#romancing the inventor

[s-darling-art]

Winners of the “Most Likely to Live Happily Ever After” superlative

[m4ggotm0ld]

how im tryna look like

[dearabsolutelynoone]

“When your body and soul feel as if they could burst into flames whenever the two of you are near….

…when all you are able to do in their presence is to fight the urge to lean forward and touch their lips with yours." - Daphne Basset (née Bridgerton) the Duchess of Hastings, Bridgerton S2

[mr-laveau]

Seeing Your (Magical) Sarcastic Private Eye Again || [M4A] [Inventor listener] [Audio RP/ASMR RP]

Eyo listeners! We have a new audio available to listen to on YT!

Boy, it's been a while since we've heard from Khaleed! Luckily I'm ready to solve that by proivding you all with a little gift! Khaleed's been on the case and finally has some news for a well rested Genius and we see something new blossom from it, I hope y'all enjoy the video!

[its-not-a-pen]

celebrating my pen nibs miraculous recovery with a drawing of a guy who also survived a horrific injury

[theprofessionalpromptmaker]

National Forget-Me-Not Day & World Science Day for Peace and Development

Person A created a device that promotes world peace by making people forget the people who hurt them the deepest, but it’s currently in the early stages of development and they use it on their fiance/long term partner/spouse, Person B, who seems to be upset often, hoping to give them some peace from their turmoil. But what Person A didn’t expect was for Person B to forget them when the device is used. Now with Person B, the love of their life, not knowing who they are, Person A separates themself from Person B’s life, trying to keep their distance since they don’t know what they did to hurt the person they loved and doesn’t want to accidentally hurt them again. But Person B keeps subconsciously seeking out Person A.

[kentuckycaverats]

talking to our st about miss tara clellan and !! he says that she was born in the 1950s and embraced in the 70s. she was a university student, 22 at the time of her embrace. she doesn't like to talk about her mortal life but has told del that it was difficult and lonely, and that she "didn't have many connections." st says this is mostly because her parents were super conservative and put a lot of pressure on her to be the perfect daughter, so she did the comphet forcing-myself-to-try-liking-boys thing for awhile until she went off to uni to escape them and be her own person. she had a girlfriend at uni until her embrace, but she hasn't had any romantic relationships in the 50 years she's been a cainite.

she doesn't have a lot of friends, either. the former tremere regent kept her on a short leash, and no one liked or trusted him so most kindred were wary of her by association. her best friend is also kindred but lives in ireland so they don't see each other often. so tara was ostensibly alone for 50+ years, and then the first person that she looked at with heart eyes was the crass, confrontational, wholly tactless brujah(-passing) neonate delphine

[phillipsgraves]

'cause he's so pretty when he goes down on me // gold-skinned eager baby, blue shirt out the laundry // he tells me he's gentle when he wants to be // so i think he wants to be gentle with me

[ template ] | jen belongs to @jendoe! ♡

[arcstral]

this is the first time in many years that caeda may spend her beloved's birthday with him without interruption. even just the very thought is enough to make her heart flutter, for the last few years both their birthdays had only been celebrated through letters. it was always enough for her own birthday… but year after year she found herself wishing she could do something more physical for him.

it all boiled down to wishing she could be there for him, as many of her problems while separated from him usually did.

"marth, beloved." she whispers his name with a saccharine smile, straddling his very lap. though she has no reason to be shy considering they both have all the privacy in the world in his dorm room, it is so very different to be doing this here and in the now then to merely imagine it through exchanged letters sopping with spoken affection.

"i am so blessed to be able to celebrate your birthday with you." she murmurs, pressing a kiss against his bangs. she lingers there, her eyes peacefully shutting closed. "happy birthday, my love."

               It took a true king to understand that no mistakes could be suffered to exist in an age of reconstruction. An academy overflowing with aspiring leaders would know how to better shape the Hero-King into one truly worth of his title. Worthy of his people’s salvation. That at least had been the justice propelling his leave of Archanea and the woman that loved him. But if the call he made symbolized the highest form of resolve it was most certainly one of tragedy, too.

               As Marth settled his weight upon the Archanean throne he thought of leaving it for Fòdlan all in the same breath. He scarcely slept in the marital bed with Caeda before relinquishing it to the more consistent entities of duty and dust. Kingship required necessary sacrifice and in his mind Marth did only what had to be done. He'd never thought himself a better or worse man for these sacrifices but they have changed him all the same:

                Now he reveled at the solid feeling of Caeda over his legs, the comfortable nothing of thoughtless touches committed purely because they could. His love of quiet moments spent without measure or meaning have grown to a fever pitch since their reunion. Even greater than his appreciation for their newfound intimacy is his appreciation of time, as slow and drawn out as he could ever please with his beloved. An old-fashioned liking, to be sure, but men of every class and every age have always wanted what they couldn’t have.

