#please ignore the mistakes. just look at how pretty that skirt is how shiny the leather thing looks please dont look anywhere else please pl

[klbzplb]

suuuper late gem birthday portrait (acrylic on canvas) (reference under cut) (dont ask how long this took) (it was over 80 hours) (god help me)

photo gem posted on twitter for her birthday

[iamacolor]

fashion queen! which nct era has the best fashun in ur opinion?? and if u were a designer which neos would u pick as ur models?

I was so excited to answer this that I wrote several pages and it basically turned into a style analysis for each unit so I sure hope you have some time on your hands to read everything I’ve just written! (I did not reread so sorry for any typing mistake)

NCT is known to be experimental in their music and that’s also the case in their styling so there’s a lot for me to get into even though sometimes it’s a miss. One thing I will say though is that when it comes to the styling in mv/teasers, what’s around the clothes is super important because if you have a very specific styling concept, your set design or graphic design needs to complement that and give the audience more clues on how to read all these elements together (the cherry bomb era is a great example of that with all the added graphic elements and the predominance of the colour pink) and recently I’ve found that the creative team has not really gone further than just putting nct in an outfit in front of a basic background so it makes for a pretty underwhelming result

But let’s move on to my favourite styling eras. I’m going to do this per unit (I’ll finish with NCT U) and define an era by its teaser pictures and the mv (and not go through all the performance looks during the promotion period)

I’m putting this under a read more because it’s reaaally long (I put pictures so that it’s not just one big chunk of text)

NCT 127

Easily the most experimental unit when it comes to fashion, especially in their first years where they would wear mix of sportswear, grunge references, avant-garde fashion and a lot of layers. When it comes to their debut “Firetruck”, I think it fitted the song really well but that it didn’t fit all the members equally (especially the younger ones, for me Taeyong and Taeil pulled it off the best – it’s expected of Taeyong but I also think that Taeil always stand out when they go for edgy/unconventional look, I think it really suits him).

Anyway, just to say that they were off to a very strong start and then I’m just going to kindly ignore the Limitless styling and move on to Cherry Bomb!

One thing nicely done for CB is how when you look at a group picture they’re clearly all following the same concept but they’re not necessarily matching or giving off the same vibes if you take them individually. I love the use of the colour pink which brings a) a great visual impact (you don’t ever see that much pink at once – especially on men) and b) an harmony despite the shapes and styles of their outfits being so vastly different, you’ve got ties, tousled, shirts, little frilled collars, stripes and all-over prints, sportswear and formal wear… (ex: taeyong’s short jacket is reminiscent of something a little luxurious, even maybe historical/noble with the little added embroidery-like details, it reminds me of these boleros jackets worn by toreros that are often red/gold VS doyoung’s overalls is an outfit that has a much more recent origin as it was first worn by factories workers, it’s usually blue or grey and is meant to be practical rather than pleasing to the eye -> here it fits very well with the general setting of the mv in what looks like an empty industrial storage space)

This second look is more of a game on how to deconstruct formal wear (there are less prints and no bold colours, their hair is less messy…) but they don’t just add sportswear like the bomber jacket, you can find rock or more “modern” elements with the leather jackets or the jean jackets. All in black and white so great contrast with the previous looks, although that mix and match concept is still there. My favourite elements are the checkered ones (worn by taeyong, taeil and haechan) as it reminds me of the strategy element of the chess game which fits pretty well with all the weapons and other arms visible in the mv (a bit like a nod to the game battleship)

This one I love that they developed their own print, especially since it’s another graphic element used elsewhere (see their album cover), because it’s a great way to really introduce their identity as a group, through the different visual elements they put out in a comeback, it’s like a logo but as a print. And all the teasers and the mv did a great job at mixing 2D/3D contents so that’s another nice way to be cohesive. It’s not my fave look out of the 3 (especially because I do not approve of that belt-suspenders-bag they gave Johnny, it’s like everything you don’t want to put a dancer in and it’s ugly as well) but I still like the fact that’s it’s another nod to the battle/strategy aspect of this comeback, like they’re on a mission to hit the stage and conquer it

Then fast forward to my other favourite one, Simon Says! (No teaser pictures here because they don’t show anything or they show not enough lol)

First of all THE MASKS

Oh how I wish they could’ve been shown more (imagine teasers with the members wearing them!!! I would’ve loved individual teasers based on each of the masks concepts) Once again, a great to have group concept without making everyone wear the same thing. They’re all super different and full of details. Haechan’s is the only one from what I could who’s mask is actually a mask and not a fully covering hood. The materials and techniques used on these are either evocative of “fragile” things like glass and flowers but theses elements have their own hidden strength. Some others are covered in lace, pearls, fringes or fur…all these things are usually considered to be precious or even luxurious but it covers their faces and their identity and they throw it away in rebellion (and I think it’s also super interesting how Taeyong who takes off his mask first has the least ornamented one)

Then the outfits themselves. Simon Says in an interesting MV because unlike most others they wear one outfit for most of the MV (the second one appears quite late in the mv and is lit and staged in a way that makes it less visible). It’s a mostly grey/white set of outfits which is usually a colour combo for office wear or maybe factory workers, it’s not something that can seem very exciting or edgy. The styling in these outfits reminds me of the works of Japanese designers who came to Paris in the 80’s and kind of shook the whole high fashion system by bringing a different type of shapes, aesthetic and purpose to fashion (Rei Kawakubo, Yohji Yamamoto…). These designers  went on to become super successful and inspired another wave of “avant-garde” designers nicknamed “the 6 of Anvers” (Anvers is a city in Belgium), this group includes Martin Margiella, Dries Van Noten…And to me the outfits in Simon Says really fit into this aesthetic. Unconventional fits, various layers, it’s not so much mix and match than a work on contrast between structure and fluidity (Yuta’s half skirt with un-trimed edges, Haechan’s long shirt with the long bow and the fitted jacket, Mark’s top with the various see-through layers of different lengths…).

An other interesting details (which to me calls back to the mask and that tension in the song/concept of letting go/being free of expectations), is the way they all have thick strings tied on their feet/ankles. Not holding them back because their feet aren’t tied together but there’s still this clear restriction of the garment itself, a reminder that there are tied to something and not completely free (also an interesting choice when dressing dancers who would need to have no added weight or discomfort in their outfit to dance but visually something is holding their ankles)

Honorable mentions:

Kick It– they managed to create very memorable outfits while taking inspirations from already well known elements (both for the fighting/training outfits and the bomber jackets). The black and white outfits especially are very original as performance outfits/dancing clothes since the og garment they’re inspired by has already such a strong identity outside of the performing arts and I don’t think I’ve ever seen it be used as a stage outfit? Or concept? It’s a nice exemple of how you can take inspiration for something designed to be useful and to be efficient (in fighting) and turn it into an aesthetic.

Truthfully, martial art training outfit was already an “aesthetic” on its own but they made it a performance costume and now I do feel like it’s one of these looks that everyone will remember (like if there was a “most memorable kpop outfits” list it could easily have kick it’s black/white fits). The rest of the outfits for that concept weren’t as memorable/original to me although I feel like it showed a new approach to the styling of nct 127 as a group since they all had very similar outfits this time (especially when wearing the jackets).

Also, interestingly,  that shot of Jaehyun that had everyone go “wow” ? Well it’s impactful because it’s him and he looks like that and it’s shot in a very specific way, but it’s also even more impactful because he’s the only one who gets to wear that kind of outfit in the mv. Everyone else has 3 sets of outfits (black and white, shiny black, red jacket and black pants) but he has 4 and that suit is only used in that shot which makes for a greater impact!

And I feel like Kick It in terms of styling opened a new era for NCT 127 has it kind of broke their usual mix and match/edgy concept. This time they were clearly referencing something already well known (either martial arts, the 90s…), and the members were all matching and they kept on doing that with the military jackets in punch, the other 90s concept in nct 2020…

Touch – for the way the outfits match the sets (in all their individual sets their outfits have a detail in a matching colour), the focus on colours !!! You can see that this whole concept was designed with this colour game/colour progression between the outfits and the set in mind. It’s just very pleasing to the eyes and a great contrast to their usual stuffs (also I wrote my graduation paper on colours so I am really into creative use of colours like this)

OK now moving on to Dream!!

The interesting thing about Dream compared to NCT 127 is that from the beginning although their outfits had to match the song an the concept of the comeback it also had to match their age. Dream’s a group that had to look young when debuting (to the point where they wore outfits that made them look even younger than they were which is rarely done for boy groups) and then they had to transition into adulthood, and all of that had to be made visible. In that aspect, I really like the styling for We Young and Boom (especially when you look at them at the same time).

For We Young, the styling is meant to be reminiscent of school/boy scout uniforms but with a marine vibe. It makes for playful outfits that aren’t too childish but that also aren’t grown up. I prefer the “seaside” outfits as I don’t really like school uniforms as a concept for styling and I think it’s really a choice that suited them and the song so well, it really fitted their energy. It’s playful but it also has a vintage touch to it as these outfits with their stripes and their squared flap at the back date back to the XIXth century (I just found out that it all started with the queen Victoria dressing up her kid in an outfit inspired by the royal navy uniforms for a painting after a cruise ).

Boom on the other side is their first proper “grown-up” concept. We go up was already more grown up but still very “teenager-ish” and although they were mostly teenagers when they did Boom it was clear that this was supposed to be their first entry into “adulthood” as a group at least. And although they did wear a sportswear/casual outfits which is something that isn’t related to age (and I really like the black and white “skeleton” set which already feels more grown-up and more “stylish” than the other casual outfit) , they wore two other “grown-up” elements: suits and all-jean outfits.

And yeah teenagers, and kids wear jeans too but a full jean-on-jean outfit is more of a “grown-up” fashion choice and it makes them look like young men rather than boys. As for the suits, I just really love when stylists play with the codes of that garment (length of the jacket, tightness of the pants, the way the shirt is tucked in…).

Notice how Renjun has a really short jacket, Chenle’s pants are wide, Jeno has a tail…Once again, a really interesting aspect of Kpop is the variations of the same concept based on the members. In the mv, there is a tension between their more grown up selves (the one in suits, the one with a craft/a path) and their young selves (the one running around in the field, the one laying down in the flowers and eating a cake). And there is also in these outfits and the contrast between them this tension, this contrast…which path should they go? The jeans are the more laide back, innocent outfits, whereas the suits come with responsibilities and status (and you’ll notice that in the scene where jisung is left alone to blow his candle it’s when he’s wearing jeans not when he’s in the suits).

Now on to WayV!!

WayV are different from the two in the sense than when they debuted they couldn’t have an “age” concept or an edgy concept because 127 and dream had already taken those and I feel like for that reason they’re still looking for what makes them stand out visually from the others (and in my opinion it’s not in whatever they were wearing for turn back time!). WayV’s concept is space and time travel, it’s building a new life, a new worl, going beyond anything! In my mind, they’re either supposed to feel a bit “otherworldly” (either spectacular or literally like they’re from another world/another universe, a little bit futuristic maybe?) or to look like explorers/travellers (they have a lot of travel/transportation “gears” references in their outfits). Their MVs also have a very different production than the other nct mvs (the scale and the way it’s filmed, the sets…it’s a different approach and it’s usually much more “grand” for their title tracks). The great thing about WayvV styling is usually that they match the outfits well with the world that the mv is set in (like in Moonwalk for example you get a sense of the world they’re in and the fact that it’s not ours or at least not as we know it now through the way they dress – you can’t really say oh it’s inspired by this era or by this or that because -at least- to me it immediately gives me a vibe of something that could be worn in a sci-fi movie, almost like a costume) or that they allude to travel in their styling.

When they debuted with Regular they went for a very sleek and high fashion look which worked really well for them! Even their more “casual” looks were a bit striking and I think that’s very “wayv-like” to me.

Same goes for Take Off where they mix the individual styles (and I don’t like ten’s leopard fur sleeveless jacket at all) and the group concepts – the “flying” outfits and the “racing” outfits (that last one is my favourite! I love the silhouette it creates with the tight pants and the larger tops with an emphasis on the waist).

There’s something a bit extra to WayV - which is why some of their outfits remind me of costumes more than fashion while at the same time they’re the most “high fashion” unit– like the “flying” outfit in Take Off are recognizable as “flying gear” but you can’t really tell what they’re flying, it feels once again like something that they could wear in like star wars or a similar kind of story.

Imagine a movie about 7 men on another planet trying to come together to overcome the dark forces or whatever’s bad on their planet in a futuristic society with a mix of “traditional” and “trendy” outfits? That’s WayV. The movie the 5th Sense? That’s WayV but on steroids. They’re also the only group with actual characters in their mvs, they’re all supposed to have a backstory or an individual setting and find a way to get together in their mvs.

Anyway all that to say that it’s hard for me to pick an era for them because they’ve only had a few and they still feel like they’re looking to solidify their concept, and since moonwalk and turn back time really set the styling in different worlds than ours, you have to look at how they fit in that world rather than ours and I think Moonwalk does it best since it’s the most cohesive one visually. But then I think Regular had the best individual styling!

Okay this is super long but we’re finally getting to NCT U!!!!

Number one favourite:

The Year Party outfits!!!! I’ve already talked about this but I love when they say we’ll put them in suits and then since they have to make a different one for each of them they cut bits an dpieces of the suits here and there, play with lengths. It’s not a revolutionary concept but in terms of searching for a shape, searching for variations of an already so famous, so well-known garment (everyone has seen a suit, and so many designers have already deconstructed it and then put it back together and so on) it’s so nice, it’s almost like a full collection given how many members there are and it’s just a good tailoring work.It almost feel like an exercise of how many variations of an outfit can you think of? And it looks fun to do! It’s all about the details and the way the layers are set together.

The accessories add to the “formal attire” aspect of it. It almost has a ceremonial look to it. A bit of royalty with the futuristic vibe usually associated with WayV. The dark blue suits were pretty classic, the most interesting details (for me at least) were on the light blue ones. Especially since it’s a rare colour to find in formal wear or in ceremonial wear. In general, I feel like it’s a pretty rare colour in fashion outside of like shirts and baby clothes? I think it was a great styling choice for a content like the year party although I do wish they (either NCT or WayV who’ve touched upon this kind of outfit a bit already) would do a full comeback with this kind of styling (like the lighter version of the black and green outfits in SuperM’s One). It’s not revolutionary but it was something new for NCT and I really hope they use that elegant/futuristic concept once again.

Also in these outfits, the jewelry is super important and adds to the “grand” aspect of these outfits. The concept is that these aren’t ordinary outfits for ordinary men, we’re witnessing something “special” and so they aren’t wearing their usual jewels either (of course the big chains are still there but differently look at that necklace jaehyun is wearing)

Honorable mention:

Boss & Baby Don’t Stop (they’re different but they go together in my mind lol). Look at them in their uniforms! And also they had doyoung wearing these sunglasses

Ok I think I’m done, if you’ve made it this far thank you so much and I hope it was a nice read!!

As for who would I chose as my models…it really depends on what I’d make them wear tbh for menswear the things I’d like to design would either be something like formal wear or knitwear – I’d pick Lucas, Taeyong and Doyoung (I think they’re the most model-like members and could pull off pretty much anything even my non-edgy concept because I can’t do that lol and they pose very well) and then depending on the concept I’d pick between Winwin, Jaehyun, Kun, Jungwoo, Taeil, Haechan and Shotaro (the way I struggled to remember all the members at once…there are too many really)

[skunkandgrenade]

Cosmo Series: Clothes

Prev Next

Taglist: @rat-father

Clothes is the first part! Second part will be And Makeup but I don’t know when I’ll post it cuz I’m busy today. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this one!

CONTENT WARNING: conditioning, dehumanization, nudity (nonsexual), revealing clothing, fear of punishment, mention of scraped knees, mention of past punishment, noncon kiss, fear of being alone, Stockholm syndrome, accidental misbehaving, anxiety, creepy whumper, intimate whumper, guilt

Clothes

Cosmo got woken up by the lights in its room being turned on.

It hadn’t spent a good night; Master’s bedroom was upstairs so it couldn’t see him, and it was scared of seeing a monster outside and being so vulnerable. It had still managed to fall asleep, it was so exhausted and its body still needed to recover from its most recent punishment.

But as soon as it saw Master approach the glass, all of its bad feelings went away. It smiled and kneeled in front of the door, ready to obey.

“Good boy.” Master praised as he opened the door.

He clipped the leash to its collar and brought it towards others stairs which lead to another floor.

It was excited to see the rest of the house and possibly Master’s room, so it followed without asking questions.

Before arriving to the stairs, they passed near the front door and Cosmo felt something weird in its stomach. It felt as if it needed to do something regarding that door, but it didn’t know what. It just... felt something... an instinct, maybe, but it had no idea why.

It shook off the feeling and returned its attention back to Master. Now was not the time to be bad.

