Raph started and then spun around, offended. “Wait! No! Not this again!” 

“Told ya!” Leo pumped his fists from where he was still on the ground, now reclined as if he’d always been that way.

Mikey mentioned villains.

It had been a joke, right?

Mikey mentioned calamities.

That was just New York.

Mikey mentioned powers. 

He had the emotional prowess of a psyhcologist. 

Mikey had mentioned so many, many things.

Mikey had said so much.

Too much.

None of it had felt real.

Mikey had a penchant for exaggeration.

It only hit you then. 

These were the heroes who saved New York.

They saved the planet.

They’d been a rumor. 

They’d then been famous. 

Fame tapered off. 

They had returned to whispers. 

Taking a step back from them all, you felt precariously placed.

You weren’t supposed to see this.

Mikey had ripped through space-time and you were now supposed to go see a movie with him.

You couldn’t imagine sitting next to him for two odd hours knowing what he could do.

He’d combusted into flames.

Leo had reached through space as well.

What could the others do?

Had Mikey told you?

They were so strong.

Your earlier thoughts of disappearing reared their head.

They couldn’t just kill you, they could eradicate you.

Stumbling slightly, words trickled off your lips. “I-I’m here because M-Mikey… w-wants me to be...”

Why had you said that?

Were you trying to convince yourself?

Did you believe that?

“Oh-me-gosh!” Mikey gasped and, in two skipping steps, he hugged you. “Y/N! You said it! You actually said it! No pity or anything!” 

You nodded against him, feeling your body wilt as your brain rallied about what he was capable of.

Spinning up off the floor, everything blurred. “You’ve come so far! I’m so proud!! Good job, good job!!”

You saw snippets of the others as if time stopped when you passed them.

Raph smiling in a knowing way.

Leo grinning mischievously.

Donnie’s grimace.

A sound came from Mikey’s phone and he took the time to set you down methodically before grabbing it. “The movie! We’re so late! Oh man!! The credits are gonna start!! I wanted to see what’s coming soon!”

Leo sat up, rolling his shoulders in a stretch. “What’s the address?”

“One million Run of the Mill pizzas to you good sir!!!” Mikey cried happy tears and dropped to a knee that honored the glory of his brother.

“If only your tab wasn’t already worth ten lifetimes!” Leo bemoaned as with a flick, there was a sword back in his hand and he sliced open a large blue disc right into the air.

“Eh, I’ll serve my sentence eventually.” Mikey laughed brightly as he tugged you through and you both appeared right in front of the movie theater.   You had to take a moment not to throw up.

💛NEXT💛

Always shouting out my beats @tmntxthings and @thepinkpanther83

[hd-hurtcomfort-fest]

***ANON MASTER LIST***

And what an amazing list y'all! We encourage you to please continue to shower our talented participants with kudos and positivity.

Check out our Guessing Game here! We've provided a list of all participants to aid with your sleuthing. ✨The winner will get first pick of prompts next year✨ (if a fest participant) and a shout out during reveals week postings.

We've also got supercute chibi Drarry coloring sheets by @secretartlair and a fun fest crossword, so look for those in the next few days!

REVEALS WILL BE POSTED TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1! *banner art by @basiatlu

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