               “Thank you, Caeda. I feel the same. To be able to enjoy this time with you at last, I feel that such privilege is a priceless gift all on its own,” he admitted serenely, running his hands over the silky black pleats of her skirt. An aimless journey of exploration defined this act; fingertips skating over fabric, inching underneath it, wandering here and there, or simply lying still to feel her body heat through a second layer. Never truly going anywhere. Just the sensation of Caeda was enough after an eternity of having nothing of her within his reach.

               His thoughtful silence in the seconds following was accompanied by a mysterious distance to his gaze, then the whisper of a smile as he shyly found his words. A wish so formerly devoid of the light of possibility that it hesitated to bloom even now. Surely if he spoke it aloud it could be made true.  “.  .  .It would be wonderful if this could be the start. Going forward I pray every year could be like this one, marked by a birthday spent with the woman I love.”

[lonelier-version-of-you]

I just want Johnrik back. :(

[ozzgin]

Is it just me or can I imagine a yandere with a darling who’s immune system and possibly everything about them just screams weak and pathetic, BUT their darling is actually very strong mentally and has and will create the most fucked up, batshit crazy inventions from what used to be harmless to something that can help them escape and possibly destroy everything in its path.

But at the end of the day, they become sleepy koalas who hug whoever is near them and fall asleep :)

This could be a request or rant, whatever you can think of! I just wanted to see how different yandere writers would interpret this small imagination of mine <3

But as always, stay safe and take care! everyone needs a break some time to time~

Sorry, but the moment I read the Darling's description, I instantly thought of Dr. Finkelstein from Nightmare Before Christmas. You know, Sally's inventor. 😭 So let me quickly write this down while I'm in my Shelley vibes, because I like the idea a lot. With a little twist, if you don't mind. :)

Yandere! Monster x Inventor! Reader

A frail inventor, and their affectionate rag doll that has been carefully stitched together for the purpose of a caregiver. An artificial existence, trapped within the confines of your lonely tower. Or so you might think.

Content: gender neutral reader, monster romance, obsessive behavior

"I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel..." [Frankenstein]

You dangle an old, rusty bell for a good minute before leaning back in your chair. The barely audible chimes are quickly swallowed by the loud, mechanical groans of the gears and engines occupying most of this room. No matter, his ears are good. You picked them yourself. And surely enough, within moments, the door to your laboratory opens and someone cautiously walks in.

A tall, slender man. Or rather, something meant to resemble a man. The skin is a clumsy patchwork of blues and grays - you're no talented seamster, sadly - gathering together the body parts in what feels like a parodic attempt at mimicking God and his image. You gaze at the creature approaching you with a tray of tea and sweets. Scarcely your best work, if you must adhere to honesty. Regardless of the quality of your labor at the time of creation, you are proud of the result. How could you not be? You know this man better than you know yourself. Every organ, every artificial nerve cord, every blemish and stitch of his body was placed according to your intentions. A masterfully detailed project that took you years to complete; not an easy feat considering the lamentable state of your health.

"Here's your deadly nightshade tea." The man places a small, porcelain cup on the desk. "Do let me know when I should take you to bed, (Y/N)." You wave your hand dismissively and stretch out your limbs. "Not yet. I am almost finished", you respond, returning to the mound of metal scraps and pipes before you. "Can I ask what you're making?" The pale creature lowers himself to your level, a curious smile plastered on his face. "It's a mechanical heart", you reveal boastfully. "Like the one I have?" You run your hand through the creature's hair affectionately. "Almost. I'm testing out a different way to build the valves, for a more efficient pumping cycle." You continue to explain the intricacies of your novel mechanism, occasionally sipping on your tea. "Who knows, you might have a sibling in the near future."

The man's smile drops in an instant, and his sunken eyes widen at your statement. "What? Am I- am I not enough?" You glance at the creature as he becomes increasingly frantic. "Don't speak nonsense. If it comes out alright, I'll upgrade your own parts as well. I'm a disciple of scientific virtue, of continuous improvement." Nonsense? Vile treachery! You might've chiseled the brain that throbs within the walls of his skull, but his mind is his alone, and you seem to lack a fundamental understanding of his feelings and thoughts. His ardent confessions of love are met with mockingly pitiful grins, in the way a parent soothes a needy child. Even now, your eyes reflect nothing more than sympathy towards his protest. A childish tantrum is what you're most likely thinking. You've no time for emotional bagatelles. He can read you like an open book.