It climbed up the stairs, trying its best to ignore the pain on its scraped knees. It wasn’t used to walking around that much, and even less going up stairs. But it did so without complaining. It had to prove to Master it was good enough to stay out of the basement. It never wanted to go back down there. It was dark and cold and lonely. But now it was here and it had to keep earning its place. One mistake and it could be thrown down there again. It had to be perfect.

The upstairs was pretty too. It was very open, it could only see one closed room to its right. The rest was an open space with glass sliding doors to a balcony.

It was surprised at how many windows this place had, but it gave a very free-ish vibe to the house.

The sun was still rising and the sky’s colours were beautiful.

It got so amazed by the outside world it forgot to keep walking, and felt a tug on its collar.

Its eyes widened in fear when it realized how bad it had just been.

It threw itself at its Master’s feet.

“M-Master, it’s so s-sorry..! Plea-Please for-forgive it..!” It begged.

“It’s fine, darling, just make sure it won’t happen again.” He sweetly said.

It felt a huge weight fall off its chest. “Thank you... thank y-you so much...”

It heard its Master chuckle softly and it didn’t know why, but didn’t ask.

It kept on following him and now didn’t take its eyes off his boots, making sure it wasn’t getting distracted by other things.

It did remark they were going to the closed room and guessed it was Master’s bedroom. It was excited to see where he slept, and hoped that one day it could sleep with him there too.

Master opened the door and lead it inside.

It was a beautiful colourful room and it looked much more like what it had imagined the rest of the house would look like.

He brought it to the centre of the room and smiled.

“Sit. Stay.”

It obeyed without batting an eye.

“Good boy.” He ruffled its hair and walked towards what seemed to be a closet.

It looked at him, analyzing his every move while keeping its hands on its knees and squeezing anxiously. It had no idea what Master was planning and it couldn’t help but be scared. It knew what he was capable of and it would do anything to never go through it ever again.

It looked at him coming back with a small black box and a big bag.

It was trembling, its mind having wandered to the worse case scenario, and closed its eyes tightly once Master was right in front of it.

It squeezed its knees, anticipating pain, but instead felt a warm hand on its shoulder.

“Don’t worry, darling, I’m not gonna hurt you. You’ve been very good lately, so there’s no need to be scared.” He reassured it.

It opened its eyes and looked at its Master who was now crouching and looking at it.

Its eyes couldn’t help but wander to his scar it had made and quickly looked back down.

“It’s s-s-so sorry...” it weakly mumbled.

“It’s okay. It makes me look like a badass.” He chuckled genuinely as he passed his fingers on his scarred cheek. “Now, are you ready for a surprise, darling?”

It nodded, still staring at the ground.

“Good boy. But first, give me a kiss.”

It raised its head but avoided looking directly at him, and approached its face to his.

It kissed him, not as reluctantly as it used to, but would still rather do something else.

It was a short and innocent kiss and Master didn’t turn it into something more, which made Cosmo feel relieved. It really wasn’t in the mood right now.

When Master pulled away, he smiled and stood back up.

“Stand up.” He ordered gently.

It got back on all fours and looked at him.

“On your two legs.” He clarified.

Cosmo thought it didn’t understand him at first. Master said it was a pet and it should stand on all fours all the time... was it really allowed to stand up? Or was this a trick? Was Master just mocking it right now?

“Come on, darling, we don’t have all day.” He encouraged as he gestured for it to stand.

It slowly got up, one leg at a time despite being terrified, and kept looking at its Master to make sure it was doing the good thing.

He nodded slowly and smiled, which reassured it enough to fully stand.

It nervously fidgeted with its fingers, trying to mentally prepare for a punishment, but just like before, Master didn’t hurt it.

“Good boy.” He praised.

It made it feel all warm inside.

It did good!

Master took a pile of things from the bag, and Cosmo realized they were just clothes. It really had blown things out of proportion.

It could see most of the clothes were shiny and in shades of blue, purple and silver, some pink-ish and some black.

It followed each of Master‘s movements with its eyes and looked at him handing it two pieces of clothing.

“Put those on, darling.” He said as he put the rest of the clothes on a tufted bench that was at the end of the bed near them.

It took off the clothes it was already wearing and put them gently on the floor next to it before taking those Master was handing off.

It put on a transparent mesh shirt with long sleeves that had little stars on it, then it slipped on a transparent and iridescent dark blue skirt that stopped mid-thigh. Master then handed it a black thong which it put on under the skirt, though it struggled a bit to make everything fit inside.

Once dressed, it looked back up at its Master, its face completely red.

“You look splendid, darling.”

[missmitchieg]

Triple Threat And The Fantabulous Redemption of One Carrie Wilson - Ch 3

Carrie went through the rest of her day with a smile on her face and a sparkle in her eyes, excitedly texting her dad that she was going to Julie’s after school and would be home by dinner. “Remember, Kayla! Dirty Candy’s got a rehearsal tomorrow! Don’t be late!” She called to her friend across the hall before quickly catching up with Flynn and Julie, wrapping her arms around their shoulders with a grin. “Are we ready, ladies?“

“Oh! Hey, girl. Yeah, we’re ready.“ Flynn smiled and wrapped her arm around Carrie’s waist.

“Sweet. We have so much to talk about and catch up on!“ She said as she started the walk to Julie’s with them. “Like how you came across the cool hologram boy band.“ She said and gave Julie a small smile, curious to hear how on Earth that happened.

“What? Nah, you don’t want the boring details of that.“ Julie deflected quickly. “And they’re not a boy band. They’re rock stars and they all get very offended if you call them a boy band.“

“Ooh, so-rry.“ Carrie laughed as she stepped in time with Julie and Flynn, turning her head toward her. “What about you, Flynn? Hey, you still a little Brat or have you seen the hot pink light?“ She asked, remembering one of the big arguments they used to have when they were younger.

“Once a Brat, always a Brat, Barbie Girl.“ Flynn grinned and flipped her hair. “Clearly you’re still the same pink princess you always were.“

“Always.“ Carrie confirmed with a nod. “Latest movies have been so bizarre, though. You know they used the plot of Princess And The Pauper and made the pauper a pop star for one? They remixed To Be a Princess.“ She huffed and gave an irritated eye roll.

“Wait, what?“ Julie almost shrieked and gave Carrie a shocked look, remembering that Princess  Anneliese   was her favorite Barbie character and doll and Princess And The Pauper was her favorite movie when they were little.

“Yeah, and not even well! It was so bad! And the next day, I really thought it was some crazy messed up fever dream, but no! Dad was there when I watched it and he was confused, too! They really have gotten so lazy, they’re just re-using old plots that were perfect and ruining them with weird, random changes! Like, if you’re going to remake a Barbie movie and remix and rewrite one of the best songs from it, you could at least do it correctly!“ Carrie ranted and sighed dramatically, making both girls laugh a little at her antics.

“Yikes. Barbie Girl betrayed by her childhood idol. Hurts, doesn’t it?” Flynn asked and gave her a look, referring to the time when Flynn’s favorite dolls were no longer on shelves and making Carrie wince slightly.

“But I heard Bratz came back, didn’t it?” Carrie asked her, getting a nod. “Any news about your favorite doll, Chic?“ She asked Julie, easily falling back into the habit of calling the girls by their nicknames.

Julie pouted and shook her head, slumping her shoulders. “Absolutely nothing. It’s like they just want everyone to forget they ever made them.“

“That’s evil.” Carrie rolled her eyes again, shaking her head in dismay.

“It’s awful, Carrie!” Julie huffed.

“And it’s not like I can do anything about it, either! I’m just me!” Carrie pouted sympathetically and gave her shoulder a squeeze.

“Maybe my dad can. I can ask him to make some calls. Yell at some idiots who clearly don’t understand the mistake they’re making here.“ She offered. “I mean, you don’t just upset Carrie Wilson’s friend and get away unscathed. You get away with a hole in your wallet.“ She smirked.

Julie grinned at Carrie, squeezing her back tightly. “You’re the best, Barbie girl!“ She said happily, making Flynn smile at them. “I missed having a friend as powerful as you.“ She said and Carrie shrugged, strutting in front of them.

“Well, you know. With great power comes great responsibility and all that. I’m just using my power to make my friends happy, because that’s one of my many responsibilities.“ She said simply and the girls just laughed and let Carrie lead.

Carrie smiled and kept walking in a comfortable silence with them, making a mental list of every question she had and everything she wanted to tell them. She really did have so many questions and so many exciting things to tell them about. She perked up as they arrived at Julie’s and walked inside, greeting her dad with a grin.

“Hey, dad. We’re home.” Julie said, waving at her dad looking at pictures on his laptop.

“Hey, Mr. Molina! Long time, no see!“ She said as Julie went to raid the fridge and cabinets to get some snacks and drinks.

“Carrie! Haven’t seen your face around in a while!“ Ray grinned giving Flynn a side hug. “Hi, Flynn. You girls have a good day at school?” He asked and they all nodded, Julie glancing with a smile at seemingly nothing for a second before handing Flynn a bag of cool ranch doritos and a can of 7-Up.

“Oh, you know. School was school. The usual. Hey, Barbie Girl. Cherry cola still your favorite?“ She asked and Carrie nodded, taking the can handed to her.

“Thanks.“

“Good thing Carlos loves cherry cola too. Dad, please don’t tell him I stole one for Carrie. We’ll be in my room.“ Julie said and led the girls to her bedroom, sitting in bed with their snacks.

Carrie looked around at Julie’s bedroom with a smile and sat next to her, taking a sip of her cherry cola. “Your room is cute, Chic. A little different than I remember, but cute.“ She noted, perking up when she saw a familiar box on a shelf. “Hey, is that your dream box?“

Julie looked up and nodded, biting into a dorito she stole from Flynn’s bag.

“Do you still keep the Chanel charm I gave you in there?“ She asked, biting into an oreo cookie.

“Yeah. I’ve thought about putting it on a bracelet, but I don’t wanna lose that. It’s-“ Julie smiled, stealing another dorito from Flynn and getting a “Hey! Not your doritos!“ from her. ”It’s one of my favorite memories of us.“

Carrie looked at Julie and gave her a sweet smile, wrapping an arm around her neck. “It’s one of my favorite memories, too. It was a really good day.“ She said softly, remembering how excited Julie was to have ”a real Chanel charm, mom!“ in her possession now.

She hummed and grabbed another cookie as Julie looked up and excused herself to go do something, unhooking her arm from Julie’s neck. “So Brat.” Flynn looked up, watching Carrie curiously.

“What’s the story on the hologram boys?“ She asked, deciding not to beat around the bush.

“OH. Um. They are- WERE a band from Sweeden. And Julie met them on twitter. And they started skyping and then did the hologram thing and here we are! Now they’re Julie’s band.“ Flynn said and took a swig of her drink, seemingly ignoring Carrie’s squinting eyes.

“Uh huh... Sweeden. That’s what Julie told you?” She asked and Flynn nodded.

“Yup! That’s what she said.“

“And Julie leaving suddenly, that wouldn’t have anything to do with the boys, would it?“ She asked suspiciously, crossing her arms. It totally wasn’t that she didn’t believe her best friends. They were just both acting too weird. Like that time when they showed up at her house unannounced, asked for water and Flynn was telling her and Nick about a racoon or whatever was in her backyard.

Flynn shook her head and looked up when Julie came back in, offering her an oreo.

“Everything good?” She asked and Julie nodded, taking the cookie.

“Yeah, we’re good. Hey. You guys wanna paint each other’s nails like we used to?“ She asked and Carrie nodded her head,  deciding to drop it for now.

“Sure. I’m do for a manicure, anyway.“ She said, deciding she could try again another day.

“Pink glitter for you, I assume?“ Julie asked and Carrie nodded with a smile, watching Julie grab a bottle of polish remover and cotton balls, hot pink glitter polish, a shiny purple polish, and a dark red polish that matched Flynn’s skirt perfectly.

“Hey, I have this exact glitter nail polish in my collection!“ She noticed with a smile and got to work on removing her week old, slightly chipped baby pink nail polish.

Julie chuckled as she started to paint Flynn’s nails expertly, gently holding her fingers still. “Maybe we’re not so different after all, then.“ Carrie nodded at Julie’s comment, laughing softly.

“No, the pink princess and the purple rock star really aren’t that different. The red rap goddess isn’t different from me, either. But she is awesome.” She said, making Flynn smile at the compliment.

“Thanks, Barbie Girl.“

“Just being honest, Brat-“ “She’s just speaking truth, Brat-“ Carrie laughed when she and Julie spoke at the same time, making Julie and Flynn laugh, too.

“I missed this so much. I missed my girls so much.“ She said, leaning her head on Julie’s shoulder.

“I missed you, too, Carrie. We both missed you so much.“ Flynn nodded at Julie’s words, looking up.

“You know... You and Dirty Candy sounded really good at Eats&Beats.“ She said with a smile. “It was so cool, it made me forget why I ha- Thought I hated you.“ She corrected herself quickly. “It was really good choreo and dancing. And I guess those outfits were pretty cute, too.“ She said, making Carrie chuckle.

“Oh, really? Not “too Barbie-like” for your tastes, Brat?“ She joked with a smirk. “You know, I actually came up with that look. I dreamed it up, drew it out and I had the outfits custom made.“ She told them proudly, making them grin at her in surprise.

“Ooh, the pop princess is a fashion designer on the side now, is she?“ Julie teased with a smile as she finished Flynn’s left hand and started the other.

“Oh, you know me, girls. Always looking for something else to be good at. Always looking for something else to be praised for.“ Carrie joked and rolled her eyes at herself, shaking her head.

“You were always the best dancer out of the three of us.“ Carrie smiled at that, looking down.

“Really? I always thought you deserved the title “best dancer“ out of us three, Flynn.“ She admitted softly.

“Me? No. I’m the rapper and the DJ out of us. Julie’s the singer and the pianist and you’re the dancer and apparently, the fashion designer.“ Flynn told her and Julie nodded in agreement, capping the bottle when she finished.

“Yeah, what Brat said. You’re totally the most graceful dancer in the room right now.“ Julie told her, speaking as if she really did believe it, surprising Carrie.

“Oh. Thank you, girls.“ She said softly, feeling her smile grow.

“Yeah, you’re amazing! The way you spin around? I can’t do that without falling over or getting dizzy.“ Julie grinned and laughed at herself.

“And that footwork, girl!“ Flynn said, blowing on her nails to dry them faster as Carrie opened the purple nail polish bottle.

“I work really hard to be that good.“ She said, sitting straighter.

“And all that hard work pays off.“ Julie confirmed for her. “And your voice is good, too! Not just your dancing.“ She said and Carrie smiled.

“Well, you know. Singing runs in the family.“ She bragged and flipped her hair, giggling with them. “Come here, Chic. Time for your nails.“ She said and Julie shifted to get closer, taking one last cookie in her mouth before she let Carrie start painting.

“You were really good at school, too. That song was stuck in my head for, like, an hour after.“ Julie laughed.

“That’s the goal. Get Dirty Candy stuck in everyone’s heads so they come back to our music videos on youtube. Hope one of them is a music rep and we get a deal. Become mega famous like dad.“ Carrie told the girls as she painted Julie’s nails.

“Or, become mega famous like Dirty Candy deserves because you guys are really good and deserve the recognition no matter who your dad is.“ Flynn pointed out and gave Carrie a look.

Oh. Carrie didn’t think about it like that before. She always just figured she would be in her dad’s shadow no matter the recognition she and her girls got. She knew they were good, but she knew her dad would always be bigger. She told Julie and Flynn as much, blinking when they both once again insisted that Dirty Candy was just as good and deserved just as much recognition as Trevor Wilson.

“Thanks, girls.“ She said after a minute and smiled, quickly finishing up Julie’s right hand and grabbing her left.

“Hey, we’re just telling the truth. You and your girls have real talent.“ Julie smiled and squeezed her hand.

“As do the two of you. And your band.“ Carrie said as she resumed painting Julie’s nails before remembering something. “Oh, hey. My friend Kayla wants to know if your bassist is single.“ She told her.

“Oh, Reggie? Yeah, he’s very single.“ Julie confirmed with a quick nod and a grin. “Kayla is Purple Candy, yeah?“ She asked and Carrie nodded.

“She’s got a huge crush on him.“ She giggled. “It’s kinda funny. He’s usually not her type, but he just does something to her.“

“And she does something to him.“ Julie smirked.

“She does?“ Flynn and Carrie asked at the same time, making Julie laugh.

“Ooh, if you two only heard the way that boy talks about ‘that pretty girl that smiled at me at Julie’s school’. It makes me and Luke laugh so hard. And- OH. And Alex, my drummer, he’s a Dirty Candy fan!“

Carrie grinned at hearing more about Julie’s band friends, laughing softly. “Oh, is he? Tell me more about your boys, Chic.“

“Alex really likes dancing. And he loves your music. Almost as much as he loves drumming. And Reggie, he may look like a super cool rock star, but he’s a total dork off stage.“ Julie giggled. “And Luke-” She blushed, growing shy. “Luke is so sweet. He gives really nice pep talks and he���s really supportive and encouraging when I’m nervous or when Alex gets really anxious.“

Carrie smirked and Flynn snickered at the dreamy, far away look in Julie’s eyes, finishing up her nails.

“-And he’s really funny and smart and cute and his lyrics are so good and-“ Julie blushed red and shut her mouth when she realized how much she was gushing about Luke and that Flynn and Carrie were laughing at her. “And- Well, you heard what Flynn said I sound like at school. He’s that. And so much more.“

Carrie snorted and nodded, capping the purple nail polish bottle. “Yes, and she was not exaggerating at all.“ She laughed, making Flynn cackle. “Your little crush on him is so cute, Julie.“

“So cute!“ Flynn nodded, still cackling into her hands.

“He’s obviously special to you. And I hope I’m right that your Luke feels the same about you. I hope you two find a way to be together and he treats you right. If he doesn’t, I’m here to cry to. After I pummel him like roadkill.“ Carrie said, making Julie and Flynn laugh again.

“Thanks, Carrie. I really appreciate that.“ Julie smiled gratefully and blew on her nails, shuffling to let Flynn in her spot to paint Carrie’s nails.

“Hey, that’s what friends are for.“ Carrie shrugged as Flynn opened the bottle with a smile, starting to paint Carrie’s nails.

“I’d hate to be the boy that hurts you, Barbie Girl.” Julie joked with a smirk.

“Ehh, I wouldn’t and don’t pity the next dumb boy that hurts her. He deserves whatever fury she unleashes on him, and what fury I unleash on him, if he loses his mind and hurts her.“ Flynn shrugged.

Carrie laughed at that and shook her head, covering her mouth with the hand Flynn wasn’t painting. “No. No. I’m so over boys right now. I’m not looking for a new boytoy at the moment. I’m just gonna live my life.“ She told them.

“You’re not gonna try to get back together with Nick again?“ Julie asked.

“Oh! I didn’t tell you yet! No, we’re never getting back together. But we talked it all out and we are friends. Just friends.“ Carrie smiled. “Well, on the condition that I don’t force him to watch The Bachelor and The Bachelorette with me anymore.“ She laughed. “Oh, he always got so bored so fast with those shows.“

Julie snickered into her hand, leaning her head on Flynn’s shoulder. “Oh, dear. Whatever will Barbie Girl do with Danforth-Evans now that she can’t watch trashy reality shows with him?“

Carrie almost snorted at that, but stayed still so Julie could finish her nails, chest heaving with laughter. “I’m sure our darling boy can find other things that both of us will enjoy doing together.“

“Our darling boy. That’s nice.“ Julie smiled and Flynn nodded with a grin.

Flynn finished painting Carrie nails and blew them dry, rolling her eyes fondly when she promptly pulled out her phone and took pictures of her nails for instagram. She smiled, though, seeing the caption on the post:

“Nails courtesy of my girl, rap goddess, bomb DJ, graceful dancer and favorite little Brat, Flynn 💖“

Flynn and Julie both liked the post and commented red and purple heart emojis on it, posting their own nails to their instagrams.

Carrie grinned as she liked and commented pink heart emojis on both posts, almost immediately getting a few texts from confused classmates who thought they all hated each other still. She kindly replied to the texts and put her phone away, just talking to the girls about everything and nothing for a few hours.

She left after a while to go home, telling everyone she promised her dad she’d be home for dinner. She hugged the girls good bye and walked out, heading home. She grinned as she thought about everything they’d talked about, looking down at her expertly done nails.

Step five... Semi accomplished? She thought and shrugged after a second, getting home quickly and walking inside. She was at least friends with Nick and hanging out with Flynn and Julie again. That had to count a little bit toward being a better person, right? Carrie thought so. She shut the door behind herself and walked toward the dining room, perking up when she found her dad. “Hi, daddy!“ She grinned happily and hugged him.

“Hi, baby! You have a good time at Julie’s today? How was school?“ He asked, happy to see his daughter so happy.

“Yeah. We talked a lot and we painted each other’s nails- She has the same polish that I do! And we posted it all on instagram because of course we had to.” She giggled again. “And school was school. Made up with Julie and Flynn. Made up with Nick. But we’re just friends now.“

She smiled as she sat down to eat with him, telling him all about her day. She felt her smile grow as he relaxed more, clearly not thinking right now about whatever it was that had been bothering him. Good sign. Good sign. She went up to her bedroom a while after, deciding to go to sleep soon if she wanted a good start tomorrow. She had a lot to do and a lot to say. She got ready quickly and laid in bed, slowly falling asleep.

[enbycupcake]

~4k pwp of wen ning getting his new packer blown by wei wuxian. read under the cut or on ao3 [ here ]

the 3 / 4-in-1 packers referred to in this fic are types of packers – things which can create a dick bulge in a trans masc or nonbinary person’s pants – in which the wearer can 1: pack with it, 2: pee while wearing it, 3: "play" or have penetrative sex using it, and 4: get "pleasure" because the packer has a feature that can stimulate the wearer.

Flattening his hands over the sides of his jeans, Wen Ning sucks in a breath as he looks at himself in the floor length mirror. He’s in one of Lan Wangji’s undershirts, and he hasn’t bothered to do more than push his hair behind his ears. But he ignores all of that as he turns to the side and lets his eyes sweep over his reflection. His eyes lock down on his crotch in the reflection. He swallows. There’s a bulge in the front of his jeans.

There’s a bulge in the front of his jeans.

Giddiness bubbling up in his stomach, Wen Ning adjusts his hips. It’s not overly large – it’s not attention grabbing like when Lan Wangji wears sweatpants – but there is no mistaking that there is something in the crotch of his jeans. Biting his lip, he lets his hands run over the front of his pants; it’s enchanting, almost, how much different just the smallest tent makes him look, makes him feel. The image in front of him, himself with his hair that’s due for another brushing and his hands cupping himself, makes him laugh, his happiness bubbling over.

He’s got a bulge in the front of his jeans.

There’s a knock on the bedroom door, but, before Wen Ning can even respond, Wei Ying bounds inside. On his lips is a smile, his eyes crinkling. He comes up behind Wen Ning, wrapping his arms around his chest as he rests his head against Wen Ning’s. The arms squeeze quickly before loosening. Wen Ning watches his boyfriend’s eyes in the mirror roam over him, lingering on the front of his jeans, mouth twitching, before settling up at his eyes with his lips softening their smile.

“Do you like it?”

Wen Ning nods, letting himself lean on Wei Ying.

“Mm.” Wei Ying kisses his forehead, hand slipping to rest on his stomach. “Which one is this one?”

“The 4-in-1.”

The hand on his stomach comes to rest on his own over his crotch, and despite himself Wen Ning feels himself blush at the sight. Wei Ying’s thumb caresses his skin, eyes darkening. A soft exhale reaches Wen Ning’s ears as his boyfriend presses closer to him.

“How’s it feel?”

Wei Ying presses against his hand so the prosthetic pushes against him. The pressure of it, the sight of the two of them in the mirror in front of him, pulls a gasp from Wen Ning. His boyfriend’s lips curve, smile transforming into a smirk. His mouth trails closer to Wen Ning’s ear.

“Yeah?” Wen Ning watches the reflection of the two of them, his face flushed and Wei Ying’s thumb rubbing against his hand as Wei Ying kisses his ear. “Time to test the play and pleasure, baby?”

A moan tumbles from his lips, unbidden. Pleased laughter sounds in his ear, and the arm around his chest slides down to rest against his waist. Wei Ying looks absolutely pleased with himself in the mirror; Wen Ning glances at himself, sees that he’s already looking like a mess, his eyes wide and his mouth parted still despite his boyfriend not even doing much yet. He closes his mouth and pulls his eyes away. He focuses on Wei Ying, who laughs when he notices where Wen Ning is watching.

“Baby, A-Ning, you’re so cute.” Wei Ying’s hand leaves his, trailing to hover over the button on his jeans. “Lemme see how pretty you look in what Lan Zhan bought you.”

Nodding, cheeks warm, Wen Ning watches as his boyfriend pops open his pants. Wei Ying’s lips catch on his ear before he pulls his face away to turn, and Wen Ning follows the guiding pressure from his hands to turn with him. Hands find the bottom of Lan Wangji’s undershirt. The next thing Wen Ning knows, it’s thrust up and over his head, his arms going up without thought merely due to how often he’s had an overexcited boyfriend paw at him. Wei Ying’s eyes rack over him, his chest, his arms, down to his light dusting of hair on his stomach, down, down, down, to his crotch, and Wen Ning laughs as his boyfriend hurriedly pulls down his zipper.

“Wei Ying is more excited than I am.”

His jeans are tugged as Wei Ying makes a noise of agreement, and Wen Ning helps his boyfriend remove the skinny jeans from his legs. The both of them laugh as one of his legs get caught, Wen Ning using Wei Ying’s shoulder as a brace so he doesn’t topple over. One of Wei Ying’s hands rest on his waist while the other pulls his jeans off from his raised foot. They get thrown behind him, ending up in a heap somewhere. Wei Ying whistles at the sight of him once Wen Ning drops his foot back and readjusts his stance; his eyes are hooded as he looks at Wen Ning’s thigh harness, at the packer held inside it, and Wen Ning’s heart flutters at the sight of his tongue wetting his lips.

“A-Ning’s dick is so pretty. I can’t wait to have him in my mouth.”

Blushing, Wen Ning tries to occupy his hands by grabbing his boyfriend’s hands. They lace fingers as Wei Ying walks him to the bed, and once the back of his legs hit the mattress he’s pushed down, Wei Ying tumbling after him. Wen Ning laughs at his boyfriend’s grunt, the mattress bouncing under him. He leans up to steal a kiss from Wei Ying, and his hands get pressed down beside his head for a moment before Wei Ying reaches above him. A pillow is nudged under his head, and Wen Ning lifts, Wei Ying moving with him so their lips are still connected, so his boyfriend can drop it. Once he’s settled, his fingers are again twined between Wei Ying’s, pressure building. Wei Ying moans into his mouth, and Wen Ning groans as he tests, pushing up. He’s immediately met with resistance, Wei Ying telling him without words that he’s wanted to stay. Melting into the mattress, Wen Ning relaxes his arms, letting Wei Ying’s hands press his down harder.

“That’s it, baby. Good boy.” Wei Ying’s lips only leave his enough for his words to be heard before he kisses him again wetly. “Let me.”

He sits up, grin on his face. Wen Ning nods as he takes a deep breath, his chest rising and falling. Wei Ying’s hair is curling around his face, sections in the front coming free from his hair tie; he never bothers pulling it back tight or well enough to stay unless Lan Wangji asks him to. Wen Ning watches as his boyfriend takes his hands out of his own, the two of them coming to start at his collarbones. They slide down his chest, featherlight touches of his fingers to Wen Ning’s skin.

“Such a pretty boy.”

Fingers skirt around his nipples, pulling soft little breaths from his mouth.

“You look so beautiful, baby.”

Fingers caress the underside of his chest, tickle at his ribs.

“Look at you. Your body is so pliant for me, and your pretty face is so red.”

Fingers slide down his stomach, over the fine hairs.

“Wen Ning is so pretty. And he’s all for me and Lan Zhan.”

Wei Ying’s fingers reach the top of his harness, and his eyes are like a fire they’re looking so intently at his packer. Wen Ning swallows, body hot. He looks at his boyfriend, and he pushes his head back. Wei Ying’s lips are shiny from saliva, and another, stronger flush overtakes Wen Ning’s face as Wei Ying laughs at his sightline. He licks his lips, nice and slow before opening his mouth and moving his tongue. A whine escapes Wen Ning at the sight.

“Don’t worry, baby.” Wei Ying slides off of him, walking toward the nightstand. “I’m not gonna tease you today. I want your pretty new dick in my mouth too much. You’re gonna feel so good, baby, I know it.”

Heat curls low in his stomach at the words even as he blushes. It intensifies as he follows his boyfriend’s movements, Wei Ying grabbing their flavored lubricant before falling onto his knees between Wen Ning’s legs that never made it onto the bed. Wen Ning has to bite his lip as he looks at his boyfriend, the prosthetic between his legs a new sight – he doesn’t often wear a strap-on, preferring to use his mouth or his hands or his ass to please his boyfriends, and even then none of his dildos look as close to a dick as this. Wei Ying’s hand is wrapped around it, testing the give of the material. His brows are furrowed in thought as he tests the skin of it, and he startles as he bends it and the rod inside makes a loud noise.

Wen Ning laughs.

“You already put it in?���

“Yes? Did you not notice?”

Wei Ying pouts. “Lan Zhan did all the research on the reviews. I just told him to look for 3 or 4-in-ones; it’s not like I’ve ever worn one.”

“Wei Ying.” Wen Ning shakes his head at his boyfriend. Of course Lan Zhan did the research; Wei Ying likes the surprise of new toys. But… “Were you going to….without the rod in?”

“You’re already wearing it, and I want your dick in my mouth.” Wei Ying shrugs as he bends the prosthetic again, watching how it changes. “I’ve sucked off Lan Zhan when he’s soft; it’s not a big deal. Why did you put it in already?”

Blinking, absorbing the fact that Lan Wangji apparently doesn’t always get hard, Wen Ning lifts his head up to look at Wei Ying. He just looks at him. Wei Ying raises an eyebrow, eyes pointedly going to where Wen Ning’s arms have moved from position, and Wen Ning drops back down against the scrunched up pillow Wei Ying had given him. His look is less incredulous from this angle, which is why he got up, but he blinks at his boyfriend.

“I know you. And Lan Wangji.”

Wei Ying laughs, shaking his head. He smiles at Wen Ning when his laughter settles, eyes crinkling. He presses a kiss to the painted flush of the packer in front of him, eyes meeting Wen Ning’s. The sight of both makes his heart race. “You do, A-Ning. You do.”

Nodding, Wen Ning bites his lip and lets his fingers flex as he watches Wei Ying pull his face back and open the bottle of lube. He drizzles a bit onto the prosthetic before recapping and dropping the bottle, switching his hand to grip the length of the packer and stroke. Wen Ning gasps at the sight, pleasure zapping through his body. The packer between his boyfriend’s fingers is almost like Lan Wangji’s, if Wen Ning can ignore the black of the harness holding it. Moaning, Wen Ning lets his eyes close. Lan Wangji gets to see this every time Wei Ying jerks him off. This is what it looks for him every time, and Wen Ning squeezes his eyes tighter.

Wei Ying’s long, elegant hands look nice wrapped around a dick. A flesh toned, blushed dick.

“Baby,” says Wei Ying, his voice low with arousal. “Baby, open your eyes. Don’t you want to see me work your pretty dick? Don’t you want to see it in my hands? My mouth? Open your eyes for me, Wen Ning.”

Whining, shaking his head, Wen Ning blinks open his eyes. Wei Ying’s are a fire, and Wen Ning knows he’ll get burned if he’s forced to keep his gaze locked on his boyfriend. His lips are pulled, his smile dangerous. His thumb swipes the head of the packer, and Wen Ning watches, enchanted. Lan Wangji’s a lucky man, and now he gets to see this from his perspective.

Wen Ning doesn’t know how he’s gonna handle this.

“That’s it; good boy.” Wei Ying brings his other hand down to cup at the packer’s balls. “Watch me play with your gorgeous dick, baby.”

The moan tumbles out from his mouth unbidden as he watches his boyfriend. Wei Ying has said variations of this phrase numerous times before during sex to him, but now there’s an actual dick between his legs. One like he’s always wanted, even if he can’t truly feel what Wei Ying is doing. His boyfriend jerks his packer, pushing it so that it rubs against his own anatomy. The sensation of the inner scaling is different and unexpected; it sends a little pleased zing throughout him.

Wei Ying below him sucks in a breath, but Wen Ning can’t hear it over the blood rushing to his ears as his boyfriend lowers his head. His tongue comes out to swirl around the blushed head of the packer, and Wen Ning feels his fingers curl at the heat in his boyfriend’s gaze. Dark eyes stare him down as his boyfriend’s tongue curls. The tip of his packer disappears, peaks out from behind that tongue, is kissed with soft kitten licks. Wei Ying’s hand comes up to meet his lips, tongue only softly flicking, coy, as he then pushes on the packer. His eyes bore into Wen Ning’s, lids hooded.

Wen Ning can’t help the whine, his own physical dick throbbing and stomach warm from the clear desire radiating off his boyfriend. He swallows. Wei Ying smiles, thumb caressing the pink of the packer before he hand slides back down to the base. His eyes dip down as his lips wrap around the head, a soft moan escaping him. Wen Ning’s face burns at the sight, pleasure coursing through his body. That’s his boyfriend, sucking a dick attached to him, a dick between his legs.