You simply won't understand. There is no place for a stranger in the life he's crafted with his very own hands: you, and him, and the evening tea with a side of butterscotch biscuits, and the bedtime talks, and the stripped branches of the decaying tree that rap at the windows on stormy nights. You might be the Inventor, but he is not just a mere, humble servant, a rag doll to be tossed around or toyed with. As you will soon discover, after all.

You awaken in the midst of night with your temples burning from a much too familiar headache. Although it's not just the pain that has disturbed your slumber. You can hear rattles and thuds coming from the upstairs laboratory. An intruder? Oh, your creations! The sound of glass breaking and metal scraping sends you into spiraling despair. You fumble to reach the nightstand, patting the surface in search for the bell and keys. You shake the handle in a panic, unable to find anything else in the darkness.

The chaotic rustle abruptly stops, followed by descending footsteps. You hold your breath as the chamber door opens, but it's none other than your creature. "Another flare-up? Shall I bring you some medicine?" the man asks with monotonous courtesy. "What have you been doing? What's all that noise?" you demand, agitated, but upon lifting yourself off the mattress you discover your legs are numb and uncooperative. The man hurries to your bed with a worried frown, and you hear the familiar clatter of the keychain coming from one of his pockets. "Have you taken my keys? Cease this foolishness at once!" Indifferent to your reproach, he places a firm hold on your shoulders and forces you back down, tucking you in effortlessly.

"You must forgive my impertinence." he says in a pleading tone. "I do not wish to impede the works of your genius. As your partner, however, it is my duty to prevent you from making mistakes." You furrow your eyebrows at his words. "What mistakes? My invention was flawless!", you argue fervently. "Indeed it was, but not its purpose. What need have you for another being?" It is the creature's turn for a passionate speech. He stands up with a confidence you don't recognize and continues: "You should know by now that I am fit to perform any role. That of your servant, your caregiver, your lover, or anything else you may desire. You can resume your tinkering starting tomorrow, but such blasphemies to our bond as the one today will not be tolerated." He straightens his vest and reaches for the door handle. "I will prepare some tea to help you rest."

Inconceivable. Your own creation, built with your own hands...Has something escaped your attention? His dialogue is deranged, tainted by madness. "Have I done something wrong?" you mumble to yourself, deep in contemplation. "Nonsense." the creature turns to face you briefly. "It was you who created me after all. Everything is perfectly splendid."

[marzipanandminutiae]

but also this is why I don't read much contemporary queer lit and that's partially on me

"what do you want to read in terms of contemporary romance?"

"F/F, ideally fem/fem, not too sacchrine BUT also not with a breakup or ambiguous ending, if it's both modern and not fantasy I will be bored to tears, writing has to be good, love historical fiction but if there is so much as a whisper of Corset-Bashing I am going to Expire"

"...you're just going to read Fingersmith, Karen Memory, or Romancing the Inventor again, aren't you"

"EXCUSE YOU I ALSO LIKED GIRLS OF PAPER AND FIRE WELL ENOUGH"

what do we want?

a canon F/F Gothic romance where both leads are actually, truly, "I enjoy this" feminine-presenting and not just "performing socially expected baseline levels of femininity for her society, but she doesn't REALLY like it and she'd TOTALLY be wearing trousers if she could but she CAN'T so that's why we CAN'T MAKE HER PROPERLY MASC EITHER!!!!"

when do we want it?

fucking yesterday tbh

[firestorm09890]

Limbus Company being listed as having "no woke content" on the big list of "woke" games is so fucking funny

because first of all, Library of Ruina is also on there, labeled "informational" (which seems like the middle ground between "too woke to even play" and "not woke"), with this as its "woke" warning points:

Contains subtly anti-capitalism, subtly pro-transhumanism, and subtly pro-LGBTQ+ messaging. Heavy social commentary regarding economic struggle, class differences, and human augmentation.