Fingers clutching at the air, Wen Ning adjusts his legs while trying not to disturb Wei Ying; his boyfriend’s still just sucking at his packer’s head, pretty lips teasing him and tongue likely working in the way Lan Wangji likes to be played with. Wen Ning feels warm. He feels flushed. A hand comes to rest on his thigh, petting him. Wei Ying pulls off; Wen Ning looks, fascinated, at the new shine on the head of his packer from the leftover saliva.

“Baby,” Wei Ying says, lips pulling up in a fond smile as his fingers of one hand dance a pattern on his skin and his fingers on the other shift the packer. “Do you want to grab at the sheets before I really get going? Your hands are going to stay up on the bed for this.”

Wen Ning takes a second to just pull in a breath. He curls his fingers again, thinking, and he nods. He’s going to want to have something to grip onto for this; Wei Ying looks absolutely too good before him. The novelty of the sight is too much; he thinks if he doesn’t have something he’ll be bad and his hands will fly up without him thinking about it.

“Please.”

Wei Ying’s face softens, and he places a kiss on the crease between Wen Ning’s thigh and groin. “Good boy. Go ahead, baby.”

Nodding, Wen Ning reaches and grabs at the bedsheets under him. He twists his fingers into the soft material, and then he relaxes his arms again. Wei Ying watches the whole time, pressing another kiss against his skin once he’s settled. He smiles, wide, when he pulls away and his hand falls from Wen Ning’s thigh. Wen Ning watches it dip below where he can see, Wei Ying’s shoulder moving. It returns with their lubricant bottle; more of the flavored substance is drizzled over the packer, Wei Ying’s hand rubbing it over the length and nudging the ridges inside against Wen Ning.

Wen Ning sighs softly at the sensation. He rubs his head against his pillow, making sure he stays looking at his boyfriend. Wei Ying’s smile widens, showing his teeth, before his lips spread. The head of his packer is sucked back into Wei Ying’s mouth, and Wen Ning whines as his boyfriend engulfs the whole length. His hand falls away to make way for his lips, moving down to play with the packer’s balls. From there, Wei Ying winks at him as he swallows. He shifts his head so he can meet Wen Ning’s eyes better. He stays.

Sucking in a breath, Wen Ning’s fingers tighten. The bedsheet between them creases. All the while, Wei Ying looks at him, eyes teasing. His stretched lips look absolutely beautiful, and Wen Ning moans again. Fond amusement falls over his boyfriend’s face at the sound; Wei Ying shifts forward, packer still nestled deep in his mouth, pressing it against Wen Ning. The pleasurable touch makes his stomach flutter. Wen Ning lets out a sigh, and flexes his fingers. He rubs his head against the soft pillow below him.

Wei Ying pulls off his packer, a nice pop sounding. Saliva coats the length, the flesh tones of the silicone shinier than when they started. Wei Ying’s hand returns to its earlier jerking off motions. It stays towards the base of the packer, and soon lips come to met it. They press flush to Wei Ying’s hand, Wei Ying’s eyelashes fluttering. The packer is shifted up again, and Wen Ning’s cheek warm. Wei Ying bobs his head, lips kissing his hand. He watches Wen Ning’s face, resting where he is. Wen Ning closes his eyes for a moment; he takes in a breath, and opens them again. His boyfriend’s heated gaze is waiting for him. A hand comes to pet at his thigh, and with that Wei Ying turns his head, the sound of the rod in the packer loud as it is bend into another position.

Wen Ning feels like he’s drowning as his boyfriend goes to town on the packer between his legs. He watches as Wei Ying holds him in his mouth, lips flush to the black of his harness and eyes ordering him to hold their gaze as Wei Ying’s face heats with keeping his mouth so open. As Wei Ying pulls off and swirls his tongue around the tip of the packer like a candy, blushed silicone playing hide and seek with his boyfriend’s mouth. As Wei Ying licks his tongue down the packer’s shaft, with his hand switching between pumping him or caressing the sculpted veins decorating the packer. As Wei Ying dips down to suck onto the balls, his prosthetic length resting on his face as he works. As Wei Ying comes back up to suckle on him, eyes never leaving Wen Ning’s. Always demanding to be watched, always flashing at any sound of pleasure Wen Ning releases or any shifting of his legs or trembling of his arms from the grip of his hands. Always dark, always fond, always hot.

Shuddering, Wen Ning whines. His legs shift, and Wei Ying’s hand on his thigh curls in. He slowly slides his mouth off of the packer.

“Feeling good, baby?” Soft lips leave a kiss against pink silicone. His smile when he pulls away is wicked. “You’re being a good boy for me, A-Ning. Do you like watching my mouth?”

Nodding, Wen Ning sucks in a breath. Wei Ying looks damn good giving a blowjob, and his boyfriend knows that.

“What was that, baby? I want you to use your words.”

Whining, Wen Ning shakes his head. He takes a breath, Wei Ying patiently stroking his thigh. His boyfriend waits while he collects himself enough to respond. Relaxing his fingers in the bedsheets before tightening them again, Wen Ning opens his mouth. His face is definitely pink and flushed; it doesn’t matter how often Wei Ying or Lan Wangji ask him to verbally confirm things during sex.

“Yes, Wei Ying. I like watching your mouth.”

A thousand watt smile is his reward. “Good boy, Wen Ning. Wei Ying is pleased to hear that.”

The packer in Wei Ying’s hands is pressed against Wen Ning, and Wen Ning moans at the combination of the sensation and the heat of Wei Ying’s intent look on him. He lets his eyes close for the briefest of moments before meeting his boyfriend’s gaze again.

“How does the packer feel?” Wei Ying shifts it again, the ridging rubbing against Wen Ning.

Biting his lip, Wen Ning tilts his head, looking at Wei Ying’s lovely face; his boyfriend is openly curious as well as turned on. “It...feels good. Not as much as watching you does.”

“Am I not getting it against you enough? Is it not rubbing against you when I’m jerking you off?”

“It’s not that.” Wen Ning breaks his boyfriend’s gaze. He looks at the harness strapped to him. “It...I’m liking it. But...it’s not my favorite.”

Wei Ying makes an assenting noise. His hand on his thigh soft, and his other hand comes to pet at his other one. “Baby. Wen Ning. Look at me.”

Complying, Wen Ning flushes at the pride and love in his boyfriend’s face.

“Thank you for being honest.” Wei Ying places a kiss on his hip. He then places one on the head of the packer. “Do you need me to finger you, too?”

Flushing, Wen Ning hurriedly shakes his head. He...he’s liking just watching. And he honestly isn’t feeling like he isn’t getting enough. Without Wei Ying asking, he probably wouldn’t have even said anything. “Feels good.”

“Good enough to come?”

“Hm.” Wen Ning curls his toes, shifts his hips, assesses where he is. Watching Wei Ying blowing his packer is wonderful. Wen Ning is aware most of his pleasure was the visual stimulus with the ridges a supplemental sensation. “Don’t need to.”

Wei Ying pinches at his skin. “That’s not what I asked, Wen Ning.”

“No. But I like this.”

A blow of air hits his packer, Wei Ying’s lips then tugging into a playful smile. His fingers tighten on Wen Ning’s thigh as he leans forward again. The tip of the packer is sucked into his mouth for a brief moment, enough for Wei Ying to pool saliva for a trail to stick to the silicone as he pulls away. Wen Ning feels his own dick pulse as the trail breaks, his boyfriend’s lips shiny. Pink comes out to lick it away, and Wei Ying wears a smirk as Wen Ning swallows.

“Do you want me to keep going, baby?” Wei Ying’s eyes sparkle. “Or should I take my pleasure, too? Since you don’t want to come.”

Wen Ning makes a confused noise.

One of the hands on his thigh leaves him, squeezing at the packer. “I think you’d fill me up nicely elsewhere, too, baby. What do you think?”

Wei Ying laughs at his resulting moan, but Wen Ning can’t help it. The only sight better than Wei Ying with a dick in his mouth is a Wei Ying indulging in his own pleasure, however he’s seeking it. Closing his eyes, he nods and nods and nods as his hands tighten around the bedsheets. More laughter rings in his ears before he’s commanded to open his eyes. He’s met with the sight of Wei Ying’s hand pulling off of his packer, lubricant bottle already in his other hand.

“Let’s see how well your pretty new dick will make me feel, hm?”

[nshah2]

First Part of Story Lolz: The first step into the cavern isn’t that dark. People believe it is but they’re just intimidated by the dark green moss that grows around it along with the spiky vines. Marie Jane? The Marie who likes to switch between Mary because it makes her feel chic? Oh she was just flabbergasted to the even proposition of stepping one Louis Vuitton, red high-heel in there. Even so, she was curious about the bright side of the cavern, as much of an oxymoron of that statement is. Everyone is.

Alex Lyres, skinny jeans and long sleeves, brown skin or hairy arms, one of the two, that is unsuspecting of outside analyzing, and depressed green eyes. They  fell silent in front of the cavern, walked in slowly in a trance of the great things that awaited, pushing away the wispy spider webs and teething bats. I hope she doesn’t get lost.

Kamila Civet, she ran. She ran straight in, we hardly saw her anymore. She’s addicted to the cavern, she likes to run through all of it. She can’t handle the darkness though, it pushes her out with sharp black nails, sometimes it only used two, sometimes it used all.

The cavern does terrible things, it made me lose what was alread lost.

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Chapter 1:

A tip of a black word that could have meant to be blue grazes me everytime I step out of my house. Ten thousand words clutter the pages of others' mother tongues, so you can imagine the scars that yielded me weak to the eye of the majority. Fading away into the deepest shadow of Oaktown High seemed to cloak me with the power of moving through the halls without being at a sword's end, or at least at one I could see. I had grown comfortable with this lifestyle because it’s all I knew along with the wrappers of mistakes in my closet. But please do not play the chorus of slow violin notes because I am not my paragraph, I am my essay. 

I couldn’t say the same about Mary Jane.

Gaggles of laughter follow her tall figure, swaying with her long blonde hair. Skinny arms wrapped around the shoulders of her companions whose skin is as unblemished as their reputation.  Longing stares from the girls and boys who smile for status. An idolized individual that excelled at whatever you did not. “Okay, okay, listen!” Samia Davenport tries to reason, “Ignore the fact he’s a ginger. He’s cute.” Mary squeezes Samia’s face and squeals, “My little babushka is growing up. She likes men who aren’t on reality T.V too!” Samia swats her arm away, trying not to laugh. “Oh shut up, don’t deny that Dave Hansen is absolutely my soulmate.” Dave Hansen? Interesting, stupid choice. The boy who spread a rumor about you being homeless in eighth grade? The boy who chopped your hair off in ninth! The boy who smirks and everything feels like a blissful high, a serenity of happiness flooding through your brain. Too bad he likes Maya, who dismissed half of his heart with a slur that demolished him into succumbing to a camp which told him, be Christian, not you. 

They’re idiots for craving such expensive baggage because they know they can’t have it, though I can’t fault them. I’ve -however- learned to push my credit card back into my pocket and tame my legs to walk out of the store. 

Mary nods with disinterest as she eyes Ms. Alejandras classroom. “Wait up, okay?” She grinned at Samia  and rushed in the door. “Ms! Ms. Alehandra, I was wondering if I could obtain some extra credit?” 

“Mary, just turn in your missing assignments . I’ll give you 50% for each.” 

“I lost all the papers.” 

“I can print new ones.” 

I watch the exchange with dancing pupils, careful to not let my shadow get into the light. Mary has fists furrowed into small pockets with inching frustration poking out of them.

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

Tapping on the linoleum floor, 1, 2, 3, 4…

“It’s uneven. It has to be 0-5, 5-10, 15-20. Right now if I do an extra credit assignment it’ll finally be 0-5.”

“Does it have to be in 5s?”

“More satisfying in 5s ma’am.”

Ms. Alejandra adjusts her long brown pencil skirt and touches Mary’s shoulder. “Read a book after you complete your missing assignments and then talk to Dr. Vienna.”

 

Mary sighs, she nods a quiet thank you and walks away with red fists and a crippling smile. “Did you get the extra credit?” Samia asks. Mary laughs , “No, that idiot was like ‘oh just talk to Dr. Vienna after you do it. Like oh cause he always helps, blah, blah.”

Dr. Vienna, the man who thought if you met him or his staff every night at 8:00 pm to get your daily fix of yellow, blue, pink, or green you could be cured from your worries. I mean, he’s not wrong. But yellow turns to blue and blue to pink and pink to green and then thousands of green clutter a controlled mind.  

“What did you say?” Samia asks.

“I was just like ‘Yeah, sure, whatever haha.”

“I would have just cleaned her room right then and there, just ignore her and start cleaning.”

“Oh, if only.”

A familiar buzz sounds through the halls. A calling for lost luggage, they want to keep alive. Too bad our owners aren’t coming to pick us up any time soon. Airport security was a hassle enough the first time.

Most of us groan and walk to  the assigned seats and watch the numbers. Dr. Vienna sits with the ones who watch too carefully. “Don’t you wish you were like them?” Says the blonde girl next to me, tapping my shoulder. “No Kamila, I don’t.” She rolls her eyes, “Well then you're crazy, imagine how easy it is for them. I can’t believe some of these girls came voluntarily. It’s like being Albert Einstein and then going to a camp that teaches you to be dumb.” Kamila eyes her cheesy potato cubes and boiled egg on veggies. She stuffs all of it in her pocket, one egg slice, one cube, one veggie at a time. Staring, being mesmerized by the girls who grasp control over uncontrollable behaviors. I want to tap her shoulder like she did to me but I know she’s so much more cluttered than me, she would trip over all her the mess in her brain to think that’s pretty. Mary walks to our table with her plate of food, a lunch of one cookie, one apple, two pieces of lean fish, a salad, and a baked potato. “Just be balanced.” Mary said, smiling shiny white teeth. “Do you really want to go into the cavern just to look like that? They’re miserable.” Kamila glared back, “Oh please Mary. All 5’8 of you would want to sit there and look like that. Everyone does.” Mary sits down, “Of course everyone does. But it’s not worth it. Besides, the cavern is so gross and if you go the wrong way you are done forever. You don’t even get to be them. “

Kamila scowled in disgust, “Ugh you know nothing! I already did, I got lost too but I’m going to go back and find my way in.” Mary laughed, “Kamila, you're going to go in there and never get out. You're going to want to keep going. But you won’t be able to. It’s like a cigarette, you’ll be addicted.” 

“What’s the cavern?” I popped in. They looked at me with shock.

 “You don’t know what the cavern is? It’s literally why almost everyone is in here. What are you in for then?” 

“My parents got sick of having a kid who doesn’t know how to love them.” My flat response. It didn’t even feel like I spoke, I just opened my mouth and the words fell into place. The ones I was hoping would never come out. 

“Oh.” They said in unison, eyes wary of the girl they once thought was innocent. Would it be better if I had gone into the cavern first? Got addicted to it, whatever ‘it’ may be.” Uneasily Mary explained, “If you haven’t gone into the cavern, it’s best you only know it by its code name. It’s not actually a cavern.” 

Kamila joined in, “I came in here for other reasons too, then I learned about it and started. You need something to distract you here. I mean but if you haven’t started it, find something else.”

“Just tell me what it is.”

They both looked at eachother, they seemed indecisive. Should we tell her? I could practically hear the words they looked at each other with. It couldn’t be that problematic, could it? “I’m sure I’ve heard of worse.” They both shook their heads. “It’s not that you haven’t.”

Kamila tried to explain.

“It’s just that you can’t try it once and be done. If you try it, you're done for. It’s not murder obviously, it’s...it’s like everything bad on this world is labeled in colors. Blue for normal, green for normal but you're slipping, orange for hey this is getting bad, and red for you messed up. The cavern pushes you to orange right? But then you like it so you keep going and slip down to red. Then it's like...it takes all of it’s rocks and barricades you with them. The oxygen is slowly slipping away, you know you will die. But in your mind that's worth it so you either die or someone pulls you out.  Hardly ever does anyone pull you out though.”

  

Chapter 2:

All week I had been curious to what the cavern was, jumping at any chance to pull the answer out of unsuspecting victims. Yet they always hushed me and pointed at a staff member or harshly whispered something along the lines of “if you don’t know you don’t need to. I shouldn’t be talking about this here.” Yet in every location I could find with every set of people available, the answer was always the same. Actually that's a false statement, as time went on the answers became more general and specific at the same time. The cavern was so wide, it had such an in depth storyline but from physical appearances it was normal and forgettable. The cavern came off as a stranger to me, a human I did not know who has a story that would make me cry if I read it.

 “Mama used to say that my eyes were a gift from the desert, that they were a sandy brown drought. “

That’s cute.” Commented Kamila. “My Mom used to call me a little bird. Since my legs used to be really skinny and I liked to wear my halloween costume wings like almost every day.”

“Did I say that out loud?” I ask.

“Yeah, you do that a lot, ponder quietly with a mysterious look on your face and then randomly drop in the crumble of words in your head.”

“Oh.”

           I’m pretty sure Mom used to say something like that. That my eyes seemed to get lost in the colourful realm, speechless to the greenery of new ideas and scenarios. I guess the cavern was a new scenario. I had spent two years at Oakwood, never once did the word cavern actually mean anything to me than the base definition. I suspected it was a hangout for teens to maybe drink or smoke, that’s why they called it addicting. But Mom also used to say “Your never far off from the truth once you make an assumption, your penny isn’t in the fairy’s hand but it’s going down the well, it’s getting closer.” It could be about smoking or drinking, but then they would have used another example to compare it to.  Reverse psychology? No, in the span of a few seconds they wouldn’t have been intellectual enough to corroborate such an intricate plan, unless they did... But they aren’t exactly top of the chain in terms of intelligence.

No, they certainly weren’t. One blank page could hold wiser knowledge than their  brains could ever learn in their lifetime. Maybe the way they mindlessly transferred their thoughts onto a piece of a paper got them an A, but they have no street smarts. A ratio that didn’t match Mary's agenda would throw her off her high horse into the dirt. If Kamila spoke a word everyone didn’t agree with she would resort back to the deep depths of her mind, not caring about the cobwebs and dirty floor. Everyone in this school is like this, stubborn, selfish brats who didn’t realise that sticking your nose in a book doesn’t make you a genius. It makes you an average person who gets a teacher's signature on her report card with a happy face sticker. Wow, good on you, a happy face, that’s going to get you through life? A happy face? 

“Little Madam, the one in the blue dress? Oh where is she, is she sticking out because of her oh so obvious dress? Or the fact that she isn’t hearing anything I’m saying?”

Everyone laughs with pasted smiles for an objective. Everyone knows Ms. Alejandra picks favorites. It’s all objective. Even her damn joke is objective, a power move, calling everyone out and making them laugh about it. Keep laughing, I’m not a clone.

Definitely not a clone of her favorites right now.

“Yes, Ma’am?” I speak, keeping my dignity upheld.

She sighs with annoyance, “Can you tell me what I was just explaining about chain rules?”

Chain rules, chain rules, chain rules...She must have just been covering it today, that fatuous fool Kamila was correct. The cavern was good for distracting you.

“I’m not sure.” I say, my voice felt like a particularly bad day on the ground near the Pacific Ocean in the Philippines.

Another sigh, this time with actual disappointed eyes. Did she expect me to know the complications of a couple of Xs and numbers labeled under-

“The derivative of f(g(x)) . g’(x) will always be f'(g(x))⋅g'(x).”

Everyone turned around to the raised hand and straight face of Alex Lyres. A matty mess of short, dirty blonde hair, bangs almost cocealing the never turned off glare in her green eyes.  Her limbs were long and skinny and danced in the wind every Friday where administrators let her be `recreational”.  

Alex Lyres who sits at the table with Dr. Vienna every day and goes to him personally for three green ones every night. She speaks seldom but when she does her words dive into your mind and almost as quickly as they come in, evaporate. She would know about the cavern, she was at the table Kamila admired specifically because people who were there  went in the cavern. Or should I say, went in too deep. But I’d have to rephrase my wording into a more casual conversation. You don’t just light a candle in a monster accompanied by darkness, you wait for the perfect time. 

Tick, Tock.

Tick, Tock.

Tick, Tock.

One-Forty. Two-a clock.

The bell dings its warning signs and Alex lifts her legs off the seat. In quick movements she makes her way to her bedroom. The teacher gives her that stern ‘what do you think you're doing’ look and she starts to slow down, hanging her head a little lower. 

“Alex! Hey!”

She looks around, uncomfortable that her name has been brought into the spotlight. Don’t worry Alex, give me the answers and the switch gets clicked off.

It gives her a chance though, a chance to slide her feet across the marble floor, static building in her soft teddy bear socks. 

“Alex, hey can I ask you something?”

“Sure, um…?”

I disregard her blank stare, notioning me to give out my name. My name has never been uttered in the walls of this wretched place and it never will. I won’t give it that power. 

“How do you do it?”

It’s like her facial features immediately morphed into a sweaty recognition about what I’m about to say.

“How do I do what?”

“Y’know…” I push, “How do you do the...cavern?”

She looks at me for a couple of seconds before shaking her head and storming away. I chase after her which isn’t hard because she speeds with caution. Why? We aren’t allowed to run in the halls but we can speed walk. She’s not going to get in trouble for speed walking.

“Yeah, I am.”

“I said that aloud?” I really need to stop doing that.

“No, I can just see it in your face. You're confused on why  I look so cautious. Yeah, I will get in trouble if I’m going ‘above average speed’ or whatever.”

My hand instinctively goes to grab my chin, I pause indecisively. It’s extra but it’s what you're supposed to do when you're confused. “Why?”

“Why do you think?” She snaps.

“I don’t know, why are you specific?”

“Not just me, everyone else in the cavern.”

My mind jumps back to the main objective and I robotically  move myself into a more sympathetic position. Arms crossed with pouty eyes, “Why wouldn’t they let you run just because you’ve been in the cavern?”

“Again, why do you think?”

“I don’t know?”

She looks at me up and down with quizzing eyes, her disbelief is obvious. I’m not sure what I did wrong, I guess I really need more information. 

Her eyes widened with shock, “Oh my god, are you that one girl who's trying to find the cavern? Oh, my friends told me you would try to find me, just forget about it!” 

I don’t care about much at all. The world is a blank page I’d like to keep clean, showing interesting written words I can not erase. If I try, the eraser marks will clutter what could have been a precise story of nothing. If I don’t care, nothing happens which is easier than risking your life for a second of happiness that will wash away. Yet, now, there are no warm arms to welcome me into a hug. No one is waiting for the three special words from me anymore. My desire from others has faded away to a past sentence no one will ever flip a page back to again. No one wants me, I have no purpose. It would make the three years pass a little bit faster, maybe once I’m out I can prove I am still deserving of those arms.

I’m not playing by a script anymore, the stage has disappeared. Emotions come rushing back as the dam has broken with that one phrase. I can’t forget about it, I can’t be denied again. Just give me something to latch onto, please.

My voice cracks and eyes water, alien sobs escape my cracked lips. Alex watches as I fall to the ground. I can’t understand why I’m crying. I don’t know what’s going on. I just know that I still feel no matter how much I want to deny. Suddenly I feel those warm arms I’ve been longing for since the first day I stepped foot into Oakwood. Alex cloaks me in kindness while I stare blankly at the dizzy walls. “Are you okay?” Alex asks.

“No.” I reply.

Alex sighs and pulls me up, “I...do you consider yourself-like...doomed? Do you think of yourself as a time bomb?”

“No, that’s idiotic.”

She looks at me with eyes that are confused, “When you get out of here, you have hope?”

I’m about to say yes, yes of course I do. I don’t even deserve to be here, I didn’t do anything. I’m fine, I-

The strong glass walls reinforced with thick creamy clay blocks  show me a reflection of a stranger. I can’t speak for her.

“I don’t know.”

“Ok.”

Alex starts walking down the hall so I follow, feeling sheepish and insecure. What just happened? Her dorm room  is void of decoration and sound, an echoless big room. 

She motions for me to go in, so I do. 

“You want to know what the cavern is?”

“Yes, obviously.”

“Ok, choose.”

She lays out three items on her bed, “Choose one.”

There is a toothbrush, a jug, and a box with cloth inside.

“How did you get this all? The toothbrush isn’t used right?”

“On my rare free days, I collect what I can.”

“You hid this? I’ve heard of smuggling phones, but a humongous jug?”

“You’d be surprised what siblings can smuggle in for you when they're giving you ‘clothes’?”

I look at the random items, “What is the point of these? What are you trying to prove, just tell me!”

She looks at me with annoyance, “Do you want to do this my way or get someone else's help. Trust me, if you really want to know you're going to do it my way. No one is as sadistic as I am to help you.”

Chapter 3:

I took the toothbrush, unsure of the faith that comes with it. I already have one so it just lies in my cabinet drawer, waiting for it’s mysterious day to arrive. I’m not sure really what or how this will lead me to the cavern. I’ve been trying it out though, in every situation I can’t really find a way to use it. So, again, my only choice is to hint a subtle lie, a little dancing shadow among the white imperial clouds. I hinder my speed from each class so Kamila’s wistful, disorganized eyes can zero in on me. Her being, well her, she’s obviously going to ‘casually’ speed up to me so she can initiate a conversation about her busy schedule. I’ll listen, or at least pretend to, while she goes on about being so tired her eyes nearly popped out from studying so she couldn’t get that one math page done and can she copy mine? 

That’s boring and I don’t have time though.

“Hey! Were you waiting up for me?” Kamila asks, tapping my shoulder.

“You can copy my math page Kamila.” I say dryly, she's not the only one who's tired from studying. 

“Excuse me?” She asks, tone offended. She walks in front of me and places her hands on her hips. “Why would you think I need that?”

“Why else would you be talking to me?” I ask, did I misread why she always sped up to me in the hallways? I’m not in any clubs, I don’t think I can help her with advice for that.

“What the hell do you mean? ‘Cause you're my friend?” Her structure relaxes a little bit, seeing my face soften into a concerned look. I wrinkled my nose a little more so I look less offensive and more defensive. ‘Slouch a bit, look down. She’s mad.’ I think to myself. It’s working.

Then the words set in and I stop for a second. The definition of a friend is a person you have a bond of mutual affection with.

“‘I’m not affectionate towards you.” I say.

Kamila looks at me with that studying eyes of hers, “Yeah, so?”

“Then we aren’t friends.”

“Yeah, but-”

“There is no “but”, that’s the exact definition of friend.”

She sighs with frustration, “Do you like garlic bread?”

“What does that have to do with-”

“Do you?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

She pulls out a dictionary from her satchel, “The definition of  like is to have love, respect, and admiration for something. Tell me, do you admire garlic bread?”

“To be honest, food is quite neutral as a whole to me-”

Her face looked tired and annoyed so I cut it off.

“No, I don’t admire garlic bread.”

Her face transforms from drowsy monday to a bright sunday morning, “Exactly!” With that, she strided off with her red sneakers bouncing off the marble floor through the endless hallways. I never got to ask her about the toothbrush.

Why are people so complicated? I don’t understand any of them. Why doesn’t anyone want anything from me here?

[aboutmikasa]

"Hope" for RivaMika, please. Canon fluff. And I'd like Siri. That Idea is very cool by the way. Nice way to get some inspiration.

c/n: Flirty Mikasa is my weakness, so this is longer than I expected. Thank you and I hope ;) you like it. 

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High Hopes

Rivamika | 1007 wc | Canonverse | Ask Siri music prompt | High Hopes by Bruce Springsteen | Valentine’s 2019 

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.

She swayed her way to the stool, making the eyes linger on those long legs; the kind of legs most dreamed of holding and wrapping around their waists. A black dress hanging on the right places and a fancy cigarette holder. A sight to behold.

Early that day the Queen mentioned Mikasa had returned and prepared a soirée for her birthday. So, the possibility of her presence on his favorite bar never crossed his mind.

“Sazerac for me,” she ordered, sitting in the vacant place to his right. “And another of the same for him.”

“Whiskey, old-fashioned.” Levi avoided the need inside his pants of following the motion of the girl crossing her legs.

“How accurate.” The chuckle sounded pleasant. “Do you still have your clock Captain?”

“I do.”

The bartender took his time checking her out and Levi glared at him, wanting to remind him to mind his own business, not that Levi could claim any business with Mikasa Ackerman. It shouldn’t surprise him, the annoying women dragged all the fucking attention slaying titans or showing to the world her fashion taste. And oh, she loved modern designs—and the clothes loved her back.

“How did you did you find this shithole, Mikasa?”

“Hanji said you would be here” she played with the hem of the skirt, or with him for a more accurate description. “My turn. Why didn’t you come to my party?”

“I wasn’t in the mood for parties.”

“Are you avoiding me?”

“Why would I?”

“Same reason I’m still waiting for your answer.”

He said nothing. Two years ago they share a similar conversation over tea. Nothing changed, he still had issues, she still had issues.

She traveled with Armin, sending letters to Levi every month; letters he never replied. When Mikasa went to Hizuru, they wanted her to settle there, offering an arranged marriage. No letter arrived after that one. After six months with no notice, Levi believed they wouldn’t meet again until Historia told him the news of Armin and Mikasa’s arrival.

“Can I buy you something?” A random man approached, putting himself between Levi and Mikasa, ignoring the fact they had been talking since she arrived, and more importantly, pretending not to see her undisguised annoyance.

The asshole reeked alcohol and excessive cologne. Levi missed the old-good-fights, the intruder needed a lesson from the underground to remember his manners.

“No, thank you and if you don’t mind we’re in the middle of a conversation,” her words were polite, but she wasn’t.

“Common doll, I’m a better company.”

“Get lost,” Levi’s words cut like a knife and the man looked at him wanting to start a fight, and maybe he recognized the Captain or his murderer expression convinced him of his stupidity because at the end he obeyed Levi’s orders with no fuze.

His audience included Mikasa, though, and she witnessed the change in his demeanor.

“I like when you get jealous, but I could handle him.” She wasn’t drinking, the absinthe danced in the glass.

“I know and I know you. I didn’t want to clean his blood from my jacket.”

“You’re not denying the jealousy,” she stroked his hair and tucked some behind his ear. “I’m not giving up, Levi.”

Her fingers felt so good and he drank, trying hard of not leaning towards the sensation.

She kissed him once, pushing the boundaries between ranks and tragedies, making herself clear. Her lips were soft, her body warm and too hot to keep his hands to himself. It wasn’t a kiss, making out with his protege wouldn’t count as just one kiss; not when it wasn’t one kiss, or when he got blue balls for one month. Not when she was on top of him, moving her hips and moaning his name as his mouth traced the lines of her neck. Clothes were coming out when Hanji knocked on his door.

Mikasa didn’t buy his crap about the age difference, the work, the war and so far and go on, reading his fears and self-doubts.

“What if I’m jealous?”

Levi took her with her guard down, at least he still knew how to make her stumble.

“You shouldn’t,” the intensity of her stare knotted his guts and butterflies flew in freedom inside of his stomach. Levi asked at his old-fashioned whiskey if he could be greedy and want more, asking if he would be able to make Mikasa happy. “I dressed up for you, but you didn’t want to see me, and that stupid glass is more interesting than I am.”

Something too close to sadness overloaded every word.

Most of the time she acted cocky, and he knew how to manage her arrogance; her fragility dismantled his defenses.

“That dress of yours, Jean convinced you to buy it because you looked pretty. The fringes open when you cross your legs as you have done to drive me crazy since you sat there; your hair is shorter, not much but still short and shiny and I bet still smells like apples. You have a bruise on your arm, probably over-exercising as you always do. You’re using a cherry red lipstick, the same color you bought the day we traveled to the city, and you’re wearing the earrings I gave you for your birthday.”

As he finished his eyes finally found her. Her confused smile was endearing.

“Make no mistake Mikasa, I’m always looking at you.”

Levi caressed her fingers, enjoying the warm he had missed. He loved the honesty of her eyes and the sultriness of her stare.

“You remember a guy told me I looked pretty in this dress!”

“That’s what you get from all that?”

Her fingers played with his hair once more.

“You know Levi, they can say I look pretty with this dress, but you’re the only one that can take it off,” Mikasa whispered to his ear.

It took longer for her to said it, than for Levi to toss money, grab her hand and walk out of the bar with Mikasa Ackerman laughing behind him.

[nayutai]

Time to Play

Word Count: 2,448

Warnings: bondage, blindfolding, orgasm denial, pain, vibrator, oral (m receiving), dom/sub themes, unprotected sex

A/N: This was pretty much an excuse to write sub Namjoon and whew chile I need to go lay down.

Joonie: Hey babe call me on your lunch break

I flipped my phone over on my desk as if I hadn’t even seen the message. Call him on my lunch break. I think not. Normally, I’d take any chance I could to talk to my boyfriend Namjoon because he’s always so busy but after the argument we’d had two days ago, thinking about listening to him speak makes me want to riot.

A rumor had come out that he’s dating some female idol that I knew he’d been doing some production work for and I’d asked him about it just to ease my own mind. Dating rumors come out all the time in the idol world but hardly ever about Joon and his bandmates because they usually keep to themselves. Seeing as how no one outside of the company even knows we’re dating, I felt threatened. Admittedly, I probably could have picked a better time to bring it all up considering that he’s been stressing about finishing the upcoming album, but that’s not the point. The point is that he’d thrown my insecurities about going public in my face as if I was to blame. He even went so far as to suggest that we “take a break”. I nearly slapped his pretty face for that one but I took the high road and left instead. If he wants to talk then he’s going to have to get on his knees and beg for my forgiveness first. A devious smile makes its way onto at my face at the mental image of his large frame knelt before me in submission.