and somehow all that in Limbus Company didn't get this, even though it's literally the same world? Even if it was added to the list before Timekilling Time (commentary on an extremely broken system that allows the rich to keep getting richer and keeps the poor struggling) or Canto IV (no matter the selfless intent of the inventor, capitalism will twist new technologies into something that will make people bleed to feed the machine), the game STARTS with "veterans are seen as not people but tools of war that will be tossed aside as vermin as soon as they're no longer needed" and leaps straight into Canto II's "capitalism bad" and then I guess Canto III's "fascism bad" (though we know that people crying about politics in games never seem to notice how several games where you kill fascists are already political). there's also the same transhumanism stuff as before.

secondly. lgbtq+. Ishmael and Queequeg are gay as fuck, and there's Shrenne and Ran (missyouran... star star heart heart heart), and I guess that’s never really outright stated, but "subtly pro-LGBTQ+ messaging" gets you the "informational" label.

again, assuming this was added on release, none of that would have been known to them yet (unless they read moby dick, which was actually even more explicit about them being in a relationship, but let's be realistic they absolutely did not read moby dick). but every single sinner was based on a male literary character, and yet half of them are female, a choice made for balancing genders, which, to use the woke content detector terminology, is "overtly pro-DEI messaging". Raskolnikov from Crime and Punishment is a woman. Ishmael is a woman, and so is the famous Captain Ahab. Don Quixote is a woman*.

but the best part of it all

this game is not considered by these people, who faint at the sight of same-sex romanceable options or the lack of a clean "male/female" in character creators, to be "woke"

DESPITE THE NARRATOR OF THE ENTIRE GAME USING THEY/THEM PRONOUNS

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Hedy Lamarr (Samson and Delilah, Ziegfeld Girl)—Look. I'm sure someone has already submitted Hedy Lamarr because she was spectacularly beautiful, and a very strong lady too: she fled both an abusive marriage AND nazi persecution at a very young age and rebuilt a life for herself pursuing her love for acting all on her own!! Her career as an actress was stellar; while she began acting outside of Hollywood (her very first movie, Ecstasy, won a prize at the Venice Film Festival), she conquered American hearts very quickly with her first movie in the US, Algiers, and then just kept getting better and better. If all this isn't enough, she was also an inventor: her invention of the frequency-hopping spread spectrum radio transmission technique forms the base of bluetooth and has a lot of applications in all kinds of communication technologies. I think that deserves a prize, don't you?

Diahann Carroll (Paris Blues, Carmen Jones, Porgy and Bess)— Face of an angel. She had the range. She brought chemistry with every romance she portrayed. She also had a great fashion sense, and was so pretty Mattel made a doll based off of her.

This is one of two semifinals in the Hot & Vintage Movie Women Tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Propaganda is not my own and is on a submission basis. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Hedy Lamarr:

The only person you can find both on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and in the Inventor's Hall of Fame--her radio-frequency-hopping technology forms the basis for cordless phones, wi-fi, and a dozen other aspects of modern life. She was also passionate in her efforts to aid the Allies in WWII (unsurprising for a Jewish-Austrian Emigree to America), and her name served as the backbone for one of the best running jokes in what is possibly Mel Brooks' best movie. Look, Louis B. Mayer apparently believed he could plausibly promote her as "The world's most beautiful woman". Is an entire website full of people going to be less audacious than one Louis B. Mayer? I didn't think so!

Described as "Hedy has the most incredible personal sophistication. She knows the peculiarly European art of being womanly; she knows what men want in a beautiful woman, what attracts them, and she forces herself to be these things. She has magnetism with warmth, something that neither Dietrich nor Garbo has managed to achieve" by Howard Sharpe, she managed to escape her controlling husband (and Nazi Germany) by a) Disguising as her maid and fleeing to Paris or b) Convincing the husband to let her wear all of her jewelry to a dinner, only to disappear afterwards. Also she was particularly clever and helped develop Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum (I can't really explain it but anyway...)

Her depiction of Delilah and Samson and Delilah just lives rent free in my head. The woman was gorgeous.

One of the most beautiful women ever in film, spoken by many critics and fans. Beautiful shapely figure, deeper seductive voice, and often played femme fatale roles. She was also brilliant and an inventor. Mainly self-taught, she invested her spare time, including on set between takes, in designing and drafting inventions, which included an improved traffic stoplight and a tablet that would dissolve in water to create a flavored carbonated drink, and much more.

Gorgeous and brilliant pioneer of modern technology and the middle part.

Diahann Carroll:

Another groundbreaking black actress, although she might be better remembered for her television roles. She was also an activist and worked with charities to support women in need.

here she is hanging out with shadow prince anthony perkins :3

[radiance1]

Tucker finds a game installed on his pda one day.