When I return to my desk after taking my lunch break, I pull my phone out of the drawer I’d left it in while I was gone. I have several less than happy text messages from Namjoon and even a couple missed calls. My phone is returned to its hiding place after opening the text messages so he knows that I’ve seen them and purposely ignored them. The tone of his messages is much too combative and antagonizing for me to bless him with a response.

                                                             ~

It’s not surprising to me that Namjoon’s car is in my driveway when I get home. I make sure to take my sweet time grabbing my bag out of the back seat and making my way into the house.

“Why are you ignoring me?” Namjoon asks from his spot on the couch as I shut and lock my front door.

“Why are you here?” I ask as I step out of my heels and hang my sweater up on the coat rack next to his denim jacket.

When I turn to face him again, he’s standing right behind me. I curse myself internally at the fact that I jump at his sudden closeness. He smirks at my alarm and it only grows when I glare at him. I shoulder pass him aggressively as I head towards the stairs.

“Why didn’t you call me like I asked you to?” He questions with a sly poke to my ass as we climb the stairs.

“Because you didn’t deserve my obedience. Next question.” I shimmy out of my pencil skirt now that we’ve reached my bedroom before getting to work on the buttons of my silk blouse while Namjoon makes himself comfortable on my bed.

“Maybe I need to remind you who’s in charge here…” He lets his words trail off as I pull one of his t-shirts over my head.

I simply scoff at him before moving to leave my bedroom. If I have to deal with his shenanigans, then a glass of wine is most definitely in order.

I take a seat on a stool at my kitchen island and let the taste of my favorite white wine sets my taste buds alight as I sip from my glass. Namjoon takes this opportunity to cage me in with his hands coming to rest on the counter top on either side of me.

“You’re testing my patience, baby girl.” He whispered against the skin of my neck, his words separated by less than gentle nips at my skin.

I almost give in to his advances but the feeling of one of his hands coming up to tweak one of my nipples through my shirt snaps me out of my lust-induced haze. I quickly finish the rest of my wine before pushing off of the stool and forcing my way out of his embrace, putting some distance between us.

“You want me to play nice? Get on your knees and beg for my forgiveness first.” I fix him with my best glare as we have a stare down in the middle of my kitchen. “Beg or leave. Those are your only options” Hopefully the authoritative tone in my voice lets him know that I mean business.

A pleased smile graces my features as Namjoon reluctantly drops to his knees before me. He’s glaring at me but that only makes this so much better. I slowly walk closer to him until he’s forced to look up to still look me in the eye.

“You really hurt me with what you said, sweetie. What do you think your punishment should be?” I ask sweetly as I cup his face in my hands before dragging a single finger across his plush bottom lip.

I let the tip of my finger breach his lips, taking great pleasure in the way they look wrapped around it when he starts to suck. I’ve trained him well. My free hand comes up to swat at his face when it seems that he’s forgotten my question.

“Answer me, baby boy.”

“Do as you wish, my lady. I’m all yours.” He gives me a small smile when I lovingly run my fingers through his dark brown locks in response but it quickly becomes a grimace when I yank his head back by his hair.

“Let’s play.” I lean down to whisper into his ear. He shudders when I gently pull on the small hoop in his ear lobe with my teeth.

                                                              ~

The sight of my boyfriend bound, blindfolded, and nearly naked in my bed that he’s almost too big for sends a thrill of excitement through me. It’s very rare that he lets me take control like this but he knows how badly he fucked up so it’s not surprising that today is one of those times. The buzz of the wine is settled over my skin like a live wire and it only serves to heighten my arousal. I can feel just how wet my panties are against me but I can’t think about that right now.

I pull his t-shirt over my head and let it drop to the floor. Namjoon’s breathing speeds up in anticipation of my next move when he feels me climb on the and settle myself on his midsection. He whines when I drag my nails down his broad chest, leaving red marks in his skin. My mark on my man. I lean down to kiss each one before letting my lips move lower. My hands reach up to twist and pull at his nipples as I brush my nose along his erection over his boxers. I let my tongue slip out lick at the head when I reach it. The grunt of pleasure followed by a seeking thrust of his hips has me pulling back with a giggle.

“Stay still, baby.” He huffs but nods his understanding. “Good boy.”

I return my attention to the tent in his boxers. He feels so hot and hard against the palm of my hand. I pull on his waistband so it’s just low enough for his leaking head to be exposed. It’s shiny from the sheer amount of precum flowing out of it. I revel in the strangled moans coming from his pretty lips when I suck the head into my mouth. His hips lift from the mattress once more when the tip of my tongue teases the opening in his cock.

“What did I say about moving, Namjoon?” I ask gruffly. He mumbles something under his breath which is just unacceptable. I grip his balls through the fabric of his boxer with less than pleasurable pressure until he yelps in pain.

“I’m sorry!” He whimpers. I soothe him with a kiss to his lips before going back to what I was doing. This time I pull his boxer down till they’re sitting at mid thigh.

His erection rests against his lower stomach and it takes everything in me not to end this now and ride him into oblivion. I tell myself that he doesn’t deserve it yet. That he hasn’t earned the privilege to feel my slick walls wrapped around him. The words he’d said before float around my mind, becoming fuel for me to ignore my own urges and keep going.

I flatten my tongue against him and lick a slow strip up his pulsating length. He tosses his head back in pleasure but surprisingly his hips don’t move. We’ll see how long that lasts. My hand replaces my tongue on his stuff cock as I turn my attention to his balls. I watch him keenly for signs of movement as I suck one of them into my mouth. The muscles in his thighs twitch sporadically as I release it with a pop but he remains still. My hand slowly strokes, twisting around the head on each upward pass as I continue to show his testicles some attention. When my tongue reaches around to get to that sensitive patch right behind them I get the reaction I was looking for. His back arches as he tries to move his hips away from the sudden pleasure. He realizes his mistake too late as apologies flood the air around us. Now the real fun can begin.

“Tsk tsk tsk,” I completely remove myself from the bed. I lightly drag a single finger up his torso as I decide where I want to start. “I told you not to move, Joonie and yet you chose to disobey me. And to think I was actually going to let you cum.” I let the meaning behind my words hang in the air as he continues to whine.

He stops when he hears me rustling in the drawer of my nightstand. His brow furrows in confusion when he hears the sound of my vibrator coming to life. Namjoon has expressed his interest in using toys together in the past but today is the first time I’ve actually taken him up on the offer. I start by running the tip of the vibrator up his weeping length, lingering on the sensitive head. I guess he figured there’s no longer any point in staying still now that he’s being punished so his hips are moving wildly as he tries to escape the onslaught of pleasure.

“I’m gonna cum fuck” His head is tossed back in pleasure as he groans through his clenched teeth. I drop the vibrator on the bed and grip his erection tightly in my fist. “Fuck!” His hands beat repeatedly against the headboard as he begs for me to release him but I don’t do so until I’m sure any traces of his orgasm are gone.

As a peace offering, I swallow his cock down my throat. Namjoon hisses above me as he tries to handle the feeling of being engulfed by my mouth and the vibrations against his anus courtesy of the vibrator that’s now pressed to his puckered hole. It’s not long before his moans rise in pitch and frequency and I know he’s close to coming once more. Just like before, I squeeze him like a stress ball until he backs away from the edge of the abyss.

“Y/N please!” he begs.

“Apologize.” I demand as I slowly release him.

“I’m sorry fuck I didn’t mean it.” He blubbers. “I love you so much. I was just so stressed-” I cut him off by lining him up with my entrance and sinking down on him.

Namjoon’s spine arches at an ungodly angle as he tries not to blow his load now that he’s finally inside of me. My muscles are contracting around him involuntarily like always as I adjust to his size but this time I’m wary that it might actually push him over the edge. I reach forward to pull the blindfold from his eyes while my other hand wraps around his throat, applying a little pressure.

“You better not cum before I do.” I smile deviously at the terrified look on his face as I rock my hips against him. His panic only seems to grow as I increase my pace. A loud smacking sound echoing around the room every time I drop my ass in his lap.

“Fuck.” Namjoon bares his throat as he releases the expletive in a long drawn out moan. The sight is too tantalizing to resist as I lean down to mouth at the skin there.

When I sit back up and look in his eyes, his hardened gaze is trained on my face. He braces his feet flat on the bed, shifting me forward in the process, before he rockets his hips upwards into me. The movement seems to force the air out of my lungs as my mouth drops open. I lift my hips up to keep going and on the way back down he thrusts up again. His lips are drawn into his mouth in concentration as he fucks up into me. The knot that’s quickly tightening in my nether regions says that his efforts are paying off and I’m only slightly miffed about that. It’s hard to be truly angle when his thick length is hitting spots inside me that has me seeing stars.

“Fucking cum already!” Namjoon shouts and my traitorous body gives into his demands, releasing around him with a strangled shout. He follows right after with a pained grown. For a second, I feel as if his cock is going to spurt inside of me forever as I lay on his chest trying to catch my breath but his orgasm eventually comes to an end.

I blindly reach up to undo the scarves I’d used to tie him down, sighing when I feel him wrap his arms around me. He peppers kisses on my forehead as we wait for our heartbeats to level out.

“I really am sorry you know. I should’ve never said all of that shit to you.” Namjoon whispers into my hair as he runs a hand up and down my back.

“Apology accepted.” I respond with a kiss to his chest before drifting off to sleep.

[bunny-lou]

Im just reading your descendants super power au. I love it. I was wonder if you could do the same plot but with Jay coming to Auradon with them. Carlos has been dealing with Jays thoughts the entire time they were on the isle and never knew how to go about it. None of them know Carlos can read minds because Carlos wanted to keep that information from getting to Curella. Jay finding out about Carlos' mind reading and being embarrassed. Ive sent you a lot of request so thats why im anonyms.

Thanks love!

For anyone who is lost, this request is an AU of my AU, the latest installment can be read here: http://bunny-lou.tumblr.com/post/167205551737/i-need-more-mind-reader-carlos-ill-beg

In the Superpowers!AU, Carlos, Mal and Evie come from the Isle to learn how to better control their powers in Auradon, where they meet Jay. Carlos, who can read minds, is terribly flustered because Jay is constantly thinking about every dirty thing he would like to do to Carlos.

Enjoy!

“What do they want with Carlos? He can’t do anything.”

“Is he going to be out of place?”

“Maybe his name on the envelope was a mistake.”

Carlos shakes his head and follows along with the tour, paying more attention to Doug’s voice. He’s pretty good at keeping his friends out of his head, he’s had years of practice, but the worry radiating off of them was too much for Carlos to ignore.

Evil, if they ever found out Carlos could hear them, the three of them would die.

Evie is blasting her repressed feelings for Mal in her head, convinced she can find a prince to change her wicked lesbian ways while Mal is entirely oblivious, too focused on pleasing her mother. Carlos didn’t even need to look into her head to know that much. In fact, he didn’t really need to look into Evie’s either to realize her crush.

Jay was - Jay is - another story completely. His thoughts are tame while they’re at the school, distracted with shiny objects and short skirts, but his thoughts always came back to the same place.

“I wanna kiss him so fucking bad.”

“Carlos has to be gay. He has to be.”

“Give me five minutes in the bedroom and I will have you moaning so loud, the entire Isle will hear you.”

“Wanna fuck you against the wall, over a desk, want you to wrap your legs around my waist and shout.”

Oh dalmatians, it had become harder and harder to ignore Jay’s thoughts over the year with how close he likes to be to Carlos and how handsy he is. The fact that Jay had grown into less of a scrawny Isle kid and more of a fit, young man didn’t help either.

“And here is my office,” Fairy Godmother chirps as she sweeps them all into the room. “Please, make yourselves at home.” She dances around to sit in the chair behind her desk. “I have all of your files, I just wanted to check some of the information with you all. Let’s see, Jay?” Fairy Godmother looks up at him, “you’re pyrokenetic?”

“Yep,” a flame is born in the palm of his hand and Jay extinguishes it in a puff of smoke when he makes a fist.

“Any sort of training done on the Isle to control it?”

“Nope,” he pops his p, “just learnt to keep it under control myself.” Jay leans back against the door and his hair falls over his shoulders in a way that has Carlos itching to run his hands through it.

His action would be well received too, he’s sure of it. Jay’s never ending stream of detailed scenarios, most involving Carlos in his lap, were proof as well as Jay’s own physical affection.

But he can’t. Once Carlos puts his hands on Jay, he’s not going to want to stop. And once they’ve done every wicked thing Jay has ever thought about (though, that would take a while), Carlos would spill that he could hear Jay’s thoughts the entire time. And Mal’s. And Evie’s. Everyone’s.

His friends would all find out that Carlos has been hiding his ability for years and it was always to keep it from Cruella - if she ever found out, she would have used Carlos to no end.

Jay would know he’s been hiding it from them. From him.

Carlos closes his eyes. His secret is harder to keep in Auradon, where his entire purpose is learning to control the ability no one knows about. Maybe, just maybe, if the teachers were as nice as Ben said and if Carlos really kissed ass, he could get them to hold onto his secr-.

“Now, Carlos, you said in your registration that you’re telepathic?”

“What?” He asks at the same time the other three do, but Carlos doesn’t look at them. “What?”

“It says on your forms, the ones you filled out on the Isle,” Fairy Godmother peers up at him, “that you can read minds.”

This is an invasion of privacy. So is his power really, but Carlos ignores that. Is she allowed to read his information in front of others? She can’t be allowed to give his information out to everyone!

“No,” Mal shakes her head, “Carlos doesn’t have a-. I mean, he… Yeah. Yes,” she nods quickly and looks at Carlos, “yeah, he can definitely read thoughts. He does it all the time.”

Oh shit. Mal thinks he’s lying to Fairy Godmother and Auradon when in reality, Carlos is lying to her.

Well, too late to fix it now.

“Yeah, I can read minds.” He says with a nod. “That’s right.”

“Well, let’s see. What color am I thinking of?”

He knew the answer before she finished her question, but Carlos can’t seem too sure of himself. “Uhh, lavender?”

“Excellent! And how long have you been able to do this?”

She asks question after question and Carlos answers them all honestly while trying to look like he’s lying. He can’t risk glancing at his friends. Evie would lose her mind if anyone knew about her crush on Mal and Mal would hate him for being able to hear her constant self doubts.

And Jay…

Carlos doesn’t want to think about Jay right now.

Which is fine because Jay is thinking about him.

“He’s lying, right? Why would he say that on his forms? Why would he not tell us? Fuck, if Carlos could ever hear the shit I think, I’d never be able to look at him again. That would suck, I’d miss his freckles so much. And his eyes. And his mouth. Oh shit, hey Carlos, you can’t hear me right now, can you?”

Carlos has had years of practice not reacting to other people’s thoughts. It’s not hard to pretend Jay’s voice isn’t shouting in his head.

“You four are all done with me,” Fairy Godmother smiles. “You may go back to your dorms, get some rest. Classes are bright and early tomorrow!”

With that, they all turn out of her office and everyone exhales.

“Why would you say you’re telepathic?” Mal hisses at him and grabs his arm.

“You’re not, right?” Evie asks and her voice is so small, so shaky. “You can’t do anything.”

Carlos swallows. It would be so easy to lie to her, to wave away Evie’s worries as well as Mal and Jay’s. Carlos never thought he would be good at lying. The idea makes his chest tight.

Evie sounds scared, but more importantly, she sounds hurt. Betrayed. She sounds like she can’t possibly believe Carlos would ever lie to her.

When he turns to look at Jay and Mal and sees the same expressions on their faces, Carlos gulps. He can hear their concern from how long it has taken him to answer.

“No, he could never lie for so long.”

“There’s no way. He always said he couldn’t do anything.”

“Oh fuck I am so screwed.”

“I’m sorry,” Carlos chokes out and Mal’s grip on his arm disappears. “I couldn’t tell anyone on the Isle, I didn’t mean to lie for so long. I-I…”

Jay gasps. “You can hear what we think?”

“I tune it out!” Carlos promises and even that’s not fully a truth. “I always try to tune out voices, I never try to invade privacy.”

“So you’ve heard our thoughts and you never told us?” Evie’s face is one of pure agony and Carlos doesn’t know if he should reassure her that he doesn’t know her secret or if he should hug her and tell Evie to be with whom she loves.

Instead, he turns and runs.

I had no idea how to end this. Let your minds make up the rest! Do Jay, Evie and Mal forgive Carlos or are they forever hurt by his dishonesty?

Also, you guys like how I skipped over Evie’s power? I still haven’t decided on her yet. I don’t know when the Superpowers AU will be updated, I’d still like to come up with a larger plot for it all, but it has not been discontinued!

[elizabethhamilton1780]

“I didn’t drive all this way to say hey” + “I made a mistake” for the eliza is a journalist and Ham is married au you just posted?

A/N: A bit of smut in the first half, if that bothers some of y’all. Send me more prompts pretty please! Also, started calling this my Political Hell AU :) Set more towards the middle of the plot where things start to heat up. 

List of prompts: (x) Start of AU: (x) 

Alexander should have known.

She had been acting a bit odd the past few weeks. He figured she was upset with him for being so busy. He was working so hard with his party to get his proposed bill finished for the Senate floor along with the already heavy workload of his cabinet position and attempting to keep up the charade with Maria. Eliza, of course, was the thing that fell through the cracks, even though she was the one thing he wanted to hold the most.

With their conflicting schedules, they had only met up three times in the past two months. They still texted daily and Alexander called as often as he could… but she had every reason to silent treatment him while they were together. He had no idea that something else could be wrong.

He was actually looking forward to this gala Mrs. Washington had thrown. He was obligated to go, and Maria would, of course, refuse to accompany him. Eliza would be there, either schmoozing her sources or just reporting on Martha’s charity. They would certainly be able to get a few hours in together. Maybe he could even convince her to spend the night.— he had already rented a room at a nearby hotel, feeling lucky.

He showed up to the event forty minutes late, as per usual. The party was in full swing by the time he arrived. Instantly, his dark eyes scanned the room for her face. She usually wore her hair up at events like this, which Alex had a love-hate relationship with. He was able to see her face better, the sharp yet somehow delicate curve of her jaw, the pretty pale skin of her neck. But it made it harder for him to pull on her hair when they got up to their less than proper activities later.

His heart stopped when he saw her.

She looked absolutely breathtaking, the loose, silver silk material cascading down her figure like a waterfall. A thick, black lace ribbon covered her torso and cinched the dress around her slim waist, the straps of the dress thick enough to cover the tops of her shoulders. Her raven hair was curly and styled loosely down her back. His eyes immediately fell towards her hands to spot the shiny rock he was anxious she wasn’t wearing anymore. But there it was, third finger right hand, a promise of what was to come, of his dedication to her. He was relieved to see she was still wearing it.

He knew he couldn’t approach her. That was one of the first rules they had put in place when they officially started their relationship. They couldn’t be spotted together anywhere where there were cameras or colleagues too close by. He thought about walking past her, brushing her elbow to get her attention, leave the crowded room and hoped that she’d follow.

He knew that before he could do that, he had some work responsibilities to attend to. His Liza was still wrapped up in a conversation, so he made his rounds through the room. He shook hands with the various senate and house members, chatted with George and Martha and somehow found himself locked into a conversation with Henry Livingston about the one thing he didn’t want to talk about— work.

He felt her gaze on his back, turning and looking over his shoulder, his dark eyes locking with hers immediately. He watched in delight as a pretty pink color flooded her cheeks, a smirk forming unwillingly on his lips. She took another drink from her glass of champagne before she set it down on a nearby table. She looked back up, making sure their eyes locked again, Alexander was sure, before she spun on her heels and made for the exit.

He felt a mixture of excitement and fear bubble up in his stomach. She was never the one to make the first move like that… Something had to be wrong. But he was just so goddamn excited to see her again.

“Mr. Secretary?”

He turned back to one of his conversation partners, smiling apologetically. “I’m sorry, gentlemen. I thought I spotted Justice Tilghman, we have a bit of business we have to attend to. Where were we?” He waited for a moment more before he excused himself from the conversation and maneuvered his way out of the crowded room.

She was waiting for him near the double doors, immediately turning and continuing down the corridor. He followed her a couple of generous paces back, not wanting to look suspicious if anyone did spot them. He frowned a bit when she turned right instead of left, where the exit was. He followed her anyways, he’d follow her anywhere. She turned down hallway after hallway, the White House being like a maze. Just as he was starting to get frustrated and a tad impatient, she stopped and Alexander realized they were at his office.

His secretary must have left his office unlocked because Eliza was able to get inside with no trouble while his own hands were starting to search his pockets for his keys. He shut and locked the door behind him, Eliza standing between the two chairs intended for guests on the side of the desk opposite from him.

“You’ve done your research,” he accused her, his voice a bit husky and unwillingly so, from the anticipation of what was clearly about to happen. “You knew exactly how to get here from that side of this insanely huge building. I’m impressed.” The small smile that graced her lips was breathtaking and made Alexander’s heart ache with love.  “I love you,” he said. It had been too long since he had been able to tell her those three and very true words.

Her eyes softened and they met halfway to embrace each other. He held her tight against him, arms wrapped around her waist, her hands cupping his cheeks as they kiss. “I’ve missed you,” she sighed against his lips.

“I missed you too,” he whispered back before their lips crashed into each other again. After a too short amount of time, she pulled away just enough to work on unbuttoning his pants. He was already half hard as it had been over a month and a half since he’d last seen her, the feeling of her warm hand rubbing him through his boxers making him shudder. “Someone’s a bit impatient today,” he teased. proud of the fact that he managed to keep his voice even. One of his hands moved to tuck a piece of her long hair behind her ear before he started to kiss her jaw.

She didn’t reply to his teasing, her hand continuing to work between them as she kissed him again deeply. They made out longer than they usually did, Alex being painfully hard by the time she pulled her hand away. He didn’t mind, though. It had been a while since they had just kissed like that and Eliza seemed to be enjoying it by the soft noises that were muffled by his own mouth. She pulled her hand and pretty lips away suddenly, which made him pout.

Her breath was heavy, heavier than his. It was like he had been the one touching her. He frowned slightly, his hands running along her arms comfortingly, concerned. “Baby, are you okay?”

She nodded wordlessly, biting her lower lip. Alexander watched as she gathered the long skirt of the dress she was wearing, amazed and completely turned on by the fact that she was merely wearing a pair of lace panties the same color as her dress, nothing else under, her legs bare with no tights or the slip she usually tended to wear. She peeled her underwear off and let them fall to the floor. She turned around to shove the things on Alexander’s disorganized desk a little to the side, making him smile. She lifted the silky material of her skirt up again, bunching it around her waist before she rested her front on the table top of Alexander’s desk, completely exposed and waiting.

Alexander groaned at the sight of her, torn. She was needy and open for him, docile and sweet. It concerned him, this wasn’t like her. She usually made him work for it, no matter how desperate she was. She always tried to hide it, it was almost a game between the two of them. He liked to get her worked up until she was begging him and she liked playing hard to get. It wasn’t like her to skip that step. Maybe it was just because it had been so long. Maybe she just wanted him. He decided pretty quickly to quit looking at a giving horse in the mouth and just enjoy. They’d sort whatever it was afterward.

He fucked her hard, his clothed chest pressed against her back as he did so. His breath was hot in her ear, mumbling filthy things while his hips worked frantically against hers. He reveled in the noises she was making, soft “uh’s” escaping her lips with every sharp thrust of his hips. He eventually pulled out to turn her so he could see her pretty face. He tugged her into a sitting position, pulling her closer by her hips and kissing her firmly just as he started to fuck her again.

He made her cum first, grinning at the cry she let out. She sat up immediately after, still panting from her high. “Cum in my mouth, want you to cum in my mouth,” she requested sweetly, her lips pink and swollen, eyes wide and desperate despite the fucking she had received only moments before.

“What’s gotten into you?” was all he could think to ask. She ignored him and almost stumbled to her knees in front of him. She held her mouth open while her dainty hand worked at him expertly. He came in her mouth with a low grunt, watching in amazement as she swallowed without any hesitancy.

There were a few moments of silence afterward, his thumb running along her lower lip before he sunk to his knees in front of her. He gathered her into his arms, his back resting against the nearest chair. Her skirt was still exposing the better part of her legs, his pants still pooling around his ankles. They had stopped caring for propriety long ago. She cuddled into him, her breathing still heavy as she hid her face in his neck. He ran his hand up and down her back, leaning his head against hers.

“That was new,” he said once they both seemed to be a bit more composed, his tone conversational. She hummed in reply, making no effort to sit up. “Is something wrong? It seems like something’s wrong, baby. Tell me what’s wrong so I can fix it.”

She let out a small sigh, pulling away to meet his eyes, wearing an unreadable expression. A smile graced her lips, but Alex couldn’t quite tell if it was real or not. “I’m fine, love. Just a bit tired. And I missed you a lot, couldn’t wait any longer.”

He hummed, not entirely convinced, but not wanting to push either. “I’ve missed you too. So much. Missed your smile. Missed that cute mole on your neck,” to prove his point, he kissed the mark on her neck, smiling when she laughed.

“You should be getting back,” she said all too soon. Alex sighed, wanting to protest, but he knew it was true. He hadn’t even talked to half the people he needed to. He nodded and she sat up, using the armchair for support as she struggled to her feet. He tucked his shirt back into his pants and buttoned them. He watched her slide her panties back on under her dress. Something was wrong.

“I actually think I’m going to head home. I’m afraid I’m a bit too tired to socialize anymore,” she confessed softly, avoiding eye contact with Alex as she fixed the skirt of her dress.

“Hey,” he said quietly. When she continued to ignore him and fuss with her dress, he stepped forward and tilted her chin up, making her look at him. He was horrified to find tears pooling in them. “Liza, tell me what’s wrong.”

She laughed wetly and shook her head, resting her palms against his chest. “It’s silly. I’ve just missed you, is all.” He felt his heart ache again, pecking her lips.

“Any chance I can convince you to hang around a bit longer?”

“Alex…”

“I booked a room. You can go and wait there for me?” he asked hopefully, resting his forehead against hers. “Please? I’m not finished holding you yet.”

“Baby, I ca—“

“Don’t say you can’t.” He shook his head. “Because you can. Please, love. I need more time with you.”

She eventually nodded reluctantly, taking a step back while Alexander searched in his suit pocket for his wallet that contained the room keys. She hesitated as she moved to take it. “You have another key, right? You won’t need me to get in… In case I fall asleep.” she added as an afterthought.

“Yeah, I have two.” He smiled sweetly at her, pressing another kiss to her lips. “I’ll have Lewis drive you there, hm?” She nodded and he took his phone out to text his driver. He winced when he saw the number of texts from his assistant. “Baby, I’m sorry but I—“

“Have to get to work.” She finished, offering him a small smile. “It’s alright. Duty calls.”

“I told him to pick you up by the back entrance,” he informed her, pressing one last quick kiss to her lips. He had just shrugged his suit jacket back on before her hands were on his face and he was tugged down to her height, her lips firmly against his. This kiss was probably one of their most passionate in perhaps their entire nearly two year-long relationship. The severity frightened him a bit. She was the one who ended it, her eyes still squeezed shut as she released him. “Eliza…”

“Go,” her eyes fluttered open again. “I’m alright, I promise. I’ll see you later.” When he didn’t move, she prodded again. “The sooner you leave, the sooner we’ll be together again, the more time we’ll have.”

He sighed, hating that she was right. “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he promised, buttoning up his suit jacket, checking his hair in the mirror Maria had insisted on hanging in his office for decoration. Oh, if she knew what this mirror was usually used to fix his ‘just fucked’ hair the majority of the time.

“I love you, Alexander.”

“I love you too.” He pecked her lips again and then was off. The sooner he got back to the party, the sooner he’d be back with Eliza.

- - -

He was there for another two hours— much longer than he would have liked. But he was happy with the progress he had made with a few of the Republican senators that they were trying to get to agree to their bill. It looked like it had the majority vote, despite Jefferson’s best shots. He unlocked the hotel room door, the room dimly lit.

“I’m back, baby, so sorry that took so long. But Ria has plans tomorrow, so I don’t need to be home until the evening… Liza?” he frowned when he saw the bed was still perfectly made, not spying the head of dark hair peeking out of the sheets like he had thought he would. The light wasn’t on in the bathroom. He felt the panic rise in his chest, yanking his phone from his pocket. He quickly dialed her number, holding the phone to his ear. She wouldn’t do this, she wouldn’t say she was going to spend the night with him and then not do it. Something was wrong, something had to be wrong.

He noticed the note on the desk right as the automatic voice message ran in Alexander’s ear, informing him that the number had been disconnected. He dropped his phone and gingerly lifted the ring, still not quite understanding until he reads the note.

I’m sorry. - B

- - -

It took him a week to crack Angelica. A solid week of begging, annoying, and showing up unannounced at her office and home.

“Hamilton, she doesn’t want to see you. I don’t know how many more times I can say it—“

“It’s bullshit, Angelica, and you know it.” Alex interrupted her, leaning over her desk with both hands planted firmly in front of him. “She loves me. And I love her and she knows that.”

“Maybe she got tired of dating a man who is already fucking married.”

“I understand that but… Why now? Why after two years? Why after I gave her that ring? We’re closer than ever to being together for real, another six months and—“

“I don’t know, Alex.” She interrupted him, her dark eyes serious and completely honest. “I don’t know what happened. She does love you, yes, but something happened and she doesn’t want to be with you anymore.”

“If even you don’t know, it must be—“

“Bad. I know. She won’t budge, though. I don’t know what it is, the only instruction she left me was to send the rest of her boxes to her and to keep you in line.” She leaned back in her broad office chair, folding her arms across her chest. “So get back in line. You have an important job, go and—“

“I’m not leaving here until you fucking tell me where she is. She’s the most important thing in my life and she has been for two years. I know that’s fucked because I have a wife, but. I love her, Angelica, I love her with all my heart and soul and something’s wrong and I need to help

her fix it. And I can’t help her fix it behind my desk. So, tell me where she fucking is or I will start harassing your husband too.”

“Oh, please. I love John but he’s so weak, you really think I’d let—“

“Angelica.”

Angelica sighed, running a hand down her face. “Don’t make me regret this,” she eventually said, pointing at him with narrowed eyes. He nodded eagerly, his eyes showing nothing but gratitude. “She’s staying at our parent’s lake house while she figures everything out,” she paused and wrote down an address on a sticky note. “It’s a few hours drive from Albany.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much.” He took the paper and folded it, shoving it into his coat pocket. “I’ll text Gina and have her look up flights to Albany now…” he mumbled mostly for himself, thumbs already flying wildly as he headed for the door.

“Alex?” he turned around to face her. “I’ll help you break whoever scared her off.” He grinned at her and gave her a mock salute before he disappeared.

- - -

After a very long day and a half, Alexander found himself on the surprisingly quaint porch of the Schuyler’s lake house in Caroga Lake. The ring felt heavier than the first time in his pocket. He took a deep breath before he knocked on the heavy front door.

A few moments past, and nothing. If Angelica sent him on a goose chase… he knocked again on the door, louder.

This time, the door opened. And there she was. She looked tiny, wearing a baggy gray sweater, her face bare of any makeup, her raven hair straight and messy, framing her face like a halo. “Hey…” he breathed, suddenly getting choked up. He was so in love with this woman that it hurt.

She was obviously shocked to see him, mouth opening and closing like a fish. She moved to slam the door shut but he caught it with his foot. “I didn’t drive all this way to just say hey,” he said dryly.

“I don’t want you here,” she snapped, the tears almost audible in her voice. “I knew I shouldn’t have trusted Angelica. Go away.”

“No. Not until we talk about this. Did you seriously think I was going to let this go with two lousy words? I’m sorry? For fuck’s sake, Eliza.”

“I don’t want you here!”

“Bullshit.”

“Yes, because anyone who doesn’t want you is lying to themselves—“ she said haughtily, her face still not visible.

“You wanna break up?” Alex snapped.  “Fine, let’s break up. I’ll leave you alone for good if you can look me in the eyes and say you don’t love me.” He relaxed when she stopped pressing against the door and opened it slowly. There were a few leftover tears that escaped her eyes. Alexander wanted to kiss them away. He didn’t. “Tell me that you don’t love me, and I’ll disappear from your life. Tell me that, and we’ll be over.”

She let out a small sob and lunged forward, into Alexander’s arms.

He let out a sigh of relief and hugged her tightly against him. He gently pushed her more inside so he could slam the door shut with his foot. “Shh… shh, baby, it’s alright. I’m here. Just tell me what’s going on with you, hm? Let me help you. We can fix whatever it is.”

She sniffled and slowly pulled back to face him. “I made a mistake. A huge one. One that even you can’t fix.”

“Let me try.”

“I trusted someone I shouldn’t have. I trusted someone and I told him about us—“

His heart dropped. He let his arms fall to his side. “No. You didn’t. Liza, you—“

“He told someone else and that someone hired him to… to follow us. He has pictures.” Alexander groaned and turned away from her, panic rising in his chest. He pinched the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath. “He has so many pictures and I. He planted a bug or something in my purse because he. He has a pretty explicit audio and… God, I’m so sorry, Alexander. I’m so sorry.”

“And you thought running away from me was your best option? You were going to let me deal with this alone?”

“No! I… I made a deal with him.” He spun to face her abruptly. “We were… competing for an editing position. He knew I was going to get it. He said if I quit, that he’d tell whoever hired him that he was wrong, that there wasn’t anything between us.”