He didn't know where it came from, nor what it was supposed to be and it looked more high quality than a few other games he's seen. So what did he do with it? Surely he should've not touched it and tried to delete it, right?

He wouldn't be apart of team phantom if he didn't also embody the "Fuck it we ball" energy.

So he plays it, finds it to be some dating sim based on the title screen and went through a good fair portion of it, it was fairly normal, if not really up his alleyway of games. But it had its moments though.

Then came Monika.

He didn't know what to do with her, in all honesty. She seemed to be a sapient Ai trapped in a dating sim, which was weird but not that weird compared to everything else in all honesty. She also killed off her friends, though her reasoning was because they weren't real and that it was the only way for her to have a romance route.

Kinda extra in his opinion, but he can see the reasoning.

So what does he do? Rummage around in the game's coding and makes a route for her.

(He swore he saw another pair of hands indirectly helping him when he did it, too.)

Monika was downright ecstatic when he was finished with it, he outlined a route for her but then she just took control of it, coding in events, mini-games, gifts and other sorts of things for her route. She thanked him immensely for outlining a route for her, since even with all of her control she couldn't directly go against core programming when it came to herself like that.

He was glad to help her out, really, she seemed like a pretty nice person, pushed outside of her core programming because of her sapience. He even coded Monika outside of the game and let her roam around in his pda, which accidentally added another layer of protection to his firewalls, but he isn't complaining.

Then she wondered how it would be like in the real world, with him and everyone else.

It really just went off from there.

Jack and Maddie are genius inventors, and now that they no longer have such a driving, blinding hatred towards ghost due to their son being revealed as a halfa, they no longer spend all of their time on ghost themed weapons and stuff.

So he went to them, showed them Monika (Which they were extremely impressed with) and decided to help him in building her a body! Probably also because they liked the challenge of building a body too, but meh.

Tucker drew up a design based on Monika's wishes, and tweaked it a bit here and there to ensure perfect human functionality.

Monika told Jack and Maddie that they didn't need to spend too much effort on it, since she would be fine with just a body, but Jack went no and they went all in. Did Tucker know what they were using to built her body? No, no he did not.

Apparently they made her body out of some rare metal they obtained from Vlad, who is trying very hard to redeem and put himself back in the Fenton's good graces after having some sense knocked into him, a rare metal called nth metal that Vlad apparently lost a lot trying to get, even had to use less then clean methods to get, but not anything he can't make back in a while.

Her blood was ectoplasm, with a fully functional heart made from the same metal and basically every other organs as well. Her brain was basically a supercomputer that'll let her connect to the internet whenever she wants, as well as allow her access to wifi from virtually wherever.

Her skin was made from another metal, one that imitated the feel and look of human skin, while also being more durable. They also added in features that'll simulate touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing as well!

Monika was honestly floored when she was downloaded into the body, it was much, much more than she had asked for and she didn't even know if she could repay them for it. To which Jack and Maddie just waved off because the chance to make a body from scratch out of a rare metal that was basically just gonna lie there for a sapient Ai wasn't one that would come often, so the experience was invaluable honestly!

Monika tried out everything she could after that, just happy to be among real people after becoming aware. She could finally be with her boyfriend, physically, no longer bound by a wall between them.

Then a while later, she may have accidentally hacked into what Tucker later told her was the Justice League Watchtower. It wasn't even her fault, she just wanted to hack into a nearby satellite, honest!

It's not like Tucker could talk, really. He's been hacking into the local government database for a while now, and why, it's not like he could do better, could he?

He saw a challenge when he saw one, and he should shy away from it because it was the Justice League.

But

So then the both of them competed to see who could hack into the Justice League database the fastest. A romance game Ai who grew sapience and got into the real world, versus a guy who's insanely smart and good at hacking who got her into the real world.

Of course it couldn't have been that easy, though, and really, it wouldn't have been a true challenge is they didn't engage in a cyber battle against the people they're hacking into, right?

Meanwhile, the Justice League is watching as Batman, Tim, and Oracle is fighting against two unknowns hacking into their database and having what is no doubt a cyber battle of such intensity they're wondering how the hell that keyboard is still standing against how fast their fingers are flying across it.

Some of them can swear they can see Batman release an aura of impressed, annoyed, and amused all at once.

[sciencebecameouraddiction]

title: a thursday night outing

author: sciencebecameouraddiction

fandom: arcane

rating: pg

genre: romance

pairing: viktor x reader

summary: heading home to get ready for a fun dinner with mel, you find viktor who is blindsided by your impending absence, even though you told him like 3 times that week.

based off this Shorts skit loosely: https://youtube.com/shorts/yRAdhnj2oOc?si=uLdR4bdqTWNlgGIy

���darling?” i ask as i walk into the apartment viktor and i share. “are you home?” my voice echoes through the apartment, as if on auto pilot my hands work the scarf from my neck and place it on the stand near the door, along with my coat. i blink a few times as i slip off my shoes hearing no noise coming from the apartment. viktor should have been home by now and normally would be writing in his journal or making a cup of tea. sighing as my feet guided me to our room, a bit disappointed as i wanted to say hi to him before going out to dinner with mel.

i turn the corner into our room and go to the dresser, as i open the drawer for a change of clothes i don’t hear but more so feel a presence behind me, my body locking as if i was a deer in a bright light. i feel them getting closer and quickly my rational mind recognizes this must be viktor. i have just a few seconds to decide if his little plan was going to pan out the way he thought it would. i gently smiled and continued to grab clothes feeling his arms wrap around me. i hear his sigh and chuckle.

“i can never sneak up on you.” he says, pouting.

“i felt you behind me when you were near the bed, my love.” i smile and roll my eyes as i turn in his arms to finally look at him.

“how was your day?” the words come out as routine but i appreciate them nonetheless.

“it was good. i was just looking forward to tonight.” his brows furrow as i explain.

“tonight….?”

“yes, tonight! don’t tell me you forgot. i’m going to dinner with mel tonight. a little girls night, uninterrupted by council meetings or crazy inventors changing the world. just a night where we can have good food and talk about skincare.” a laugh falls from my lips as he looks mildly affronted and also completely disinterested.

“so, you are going to need to do whatever you normally do when i’m gone.” i laugh seeing the look on his face. “viktor, are you okay?”

“just… i forgot that was tonight so i am feeling a little… ehhh, blindsided, if I’m honest.” i nod as he looks like he’s going through five stages of grief realizing i wouldn’t be at home tonight.

“do you need me to give you some space or do you want a hug?” i ask as i pull back a bit, my hands resting on his forearms. his face falls into partial annoyance and disbelief.

“don’t “gentle parent” me.” i laugh as he still looks pouty and then looks at me. “a hug would be nice.” and as i lean in my heart feels too big for my chest as my arms wrap around him and i hold him close. my head buried into the crook of his neck and his in mine. i make sure that he moves to separate first, his grin content as he looks at me and then his eyes widen as he sees tears in my eyes.

“darling, what’s wrong?” his voice somewhat panicked.

“nothing. nothing.” i smile as a tear runs down my face and i hold his hand resting on my cheek. “i love you so much, that sometimes the… strength of my emotions feels like my body is incapable to hold onto a love this strong. a love this big. it feels like it is so much, but i delight in it because that love is for you.” viktor’s eyes widen and his face goes from worried to relaxed to a gentle smile.

“you know, i wouldn’t have believed that if you had told me that a year ago.” his hands grip my hips bringing me closer.

“i know. how can you accept love when it’s never been given to you freely?” i smile. “but i’m here now. jayce is here. we have so much love to give you that all you have to do is just stand there and accept it.” i kiss his cheek as he looks up, knowing that he was trying to make sure i didn’t see his eyes well up with tears.

“how about while i go to dinner, you and jayce hang out? and then when i get back, you and i can cuddle in bed and i’ll pick up reading that book we were almost finished with last week.” i ask, not wanting him to be alone.

“i can be alone, my love.” he levels me with a glance and i chuckle, it’s like he can read my thoughts.

“you can be, but do you want to be?” i ask.

“i’d like to read and wait for you to come home… alone. jayce would not shut up in the lab today so quiet would be much appreciated.” i chuckled at his exasperated eye roll.

“okay. okay.” i say as i turn to grab a last few garments before i get ready to shower. i hear him hum behind me and then rewrap his arms around my waist.

“you should definitely wear the black lace set.” he murmurs and kisses my neck.

“just for you.” i pull out the set and place it with the rest of my clothes. “do you mind keeping me company in the shower?” i ask, him knowing it’s not just me asking if he minded, i knew he didn’t. it was asking if he could, if he felt up to it and wanted to.

“i’d love to.” i smile at him as i took his hand in my left and grabbed my clothes in my right and we headed off to the bathroom.

“besides…. since i felt so blindsided about your outing tonight, seeing you naked will definitely help me get over it.”

“viktor!”