He shook his head. “Eliza.”

“So… Yes, I did run. But I ran for you, not from you.”

“Okay. I… I understand why you… why you left. I just don’t understand why you thought ending things was apart of the solution.”

“You have enemies, Alexander. More then you know. And I’m just something they can use to hold over your head. Say I move but we continue. Next time it’s going to be someone hacking into your phone. There’s always a next time—“

“Come home.”

“What?”

He took a step forward, taking both her hands. “Come. Home.”

“Did you not listen to any of what I said?”

“I did. But. I promise Angelica and I will find another way to bury whoever’s been blackmailing you in the sand. Whoever he is, he’ll never work again in this town, alright? We’ll find a way. We’ll take care of this together. Come home.”

She shook her head. “I can’t ask you to put that much on the line for me—“

“You’re not asking me to. I know that. But you’re worth the risk, baby. You make me so happy. You’re worth the risk of Ria suing me for all I’ve got, you’re worth the risk of losing my job. You’re worth it. Come home. We can fix this together.”

She hesitated, looking down at their hands. “It’s… Andre. John Andre.”

“Him?! Dammit. He’s so pretty.”

Eliza laughed tearfully, nodding. “Guess that’s how they reel ya in.”

“That’s how you reeled me in.” Alex nosed at her cheek before pulling her into a tight hug. “We’ll take care of this. I promise. You’re going to get that editing position.”

“I don’t even care anymore. I just want you.”

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “You already have me. Always. We’ll figure this out.”

[smashbuddies]

Do It for Them, Do It Again

Purple Diamond. It was his sole purpose to serve them to the best of his ability. To make sure they were as happy as possible. To do everything in his power to keep them in line. For their sake, of course. For every gem within and under the Great Diamond Authority, too.

For a long while, that was it. A couple minuscule thoughts clumped together, looping over and over again. Nothing else mattered because nothing else existed.

Then it grew. More layers of thought and information. Sing, dance, entertain, watch, listen, learn, act, do, be perfect. More and more, he learned about the universe and his place in it. Cold facts ingraining into his very being, pushing against the solid warmth that surrounded him, adding up into who he was meant to be.

A Pearl.

That warmth melted off and gave way to an intense wave of hot air. After a moment of hesitation, he pushed his voice out into the world and asked, "Hello? My Diamond? What form would you like me to take?"

"Default."

Cold. Much colder than he expected. But that didn't keep him from following orders. Even if he struggled with it at first. Sure, he knew what he was supposed to look like. In theory. Small, beautiful, long curls tied back to show off his face. Donning the finest, purple dress with a ruffled skirt, leggings, and flats with ribbon tied in neat bows.

But it was hard. Like pushing against an immovable wall.

Pop!

With a gasp, he finally formed around his gem, just barely able to land on his feet. He stared at his hands and flexed his fingers while the heat around him surged. Wow. This is what it was like to exist? To be in the world, filling up space?

A touch to his hair made him jump. Lips drawn into a tight line, he looked up and locked eyes with...

Red Diamond. 

Shrouded in a crimson glow that cut through the darkness of the room, she towered several feet over him. One eyebrow raised and not a hair out of place, she betrayed nothing about what could have possibly been going through her mind right then. And with nowhere else to look, he could only stare as she pulled her hand back.

Glimmering between her fingers was a star. Light purple, almost pink? Most importantly, though, not supposed to be there.

Before she could say anything about it, he swung his arms up into the Diamond Salute and took a deep bow at the waist. "Red Diamond, thank you for creating me. How may I be of service to you?"

She neatly folded her arms behind herself. "You can start by telling me your purpose."

"Of course!" He straightened his back and laced his hands in front of himself in an effort to be perfectly poised. Like she was. "I was made to be a companion, a source of entertainment, and an assistant for My Diamond— Purple Diamond."

The corner of her lips quirked up, sending a rush of pride through him. "Perfect. Come now, I have to show you off to Gray."

Oh. Gray Diamond. Cold apprehension took hold of him, but he followed closely behind Red Diamond as she led him through twisting corridors. Of course, he respected Gray Diamond as much as any of the others. But he wasn't like them. Something about him was almost unknowable. Distant.

Terrifying.

"Gray?" Red Diamond called out as the two of them stepped into a large chamber. "Can I have a moment with you? Alone?"

"Ugh, what do you want?"

To keep himself from getting too nervous, he scanned the room. That would be enough to keep him occupied until he was allowed to join the conversation, at least.

The first thing he saw was a gem dressed exactly how he was, down to the same shade of vibrant purple. Another Pearl? They seemed to be looking at him too, a small frown on their face. But then his eyes were drawn past them, to the other gem dressed in the same way. Wait, and there was another too? 

How many Pearls were made for His Diamond? Wasn't he supposed to be the only one?

"Oh, please, don't be like that. I simply want to show off my latest experiment to keep Purple... Entertained. You've been complaining to me so much about it, I simply thought you'd like to see him."

That was when he noticed the multiples of Red Diamond standing about.

Oh. Mirrors.

Face burning with humiliation, he hung his head, only to be met with his own reflection once again.

"Maybe I've got better things to do than— wait, him?"

Immediately, he was drawn to the reflection of Gray Diamond's black-hole eyes. The ones that had been haunting the corner of his vision this whole time. They simmered with something that made his gem thrum in distress. An almost scalding hand to his back helped him break away, though, and he immediately closed his eyes.

"Yes, him. I made a Pearl."

"...Lorna, get out."

Soft footsteps passed right on by him, followed by the slide of the door opening and closing.

After a long, tense moment, Gray Diamond finally asked, "You made a Pearl? For Purple? Without even asking me first?"

"I don't believe I need to ask you for permission to do anything," Red Diamond said coolly, while still keeping her polite tone. "It's my prerogative to do whatever I please with the resources at my disposal, is it not?"

"Those are our resources, Red! We could've made hundreds of Pyrite soldiers! But no, you pumped them all into a Purple Pearl!"

A hand wrapped around his wrist and yanked him upwards. His eyes shot open as he let out a pained yelp, feet kicking to find any solid ground, only to freeze in place. Sharp white teeth filled his vision, silently snarling out a threat. 

Don't move, or you're dead.

"And it's under-cooked," Gray Diamond spat. "See how tall it is? You really think a defect will keep Purple out of our business?"

"There wasn't enough to let him develop for longer. He would've been worse off for it."

"Do you even hear yourself!? This is like Orange all over again!"

Red Diamond drew in a sharp breath. "Orange was a mistake. This is nothing like him."

"Oh, right. Because Purple and their defective Pearl are shining examples of gemkind."

"Speaking of 'shining examples of gemkind', how is Lorna working out for you? Is having an overcooked, nearly blind Pearl everything you wanted when you asked Black to make one?"

"Pretty sure it was your side of things that dropped the ball on her. I'm why she turned out as great as she did."

"Gray."

"What? As if the Pearl's even listening. It's probably too stupid to. I mean, just look at it!"

"He’s terrified because you're endangering him. If you'd like to deal with the fallout of having destroyed Purple's Pearl before he's even calibrated, then be my guest. But I would suggest putting him down before you damage him too much with your little temper tantrum."

Too late for that. Sure, he wasn't physically hurt, but his mind was reeling. Now he knew that the last thing he ever wanted to do was get on Gray Diamond's bad side again. But a small, nagging part of him felt some kind of way. He hadn't even done anything yet— hadn't had the chance to. It felt so incredibly unfair.

But it was Gray Diamond's right to be frustrated with his existence. He had a point, after all.

"Whatever. As long as I don't have to see it, I guess it's fine. But if Purple comes whining to me about their shiny new Pearl, I'll hunt it down and shatter it myself." For a brief second, those black eyes flickered towards him. "Got it?"

Without even giving him the time to reply, Gray Diamond unceremoniously dropped him to the ground. He landed on his feet, thankfully, and managed to stay upright with Red Diamond's help. She even gingerly grabbed his arm and looked it over, brow furrowed and a scowl on her face. No doubt from the slight discoloration there now.

"Fine, then," she said, voice cold as her eyes snapped back up. "Just try not to let this get to Black."

Gray Diamond sneered. "We'll see."

Before he could even wonder how Black Diamond would react to his existence, he was ushered out of the room. He just barely caught the sight of Gray Diamond sinking into the floor before the doors practically slammed shut in his face, leaving him with more questions than answers.

"That certainly could have gone better," Red Diamond noted. It sounded like she was talking more to herself than to him. "No matter. Gray can think whatever he wants. I'm positive that Purple will be more than ecstatic to see you."

A part of him wanted to ask if she really thought so. Doubts clouded his mind. What if he wasn't good enough for them? What if they reacted the same way Gray Diamond did? What if they hated him even more? What if they shattered him on the spot because he was under-cooked? Defective?

He knew better than to question a Diamond, though, so he simply kept his mouth shut and his eyes downcast.

"Well, if this is going to be a surprise, you need to recede back into your gem."

A pang went through him. What was this feeling? Fear? Why would he be afraid of His Diamond? It didn't make any sense. Instead of trying to figure it out, he ignored it and focused on the sheer joy of finally getting to meet them.

"Yes, Red Diamond."

It was easier to pull back than it was to push out. Inside his gem he couldn't see much, especially not with Red Diamond's fist closed around him. But he could still hear, at least, even if everything was muffled. Movements got through to him, too. Lifts and pulls of elevators, the jostle of footsteps. Various hushed whispers of "My Diamond" or "Red Diamond". Those all filled the journey to His Diamond’s chambers, giving him something to focus on

Then it all stopped.

"Purple? Come here for a second, I have something to discuss with you."

"Are you gonna finally give me a planet?"

His Diamond's voice. His gem pulsed in response, eager to finally do what he was made for. If it hadn't been for Red Diamond's hand tightening around him, he probably would've ruined the surprise.

"...No. You aren't mature enough to have a planet yet."

"What about—"

"Or an armada."

"Ugh, then what's the point?"

"If that's how you want to act, then I'll just put your new gem to some other use. Pity, since you've been waiting so long for it, but..."

A long pause.

"Wait! You mean it's ready? The gem? What kind is it? What can it do? What's its name? What's it like?"

"Settle down. In just a moment, you'll be able to ask it yourself. But first, I need you to understand that having your own gem is a great responsibility. Everything it does will reflect on you. Make sure that what it shows is nothing less than perfection."

His Diamond let out a groan, then said, "Yeah, I know! Just hand it over already!"

"Purple."

That was the first time her voice held any true fire. It bled into the air, or at the very least into her hand. By some miracle, he didn't get scorched. But it set off alarm bells in his head, just like Gray Diamond did. All he wanted was His Diamond; to not have to deal with anyone else, as radiant as they were.

"...Sorry."

Red Diamond sighed. The sound was soft, though her frustration was still crystal clear. "This gem is a test, Purple. Don't take it lightly."

"Yeah," they said in a clipped tone. "Got it."

The following moment felt like an eternity. Tense silence, not even the smallest sound. A part of him wanted to break it. Hello, he was still here! But he beat down that thought. Everything he did would reflect on His Diamond, and he wanted to be nothing short of perfection.

Slowly, the fingers around him unfurled. "Pearl, you may come out now."

Finally!

In a burst of light, he emerged from his gem once again, this time posed in a deep bow with his hands stretched behind him and a smile on his face.

"Hello, My Diamond!"

There they were. Even though he already knew what they looked like, his eyes traced over every last detail anyway. Spiked up, brown hair, wide eyes, soft face accentuated by piercings. And of course, the purple uniform showing off their status— and the perfectly cut gem embedded into their chest. 

Seeing them made all the fear go away in an instant. Now his gem only thrummed in absolute delight, filling the silence of the room. Nothing could bring him down now.

Or so he thought. But they didn't say a word. Was something wrong? Did they expect something better? Could they see he was defective? Just in case, he kept his smile perfectly in place. A Pearl is always happy to be at their Diamond's side.

Slowly, they knelt down before him, one hand outstretched. Their touch was gentle as they brushed against his cheek, though that didn't keep him from trembling.

"He's beautiful," they whispered, looking awe-struck. Their fingers threaded through the curl that framed his face. "Perfect."

Something inside him swelled. This was all he could possibly want. He didn't care about Gray, Black, or even Red all that much. Purple Diamond was his whole universe, and he would do anything to put a smile on their face.

"I'm glad you like him," Red Diamond said proudly, one hand to her chest. Something about the way she spoke now almost put him off. It was harsh, each sound more pointed than her flowing eloquence around Gray Diamond. "Now all you have to do is calibrate him and perhaps give him a name. That should be simple enough."

His Diamond didn't react until the doors had already closed behind her.

"Wait! Calibrate? Huh?"

He bit his tongue. They would be able to figure it out. And if not, he was there to help them along. But he didn't want to jump in quite yet. No, that would only give off the impression that he thought they were an idiot. How ridiculous would that be? A lesser gem thinking of a Diamond in such a way? Not only ridiculous, but treasonous too.

They let out a huff and almost pouted. It was... Kind of cute. If a little odd. Nothing prepared him to see His Diamond act like this. But that was fine. They were still perfect, of course.

"So, um," they eventually started with a hesitant glance his way. "I guess I have to name you now, huh?"

"If you want to," he said and straightened himself out, hands folded perfectly in front of his skirt. "I'm one of only two Pearls currently in existence, so a name isn't all that necessary. There wouldn't be much confusion if you just wanted to call me Pearl."

Their nose scrunched up in obvious distaste, then they fully seated themself on the floor. "Nah, I don't think so. Just gimme a sec, I'll come up with the perfect name for you."

"Yes, My Diamond."

More than a second passed while they huffed and fidgeted, eyebrows furrowed in concentration as they looked him over. His face grew warm from all the attention. But at least they didn't seem to notice. In fact, he knew that they were almost completely in there own head until they slapped their hands down against their thighs with an exuberant "aha!".

"My Diamond?"

"I got it now!" they announced with a broad grin, then poked his nose. "Daniel! That's you!"

"Daniel?" he repeated under his breath. It sounded foreign, but strangely... Right? Either way, it was His Diamond's decision to make. So with a gracious curtsy, he said, "It sounds perfect, My Diamond. Thank you for giving me such a wonderful name."

A rush of purple flooded their cheeks and they ran a hand through their hair. "No problem. I just figured it sounded pretty enough, you know?"

Oh.

"Anyway," they continued before he could sink into the warmth that statement had brought him, "tell me about yourself, Daniel. Who are you? What can you do?" A pause, then an added, "And what's your favorite color?"

He blinked, taken aback by the surge of questions. Especially that first one. Didn't they just establish that? Oh well, best not to question it.

"I'm your Pearl, Daniel. I can sing, dance, tell jokes, provide companionship, and do whatever you want me to do. My sole purpose is to make you happy, My Diamond." Despite himself, his smile grew a little more shaky, betraying the fluttering he felt in his gem. "And my favorite color is purple, of course."

"You can sing," they gushed under their breath, eyes lit up with stars. "Can you sing something for me?"

"Of course, My Diamond!"

Daniel clasped his hands together under his chest and took a deep breath, only to hesitate. The first note got caught in his throat, stifled by the thought that it would come out sour. Gray Diamond's voice echoed in the back of his mind. One complaint and he'll be shattered.

...That was fine. If he was truly defective, then he deserved it anyway.

Sweeter than he ever expected, the 'Ode to the Great Diamond Authority' spilled past his lips and into the air. Once that barrier was broken, a rush of confidence pushed him forward and made him pour his entire soul into the song. 

Everything blurred together after that moment. Color, sound— it was all one mess of an experience that he didn't fully process until he'd belted out the final note, now posed with one hand to his chest and the other high in the air. At some point he'd even taken a step closer to His Diamond, as if drawn closer to them even in his haze.

Face hot, he immediately retracted back into the stance he'd taken before. Hopefully they didn't take offense to—

"That was so good!" they cheered with a round of applause that echoed through the whole room. Now their grin went all the way up to their eyes and they leaned forward so far that he almost thought they'd topple over. "You have a really pretty voice."

He beamed with pride. "Thank you, My Diamond."

Silence followed. And staring. A lot of staring. All with that grin still firmly in place. It almost put him on edge. Not in a bad way, necessarily. It wasn't like what he'd felt earlier around Gray Diamond. Still, when it lasted for a little too long, he found himself unable to keep his mouth shut.

"Can I help you, My Diamond?"

"Hm?" They blinked several times, as if still processing what he'd asked them. Then they sat back and rested their head in their hand, eyes never leaving him. "Oh, no, not really. I just like looking at you. It's like, woah. I made you. That's just kinda hard to believe, you know? I made a gem, and here he is. Right in front of me. And you're so perfect."

"Why, thank you," he said earnestly, if a little awkwardly too. The last thing he wanted to do was take praise like that for granted. Even if he didn't really know how to respond to it yet.